XO

Well it has almost been one week since sweet Miss Harper Snow came into our lives and we are undoubtedly in love with her. I now completely understand the desire to constantly share pictures of one's child or puppy or kitten because that has become my life. I take pictures of Harper all day long because she does the cutest things and I send them to Jim. Our iMessage conversation is now a play by play of Harper and her daily activities. Harper successfully pooping and peeing outside has become the highlight of our day. Jim works during the day and I work at night so we take turns watching her. She is very smart and very loving. She is still a bit insecure and we think she is scared that we will leave and never come back. That couldn't be farther from the truth and she seems to be getting that more and more every day. 

The is no question that Jim is her favorite. She follows him everywhere and looks for him when he is at work. She sits by the bathroom door when he showers and hangs on his every word. I don't mind it one bit. I love to see how much she loves him because I totally get it. He has already taught her to sit and fetch and even cooks her fancy chicken thighs while I'm at work. I know she loves me but I also know she loves Jim more. She is doing so well with potty training and tells us she needs to go by pawing at the door. 

I never knew I could love the way I love Harper. She is absolutely precious to me. 

Independent Women

All the honeys who makin' money throw yo hands up at me!! I started my new job and it was pretty nifty. Even though I have an angel of a husband who takes care of me, there is something so satisfying about knowing you WORKED for what you have. I mentioned in my vlog post that the most exciting part about my new job is that I get to wear whatever I want as long as it's nice. I basically need to dress like I am going to a nice dinner with friends while wearing reasonable shoes. That turned out to be a blessing AND a curse because I changed about 27 times. No joke. I had an outfit planned but then I put it on and second guessed myself so I started trying other things. I decided on a polka dot blouse and red blazer with cheetah print loafers. It was a nice mix of prints and pop of color. 

I will be working as a server but as part of my training I had to have a hostess shift just to get acquainted with the restaurant and learn the layout. It's such a cool artsy building and the clientele seem really chill. It should be a good time indeed. I'm so excited to be making that money so I can buy my own four dollar dresses. 

In other news, I just booked my very first Illinois job for Dey Dreamer Productions. It's an after prom event at a high school and it's country fair themed. I am hoping this is a beautiful beginning to a booming business here in Central Illinois. 

Oh! And I made a shirt!! Well sort of. I'll blog about it soon. It's super cute and there is an elephant print involved. Yes you read that right ELEPHANT PRINT. Republic Of Yesterday will soon be creeping into the clothing game.... EXCITING! 

Sunday Morning

It has been a glorious last couple of days. My wedding anniversary was on Friday and the weather was beautiful. Jim had to work during the day but that was okay because I was also able to get some work done. We went to dinner at a Thai restaurant called Let's Take A Seat. We did. They were actually in the middle of transitioning from a private party to dinner time so we had the whole place to ourselves. We told our server it was our one year anniversary to which she replied, "that's cute," and walked away. I wasn't expecting any freebies I was just genuinely excited and wanted her to know. We had our usual order of yellow curry with tofu, pad see ew with chicken, and two Thai iced teas. Once we were done with dinner we decided it was only appropriate to have pie for dessert. We took to our handy dandy smart phones to hunt down a cute bakery. We called a few places that ended up being closed. We agreed on a place called Taffies and made our way over. We arrived at 7:55 and were turned away because they close at 8. We then went to a restaurant and bakery called Perkins. We sat down and were greeted by a woman who introduced herself as our server. She asked if we wanted anything to drink and we told her we were actually just interested in pie. She informed us that all they had left was red velvet. I asked her if it was technically pie and went on to explain that it was our one year anniversary and we got married on March 14th which is 3.14 which is pi so we really wanted to celebrate with pie. She replied, "Brookie is actually gonna be your server and she'll be right over." We left. We finally found an adorable little place called The Courier Cafe. We asked for pie. I really had my heart set on apple pie. Our server told us all they had left was peach. I told her that was going to have to do because all I really cared about was getting any kind of pie because it was our one year anniversary and we got married on pi day. She responded with, "cool" and went off to fetch our pie. Apparently no one in the Champaign-Urbana area cared about our sweet pi anniversary but it didn't matter to me. We had our pie and ate it too. 

On Saturday I woke up early and roamed around my quiet house. I found myself wanting to clean but not knowing where to start. I started in the bathroom because I always leave it looking like ten blindfolded girls got ready in 30 seconds or less. My problem when cleaning is that I get sidetracked so easily. For instance there was something in the bathroom that belonged in my closet so I went to return it. I then started to orgainze my closet until I found something that went in the living room. While tidying up the living room I found something that belonged in the kitchen so I went to the kitchen only to realize I was very hungry. At this point I would typically fry an egg or two and tell myself that I am allowed to be on Pinterest only until I'm finished eating and I would wisely use this time to look up organization tips. Well only ONE organization pin and ONE HUNDRED fashion pins later, I'm hungry again. NOT TODAY! I really wanted to stay focused and decided that that focus would be on the kitchen because we were going grocery shopping and the thought of putting fresh new groceries in a dirty kitchen gave me the heebie jeebies. I cleaned the kitchen very very thoroughly and there was not a tangent in sight. While I was cleaning I felt so relaxed and quite accomplished. It's always strangely therapeutic when I finally buckle down and get it done. I am pretty sure my tone will change five or ten years down the line when there are two kids, three dogs, and a cat in the mix but for now I will enjoy the quiet calm cleaning up of two.

Jim and I made our way to the grocery store and there were so many people out and about. The sun was shining very bright and even though it was still a chilly 48 it felt like 78 after this winter we've had. There was even an Amish tour bus at the store. Strawberries were on sale which is always exciting. The check out lines were pretty long but I didn't mind because it gave me time to flip though an entire People magazine. Anything to save a buck. The jokes on them for putting magazines at the checkout. On our way home we took a bit of a detour and discovered this little bridge. We parked the car and went to explore. There was a creek and a long pathway. We weren't at all far from home so it was exciting to find a nice nature walk in our neighborhood. We walked out pretty far and then remembered we had milk in the car. I am certain we will be back

It is now Sunday morning and I am sitting on my beautiful floral couch wrapped in the rosie pink afghan that was made for us as a wedding gift. Jim has been working quite a bit these days. It seems like he has a new deadline every fifteen minutes. Since it's all computer stuff (that IS the technical term) he can do it from home so while he works, I work. I've set up shop right next to his computer and while he analyzes DNA sequences or something, I make flower crowns and headbands. Speaking of headbands! You better believe the headband featured in today's post is indeed a Republic Of Yesterday repurposed original. I am obsessed with the print. And with that, have a splendid Sunday all!

 

Here is a little Jim bonus for everyone.

What a stud!

Video Killed The Radio Star

The weather is changing here and this California girl is loving it. 

I am trying something different today. 

It's a vlog. This one is for you Jarred Bahnahd.

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Yesterday

I am now ready to tell you all about my very exciting new project!! I'M MAKING HEADBANDS!!!!!!!!!! And other things. I have set up a shop on the ever popular website Etsy. I decided to name my little shop, Republic Of Yesterday. It's all about repurposing, recycling, and refurbishing. There is nothing like a good hair accessory to take your look to the next level. I am so in love with these headbands that I contemplated keeping them all for myself but I think every woman should get in on these beauties. My shop will also feature vintage clothing. 

These headbands are the most perfect accessory for spring and summer and well all four seasons. You can spruce up jeans and a t-shirt or look cute while working out. There is so much more inventory to come so be sure to check back. Every piece is a true one of kind treasure and made from shirts, skirts, and scarves. 

Republic of Yesterday

Rumor Has It

Every day I become more and more convinced that if I stop planning, making, creating, wishing, dreaming, learning, and doing, my heart might stop as well. I have never been very good at sitting still. Ever. I can't help it. Everything fascinates me. I admit that there are days when I wish I had one interest and one passion that I could focus all of my energy into but then I think of all of the things I would miss out on. I am rarely ever bored and I love that. I have had so many different jobs and lived in many different cities and have made many friends. In my mere 26 years, I have lived a lot of life. I have always been a fickle girl and I don't see that changing any time soon. I thank my lucky stars every day that I married someone so loving and so supportive. Jim always smiles and nods and asks how he can help. He is an angel. He is my angel.

All of that said, I have started a new project!! While I wait for the inquiries to come pouring in for Dey Dreamer Productions, my photo booth company, I will be dabbling into the wonderful world of vintage. In the next week or so I will be revealing it all to you.

Here is some vintage I wore today. The turban headband is very near and dear to my heart because I made it out of an old shirt. I also made the one in the last post which should give you some insight on my new project. The coat is from The Salvation Army thrift store. There are quite a few thrift stores in this area and they a loaded with such good finds. My shoes are from a store called Plato's Closet which is a store that buys your gently used clothes from you and sells them to people like me. Paying full price for anything ever hurts my soul. To quote my fashion icon, Eva Mendes, "Nothing gets me like a $4 dress!"

Wherever you are in the world, I hope you have a beautiful weekend.