"Yeah, But What IF....?"

I'd be willing to gamble that anyone with children has at one point heard,

"Yeah, but what iiiiiiiiiiif

      [fill in the blank with just about anything here]     ???"

It's part of the daily questioning here at our house, usually the promptings of silly wanderings in Sydni's imagination. Since she's a 4-year-old little girl, the Disney princesses are also a very frequent topic of conversation.

Today we found a what if that involved some of the classic Disney gals.

.... Perfect.

Disclaimer: Because someone out there is bound to run across this and declare that I've opted to take credit for everything below, know this: These are NOT my original ideas, drawings or finished products. There. These are from the creative genius of Tumblr gal lettherebedoodles; we just found them fun enough to share. #lettherebedoodles, in case you're into all that hashtaggish stuff, too. ;)

Anywho, here's the fun that is the re-imagined version of the Disney royalty: 

snow white

cinderella

jasmine

aurora

ariel

pocahontas

belle

I thought those were fun! Of course there was the slew of feedback bashing the ethnic translations of each one for whatever supposedly racist innuendo, but frankly, I'm choosing to believe that this gal perhaps just wanted to play around with her creative side, rather than wage some sort of anti-[insert culture here] war. I visited her page, and nowhere in this post did she claim that the re-created versions are the better of the two, or that hers are the way they should've been, etc. I've decided not to read into this on a political or racial level; I think the artist here is talented and just had some fun with this!

 

Sydni had fun checking these out, too, which I enjoyed. A childlike approach to the smallest things, without a 50-page dissertation on why they are or are not correct, is refreshing. (:

 

Also.... the weekend's HERE!

Enjoy!

 

xo | cmd

Happy BIRTHDAY Arthur Twins!

I've not yet found any electronically-documented oldschool pictures of Kacey with which I could embarrass her for today, but at least I was able to dig up some for Jasmine. haha...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
THE ARTHUR TWINS!

jasmine!
left circa 1999 | right circa 2012

I have older shots; I've known the Arthur girls since we were itty bitties, but those photos are in safe storage [probably a good thing all around, ha] at my parents' house in good old Mt. Vernon, miles away from here and any scanning that could possibly be done. Congrats, girls, you lucked out this time. Haha.

Anyway, today went by as most Wednesdays should at my work: busy, busy and a little more busy. It's not a bad thing - it actually helps the day fly right on by. I made it home and intended on making dinner until Rob suggested a trip to Se7en [ssssssssold]. We even started branching out into new things, including tuna tatacos.... while not a fan, it was fun trying out a different path. We ultimately ended our string of piece by piece orders with the traditional California roll, which is... always a winner. Haha. 

mexicana & crunch rolls | tuna tatacos
se7en! | belleville, il

We made it back to the house and got Stella [aka, The Meatball] out for some play before we settled in to relax and call it a night.....

Here's to the homestretch of the week (:
See you tomorrow!

xo | cmd

Fossils | Festivals | Friends | Fireworks

My parents’ house sits on a very large, very foliage-covered piece of land. As kids, the natural place to find us was usually rustling around somewhere deep in these woods. We built forts, swung on grapevines, and fished crayfish and salamanders with our bare fingers. I decided that it was time my husband caught a glimpse of what I considered the home behind my home.

What I did NOT encounter as a kid, ever, [thank goodness] was a trail of massive bones littering the creekbed for nearly a half mile. In my adulthood, I realize that currently, I’ve seen one too many episodes of NCIS, CSI, etc. to be okay seeing things like this without the creepy suspicion that dirty business has transpired.

Relief: white tailed deer carcasses. Well, relief compared to what they could’ve been.

Disappointment: Hunters hunting, stripping, and dumping on our property = illegal. 



bones | white-tailed deer | :(

 Strange. We headed back to the house shortly after to shower and clean up.


One thing I will forever love about my hometown is its nostalgic feel and the fact that each time I visit, I uncover something or someone I’ve somehow managed to elude for more than just a few years.

Today, my parents, Joe, Syd and I headed to downtown Mt. Vernon for some sort of pre-holiday festival. I’m not exactly sure what it was technically named, but I do know there’s just something about these little events to which I’m drawn. I can’t explain it, but either way, I’m glad we went.   



jasmine

Anyone who attended St. Paul’s Episcopal Church as a kid in the mid-90’s should remember Farm Week. I know I do… well, for the most part. What I primarily recall is a hoard of youth swarming all over an outdoor haven: river and all. From the time I was finally getting all my adult teeth in, this girl has been there doing stupid and crazy things with me. She finally moved away to another bordering school district in the midst of our high school years, but we’ve managed to keep in touch and I love her to pieces.  



krystal

This is a tribute to a girl I befriended somewhere in the middle of middle school. I’ve always been fairly adaptable, but I do distinctly remember how displeased I was [ok, fine, I was actually terrified] that I had to leave elementary school and start the big bad 6^th grade in a whole new building. This girl is one of the first people I met in my quest to survive middle school. I recall she even accompanied us on a family vacation to VA Beach once. Ironically, her family moved to Missouri just as we were entering high school; now that she’s back in Ohio, I’m the one [almost] in Missouri. Timing was never our thing, but she’s still one of my oldest and dearest friends J

Oh, yeah, and there were fireworks.

Mount Vernon loves fireworks.

Sydni also loves fireworks.



family fireworks outing



Actually, this was Sydni’s first experience with fireworks. She did well, considering how loud and flashy they were at times.

Tomorrow = family picnic. I can’t wait!

xo | cmd