Frecklewonder

a date

mister henry. growing up so fast. why do kids have to grow up so darn fast?

last weekend, henry and i went out on a date, just me and him. it had been a while, and it was so nice to be out alone, just with him. no interruptions. no holding of that thought mister henry while i tend to your sister. just a nice one on one, concentrated time with a boy i adore.

we went to see where the wild things are. we crunched popcorn and ate goobers and shared a coke and smiled at each other in the dark. we loved the movie. at one point, when max first arrives at the wild things, henry turned to me and said, "this is kinda scary!" and i said, "i know!!!" and there were other moments where i felt like i might cry. that whole don't go, i could eat you up i love you so business was a little too much. it's exactly how i feel.

our date was perfect. and it was all i could do to not reach over and hold his hand. or scoop him up and snuggle him in my lap. he would have been ok with that, i think. at least the hand holding part. he probably would have looked at me weirdly if i asked him to sit in my lap, what with the small movie theater seats and all. and sometimes (a lot lately) i look at him, and it's like a punch in the gut- he's growing up so fast. he is such a young man. where did the time go? and wow, we need to make more time for these dates. but then i realize that even though he is tall (so tall) and stands as high as my shoulder (my shoulder!) and even though i am beginning to confuse his shirts with his dad's when i fold the laundry, he is still my little boy.

my little baby henry.

the ghost of halloween past

 

wishing you all a safe + happy halloween tomorrow! true to form, i am running around putting together some very last minute costumes- certainly not getting the creative mother award this year. 

i managed to scare up (no pun intended, heh heh ) some photos from past halloweens. i am missing one from henry's first halloween where he was a cowboy. yes, he's been a cowboy twice. i tried to convince him for a 3rd go round (i mean, how easy- little straw hats are everywhere and ya toss on a plaid shirt + jeans, draw on a mustache, add a bandana, bam) but he wants no part of it. no siree. he is all about the scary. he is 8, after all. so, i think we have a dracula boy in the making. we *do* have a cape, so we are off to a fine start. as for dotty, you'll have to wait and see what i come up with. 

i was wondering- what's your favorite halloween candy? i happen to be a reeces peanut butter cup girl, all the way.

thrifted art :: a better look

yesterday day when i shared some of my recent thrift scores, i was asked to show a bit more of that felt bird wall hanging. my pleasure! so here it is, along with a few other thrifted wall arty pieces that i've picked up for next to nothing. and when i say nothing, i mean 5 bucks or less a piece. it pays to hit the thrifts people! the gems are out there!

a funny story on these last two paintings: they were both in a booth at an antique mall nearby that i hit up every so often- both of them were marked $20. which i would never pay. i guess i'm cheap like that?

every time i would visit this particular booth, there they'd be. and then one day.... 5 bucks! woot! the last one is not in the best shape, i was thinking of re-stretching it around the frame, can this be done? but the price couldn't be beat so either way, it's cool to have, even if i just hang it in my basement studio and use in shop photos.

matty teased me when i brought them home, saying something to the effect of "um, you could paint those yourself!". yeah, perhaps. but i couldn't buy a canvas and all the supplies for FIVE BUCKS, right??? :)

serious shoe lust

in the event you have never been pregnant and given birth, there is something you should know- you're (more than likely) going to have to replace your shoe collection when it's all said and done. don't believe what anyone says about swelling going down after 6 weeks cause it's all a bunch of mumbo jumbo. your feet will not fit comfortably in your old shoes, trust me. other things you may be able to get back- your butt, your boobs, your stomach- wait, i take that back. i think you don't really ever get those things back! at least, not the way they were before. not even if you are a fanatical exercising coo coo bird, your body is really just forever changed. which is fine, i get all that- i am woman, hear me roar. totally ok with that. but the feet. THE FEET! why do the feet have to grow a half to full size?! what. is. up. with. that.

so, i've been in a sort of denial about this issue- and i've been walking around pretty uncomfortably lately. my feet really don't want to be in pointy, heeled shoes anymore, and at the same time, i'm just not a crocs kinda girl. there's got to be a middle ground. i'm curious if any of ya'll have some cute everyday shoe recommendations for me? i have a ton bookmarked, and i've been pouring over lots of images on the web, of both practical shoes and non-practical-yet-feel-like-a-lady shoes. and now, well- i'm just lusting for an entire new lot of shoes.

let's tie on our bibs here because there will be drooling. and also, get me to the nearest 7-11 so that i can purchase a lottery ticket. i'm going to need to win big to fund this little fantasy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and then, of course, there are the swedish hasbeens. saw these pop up in a few different places a while back, and oh have mercy. i kind of want one of each. which totally ain't gonna happen, seeing as they are sort of a small fortune- at least the boots are. but the clogs! the clogs i love. and yippee, there is a pair in transit for me right this very minute :)

 

 

#1 and #2 are from anthropologie, #3 and #4 are cydwoq, #5, #6, #7, #8 and #9 are remix vintage, and #10 are from muffy's. and the rest of those beauties are from swedish hasbeens!

--------

on a non-shoe related note: it took me all day to get this posted, typepad was acting crazy. any of you other typepad users out there have a tough time today?

and finally, you guys are awesome. the sale stuff is flying out the door, which is just amazing. i'm so happy for the good deals. and i just looooove to clear out space for new stuff! thanks so very much!!! tomorrow may be quiet on the blog front, because i am going to be on lock down packaging orders from today. 

there are still some great things to be had, though- so have a look!

first frost :: new stuff, sale stuff

heya kids. check it. i just marked a whole buncha things on sale, would love to move these things along because i just have more, more, more waiting in the wings! the freckle closets and clothing racks are stuffed. i am beginning to add some new things to the shop this week, but lordy loo- will you please help me make some room?! there are some super sweet deals to be had. and i'm not done with the sale, so please check in tomorrow when more will be marked down!

 

thanks so much for all your excitement on this collection! and to all of you who have ordered something, THANK YOU!

crazy good

the thrift gods have been treating me pretty well lately.

i love this funny ceramic cat, which now sits at my desk and holds all my sharpie pens. and the label making kit? i've always kinda wanted one of these things, i just didn't realize how much. i predict lots of label making in my future.

i found this gorgeous large wall hanging with fluffy felt birds + flowers for two bucks. it was tucked behind some bad art, just sitting in a dusty corner, waiting for me to find it. when i did, i let out a tiny yelp.

this week i found these two pretty linen tablecloths, both of which are in excellent condition. plus the two linen tea towels pictured below.

in the same trip, i picked up two beautiful framed paint by numbers pieces- i just love the fall colors and couldn't resist them when i saw them. 2.95 each!

but the creme de la creme, the piece de resistance is most definitely this gorgeous teak cabinet i picked up for our dining room.

i really almost felt like i couldn't breathe when i found it. and would you believe i actually walked away from it at first? actually DROVE HOME WITHOUT IT?! i did. i wasn't sure if i should get it because, i guess i thought it should have been priced a bit lower- it was at the goodwill, after all. so i went home, and was basically tortured by the thought of it selling to someone other than me. and i thought about it and thought about it. all day long. and when henry home from school, i asked him to pop up there with me and help me make the decision (matty was away all week for work). henry took one look at it and said, "oh mama. your glasses would look so pretty in there, you have to get it!" music to my ears, people. one gentle nudge to close the deal was all i needed. my son knows me so well. 

and you know, the truth is, i am spoiled all the time with super cheap lucky finds. i've outfitted much of our home + wardrobe with secondhand things. and this piece wasn't hugely expensive, in fact it was quite reasonable. i'm just so used to nabbing things for next to nothing that i had to think twice about it. in the end, i couldn't get this thing at target or ikea for what i paid for it from the goodwill. and i know for a fact that i would have kicked myself forEVER if i had let it go.

so there ya have it. and now, i finally have a pretty place for some of my most favorite things.

flickr love

some of my recent favorites from the ever inspirational flickr.

                    

please see my flickr faves for photo credits.

sweater weather

i've been hanging on to these gorgeous 50s sweaters for a little while now. aren't they so pretty?! i just love a vintage cardigan. i wish i had more to offer, but they are pretty tough to come by these days. i will be updating the shop this week with these, and a few others so please check back!

blog love :: what i wore

ok, so i absolutely adore this blog. there are so many street fashion, street style, fashion related blogs out there, but this one stands out for me, and i'll tell ya why.

the photos: which are just fantastic. the colors, the composition, the styling and the gorgeous new york backdrop. it's all just so good.

the girl: jessica is absolutely A-DORABLE, you can't help but love her. she is creative and inspirational as all get out with her outfits, mixing vintage and new, working in things like hats and gloves (which, let's get real, ain't easy for everyone), sporting a huge range of looks from long pucci print dresses to ultra feminine dresses + heels to making even the most simple jeans + chucks look a-mazing. but on top of that, she's just really like-able.

the vibe: and this is really just more about jessica, but i really appreciate that she isn't snobby about fashion, and i think that sometimes fashion blogs can really come across that way. jessica seems super approachable and genuine, which i dig. plus, i like that there isn't a ton of over-thinking and discussion about fashion, which honestly, can seem sort of fluffy to me every once in a while. you know, lighten up it's just fashion, right? it is what it is, and she does it so well.

                              all Images courtesy of Jessica Schroeder, What I Wore


so if you don't already have her blog WHAT I WORE added to your blog roll, puh-leeze, what are you waiting for?!

miss kitty turns 91

a couple weekends ago, our next door neighbor, kitty, turned the big 9-1. ninety-one, folks! so to celebrate, a few neighbors got together for some chocolate cake + coffee, and of course, lots of good chatter from the lady miss kitty. imagine the stories!

 

she absolutely adores mister henry. she calls him her little boyfriend. she'll say, in her finest sophisticated southern accent, "where's mah little boy-freyund!!!". henry is such a good little fella, sometimes he'll go over to her house and spend a little time with her at the kitchen table. of course you know she stuffs him full of cookies and snacks, but what else would you expect.

 

miss kitty was an ER nurse back in her day and she's got all sorts of stories that she likes to share, particularly the gruesome ones. she seems to get a big kick out of telling those and the reactions they get.

nowadays, it's just her and her son, tommy, who's in his mid 50s with down syndrome. i think that probably has a lot to do with the fact that she really hasn't slowed down too much. in a way, she just can't. they don't have any family left- and haven't for many years. but the two of them still manage to get along pretty great. she's a real firecracker, with a huge heart- i think it would take a lot to get her down.

even a few minutes with the wiggle worm didn't tire her out.

 

if i make it to 91, i hope to be as happy and full of life as miss kitty is.