Words To Live By

Let me just start out by saying that it is with the deepest hope that by the begining of next week we will be in our own place again. {can I get an amen??}

Things have been boarder line chaotic and I have an ever growing list of posts that I want to share with you all, but it just not the right time to-- ever!!

I found this quote today on...you guessed it; Pinterest and I absolutely loved it. It is everything I have been feeling lately. Everything I have felt is wrong with the world these days and I will most definitely go into more details about why later.

Ready for this one?? Here it is...BAM::

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Don't forget me now. I promise things will go back to normal very soon. Please and thank you for the patience.

xO- Etheline

Words To Live By

Some days confusion gets the best of me. Thankfully I realized today after many tears that I need to be less wishy washy and instead be more firm, concise, and confident in my choices. That when I do this, when we do this, we are blessed with peace.

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Do not be afraid to submit to the tears; there is healing in them. Do not be afraid to work hard; sweat and pain is weakness leaving the body. Do not be afraid of the ocean; it's magical.

xO- Etheline

Monday prayers

Royal and I are currently in the process of figuring out what our next step in life is.... I thought we had already done this, but apparently the Lord knew better. There's a little more to it then that actually... In the last four months we have lived in Colombia, come back to the states where I was in the south and Royal spent about a month in Manhattan and Philadelphia looking for work. We both felt very strongly about coming home- like it was our time to finally move up north and be were we wanted, but things aren't exactly panning out. Lots of almosts, but no offers.... I like using {....} can you tell? Moving on... So now my amazing {very experienced Director of IT} of a husband is on the hunt for a new job. It doesn't matter where {in case anyone's hiring...lol} ok that's not true..we want to hang up our southern hats and move elsewhere to be perfectly honest. So now I am left here exercising my faith at a whole new level. Please keep us in your prayers. Again...please and thank you. xO- Etheline

Weekend Wrap Up

This week has been filled with all kinds of summer fun!! French toast bakes, breakfast in bed, introducing mia figlia to my long board, and making memories that make my happy to be apart of this family everyday! How ever did I get so lucky?!?!

xO- Etheline

{Why Not}....surround yourself with positivity??

A few weeks ago I highlighted a few of my new favorite blogs. They really are all amazing blogs, however, The Simply Luxurious Life constantly wins my attention.

Shannon's {Why Not...} series is by far my favorite. She has amazing fashion and home decor tips sprinkled throughout her site, but when a why not question is asked I can't help but ask my self, seriously...why not? They are always questions that are for me, personally, thought provoking as well as classy. Never questions such as Why not eat at a BBQ pit or Why not exchange all your singles at the bank for $2 bills?  Because that would just be silly.

In the past year I have been focusing on my non resolution, resolution of weeding out things in my life that don't invoke empowering thoughts and good habits to incorporate into my life. I am happy to find that The Simply Luxurious Life is a staple that is aiding me on this quest.

Sneak Peak of a few of my favorite why not's::

 

Why not....Be discreet?

"The epitome of a chic classy modern lady is her ability to always be mysterious which due to this behavior provokes even more curiosity in those that are around her..." {if you are looking for tips on how to guard you and your family look know further}

 

Why not....Create a Healthy Social Circle?

"A few weeks ago I received an email from a reader seeking advice on how to gracefully let go of friendships that were no longer a positive influence. And while I have said before on the blog to surround yourself with uplifting and inspiring people that ultimately cause you to become your best self, I’ve never addressed the specifics on how to handle those relationships that while in your life currently, are depleting and destructive and need to be let loose." {via The Simply Luxurious Life}

 

 Why not....Revel in Being a Woman?

" No4. Be a positive role model for younger generations. Young girls look up to their mothers, aunts, grandmothers and other women they come into contact with. Demonstrate with your actions and how you live your life that the life ahead of them is theirs to create." {Check out the rest of the tips here}

 

Why not....Work Hard?

"By putting forth our best effort and prompting others around us  (our children, students, friends, etc) to do the same – not enabling each other, we are fostering self-confidence. Self-confidence is something that each individual must find within themselves through their own hard work, overcoming obstacles and feeling the doubt, yet overcoming it. And self-confidence, as we all know, is a sound path on the road toward happiness or more importantly, true contentment." {find more benefits here}


Shannon has written more than her fair share of Why Not articles. I encourage you to check them out, for her ability to share intelligent intellect is far greater than I. We are all searching for things in life; tips, tricks, or trades that will help the life we see in our heads come to life. I hope that in sharing with my friends you to can find these and other classic tips helpful. Be sure to sound off below in the comments and tell me your favorite Why Not.

xO- Etheline

Words to live by

Yu what I reliazed over the last few days? It's really hard to update your blog if you don't turn your laptop on. Mine as you see has been off for the past several days.

The main reason being that Royal is finally here with me. For the last 5 weeks we had been apart and It was by far the longest separation we've ever endured. I was nearly crawling out of my skin with desire to see him when I picked up from the airport and his flight kept getting delayed. Alas he is here and I am overjoyed.

So my words to live by today are, even if things get forgotten about let it be. Enjoy the disconnect and the time right in front of you.

xO- Etheline

Words To Live By

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I need to listen to my own advice.

The End.

xO-Etheline

our not so baby girl

Our Margot is 16 months old now. It's hard to believe really, she's leaving her baby day behind and becoming a toddler. One thing I've noticed lately is that I am more prone to play paparazzi with her then when it was just the boys.

Really I can't help it-- She just is so stinkin' cute! With her wispy hair and chubby cheeks that I have to kiss multiple times in one hour. She can be very girly, already it's noticeable. She has tiny high pitched squeals that she lets loose if Richie gets to "in her face" were as Chaz can do whatever he pleases with her. {favortism anyone??} Her love for her daddy is not hard to see. I know she misses him, but their conversations on Skype are to cute that I can't even talk about it!

 Finally I am happy to announce that she is learning to love accessories. {lol} Her sunglasses are a staple in her summer wardrobe, she hunts her sandles down every morning and makes me put them on her, and will {drum roll} now let me put hair bows and bands in her hair. As opposed to her old ways of ripping them out on the spot. I'm kind of excited about this one.

{i wonder what i should try first}

{swings = winner}

{but it's more fun to go up the slid mom}

{tender moments}

{wait for me}

WE are in love with this little girl who came into out family 16 months ago. The bond that I imagined between father and daughter is everyday coming to fruition before my very eyes. Our little men love playing with her and she in turn loves to be included with everything they are doing. As for me my love for her grows more each day. My heart is so filled with love when she sits on my lap and eats toast, smiles her toothy smile, or falls asleep in my arms as I sing night time lullabies to her.

What will I ever do if I have another daughter??!?! Oy!

xO-Etheline

Weekend Wrap Up: The 4th of July

Our fourth of July was great!! The only thing that could have made it better is Royal was with us!! But I won't bore you with how much we missed him. I love big celebrations for the 4th. The first year we lived in Atlanta we went to Centennial Olympic Park with our 3 month old to watch the fireworks shoot off. The idea of going there still excites me but with my 5, 3, and 1 year old in tow I cringe with terror. In my experience large masses and my 3 little ones do not mix very well. .

We kept it local and saw a nice boom of firework displays. We ate popsicles, blew bubbles, and run around the park. It was so much fun. Everything I love about summer all lumped into one day!

{cheese}

{Happy 4th of July}

{Guys...there's a firework booming in the sky. Forget the chips}

{there ya go!!}

I am so utterly grateful that we live in a country where we can enjoy the freedoms we do. Everything moves so much faster these days so when we get a moment to pause and think about a simpler time; when people took the time to care about one another in a proper way. When we didn't rush around, but took leisurely walks because thats what one did to fill the afternoon, or to buy a newspaper on the street and actually read the articles that someone poured their heart into. Instead of easily swiping your iPad on a pulling up an app for the New York Times. On the 4th of July I like remember the men that fought and the women that sacrificed and the faith they shared to be bold and strike out and break away from the safety of the lives they had lived up to that point. Oh how brave! For this really is the land of the free and the home of the brave.

How was your 4th? Did you get to see family and watch the fireworks go off or did you stay inside and enjoy the air conditioning while watching your favorite patriotic flick? {Mines The Patriot} Sound off in the comments:)

Happy weekend.
xO-Etheline

Words to Live By: In Memoriam

By now I'm sure it's not news to you that Nora Ephron has passed away. It really is a sad day when the world looses such a great talent.

Now in my opinion shes not as great as say Nancy Meyers, she is hands down the best in this house, but Nora Ephron was pretty amazing all the same. You've Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally have been long time top 10 favorite movies of mine.

One thing that I have come to realize over the past few years is that society immortalizes a certain actor or actress because of their performance in certain films. While I agree most of the time there is a reason they were awarded the role in the first place, let's face it-- they'd be nothing without fantastic writers laying the ground work for them to build off of and bring a character and story to life. So with that we say farewell to another amazing writer and multi talented woman, Nora Ephron.

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I just love this quote. It reminds us to be strong and fierce. It reminds is to take charge of our life and make our own descions even if they turn out to be the wrong ones, because usually it's those ones we learn the most from.

What is your favorite Nora Ephron work? Do you love Sleepless in Seattle or are you more of a fan of I Feel Bad About My Neck? Sound off in the comments below. I'd love you hear from you.

xO- Etheline

A Few of My Favorite Things

Not to beat a dead horse, but--- I'm going to anyway.  Honestly, I'm sad that I can't blog about the everyday happening of this faux Tannenbaum family. It throws a wicked curve ball into my post schedule. It's like I'm constantly racking my brains for something uber fascinating to share with you guys. Not to say that our daily life is uber fascinating, but you catch my drift...lol

So today I'm going to share some things that have caught my eye and are rapidly turning into some my favorite things as of late!

1. Ombre::

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2. Loafers::

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3. Soft Curls::

 

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 4. Open Yale Courses::

 

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 ::Side note::  So Royal, as of late, has been digging around in the computer world and is becoming familiar with a whole slew of new technology he never had time for before now. Basically his brain is growing to twice it's normal size. So in order to keep up with him and not feel like I was being left behind on the education front I decided to pick a topic that I love and wanted to know more about and dove right in. There was no real competition...I chose History. Have you ever used  iTunes U? It's an amazing place where you can listen/watch lectures give by professors at colleges and universities all around the world. There are thousands to choose from; Stanford, UC Berkley, Oxford, Harvard, Hopkins, and the list seriously goes on and on. When finding out that Yale {surprise, surprise} has one of the most sought after programs for History there was no turning back. I'm starting with American History with lectures given by Joanne Freeman. She's pretty fun for a published Doctor. {lol} If you click on the above link you can root through the course info, as well as others. Even if Yale isn't your cup of tea, if you love to learn iTunes U is for you.

  

5. Libraries::

 

{via :: Bodleian Library @ Oxford}

{via :: Codrington Library, All Souls College}

What are some things that have you wrapped around their little finger currently? Are you embracing neon or pastels this summer? Are you all about this summers must reads {Shameless plug for Shadow of Night} or summers blockbuster movies? Sound off below with some of your favorite things in the comments:)

Happy Monday darlings--
xO- Etheline