LIFE'S LITTLE DETAILS

"THE DETAILS ARE NOT THE DETAILS. THEY MAKE THE DESIGN." — CHARLES EAMES

Happy Wednesday! I'm off to get my teeth cleaned, but I thought I'd pop in anyway and share a few bright spots in my week.

• Last weekend was pretty great! It's not that we did anything exciting per se; we just didn't spend our time worrying about everything—a rarity these past four months. On Friday we made our way to San Antonio to get the Touareg worked on (again!). They forgot to connect wires in the door panel that allow the passenger to exit the vehicle from the inside. Because Flyboy primarily drives this vehicle, it took us almost four weeks to realize it wasn't working. Sigh. Needless to say, we weren't pleased, but the dealership made up for it with a speedy repair and we had an excuse to eat at Whiskey Cake and stop by Trader Joe's for flowers and treats. Gimme Tulips and all the pumpkin errrrything!

• As some of you are aware via Instagram, I was approached a few weeks ago by Pinhole Press to create a Petite Flat Lay Book. I typically create stuff like this to give as gifts, so I was beyond giddy to design a visual memento that I could keep as a reminder of this chapter in Swell Rio. I love how it turned out, and I have a feeling I'll be creating more of them in the near future. Once we get this move out of the way, I have big plans to create individual books for various holidays, trips, etc. In the meantime, I'll be handing these bad boys out as gifts because HOLY SWEETNESS that was fun!

• Flyboy makes a mean apple pie (he uses his Gammy's recipe), but he doesn't bake them often unfortunately. Womp womp! I think the last time we had one we lived in Hawaii (???), so imagine the joy that came over me when he agreed to stop by HEB for the ingredients on Sunday morning. Yep, it was a Joe Biden level BFD!! Max thought the whole process was a riot, and I could tell that peeling apples was his favorite part based on the number of slices he shoved in his mouth over a period of ten minutes. Later that night the three of us went to town on the finished product (generous scoops of vanilla ice cream are mandatory), and we decided that FB's still got it! Because it was so tasty, we also concluded that he needed to take the rest to work because my jeans can only handle so many weeknight desserts.

• When Emily Maynard of Elva Fields approached me about participating in a Leading Lady series, I had to pinch myself! I started my blog 6.5 years ago as a creative outlet and online journal to document our mobile lifestyle and to share sources of inspiration along with some of my favorite things. Around that time, Pinterest was just beginning to take off along with the online magazine Matchbook. I can't remember which of the two I can thank for introducing me to Elva Fields jewelry first, but I quickly became obsessed. It wasn't long after that when I noticed some of my favorite blogging and design darlings (Oh Joy and Mrs. Lilien) were fans as well. Who wouldn't fall hard for these dazzling duds? The pieces incorporated in my necklace had been sitting in my jewelry box for awhile. The flower brooch and clip-on earring were pieces my father-in-law let me keep when we cleaned out his garage back in 2008. They were his mother's and he encouraged me to take a piece or two because he knew how much I also appreciate a sparkly accessory. The magnolia flower fell off a cuff I was given after I graduated from college. I took it to several jewelers to see if they could fix it for me, but I had very little luck. I was devastated that it broke, but held on to the idea that someone someday could help me and repair the beloved bracelet. Little did I know that it would be Elva Fields to the rescue and that all three treasured pieces could be incorporated into one gorgeous necklace specifically designed for me! It's the kind of colorful stunner that brings out your inner Iris Apfel, and I'm so honored to have been chosen to participate. It's a dream come true! You can read more about it here on the Elva Fields blog.

• Despite dinosaurs drenched in mud, military orders that are still MIA, spilled coffee on clean jeans (they were stretched to comfortable perfection), and a series of dreary days hunkered down indoors, my heart is very full right now. There are a lot of unknowns, but also a bunch of new opportunities that await (I can feel it!). With Thanksgiving just eight days away, I'm reminded that it's two sweet boys and a Berner who keeps BEGGING to hop into bed with us that bring me the most joy—although fresh flowers and a delicious scented candle certainly help!    

Enough of my babbling. How the heck are YOU??

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