currently link up | three weddings and my funeral

Currently is a weekly link-up hosted by ♥ Randalin of Harvesting Kale and I am super happy to be co-hosting the series with her. I hope that you can participate by writing your own Currently post (using the provided themes or your own) and please join us by linking up. This week, around these parts, we have been...

Entertaining or rather 'being entertained' or rather 'being mortified' by the melodramatic love stories Otto has been bringing home from Montessori every day. It seems that Cupid's arrow has hit the low-profile, generally confused, and wildly impulsive population at his preschool and he's involved in multiple marriages, including hugs and kisses. On Monday he married Sonya (he told her he loved her and she gave him a hug). On Tuesday it. was. over! Sonya had moved on to Simone, remarrying rather quickly if you ask me. Otto rallied and got cheek kisses from Sonya (she just can't make up her mind) and Rio on Wednesday. Now he's married to Rio but apparently cuckolding the poor guy in full view of all with Sonya who really should be true to Simone. But love's candle burns bright. It's all too much. And as silly and really darling as it all is, it is also horrifying to me that just 10, 9, 8, 7...? years from now this kind of thing will be far less innocent and far more exploratory and adolescent. Never!!!! Me no like. No like at all. Is my funeral.

Holding Loretta while humming, whispering, snuggling, and loving her as she yells at me, barfs on me, yowls, scowls, and rages against her frustrations. I am a little scared of what this woman will be like to raise, honestly. She is just so strong, so emotional and powerful, she is going to give me gray hairs and inspire me and impress me and be a wonderful parenting challenge. This poor little lady has been teething with no relief, no new teeth, for months. She has three molars coming in that are so visible that her gums are swollen with big blue blisters under the surface and white teeth showing but not yet poking through. She's also mastering walking and starting to talk in words, "tree, Et, Dad, Mom, chick-en, bay-daw = baby doll," so she has a lot going on physically and mentally and it's meant more snuggling and rough nights but I suspect a month from now she'll be feeling fine, walking around, and placing dinner orders.

Building mental plans for my Project-Per-Month Project of redoing the living room mantel. I have a list of ideas and am excited to start putting them into action this weekend!

Smiling about the Magic Treehouse book series we discovered at Easter (we included book 1 and 2 in Ot's basket). We have now read the first three books and I'm loving the adventures. They're thrilling and magical without being rude, rough, or scary. Otto is such a huge fan so when we visit the thrift store this weekend to look for mantel supplies (see Building above) we'll also be looking for more books from the series. I recommend these so highly!

Frowning that I was a pretty crappy friend and blogger as far as promoting my friend Kat's "From My Hand to Your Art" giveaway last week.

The official deadline to enter was Sunday but it didn't get as many entries as I'd hoped so I'm going to open it up to all of you here for another week. Go enter here by simply commenting which item in her Etsy shop is your favorite, plus there are other entry opportunities, and I hope you win a sweet handmade doll!

That was this week. Here are next week's themes: 

watching, looking for, growing, riding, reading

how to razor cut your own sidebangs

Last night I decided to cut my own sidebangs (my bangs were originally sidebangs but they'd hit that awkward, too-long, Bieber-y stage where I found myself sweeping them way too sweepily across my forehead, or pinning them, or tucking them instead of... I don't know what, rustling them? Whatever.

When I came out of the "salon" (aka bathroom) last night I said to Rob, "How do you like my bangs?" and he was all, "Nicely done and wow and you are full of bravery for cutting your own bangs!" and I was all, "Hey, thanks." ps. I have cut my own bangs tens of times over the past decade but Rob's a guy and guys are classic when it comes to noticing things, ayup.

Anyways, cutting your own sidebangs is pretty easy and I thought I'd share the trick with you all. I should first note that I have pretty thick, semi-wavy hair and I think that if you have super-fine, ultra-straight hair you should probably consult a hair expert before trying this -- just about your kind of hair and sidebangs in general -- they might tell you that for your hair type, sidebangs aren't the best idea you ever had. In other words, this is easy and it works great but enter at your own risk.

You'll need scissors and a basic leg razor. Afterwards, replace the blade (your legs will thank you).

Step One...

Step one is just to get rid of the excess, you'll tidy after. Here, you are going to take your scissors and cut your bangs (just the hair you want to end up as bangs) as straight across as you can, without worrying about perfection, at the length that you want your longest sidebangs to end up.

Step Two...

Step two is the fun part. First, visualize how short you want the shortest part of your bangs to end up. If you're not sure, then start out conservatively, you can always take them up a little. You may want to get your bangs slightly damp (but not wet). Ok, now grasp a little section of your bangs, about the thickness of a piece of yarn, in your fingers and twist that section. Once twisted, take your razor and "shave" down, through the hair rope, at the angle you want your bangs to be at for framing your face. This creates a wispy, layered effect super quickly. Do this step again and again as you move across your forehead until you've got your bangs at the perfect slope. Tidy little straggler hairs with the razor as you go. Lastly, do just the tips of the longer sections to soften and layer them.

Step Three..

You're done! You look amazing! I'm wolf whistling at you through your computer.

Let me know if you have questions, xo.

currently link up | ramblings about rooster sauce and pasty legs

Currently is a weekly link-up hosted by ♥ Randalin of Harvesting Kale and I am super happy to be co-hosting the series with her. I hope that you can participate by writing your own Currently post (using the provided themes or your own) and please join us by linking up. This week, around these parts, we have been...

Drinking deviled eggs. Just kidding... or am I? I realized I could answer almost all of these themes with "deviled eggs" this week because hello Henry! And by Henry, I mean yum yum yum but oof, gas. Why do we reserve deviled eggs for one weekend a year? I suppose the answer is gas. I put a teeny bit of sriracha (aka rooster sauce -- as if you didn't know) in mine and as I mentioned before, hello Henry! Loretta is also a big fan. Rob too. Otto won't touch the things; he out-classes our whole fam :)

Buying Mother's Day gifts for my sister-in-law (who I always just want to call "my sis" but I feel like I need to be clearer on here since you guys don't know she's not my sis in the purest sense, but really, I just consider her my sister, it's that awesome), mother-in-law (who I just want to call "Nita" and who I adore), and my own mom ♥ How freaking ahead of the game! This is the first year ever, ever, ever that I have not waited until the very last minute and then spent $5,000 on $20 flowers. ps. Kari, if you're reading this, don't get me a thing, your gift is part of mug club and it's my favorite find yet!

Driving my dented up and trunk-disabled, super dirty (inside and out) classic (in the most tragic sense) mini-van. I started this Project Per Month Project this month and for April I'm doing my living room mantel, but sometime in the future, when I have a bit bigger budget handy, I'm going to take on my beast of a mini-van.

Missing my skin's elasticity ::side eye::

Obsessing over spring and summer and sunny days and outside activities! Lock it in, spring, lock it in! This week I exposed my day-glow white legs to the world (skirts without tights, can I get a HEY YO!) for the first time in 6 months and it felt amazing to feel the crisp, spring air on my skin while blinding all passersby. I am also obsessing over how much I hate the new gmail "compose" I must be a super-old fuddy duddy but I just sit there cursing and cursing with each email; it's so freaking tragic.

That was this week. Here are next week's themes: 

entertaining, holding, building, smiling, frowning

a giveaway | from my hand to your art CLOSED

Sometimes you come across someone and it is an instant connection -- love at first sight (or instagram, ha) and the more you get to know them the more you fall truly, madly, deeply. That's how it was for me with Kat, the lovely Michigan mama and sweet crafter extraordinaire behind the Etsy shop From My Hand to Your Art. Kat is one of these people who actually makes you laugh out loud and at the same time is so earnest she truly inspires. She puts so much thought into everything she does, from meal planning to home schooling to her amazing, newly-launched Etsy shop of custom handmade dolls, diy doll kits for kids, custom family trees, embroidery pieces, watercolors, and more. Here, see...

Every little thing is thought out to perfection and done prettily down to the smallest detail. We were so excited when Kat sent Otto and Loretta custom Ot and Et dolls of their own. Loretta gives her handmade baby hugs and kisses. Otto agreed to put clothes on (dude be an underwear nudist lately) so that I could take pictures of him stuffing and sewing his doll kit.

Now it's everyone's lucky day because Kat is offering you a 10% discount code at her shop. Just enter code "OTANDETROCKS" at checkout for the discount to be applied. Hurray!

You can also WIN WIN WIN a custom baby doll or DIY doll kit of your choice. Otto's face lit up with excitement when he opened up his doll kit and saw his mini Otto. He is 4 years old and he did so well with the supervised project, filling the doll full of stuffing, adding the embroidered heart, and then carefully sewing up the bottoms. From My Hand to Your Art dolls would make the perfect gift and forever keepsake for any little one.

To enter the giveaway just leave a comment for each entry. The first entry is mandatory, the others options.

- First, go visit Kat's Etsy shop and let me know what your favorite item is in the shop
- Next you can like From My Hand to Your Art on Facebook
- You can also follow From My Hand to Your Art on Instagram 
- Tweet this giveaway with a link to this page (include link to tweet in comment) limit 1x daily
- And I'd be honored if you'd follow Ot and Et on Bloglovin

I will choose a random winner early next week so the giveaway will stay open until Sunday at midnight PT. Good luck!