how i've missed you so!

well hello there friends! it's been quite some time since i've been able to regularly post here, and for that i apologize. march was just a crazy month with too many activities and too much traveling. not to say that i didn't enjoy it all, but there is something to be said for being home with no plans at all!

i've got so very much to update on, that i'll just have to break it down into a few separate posts. let's start with my trip to NY two weeks ago. i flew up for my cousins wedding and stayed up there for 6 days. my brother and sister still live in NY and i miss them and their little families tons! anytime i get a chance to visit them and their kiddos i jump at the opportunity! and with the exception of a 24 hour stomach bug whilst there (which was down right evil!), the whole trip was so so very lovely. my phone is chock full of photos from my little trip, and here are a few of my faves...

an early morning flight...

i love you sky mall!

my poor niece was sick when we arrived...

decorations courtesy of my 2 years old niece...

babysitting my nephew...

my sisters cat charlie... don't wear black pants around this fellow!

mani's with my mom and sister...

it was definitely a NY wedding!

the first dance...

building castles with the kiddos...

a rainy day walking around NYC...

my snuggly little niece...

tiniest plane for the ride home...

uhhg, just looking back at these pictures makes me a bit homesick. not for NY really, or any physical place, but for my family and friends that still live there. NC is my home now, and i love it to death, but if i could transport all of those people i love down here with me, what a happy lady i would be!

slouchy goodness!

one thing that always used to bother me when i was younger was when my tights would start to slip down and gather at my ankles. these days though, for whatever reason, it's one of my favorite things ever! it's sort of the granny chic thang that i love so very much. this morning, while browsing the sartorialist, i noticed that i'm not alone in this love...

i'll be back later with a full update from my fun filled, and very relaxing, week away!

dry shampoo review

the other day i used dry shampoo for the first time ever, and i'm kinda in love now. it's great for getting a second day out of a hair washing, or if your hair gets a bit greasy half way through the day. ladies with bangs, you know what i'm talking about! this sauve one only costs 3 bucks and from what i here from some pros, it works just as well as the expensive ones. gotta love a deal! it also has a great fresh citrusy smell that is oh so yummy...

side note... i'll be out of town for the next few days and am not quite sure how often i'll be able to check in. i'm heading up to ny for a bit for my cousins wedding. it's kinda surreal because she was always the youngest of all us cousins, and now she's all grown up and getting hitched! i'll be posting twitter updates for sure and of course checking in with my new instagram obsession. so feel free to stop on by and see me there, i'm monkeyandsquirrel on instagram :)

together at last!

the stars have aligned it seems, because for the first time ever Monkey & Squirrel has got a monkey and a squirrel! this is the sort of silliness that makes me oh so happy :)

points of pinterest

browsing pinterest over a cup of coffee is quite possibly my favorite morning activity. so much beauty to be found...

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click the numbers to see the original pin!

weekend bits...

what a fabulous weekend this past one was! friday was an uber productive day for me, painting up lots of new Monkey & Squirrel goodies and getting them all set for photographing. then later that night steph and i headed out to her home town of fayetteville, nc for a bridal shower her mom was throwing for her. it was such a lovely relaxing time, hanging with her pups, eating lots of food, and getting all the final wedding plans set!

here is the weekly iphone photo dump :)

monkey before

monkey after (look for him in the shop soon!)

stephs chi-hoo-hoo twiggy

vegan breakfast that rocked our faces!

sushi with the fam, and sake for me and steph

pups at stephs folks house... P & Snatch!

P & Lola workin' on their tans

stephs amazing idea... chick patty/veggie burger stacks!

i'll keep this here post short and sweet, 'cause after eating all the above goodies i've gotta go and get my butt to yoga.!

oh, and here's a little music monday for ya to enjoy... this song makes me wanna cry, and jump and sing all while blasting it inside my brain. see if you get the feeling too :)

let sleeping dogs lie...

i was browsing through some old photos this morning when i came across the one above, taken at an event i was working with the dog rescue i volunteer with. the event that day was just a few blocks from where evan works, so i told him that he NEEDED come down on his lunch break and meet this little booger of a dog! at this point we had zero plans of adopting a dog. we were in an apartment with a no pet policy and were already hiding 3 cats inside! a puppy was just not in the cards for us yet. so with the best of intentions i decided to just bring barkley (then named carter) home after the event to foster for the weekend. i would get to snuggle him for a few days and then bring him back to the rescue on monday. welp, as you may have already guessed, barkley never went back to the rescue.

i've taken quite a few pictures of barks since having him in our lives, and while browsing them all this morning i've noticed a reoccurring theme. this dog sleeps A LOT... and apparently i like to photograph it. so without further adieu, i present barkley... sleeping.

life wouldn't be as snuggly without you barks!

red velvet spring 2011 collection

a few weeks ago red velvet released their new spring line and hot dang are these some cute vintage inspired looks! hands down, my absolute favorite is this adorable little kite day dress. it's calling to me... "jennn, you must have me for summerrrrr!" oh, i hear you kite dress!

all of the dresses are equally as sweet, but sadly this line is so amazing that most of them are already sold out. bummer!

you can see these dresses styled up in all different ways and keep up to date on all of the red velvet happenings over on elsie's blog, a beautiful mess.

lost pictures of new york blizzard

easily one of the best things to come out of youtube. do yourself a favor and watch them, in a row, start to finish. for me it ended in chills...

vintage inspired braids & buns

it is because of images like these that i am growing my hair out!

my goodness, i have a long way to go!

all images via modern vintage hair on pinterest.