A Southern Accent

Let's just say the first day of kindergarten was a bust. Maybe I talked it up too much and he was expecting it to be a bit more glamorous and exciting, but when I picked him up from school the first day and asked him how his day was, tears formed in my eyes as he said, "It was boring. I don't ever want to go back there again." I literally heard my heart crack a little bit. His teacher had stopped me in the hall when I picked him up and said he didn't have a good day. She said he complained a lot and didn't want to do what she asked. I reassured her this was not regular behavior, and we chatted back and forth the rest of the evening on e-mail once I had a chance to talk to him. She was sure we'd be able to get him to come around. He'd been so excited the night before school started, he didn't sleep well. He was nervous that morning, and didn't want anything to eat. He didn't know anyone in his class. I guess I would have probably had...

They were begging to be brought home. Mike and I both decided we needed two more little ones to add to our brood. $12.00 Anthropologie Salt and Pepper Shakers. Oink.

I've pretty picky about shoes. My mom says I always pick the ugliest ones out at the time, but I beg to differ - especially considering what is out right now. Have you seen some of the awful stuff in the stores? First off, I refuse to spend hundreds of dollars on shoes. Especially when they are trendy. I have one pair of Tory Burch shoes and I bought them half price. I do have about four pairs of Dansko clogs, but they last forever and are so worth the money you pay for them. Since I wore my Dansko leopard clogs like almost every day last fall/winter, I'm kinda sick of them and wanted something new for this fall.(I just got stuck in a rut for work and they are just so comfortable!) Problem is, I hate most of the shoes that are out there now and the ones I kinda like are almost $200 and the whole heeled clog thing is just too trendy to spend a lot of money on. So, after looking everywhere - in stores and online, I checked Target yesterday. I typically have a hard time find...

You may or may not know I dabble a bit in freelance design on the side and my most recent project kept me up until 5:00 am last Saturday morning, but I met the client deadline and crashed early Saturday night. It was my biggest project to date, and I'm really happy about the way it turned out. My challenge:150 Bat Mitzvah invitations, designed, hand cut, with RSVP cards, party cards and brunch invites. The client wanted a theme that was black and white with polka dots and this is what I came up with. My favorite part? The matching stamps we ordered online from stamps.com! She sent them out this week and is getting lots of great comments back on them!

Ha ha, no it's not what you think. Meet the newest member of our family: Softie. Taking a nap after playtime To celebrate the beginning of kindergarten, I let Walker pick out a little critter at the pet store. He is over-the-moon thrilled about this little guy (and I am too). He is a dwarf hamster and he is the sweetest little guy! He is laid back and calm and so gentle! He even likes to play pirate! Land ahoy! Captain Softie at the helm!

Tomorrow I'll pack my first school lunch, including a peanut butter sandwich with the crust cut off. I'll take the drive to kindergarten, and walk my little guy to his class. He will hug me goodbye and I will drive off, leaving him in the more-than-capable hands of his teachers. And I will not cry, I will not cry. I want to find joy in these moments, experience the excitement of new milestones and experiences, instead of being sad for what has passed. Today we visited his classroom and met his teachers. He is so excited he can't stand it. He has been begging to be a kindergartner since he graduated from preschool last June. Today we also visited his preschool and said hello to his old teachers. We stopped by the director's office to make sure it was OK and she said, "We love visitors! But you'll probably only be back two times. The kids very soon start to refer to this as their baby school and they will be too big to come back." I hadn't thou...

It's been a while since I've done a photography post, but I had some fun with the camera this weekend and wanted to share more tips for using your SLR! A good friend of mine asked me to take some pictures of her and her little girl this weekend. We decided on Duke Gardens as our destination because that is one of the best places to take pictures around Durham. So, one thing I've been doing some reading on lately is natural light photography. Seems that most good photographers don't use that built-in flash that comes with the camera. Some are even snobs about it. And that's how they get those wonderful, light-filled shots you see on photography sites. It really is all about timing - the right time of day (not noon), the right angle of the shot,  using front lighting (light behind you) to enhance your subject from the front seems to be the best way to start playing with light. You also want to get the white balance correct - here's a good post on this from...

You know how Vanity Fair does those cool articles on famous people's desks? Well, since I'm almost famous now, I thought you all would like to see where I spend my days...   1. Collection of pens. Most recent purchase, the Sharpie Pen . I have about eight already. They only have roller balls here and I hate those things. I'm very picky about my writing instrument. 2. Ibuprofen. It's an office staple and it's my month to supply the goods when people come looking for it. 3. My little guy's birth announcement. It reads "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Mark 10:14 4. Diploma from THE University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication. Let's people know I'm a Tar Heel right from the minute they walk in my office. 5. All of the Christmas cards I've sent out since Walker was born with his picture on them. Love l...

Walkie and I made the current issue of Durham Magazine, our local publication about all of the wonderful things happening in this awesome city. Check our their website and blog if you're interested in learning more about the city of medicine. You can say you knew me when... Photo credit: Matt Dees, Durham Magazine

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little boys are made of. Which makes them inclined to play with things like this: Walker was in heaven this past Saturday when he was able to visit his friend Bowen's house. Bowen literally has a small pet store in his room including a snake, bearded dragon and a gecko. Not to mention the many fossils and bones he has gathered. Of course, now Walker wants one of these (see below) from Santa Claus. I'm trying to convince him that Rock Band would be so much more fun. But I'm not sure I can be convincing enough. He is kinda cool.

So, to pick up where I left last week, I was at Home Depot looking at carpet for our den and came across the Martha Stewart line . And I mentioned my slight obsession with Martha (that I try to keep quiet as not to sound like a stalker) and my natural attraction towards that robin's egg blue she uses in all of her branding...gets me every time. So, I asked Butch, the current resident Home Depot carpet expert on duty, "How's this Martha Stewart Carpet? Haven't heard anything about it." Butch replies "You know, I've been in this business for twenty years and never once have I seen carpet that has a lifetime guarantee against stains - including pet stains." Sold. Have you met these two that live with me? So, then I have to pick out the style I want! Gah!! So many choices for this "when it comes to decorating I'm so non-committal" girl. And he says "Shag, twist, frieze - it's the best carpet - it's a decorator...

When the house flood of 2010 was actually happening, I couldn’t breathe. I panicked, I cried, I imagined the tub falling through the floor like it does in the movies (and I don’t even have a tub in my bathroom). My beautiful wood floors, carpet and ceiling were all drenched – soaked with water and my brain totally forgot the concept of insurance. All I could think about was why did I try to save the $99 installation fee on my new faucet? Would have been cheaper than this destruction. But we do have insurance, and it’s an amazing, wonderful thing in times like these. Yes, we did have a nice chunky deductible of $1,000, which I was willing to pay and ready for the hit. This was the first time I’ve ever had to file a home insurance claim. I was scared. I was worried they would blame it all on me, that they wouldn’t fix what was ruined. But I was wrong. After a couple of phone calls and discussions about the damages, my check arrived last week for new carpet, refinishing floors, fi...

I think that was probably the longest vacation I've ever taken, and my how it flew by. It was an extremely relaxing week and a half at the beach with family. We didn’t do anything too exciting, just played on the beach and at the pool, did a little shopping, ate good food, saw Inception with Mike and loved it, and went fishing and crabbing... ...played Wii, Nintendo, on the iPod, watched Shark Week on the Discovery Channel - what would kids today do without their electronics? Good thing is that they did spend a lot of time outside and not doing this too much... Now it’s life back in the fast lane. I’m already at headquarters for an overnight stay, headed back home again tomorrow. I kept up with my fellow bloggers while I was away, so jealous to hear the wonderful stories about Blogher in NYC. I hope I can make it next year! I think Walker finally has everything he needs to start kindergarten. Backpack, check, lunchbag, check, uniform for Thursdays, check, new shoes, check....

Not really. It's just my little Walkie in the pool. Still at the beach. Till next Tuesday. Then back to reality. And kindergarten. Lord help me.