Birds of a feather

Lane has been in town for work all week (she oversees 30+ Francesca's boutiques in the Midwest including the two in Springfield and Branson) and it's been so nice having her around.  We went downtown for a little sisters' night out Wednesday--dinner at the cutest restaurant ever The Aviary and then to see Snow White and the Huntsman.  (Macauley and I joined friends for Mirror, Mirror at the dollar movies the day before--both were interesting takes on the classic tale that I might be able to use in my Film as Lit class next spring, but neither were anything of major note.)

There are precious bird-themed and vintage details everywhere you look in the historic space, even in the bathrooms, where there are fairy lights in branches around the mirror and frosted deer wearing crowns.  I thought the framed glasses with the nameplates for their former owners was a brilliant, nostalgic idea.

Lane will head back to KC after work today, and Macauley and Ryan and I will join Lindsay and Tyson at their lake house on Table Rock tonight or early tomorrow morning.  We went to Houlihan's last night and talked wedding details and ideas.  One thing we settled on was Lane walking in to Coldplay's "Til Kingdom Come" played by a friend of theirs.  We discussed the bridesmaids (Lindsay, me, Wylie and Renee) wearing different dresses in the same shade of coral, each with a different yellow accent like a necklace or a flower in our hair.  It's not until 18 May 2013 but the ideas are already swirling. Lindsay and I plan to flock north at the end of July to see the venue and Lane's new house.  I'll miss her until then...

Adorbs

I've always thought it would be a little pair of goats named Romeo & Juliet that would make my country/farmhouse dreams come true, but after reading this snippet in the most recent Country Living, I'm feeling a small herd of these adorable alpacas might be just as lovely a choice.  The country vet suggested this breed is rarely aggressive and ideal for "inexperienced keepers." The most endearing bit of info, however, is this:  "Given their short stature, alpacas are easy to transport in a minivan or an SUV for visits to the vet (they'll climb in and "cush," tucking their legs under their bodies)."  I can just see me now, cruising around town with Macauley up front and a couple of alpacas "cushed" up in the backseat of my 4Runner...I'm sold.

Such a cute house

These are some low-quality snaps from my iPhone of our favorite of the 4 houses we toured on the HBA Parade of Homes a week or so ago.  This house is in The Villages at Wicklow off CC just south of Springfield--it has lots of charming details throughout and a floor plan that really makes sense.

 I really liked the beam work, the floors, and this ceiling in the kitchen. 

 Upstairs, there is a loft/nook that the designers had staged as a craft space.

 I think there were two bedrooms upstairs, one of which was this pink nursery.

Ryan liked the media room, which seemed to be in a bonus space over the garage but not closed off like a separate room.  I really like that rug and the sweet pillow.

Great decor in the second downstairs bedroom...The ceiling in the master had these tin panel accents and the cool ceiling fan.  Too many people in the master and master bath for me to get any other pictures, I guess.

 My favorite space was this colorful laundry room, with the cheerful red hutch, the vintage metal awning and the bins for everyone's folded clothes.

The builder of this house is Kingbuilt Properties, and it looked like all the furniture, decor and staging was by Obelisk Home, a beautiful store in downtown Springfield that Ryan has done networking for.  This house was so fun and inspiring to walk around in...I think it had already sold?

Third annual

We just got home from our third trip to the Buffalo River in Arkansas with our good college friends and all the kids.  It wasn't as stormy as our first year, and it wasn't quite as hot as last year.  We camped out two nights in the same campground at Tyler Bend and went on the shorter float but took our time and made lots of stops to swim.  Roughing it is really hard work--there's so much prep involved--but once I'm there with our friends there is such a comfort level and lots of laughing.  We missed having Lane and Derek with us this year.  Ryan and I decided we might want to pack earplugs and sleeping masks for next time.  The birds were out before dawn and going strong before 6 a.m. and the tent lit up at sunrise.  We're already formulating plans to do a fall campout at Roaring River with this group in October.  I'd like to take sweet Booker T. some time when it's just the three of us to see how he would do.  He spent the weekend with Ryan's parents and their dog Baxter in Bolivar and came home with a scratched paw.  Poor baby.  We are nestling in to the AC for movies and little movement tonight.  A fun weekend...

My swimmer

We have our second swim meet in the morning at the Nixa Aquatics Center.  As I walked into this one at Meador last week with my team tshirt, cooler full of snacks and drinks, and folding chair, I felt like a real swim mom.  The swimmers write their events on their arms in Sharpie--I jotted them down, too, so I could remember when to look up from my book and be ready to cheer.  There were 78 races, but it went by faster than I was afraid it would.  We came home from this first time out with two third place ribbons for the Freestyle Relay and the Medley Relay.  There were three teams. :)

Father's Day 2012

 We took Ryan out this morning for breakfast at a Springfield institution.  When you walk inside Aunt Martha's Pancake House, you're transported back several decades, so who knew that the place has its very own website?  It's one of Ryan's very favorite places to eat (he gets the blueberry pancakes with no blueberry sauce on top), and when we go we always have to wait in line for a table. 

We spent the afternoon touring several of the homes on the Springfield Home Builders Association Parade of Homes.  I took pictures of one we all really liked; I'll have to post those.  Then we made a quick trip to the mall and I got some featherish bangles at F21.  Dinner at the Villa.  The boys hit the pool for a bit when we got home and then tonight we went out on the trail so I could finish my Week 1 runs on my Couch to 5K. Last night we made a quick trip to Bolivar to check in on Ryan's best, best friend since first grade--his dad is in the ICU and not expected to make it through the week.  Cancer.  I'm sure this Father's Day feels different for his family.  Makes me that much more grateful for my kind, funny, healthy dad and my sweet, loyal, handsome, healthy husband...