#THROWBACK #UPDATE

October 22nd, 2015

throwback update | Where is June?

Yep, yep!  It’s #TBT, a little throw back Thursday.  I am following up on four posts from the past.  Often times I write a post and then have more to say about the topic after the fact.  Whether it be new information, a total fail, or a shift in thinking.

Limetown

I included the Limetown podcast in one of my In the Details posts.  There are only a few episodes right now {insert sad face emoji}, but holy cow!  While it is 100% fiction, it listens as if it is a first person investigative report.  The premise is a bit freaky.  An entire town’s population disappears under a cloak of mystery.  I listened to the second episode right before bed.  I will freely admit that I was totally scared and may have woke my husband up when I nearly jumped out of bed.   If you are spooked easily, I suggest NOT listening before bed.   Episode #3 was just released and I can’t wait.  Totally worth a listen!

Signature Scent

In this past post, I featured the notes I seem to love in perfume.  Upon research, it was evident that I tend to like more masculine scents.  Recently I came across a bottle of cologne I bought for my husband years ago.  {I actually think he was boyfriend when I gave it to him!}  He had it stashed in a drawer, so I decided to start wearing it.  This fall I have been layering his cologne with Elizabeth and James//Nirvana Black.  I totally suggesting giving yourself a light spray of men’s cologne-I think you may love it!

Pumpkin Brownies

Ok, so I really wanted these to be perfect. I featured them just last week in my latest In the Details post.  We did not love them.  However, I am willing to experiment and see if I can make them work.  First of all I used a gluten free brownie mix that was slightly smaller than the mix that was called for in the “recipe”.  I am thinking that the proportion of mix to pumpkin was off, which messed with the texture.  Also, I really wanted the “pumpkin spice” flavor and it was totally lacking.  I might try canned pumpkin pie filling or add pumpkin spice.  Stay tuned for possibly another follow up…..

Colorful Pouf

When planning to furnish our family room, I became obsessed with bright vintage kilim poufs.  Eventually I purchased two new poufs from Anthropologie.  Placed in front of our couch instead of a coffee table, they allow for flexible seating for the boys when they are playing video games and are a perfect place to put your feet up when watching a movie.  They are not available anymore.  I am SO happy I purchased them when I did.

 

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GUYS READ [THE FLYING BEAVER BROTHERS]

October 19th, 2015

guys read | flying beaver brothers | Where is June?

Little Man’s love for graphic novels has been well documented.  {Read about other graphic novel series here and here.}   They are engaging, easy to read, and fun.  He has been reading the series The Flying Beaver Brothers by Maxwell Eaton III for quite some time.  He has actually read and re-read each title over and over and over.

Brothers Ace and Bub make him giggle.  Ace loves extreme sports and is always looking for a new adventure. Bub loves napping and, well, napping.  Each new book finds them on a new adventure.  The illustrations are fantastic, the colors simple, and the dialogue is snappy.  Little Man devours these books and anxiously awaits the next title to be released.  Give this series a try!  I bet your kids love it.

The Flying Beaver Brothers is targeted for kids in grades 1-4, but Big W thinks they are hilarious as well.  They are a crowd-pleaser!

Reading for enjoyment is so important for young children.  There is no way to convey how strongly I feel about this topic.  Please allow your kids to have fun with books.  Never mind the mom who is bragging about her three year old reading chapter books.  Forget about the labels they may or may not have put on your child at school.  The goal should be building life long readers.  Whether your child is reading chapter books, comic books, graphic novels, non-fiction titles or poetry, the important thing is that he or she is reading.  Simple but true.  Let them enjoy books and have fun helping them find books they love.

 

IN THE DETAILS – NO. 14

October 16th, 2015

in the details no 14 | Where is June?

It has been such a busy and exciting week.  New things on the horizon for me and it is thrilling to be challenging myself in different ways.  We are never to old to push ourselves.  To move outside our comfort zones.  That is when great things happen.

And in super important news…….

I am getting my haircut next week by a new stylist.  It is kind of like going on a blind date, isn’t it?  One is so full of hope and praying that “this is the one”!  Wish me luck.  You know how these things can go.

A collection of things that inspire and interest me this week:

1.  Two-ingredient pumpkin brownies.  Making these this weekend!

2.  Emily Henderson’s new book Styled was released this week.  I can’t wait to read mine.  Digging this room she styled with neutrals.

3.  How beautiful is this nubuck leather messenger bag?

4.  French girls just seem to have it, don’t they? {This “uniform” is spot-on.}

5.  Yep, pretty much in love with these baubles.

6.  This cut and color are so amazing!  {That is her natural color.}  I found my new stylist on Instagram.  Is that creepy?

7.  After sending out a Facebook SOS to source this wire grid, I can’t wait to have it on my new desk!

 

STRIKING CONTRASTS WITH SIMPLY WHITE

October 14th, 2015

striking contrasts | Where is June?

{our family room}

Last week Benjamin Moore announced the Color of the Year for 2016.  And it is white.  More specifically, Simply White.  It was surprising, since there are like a billion paint colors.  But I have to say I love the choice.  Crisp and clean.  A blank canvas to build upon.  However, in full disclosure, I am totally biased.  I recently painted our family room white.  After much research and five pint size samples, I chose White Dove for the walls and Simply White for the trim. I loved Simply White because it was a true white.  The room makes me nothing but happy.

I took a risk when painting the interior doors glossy black.  My hope was that I would love the contrast.  I am so pleased with the results!  Actually, I love them.  The doors add interest to the white room.  It was a delight to read the narrative on Benjamin Moore’s website about using white and black.  It emphasizes striking contrasts and bold lines.

 

define with black

 

Well, there you go!  I couldn’t have said it better myself.  I am by no means a designer, so this is kind of awesome.  More importantly, it reaffirmed the importance to follow your gut and do what will make you happy in your home.  No matter a trend or a “of-the-moment” look, it has to be right for you!

How do you feel about white walls?  Do you love it or do you need more color in your life?

A few rooms in white:

Benjamin Moore Simply White | Where is June?

{images via Benjamin Moore}

As you can see, our family room is a work in progress. It is a very large, BLANK canvas.  Still working on it.  I promise that I will post more about the room.  Including a post about our vintage sliding door into our laundry room.  It was my harebrained idea that actually worked!

**Post not sponsored. Just inspired.

 

HUMANS OF NEW YORK: STORIES

October 13th, 2015

humans of new york stories | Where is June?

I am so excited that Humans of New York: Stories releases today.  Brandon Stanton inspires me everyday.  I have said it before and it is the absolute truth.  Humans of New York is the most honest, real, inspiring, touching and unique space on the Internet.  His photos are beautiful, but it is the words that accompany each picture that are the magic.  I look forward to Brandon’s posts and read every single one.

Here is what he says about the new book:

“HONY Stories comes out in less than one week! I’ve already said a lot about the merits of the book. So I want to take a quick opportunity to remind everyone that HONY is advertisement free and almost entirely financed by book sales. (The only exception being income from a handful of speeches I give every year.) Proceeds from books have been used to pay for trips to twenty different countries over the past year alone. Even when working with large organizations like the United Nations or UNHCR, I’m always very careful to cover all costs and reimburse any expenses. I do this so that the content on HONY can remain entirely independent, self-directed, and transparent. By purchasing a book, you can help HONY continue to grow in a way that remains focused on telling people’s stories— and nothing else. Thanks to everyone for your continued support.”

And a post from this week:

HONY | Where is June?

I eagerly await the arrival of my book!  Humans of New York: Stories will make a great gift.  Never too early to start that holiday shopping.

{Images via HONY}

SETTING LIMITS ON SCREEN TIME

October 12th, 2015

setting limits on screen time | Where is June?

This is a very personal post.  Maybe it will be a popular post.  {Who knows?}   All I know is that I struggle everyday with setting limits on screen time in my house.  Like many parenting topics, it is sort of like opening Pandora’s box.  Every family has their own philosophy on screens and the amount of time that is appropriate for their children to be staring at them.  While I am in continual struggle to set these limits for our boys, there are a myriad of thoughts that run through my mind:

**I love screens when the boys are creating a movie, messaging with Grandma 30o miles away, looking up a fact on Safari, looking at the surface of the Moon.  I love screens when on a plane.

**Screens are invaluable to my boys’ education.  Most specifically they use their iPads every day to complete homework.  They both use voice dictation software to help them compose their thoughts for writing assignments.  My oldest has a school iPad provided by his middle school.  They view assignments, submit work, keep a calendar, message classmates regarding class work, and communicate with teachers.

**I mostly hate YouTube.  Specifically the 30-year-old gamer that lives in his parents’ basement and records and narrates himself playing video games.  Seriously, it is mind numbing!

**I have a love/hate relationship with Minecraft.  It is amazing what the boys craft, but inevitably one pisses the other one off.  {The yelling is no joke.}

**I am a lazy mother.  It is so easy to just let them play and sometimes I just need 30 minutes.

**It is the boys’ language.  When they aren’t playing, they are talking about games and apps with their friends.

**Adults are always on screens too!

**The game is rated T for Teen but my eight year old is playing it.  Should I have stricter limits?!?

**I am parenting in an age in which I did not grow up.  While this isn’t unique to our generation, it feels like an immense responsibility.  Everything is posted and published.  Add teaching our kids to be responsible social media citizens to the list.

**Judgement is harsh and it is real!

Ok, so there it is.  Nothing really but a list of all the crap that runs through my head.  How much time do my kids spend on screens per day?  Well, most days it is an hour of leisure screen time- unless I am feeling lazy {see above}.   And weekends are the hardest days to regulate!

I am interested to hear if you struggle with screen time too! 

What are your tricks?  What do you love/hate about screens? 

 

IN THE DETAILS- NO. 13

October 9th, 2015

In the Details No 13 | Where is June?

And just like that it is the end of the week.  Hell ya for Friday!  We just finalized all of our travel plans for our trip to Argentina.  And yes, I am counting down the days.  Have you been to Buenos Aires?  I’d love any recommendations if you’ve got them.

I am still reeling from The Martian and having fantastic conversations with my boys about the film!   {Yesterday Little Man and I discussed how Watney pooped in space.}  If you haven’t already, you really must go this weekend.

A collection of things that inspire and interest me this week:

1. Instagram worthy!  The colorful buildings of the La Boca neighborhood in Buenos Aires.  {Stay tuned.}

2.  Black, white, gray, gold, and wood.  The perfect palette for a home.

3.  Mismatched cutlery in mason jars is pretty on display.

4.  A pennant to show my love!  {Other cities available.}

5.  I would love to wear my hair in this braid to an evening event.

6.  Chocolate chip and Caramel Sandwich Cookies.  That’s all.

7.   You must {MUST} watch the documentary, Iris.  She is the coolest bird around!

{Image of Iris Apfel via Vogue}

 

BEAUTY TOOLS ON DISPLAY

October 7th, 2015

beauty tools on display | Where is June?

Recently I grew tired of having all my beauty tools and products thrown in a drawer.  Even though they were in a travel bag and small trays, I found that items were hard to find and often overlooked.   Inspired by this post about cosmetics on display, I decided to do something about it.  After covering one end of Target to the other, the idea of using an everyday kitchen item popped in my head.  I use a tea cup to store accessories, why not use a drinking glass to display beauty essentials?  At first my thought was to just display my brushes, but since the clear glasses were less than $5 -I grabbed two. Now, all of my make up brushes are in one glass and eye essentials {liners, mascara, brow gel, tweezers,} in another.  I loved it so much, I picked up one more glass at the thrift store for $.50, which is now home to lip sticks.  This inexpensive project somehow makes getting ready more fun and my bathroom counter colorful.

beauty tool storage | Where is June?

PS//  I also replaced all of my makeup brushes!  So worth it!

PPS//  Oh, the dark walls and hideous bathroom fixture!  My life is not perfectly styled.

 

TAKE YOUR FAMILY TO SEE THE MARTIAN

October 6th, 2015

martian-gallery2-gallery-image_0

My entire family saw The Martian this weekend and I have to say it might be one of the best movies I have ever seen!  More importantly, I am so happy my kids saw it.  Matt Damon describes the film as “a love letter to science”.  I whole-heartedly agree.  It also is a love letter to Mars, botany, computer programming, math, problem solving, perseverance, bravery, loyalty, and duct tape.  The characters in The Martian are flat out smart.  Like, crazy smart!  The women are strong leaders and team players.

The boys were at the edge of their seats for the entire movie.  I love that a block buster can inspire children to look at science and math in a completely different way.  Math and science could save your life.  The life lesson of “if at first you don’t succeed…..” was center stage and brought to life beautifully.  Yes, there were a few f-bombs.  {And yes, my children have heard the word before.}  Please don’t let that be a deal breaker.  Your family will be enthralled and inspired by this movie.  I can’t think of a better way to share a Saturday afternoon with your kids.

(image via Newsweek.  Follow the link for a great interview with Matt Damon about the movie.}

 

IN THE DETAILS- NO. 12

October 2nd, 2015

In the Details No 12 | Where is June?

Guys, it’s October.  This week was awesome and not for any reason in particular!  I’m hoping this weekend is just as fun and productive.  I want to change the chalkboard wall, catch up on reading the latest magazines on my coffee table, and bake a delicious fall dessert!

A few things that inspire and interest me this week:

1. That pool!  The weather is still gorgeous here, but that pool at The Parker!

2.  High heel denim ankle boots.  It is officially boot season again.  {Only $69.90}

3.  We are looking for colorful art for our family room.  I {heart} this Agate print.

4.  I really need a day between Saturday and Sunday.  Who doesn’t?

5.  Totally in love with this front door.

6.  Pumpkin Spice Snack Cake with Maple Glaze.  That’s all.

7.  Nine years ago, I wore a pair of 7 For All Mankind “Dojo” jeans everyday for a year.  Wide legs are back.  Should I buy them again?

{Boots via designlovefest}

 

Where is June?

 

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