The store is on a sweet “old-town” type street that lacks a good coffee shop, but all the brick and neighboring antique stores make up for it.

Before browsing for new reads, we turned in our own set of used books which gave us a credit to use towards 50% of books we wanted to purchase.  Pretty sweet.

With the exception of the weird smell, I absolutely love used books.  Something about their folded pages and worn edges makes me feel all snuggly inside.  Is that weird?

All the kids found books THEY liked.  Despite my best efforts to steer them towards ones I wanted them to have.

Griffy is the only one that works on.

Espen & Tilly both picked totally random chapter books about robots and mice.  But they were thrilled with their purchase and I was thrilled to leave the store with happy kids and 5 books for $8.

Now that my middles we involved with their chapter books they discovered the woes of marking their spot.  Totally against turning down the corners of their “new” books, they asked for bookmarks.  The next day we grabbed some paper clips & short pieces of ribbons & tied them together.

It was a super simple way to keep their little hands busy, get them to work together and solve their bookmarking problem-os.

Ok, so I have to know.  What do you do when your usuals are feeling a little boring?

Have you heard of or do you use:

red tricycle or

macaroni kid?

If this stuff intrigues you at all, let me know…..  thinking about starting a DIWY (do it with youngsters) feature.

Lots of love and happy early weekend!  xo . rae

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Our No. 3, Tilly, is gaga for dresses and there is quite an elaborate process needed when choosing the dress du jour.  One that requires me hoisting her up for long periods of time to reach the items in her closet.  To make this process more fun for Tilly and easier on my arms (and patience), I asked my man to help build a clothing rack for our little stylist.  Here is how we DIYed it.

S U P P L I E S :  piece of 3/4″ thick pine wood (or the like) cut to 16×30″(or the dimensions you want your rack to be), 4 casters, 2 flanges, 2 – 3/4″ metal piping 30″ long (or the height you want the rack to be), 2 – 3/4″ elbows, 1 – 3/4″ metal piping 24″ long (or the width you want the rack to be), small amount of paint, paint brush, 24 – 3/4″ screws, & a drill

S T E P   1 :  Paint the top and sides of the cut piece of wood.  Apply a second coat if needed.  You won’t see the bottom of the board so I didn’t worry about painting it.

S T E P  2 :  Screw the casters into each corner, about 1-1/2″ from the edge, using a drill.

S T E P  3 :  Twist the metal piping together…..  the flanges to the 30″ pipes, then the elbows, and finally the 24″ pipe to go across the top.  Put some elbow grease into it so everything is twisted tightly.  Lay your piping on the ground and make sure it lays flat.

S T E P  4 :  Place the flanges on the board and line them up with the center, making sure each side is equal distance from the edge.  Secure in place with screws using your drill.

Add some cute kicks, clothes and accessories (like a messy bag) and you have a rad little clothing rack.

It was love at first site for Tilly, so I thought I would share a montage of pics.

Time to check out the merchandise.

Shoes first.

Then the dress.

Yes, that’s the one.

And to reaffirm that it’s the girl that makes the clothes and not the other way around, an art print from here.  (excuse the typo, it’s correct in the download).

Let me know what you think or if you have any questions and be sure to pin and share if you love the project!

Happy hanging!

xo . rae

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T H A N K S   M O M . . .

For always making our house a home, no matter your budget.  Your resourcefulness has rubbed off.

For sending us into the world in handmade clothes among other things.  Oh, and the hours you spent perfecting spandex pants for my skinny legs in the 3rd grade.

For the countless Birthdays and celebrations you hand constructed and personalized just for us.  For letting us pick our Birthday cake and themes, no matter how untraditional.  I know that is your style anyway.

You have taught me to think outside of the box and fueled my creativity.  (That’s my brother in the blue blazer and glasses.  So cute, right? And me in the messy hair and navy overalls.)

For ALL the home cooking that filled our bellies.  I can’t thank you enough.  I know now just how hard it is to get dinner on the table and I have no idea how you did it with such grace.  

(My big bro in the red)  For encouraging our extracurricular activities and sacrificing more then a generous amount of your time.  For sticking it out, rain or shine, home games or cross-country.  It scares me to think what my life would have been like without soccer.  I’m sure the day I got my drivers license was one of the happiest of your life!  Ha!

For the hours spent doing my hair even though it always found away to un-do itself.  Quickly.  Not unlike my spunky little girl.  Thanks for allowing us to be who we were, have our own style and beat to our own drum.  From the Cubs pendant that hung on my wall as a little girl to the turquoise ragging that covered my room as a teenager and all the crazy ensembles in between. 

For preparing me to be a mom and teaching me to  stand on my own two feet when that day came too early.  And when that day quickly led to being a single mom and immense heartache, nurturing me back to health.

It is because of your sacrificing and giving that I was able to do the same for Ozzie (pictured above) and my 3 newer additions.  That I haven’t settle for anything short of my dreams, including my beautiful husband….

and an amazing business and talented partner who also happens to be hilarious.  But you already know that.

I  L O V E   Y O U .

Ah, yes mamas.  You have an awesome job to do and an abundant harvest to gather.  If you can’t see past the runny noses and chaotic dinnertime, just know, it’s coming.

What are you most thankful to your mom for?

xo . rae

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