letters from my heart.

(pants & blouse: Kohls, flats: Target)

Dear Harper,

Please stop letting us know you pooped by scooping it out of your diaper and bringing your stinky hand full of crap to us. There are better ways.

Dear Chris Graham,

One day, when we're old and I snap and kill you, it will because you never learned to shut a closet door or cabinet. It will be the death of me. And of you, too.

Dear students,

No, I didn't miss you over spring break. Stop asking me.

Dear kitchen,

We've been remodeling you since 2008. We've been so slow at it that I get new, better ideas (thanks to Pinterest) every six months and I really don't think we'll ever be done with you. Just giving you a heads up so you can get over being a work-in-progress. That is ALL you will ever be.

Dear spring,

Please stay. And then turn in to summer. Please.

Dear Blue,

If you don't stop digging up my backyard looking for buried treasure, I will force you to wear a doggy diaper like all those little weirdos at doggy daycare and never let you go outside. So get your act together or I will humilate you. I am your mother and it is my job.

Dear Elliott Quinn,

There can only be one boss in this family and you're not it.

Dear seventeen year old self,

That tramp stamp is going to be trashy one day. Hold off on it for a couple years and see if it's still cool. It probably won't be. Also, that belly button ring--that shit is going to be weird after a couple babies and some weight loss. Just stop it.

Dear Facebook friends,

You're really killin' it with all the "activism" lately. Profile pictures, scripture quotin', and arguments...you're really changing the world from the comfort of your office or couch. Idea though: if you really feel strongly about something, put your money where your mouth is. Invest time and money and resources for causes you feel strongly about--whatever they may be. Because no one has ever changed a mind, or a world for that matter, by a status update. Word.

Dear running,

I hate you, but love what you're doing to my body. Keep up the great work.

Dear Target,

Stop bringing out more and more cute clothes. My bank account can't handle it. And neither can my husband and I need him around to kill him later.

Love,

Mary

giveaway: children's {love} books

There's nothing I love more than a good children's book.

Well, actually, that's probably not completely true, but right now, in this post, there is nothing I love more than a good children's book.

And the three I'm sharing with you today would make great Valentine's day gifts for your littles. And if you happen to be rockin' the Valentine's mailboxes like we are, these books would also make a good day-before Valentine's gift. Although, they wouldn't technically fit in the box. But that's beside the point, really.

When I found out I was pregnant for the first time, all the way back in 2008, my very first purchase was a pile of books for the baby. We didn't know the sex, but I knew that little babe would need books, lots and lots of books.

So I feel like now, almost five years later, I'm kind of kids' book expert. For no other fact than I read them and buy them frequently. So you should trust my opinion 100% when I tell you these books need to be on your shelf. And bonus-teacher points because they all teach your child something too.

I Love You to God and Back by Amanda Lamb

With an almost-four-year-old and an almost-two-year-old, we are constantly teaching our kids about love/showing love and this cute book about a bunny's conversation with her mom during bedtime is pretty sweet. It's a great example of how much a parent loves a child as well as being silly and captivating for little ones. I liked, as it neared the end, how the mommy bunny leads her daughter through prayer. Their conversation is a great way to show and practice praying with your child.

I Love You No Matter What by J. Rutland

This one was especially loved by my 23-month-old, Harper. Those animals were just too cute and she loves pointing them out as we read. This story parallels the story of the prodigal son and teaches kids that no mather what you do, your parents will still love you. Such an important lesson for kids of all ages, really. And I happen to know some middle school students that would benefit from reading this precious book also.

Heaven is For Real for Kids by Colton Burpo

I jumped at the chance to read this book to the girls. Having read, and loved the adult version, I couldn't wait to see how they made this book accessible for kids. Because there is definitely some big ideas and concepts in the novel.

This book didn't disappoint at all. The ideas it presents as well as the beautiful artwork were great conversation starters in our house. This one will definitely be read often. (Bonus! Go here to check out some free coloring pages that go with the book.)

And now the best part: three lucky readers will get one of these books just in time for Valentine's day! But reall, these books would make a great gift for any kid at any point in the year. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Look! Even Blue loves I Love You To God and Back! What a good doggie!

polka dot pants & seven things

(polka dot pants: Kohls, blouse: Marshalls, heels: Target, necklace: Lisa Leonard Designs)

At my 6th grade basketball awards ceremony, I got the coveted "In Your Face" award for having the most blocks that season.

It was one of my finer moments and all due to skill and not the fact that I was just taller than everyone else.

I'm sure of it.

As a sophomore in high school, I earned the "Most Improved Writer" award with my friend Ryan for a couple hard-hitting pieces we did for our school's newspaper. One being on where to get the most burger for your money. We had a fancy graphic and everything. It was groundbreaking and saved tens of teens fifteen to twenty cents.

So it's probably no surprise to everyone (read: my mom), that I received another award a couple weeks ago.

The awesome Lena at Lena B, Actually, nominated me for this award. There are rules and obligations to this award, but I'm not very good at following the rules. So I'm just doing the part I want to do which is sharing seven random facts about myself because who doesn't like to talk about themselves as much as possible, right?

1. I talk in my sleep all the time. I used to sleepwalk pretty frequently too, but haven't done it in years. Although, I have recently started sleephitting. It's obviously lots of fun to sleep in a bed with me.

2. I'm tongue-tied, literally. Look it up for weird pictures.

3. If you don't know me in real life, you probably can't tell by pictures, but I'm really tall, like 5'11''. At some point after I turned 30, I realized that I wasn't getting any younger and if I wanted to wear heels, I needed to do it now. So I've been buying and wearing heels ever since. And I don't regret it one bit even if I'm occasionally 6'2''.

4. I don't care what time of year it is, I only take scalding hot showers. Like burn-your-skin-off hot. They are glorious.

5. I am addicted to diet Mt. Dew. You don't want to know how many I drink every day. (three to four)

6. I can't tell you the last time I did a load of laundry. Some of you just had a heart attack with that sentence, but I honestly can't remember the last time I did laundry. I know it was sometime in July, but not specifics. Because Chris is a stay-at-home dad and I work full time (and more), it's his responsibility to wash, dry, and put away clothes. I'm not going to lie, it's magical and I don't miss dirty clothes one teeny tiny bit.

7. I am obsessively neat and tidy. My house is never messy. It might be dusty, but never messy. I am constantly picking up after my children (and husband and dog), straightening books, fluffing pillows, and putting up toys. It's a sickness really. But on the plus side, my house is always ready for company.

So what do you think? Do you have any deep dark secret you need to share? Can you at least come up with something weird so I don't feel like such a freak right now?

my dog, monkey

(Warning: this is a post about my lost dog.  I miss him and it's sad, but I realize in the grand scheme of things, it's not that bad.  Even though it really hurts and it makes me cry.  So I'm throwing this out there in case you've got something truly important, horrible, or devastating going on in your life--please don't read this because it will seem petty and wasteful and there are so many more important and valuable things than my dog. Like people, mainly.  So there's my warning--read with caution.)

Tomorrow will be two months since my dog ran away.

And I still miss him terribly.

I don't know if it's just denial, but I picture him living with someone else instead of, well, other things.  I imagine him somewhere being loved and fed and snuggled. 

Hopefully a family with kids so that he can do that crazy running-around-the-house thing that my girls found hilarious.  So that someone will chase him like he loved.  I hope they've figured out that he enjoys a good meat-flavored bone, but any dog treat that's bigger than a quarter has to be broken up for him because he's kind of a wuss.

I hope he's allowed to sleep in bed with them and that they don't mind that he hogs all the best spots and growls under his breath when he knows you're about to move him.  It hurts my heart that he was just starting to enjoy sleeping in Ellie's room more than ours when he left.  I missed him in our bed, but loved that he wanted to be with my daughter at night.

Maybe his new family will break him of the gross things he did like always eating his poop.  And they'll learn that the best game to play is who-can-pick-up-the-dog-poop-in-the-backyard-quicker, the human or the dog, because he freaks out when he realizes you're pick up all his snacks.  And I know it's gross, but I miss that part too.

Every time I leave the house or head back home, I spend more time looking in other people's backyards hoping I spot my dog than paying attention to the road.  I'm sure some day this incessant looking will stop, but I don't know when that will be. 

I still think he'll find his way back home.

Ellie still asks God to bring him back when she prays at meals or before bedtime.

My chest still tightens every time I walk in the door and realize he's not there to greet us.

I still can't believe he's gone.

/////

Before we had babies, we had a fur baby. Lisette at Northern Belle Diaries is a mama to two fur babies and a former teacher--it's like we're supposed to be best friends. Oh, except she can sing. Which I only think I can do. Anywho, go see her and her cute dogs--tell her Monkey's mama sent you!

/////

I started 2013 off with a reader survey, please take a moment to tell me what you think!

five for friday

1. Tomorrow is a big day, Fancy Little Things relaunches and I've been lucky enough to have a small part in it.  I'm in charge of the blogger directory, helping to promote blogs, connect women to good blogs, and featuring amazing writers of those blogs.  If you're a blogger, you definitely want to be a part of this directory.  There's also a directory for small business owners as well as forums, book studies, how-to articles, encouragement, and so much more over at Fancy Little Things--make sure you head over there tomorrow to check out what all the fuss is about!

2. Recently I posted a note on Instagram I was writing to a friend as she was preparing for a day of some intense medical procedures--I had a couple questions about the fun card I was using.  It's from Red Letter Paper Co. and they have the greatest notes and cards.  As a firm believer in the power of a handwritten note, this is a great place to order your next set of cards.

3. Yesterday's Copycat Linkup was so much fun! I'm already anxious for next week's---Thursday might be my new favorite day of the week.

4. I shared a few weeks ago that we lost our dog---it's been three weeks and still no sign of our Monkey.  We miss him terribly and still believe he'll come back, but we did get a new dog this week because having no dog at home was killing me us.  His name is Blue and he's a rescue dog.  I've been wanting to get a second dog for a while and Chris has always said no.  Now we just need to find our schipperke and we'll have those two dogs I've always wanted. #sneaky

5. Tomorrow my friend Kristen and I are hosting a clothing event for a community center in our city.  We've been collecting clothing donations for the past six months and are setting up a boutique with all the donations for about 50 high school girls in need.  This has been a stressful and time-consuming process and we hope that it all pays off tomorrow when we're able to bless these girls with clothes, food, and fun.  Please pray that this is successful and that we're able to show them God's love through service--I'll let you know how it goes!

Have a great weekend~~
Mary

Linking up for High Five for Friday with From My Grey Desk blog.

five for friday

1.  Still no Monkey--he's been gone a week now and I'm still not used to it.  I look for him when I get up in the morning, making sure not to step on him in the dark, I still check his water bowl before I leave for work, and my house is still covered with dog hair.  I don't want to sweep because what if he doesn't come back and that's all I have??  Pathetic but true.

2.  I can not wait until Thanksgiving break--to say I've overbooked myself a bit is an understatement and I just want a minute to be home with my family.  So while the food and shopping and relatives sounds nice, I'm most looking forward to just being home and playing with my kids.  And maybe finding time to sleep.

3.  This week, I ate a lot of pizza.  And I felt like you should know.

4.  Can I just tell you how excited I am to be a part of the great stuff happening over at Fancy Little Things?  I recently came on board as a site admin for their directory which launches December 1st.  If you're a blogger or small business owner and you haven't signed up to be part of our (free!) directory, head over there now and get to it!  I promise you won't regret it.

5. Student question of the week: "Ms. Graham, is it true that toothpaste is made from elephant's trunks?"  Lord, help us...

Mary

Linking up with High Five for Friday with From My Grey Desk blog. 

five for friday

1. Last Friday night we attended our friends' Jeremy and Renae's wedding.  You know when you go to a wedding and you're like "why did they wait fourteen years to do this?"--that was this wedding.

2. Look how far my friend Brittany has made it since launching her Purpose Project on the first---you guys, go donate some money and help buy women out of prostitution.  It will be the easiest thing you do all day.

3. Did you miss the first two parts of my series on money?  It's changing the way we live and I think you'd like it to.  Like it in a "this is hard but worth it" way.

4. Don't you love it when an idea comes together?? Clothes drive, setting up shop, blessing those with less, serving others, these are things that are in the works with my beautiful Kristen and I.  It's overwhelming to see God work and decide to make you a part of it.  I can't wait to share more with you soon.

5.  And I'm ending on a sad note: our dog escaped from our yard last night and has yet to be found.  He's little and black so searching at night was pointless.  I was up most of the night calling places, filling out lost dog forms online, and screaming his name into the night.  It sounds dramatic and it was.  He was my first baby before there were babies and he's Harper's best friend.  He's been missing since 6:30 last night and it's consuming me. So let's hope he shows up today or I imagine it being a pretty low weekend at the Graham house.

Great way to end the post, huh?  Hope your weekend it shaping up to be better than mine~
Mary


Joining High Five for Friday with From My Grey Desk blog.

all the little things

(sweater: Target, polka dot shirt: Target, pants: New York & Co., bowtie shoes: Target, faux pearls: Forever 21)

I've always been a little mismatched.  Sometimes on purpose and sometimes not.  But the whole mixing patterns trend is really calling to me.  It makes my wardrobe work in all kinds of new ways.  And I don't even have to go shopping.  Now that is thrifty.

ten

I'm thankful for my dog.  He might have moved down a couple notches since babies came, but he's still the only little one that gets to sleep in bed with me every night.  Always at my feet (unless it's hot and the air's not on, then he's under the bed), sometimes snoring, constantly stinky.  But I still love him and am thankful he's still truckin' along all these years later.  Such a good puppy.

Monkey, thanks for your help...

I'm in the process of painting the kitchen.

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I had the odds stacked against me now that I look back.

1. Our kitchen was a green that is proving very hard to cover with cream.  I'm working on the third coat now.
2. Apparently, it's not a good idea to try and paint when you're home alone with two small children.  On a Monday.  When naps are overdue.  And you stayed up late the night before doing something important like watching "The Real Housewives of Orange County Reunion Special."
3. I didn't lock the dog (also known as my shadow) in the basement.  Hence the three different spots on the wall that had to be wiped off and repainted because Monkey rubbed his butt or side on.  And now my black dog is covered in paint. 

And these pictures don't do it justice. 

At all.

Poop Pedastal

After dinner one night this week we took a little stroll with Ellie in her wagon and the dog on his leash.  About half way through the walk, Monkey pulled over to take care of some business.  I'm not sure what it is about walks, but he takes multiple poops on most walks.  This time was no different except for the chosen location.  He stood on top of a decorative rock in the corner of someone's year and took a crap.  It was so funny.  So funny that we left it there.  And just thinking about it now cracks me up.