Have You Paid It Forward Lately?

Me? Well, notsomuch. But if you are like me, my friends, then don't worry because the perfect opportunity to do so is upon us. Tomorrow, October 9th, marks the beginning of the Third Annual Sophia's 40 Day Pay It Forward Challenge in honor of sweet little Sophia Jane Smallwood. To learn more about her story. Please watch this video:

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Beyond Our Front Door: A Midcentury Goldmine

I've been sitting on this little gem since mid-summer so I decided it was high time I shared. One of my goals in exploring our area a little more was to find some fab places to shop for furniture. I stumbled on this place while browsing Craigslist one day. As soon as I saw the words "midcentury" I was asking Siri where to find this place -- this place being Home Again Furniture in Blue Ash (for my local friends). Allow me to show you what I found there...

 

Pretty cool, right? My favorites were the dresser, the hanging light, and this little bookshelf. I am still kicking myself for not actually purchasing anything. The problem is that Aaron is not exactly drawn to this era like I am and these pieces weren't exactly thrift store prices. The prices are good but not if you're looking for a steal. Just seeing these pictures again makes me want to go back. Maybe I need to try a little harder to convince Aaron that midcentury is the way to go. Oh, and anyone who happens to have anything similar to these items lying around, and wouldn't be sad to part with them feel free to send them my way! :  )

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Goodbye to Summer & A New Series

School is officially in full swing for all of us around here (except for Will, of course). And, although, I'm loving my new school and teaching first grade; I am missing summer already. Things are always so much simpler in the summertime. Bedtimes can be later, meals less planned, and life less scheduled. There is also a lot more time for writing posts in the summer, so expect things to be a little quieter on the blog from time to time. I hope that you'll still stop by now and then because I'm not ready to make Inspired Adventures a thing of the past, just yet.

 

I have decided to launch a series of posts about all the fun places that we explore around town. It's been a goal of mine to get to know our area a little bit more. We are such creatures of habit so, although we have lived here our entire lives, there are so many places that we haven't been. I am always intrigued when I see friends "checking-in" to places on Facebook or mentioning places that they've been that are new to me. So, whether we are visiting a new shop, restaurant, or place for the kids it is my hope to branch out and get to know the world beyond our front door just a little bit better.

 

One such place was a playground that the kids and I visited the day before Audrey started school. We, all three of us, fell in love!!! I can't believe this place is so close to us and we have never been before. For all my local peeps this is at Rentschler Park. So, let's go exploring together, shall we. Be warned that I went a little picture crazy.   

 

 



 

Audrey loved the Nature Hunt. All of these animals are hidden somewhere on the play set. 

 

 

 

She was beyond excited to look for each one and it kept her occupied for a long time. She even enlisted the help of some of the other kids playing. Always my social butterfly!

 

 

Here's a picture of one of the "hidden" animals. Fun, huh? 

 

Audrey was also into the little jumping platform.

 

Check out Will playing these fantabulous drums! Unlike a lot of playgrounds that we've been to, this place has a lot of things for Will-sized people. Love that!

He also loved climbing on the little butterflies. Isn't that rock wall tent to the left adorable? Are you loving this place as much as we are, yet?

On top of the play set was this fun little racing game. You would have thought that Will would be all about it but he was too busy heading for the slide about a thousand times.

 

There he goes...

 

 

...good thing big sis is waiting at the bottom to catch him. She is such a great sister!

 

Underneath the play set there was a little playhouse. Those round things to the right are bells and the little horn-looking thing was like a telephone. You talked into one end and the sound came out through another one on the other end of the playground.

 

 

Okay, just a few more pictures. There were swings, which are always one of Audrey's favorite things to do at the park.

 

And, there was a tunnel that looked like a log.

There is even this beautiful view just steps away from the playground. I think we have found a new favorite spot. We can't wait to come back and bring Daddy.

 

We had an amazing day soaking up the end of summer. I hope to keep these fun times going as we enter into the autumn months. So, stay tuned for our next installment of Beyond Our Front Door.

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Coffee Stop

Image via www.truewestcoffee.com

There are few things that I love to do more than to  kickback at a local coffee shop and enjoy a warm vanilla latte. Even better is when I get to do that while amongst friends and good conversation (especially the adult variety since I'm around five and six-year-olds all day long). Last night, I was able to do just that with a few of my wonderful Ohio Writing Project colleagues. I received my Masters degree in teaching through this amazing program. Follow the link and check it out! A small group of us OWPers headed to one of my favorite spots for a chance to reconnect and chat about all things teaching, writing, reading, and whatever else happened to be on our minds.

This latest coffee stop took place at True West Coffee. I adore this place and fell deeply in love with it the first time I ever stepped into its fun and colorful atmosphere. I find myself being inspired by every little detail that the owners put into decorating this hip little place. I thought I would share a few snippets of why I love it and why I smile every time I'm here!

Let's start with the fireplace mantel. I love owls and so do the owners. These amazing little owl figurines are all over the place. I love the way the orange mirror pops against the turquoise wall and I love the crafty little garland.

 

Adjacent to the fireplace is this yellow, leather sofa. How fun is this! I wish I could have gotten a better shot but the space was tight. It's obvious that it is totally vintage and totally uhhh-mazing!

 

 

To the right of the counter is this cute little end table made from license plates. So unique!

 

 

I can never visit without checking out the gift section. I especially love these handmade necklaces. They are made from recycled cardboard. Really? How'd they do that?

 

 

Let's now head into the dining area. Here are just a few things that were catching my eye.

 

 

 

 

Isn't that gallery wall super  cute? So much of the artwork is handmade by local artists. A few pieces are even for sale.

 

Let's head upstairs, shall we? Oh, wait. Are those painted stair risers that I see?

 

 

If  you think the steps are cool, wait until you see what is at the top of the stairway. Yes, those are stenciled, teal wooden floors! I must do this in my new house...somehow!!! I have some ideas abrewing.

 

 

Here is the view from the second floor. Such cute little stars. Wouldn't those be fun in a kid's space?

 

 

This orange desk is super cute, too! I love that the owners share my weakness for old, yet, freshly painted furniture.

 

 

I leave you now with this little guy dreaming of what lies beyond the glass. If I were him, though, I'd be thankful that I live in such a fun and inspiring space!

 

 

 

 

 

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A Good Night for Some Aimless Wandering

After a long, busy week (even with a snow day) I was in desperate need for a little Target therapy last night. That is, meandering the aisles aimlessly looking for nothing in particular and simply enjoying the sights along the way. So, with my two little loves in the cart we began our trek around the store. As we wandered, I began to notice several things that would work really well in Audrey's new bedroom. Earlier this week, I shared this mood board and I kept these ideas in mind as I snapped some pics of things that she and I both loved for her room.

We saw these mirrors that looked very close to the inspiration piece above the desk. There was this larger one...

 



 

And this cute set of three much smaller mirrors. I think the larger one would be a little more functional, though.

 

 

 

We didn't find much in the way of pillows except for this fun, fuzzy one. Audrey loved the feel of it and I think it would be a nice way to add texture to her room.

 



 

There was a lot in the way of fun ceramic animals. Audrey oooohhhed and ahhhhhhed over this turquoise unicorn.

 

 

Personally, I was giddy over this cutie pie bird.

 

 

"Oh, hello, Mr. Crab! How would you like to come live with us?"

 

 

This Nate Berkus basket is to die for! Looooove it!

 

 

In keeping with the storage theme, we also liked this paint-dipped wire basket.

 

 

This woven frame was also amazing! So unique! I love that it would add a little natural wood to Audrey's mostly white furniture.

 

 

This white, wooden frame was very sweet. I asked Audrey to pick out a frame she liked among several options and she gravitated towards this one. She does have good taste, doesn't she?

 

 

A pop of pink on the wall like this frame would be super cute. I would never buy this though because I could easily recreate it with a thrift store frame and some spray paint. Just add it to my project list.

 

 

With that, we ended our perusing in the home department. We didn't buy a single thing. As I've said before, I don't want to commit to anything until we are actually in the house and I'm putting the room together. Plus, I have absolutely no interest in storing anything else in our current house!

 

We did leave with a couple of fun things, though. One being these adorable rolls of gift wrap that we found in the $1.00 bins. I love the patterns and thought they would be pretty as drawer liners or even framed as artwork.

 

 

Oh, and I rarely ever leave Target without a new notebook. This lovely was a steal on clearance for 98 cents! I couldn't pass that up! I may even use it in Audrey's room on her desk. Who knows?

 

 

Well this is where the shopping trip ends. Thanks for tagging along with us. Hope you picked up a few ideas for your own space along the way. Have a wonderful weekend!

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