ALY ALLEN | THE BLOG

yep. laundry. the endless hamster-wheel and revolving door of laundry. it keeps turning and just when we feel like we've conquered it, there's more. it will never end. [yet we buy more clothes, the epitome of irony, right?] my husband's grandma once told me that she stayed somewhat on top of the laundry by switching it every morning, first thing... and every night, last thing. somewhere in the day she'd fold and put away the one she took out in the morning. now, she also hung up what needed ironing, and carved out an entire day at a friend's house to iron it all, but i'm not quite there yet. sounds fun, but i'm not there yet. i've had friends tell me that they just commit to one load. every day. and that seems to keep it under control. so i'm going to implement a little rule like this for myself until it becomes as normal as brushing my teeth, drinking coffee, all those things that i just do out of habit?  because thing about being ...

today i had one of those crazy shifts in perspective. do you know what i'm talking about? all of a sudden i'm standing there cutting up the pork shoulder to stick in the crock pot and it hits me: i am so blessed to be doing this. all of this. this morning i woke up like any other. you know, an eleven week old baby, crying and hungry. we went downstairs and i made some fresh juice for Reese and myself.  we had orange-pineapple-apple. seriously delicious and refreshing and perfect.  it struck me how much joy i actually get from taking a few pieces of fruit and juicing them up into something yummy and nutritious. something that Reese begs me for every day.  i get joy from that.  i think it's two-fold: that i even have access to nutritious food for my family,  and also that i don't mind doing the work of cutting and peeling and juicing for what would seem like little return. for me, it's a huge return-- nutrition.  and i finally r...

i had so many fun things to show you today, that i was able to finish this weekend... but you'll have to settle for the photos i took with my phone. lame, i know! i finally finished that yarn wreath that i wrapped but never embellished. i am beside myself in love with it: and while i was in crafting mode i also wrapped a cardboard "A" with yarn. but now, of course, i want to change it to a gray yarn. either way i love how it turned out [sorry the photo is sooo small] and here's my whole entry wall, that i'm finally considering to be "complete"... not finished, because i'll always be changing and rearranging, but just  complete . [of course i have big plans to add white beadboard to the wall, and paint the table black... but those are long-term goals. for now, it's complete] oh, and just in case you're thinking that huge outdated air conditioner thing is such an eye-sore... i know it is! i tried putting the hoop art directly on to...

i'd love a little help?!? i'm trying to choose a few photos to frame in my kitchen. all of food. all that i love. trying to decide if i should stick with one artist, or pull from a few different ones. i want the overall feel of the photos to be the same. so i either want all of them to be subdued in color, or vibrant in color... what are your three favorites together? here's a snapshot of my etsy favorites: of course, i could throw my own photo into the mix? maybe this could be #4? or is it too orange? i could re-stage this shot using lemons or strawberries. that might go better with the other photos? oh, and what do you think about these egg shots i snapped? should i just take my own photos and save the money. i realize they aren't as good, but maybe worth saving the money? your opinions, please!! featured shops above: Gallery 32 630 Photo Erica Lea Photography Poetic Photography Haley Johnson Fine Art Collection Lynda Naranjo Photography Honey & Jam Photography a...

the decor in my house, that is... i hung a few more things last week, and i even found the perfect [for now] spot for my lovely  hoop art that i won from Leslie . i plan to give it a permanent home on the wall, in a different location, but i need to finish up a few projects that are going to be displayed with it. i'll keep you posted on that. for now, it sits here in the dining room [which is functioning as a playroom while there's no table in it].  the bottom book was a graduation gift from my parents. they snuck onto my computer and downloaded every single paper i wrote in college [i was a history major. there were at least 1 to 4 papers per week]. and published them in this book. are you kidding me?!? it is priceless. wondering if i should do this to the top two books [and lots of other books that i use as decor] . i might cover them in paper first, since they're actually new-ish books. the little guy on the right was a ross find. it was a bright green, like the color...

ah, the joys of spray painting. i literally have a hundred picture frames. i've just collected them over the years. usually black or some sort of dark metallic. but since that doesn't really fit my decor style anymore, i'm embracing the spray painting  addiction  trend that's taking hold of the [mostly blog]  world. my husband thinks i'm nuts, until i place everything back into the house and he loves me again because it looks perfect. i even spiritualized spray painting/repurposing here . yes, i really did. this is my little bookshelf. given to me by my mom. the corkboard is from Homegoods. the other items i've had for years [except the lantern which is a $1 Goodwill find, painted black]. the "a" holds up my books, "j" holds my husband's, and "r" holds my daughter's. she knows that she can only touch her shelf but she always talks about ours.  the crate might be sprayed to match the [krylon "jade"] frames. not sure...

i am growing to love our little yard. from the surprise flowers blooming everywhere , to the convenience of actual food growing on trees... i love it! and i've never really been an outdoorsy girl or a gardener. but i'm becoming one. here are the latest picks from the tangerine tree, and there are literally hundreds more. we have a lemon tree too, which is so nice. fresh lemon is a staple in so many recipes but i always hated buying them. i want to plant an apple and/or avocado tree soon. mmm, or what about plums or peaches? i think we only have room for two or three, so that will be a tough decision. any thoughts? we also planted some flowers yesterday afternoon. my husband is off for two weeks and he gets really bored really quickly. he started by de-cluttering the junk drawers and vacuuming the house , and then moved on to surveying the projects that need to be done around the yard. first was planting flowers and second will be re-painting the patio overhang. i love that he ...

spring is in full bloom here in san diego. at least in my little corner, in my yard. we've never seen our house in early spring, so everything is a surprise. when we got home from mammoth a few days ago, we were greeted by three white calla lilies blooming by the front door. i didn't even know that was a calla lily plant? [my wedding bouquet was all calla lilies. i adore them] i don't think i've ever appreciated spring so much. not since i started counting the gifts , noticing the beauty. and certainly not since spring became so symbolic of my life  right now. there is beauty all around. it is breathtaking. so my husband suggested that i cut them off and bring them inside. i'm no floral designer like shauna  ;)  but i just placed them in a simple glass vase, leaning to the side. i love them. i hope they last a long time here on my kitchen table. but if not, i know there will be more where they came from. God is too good. ** to leave a comment, ...

[photo credit] have you read The Five Love Languages ? well, neither my husband nor i have actually read it, but we know the five languages, and we refer to them all the time when we  argue  discuss things  [it's actually pretty comical, now that i think about it, since we've never read the book].  he thinks that mine is "quality time", and i think that his is "acts of service". and that's pretty right on. we've recently also discussed the fact that my language is changing. i still want the quality time, for sure, but i also need "words of affirmation" right now. his, however, has remained "acts of service"... mostly in the form of my keeping the house clean. i don't know why it took me almost six years to figure this out, but he really really appreciates a clean house. not just clean , but neat too. all the time. for almost six years of marriage, this has been our number one argument. i'm messy, he's neat. for so man...