To Market, To Market | National Farmers Market Week

How in the world is it already August?!  It's amazing how quickly summer starts to fly by.  The twins and I are currently spending some time in South Carolina, enjoying lazy days by the pool and lots of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house!  Over the weekend my mom and I took P & K to the

Summerville Farmers' Market

.  We got up early to beat the heat and enjoyed supporting local.  

I was excited to see King of Pops in the lowcountry, they're an Atlanta staple and a must in the summer time!  Blackberry Mojito is my favorite!

We strolled around with P & K.  They love spending time with Grandma, case in point the smile on K's face below.

For dinner we took home the Sweet Potato, Walnut, Gorgonzla ravioli and topped it with a sage butter.  It was de-lish!  

This week is National Farmers Market Week, so be sure to get out this weekend and support your local market!

Fourth Of July

On My Mind | Backyard Makeover

 ...and goodbye lackluster backyard!

When we bought this house five years ago (five years?!) one thing we loved was our very private and very lush backyard.  And by lush I mean extremely overgrown!  The property had sat idle for two years and with it was a backyard that looked more like the Louisiana bayou than a residence located in Atlanta city limits.  But we loved it and saw the vision for what it could become.  

The first two years were spent simply deciphering the weeds from the actual plants and foliage.  And once we could tell the difference between the two, we were pleasantly surprised to see an abundance of beautiful plants and shrubs.  Arborvitaes frame the perimeter, camellias border the back wall and azalea's divide the center of our split level backyard.  We added a railroad tie garden, planted hydrangeas and box-woods, stained the back deck and built a fire pit.  Then a little thing called

time

 snuck in and what we have is 5 years of a backyard that we love the potential of, but haven't fully enjoyed.

In a recent reader survey a lot of you asked for my design process and inspiration.  I wish I could tell you that I have sure fire method that easily and quickly takes a project from idea to fruition.  Truth be told, most of the time the final outcome ends up quite differently from the initial idea.  And in today's 'makeover madness' world, it sometimes can appear that a project happens overnight.  And for some platforms, it does.  But in most situations there's a lot of work and planning that goes into the front end.  For myself it's about being inspired, solving a problem then figuring out how to execute it in a way that stays within budget & timeline with the end result being equal in both form and function.

So, today I'm taking some time to be inspired.  Going through vacation pics for inspiration and seeking my muse throughout the web.  For those of you wanting to follow along my design process, you can check out this

Pinterest board

I started for the project!

__________________________________________________

In the meantime, this is what my backyard currently looks like, dead grass...overgrown bushes...but a whole lot of potential!

What projects are you dreaming about this summer?

American Made | Sea Bags Maine

Summer is finally in full swing!  The season of road trips, seaside visits, pool days, beach days...lazy days.  Summer to me means adventures, big and small.  I love exploring those places that are off the beaten path...camouflaged in their environment, .  It's a local restaurant, a natural spot or a place near to your heart.  Custom House Wharf in Portland, Maine is that place.

Boats come and go, with fisherman unloading their bounty and yet, throughout the hustle and bustle, it's a peaceful scene by the sea.  Years ago I discovered a shop, tucked away, among the working waterfront that instills everything that is good in American design, make and green sustainability.  After years of visiting and admiring from afar, I asked Sea Bags if I could stop by for a behind the scenes look at a company I'm proud to say is 100% American Made.

Upon walking through the front doors you're greeted with colorful totes and accessories, featuring fun appliques and classic prints.  At first glance you assume you've entered into a charming boutique, but peek behind the displays and you'll notice a full production workshop. 

What makes Sea Bags unique is that all their goods are handmade from authentic recycled sails...making no two bags alike...yeah, that's pretty remarkable!  And every single product is made here, in their Custom House wharf location.  The shop's footprint is much smaller than you'd expect, especially for a company that is now known globally.  Upon entering, you're met with the soft hum of sewing machines and quickly notice rope neatly hung from hooks and meaningful, vintage sails artfully displayed on the walls. 

Hanging from the wood beams are totes that have special meaning to a company that already has so much history.  

With fifteen years of experience and over 500 tons of recycled sails, Sea Bags has found a way to perfectly blend form and function.

The day we visited we were greeted by a happy, hardworking team of people.  They walked us through the steps it takes to turn a sail into a Sea Bag .  From splicing and whipping each handle, to hand cutting, to adding grommets, every step is handcrafted with the highest standard of quality and attention to detail.

But beyond the beauty and appreciation for recycled products, this is a company that employs more than 40 employees right in the heart of Portland, Maine.  

Order a product online and more times than not it's made to order!  Once complete it's shipped directly to you from this seaside workshop!

And when they tout their location as being part of the working waterfront, they're not kidding.  From the Sea Bags back porch, we witnessed a local lobsterman pull up his daily catch...literally.

You don't get any closer to a local community than that!  

I hope one day you can make the trip, to see for yourself the hard work and superb craftsmanship that Sea Bags is committed to in their Custom House Wharf location. 

But in the meantime, know that supporting a great American company is just a click away.    There online shop offers all their designs including options to customize your own tote and rare sails, bearing the original insignia, are added weekly to the vintage section.  Regular auctions provide a chance to bid on one of kind, collection pieces, although, if you ask me, all their products are collectible!  So, whether you're needing a new beach tote, travel bag or hostess gift, please consider buying American made!  

 A big thank you to Sea Bags for hosting us all morning, allowing us to ask way too many questions and giving us access to photograph a behind the scenes look! 

Au revoir to my favorite little wharf that resides by the sea!

Barboursville, Virginia

Barboursville, VA  is a gem of a place, tucked away among vineyards and pastoral views with a heritage rich in American history.  Twenty minutes north of Charlottesville, though easily accessible, you feel as if you're a world away from the hustle and bustle of today's fast pace life.  Grab a picnic lunch and dinner to go from Stonefire Kitchen, then head to Barboursville Vineyards for a wine tasting, we loved the 2013 Cabernet Franc Reserve.  For a relaxing getaway, book a stay at the 1804 Inn.  For couples we recommend the adorable 18th Century Vineyard Cottage and for larger groups (or those traveling with twins) one of the suites in  the Blue Run Cottage.  Walk the grounds, then sit, sip and relax the night away.  Cheers! -Michelle

A little backstory on our stay in Barboursville.  Two years ago, Brian and I started planning a road trip for the Spring of 2014.  Besides visiting family we hadn't taken a vacation for 4 years, so we wanted to make it a memorable trip.  Our hope was to stay in quaint B&B's, historic hotels and interesting VRBO's.  We did a lot of research and one of the places on our wishlist was this 18th Century Vineyard Cottage (photo above).  After saving up for a trip, it was the one place we were willing to completely splurge on (nightly rates aren't cheap).  Well, low and behold, right before booking the vacation, we found out we were pregnant, with the twins!  Morning sickness soon set in, and like life so often does, our plans were put on hold (but all for good reason).  Fast forward to this year.  Brian still had some paternity leave from work and after debating what to do and where to go, we once again started discussing that dream road trip of ours.  Some people told us we were crazy to take the twins on a 3,000 mile road trip.  Others told us successful stories of traveling with their kids.  So, after adjusting some of the details of our trip, we decided to take our 6 month old twins along for the ride.  One major change to the itinerary, a room in the Vineyard Cottage could not accommodate our now party of four, but after a call to the inn, we decided to stay one night in the Pinot Grigio suite located in the Blue Run Cottage (photo below, right).  

Still rich in history, the Blue Run Cottage is a 19th Century frame residence that was originally the home and dispensary for a physician and his family.  The house is tucked away near the back of the property, but still close in proximity to the vineyards, the winery and the ruins (photo below).  Our accommodations included a two story suite with an expansive mini kitchen and deck adorned with adirondack chairs.  Perfect for watching the sunrise and sunset. 

On property are the ruins from this gorgeous historic mansion which was built by Thomas Jefferson in 1814 for his friend and Virginia governor, James Barbour.  The estate and grounds stayed in the Barbour family for many years, becoming renowned in pastoral farming and sustainable agriculture practices.  It was later in 1976 when Gianni Zonin acquired the plantation and created the expansive vineyards that now cover the property. (there's your history lesson for the day)

We spent the afternoon exploring the grounds and enjoying a complimentary wine tasting at the winery.  They also offer a tour which I recommend.  It gives a rich history of the property along with an education in wine and methods used in the vineyards.  Not a drinker?  The property alone is worth the trip and we were surprised to learn a lot of the people who worked there didn't drink themselves.

To offset some of our costs for this stay (this was by far the most expensive nightly rate of our trip), we took advantage of the complimentary bottle of wine that was given with our room and opted to have a picnic style dinner on the porch of our suite.  We went for a small cheese and charcuterie platter (be sure to call this order in ahead of time) from Stonefire Kitchen.  Even if you're simply passing through the area, I highly recommend stopping there for a quick lunch or for a meal on the go (they offer amazing sandwiches!)  

Dinner was followed by an evening walk, P & K loved watching the cows.

The next morning we woke up bright and early (family with infants!), watched the sunrise, then watched the early morning work happening on the vineyards.

By mid-morning it was time to leave and head to our next destination.  Until next time...

Strawberry Picking | #teambrendajoy

One month ago while in Charleston., we took a day...well, an afternoon really...to pick strawberries.  Fresh...ripe...beautiful...red...strawberries.

And they were delicious!

It was one of those days you hope to forever tuck away into the memory bank under, great, wonderful, perfect days.  And if I'm being completely honest, it was one of those days that definitely didn't begin as perfect.  We started out early, packed the twins in the car, drove all the way across town, only to find out that the strawberry patch we drove to didn't open until the following week.  With thunderstorms on the horizon, we questioned continuing on.  But we did...we packed everyone back into the car, laughed, then drove the opposite direction across town and found this charmingly rustic field with the most beautiful strawberries I've ever seen.

That day goes down as one of my favorite days with my mother.  Maybe it was seeing her in her element.  Laid back in her effortless, carefree style...cropped denim, a chambray top, pearl earrings and her hair neatly pulled into a red baseball hat.  Or maybe it was the way she praised my eleven year old brother for the bounty of strawberries he picked, all perfect in color and texture.  The way she doted on her grandchildren, making them smile and giggle.  Or maybe it was simply seeing my mom, being exactly that...my mom.  

One of the things I love most about her is that she's unwavering in who she is as a person and a parent.  Her willingness to put everyone before herself and her ability to spread joy everywhere are attributes I strongly admire.  In addition to being the most thoughtful person I know, she's also resilient...she's strong...and she's determined.  Determined not to have a few storm clouds ruin a perfectly good day of strawberry picking...determined to keep a smile on her face...determined to show cancer who's boss.  Two months ago I shared my mom's diagnosis and so many of you reached out with thoughts, prayers and hope.  Words can not tell you how greatly that has meant for my mom and our family!  

Today's a big day and a major milestone in my mom's treatment.  Today she finishes her first round of chemo...12 weeks and 6 treatments later and she's going strong.  Like superwoman strong!  By no means do I want to sugar coat this chemo thing...it's hard....like super duper hard, but my mom's handling her battles with grace and continuously shows compassion for those around her.  So, today, on this Mother's Day week, I want you to know Mom that I couldn't be prouder to call you my mother!

My Mom still has some battles to fight.  She recently had another scan to see how the treatment is working.  She hears those results today.  Based on that there are a lot of different avenues she may go with her treatment.  It could be more chemo, it could be more surgery, or it could be something we have yet to know about.  I ask for your continued thoughts, prayers and well wishes as she continues to fight this battle.  But in the meantime, we'll celebrate the victory of finishing her first round of chemo!

Way to go Mom!

I love you.

I love you more.

I love you most.

#teambrendajoy

Happy Spring | Blogger Stylin Home Tours 2015

It's Springtime!  And that means I've got the decorating bug, just in time for this edition of BSHT, hosted by Lindsay from The White Buffalo Stylin Co!  If you're new to Iron and Twine and stopping by from Restless Arrow (isn't her kitchen to die for!!), welcome to my blog!  Being a new mom to 5 month old twins P & K has us currently re-arranging and re-purposing our

small, Atlanta bungalow.  So this season, decor was kept simple and minimal as we prepare to make some changes to our home.

With any small home and/or home with kids, organization is key!  Our ikea expedit has become our ultimate family command center.

Vintage finds and dogwood branches from our backyard gave our living room a Spring refresh.
And who needs throw blankets when you now have an abundance of swaddle blankets?!  I drape them around furniture for easy use and access.

A recent small room makeover has become the perfect play space for P & K.

And of course, the twins' nursery...

Fresh herbs are one of my favorite things about Spring and having them right in the kitchen makes for easy use.

And while my studio has been a great space...we're looking to make some big changes to it to make more space for our now family of four!

Wishing you a wonderful Spring day...

Keep the house tour going by stopping by The Nester first thing tomorrow!

Family Command Center

We love our family command center!  It's been our organizational haven and overall family life saver for the last four years.  Unfortunately, the original shelving unit has been discontinued and many of you asked how to still recreate it.  Luckily there's plenty of options out there, including this, this and this (at $28 bucks it's a steel!).  I'm currently loving this one, its smaller size would fit our current needs perfectly.  I'd stick to the same setup, 3 individual units, pushed together, with one turned sideways (we just painted on that chalkboard)!  And if you're looking for more storage, this unit would be a great option!  Be sure to measure your space to ensure you're getting the best unit to maximize your storage.

---

Single Unit, Target  |  Multi-Unit, Home Decorators  |  Single Bookcase, Land of Nod

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What makes this unit great is the versatility in how you can both style and use it.  For storage, we love to mix materials (like these lidded baskets and these magazine files).  Add a neutral tone for a little color (like this).  And trust me when I say you can't have enough baskets and bins to store and organize.  I'm liking the classic look of these, these and these.  

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Baskets with Lid, Crate & Barrel  |  Magazine File, Home Decorators  |  Woven Basket, Home Decorators

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For papers and files, I love the practicality of magazine holders.  Everything fits nice and neat! I'm currently liking this, this and this.  With this option being a budget friendly price point.

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White Magazine File, Home Decorators  |  Wire Magazine File, Home Decorators  |  Navy Magazine File, Home Decorators

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To tie it all together, pull in some fun accessories and personal pieces.  These white vases create a simple, yet dramatic statement.  And we currently have these in almost every room of our house!  They're so practical, organizing all our odds and ends, and after 6 years still look and act like new!

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White Vase, West Elm  |  Wire Basket, Crate & Barrel  |  Hanging Magazine Rack, Urban Outfitters

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Market Backpack

Love this natural tote!  Perfect for weekend picnics or farmer's markets, hands down my favorite for fall!

BUY NOW >>>

Twin's First Easter

P & K celebrated their first Easter!  It was filled with joy, fun and Easter Eggs of course!

Special time with family...

Good food, including an Easter favorite...

And bubbles!!!  

Did we mention there were bubbles?!

Happy Easter!

Black Tap Coffee | Charleston

Aw Mondays...how I loathe thee.

You make me wish for a quieter start in a place by the sea.

If it were up to me, I'd wake up in

Charleston...

with His and Hers coffee to start the day...

In a serene environment, best described by the owners...

For our first shop,which opened in February 2012 in Charleston's historic Harleston Village neighborhood, we wanted to create a serene, almost colorless space.  We ditched all that extra stuff and kept only the things we loved: custom-built tables made from heart pine wood used in the construction of Charleston’s oldest buildings, a stand-up bar with wrought iron stools, and a few black-and-white family photographs.

And if you think you'll start the day early, keep in mind you're on Charleston time.  This place opens at 7am on weekdays and forget it on the weekends.  The first cup of joe isn't poured until 8am!

If it were up to me, Black Tap Coffee in Charleston is where I'd be...Where would you rather be on this Monday morning?

4 Month Old Twins

My newborns are no longer newborns?!

They're officially infants...sweet, charming, adorable infants!

As cliche as it is, I'm having an incredibly hard time believing that these two entered the world just four short months ago.  

And what's even crazier to think, is exactly one year ago we found out we were

expecting twins

!

Isn't it funny to think how much your life can change in just one year!   I mean, look at Brian and I, we look so rested back then!  But seriously, the sleepless nights and all the challenges of new parenthood have already been rewarded with an abundance of toothless grins, which for me is the best currency of all!

Our baby boy P is such a fun, charismatic little guy.  Full of smiles and silly faces.  He loves to eat and currently bananas and mashy peas are on his list of favorites.  He never wants to miss out and will easily forgo a nap or bedtime to enjoy more fun.  He loves music and noise and loves loves loves to chat up a storm.  Overall, he's a very relaxed baby.  Pacifiers aren't his thing and just this week, he decided it was time to roll over (from his stomach to back).

And our baby girl K, is a true sweetheart.

She's quieter than her brother, but she loves to giggle.  Bottles are still fine by her, occasionally she'll indulge in an avocado.  She loves to snuggle and prefers her paci and lovey during nap and bedtime.  She's a girl on the move, started rolling over 5 weeks ago and is currently working on sitting up.  She likes to be read and sung to and her absolute favorite is the spa...aka bath time!

Life with them is truly the sweetest thing!  And by no means do I want to paint parenthood as perfect......there's a reason why people say it's the hardest job.  But people also say it's the hardest job you'll ever love.  And that I find to be so true!  I love being a mom!  And I love watching these two blossom into the people they will one day become.  Recently, I had the chance to hear Nate Berkus, and what I took away from his speech wasn't all the great advice about home decor, but rather a statement he made in regards to his mother's parenting style and the hope he has for his own someday.  He basically said when it comes to parenting "you need to get out of the way...get out of the way for who that child is suppose to become."  For a number of reasons, that resonated with me.  As a mother to boy, girl twins, I'm already seeing so many differences between them.  Personality wise...developmentally.  They are already on different paths and are exploring the world at their own pace.  And as a mother, this is one of the huge advantages to having twins.  You're already reassured that sometimes, no matter what you do or how you parent, there are some things that are just completely out of your control.  And there's a huge amount of peace that comes once you're able to accept this.  I guess the reason I'm sharing this is because I'm constantly asked "how do you do it with twins?!"  And here's my take...it's our normal, we know no different.  Brian and I acknowledge we change a few more diapers and wash a few more bottles than our single child counterparts, but for us, we truly don't look at life with twins any harder than any other parenting situation.  If anything we feel very fortunate and lucky to have them both in our life.  I guess my hope is that I continuously embrace my children's differences, encourage them to be individuals and I hope to know when it's best for me to just get out of the way.  And by that, I simply mean, I hope to guide them through their childhood and life, teaching them to be kind, thoughtful hard working people, but ultimately loving them for who they are and not expecting them to be anything other than that.

Now, I gotta run, go change a nappy (or two)...make K giggle and feed P a banana.

#bestjobintheworld

Weekend Stroll With Our City Select Double Stroller

I love our stroller.  Like love, love, love our stroller.  Which sounds silly, but as a new mom to twins I need all the extra help I can get.  After a lot of searching, we ended up going with the 2014 Baby Jogger City Select and added the second seat making it a double stroller.  Hands down the best investment we've made thus far with baby gear!  In researching twin strollers, it became apparent that there were two major criteria I wanted in a stroller...

A) I wanted an inline stroller and preferably one with stadium seating.  I knew that a side by side double stroller would just be too big and bulky for our everyday outings and wanted something that could easily fit along city sidewalks and take up as little space as possible as we strolled through our grocery store aisles.

B)  I wanted a stroller that was car seat adaptable.  There's something to be said about not waking a sleeping baby, let alone two sleeping babies, and I knew that having the ability to grab the car seats out of the car, baby and all, and easily snap it to our stroller would be the key to daily errands and travel alike.

In the world of strollers there's a bazillion options, but when it comes to double strollers the choices are somewhat limiting.  So, after some research, we decided on the City Select in color silver and originally planned to go with a silver frame.  To help with some of the costs we threw a yard sale, which I shared in this post here.  And after searching high and low for the silver frame (apparently last year it was in high demand), we found a store locally that promised us they had one.  When we went to purchase it, the silver frame turned out to be a black one and the very generous manager offered us 50% off the single stroller for their mistake.  50% off?!?  Silver?  Black?  who cares!  And the funny thing is now, after using the stroller for 4 months, I'm so happy we ended up with the black frame.  It hides scratches and ware so well!  

Now back to the part about a stroller that's car seat adaptable.  This feature has been way more valuable than I could have expected!  Genius I tell you!  For the first four months we only used the stroller with the car seats and only recently started using the included seats for walks.  Here's what the stroller looks like with our car seats:

 Because this stroller only accommodates select car seats, we ended up going with the UppaBaby Mesa .  We liked its safety ratings, compact size and ability to easily snap onto our stroller.  In addition to those two main points this stroller pushes easily, is a smooth ride for the kids and has a gigantic underseat basket that comes in handy for all the stuff I now schlep around!  It also has limitless possibilities for configuration ~ face both seats out, face both seats towards you, face the seats towards each other, and so on.  Something that will come in handy as the twins get older.  As cheesy as it sounds, this stroller has given me wheels!  The best thing I've done for myself these past few months is to get out of the house.  This stroller has made walking the neighborhood a joy and has made running errands simple (or as simple as they can be with newborn twins).  And more importantly its given me the confidence and freedom to leave the house alone with twins, something so many people told me would be impossible without help (and if you're expecting twins don't listen to those people ~ me, P & K have been gallivanting all around town since they were born, just the three of us, it's totally possible!)  But of course we'd much rather have Brian with us, making our weekend strolls that much better!