A poem for our beloved Riverbanks Zoo.
To the zoo with you, little girl that’s two.
To see lions and tigers as feisty as you. (more…)
To the Zoo With You
By Natalie
The Dollhouse
By Natalie
Last summer I found a few ideas to turn this ikea shelf into a dollhouse. After showing it to Brandon he was sure that he could build one himself. Since Ikea shipping was so delayed with everyone ordering work/school from home furniture I put my faith in Brandon and I’m so glad I did. The beautiful dollhouse that he built was our first collaborative project together and we’re rather proud of it! We were often spending our evenings side by side tinkering in a room to get it just right, all while Felicity was sound asleep. It was a great way to spend our evenings in. Felicity’s love for the dollhouse has made it all worth it and we hope that it can grow and change with her as she ages.
2020: A Debrief
By Natalie
Is it too late to share a Christmas photo? We’ve had a slow start to our new year which has been a lovely way to start fresh. Last year we experienced our own set of hardship and grief for experiences lost. But by this point we’ve created a new normal, incorporating some new routines that have helped keep us going. This post I suppose is somewhat of a debrief. (more…)
Christmas Favorites
By Natalie
You know I couldn’t let this season go by without some Christmas favorites! This year I’ve been into a variety of different Christmas music and I’ve incorporated more natural elements to our decor. I’m so happy with how it’s all turned out and am excited to share these favorites with you!
Aren’t Bingley and Zelda the sweetest in this photo with their stockings ♥ (more…)
Yes to the Mess
By Natalie
Thank you to everyone who reached out to express their love for our advent calendar. I’m blown away by all of the sweet words, my mama heart is full. I’m constantly reminded that this is a time to create memories with Felicity, a merry time indeed. Today I’m grateful for so many things including Brandon for putting Lici to bed so many nights, which allowed me time to prep all of this. Grateful to my mom for instilling a love for crafting in me. Even when she signed me up for a quilting class when I was 13. I at the time was so embarrassed, but I learned a thing or two about a sewing machine. I might be doing that same thing to Lici! I’m grateful to all of the crafters in my family who had the patience to teach me all I know about glitter, glue, yarn, thread, paper, needles, fabric, you name it! (more…)
DIY: Advent Calendar
By Natalie
Happy December 1st! I hope you have your Rudolph jammies on for this.
I decided that this year called for more Christmas cheer than usual. Our Lici has been so excited about baby Jesus in the manger and of course all of the animals that were in Bethlehem that night. She’s starry eyed over the Christmas trees, lights, reindeer, nutcrackers, snowmen, anything and everything Christmas. Last year we did the Trader Joes’s chocolate advent calendar with her which she loved! This year we got her the same since the girl LOVES chocolate and we also went ahead and grabbed Bingley the dog treat advent since we knew Lici would love giving Bingley a treat every time she got one. (more…)
7 Ways to be Generous This Season
By Natalie
This Christmas season we’re teaching Felicity what generosity is all about. Though receiving Christmas presents is exciting we want her to know what it feels like to give as well. We want her to understand that we have been provided for and in turn we are a family who helps those in need. I’ve been researching charities and looking for more specific places to donate our gently used items to rather than taking them all to Goodwill and I wanted to share my findings with my fellow Charlotte readers. (more…)
Fall Sensory Bin
By Natalie
This is a little late to the season but here you have it. Felicity and I put together this fall sensory bin at the beginning of October. Full of both Halloween and fall items. I love a good sensory bin for my busy girl. She’s tactile and a problem solver so she loves having a new set of goodies to discover. It’s versatile fun! This kept her busy when she lost interest in making dog treats with me toward the end of baking. (more…)
Camping with a Toddler
By Natalie
On our way home from our first camping trip with Felicity Brandon said, “Well it was worth a try. If we’d never tried it we would have never known.”
Alot of friends said that we were brave for taking a toddler camping. I’m not sure it was brave per say. Maybe spontaneous is a better word. Going into it I thought that the worst case would be we didn’t sleep well and it’d be a disaster. It wasn’t a disaster, but we also didn’t sleep well which will always put a damper on things. With a brand new family tent and new camping chairs including a chair sized for Lici we had big hopes that our little outdoorsy girl would have the time of her life and we’d be camping all the time. I’ve come to realize that the more activities we’ve done this year the higher my expectations have become. After half a year of blah cabin fever I’ve expected so much joy and refreshment from these new adventures and that’s maybe too much to ask of a camping trip and a pumpkin patch hayride. (more…)
Fall Favorites 2020
By Natalie
Get ready to cozy up, it’s time for some new fall favorites! Typically I suggest something to eat, something to smell, something to listen to plus something pretty or useful to you or around the home. That covers the majority of the senses perfect for getting into the season. Enjoy and please share your fall favorites with me! (more…)