tummy time

sometimes i can't handle the cuteness.

i want

to

eat him

with a spoon.

have a great weekend, friends!

this and that

it's been a while since i've shared with you some internet goodies that have caught my eye lately.  hope you like!

1) i want!  this is a bar of soap shaped like a blackbird.  as you wash your hands, it reveals a porcelain bird in the center made by a louisiana artist.  part of the proceeds go to the bp oil spill disaster relief.  perfect.

via design crush

2)  these photos recently knocked my socks off.  these split-shots were taken with fish-eye lenses positioned both above and below the water.  aren't they beautiful?  click the link to check out the rest.

via alice

3) who's going to london with me to see these sculptures by spanish artist jaume plenda?  could you spot me the plane ticket?  k, thanks.

here is what alice had to say about them: Some of Plensa's works are meant to encourage tactile and sensory exploration. They include a beautiful 50-meter curtain of poetry made of suspended steel letters, large illuminated sculptures in the landscape, and engraved gongs that visitors can strike to fill the gallery with sound. Mostly, his work involves the body. In fact, he used casts of his own body and the faces of people he met while exhibiting his work around the world.

learn more here

4) i'll end this and that on a funny note.  here are a few heat-related images that have made me giggle from the comfort of my air-conditioned home.

Source: someecards.com via Cortney on Pinterest

Source: theweathernetwork.com via Cortney on Pinterest

                         stay cool, peeps!

good genes

i may not have inherited a high metabolism or legs that go on for days, but my gene pool is full of artistic goodness.  i'd take that over looking hot in a bikini (almost) any day.

let me brag a bit, would you?  my daddy-o was recently featured in the latest issue of DHome magazine as a 'person of interest'.  he was interviewed about our family business, barry martin painting, and asked to paint a shirt to match a special finish on one of the walls in his office.  you can tell from the interview that he is a humble, talented, hard-working man.  but i already knew that.

you see, my dad owns the family business which was started in the forties by my equally talented grandfather.  they have established an impeccable reputation as the premier paint contractors in dallas (all without advertising).

currently, my husband makes sure all the jobs run smoothly, my sister makes sure everyone gets paid, my brother-in-law takes care of the shop, my grandmother helps with payroll, and my grandfather still comes to work every day (he's in his 80's, mind you.)  and while i am not in the middle of the action every day, i am their biggest cheerleader.

being a member of this family has some serious perks.  i get original paintings from my father as gifts.
see?

i have a house full of furniture my grandfather made.

see?

my husband makes and finishes custom frames for our photographs.
see?

{chris even took that picture.  multi-talented, i'll say.}

and now my children have the opportunity to learn the business as well.  that is, if they want.

i am just so extremely proud to be a grand-daughter, daughter, sister and wife in this operation.

thank you for letting me brag.

the end.

p.s. my sister blogged about the publication here.

greatest hits- the abbreviated version

we are leaving for our vacation to syracuse to visit our family bright and early wednesday morning.  i am currently trying not to freak my freak about packing and preparing to fly with cranky crosby (that is one of his many nicknames, btw.)  so while i wait for the mountains and mountains of laundry to finish drying, i am blogging.  now that's what i call multi-tasking.

this week seems to have a theme: 

time spent with our favorite people.

1) date night.  chris and i had a delicious dinner at the libertine bar (yum) and then to hang out with some awesome people at stan's, some of which we never get to see.  it was good times.

 {chris with the always entertaining johnny horton}

 {out of the house.  woot, woot!}

 {apparently the dress code was green and black}

2) family dinner at my parent's house to celebrate my sweet nanan's birthday.

 {jake's arms are seriously the length of his entire body}

 {he may be as tall as chelsey, but she can still beat him at arm wrestling}

{crosby with the birthday girl}

 3) the theme will continue in syracuse where we will get to spend time with chris's family and see the cousins in action.  we cannot wait.  

so please, say a little prayer for us on wednesday morning.  traveling cross-country with your young family can do a number on your nerves...

p.s. i have scheduled blog posts for the first time!  getting pretty fancy over here on bondstone.  so if all works as planned, a couple of posts will publish for your reading pleasure while we are gone.  

ooh-la-la.

have a great week!

until next time,

xoxoxo

one picture

after my miscarriage, chris surprised me with a trip to new orleans.  i felt old and so very tired, body and mind.  but on this balcony, in this city, i was happy for the first time in a while.  

nola is good for my soul.

{i am a little sad that this challenge is over.  it's been fun.  

thanks for reading y'all.}

two songs

two songs?!?!?!  this would be a lot easier if the category was more specific.  like, name two songs that remind you of eighth grade.  or, name two of your favorite prince songs.  two make-out songs, two skating rink songs, two hip-hop songs, two guilty-pleasures.  

in a category all it's own, i now present you with two songs from my wedding!

{turn the volume up.  this version is pretty quiet.}

one of our groomsmen sang this song to us during our ceremony (right after i accidentally poured hot wax on my hand from the unity candle. smooth move.)  it (the song) was beautiful, take my word for it.

this willie nelson oldie-but-goodie was our first dance song.  who doesn't love willie nelson?  

we certainly do.

{please forgive this really bad video.  even the lyrics are wrong, but it was all i could find!}

your turn.

greatest hits

the heat has caused some serious laziness around here.  our week was simple as a result.  it involved:

1) haircuts and chocolate ice cream.

 2) breakfast at the company cafe on greenville avenue..  the food was fresh, simple and thoughtfully made.  so good!

3) an affectionate big brother.  ben requests his picture to be taken every time he is super sweet to his baby brother, which is pretty often.  so like his puppet, i run for the camera every time.  it is so worth it.

 4) visits from family and friends.

 5) dips in the pool to cool off.

looking forward to date night, a family birthday celebration, and a trip to syracuse!!!

how have you beat the heat this week?

until next time,

xoxoxo

three films

here are three movies i could watch again and again and again...

1) you can count on me

this is my very favorite movie.  when it came out, i was in my early twenties, and at that time in my life i immediately identified with mark ruffalo's character in the film.  he reminded me so much of boys i knew, sort of lost and trying desperately to find their place in the world.  it is a beautiful story about the love between siblings.  the characters are so relateable that they'll break your heart.  p.s. this movie introduced me to the yummy mark ruffalo.  hubba, hubba.

2) you've got mail

i mean, does it get any cuter than tom hanks and meg ryan in the 90's?  i don't think so.  chris and i discovered early in our marriage that we both shared a love for this movie (chris has a thing for meg ryan and is still in denial that romantic comedy is his favorite movie genre).  and it's so quotable.  "mr. 152 insights into my soul" makes it's way into our vernacular regularly around here.

Joe Fox: Mr. 152 Felony indictments. 

Kathleen Kelly: Mr. 152 insights into my soul. 

Joe Fox: Oh yeah. No competing with that. 

3) annie

at age three, i had a life-sized annie doll on my bed, annie posters on my wall, and an annie locket around my neck.  for christmas, i got annie's red dress and a bright red afro wig.  my mom let me wear it to preschool, oh yes she did.  annie was my everything.  i still bawl like a baby every time i hear the song 'maybe'.  and i could probably still come up with a mean routine to 'it's a hard knock life'.  i should try to find that wig....

your turn.

four books

*preface:  these aren't the best books ever or the books that changed my life forever.  i, once again, am omitting the word 'favorite' from my brain.  this is simply a list of books i like.  a lot.

1)  my friends by taro gami

via

when ben was younger, we would read this book to him every night before bed.  is is so sweet and explains the different things you learn from your friends.  he has since out-grown this book, but i will never.

2)  dress yourself in corduroy and denim or me talk pretty one day by david sedaris

i can't remember which book i read first, but i do know as soon as i read one, chris and i quickly devoured his entire catalogue.  it is so funny, you will read parts of it out loud to whomever is in the room.

excerpt: "On my fifth trip to France I limited myself to the words and phrases that people actually use. From the dog owners I learned "Lie down," "Shut up," and "Who shit on this carpet?" The couple across the road taught me to ask questions correctly, and the grocer taught me to count. Things began to come together, and I went from speaking like an evil baby to speaking like a hillbilly. "Is thems the thoughts of cows?" I'd ask the butcher, pointing to the calves' brains displayed in the front window. "I want me some lamb chop with handles on 'em." 

— David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day)

3)  glass castle by jeanette wells

i am a sucker for a good memoir.  especially ones where the protagonist goes through hell and back, then lives to tell about it.  this book is about family, love, neglect, poverty, and overcoming the odds.  a must-read, in my opinion.

4)  garlic and sapphires: the secret life of a critic in disguise by ruth reichl

this memoir about a nyc food critic who dresses in disguise to conceal her identity is a foodie's dream.  all of her books are, for that matter.  bonus feature: recipes.  i found my go-to spaghetti carbonara recipe in the book.  delish!

your turn.

five foods

i had to text my husband and ask him what my five foods should be.  how sad is that???  he provided four of them.  thanks, honey.

asking me to pick five favorite foods is like asking me to pick my favorite kid.  o.k., not really.  more like asking me to pick my favorite friend.  i like them all for different reasons.  yep, i just compared food to a friend.  'tis true, 'tis true.

so here are five foods i really, really like.  i am eliminating the word 'favorite' from my brain. i'll even do drink pairings for each because i am fancy like that.

1) bob armstrong dip from matt's rancho martinez

this dip involves everything wonderful about tex-mex in one bowl: queso, sour cream, quacamole, taco meat all mixed together for your dipping pleasure.  it's the first thing i want to eat when i return home from a trip, because mexican food from anywhere other than my home state just doesn't qualify.

drink pairing: a large frozen matt's margarita with salt

2) macaroni and tomatoes

hear me out.  this is a family thing.  when my parents were married, my nanan typed up this recipe for my dad with orders to make it for my mom whenever she was sick.  it went a little something like this:

• boil water.
• add macaroni.
• drain water.
• add 1 can of tomatoes, lots of butter, salt and pepper.

no joke.  macaroni and tomatoes makes me feel better when i am sick.  and i prefer it when my mom makes it.  she is heavy-handed with the butter.

drink pairing: a large glass of mom's sweet tea

3) shrimp salad from s&d oyster company

it's cold, delicious, and eaten in it's entirety by me with a generous squeeze of lemon and a basket of saltine crackers.  it reminds my of new orleans even though i have never eaten anything like it there.

drink pairing: i drink it with iced tea, but i bet it's good with an abita beer.

4) cornbread dressing

my mama made the best, but she hasn't been able to cook in years.  my parents do a bang-up job replicating it.  not to be mistaken with stuffing.  i like stuffing, but i looooove dressing.  it's a southern thing.  when we spend thanksgiving in georgia, my mom saves some dressing for me to devour when i get home.

drink pairing: anything

5) grits

i'll eat them plain, with cheese, with shrimp, i don't care.  both of my sons are partially made out of grits, no joke.  load them with salt and butter and i am a happy woman.  again, it's a southern thing.

drink pairing: hot coffee

Source: sweetteaserendipity.blogspot.com via Cortney on Pinterest

your turn.