JO Blog

I bet almost everyone in this country feels the same way...too much sugar! I can't believe how much candy the kids got this year. In the past I have even told them that I will buy them a new toy if they throw away some of the candy…it is for the best…for their teeth and […]

Every once in awhile I love showing you little things that I find that are so lovely. I hope you find them as lovely as I do. I am also starting to really get excited for Christmas…what about you? Are you dreaming of decorating and baking? Making gifts and spending time with friends and family? […]

I don't know if you remember my window seat. I posted awhile ago about my window seat makeover and how I was looking for a chandelier to hang above the seat. We bought a gorgeous chandelier a little while ago for our bathroom…and we have no motivation for the remodeling right now…. so we took […]

I know everyone says this. The time goes by so quickly. I remember…..really remember…. the day Madolyn was born. She was 4 1/2 weeks early and she was an emergency c-section. I remember like it was only a few months ago. It couldn't have been seven years ago…could it? But it has. Seven years and […]

I have to admit that coming back from Brave Girl Camp has been an emotional roller coaster ride. My heart and mind came home so full of ideas, joy, creations, promises, truths. It has been hard to find a rhythm this week.  Hard to do school, laundry, pay bills and even create. I think I […]

I started off my second day at Brave Girl Camp with an early hike with some of the girls. Idaho reminds me so much of Colorado and I really felt at home. Because I have three younger children at home it isn't often that I am out taking a walk as the sun is coming […]

This is a hard post to write because there is so much in my heart that I will never be able to express to you. I got home Saturday evening and every time I talk about the week I get tears in my eyes. It was just amazing. I will try to tell you little […]

Have you ever woken up….looked in the mirror….and not recognized yourself? Have you ever wondered what happened to you? Where did THAT girl go? I had such an interesting conversation with a friend this week. She is a stay at home mom with one child. She is finding it hard to find herself again in […]

On Sunday we met some of our good friends to go pick pumpkins. We drove 1 1/2 hours. When we got there it was freezing and I hadn't checked the weather for this town…and didn't bring any jackets (my husband had brought his winter coat). Mother of the year. If it makes it any better […]

I do not feel like cooking in the summer. I leave it to my husband to grill and I add a salad to it. I don't know what it is….but as soon as fall arrives I am wanting to bake and cook more. I want to nest and fluff the whole house. I am wanting […]

Family Photos. With these two little words do you rush for a carton of cigarettes and a bottle of liquor? I have to admit that typically I find them a little stressful. Sure…easy to get the three kids coordinated and looking good…but throw me and my husband in the mix and it can be a […]

I love traditions and making memories with people I love. I love that there are certain things that we do as a family that the children look forward to all year. One of the traditions I have with Madolyn is "Girl's Day". This was our fourth year celebrating the start of school with friends. Even […]

I am loving this color. This aqua or turquoise color. This makes such a fabulous accent color. I have bought a few things recently in this color and it looks so stunning in my house. I purchased a huge birdcage, vintage wooden chair and an angel…very large angel…angel that my husband looked at for a […]

First of all I want to thank all of you that made my fall collection such a huge success. Honestly…I was smiling for weeks. I am now busy trying to get ready for Silver Bella so I will not be adding anything new until I get back. In honor of you, fall, me 😉 and […]

I love the details. I love the little extra touches in this world. I love color, good food, fabrics, architecture, friendship, laughter, exploring. I love vintage treasures. I love the search for those treasures. Awhile ago I told you of my heartbreak that a trip was sold out. This weekend I received an email from […]

I like to think that I do my part. I mean…I bring my reusable grocery bag into the store…ok…some of the time. I haven't used Aqua Net since 1989.  That has to count for something! I don't throw garbage out the window….wait…there was last week when…ok forget this one. I give a hoot and don't […]

Awhile back I purchased a vintage, French grain sack. I have tons of pillows and in all honesty…I didn't want to cut it up. I decided that framing it would be the perfect solution and I could show it off and look at it all the time. That was months ago. I finally got around […]

As the weather is getting cooler I love the endless possibilities of layers.  Hats, scarves, sweaters, coats….all the little extras that make an outfit really stand out. Summer wardrobes are a little plain jane for me….fall is really my fashion element:-) Here are some of my picks right now. The best part is that all […]

I know I have not shown you any photos from our trip to Boston, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. Would you believe that I have not even gone through the photos yet? It is true! They will be coming…maybe at Christmas time….but they are coming. I had to show you some unexpected treasures I found […]

Today, with my pumpkin spice latte in hand, we drove 2 hours away to an apple farm. Yes, we could have gone to the grocery store and bought apples ….but this was a little more fun. I would like to point out that we were about to drop the two youngest on the side of […]

On Saturday I went to the Paris Street Market with my sister. I found some really great pieces for my office and home. What I obviously found is a lot of ……HATS! I really like fall….REALLY. The accessories alone make it great. Boots, scarves, hats…..are you with me? I know it is not officially fall […]

  If you have been reading my blog for awhile you know that we homeschool our children. Sometimes I am amazed at our decision, how it was made and the joy and ease it has added to our life…but that is another post. We will officially begin our school year after Labor Day. Our oldest […]

  Sometimes I am reminded of all the things I take for granted. How many times have I let opportunities pass me because I was just being lazy? How many times have I been too hard on my body and judged it instead of rejoicing in it's beauty? When was the last time I thought […]

  Before #3 we used this room as our school room. I loved the green we had painted it so when we found out that #3 was going to be a boy I just wanted to add a few things to it. We (ok…I had nothing to do with it) added the bead board and […]