This is life, kid messes are what our days are filled with. You should see their rooms (this is the guest room/playroom), it’s ten times worse!

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

Thankful for being able to borrow the BFF’s car this week. It’s back to sharing for the next two week until my brother leaves for a 2 week trip, and we can borrow his car.

Thankful at how the big girls help out around the house.

I like how my friend Nathalie described parenting in this ig post… the highs are truly high and the lows are rock bottom. It really does feel like that and I definitely hit both points multiple times this week.

We are definitely making this.

This vegan mac and cheese looks amazing, but one cup of nuts is 800 calories! Oye! I was going to make it for dinner club on Thursday, but Ben said he wouldn’t eat it because it would be too high in fat. Ha! I scrapped that idea and did vegan tacos instead.

I like this outfit and now want to sew a denim crop top like this.

Misha Lulu is having a sale. Check it out here…

We finished watching The Walking Dead last night and I’m satisfied with the season finale. I can’t wait until 24 comes back this summer; it’s my ultimate favorite show! And oh Scandal is so good. #teamjake

The funniest thing I heard this week… True said, “Mommy, we are playing betray My Little Ponies. It’s when they betray each other.” SAY WHAT?!!! I texted Ben what they said right away, and he said, “Where did they learn this stuff?!!” I don’t think it’s from us, at least I hope not.

If you want to follow me along on Instagram, look up @rubyellenbratcher. It’s so fun to look at little squares of the parts of people’s life (the parts they want to share of it anyway).

Today is for going through some of our backyard to-do list, and the afternoon will be for a family adventure. Happy Saturday friends! Also, I have big news to share Monday, so don’t forget to check back!

These girls look so grown in this picture (and their long legs!). This was a very special moment and I’m glad to have caught it. I’m so proud of them!

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

This was the best mail day ever.

Love this dress, not the price tag so much, but maybe the quality is really good. Anyone know? No splurge purchases until Ben’s car is fixed.

I want to make these teeny cakes.

The BFF is leaving for a spring break trip to Korea and she is kind enough to lend us her car for a week! Thankful for her generosity!

Life throws so many good and bad curve balls and every one of them grows us. Thankful for the growing pains.

Some random tidbits about me in this ABM staff post.

We are so excited that Ben’s cousin’s show got picked up on Nickelodeon! He’s such a talented writer and it’s great to see his work recognized. Get ready to watch Bella and the Bullfrogs this coming fall. I’ve read the pilot and it’s so clever.

I love this bag from Topphouse (it hasn’t been put in their shop yet), which is a collaboration between artists David Jien and Andrew Ho.

This weekend’s very full! I’m working on a shoot with Family Fun Magazine Saturday morning, then my own personal creative project in the afternoon, and Sunday I will be attending the calligraphy workshop. It’s a weekend full of creative things, so I’m sure it’s gonna be good!

Ever since my friend Jane came over last Friday with a rose bun from 85 degrees (a local Chinese bakery), I’ve been on a big bread kick, particularly bread from our local Asian bakeries. There may or may not have been two bakery visits this past week…

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

Love this cloud rug for a kid room.

I love air plants and these air plant holders are so cute and an easy DIY.

Baked onion rings?! Yes, please!

I want the gorgeous fabric on this dress. Anyone know where to find it? I’d love to sew something with it.

Glow is really such a little hoarder. Her bed has at least 8 stuffed animals that she must have with her every night, plus a couple books thrown in for good measure. And when she isn’t in her bed, she carries a bag full of stuff (like yesterday’s gif). It will be interesting how her hoarding tendencies play out later.

Thankful for the sweet comments and email you guys continue to leave regarding last Friday’s post. It really is very much appreciated!

Thankful for a husband who brings me a small cup of ice cream almost every night.

I’m thankful for to-do lists and every time I can cross things off. It helps me stay on task and get things done. Keeping a planner, really helps me stay organized. True’s asking for her own “planner” for her birthday.

What simple things are you thankful for this week?

Meet Lemonhead Press. Katie, the lady behind the shop, was listening to the radio and the band Lemon Jelly, and the name kind of stuck. Thus, when it was time to name her shop, Lemonhead popped in her head and there you go! For Katie, she wanted to be a stay home mom, but at the same time wanted to find a way to contribute to her family doing something she loves, and out was born Lemonhead Press. Her shop is full of cute and quirky cards and prints, pretty paper straws, and gorgeously simple dream catchers. I remember when I used to have my online shop and I so appreciated the support everyone gave me, and I’m glad to share about another fellow mama following her dream.

Her online shop allows her to contribute to the finances of the family, but also allows her work to easily move with her as her and her family to travel the U.S. in their converted bus! Katie and her husband bought an old school bus and are converting that into a home. They aren’t sure where they want to settle, so they will have their traveling home for now, until they find just the right place. Read about their decision here. I have been following along on her blog and the transformation and work that goes into making a bus a home is so amazing. They have removed the seats and are now working on raising the roof (I didn’t know you could do that!) to give them more space. I am totally intrigued by their whole process. Here is a video below of the raising the roof process…

I can’t wait to continue following along on their journey. This is some of their bus inspiration, so I can’t wait to see how they transform this bus. Doesn’t this sound totally interesting to you too?! We are thankful for Ben’s stable job and a home, but sometimes we wish we could just up and leave and be more adventurous (or have the freedom to move to another state), but we’ve got a house we are tied to (and thankful for), so that’s not realistic for us right now, but you never know, right?! It’s fun to live vicariously through someone else’s adventures and that’s the reason why I love following Katie’s adventure.

I find lots of little notes likes this around the house from True and Brave. Sometimes it says, “Dear Mommy…” and it has an equally sweet message. Also, sometimes those notes that are “Dear Papi,” and say something like, “Mommy was yelling again today…” Oh, my sweet darlings! They test me in ways I never thought possible, but I love them so much!

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

Glow’s in the all about mommy stage. Only I can change her diaper, only I can cuddle with her, only I can put her to bed, yada yada…

I love bold patterns on this dress, which led me to look through etsy, and I found this. Maybe I can sew something up for myself!

This cake is amazing!

How cute is this vintage, little girl, party dress?! I always love everything in Ms. Tips!

I’m thankful my girls are so forgiving. I can be a crazy mom one minute, come to my senses, and then ask them for forgiveness. Thankfully, they say, “Yes,” and they carry on like nothing ever happened. I know it’s hard, but it’s so good for kids to see their parents asking for forgiveness and admitting where they fall short.

Ben and a group of his guy friends from our church family is working on this love dare. It’s easy to get in a rut in marriage, so I love how they are trying to intentionally care for their wives.

On another marriage note, I read somewhere this week (can’t remember where) a couple was asked what their secret to a happy marriage was and the husband replied, “My goal is to make her happy.” The wife then replied, “My goal is to make him happy.” That’s so true! We tend to be selfish in most of our relationships, including marriage, it can sometimes be all about what we want and “He’s not doing this…” But if both parties focused on the other person rather than self gratification, how different things would be! I’ve been trying to remember this more this week and things that would make Ben happy.

I’m thankful for this space and that I can be honest and express my feelings in yesterday’s post. I really was so scared to press publish (knowing it could possibly cause more negativity) and didn’t want to just come off complaining because I really am thankful for so much. I wanted to continue bring some realness to this place (and the internets) and share a bit of what’s in my heart. To be clear, I don’t necessarily think that those who engage in the sarcasm and criticism are jealous or particularly angry people. I think just as much as blog reading is a fun, little, time-waster-passer timer for us, it probably is just a fun and engaging thing for them to indulge in that kind of… I don’t know what to call it, observational-very-opinionated banter? Just like I don’t appreciate their judgement on me without fully knowing me, I don’t think it’s fair to call them jealous or unhappy because then nothing really makes us all that different.

What I’ve learned and take away for myself is that I need to work on applying Ephesians 4:29: “No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.” Also, I’d love by example to teach my daughters Proverbs 31:25: “She opens her mouth with wisdom and loving instruction is on her tongue.” I know I can definitely work on that too! With those verses, thank you for your kind and wise words, it definitely encouraged me more than you know!

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

This instagram picture of my baby makes her look so big! If you wanna follow me on instagram, my handle is @rubyellenbratcher.

These shrimp tacos look delicious!

Ben and I watched About Time and I think that is officially my favorite movie, and I think it’s Ben’s too.

I’m excited for Rachel’s newest family addition. They are such a sweet family and she’s such a good (and super creative) mom, and I’m excited to keep following her adventures as they become a family of 5.

Thank the Lord I’m done with taxes. I hate procrastinating, so taxes are all set and turned in. #doingahappydance #ihatetaxes

I want to throw a party set up like this. We have bougainvilleas in our yard, so I could totally recreate this!

Life is a balancing act. Sometimes I’m good at it and sometimes I just plain suck.

Just discovered this blog and love how she infuses so much fun in her outfits!

March 1st is an important day to me. Last year, this day was a big milestone for our family, and I will share why with you all soon… I can’t wait! Happy March 1st friends!!!