Baby sister and I had one last hurrah together before we both leave on a jet plane (her trip is much longer than mine). We’re 10 years apart, but we’ve always been close. I say she’s the sweeter, lazier version of me, and I’m the bossy, more responsible version of her.

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

I want mini chocolate and salted caramel tarts.

These are my summer sandals.

I ‘ve been crying a lot because my baby sister is leaving us for a year, and I’m going to miss her.

Brave and I chopped our hair, and it’s much shorter than we both had in mind, but we’re getting used to it.

Can’t wait to see the new Misha Lulu site and lookbook photos

I want to eat donut ice cream sandwiches!

I’ve started wearing foam rollers to sleep. I chopped my hair to get rid of all my damage, but I still would like to have organized curls (I have naturally wavy hair and it just looks frizzy and poofy), so I’ve been trying rollers to bed. Ben laughs at how silly I look (I think I look silly too), but whatever, I like how my curls come out in the morning!

Have a good weekend! This week will be adventure-filled (will be sharing bits on my instagram), so I’ve got a lot of nerves and excitement, and my girls tell me I’m “nervousited.”

I went to the Modernica factory sale, but I didn’t go for a chair, I went for a light. I wanted one last year, but it wasn’t in the budget that time, but this year it was, and I came home with one. Woot! At $150 off regular price, that’s a pretty good deal! Now, we just need to put it in one of the rooms.

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

I’ve never been a fan of carnations (and baby’s-breath), but this garland full of them is pretty.

I’m definitely going to make a wrap tank following this DIY.

Singapore, I’m headed your way soon and we added a pajaki making class to the schedule (see here). Hope to meet some of you there!

My brain is fried, my to-do list is daunting, laundry is everywhere, and my bathroom is embarrassingly messy, and I’ve yelled at the girls way too much this week. On the bright side, we completed another school year (hip, hip, hooray!), the Spurs are up 3-1 against Miami (#gospursgo), and all the fruits and vegetables plants in the backyard are looking good, so it’s not all bad here. How are things in your neck of the woods?

This is a happy corner in my craft space. The rest are really messy corners!

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

Thankful for all those who came and supported last Saturday! I had so much fun meeting and hugging all of you! You can see a couple posts (done by friends/guests) about the book launch party here and here.

If you wear a medium-large in a swimsuits, you really ought to check this vintage one out! It’s so lovely and such a good price too!

Love this quote.

My sister is an amazing soul. Read her post.

I really want to make sea salt & honey ice cream.

A new app came on scene this week put out by Oh Joy & Taza. I signed up for Pippit (look for me under @cakies) because I’m always the last to sign up for everything and Cakies always ends up taken, so I signed up for this one early (and to be able to see what it’s all about). So far I’m feeling it was two bucks not well spent, since after my exploring, it’s a bit confusing and it just seems like a glorified pinterest-instagram app. Maybe I haven’t spent much time there yet, but from what I saw so far, I don’t think it’s an app that makes life easier, in fact it’s just another one that sucks the life out of living life. That’s just my observation of course. I guess the bonus is you get to link up to products, therefore from a business standpoint I see how it would be beneficial, but from a living life standpoint, it’s just another techie thing to busy ourselves with. I’ve only spent about a total of 5 minutes on there though, so maybe I haven’t explored it enough. What do you guys think so far? If there’s something great about it that I’m not seeing please enlighten me!

Don’t mind the lighter posting this week. I think I felt the rat race blogging can be sometimes, so I took some breaks. I think that new app made me feel it even more, and while I love social media and thankful for everything that has come from it, sometimes it can be a bit suffocating too. I just needed a breather.

Have a great weekend friends!

It was a quick trip to the nursery because Ben had to pick up nematodes for the garden, and of course, I left with another house plant. This time it’s a variegated rubber plant; the leaves had me at hello.

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

I’ve been thinking a lot about friendships this week and how some evolve and change. I’ve had my share of dumb and not so dumb fights with friends. I think there’s something special about the friendships you can be honest with, and even at times, fight and still end up friends after. Good friends are treasures, so treat them as such.

Ben’s mom is in town and we are all loving it! We are totally being spoiled by her presence. Oh Texas, why do you have to be so far?! 

I’m a gift card hoarder. When someone gives me a gift card, I save it for as long as possible and make sure whatever I spend it on is worth it. With that, I’ve had this Madewell gift card for a couple years now, and lately I’ve been debating if I should spend it on this embroidered denim dress. Just not sure. I’m always iffy on buying a new dress because I sew, but this embroidery might warrant it being bought. I just showed Ben though and he was all, “It looks like one you just sewed.” So it looks like I’ll wait until a shoe I love comes around.

I can’t wait until our espalier trees look like this.

Excited to be #3 Amazon hot releases for family activity!

School is almost over. I know homeschooling is different, but still, I’m excited for summer!

I love following Erin Loechner’s instagram. Makes me excited for our Singapore trip!

Weekend’s here, game 6 between the Thunder and Spurs starts at 5:30pm today (#gospursgo), and the book party is tonight! The weekend’s gonna be good and busy!!!

Weekend is here and that means more working in the garden.

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

I’m so thankful for all the support regarding my book, Let’s Sew Together, so far! You guys are so awesome!!! I’d love it if you shared a review over on Amazon (I’ve got one so far!). I know it’ll happen, so I’m bracing myself for the negative stuff too because that’s part of putting yourself out there.

I’d love a wall of kid art like this.

Um, nutella hazelnut cake?! Yes! Now, I need that recipe translated.

Michael Jackson’s new album Xscape is so awesome! It really just makes you want to dance!

I had a gift card and ordered this romper. Not sure what I feel about it yet.

Excited about the book launch party in exactly a week. Okay, and I’m nervous too! I’d love to know if you’re coming! Grab a ticket here to let us know you’re coming, or just say you’re coming in this post!

I love how Sarah Joy already made recipes from my book. Yes, I shared 4 recipes inside too!

Don’t forget to check out the book trailer and the song by Hope Leigh.

Rachel’s collection of weavings are just so awesome!

The biggest thing I learned this week, that no matter how great it feels to have written a book with my dream publisher, no accomplishment can ever satisfy completely, there’s still an emptiness in it. The only thing that will satisfy me fully is what Jesus accomplished on the cross. I know it won’t make sense to some of you, but it’s what stood out the most in my heart about finally having the book released and being able to say, “I’m an author.” (That’s still so weird to me.) Don’t get me wrong, I am superly duperly excited about it, and it’s not that I’m not thankful because I really truly am, nor is it because I’m discontent with my life (I’m not), but it’s more about how my source of joy should always come from Christ. End heart rant.

Happy weekend friends!

It’s been super hot here (over 100 degrees the past few days) and makes me wish we had a pool. I wish we can rewind time to a few weekends ago when it was True’s birthday and we were just poolside all day long.

10 random things about me…

I used to be allergic to Crayola crayons when I was a kid. It would make me sneeze, so I was often the only kid in the class who had colored pencils.

I always have my nails done and I do them myself.

I’m named after my paternal grandmother, Ruby, and my maternal grandmother, Ellen, so together you get Rubyellen. While that’s what my name says everywhere, I go by Ruby.

I’m definitely not slow to anger, but I’m working on it.

Turquoise is my favorite color.

I have one bad foot. I swear I got a bunion on that foot from Ben (it runs in his family). My theory is that you eventually get any ailments your spouse has. He had never had eczema before we got married (and no one in his family does), and now he has it on his leg. I have had eczema since I was a baby, though it’s no longer on my arms and legs, I still get dry patches on my face.

My rule for shopping is that if I want to buy something new, I have to sell some things I no longer wear/want in my closet. Thus, I love our local buy/sell places.

I hate math. I’m not a numbers person.

When I have a bad day, I need ice cream and chocolate. It’s emotional eating and the dietitian husband doesn’t agree with it, but it really does help me feel better.

I was already practicing my signature Rubyellen Bratcher soon after I met Ben, and way before we really became friends. I’m weird like that.

Hope you have a good weekend!