The broken umbrella

Here it is. It still opens, but it won't close. It was the victim of Saturday's rain/hail/wind storm soccer game.

This is my favorite umbrella, given to me by my mother-in-law (who is awesome) during a great family vacation.  It's a nice automatic from Vera Bradley, produced in limited edition to help support breast cancer research. Pink and orange are such fantastic color playmates and the vintage/photo collage aspect to the print always intrigued me.

Now I guess I'll make a lovely weatherproof clutch out of it. Oh, wait, I don't have any idea how to do that. (Mom??)

Ah, well, it's just an umbrella. But it does bring back lovely memories, and I'm glad I had it for a while. (Do you have souvenirs like this? Insignificant, seemingly, but treasured by only you?)

So, it's on to other water and weather accessories. I'm feeling something whimsical. Here are my top three choices right now. What's your vote?

 

1. comes from Uncommon Goods

2. is from Totes

3. hails from the MOMA store

If repins and likes are any indication, #1 is the people's choice. Is it yours? Can I actually walk and use it at the same time? I think that's probably a need I have. :)

Have a great day, rain or shine...and enjoy your umbrellas.

XOXO,

MJ

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Excited to be an official blog over at bloglovin! I had to get a handle on all the blogs that I check into daily, and I'm delighted that someone has found an easy way to organize and prioritize them in a way I find very friendly.

How do you read your favorite blogs? Do you use a reader of some kind or bookmark them? Some other cool way to keep track?

Blogging buds, are you over at Bloglovin?

XOXO,
MJ

Pattern Play: Reserved Stripe

What's up, Monday? It's going to be a good week, friends. My happy, striped ruffle shirt told me so. And I listen when my clothes make the effort to talk to me.

It was a chilly weekend here, but we made the most of it with a few local shows and some little people soccer games and birthday parties. How about you?

Today is a reserved striped kind of day - not too cold, not too warm, not too frenzied, with just a bit of classic pizzazz.

Here are some other reserved stripes that have caught my eye. On the left from Piperlime and on sale (oh, yeah) and on the right from Gap and super comfy.

What are you daring to wear today, friends? Hope it's a great week for you.

See you back here soon!

XOXO,
MJ

PS. Don't forget to leave a happy comment if you'd like a set of chalk notes (from Friday's DIY). I'll be selecting my winner and posting it tomorrow!

DIY - Chalk It Up

Happy Friday, friends! I have a fun little something to share with you today. It's easy, silly, and the kind of project everyone can handle (isn't that the best!).

I kind of have a thing for chalkboards. The chalkboard wall in our kitchen is one of my favorite spots in the world (I'll have to show it to you some time).

Here's a charming way to add whimsy to your notes...and you can make as many chalk mistakes as you want. Just erase! And if you have kiddos around, let them join in the fun, too.

 See how to make it happen!

Hard. Work.

 

this from here.

Today is Take Your Son or Daughter to Work Day. Did you know it? Likely the big day would have gone unnoticed to me had I not seen the Land of Nod's great pictures of smiling young faces immersed in cool, creative activities at Mom or Dad's super cool employer. (Do you follow Land of Nod on Twitter? Totally fun with impulses of creative ideas - highly recommend to any momma.)

I brought my daughter to work...yesterday (urgh, so close). I wasn't involved in a national movement or a part of a fabulous photo shoot involving super cute 4-year olds (I'm biased) and their mommas at work. Nope. Little C has strep throat. It's our first ever bout of the horribles like this so we adventured together to the doctor, on a few errands, back to my office, and then out for prescriptions. 

Have you ever taken your child or children to work, during office hours? I have, and I always relish hearing their response to my professional world. C noticed noises, pictures, and quirky happenings that I usually overlook.

I'm thinking a lot about "work" today. I describe myself as a hard worker. Most likely you'd probably fit into the same category, too, right? What kind are you? I'm the kind that goes full throttle and works and works and works until a project is where I like it, typically disregarding the cycles of the sun or moon. I'm kinda like a small rodent, let's pick a prairie dog, who digs and digs her hole, working away diligently, bit after bit. I work so hard to get down deep into that hole that often, once I'm down there, I just can't see the rays of sunshine any more.

this from C.

I can say with great certainty that my professional life has only been enriched and recharged by spending time here with you and fully jumping cannonball into the festivity of my kiddos.

Let's go ahead and give ourselves permission to take time to live our lives today. Sound good? I promise to remember from my beautifully dug-deep down hole. 

XOXO, MJ