a {mini} fall tour.

it's been a little while since I've shared a post, but since fall is coming to an end and winter [if it can even be called that in the south] is just around the corner, I thought I'd take you on a little fall tour of the tiny white house.

it's nothing too crazy or over the top, but I like to add a little touch of fall + warmth to each room. and sometimes that just means throwing a pumpkin on a surface and calling it a day. 

first up: my fall tablescape.

I bought several fake pumpkins for 98¢ at Walmart and painted them shades of blue, cream, and khaki. I used them as my centerpiece and as a little happy for each place setting.

I also gathered chunky acorns to use on the mini cakestand centerpiece. I baked them on 350 degrees for about ten minutes, because I thought that might kill any bugs and funk growing in them. I'm not sure if it did, but I never saw any bugs or acorns rolling around on the table.

one of the not-so-good things about our little house is that we don't have a fireplace. I so hope in our next home we do. so since we have no mantle to decorate for holidays and no reason, I use the top of our piano as a mock mantle. here's what that ended up looking like:

one simple decor idea I came up with was to frame a packet of pumpkin seeds. I emptied out the packet, found a favorite chunky frame of mine, and used double sided tape to secure the seed packet in place. I think it turned out kind of cute. what do you think?

for the coffee table, I used a wooden dough bowl I found at a thrift store and filled it with cotton and a giant acorn I found at TJ Maxx. pretty simple, but adds a little taste of fall.

I also threw a couple pumpkins around the house, on shelves and counters. it adds a little bit of fall and takes almost no effort. 

like I said, nothing much, but it's funny how even little things add a little something extra. like so many other [white] girls, I love the fall. and not just because of pumpkin spice lattes--which I've never had, by the way. it's one of my favorite seasons... mainly because I am a heavy sweater so I sweat less in these months. but I also love the beauty of the changing leaves and scenery, how things seem to slow down, and all the time spent with family. football games are another plus, but that has less to do with the actual game [no offense, athletes] and more to do with the fine cuisine at the concession stand.

I hope you're enjoying these last days of fall and I hope your thanksgiving is filled with lots of family and laughter, delicious food and a grateful heart. after all, we all have so much to be thankful for.

"it is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful."
David Steindl-Rast

"give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever!"

1 Chronicles 16:34

simple {diy} silhouettes.

I've always loved the look of silhouettes, so classic and timeless. a few years ago, the children I nanny and I made some of themselves as a Christmas gift to their parents. I loved how they turned out and I've wanted to make my own ever since. about two years later, I finally got around to it. for the first time in the history of the tiny white house blog, I documented step-by-step instructions of the process.

here's what you'll need:

-printed photos of your subject's profile 

-black acrylic paint [I prefer matte, but gloss can be used as well]

-paint brush

-scissors

-tape, paper, + frame(s) [if you plan on framing]

first, take some photos of the profile in which you plan on doing a silhouette. this step is fairly simple, but here are a few tips to attain the desired look. 

• take the photos outside. [this is also my number one tip for taking any photo. this is why I'm always hauling furniture outside to photograph it.] I've found that the natural light will help create crisp, clean lines, which will make for an easy cut.
• for girls, the hair needs to be fixed in a way that will, for lack of a better term, look good in a profile shot. if your hair is shorter [above your shoulders], wearing it down is an option. if it's longer, it works best to have it up. I did some with my hair half up, half down, and it worked, but not as well as having it up. so I played around with it and tried a few different things... high bun, low bun, pony.
• if you want a larger silhouette, you should take the photo in portrait format. if you want smaller, try landscape. for the silhouettes I made of the children, I chose to do a larger version. I took a close up photo in portrait format and ordered an 8x10 print. this time, I did it in landscape format. I ordered a few prints of the same shot in two different sizes [4x6, 5x7] and just played around with it. eventually I'd like to do a larger version of our silhouettes.

as far as ordering prints goes, I order gloss prints [though I prefer matte otherwise] from CVS or Walgreens. keep in mind, the prints don't have to be anything fancy. you'll be painting over these.

now that that's taken care of, it's time to get to work! carefully cut around the subject's profile in the picture. this step can be a little tedious, as you have to be precise and cut just so, so that a nose isn't too sharp and the hair is just right.

next up: painting. two to three coats of black paint will do the trick. just remember to leave time to dry between each coat.

now it's time to frame them! or do whatever you want to with them. I had two gold oval frames that I'd found at Goodwill, that I thought would be just perfect for silhouettes. after thoroughly cleaning and completely shattering the glass in one of the frames, I used double sided tape to attach the silhouettes to paper and frame them.

what do you think? would you ever make these?

a simple tablescape.

for the Fourth of July, I threw a few red, white, and blue things on the table. we weren't hosting any parties or even home that day, but I wanted to do something. it wasn't anything fancy, but I liked it!

the next week, everything got pushed around and my patriotic tablescape disappeared. you see, sometimes [read: a lot of the time] our table acts as a catchall. after I cleared the thing off, I was ready for something different. a little more formal, yet very simple.

I had a picture in my mind of exactly what I wanted, so I set out to make it happen. we all know less is more and that phrase perfectly sums up what I had envisioned. here's the finished product:

I spread a strip of burlap across the table to use as my table runner. then I carefully placed some of my white dishes to make four place settings. after racking my brain for a centerpiece idea, I decided to use an old tool box that belonged to Drew's grandfather and fill it with white hydrangeas [my favorite]. I'm not sure if this is against "design rules," but you should know my flowers are fake. I adore fresh flowers just a much as the next girl, but I prefer to use fake when decorating because 1) they last longer and 2) they can be used over + over again in so many different ways.

after arranging the flowers just so, I went out to my front porch and snipped some pieces of boxwood. I rolled + fluffed a white cloth napkin through a silver napkin ring and tucked a boxwood snippet into the ring. I did this four times and set one at each place setting, then finished setting the table.

one of my favorite features of this tablescape is the silverware. instead of using our regular, matching silverware, I used antique [and some real!] silver I happened upon one day while antiquing with friends. the best part: it's mismatched! I didn't buy one complete set, but several different brands + designs of silverware. collecting antique silver is one of my new hobbies, as well as polishing silver. I know, kind of weird. but it's both relaxing and rewarding! you can see the results right before your eyes.

as for my drinkware, I decided to go for a simple + southern look. so naturally, mason jars were my glass of choice.

and there ya have it! my simple, almost effortless tablescape. what do you think?

the four year nanniversary.

long ago, before I began my career as a nanny, I did a stint in college. it was short-lived, and I thank God for that. unlike most, I didn't love college, and it didn't like me much either. after two universities, four semesters, six times changing my major, and zero motivation + direction, my college career ended. I'd be lying if I said I was upset about it. now or then. I've said it once and I'll say it again, school [specifically college] is not for everyone.

but the deal was, as my parents so gently reminded me: if I wasn't attending school, I had to work full time. this was completely fine with me because I'd been working [babysitting] since the age of 12 and had a steady job up until this point. so "work" was nothing new. in fact, by this point, I'd had eleven jobs in about a five year span. have you ever seen Gilmore Girls? think Kirk. my résumé is extensive, with work experience in fields including, but not limited to: salons, spas, sporting goods + retail, food + restaurant industry, and child care. I even worked at a fabric store for a day. literally one [1] day. when I realized there would be lots of measuring involved... well that's not really my thing, so that was the end of that. I like to think this work experience makes me well-rounded. but the story of my jobs is a story for another time.

in her Sunday school class, my mother had heard of a family in our church who was looking for someone to take care of their children. the hours were good, the pay was great, so I said, "SIGN ME UP!" I'm teasing--I had to go through a strenuous interview process, background check, physical fitness aptitude test, and extensive drug testing. kidding, again. I did meet with them and "interview" if you want to call it that. I liked them immediately. they were a sweet young couple with a little girl and a baby boy.

as I mentioned earlier, I'd been babysitting for years and I'd grown up with younger siblings around, so I felt as if I was readily equipped for such a job as this. in some ways, I was; but in others, I was not. I knew how to change diapers, I like to think I do a good job entertaining, I'm pretty responsible [not so much with academia, but definitely with humans]. I was set. I believe the thing I was most unprepared for is how deeply I'd fall in love with the family. I knew I would grow somewhat attached, but I could never have fathomed the depth.

two years into this gig, I was ready for another baby. I found another family in our church who'd just had a sweet baby girl earlier that year. I didn't know them well and I don't remember doing this, but one day at church I approached the mother and simply said, "I want to keep your baby while you're at work." for reasons unknown to me, she agreed and Charlie Claire has been a part of our group ever since.

in my small, twenty year old brain, I don't think I thought much about the future. I don't think I realized I would fall in love with this job and these people and that I might want to stick around for years and years. have you ever seen the Help? at the end of the movie, a man and his wife offer their housekeeper a job for the rest of her life, as long as she wants it. I've had that same conversation with mine. just call me Minnie. we often joke about me taking care of the children until they graduate high school.

when I first began nannying for them, Alayna was two and Andy was about nine months. when I began keeping Charlie Claire, she was about eight months. this fall, Alayna will turn seven and Andy will turn five. and on Charlie Claire's next birthday, she'll turn three. I cannot even believe that. they say time flies when you're having fun, so I must be having a ball.

I've loved this job from the very beginning. and now after four years, we've fallen into a wonderful routine. by the end of the week, I need the weekend. and by the end of the weekend, I'm telling my husband how much I miss my babies. it has, without a doubt, been the sweetest adventure. I've gotten to witness + be a part of first steps and first words, the transition from a crib to a big boy/girl bed, potty training, losing teeth, countless birthday parties, and so many other wonderful things. I've gotten to love on these babies and be a part of these families and it has blessed me in the richest of ways.

there are moments I feel as if I've caught a small glimpse of the kind of love a parent has for their child. moreover, I've gained a better understanding of our Father's love for us. I know I won't be able to do this forever, and, as much as I plead with them, the children will grow up. but I'm so grateful for my time with them and all they've taught me and every minute spent together. it's been the best four years of my life. happy nanniversary to us, sweet babies! here's to four more.

the story behind the tiny white house.

ever since I was a little girl, I've loved everything about houses. I loved playing house, I loved arranging my room just so [still do--ask Drew], I loved drawing floor plans. you get the idea. long before the Pinterest era, my mother kept a notebook with pictures cut out from magazines filled with ideas she loved. from living rooms to bedrooms to Christmas decoration ideas, this binder held floor plans and was complete with subject dividers to organize all the dreams and ideas. I can't remember my exact age, maybe nine or ten, but I began to a keep a "housey notebook" of my own. I still keep one to this day.

I don't know what it is, but there is something about creating a home that I just can't get enough of. for some time, this bothered me. I felt, and still feel at times, that it's insignificant, and in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter much. but what I've come to learn is that God created me this way and placed this passion and knack for creating things deep in my heart. it's taken me years to realize, understand, and embrace this. because at the end of the day, do paint colors and throw pillows really matter? no. but I believe the Lord romances us by giving us little gifts in our hobbies + interests to use for Him, and even to bring us joy. in addition to my love for the home, I have a thing for white houses. my mom has always liked them too, so maybe it's genetic. whatever it is, I am drawn to them.

I've been married coming up on two years now and my husband and I live in a tiny white house. I happened upon it four months before our wedding and fell in love with it immediately. we've been here ever since. it's not perfect. the floors are slanted, it's only got one closet, there's no dishwasher [or rather, I am the dishwasher]... but it's home. it's got brick floors, thick trim, and lots of windows. it's cozy and comfortable, the place we embarked on the greatest adventure of all.

I know we won't be here forever. and I know that, unfortunately, there's no absolute certainty that we will always be living in a tiny white house. but I also know that the Lord always provides, and whether it's a shoebox apartment, a brick house, whatever... He will reveal what He has for us, where He wants us, and I'll have a ball making that 'home'.

"for every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God."

Hebrews 3:4

"and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us."

Acts 17:26-27

loss.

we're approaching the one year mark of my husband's precious mama's passing. she was truly a remarkable person with kind, blue eyes + the most gentle spirit. 

it has been the hardest year + experience I've ever been through. loss is the strangest thing... so final. and it happens whether you're ready for it or not. months after she was gone, I would be going about my day, doing my normal routine and it would hit me--oh yeah, she's gone. nighttime was the worst. every night before bed I would be reminded of something about her and tears would immediately follow.

eight months after her passing, Drew came home from work and he was visibly upset. he told me, "something happened at work and I thought mom would think it was funny. so I tried to call her. I couldn't find her in my contacts and I didn't know why and then I remembered." as soon as he told me, my eyes welled up with tears and I just sat there in silence weeping. eight months later and it's still. so. fresh.

along with the hurt, there is bitterness. this is not something I'm proud of, but I assume it is a natural part of the process. when others complain about their mothers in-law, I think, at least you have one. [disclaimer: I do have another mother in-law and for that, I am so grateful] once, I was meeting my sister for lunch with one of my friends. I can't remember what the scuffle was about, but my sister had done something that I did not like. "ugh I can't stand her," I confessed to my friend afterward. my friend, who had lost her only sister years earlier, replied, "at least you have a sister. be thankful for that." talk about feeling convicted. I'll never forget this lesson. and I now know that feeling so strongly. when I hear of others being diagnosed with, battling, or dying of cancer, I become enraged. it is so infuriating. in the same way, when I hear of others being healed, I become envious and question it. why them? why do they get to be healed? why didn't she? it's not that I don't want others to be healed, but I wanted that for her, too.

and there's anger. she should be here. she should get to see her little girl growing up. she should get to see her oldest daughter walk down the aisle one day. she should get to meet + hold her grand-babies. she should get to take care of her parents and husband. she should get to visit with her sister on the phone and exchange stories about their children. all these things we still need her here for--and she's not.

but somewhere, beneath the sadness, hurt, bitterness, and anger... there's hope. there's joy. there's thanksgiving. there's relief.

there's hope that we will see her again someday. there's joy that I got to love + be loved by her. there's thanksgiving. I am so grateful that I ever had the privilege of meeting her and becoming a part of her family. there's relief that she left us before her illness was too much... too much for her to even recognize us. more than that, there's relief that she is now whole.

things will never be the same without her. there will always be an ache in our hearts for her presence. but her spirit + memory live on forever. and one day, I'll get to tell my children about the amazing woman that was their grandmother. I can't wait for that.

"yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord."

2 Corinthians 5:8

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book."

Psalm 56:8

photography by Allison Daniell of Stellar Propeller Studio + Houston Bass of Honest Photography