A recap of fun posts this week:

Birthday Parties & Traditions

Garrett’s post on Men’s Trousers and Leading with the Legs

Zara Kids Review and Summer Catalog

Earth Fare and Pantry Makeover

Lots of fun posts coming up next week!

Paloma’s Nest is having a giveway here  from her new Little Bird Collection! Stay tuned!

Gray’s 5th Birthday Party and Session with Snap Kids clothes.

Out & About series submitted by fabulous moms. Submissions are welcome!

and more!

Fun Friday Finds:

Friends and readers have been forwarding me some super cool links of finds on the internet. So I have decided to include them here every Friday. I may even feature them!

Kleen Kanteens are BPA free and great sippy cups as well as water bottles for older kids and adults. Thanks Katie.

bluebelle is a children’s underwear boutique from Australia. Thanks again Katie!

Dano toy designs are made in the USA and earth friendly, safe products for kids. Thanks Brandy.

If you would like to send me some cool links related to this blog, I can post it here as a Fun Friday Find!

This weekend: wrapping up Vacation Bible School, photographing a wedding in Charlotte, quality time with family, and setting up the kiddie pool! Also we are excited to have a new niece, Brynley Madalyn born yesterday! Congrats Brandon and Maria!

What are you doing this weekend?

Oh Earth Fare, how I love thee. Let me count the ways.

Not only do I love Earth Fare because they opened up next to Target, and their food contents are so healthy and scrumptious. I also love what the company stands for: healthy living. They are watching out for us even though we can totally be in denial, (What? The Kraft Zesty Italian Salad Dressing is bad for me?! Hmph.)

Right now they are offering an awesome deal that everyone should take advantage of. Sign up for their newsletter online and you can get their cool emails, great coupons, and healthy living tips…but wait, that’s not all.

A Pantry Makeover.

Five organic food items (cereal, vitamin water, peanut butter, jelly, and salad dressing) for free if you substitute five things from your pantry containing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in exchange for theirs…not a bad trade! (You must redeem them at the store nearest you. Click HERE to view their store locations).

So below are my trades:

Thank you Earth Fare for creating awareness about the food we eat!!!

Since then, I have taken a closer look at what our pantry consists of.

Here’s ours. Yes, it might need some improvement, but it’s far better than it was before Earth Fare came to town.

I would really love a full pantry makeover. I don’t know about you, but I really would like more fresh ingredients and better food choices. Get rid of anything expired, containing bad ingredients such as HFCS, have it more organized, put less in the pantry, more in fridge, etc.

Who is with me? Leave me a comment and let me know, I will definitely need the push to do this! Why don’t you send me a photo of your pantry like ours above and I will post a before and after photo of your pantry. Let’s give each other 3 months and have a pantry makeover by September. We can donate or throw away what we don’t use, etc. I’ll remind you.

Email photo at: info@cobblestonerueblog.com with subject: Pantry Makeover.

Ready, set, go!

I grew up working at a golf course. As far as golf courses go, it was pretty middle class. There were three golf courses in my hometown. One was a country club, and the other two were public courses. I worked at one of the public courses. Mowing greens, changing pins, cleaning golf carts, picking up driving range balls, working in the pro-shop, tending the snack bar, or whatever else they needed me to do.

Ever since I was old enough to understand the sport I’ve always been a golf fan. And one of the things that has always stuck me as interesting was the relationship of golf and fashion. In most sports, athletes are required to wear a uniform: football, baseball, basketball, soccer, cycling, swimming, track, gymnastics, etc. Golf is one of the only sports that allows participants a little bit of fashion freedom, if you will.

Several years ago Ian Poulter, a young British golfer burst onto the scene. With his loud outfits and even louder personality, Poulter has risen to the top of the game, and he’s been fun to watch, especially a couple years ago in his run for the British Open crown, in which he fell just short. He is currently ranked as the 6th best golfer in the world. And recently he launched Ian Poulter Design: Look good, feel good, play good. He also made a guest appearance last evening on Jimmy Fallon.

Now I’m not quite as bold as Ian, but when it comes to wardrobe, there’s nothing I love more than a good pair of comfortable patterned trousers. As the title of this post suggests, Ian’s slogan is “Leading with the Legs.” When it comes to wardrobe, he says, “Chose the trousers first, then coordinate the rest of the outfit around them.”

When I’m at the studio or out on portrait assignments, I’m usually pretty laid back in a pair of jeans. But if the opportunity presents itself for me to dress up a bit, I’m happiest ‘leading with the legs’. Yes, of course, in a pair of patterned trousers.

Here are a few of my favorites that I pulled from the closet this morning.

I was actually speaking at a convention a few months ago when someone came up to me and asked, “excuse me, where did you get your trousers?” I was wearing the pair just above from Distilled. I was a bit surprised, but I told him I purchased them online and unfortunately they were the last pair left. I could see the disappointment in his eyes. Then his expression changed and it was as if a light bulb came on in his head. He came a little closer, lowered his voice and asked, “would you be willing to sell or trade that pair?” Hahaha…seriously! I thanked him for his interest and respectfully declined.

I adore special occasions, milestones and celebrating them. My favorite is birthdays. Maybe because when I was growing up birthdays were never a big deal. Whatever the case, I vowed to myself that I would make up for it when I had children. I wanted them to know how special they are and that their birthday IS important and it’s a part of a special tradition in our family for it to be celebrated.

Celebrating the individual surrounded by family and friends.

Just today, we threw our daughter Gray, her 5th birthday party. Blog post and photos coming soon!

Last January, we celebrated Campbell’s first birthday party. It was tough to plan since its in the middle of winter and I didn’t know what theme would work, (her birthday also landed on Super Bowl weekend). I decided on a bird theme which worked well!

We planned for her birthday celebration late in the afternoon served light snacks with close friends and family and then a big Super Bowl party with more friends that night for dinner.

Our new traditions:

A birthday crown is now a tradition to be worn on birthdays, ESPECIALLY while blowing out the candles.

Reading the book, Birthday Presents by Cynthia Rylant.  I stumbled upon this book by accident at a used book store and what a treasure it has been. This is a story about the parents of a little girl telling her about each of her birthdays from when she was born until she is six, the memories and traditions they had along the journey…tears!!!

The birthday cake has to be on the special cake stand. It can be the most lopsided and imperfect cake ever made, but the cake stand will make it look beautiful ;)

For guests: choosing a cause to give to in lieu of gifts. For Campbell’s it was Hope for Haiti. Even though there were a few gifts that were sneaked in ;)

I really loved all the details that came together. I always try to find unique and meaningful details for birthdays…thank goodness for Etsy! I have put together names and links for you below. I hope it helps guide you for your next special occasion!

Questions for you:

There are so many Etsy shops to choose from these days. Which Etsy vendor do you love? Which one specifically for kids?

Do you have special birthday traditions? What are they?

Cake with Jelly Belly Ice Cream Parlour mix: yours truly

Bird Cake Topping: Blue Butterfly Design on Etsy.

Wooden Blocks: Petite Circus on Etsy.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries/Marshmallows: yours truly

Cake Stands: Rosanna

Banner: Kim Herring on Etsy

Crown: Oh Sew Sweet Creations on Etsy

Dress: Illia Kids on Etsy

Table cloth: Land of Nod

Popcorn Bags: Target

Animal Jumbo Stacker: Pottery Barn Kids

****And don’t forget to participate with aden + anais giveaway which ends tonight at midnight! Can give as a gift to someone or keep for your child.

Winner announced Tuesday!

Who reads this blog anyway?

Our readers are The Creative Class.
They are thinkers, doers, and independents.

They are mothers (and fathers), entrepreneurs, and dreamers.

Our readers care about fashion. They have a panache for being different–not for different’s sake, but because they possess the confidence to look good and feel good and be a leader, not a follower.

Our readers care about the world in which we live. They take seriously the old adage from childhood, “always leave a place better than you found it.”

Our readers are tied to their families. Children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all bound together by a thread too thick to sever. But if ever accidentally clipped, it is certainly never beyond repair.

Our readers live the creative life. They realize that there are few things in life more rewarding than reaping the benefits of your toil and effort, whether it’s a piece of artwork framed and finished, an article of clothing designed and stitched to perfection, a perfect photograph printed for display, or a brilliant new business venture piping with potential.

Our readers are inspired. And they inspire us.

Photo from Free People blog.

We are grateful for our friendship with Amanda & Paul (and little Nora) Martin. Not only are they dear friends, as well as our gracious hosts on most of our frequent trips to Orlando, but Amanda is also the editor of the popular vegetarian blog www.eatlikearabbit.net.

One of the most obvious benefits of visiting them is the food, but another benefit is the opportunity to learn fun and new recipes and develop our inner chef.

Here Graycen was “assisting” Amanda with potato rosemary pizza. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine such a thing, but I’m here to tell you that it was delicious.

Check it out at http://eatlikearabbit.net/2010/04/22/pizza-patate

And visit www.eatlikearabbit.net for more fun and exciting recipes.

I love everything Etsy and I don’t even remember how I stumbled upon it, but I do remember my first purchase. On January 2008, I was casually browsing their site thinking wow, there are lots of handmade and unique things on here and definitely was bookmarking it, getting ready to go to another site, when lo and behold I found…

A BOUQUET OF BUTTONS!! Such a lovely idea! Reminds me of one of my favorite movies, “You’ve Got Mail” when Meg Ryan as Kathleen says, “A bouquet of sharpened pencils!” Only this is way better. Very creative.

Doesn’t it make you smile? I ended up buying 3 of them and one of them is sitting on my desk. My favorite one was from Tumbled Shards.

Buy one for Valentine’s Day for someone you love. Way better than flowers ;)

(Photo credit: Tumbled Shards)

We are so excited for our friends and clients Amanda and Chad from Nashville. Chad was one of the producers of Taylor Swift’s Fearless album, which last night won a Grammy for Album of the Year. Chad was on stage with Taylor at the end of the night when she accepted the award. How cool!

Whether or not you appreciate her music, Taylor’s talent is undeniable. After all, she wrote every song on the album herself!  In her acceptance speech she thanked her father for always telling her that when it comes to life she could do whatever she wants to do.

I look at my daughters and see potential and promise, and I hope that when they come of age, I have the patience and presence of mind to encourage them to be themselves and chase their dreams. Maybe some day they’ll win a Grammy. Or maybe they won’t. But if they are following their heart and living with purpose, what more could a parent want?

(photo credit: www.youtube.com)