ALY ALLEN | THE BLOG

writing out verses on this spiral notecard thing, and i love how it will keep them all together in one place for easy flipping through/memorization. though as i was copying them (from other notecards) i surprised myself by how many i already have memorized! Reese never wants to dress up. yesterday we were cleaning her room an found this cinderella dress. she immediately asked to put it on :) of course i obliged because she never does this. i loved it :) we needed a family photo for my husband's job. they're writing about him in their quarterly magazine :) [taken by melissa sniff , not with my phone, but i instagrammed it so i could put the filter on it, for something really cute i'll share with you in a few weeks] made my own mocha powder . love it. i've been drinking a few cups a day this is what no nap looks like- burrito on the floor which led me to pack up the kids and drive 20 minutes to sonic so they'd fall asleep i...

if you haven't read the first installment, go here... school started in September.  and the very first day of school, i met him. oh great.  now what about my no-dating-this-year-because-boys-are-useless-and-terrible pledge? yeah, that went out the window at first glance & heart flutter. this boy.  this boy was different.  i mean, he lit up every room and every conversation that he walked into.  he was fearless and funny and ridiculously good looking. all 27 pimples and nose-too-big-for-his-face and 140 pounds and 6 feet of him. skinny, pimply... and so captivating [he still is] see what i mean? :) so the no dating resolution went out the window. and we started to talk a lot, and we started to feel those butterflies.  you know the ones. he invited himself to sit with my friends at lunch now that i think about it, we were the popular sophomore girls.  my friends wer...

i had a fun weekend. saturday, i went to a baby shower for my friend Shelby. and i had to show you photos of the little details because every little thing was awesome. Shelby and her mom [hi guys, if you're reading ;)] are super crafty and creative. the highlights were pennant banners out of thrifted mens' shirts and paper mâché sailboats. cute huh? and her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who hosted, served up a delicious brunch! these cupcakes were soooo yummy. and how cute that it looks like sand on top? her mom, who is like my crafting idol,  MADE all these shoes and made the little organizer and everything. crazy!! i made her this hoop.  and i'll be listing it for sale in the shop later today because i thought you all might like it too :) and she gave me these shoes from joyfolie   [i'm in love and have always wanted a pair of Joyfolie shoes!]   and a cute little dress for miss Tessa. oh, and I started printing my pri...

lately i've had to have music on all day every day at the house. it's the only way i stay sane with the non-napping two year old [who reaaaalllly still needs her nap, she turns into an alter-ego without it] and a constantly crying 7-week old. if i stay in my head, i will most certainly go insane. it happened last week. so now i play music and it keeps me focussed. on Him. on Peace. so anyway, you know when you're listening to iTunes and an "oldie-but-goodie" song comes on and totally brings you back? well that happened with me the other day. and this time the words popped right out to me as they never had before. i don't think i fully grasped this Truth back when i first heard this song in my teenage years, but i'm acutely aware of it now in my adulthood. nichole nordeman's "anyway" [video isn't special, but just listen to the words] Bless the day This restoration is complete Dirty dusty something must be underneath So ...

i've been going to town in photoshop these last few days. just feeling extra inspired, i guess. right now everything is for sale as a "printable" which means you have to print it yourself. BUT i'm in the process of getting my act together so i can sell them as real-live-paper-prints that i ship to you!! here are some of the things i've been working on :) these ones are "re-designs": and this is brand new: and did you already see these brand new ones from the other day? so, all of the above are ready to be emailed out to you, if you buy them from here . and like i said, i will be offering them as real live prints really soon! stay tuned!

usually i switch around the order of the photos, so they reflect the sequence of the actual week... but i'm not bothering with that today :) you won't know any different, anyway, right? so this sweet thing is not the easiest baby in the world. unlike Reese who literally was the easiest baby in the world. she could've won that award if there was one. anyway, little Tess is very gassy/colicky and will cry as soon as i put her down [as long as she's awake, if she's asleep she's good]. for awhile she wasn't even letting me put her in the bjorn. but praise the Lord it worked this time! i got to make dinner! and no, i had not even showered yet at the time i took this photo. it was 5pm reese has a little stool in each bathroom.  so in our room, every time she steps up onto it she starts this conversation with herself: "ok, i'm back. so..." and the proceeds to talk with "the other reese"  which is what she has named her d...

okay, i know. this would've been a great series for valentine's day, or at least february , right?  well, i was having a baby. and also i didn't have the idea back then, i had it now. i thought it'd be fun to take a little walk down memory lane and write out our "love story", all the way from the very beginning! i will be leaving some parts out, much to the disappointment of my readers who will probably be hoping for every juicy detail and complete transparency. but since my entire family and my husband's entire family reads this blog [and plenty of other people i probably don't even know about] i want to be sensitive and respectful and wise about what i write here. since it's my space, i get to do that. i just want it to be a fun little series of stories. i say all of that above, to remind you that no story is perfect, no relationship is a fairy tale,  and no marriage is a walk in the park. mine certainly has not been. and that...

ok so i missed last week... that means i've got 2 full weeks for you. prepare yourself: 1. coconut oil. i use it on my face. try it! 2. i love this top, don't you? i love that it hides my tummy and i especially love the cutesie fabric 3. this lovely iced tea represents a night out all by myself :) 4. i actually started this book. i *never* read fiction, but this is  good . of course i haven't finished. once i set a book down it's hard to pick back up... 1. sweet little one with daddy. she looks like a tiny peanut 2. we've started dave ramsey. uh oh. 3. when she skips her nap she falls asleep in the car. which tells me she still needs her nap, right? 4. and here she is minutes later, refusing to cooperate at trader joes. she's staging a protest for having to walk instead of getting to sit in the basket... i didn't tell her to sit there, it's part of the protest. 1. cuties. they are sooo so good.  2. downton abbey. i finally ju...

hey friends!  i got inspired today to make a couple new prints/printables today.  they'll be in the "diy" shop by tomorrow [as a printable] but i figured i'd give you a little sneak peek!