Sundays

keith and i have been working hard at this whole 30 cleanse thing. i always felt i didn't have the will power to do something like whole 30. however, the last couple of months i have been not feeling well after eating, sluggish and was feeling completely defeated in the fertility department. i was mentally ready for the challenge. my sweet husband offered to support me on this journey knowing we would be stronger and successful together. i'm a lucky lady. the first four or five days were pretty miserable, but since that point we have both felt great energy wise. i never realized how much we associate socializing around food. we still get a little moody once in while since we can't enjoy a beer, glass of wine or sweet treat especially around friends.  regardless i am really enjoying the process and will continue to practice several of the clean eating ideas we have learned. and keith is already planning our cleanse for next year. 

last sunday, day 10, kingston called me from his crib about 5:30. i usually stumble in eyes half open and bring him into our bed to nurse and sleep a little longer. but this time i could not fall back to sleep. i was wide eyed, motivated and ready to take on the day with my family. i was showered and dress before 7:00. my husband woke and couldn't believe his eyes. we had several commitments later that  afternoon so i figured we would be home until it was time to head out. but keith suggested breakfast out and a walk on the beach. i was more than willing to hit the road. the day was beautiful and we were all due for some time out of the house. we were at breakfast by 8:00 and at the beach by 9:30. 

we could not have asked for a better morning. the ocean was clear and to our surprise has already started to warm up. i wish we would have worn our suits. that salty water was calling. suit or no suit our little cub was going in and what a good time he had, a smile ear to ear and he could not stop giggling with excitement. keith and i agreed we would make an effort to get out here at least once a week while the weather is good. i'm really looking forward to our next trip to beach.

xo, beth-ann

Camper Remodel Ideas

the mountains

links :::: privacy curtain :: outdoor lighting :: fluff :: flooring :: hardware :: outdoor rug 

here are two design board ideas i have been working on for round one of our camper remodel. new cushion fabric, recovered counter tops and maybe some interior paint will be part of round two. but, in the mean time, i'm stuck. keith and i agree on not painting the cabinets which seems to be popular with other remodels we have seen online. we like the finish and decided to work around that concept. since the cabinets are a medium tone we want to keep the floor light. i really like the curtain fabric and rock hardware of wanderlust, the hiking theme, but the brightness of the mountains, the natural theme, keeps pulling me back. basically i sit in limbo. what do you think? which one would you choose? 

wanderlust

links :::: privacy curtain :: outdoor lighting :: fluff :: flooring :: hardware :: outdoor rug

xo, beth-ann

Camper Love

ahhhhhh… we bought a pop-up camper. keith and i have been considering buying a camper for quite some time. at first, we wanted completely different types of campers. i love a tent, but considered a driving camper and keith preferred the trailer type. we pleaded our cases through out the years and finally agreed that a new to us, budget friendly pop-up was the perfect fit for our outdoor adventures.

the starcraft is in good condition, but of course i'm dying to make this little sucker our own. we, meaning i, have big plans for this space. within reason of course. new flooring and maybe curtains to start. eventually new cushion covers once i save some dollars.   

someone is already enjoying this hide away. rock on little dude, rock on.

xo, beth-ann

Road Trip: Spring in Mt. Washington Valley

every spring we are called to the white mountains. it is my favorite time of year to visit this area of new england. the skies are bright, the air is crisp and the weather is never too cold or too warm. the black bears have not awoken from their winter slumber just yet. the land is so peaceful right before its bloom. the morning of our departure the stomach bug reeked havoc on my little one. delaying our highly anticipated road trip. with a lost day and a not quite himself baby boy we made our way north. i get totally stressed when our little one is sick. the feeling of helplessness it has over a mother is consuming. but, once we arrived kingston was excited to be on a new adventure and the much needed change of scenery was welcoming.   

the next morning we woke early ready to get outside and explore, but our little boy was not. his stomach was still not right and kept us in for the next few days. is it just us or do kids always seem to get sick at the worst times. it was a bumpy start to our holiday and we had to adjust to crankier than usual toddler.

our first hike of the week, if you can call it that, turned into someone wanting to turn back about a half hour into the trail. i wanted to press on and he wanted no part of it. we ended up enjoying a slow walk back to the truck. unfortunately, the next few days were rainy, so the pool, little shops and st. patricks day celebration kept us busy.

keith and i were so thankful our scheduled dog sledding day wasn't until later in the week. the weather was good and everyone was feeling tip top by that point. what an amazing experience. the muddy paw sled dog kennel is awesome. the location is beautiful and they care mostly for unwanted sled dogs. my kind of people. some of the dogs stories are heart breaking, but the kennel gives them a second chance and a renewed purpose. you even get to meet the dogs and help pick your team before your ride through the forest. our musher, brianna, is super passionate about her job. her excitement and extensive knowledge about the dogs is incredible. we absolutely recommend checking them out. 

the weather and toddler cooperated through the rest of our trip. and we were able to get in a few miles in on the trail. my little adventurer was back to his ambitious self and excited to trek up a mountain to check out a frozen waterfall. if we return this summer i will had to repeat the walk so he can see arethusa falls in motion. and maybe next time i will remember to snap a family photo when our little guy actually has his eyes open.xo, beth-ann 

2015 Providence Children's Film Festival

over president's day weekend we originally had plans to head north, but with the anticipation of another generous snow storm we opted to stay closer to home. feeling a little blue about our circumstance i wanted to make our few days together special. keith regularly only has sundays off and this weekend he had not only saturday off, but monday as well. i search the local papers and sights for something new, interesting and fun for our family, not an easy task seeing it is the coldest month of the year in new england. i claimed victory when i stumbled upon the providence children's film festival. we recently have been allowing our cub to view a little boob tube and how fun to see a children's movie in my favorite little theater the avon. the film festivals webpage made it super simple to find appropriate viewing by categorizing everything by age group. we found two movies that i knew our family would enjoy, song of the sea this weekend and okee dokee brothers through the woods: an appalachian adventure the following week. 

friday night i put the whole house to bed early, since we had a full day ahead of us on saturday. starting with the winters farmers market in the a.m., song of the sea in the afternoon, a late lunch at johnny rockets and then home for pizza making and adult beverages for the grow ups. the day, even though it was busy, it was the good kind of busy… in a fun relaxing way. song of the sea was magical. the animation was beautiful and the sweet story strummed on all emotions. i definitely had to wipe a tear or two away at times. 

 

 

 

 

 

the following week we packed the cub and the cousins in the car and headed back to providence for a night of fun. music, movie, flat bread pizza for dinner and a late night snowy walk. the boys had a blast and kingston could not be happier when his big cousins are around. somehow i got my husband to agree to this and a sleep over. he is so patient and willing to go along with my crazy ideas. i'm a lucky girl. the okee dokee brothers hiking the appalachian trail playing music, learning new songs, about new music and being as silly as boys can be really made these kiddo's night. there was much to talk about over breakfast the next morning. 

 

 

xo, beth-ann