Life & Links /  by Katie Brightbill
















































Sometimes you just need a little adventure in your life. I definitely do. Last Saturday, we woke up and went on a city adventure... the kind without bugs or camping or anything. Just a hike up and down hills to beautiful spot in the city so your kids can burn crazy amounts of energy and have the sweetest, longest naps ever. Makes me want to adventure more often!

I didn't take as many pics as usual this week. I think I may have overdone the whole camera thing last weekend, so during the week it stayed home resting. Sophie created art, Maggie created messes and laughter, and I managed to keep the fam clothed and fed. It's a really good stage that we're in when we play hard all day and crash in the evenings. Doing things with our whole hearts. I love how kids teach me every single day.

Hope you get a chance to rest and enjoy this weekend! Ahhhh that weekend! I have so much love for the weekend.


Links for you:

* I love huevos rancheros, and now I'm wanting to try this unconventional recipe! Looks gorgeous and tasty... and even- dare I say- healthy?
* Sometimes stores just don't have the legging variety I want for my kids... these girls brilliantly crafted five-minute $5 legging varieties that I can't wait to make (with my mother's help, of course. I don't sew).
* Four little hairstyles I love for little girls... (I wrote the post, so maybe I'm biased) on the Honest blog today.
* God is good. I am in love with this beautifully written post (that kind of makes me want to cry too).
* I also kind of love this post because I've had so many similar days and I like the celebrated sweetness of simple days with kiddos.

Enjoy!

XO,
Kate

Sophie & Maggie's Bedroom /  by Katie Brightbill

So today I want to give you a little glimpse into the room that stays the tidiest in our entire home. Weird, right? The room belonging to the messiest two residents in our home is actually clean most of the time. I have this little habit of completely cleaning the room before anyone goes to sleep in there, which means it gets a good three cleans per day. It works fantastically. I should try it around the rest of the house! It's so fun to have an actual room for the girls, as opposed to a

closet room

that she had before. When we first moved to our current spot, Sophie brought guests to her bedroom closet and presented it as her room... it wasn't until all the furniture came that she realized she and Maggie would get the full sized room. :)

Anyway, here's the info: the rooms were painted this green when we moved in, and we're unmotivated to paint them again. We wouldn't have picked it, but it actually works okay. Eventually perhaps we'll paint (I love crisp white!), but eh. The dream letters are basically vintage at this point; I had them in my room as a teenager. Sophie's bed was mine when I lived with my parents. The little dot decals I won in a little giveaway from

Petit Collage

. The mini shag rug is

ikea

(eventually I want a giant one to warm the floors. I love the coziness!) and the quilt is handmade by my husband's aunt. The books on the dresser truly are vintage from my grandparents, lamp is thrift spray painted orange, Sophie made the art, the pillows are

Rufflewood

and Urban Outfitters and the little barrette holder is also Urban.

Oh, and I took these pictures myself and I think photographing rooms is the hardest thing ever and I commend those of you who do it well... Also, the quilt used to live on Maggie's crib, but lately it's been on Sophie's bed, so it's double-photographed. And the wall color is not actually neon, it's more of a muted green that is quite difficult to translate via photos.

There you have it... welcome to the room of my little girls! Not perfect, but they love it. :)

Love,

Kate

Porch Picnic /  by Katie Brightbill






















A little bit of rain today meant no long walks, but we most certainly can have a picnic outside on the deck anyway! Set a little rug with some fruit and fun and we're good to go. The nicest part is that in case we forgot anything, by all means, run right inside and get them... no biggie.

Add a couple darling friends, and you have yourself a lovely little excursion... right on the porch!

























XO,
Kate

Ps. Before we moved to a place with a porch, we set our picnics by the biggest window in the house and looked outside & pretended it wasn't freezing out... in case you don't have a porch at your home or in case it's zero degrees out where you live. :)


Baby Gifts ($15 and under) /  by Katie Brightbill




Clockwise from top left:

When friends have new babies, I love bringing a little something to the hospital or to their house when I come meet their brand new little ones. Since generally I've already gifted something off their registries from their showers, it's nice to have a few little options of things that any new baby would like to get that won't break the bank! Here's why I love them:

I always needed more socks than I had-- half of them disappeared!
Mittens are perfect for preventing the little scratches on baby faces.
My babies loved bath ducks right away, and I'm a fan of the BPA-free type...
...and speaking of baths, the best smelling shampoo is the Honest one- hands down!
Their bottle is also safer for babies than an average bottle.
Baby booties are fantastic and adorable, and my babies wore theirs constantly because they tie and stay on!
Hey, they now make pacifiers that are glow-in-the-dark and that makes amazing sense when you think about it... I've spent many nights searching under cribs for pacifiers.
I love toys that are pretty and safe and FUN, and so do babies.

Have fun!! 

XO,
Kate


Mama Profile: Courtney of The Chirping Moms /  by Katie Brightbill

I'm so pleased to introduce you to the lovely Courtney from the blog The Chirping Moms, which she started with her friend Julie last May. She has been such a supporter and friend of StyleSmaller from the moment we started, and I love getting to read her story and get a little peek into her life and get to know her and her adorable little girls a bit better! Enjoy! xx.



1. What are your favorite personality traits of your kids?
My little Maggie will be three next month. She is hilarious and makes me laugh every day. She has a big heart and recently, her favorite thing is taking care of her little sister. Most of her days are spent singing and dancing. Alex is 17 months old, and never stops running and climbing. She always has a twinkle in her eye and smile on her face. She's also my cuddly one, so when she finally wears herself out from a day of fun, I know she'll stop and snuggle in my arms. 

2. What motivated you to start blogging?
I’ve always loved writing. When I became a Mom, I found I was always emailing back & forth with friends & neighbors about parenting, recipes & things to do with the kids. I would always take pictures of fun activities I did with the girls & one day, while emailing a friend a picture of a craft to try with her daughter, I thought “I should blog about this!” I didn’t think I had the time or courage to start one on my own. Then, one rainy day we were hanging out at Julie’s house & she was sharing her love of blog reading and our idea for the Chirping Moms was born! I’m enjoying blogging a lot. I get a place to write. I have a background in sales and marketing, and I love that blogging gives me the chance to market and work with brands- both big & small- on posts too!

3. What have you learned about balance for life and regular blogging? 
I’m still working on this one. Right now, both girls nap at the same time, but those naps are getting shorter & shorter & that’s when I work on the blog. Everything I don't finish is done at night. I’ve had a few phone calls lately where both girls are running wild, yelling & feeding the dog goldfish – I’m thinking I might need a better work plan in 2013!



 4. What is your favorite time of the day?
My favorite time of day is when the girls wake up from nap. They are both well rested & happy (& I feel rested too after a little break!). We never have things to do in the afternoon, so we usually just make a snack & play. During the weekends, our whole family snuggles in bed before we start the day. Having time when we're all together is so wonderful.

5. What are your favorite activities to do with your little ones?
A crib ball pit, cloud dough (both will be on my blog this week!), and our water table during the summer. My trick is to add bubble bath to the water, and it gets their toys clean as they play! 



6. Style uniform & brands you love?
Bright pants, black or navy shirt & statement necklace. If I’m just hanging around with the kids, I’m a lover of leggings & long cardigans or open sweaters. J.Crew and Joe Fresh. I'm lucky that a few of their U.S. stores are close to where I live. For fun statement jewelry, Bridier Baubles is my go-to.

7. Favorite Etsy shops?


Thank you Courtney! Be sure to visit her Etsy favorites and The Chirping Moms site (they do really fun giveaways too, so go win yourself something)! You can also follow them on Twitter @thechirpingmoms and like them on Facebook. Enjoy!! 

Kate