Category: writing about it all on my blog

quick catch up…

4 Comments

Just a quick catch up from me!

Welcome to all of my new followers, and thank you for visiting!

Between my SITS day, a Facebook feature, and a blog critique party my blog has been busy.

I, however, have not been busy blogging!

I did want to mention a few things I have learned over the last few days…

First, from all the SITS girls that visited and left comments…you all are really nice people!! If I am feeling down, I am just going to go back and read through some of your thoughtful comments. You all made this momma very happy!

Second, I have to start watermarking my photos! I have heard about this a lot…through Instagram, Pinterest, and, most recently, through the blog critique I participated in (you can read more about that here and see the checklist we used here). 

Third, I am far from a “grand opening” of my etsy shop, colton+cadence. I might have a “soft” opening and get a few items in there occasionally, but until both kids are in school this fall I do not have the time to dedicate to it. So, I want you all to stay tuned…I will post on my home is… Facebook page and the colton+cadence Facebook page when I put any items in the shop. So, “like” those Facebook pages to get the most updated information!

Fourth, having a four year old is harder than having a two year old…and I have both! Man, if you have or have had a four year old (particularly a 4 year old boy) please tell me I am not crazy! He’s majorly testing his boundaries and it is majorly testing my patience, energy, and emotions. He is like “dr. jekyll and mr. hyde” lately. Last time I had a not so terrible two year old, I also had a newborn, so I don’t remember much of it…and it really never seemed that bad (although my husband will tell you that I told him otherwise in all the texts I sent him that first year of having 2 kiddos). Anyway, I know {like everything else we have gone through with kids} that this too shall pass, but I hope it passes SOON!

{yes, that blur in the background is his two year old sister}

Fifth, thank you to Jennifer and Amy for critiquing my blog. I found your critiques very insightful and will make some changes based on them! I also had fun critiquing (and visiting) Amy’s creative blog. And, I made a visit to Jennifer’s beautiful blog, as well!

Finally, if you are a blogger (or photographer, or computer geek) how do you watermark your photos?

(for photo software I am currently using iPhoto and Picasa…I make my collages and add text in Picasa)

home is…trying to keep a calm center.

happy, happy…

51 Comments

SITS day to me!

Blogging Resources for Women

What is a SITS day, you ask?

Well, here is the low down…

So, to make a long story short, I am the Featured Blogger for today.

I’ve got to admit, I’m a little nervous…

I really never thought *my* SITS day would come.

I just thought I would get involved to read other blogs and learn some things.

And, here it is.

Yay, me!

I have butterflies in my belly…

I started blogging as an outlet when I became a stay at home mom to my little guy in 2008.

I made the hardest decision in my life (and the best) to leave a job I loved and stay at home with him full-time when he was 9 months old (until that time I had worked part-time from home or bringing him to the office with me…yeah, I had an awesome boss).

I was starving to still be connected to the world of interior design.

So, I started a blog.

Then, I started another blog to keep family updated on our adventures in the Pacific Northwest.

Eventually, I decided to merge the two as I found that there was beginning to be some overlap.

Now, I write about the adventures of our family of four (we had our second…a little girl…in 2009), my projects, crafts, and anything else I feel like writing about.

I started blogging for myself, then eventually for my kids, and now I find it fun when I inspire others with what I write here.

In the end, I write about what makes our home a home because {of course} home is…what you make it!

Thanks for visiting me today.

Still have butterflies…

I hope you will take some time to look around and let me know what you think!

You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (homeisablog), and Pinterest.

home is…sharing my blog with the SITS community.

{best of 2011} through the rearview

2 Comments

Now that we are nearly looking at all of 2011 through the rearview mirror here are the {best of 2011} on home is…what you make it!

{the following were some of the most viewed posts…I couldn’t pick out my favorites because there were so many}

January

five year anniversary

February

our living-room-turned-play-room-sometimes-guest-room

resorting to plan b

March

{tuesdays with lola} the allison

my “one of the best days ever” list

April

turns out she has both

there is nothing like spring skiing

May

my husband rocks

bloom where you’re planted

June

poppa’s gift from the kids

{gallery wall} take one

{summer in snapshots} week one

{summer in snapshots} week two

July

{summer in snapshots} week three

{summer in snapshots} week four

August

{summer in snapshots} week seven

play outside everyday

September

batman vs joker

summer’s last blast

October

{summer rewind} bella beach

impromptu idaho

the big dig…

November

{colton + cadence} the dolls

decking the halls

December

it’s beginning to look a lot like christmas

bits and pieces

I hope you had as much fun in 2011 as we did!

I think 2012 has some great adventures in store for us!

Stay tuned…

home is…reflection.

*linking up with…
Mommy of a Monster

Todays Creative Blog

the happy elves

5 Comments

One of the traditions I have at Christmas is to give everybody in our immediate and extended family an ornament.

Some years I buy different ones for each person.

Some years I buy similar ornaments and personalize them with their name and the year.

Some years I make them.

Some years the kids make them.

Some years I forget to give them.

This year I was inspired to give handmade ornaments.

I just finished the last ones up today.

This was my inspiration…

Source: memoriesoncloverlane.blogspot.com via Stephany on Pinterest

Although we have a backyard full of pinecones I opted to go a bit of a different route with my “merry and bright” color scheme.

In general, I used these instructions from Martha Stewart,which make these elves…

Source: marthastewart.com via Stephany on Pinterest

Instead of using pinecones I used plastic ball ornaments and instead of using wooden beads for the heads I used model magic clay.

I also changed the shape of the shoes.

I drew the faces on with Sharpies, but would love to find a different way to paint the faces. And, I used white model magic clay…in the future I would use something with more of a skin color tint to it.

Other than that I am more than pleased with how they turned out!

My elves can’t stand up on their own, but they hang on a tree just fine.

Each ornament is unique for each person in our family…all 21 of them!

Four elves are hanging in our tree, 12 elves are on their way to New York, and 5 elves are still working on getting packaged up to get sent to Colorado!

I took some photos of the 9 that are still here at our house last night…

taking a joy ride in one of our Christmas decorations…

and on the kids toys…

and just hanging out in the playroom…

and helping with the Christmas decor finishing touches!

Tomorrow, I will be posting a giveaway including one of these elves and some other holiday goodies.

home is…having a little holiday fun.

*linking up with…

Todays Creative Blog

tatertots and jello

some random and a winner

1 Comment

I have been up before 5 am the last 4 mornings.

On Friday, the little guy complained that his ear hurt, so off to urgent care we went. He has an ear infection. His first.

On Saturday, baby girl started coughing.

On Sunday, baby girl woke up at 4:30 am with a coughing fit.

On Monday, baby girl woke up a little after 4 am with a coughing fit.

On Tuesday, baby girl woke up at 4:19 am with a coughing fit.

Today, baby girl woke up at 4:42 am with a coughing fit.

We get a snack, snuggle a bit, then the little guy comes downstairs (this morning at 5:20 am), we eat some breakfast, then another breakfast, then a snack.

Baby girl hasn’t lost her appetite.

Yesterday, we were able to do a lot of crafts. It was fun.

The little guy took a nap. He never does that. I think the early mornings are catching up to him.

I know they are catching up to me.

He had a bit of cabin fever yesterday afternoon, so we took a drive to get gas, and stopped in at Target to get a treat at the dollar bins.

I didn’t even stay up to watch Parenthood last night! I DVR’d it, so hopefully I can watch it after Modern Family tonight.

I can’t workout when the kids are sick since they can’t go to the childcare at the club. That’s a bummer.

Well, enough random.

On to the winner…

Thank you all for the comments and giveaway entries!

I hope you will all enjoy following my blog via e-mail or Facebook.

I also promise that I will have some fun stuff coming up with colton+cadence in 2012.

I used random.org to pick a winner…

That would make this comment from Cindy A. the winner!

Thanks for tweeting, Cindy!

Please contact me at homeis@stephanytaddeo.com so I can get your information and get a package to you!

******

And, keep coming back…I will be posting the December giveaway in just a couple of weeks!

That was fun!

home is…early mornings, lazy days at home, and a winner of my first giveaway.

my first {november blog giveaway}

49 Comments

Here we go!

My first ever blog giveaway!

Here is what I have for you…

I want to let you all know that I am thankful for you, and this giveaway revolves around giving thanks.

1. happy harvest wood block set;  2. wooden “N” I found thrifting; 3. turkey dessert plate; 4. paper pennant banner (these will be in my etsy shop);  5. glass hobnail votive candle holders;  6. gratitude journal;   7. silpada designs turquoise necklace

Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks in advance, for checking out my Etsy shop once it is up and running!

I am hoping to get colton+cadence up and running in early 2012. This giveaway, and (if all goes well) future giveaways, will showcase some of the things I will be selling in my shop.

colton+cadence will be a little bit of everything…a little bit handmade, a little bit found, and a little bit vintage; it will be a little bit for you, a little bit for those you love, and a little bit for your home.

To enter please do the following:

Answer the following question as a comment on this post.

What are you thankful for?

For (4) additional entries you can:

{to be official, please mention each additional entry in a separate comment to count}

Deadline is Tuesday, November 8th at 9pm pst.

Winner will be announced on Wednesday, November 9th!

home is…having a lot to be thankful for.

{100 things about me} the first twenty-five

2 Comments
  1. I was born in Boulder, Colorado.
  2. I had my appendix removed.
  3. I had my tonsils removed.
  4. I absolutely love football.
  5. I played field hockey in high school.
  6. I started skiing when I was four.
  7. I lived in Colorado for 30 years.
  8. My husband and I moved to Portland almost six years ago. He had never been here and I had only been once for a wedding.
  9. I have a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado.
  10. I went there because it was what all of my family had done and what all my friends were doing. I am so thankful I did!
  11. I was in a sorority in college, Pi Beta Phi.
  12. I went back to school for my Interior Design degree one month before I got married at age 25.
  13. My favorite flower is the sunflower.
  14. I need 8 hours (or more) of sleep…always have.
  15. I have never liked wearing lipstick.
  16. I wish I had never sold my 1993 Jeep Wrangler…worst decision ever.
  17. I wish I had taken some time off after college to be a “ski bum”.
  18. I love school supplies.
  19. My summer job in high school was a lifeguard…best summer job ever!
  20. My first car was a school bus yellow 1983 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer. My mom drove it for years, it was given to me for my 16th birthday, and my sister and I shared until my sophmore year in college.
  21. My favorite show is Gilmore Girls. I own all seven seasons on DVD and watch at least one episode {almost} everyday.
  22. My favorite movies all star Meg Ryan.
  23. Or, Brad Pitt.
  24. I move furniture when I am frustrated.
  25. I like designer jeans, but always get a hole in the right knee…so frustrating!
Oh, wow…100 is going to take a while.
What do you want to know?!

summer’s last blast

4 Comments

So, while some of you are experiencing a quiet house with kids back in school, we still have a week of summer vacation left.

This last week of summer I am going to soak up the sun. Really enjoy the last full days I have with my kids before the “scheduled” days of the school year start.

I am going to take the week off from the computer…well, from being online.

I’m going to work on catching up with summer photos and posts…and maybe, just maybe, finish the photo album I owe our family from 2010.

We will also be celebrating baby girl’s 2nd birthday this week, so I need to give that the same attention that I gave the little guy when we celebrated his birthday earlier this summer at the beach.

I am not going to check Facebook, no tweets for me, no new posts on my blog, and the hardest will be not checking Pinterest or posting to Instagram.

{I will still be checking e-mail, so you can comment on this post or send me an e-mail and reach me}

Until Wednesday, September 14th.

I look forward to catching up with you all in a week!

Until then, here’s a recap of some of our summer fun…all from my iphone and instagram!

home is…savoring the last week of summer.

{nana and bops visit} day 4

1 Comment

This post should have been written a month ago…sorry for the delay. Better late than never, right?!

Day 4 of Nana and Bops visit was Saturday, May 21st!.

This was our full day at the beach.

After getting to bed late on Friday night, baby girl woke up crying at 2 am. I ended up sleeping with her upstairs and at some point the little guy joined us in the bed, too.

I cooked breakfast for everybody while the kids were occupied by Nana and Bops and Ryan was taking the dogs out for a walk on the beach.

We had eggs, bacon, fresh fruit and english muffins.

Then we got dressed and headed down to the beach to hit low tide.

We spent almost two hours playing on the beach with buckets and shovels.

Baby girl was exhausted and I took a little extra walk around the neighborhood before heading back to the house for lunch. She fell asleep on my back in the Ergo and had a little bit of a nap.

We had lunch and then Ryan and I headed out to get some fresh fish for dinner.

After taking a drive through Lincoln City and buying some steak and other supplies at Safeway we headed south back towards Mojo Coffee. We grabbed a Stumptown and stopped at the Crab Shack to get some fresh halibut for dinner.

We had a great dinner of fish, corn, roasted potatoes, and salad.

After dinner I headed out to try to get baby girl to sleep in the ergo again, but she didn’t want to miss out on anything. So, we said goodnight to the ocean with Nana, Bops and the little guy and headed back up to the house where Ryan had a campfire ready for roasting marshmallows…well, almost ready. We waited a bit while he worked on the fire and then roasted marshmallows.

I put baby girl to bed and Ryan took the little guy on a late night walk to say goodnight to the ocean again.

I have an interesting story to tell about what I saw in the sky when they were gone, but I will save that post for later.

Here are some photos from the day.

I made this collage using Picasa and the tutorial from Emily at Jones Design Company. I am thrilled to be using my old friend Picasa as this will make blogging with photos so much easier for me!

home is…finally catching up with my blog posting (now we’ll see if i ever get our 2010 photo album done)!