Monday Motivators (on a Tuesday)

having loved ones over for breakfast

meeting loved ones for breakfast

hearing miller say "peaz"

currently giggling because miller's stirring a wooden spoon into a rain boot and pretending to taste it.

pinterest for iphones

gratitude and admiration for those devoted to (and those who love those devoted to) our country in such a way that they'd risk their life for it.  my simple thank you and a day off never seem enough.  

2 1/2 more months to go before our lives tornado into a wild, sleepless, beautiful mess

snuggles, jokes and pretending to sleep

What do you have cooking up for your long weekend?

I am equally glad and surprised that Friday is here already.  Where did this week go??? 

On top of working and daily life, I've managed to squeeze in hours (HOURS!) of much (MUCH!) needed napping.  (I'm starting to think Miller slips me roofies every morning so he can get extra Disney Junior tv time.)

A million projects (nesting, crafting and otherwise) began this week, but not finished.  Stay tuned next week.  I promise some goodies will be done. 

Speaking of napping, I hear a certain someone who is supposed to be "relaxing" in his big bed playing with blocks...

I hope you appreciate your weekend.  I hope you appreciate "relaxing" as much as I do.  :)

Monday Motivators

pumping up the excitement for miller's "big boy bed" being set up this week.  i'm sure his new toy story sheets are helping a bit too.

csa produce boxes

chow fun

the new muppet movie

shorter shifts at work = longer, happier, more energetic days for my feet.  and legs.  and brain.

fresh story ideas and the hope that they'll actually complete without me hating most of it.

two new lives born to two great friends within two days of each other this week.  congrats to both of you and your families!  you are both such amazing and beautiful moms!

{fresh from a bath and a sweet part line; miller checking out a new baby}

More New (to you) Stuff...

Goodies galore!  
Jewelry, postcards, notecard sets, home decor, abaci and more.

I hope you love them as much I have loved collecting them.

{abaci & silver children's cup, gold beaded bracelet, tapestry handbag}

{woodsy/manly postcard notecard set, vintage Paris postcards, comic postcard notecard set}

It's a beautiful day and we're stuck inside waiting for the cable guy. Again.

Staying inside is however forcing me to finish some more etsy goodies (vintage treasures and postcard notecard sets) I've been meaning to post (and had promised).  Most items should be up by this evening.  Stay tuned.  :)

Until then, check out these vintage pictures I found at an antique store when Evan and I were in Santa Barbara

{Miller better get cracking on some chores.  This kid's what?  Maybe 2?}

{Yes, that is a gun and a dead bird in this (maybe?) 4 year old's hands}

{Siblings?  Pals?  Cute, definitely!}

{Nothing says mother son bonding then a little archery practice}

{This beautiful day calls for some croquet.  And some sweet white knee high socks.}

I usually steer away from vintage photos.  Something about them creeps me out.  Like I'm bringing a bit of the ghost of someone into my home.

The adorable lawn mower guy was on top of the picture pile and I couldn't resist.  The deeper I picked, the more I fell in love with this group of munchkins.  I ended up with ten great shots of these great kids.

What do you think I should do with all these pictures?  What's a honorable and decorative way to display the cuteness that is in these photographs?

P.S. Speaking of cuteness...

{He's not holding a rifle or dead bird, but that same look of pride sweeps across his cheeks as he shows off his "what else can I fit into my crib?" collection.}

Take me out...

Thanks to a tip from my dear friend and awesome Los Angeles guru, Julie, I learned a couple of months ago that Dodger Stadium hosts a tour of the ballpark twice a day.

I've held on to this fact since then and saved it for the perfect opportunity to surprise Evan with a birthday outing.  It helped that I had also peer pressured him for the last two weeks to take his birthday off of work.  

Monday Motivators

KALE CHIPS!!!  Our family finds anything labeled "chip" irresistible.  It's a good thing too because these are actually quite delicious and quite addicting and quite full of vitamins.

Speaking of food indulgences- owning the SILVER SPOON again after losing it a few years ago.  Man, oh man, this is an amazing cookbook.  (Thank you, Mother's Day Barnes & Noble giftcard!)

Kristen EM-EFFING Wiig (Who wants to babysit so Evan and I can go see BRIDESMAIDS??)

A ton of new stuff I'll be adding to the shop later this week.

Belly hiccups

Not spilling the beans early on great birthday surprises.

Not losing our cool when this becomes a standard eating in restaurants moment:

{Not everyone liked Umami Burger}

What a day to celebrate!

It's a great thing he's playing hooky from work, because we've filled his special day with awesome adventures.

Have a wonderful Friday and weekend yourself celebrating birthdays, spring weather, playing hooky from work or whatever else the next few days has in store for you!


P.S. The main Blogger site was down the last few days and comments were lost for posts this Wednesday on.  Which means I lost all the sweet comments you all made about Miller's mother's day painting.

I've read and loved them all and I love knowing that I'm sharing to more than my own ears.  Thank you for listening too.

(Grand) Mother's Day Goods

Now that Miller's much more involved in kid friendly crafting, I wanted to make sure that he helped with this year's Mother's Day treats for his three grandmas.

I had him paint (with some practice and some help) terra cotta pots with outdoor/waterproof acrylic paints.

Maybe it was the color blend or his technique, but I'm a bit in love with his finished portion.  I'm thinking of finding some dishes or tiles for coasters or something for him to paint for our own home.  Any other ideas?

{Practicing on cardboard and annoyed with paint on his belly}

{Almost done and waiting for Grandma}

Monday Motivators

having a cupboard filled with snacks originally intended for the camping trip

miller's new to him teeny guitar i found at an antique store and his ownership of "my songs, mama" whenever i pick it up (usually to fix the strings he's tangled up)

both evan and i finally knowing this little growing gal's first name.  (sorry, but you all will have to wait another few months to find out.  once a baby's born, she's open for all the world to connect with her.  we love the idea that until that day, she's still our own private little wish.  we did this with miller too, and our friends and families were on pins, needles and frustrated guesses until his birthday.)  

learning to curb our "trucker's mouths" when driving.  especially now that someone's little mouth is using new words almost every day.  (even though evan yelling "thank you!" to a car that cut him off doesn't quite have the same sting to it.)

mother's day bbq dinner (and leftovers for monday's lunch!)

evan and my first overnight together without miller and feeling refreshed after spending two days and two nights in santa barbara later last week.  (miller was DEFINITELY missed as each toddler we saw we wanted to scoop up and hug.)  many, many, MANY thank yous to grandma mimi for taking such good care of "our most prized possession" and to evan's school district region for organizing (and expensing!) a great getaway.

{hotel views, expensing dinners (but not the scotch), walks, and missing this killer smile}

The camping trip that wasn't...

After (safely) suffering and needing to recover from a serious health emergency late last week, one of the families on our tri-family camping extravaganza trip was unfortunately unable to make the trip to Big Sur.  Not wanting them to miss out on a ton of memory making, the rest of us (sadly) decided to put a pin in this little vacation and look to the months ahead to plan a new one.

Our weekend was then spent in town, but still filled with great memory makers especially since Evan's brother and his family were visiting my in-laws. 

Despite not getting to sleep in a tent, we still managed to hit up most of the key elements in any great camping trip.

{cave exploring, climbing, bug investigating}

{trail riding}

{risk taking, hiking, rock throwing}

{buddy walks}

{and of course s'mores!}

Starry Starry Nights

I'm belittling any anxiety I have about camping with a toddler/ sleeping on an air mattress/ hoping to not complain about hiking this weekend by window shopping for some sweet etsy outdoorsy treats. 

The thought of seeing an outside of Los Angeles star fillled sky helps belittle any anxiety too.

{Custom Felt Campfire Set- Neafus}

{"The Campout" Glass Plates- Nuno Studio}

{"Starry Night" Organic Hand Embroidered Onesie Duo- Crzy Bag Lady}

{Set of 4 "Tents" Postcards- Gretchen Mist}

{"Enchanted True North" Silver Locket Necklace- The Enchanted Locket}

{"Milky Way Lodge" Print- Ben Canales}

Monday Motivators

celebrating friendships with dinners, UCLA diaper cakes, weekly trade off starbucks runs/playdates, and an upcoming tri-family camping extravaganza.

wrangling a 22 month old to finish his (grand)mother's day crafts

6 months down and only a third as "huge" (as referenced by a 20 something gal yesterday when i helped her find a dress for her college graduation) as i was with the first little.  (definitely not eating a third as much as last time.)

speaking of eating, 2 servings of ice cream in one day?  why yes, that was me.

feeling completely comforted/proud/connected and yet totally intimidated/dumbfounded/overwhelmed by politics, world leaders and royal weddings

is it okay if i talk about how much i love ice cream again?

he might smell like poop sometimes, he might squirm when it's time to put on shoes and he just discovered picking his nose, but his morning smile wakes me ten times the half glass of iced coffee i allow myself a day.