The Binge Lady

Christmas crafting

2012-01-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

Thanks to mind-numbing boredom, the kids and I became serious crafters last month. Here's how we spent December knocking off other peoples' ideas.

We followed this tutorial and took clear, plastic ornaments, poured craft paint in them and rolled it around until it covered the inside surface of them. We used paint we already had, though I think I would have gone with a different color scheme if they were all for my tree. I thought they were pretty cute plain, but since we were giving them away individually, I decided to add gold dots for a little more interest. To do this, I placed little scrapbooking glue dots on the outside surface of the ornaments then passed them to Ethan, who poured micro-glitter all over them.

I think they turned out pretty great. And, thanks to my 4-year-old, the carpet in my basement was sparkly for days.

We acquired quite the collection of pine cones, acorns and other tree nuts on our walks throughout the Fall and we didn't want to just throw them away. So we found these awesome skiers on Pinterest and tried to make them ourselves. Kind of cute/tacky, huh?

Our biggest fail of the month was the popcorn garland. The garland got about 13 popped kernels; my kids' stomachs got the rest of the batch.

We made a "Fort Kit" for our Israelsen cousins across the country. Sadly, they didn't get it until after Christmas. USPS Fail.

The kids loved the upside-down ice cream cone Christmas tree decorating, but I think making the Gingerbread house (and stealing its delicious decor) was their favorite activity. My neighbor brought over a kit that she bought from the store, complete with pre-made gingerbread. Sadly, I didn't get a photo.

Finally

2012-01-09T20:22:00.000-08:00

Ethan has talked about making a snowman ever since the leaves started falling off the trees in October. The snow fell today and it was very wet and perfectly packable- ideal for making snowmen

When only an inch falls, you end up with a very dirty snowman. But we will take a dirty snowman over no snowman.

Ethan was very proud of the body of the snowman, which he rolled around until it was so heavy it wouldn't budge.

He may not be the most handsome snowman, but he made a couple of kids very happy today!

Christmas

2012-01-04T13:30:00.000-08:00

Our Elf on the Shelf: Bootchie

2012-01-03T10:45:00.000-08:00

Like almost everyone else on this planet, an elf from the North Pole visited our house last month. Ethan named the poor guy Bootchie. Each night in December, Bootchie would go back to talk to Santa and then make the long trip back to our house. Upon arrival, he would get into mischief around our home. The kids caught him more than once in precarious situations; one morning he was holding on for dear life after a tight-roping fall; another time they found him riding on the back of Toothless, our toy dragon. He did all the token elf things like make snow angels in the flour, eat food from the cupboards and play board games with the other toys.

Some days the kids found him in the same position as he was the day before. The kids were confused but we think he was just too tired that night to get to the North Pole and back so he just stayed. Or I blamed his apparent laziness on the fact that one of the kids touched him (a big no-no) the day before. It definitely had nothing to do with mom being a space case and forgetting about him.

Of course, the kids most enjoyed finding their noses painted neon pink on Christmas Eve morning thanks to our resident elf. Well, he is no longer a resident. He's back to the North Pole. We hope he comes back next year!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-30T11:16:00.000-08:00

We saw Santa three times this year. After he first appeared at our church party early in the month, Ethan turned to me and with a skeptical looked asked, "Is that really Santa?" I told him that the old man with an attached ivory facial hair was just one of Santa's helpers since Santa has sooooo many kids to visit.

A couple of weeks later, Santa rode through our neighborhood on a fire truck and threw candy to the kids. Before his annual ride though, Santa sat in front of the first truck to talk to the kids. Ethan told him what he wanted and, despite that Santa's real dark mustache peaking out from underneath his fake white one, Ethan seemed to be trying to convince himself that this was, in fact, the real Santa. I didn't argue with him.

On Christmas Eve, we decided to head down to the White House and visit the big guy at his special little workshop on the Ellipse. Of course, this time, Santa had a real beard and mustache and these translucent blue eyes. He seemed really exhausted and though I was put off by that at first, I think the kids read that as genuine. Santa is, after all, the busiest man on Earth... at least at this time of year. Ethan even commented on how his beard was really stuck to his face. I think they were convinced this time.

After seeing Santa, we walked around the National Christmas Tree, which was, sadly, pathetic. It was really nothing more than an enormous shrub weighed down by a net of lights. In the Nation's defense, I believe the real National Christmas Tree is down by the Capitol; but I guess I expected a little more from the Obama family. ;-)

By far the best Christmas tree was inside the Botanic Gardens, which we visited later that day. The displays there are always amazing. This was the only photo I took, unfortunately, but if you ever visit the District during Christmastime, don't miss this.

Hope your holidays have been...

2011-12-30T10:52:00.001-08:00

What couches are really made for

2011-11-28T11:03:00.000-08:00

This is what it looks like at my house most days: kids and cushions flying all over the place. Good thing I don't have the guts to buy a new couch.

I wanted to try a little photo shoot with Christmas lights - an idea I got off of Pinterest (they should really start paying me for how much I rave about them). Of course I don't know what I am doing so the photos are pretty grainy. My kids are cute though!

The Farm

2011-11-23T08:34:00.000-08:00

When October rolls around out here, "farms" become little carnivals. Admission is $10 to $15 each and you go inside to pet and feed live animals, take hay rides through haunted forests, ride slides and get photos behind wooden facades.

On the hay ride Ruby said, "Look, it's Jesus!"

I barely got a photo as the wagon rode past "Jesus." Who knows? Maybe he would have looked like that had he come across the Atlantic on the Mayflower and lived longer than 33 years.

She was not a fan of the odor coming from the cow stall.

My kids were tolerable, at best, of the goats. Check out Ethan's reach to pet the animal while keeping a safe distance from it. I thought the little goats were adorable.

Ethan wasn't so sure about going down this one (but made us go do it again once he finally tried it).

Halloween 2011

2011-11-21T20:08:00.000-08:00

I would write about how awesome our Halloween was this year but the photos do it justice.

Ruby's Two day

2011-10-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

A while back my good friend thought it would be cool to have a party for Ruby's second birthday and call it Ruby's Two day (you know, sounds sort of like the restaurant). She's pretty clever, my friend. I thought that was awesome so I threw a shindig to celebrate our little Ru finally reaching two years.

p.s. Yes, the pinata is, fittingly, a ruby. It was lovingly created by Ryan and was a huge hit.

Ruby is two!

2011-10-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

Ruby woke up last Wednesday thinking it was just another mundane day.

And then she saw this:

Her exact words were, "What da heck?"

She was very excited about her new kitchen, though it seemed to have lost some of its luster after she opened Ethan's present, which was a small, electronic puppy that barks and walks. Later in the day, when her uncle Rob said, "Happy Birthday, Ruby," she answered, "Thanks. I got a puppy."

Ryan stayed home from work so we made a family trip to the zoo.

Ruby loved all of the animals, except for the elephant. He made her a little nervous.

It was a great day but I'm not sure any of it made sense to her. If you ask her how old she is, she still answers, "four."

For some quality time, schedule a tee time

2011-09-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Lately my friends have been revealing a lot about MY personal life. They educate me on things like Ryan's job changes, future moves or if we are going to have more kids... some things I don't even know about. I usually shrug and laugh and inform them that "Ryan doesn't talk to me."

Honestly, Ryan does talk to me. We talk about these important life decisions, but those conversations often don't come to a conclusion. We never actually decide on an answer, probably because we get distracted by kids, work, callings, the latest episode of Friday Night Lights on Netflix, etc.

As friends clue me in on my life, I have started to realize that Ryan does, on his own, come to conclusions about our future decisions; and then he tells his friends, the husbands of my friends; who go home and inform my friends; who blab it all to me.

As a group of friends, we were laughing (because I really do think it is funny) about how far in the dark I really am about my future plans and my friend's husband said, "Megan, if you want to get Ryan talking, you need to go golfing with him."

It suddenly all made sense. If you have four hours alone with someone on a quiet golf course, you are bound to get some dirt, and I am not talking about stray divet shrapnel. So you know what I did? I told Ryan to schedule a tee time.

It has been more than five years since I picked up clubs, but I was willing to sacrifice my pride if it meant having some serious grown-up talk.

(I know, right? I make this sport look good)

I was a much better golfer than I ever remembered. It was a par-3 course so it didn't take four hours and it wasn't so discouraging (I never hit 10 strokes!). I even beat Ryan on one of the holes (celebration pictured below).

We ended up joking and laughing the entire time. We actually didn't discuss anything serious at all.

I guess I have to schedule another tee time.

Disclaimer: This is a light-hearted post that has been exaggerated slightly for effect. Don't think my marriage is on the rocks or anything from reading this... unless, of course you hear that from Ryan. ;-)

OBX - post-vacation deflation and back

2011-09-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

Last week it was cold here in Arlington - like late October cold. My laundry was so backed up, the stench filled my house, I swear. You couldn't tiptoe on my wood floors without feeling the crunch of crumbs or sand underfoot. We ate out five of seven days. I had a nightmare that my unanswered e-mails somehow escaped from my inbox and were climbing all over me (OK, I made that up, but I swear my inbox was bulging). I woke up during a few quiet, black nights solely because the sand in my sheets was scratching my feet.

It's still cool and today's rain makes it even worse.. but my laundry is all washed, dried and folded. My floors have recently been vacuumed. There is food for tonight's dinner in the fridge. I responded to a few e-mails today; I even authored a few this morning. My sheets are crisp and clean!

It always takes me a little over a week to get over the shock of my personal monotony following a particularly awesome vacation. The first few days back, I don't do much. My mind ruminates over the fact that there is little adventure in mommyhood and certainly no more hot sun, waves to push me around and excuses to drink endless Sonic drinks (which, by the way, are disgusting but give me some sort of nostalgic satisfaction).

After seven days at the beach, I was ready to come home; It only took a few hours at home for me to want to go back. So looking at photos of the trip was awesome/painful. I am finally ready to face them and maybe post a few (OK, every single one of them). I can describe our trip all I want, but the photos tell a much better story. Like last year, we had some amazing photographers with us. We are so lucky. I have plenty of my amateur photos to sift through as well. Some people warn about "photo-heavy" posts. This one won't be, but I am not promising anything about any posts following this one.

Anyway, while I was feeling bad for myself last week, I remembered something my friend, Rachel, told me at the beach. I was telling her how I hoped I could find things to look forward to after the vacation and she said she doesn't need things to look forward to; she just tries to enjoy every single moment (said in a much less pretentious way). That's a good outlook, and now that I am back to laundry and preschool and wiping pee off the toilet seat, I am hoping to adopt it.

Very cool

2011-09-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I love stories like this. This rescue occured just outside the business building at Utah State University, my alma mater. The people who rushed to the scene to lift the burning vehicle were from places like Ghana, Uzbekistan and of course, Cache Valley, and were construction workers, students and random passersby.

Ethan's second first day of preschool

2011-09-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today Ethan started preschool all over again. One more year and then he hits kindergarten - full-day kindergarten. I'm telling him to live it up while he can.

Ethan also finally figured out how to pump on the swings yesterday and perfected it today. I am so proud of him (and glad I can get back to sitting on my butt at the park). Now if I could just get Ruby to follow suit...

Oh, and our beach house survived the storm and we had an amazing week in Nags Head, N.C. last week. More photos to come...

Mother Nature likes to mess with me

2011-08-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

Things are a little shaky around here... in more ways than one. Of course, you have all heard by now that we finally got to experience an earthquake. By finallly, I mean that I have been prepared all my life for an earthquake, since smack down the population center of Utah, my old home, lies a humongous fault line. Since it was discovered, scientists have warned of a catastrophic event that would likely topple just about everything :-). So we had earthquake drills in school all of the time and, I'll admit, I hoped more than once that the quake would come and destroy my middle school (after we all got out and ran to the soccer field, of course). There was a definite lack of excitement in middle school.

So, to say the least, we were excited when something literally shook up our boring August afternoon. To truly fascinate you, though, I have to tell you about earlier Tuesday morning, before all the fun began, when Ethan approached me and asked, "Mom, how do earthquakes work?"

We had a little discussion about plate tectonics; how the Earth's crust is made up of plates that are shifting and moving as we speak. I told him that on those plates are rifts or faults that, when movement occurs, rub together or bump into each other, causing the ground to tremble.

When the Earth actually began to tremble a few hours later, it took a second to realize that the low rumble and jarring vibrations were not caused by a bulldozer knocking over the townhouse to my left. It hit me and I looked at Ethan and said, "Ethan! I think this is an earthquake!"

After we scrambled under the dining table, I remembered that I have another child. I told Ethan to wait and as I got out from under the table to go snatch Ruby out of her crib, the shaking stopped. I immediately got chills, first at the thought that an earthquake had just occured in Arlington, Virginia; and second that we had an entire conversation earlier that morning about earthquakes. It was an amazing hands-on learning experience. Thank goodness it was a mild quake and no one was seriously injured because, for me, it was an amazing 15 seconds.

Beyond the earthquake, things are just off this week. Today - and the past few days - I have been unable to muster much energy to do anything at all. I can't really pinpoint why. I have got to get going though, because we are almost a week away from our Outer Banks vacation... that is, if there is one.

Hurricane Irene is focusing all of her fury straight toward the Outer Banks. Her Category 3 winds seem intent on whipping our rented beach house and her storm surge aims to flood it. I am scared, not that we will be anywhere near the carnage. No, we aren't scheduled to travel there until NEXT Saturday. I am just terrified that the Ferrari II, our beach house that is supposed to house eight families including us, will be nothing more than a memory. I have been planning, scheming and dreaming about this Outer Banks trip since the day I left the Nags Head, N.C. last September. All summer long I have been antipating the lovely beach, warm waters and dance parties with my crazy friends and if this trip is canceled, I might implode. Outer Banks, you're all I' got. Don't fail me now.

Looking past my shallowness, I hope no one is seriously injured in this event. Clearly my vacation is the least of their worries. I'm praying she will weaken to a tropical storm.

Oh, and here are some photos of my kids after just one of the many thunderstorms we have had in this very wet August.

Another dress

2011-08-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

I never realized how much fun sewing could be until I had a girl. I remember the pre-Ruby days, when my friends with daughters would discuss all of their little projects and I would roll my eyes. My friend Val told me, "You just wait until you have a girl and you will catch the bug too." I really didn't believe her but she was dead on. Not long after Ruby was born I started imaging little things I could create for her and when I finally made something I found it to be very rewarding.

I often feel guilty that I spend all my time on Ruby projects and don't make anything for Ethan. My motto has always been that there is nothing you can make for boys that will look better than something you can buy in the store. However, my friend LuAnn has recently proved me wrong. She makes some really amazing clothing for her boys. She is going to help me create a T-shirt for Ethan so wish me luck.

Back to the dress. This was, of course, an Easter dress a few months late (to the tune of late June). It took a lot of effort to make sure all the stripes were lined up correctly and it's still not perfect. I also really screwed up a sash that I obviously had to remove. I just tacked a bow on at the time but realized it didn't look so great. While I was in Utah my sister said, "Did you make that dress? At first I thought you got it at Target or something but then I looked at the bow and realized that you made it." I could have taken this comment to mean a lot of different things but I decided it meant that it looked well-made enough to be sold at the store but the bow needed a little work (love you, Kenz). I have since sewn on a ribbon from each side so it looks a little better (sorry, no photos of the improvement).
I'm proud of this dress despite its flaws and I hope that one day I can look back at all of Ruby's homemade clothing (poor girl ;-)) and see my sewing evolution.

A good shot

2011-07-26T20:24:00.000-07:00

Ryan told me he liked this photo and I figured it was because it illustrates his love of shooting at motionless objects. He later secretly (not anymore, hah!) divulged that he liked this shot simply because it proves he is not balding in the back.

Jumpin'

2011-07-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

This is all our little Ruby girl wanted to do at Grandma Maughan's house.
Whether she was on or off the trampoline, she constantly jabbered about "jumpin'." She certainly reached new heights. We had to drag her off the octagon kicking and screaming (and biting!).

The field

2011-07-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

I have spent a lot of my life in this field.

I remember dropping down into the hay to hide from my brother. The tall grass provided endless spots to conceal myself. Together, we would smash down the alfalfa until we created rooms and hallways and entire forts in the green expanse. After the grass was cut, we would run down the hill and jump over the hay bales, our ankles covered in scratches from the dried short shoots poking through the dirt. We spent hours playing house in the little dwelling my father built in the oversized bush up above the tract.

In the fall - after it froze but before it snowed - we would scour the hillside for cow pies. With sticks, we would overturn the hardened crap and then disect it, examining the worms and parasites dead inside. We had plenty of cat funerals in that field and spent some sleepless nights curled up in sleeping bags on the adjacent trampoline listening to coyotes whining in the distance. We beheld moose, deer, snakes, pheasants and all kinds of small mammals and my sister even spotted a mountain lion darting over the cropland one morning. The field led us to the mountain, where we hiked up to pick black caps - wild berries- at the end of each summer.

I experienced my first kiss as a 16-year-old up near the top of the field and - I'm not going to lie to you - that wasn't the only one I shared up there. As a teenager I spent many overly-dramatic walks across the land contemplating my feelings and conjuring up deep thoughts ;-). There wasn't a better place to think than the hillside, which provided the most beautiful view of Cache Valley.

Every memory I have of the field is a good one.

And nothing compares to sharing it all with my kids.

Western obsession

2011-06-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

I woke up to find this on my kitchen table...

(click on image to enlarge)

There is a bit of a Western obsession in my house, which began a few weeks ago with Silverado. He watched True Grit last week. Now he is pulling a Lonesome Dove marathon. Lonesome Dove, by the way, is like a man's soap opera. I didn't see the first few episodes - Saturday I was sewing, baking and preparing a lesson - so I asked Ryan to catch me up.

His description went something like this:

"This guy accidentally killed a man. That lady (a young Diane Lane) is in love with him, but he is a jerk and lied to her. Oh, by the way, she is a whore and sleeps with lots of men. Most women in this movie are whores. Anyway, he dumped her and she got kidnapped by some bad guys and some Indians, who repeatedly raped her. But she is now in love with this old guy (played by Robert Duval), who rescued her. These guys go around and steal cattle. They are the good guys."

Me: "and they steal cattle?"

Ryan: "Well, they steal it from some bad Mexicans."

Me: "Right, that makes them good."

Pouf

2011-06-14T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ages ago, I bought this Amy Butler pouf pattern because I planned on making some fun little poufs - or gumdrop pillows - for my future daughter's bedroom (that's how long ago it was). No, I never made them but I am glad I have the pattern now. I may be late in the game, but I am seeing poufs everywhere.

Calypso St. Barth

Viva Terra

I adore these white leather ones (not to mention that pink couch).

source unknown

I have a lot of different patterns going on in my living room. I need to add a little texture, so I think I will make mine in maybe a teal or green velvet.

Or... I was searching for velvet fabrics and came across this vintage candy apple red. Kind of fun, right?

Here's hoping E and R aren't prone to claustrophobia

2011-06-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

Hear me: Pinterest has changed my world forever. Never have I felt so inspired by images or moved to change my surroundings. And I have wasted more time gazing at the loveliness on Pinterest than I should admit. Ryan called to remind me this morning that my job today is to fold the laundry. That's how bad things have gotten around here. I'm proud to report those clothes currently look like they could be on a table display at the Gap.

Looking past my laziness, one idea that Pinterest keeps throwing at me is the concept of a built-in or nook bed. They look so cozy and sweet. The other night I told Ryan that if we ever happen to own a home, we have to build our kids' beds into or out of the wall or place them in an existing nook. I know we aren't the most motivated folks, but if Ryan starts to learn basic carpenter skills now, then in 10 years (about the time we can afford a real home out here), he should be some sort of a pro. :-)

Awe heck, maybe we should have one too!

Good at soccer, he is

2011-06-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

Ethan also finished up his soccer class on Friday. It was not only the last day of class, it was costume day so Ethan dressed up... for about two minutes while he sat in the shade watching Clifford on the phone. When it was time to play, he deemed the Jedi robe too hot for soccer.

He proved he doesn't need the force to show off his mad skills.

Congraduations

2011-06-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

Ethan graduated from preschool on Friday. Well, technically he didn't graduate since the little dude is heading back there next year. So we'll say he graduated from his first year of preschool. Quite an accomplishment considering all of that hard organized play they put in. Boy, did we celebrate.

Oh, and I shouldn't have called him a "little" dude. According to his preschool book, he has grown three inches since September. I knew I wasn't just seeing things.

He adores his teacher, Miss Rebecca. He has made quite a few friends too... from all over the world. At his end of the year picnic, we were all supposed to bring a dish from our home country. I totally missed out on an opportunity to take green jello with shredded carrots in it. Or funeral potatoes. I took a fruit salad that was quite a hit, so no regrets :-). But next year I might just show up with some Lion House rolls.

They have practiced and practiced over the last few months to put on a show for us. And don't worry, Ethan didn't crack a smile the entire time. He did warm up to be quite the performer though (see video at the end of this post).

And yes, things got a little out of hand towards the end.

A quick trip to the beach

2011-06-06T07:57:00.000-07:00

Last week we traded our Play-Doh and fake sand...

...for the real stuff.

We left the beltway behind and discovered Bethany and Rehoboth beaches. We may have brought home a suitcase full of sand that has since found its way into every little corner in our home (including in between our bed sheets), but it was more than worth it.

Oh, and we saw dolphins. Unfortunately, this is the only photo I got and it is of only the very tip of one of the dophin's dorsel fins, but I was freaking out. Ryan told me he has never seen me so excited and the poor guy has lived with me for seven years. Of course, photos never accurately depict how near things are, so you have no idea how close these dolphins were to the shore! That was a very happy moment for me and Ethan thought it was pretty cool too.

p.s. Do you love the too-close-for comfort squeeze shot attempt? Yep, that's the only photo of me on the trip.

Kung Fu backlash

2011-05-31T07:36:00.000-07:00

It hit 100 degrees here in Arlington yesterday and it is supposed to get even hotter today. In Cache Valley, Utah, the place where I grew up, they received some Memorial Day snow. In either of the two extremes it is not fun to go outside. Fortunately our pool opened up Saturday so we have been trying to weather the humid heat there.

We also went to a Kung Fu Panda 2 on Saturday. There is nothing like a cold movie theater to escape the high temperatures. I came out of the theater with my teeth chattering. My kids, however, came out of that hilarious, but violent movie all fired up. Ethan exhibited some serious kung fu moves and Ruby keeps screaming, "hi-yah!"

Sick leave

2011-05-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

We don't mean to be strangers, but we have been doing a lot of lying around and checking our temperatures around here.

Oh, and building forts and watching movies in them.

...the kind of stuff you do when you don't feel like leaving home.

We are all better now, so I guess I can't keep ignoring my blog :-(

Oh that 5k

2011-05-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

So, friends, I have discovered that most people who run 5ks actually don't train for them. People work hard to prepare for triathlons and marathons and such, but apparently 5ks are like a brisk jaunt for many.

For me, just getting out and running is a challenge. Luckily, I have a bunch a friends who have joined me in my training. Ryan even called me Forest Gump the other day.

We are on a "couch to 5k" training program. Tonight we will walk 5 minutes, run 8, walk 5, run 8. Doesn't sound too bad, right? Saturday I have to run 20 minutes straight. I am a little nervous, especially since last Saturday I almost fainted. It was a morning run and I had just woken up, put clothes on and ran out the door. My friend Julie was running ahead because she couldn't get her heart rate up and I was about to pass out. Pretty embarrassing :-). Yes, there have been a few glitches in my training, but we figured since I have felt great during and after our other runs, I am doing OK. And we have decided that I should only run at night.

I don't have a set 5k to run yet but I think I will set a date if I can run 20 minutes straight on Saturday. We will see.

In the meantime, check out my new bangs!

Ombre

2011-05-11T05:15:00.000-07:00

Ruby gets a lot of comments on her hair. People usually mention how much she has or how long it is and the fabulous color of it. They don't say that it is perfectly coiffed or harmoniously curly because it is neither of those things. It is actually often pretty messy but I choose to use the term "teased."

I'll admit, I am a fan of a natural looking child. You probably won't ever see my child with an intricately detailed hairstyle and that's probably mostly because I haven't a clue how to do anything more than, say, a twist of her bangs back into a clip or pigtails (my personal favorite). For the most part, you'll probably see her with hair in her eyes and while I need to get a handle on that, I just love a toddler who hasn't really been messed with too much.

I, too, am a huge fan of the color of Ruby's hair. She has a completely natural ombre coloring that celebrities surely spend a lot to get. Just look at those blonde tip highlights.

Eat your heart out, Alexa Chung :-)

My mother's day

2011-05-09T05:23:00.000-07:00

My mother's day was a great one.

Ethan planted a flower that he has been growing for me for the past few months. He sang to me at church and also presented me with a packet he put together at preschool, which included his handprint and a hilarious fill-in-the-blank interview. Part of it went like this: "My mom is as pretty as a..." His answer? "Shark!" I know, sharks are simply beautiful.

Ryan made me dinner on our awesome new little charcoal grill, which happened to cook one of the best steaks I have ever had in my life. Isn't it a cute little grill?

And Ruby made us laugh all day long. At one point I swear she said, "Here you go, big mommy," as she handed me her toy.

I sure love being mom to these crazy kids...

...who got progressively dirtier as the day wore on.

And I'm thankful for dads, who are willing to spray them off at the end of the day.

Your help would be appreciated

2011-05-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

I got this bolt of fabric in the mail the other day. It was a serious steal and I plan on making curtains with it.

I do have a question: Where can I find the best value for curtain rods? I am not looking for anything fancy, but I want strong rods that won't stand out. Any suggestions?

2011-05-04T05:19:00.000-07:00

A while back, Ethan saw a photo of a Ferris wheel and turned to me and said, "I want to do that." I promised that he would get that chance sometime, but that there were no Ferris wheels in the immediate vicinity and he would have to be patient until the county fair at the end of the summer. But as 4-year-olds often do, he persisted in asking again and again if he could ride it.
He reminded me of myself as a child, wanting so badly to experience that enormous rotating wheel and that feeling of being so high above everything. I vaguely remember my first ride at the Cache County Fair and I can imagine it was with my mom, but I am not positive.

Skip forward a couple of decades to Saturday evening. We spent a good portion of the day weeding our back patio and we were in need of some wood chips and top soil. I was also in need of some Chick Fil A (fancy that). So we headed down to the funniest little mall in our area, Landmark Mall, which is located close to a Home Depot and happens to have my favorite fried chicken joint in its food court (which is the busiest store in that mall, I would bet).

As we pulled around the mall Saturday, Ethan yelled those words again, "I want to do that!" I looked up to see a huge Ferris wheel (and little fair) in the mall parking lot. We were tired and had things to accomplish so at first, we told him no. I ran inside to get the food and while I waited in line for my sandwich, I got a text from Ryan. "Ethan really wants to go on a ride," it said. I had secretly been itching to go as well. "Shall we?" I responded and when I went outside, my family met me at the gate. Ryan tried to talk Ethan out of his Ferris Wheel ride since he could enjoy two other rides for the same amount of fair tickets. But Ethan had one goal in mind and that was to conquer that Ferris wheel.

So he did.

Insert comment about leggy Dutch woman here.

Our views may have been less than stellar...

and at one point I did start to feel a little motion sick

But Ethan smiled the entire time.

In need of a change

2011-05-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting new artwork to go over my console table for a while now. I was inspired earlier this year by the huge artwork in interior designer Kelly Wearstler's studio. I love how graphic, colorful and modern it is.

I am also drawn to Ellsworth Kelly's, Spectrum Colors Arranged by Chance III, which was created in 1951 and I really have no idea how to get my hands on a print.

And I heart this print by Andrew Bannecker. If you buy it from here, all proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.

I spotted this one on Pinterest the other day and haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I just wish the original painting was still available :-(.

Any other art ideas in this same vein?

Explanation

2011-05-02T07:27:00.000-07:00

I know, I never struck you as model material. I don't blame you, but I guess this is what I get for surrounding my untalented self with talented people.

When I was in high school, there was a man in my church congregation who illustrated for our church magazine, the Ensign. He used the people around him for the models to illustrate the stories. It was fun to spot the neighbors and friends I saw all the time in each issue of the Ensign. I was excited when my turn rolled around. If I had a copy of the painting of me sharing the Book of Mormon with another girl (who happened to be my neighbor, Tess Ann), I would post it on this blog. I actually looked quite hilarious in it. I have horrible posture and even that translated through to the illustration. But it was still kind of fascinating to see my silly self in the Ensign.

So, of course I felt the same way when my friend Lindi asked me to help out at her darling cherry-themed party. Lindi has this amazing etsy shop and blog, Love The Day. She throws the cutest parties and doesn't miss a detail. You can buy her printable party decorations here. I am in love with her latest pinwheel collection!

I know, I feel quite vain posting "good" (thanks to Lindi's styling and Melissa's skills) photos of myself... especially since Ryan took some seriously heinous photos of me scarfing down a sandwich on accident. He was taking photos of the kids and I happened to be in the background stuffing my face. They are the most disgusting photos ever and while I was laughing hysterically when he zoomed in and showed them to me, I would probably rather have bamboo shoots shoved up my toenails than let you see them. So only OK to good photos of me are ever posted on here. Got it? :-)

I spy with my little eye...

2011-04-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

Me!

Can you spot me over here?

The teacher

2011-04-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

Ethan is full of 4-year-old wisdom and wants to share it with anyone who will listen. Sometimes he embellishes a bit, or makes things up altogether. He is constantly spitting out random facts and often gives little demonstrations on how things work.

"This," he said, picking a leafy thing off of a patio plant, "is what they call lettuce."

He continued, "What you do, is put it on a stick, like this..."

"...and then you wipe things with it." He swept it across the arm of a patio chair. "Now feel how smooth," he said. He repeated the sweeping motion on my arm this time and convinced me that the leaf had somehow made my arm softer.

Egg hunting

2011-04-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

As promised, I have photos of our weekend egg hunts and while poor in quality (no 5k yet = no cool camera like the rest of you have... oh, and I am not a good photographer), they capture the point. The kids participated in the ward Easter egg hunt on Saturday and then our family Easter egg hunt on Sunday so there were lots of eggs to be had.

I was so concerned that Ethan would not wear that handsome yellow polo shirt and tan slacks to the Easter party. He absolutely refuses to wear anything that does not have a dinosaur/ball/bike/automobile/superhero/skull on it. I was a little disappointed but laughed when he lined up next to the other 4-year-olds pre-hunt. I am already that embarrassing mom!

Ethan had a ball, thank goodness! I told him to go his own way instead of following the other kids. Good lifelong advice, if you ask me :-).

Ruby was more interested in seeing what was inside each egg, than in locating more of them.

We had another egg hunt at our house Sunday.

Note the Lynyrd Skynyrd shirt he picked out because of the "skeleton," which he says is mean. Should I be worried? At least Ruby looked Easter appropriate in a dress my good friend Val made for her before she moved to Texas. Isn't it darling?

We had a wonderful Easter, and though it is not documented in photos, we were fed spiritually as well as physically. I hope yours was just as good.

Redemption

2011-04-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

He looks pretty happy, no? More Easter photos to come...

autumn

2011-04-22T11:45:00.000-07:00

My friend Autumn recently moved to Hawaii and we miss her and her darling boys immensely. Thank goodness for blogs so we can keep track of each other. I love her blog because she posts about the crafts and projects she is working on. She is very talented and I am pleased to announce that she recently opened up an etsy shop! Check out autumn for lovely little earrings and clips!

Practice run

2011-04-20T18:07:00.000-07:00

This was the exact face Ethan made as an Easter egg hunt at his friend's b-day party wrapped up. I approached him to see how many eggs he had gathered and came upon a very empty looking basket. I put on my happier than happy face and said in a high, cheery voice, "Good job, E-man!"

He simply looked up at me, put two fingers up in the air and said in a dejected voice, "Two."

He had two eggs. And there had been 600 scattered across the playground to find. His strategy wasn't great. He chased the older kids (with that blinding mask on, no less) and of course, they cleaned up where ever they went. He was just a little too late :-).

I laughed but my heart sort of hurt. My girlfriend, LuAnn, took a few out of her 2-year-old's basket (he had so many that she figured he wouldn't miss a couple) and I went and re-hid them and then waved him that way so he could "find them." He did and seemed much happier after that.

We'll just call that a practice run. I'm hoping he learned a lot because I'm counting on him amassing a lot of loot at the big Easter egg hunt this Saturday :-).

Lazy Sunday afternoon

2011-04-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

I hate to admit it, but last Sunday afternoon was one of the first I have really enjoyed in a long time. It has been a very cool and rainy Spring this year and unfortunately that has rendered us stir-crazy - especially my husband, who spends the entire week in an office and needs to get outside on the weekends. Luckily, we are currently experiencing lovely Spring weather and we had a typical lazy Sunday afternoon.

We roamed the neighborhood and the kids took advantage of the little playground behind our house.

Ryan shaved off his beard. I miss it. But I'll still take him :-).

Anyone over 5 feet, beware... Ouch!

Just training for the 5k...

2011-04-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

...just kidding. This is more like a late night session of "I wonder if I can still do that." Guess what? I can (with ample spotting by Krysta)! And yes, this is at my church :-).

In real "training for the 5k" news, I ran about a little less than a half mile the other day and told Ryan I couldn't do it. He said I was running too fast - for me, at least. He told me to take shorter strides and keep my body tight. So I might not exactly run a 5k. I plan on trotting that 5k! (no walking though!)

From loathe to love

2011-04-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

I used to be a closet HGTV hater. I loathe those shows where they have like $100 to spend or only a day to complete a room makeover so the end products look pretty rotten. OK, I will admit, they look better than anything I could create, but still, the finishes always looked cheap and forced. That said, I would still turn to HGTV sometimes if there was nothing else on TV.

And then I discovered House Hunters (especially the international variety!) and Property Virgins and I enjoyed watching people find a home they loved. Then one day, I stumbled upon Sarah's House and relished watching the process as she bought a home, envisioned it in her amazing style, gutted it and made it beautiful.

While I watched Selling New York Online the other day, I clicked on Secrets from a Stylist, since the show's host, Emily Henderson, seems quite stylish. Guess what? She is!

On her show, Emily interviews a couple that would like their space remodeled, then diagnoses what their two styles are. She then combines their styles using a layered decorating technique and changes the look - and especially the feel - of their rooms. While some of the rooms are not necessarily my style, I think she does an amazing job of pulling an eclectic look together. I would love to have that ability!

Anyway, I promise HGTV isn't paying me anything :-). I just am really enjoying it lately.

Weak

2011-04-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

While driving by a 5k race in our vehicle Friday on the way to satisfy a Chic Fil A craving, Ryan told me he would give me anything I want if I would run a 5k with him. Some shoes immediately came to mind:

The next day I decided I would rather have a nice camera and lens than a new pair of shoes, however fabulous they are. He hasn't agreed to it but I would say that's a reasonable "anything I want" gift.

Really, I guess it's asking a lot since a 5k isn't the greatest human feat imaginable. While driving past this race, I spotted an old man who could not have been younger than 85. His skin was hanging off his bones and his head hunched almost below his shoulders. He was running right along with the pack. Most all of the other runners were just normal people. Only a few looked incredibly fit. I should be able to pull something like that off, right?

You can decide for yourself but history suggests that statement is wrong. Take for example, the last time I ran a mile. I would say it was my senior year in high school and I was required to run a mile around the school track. I got around twice and began to feel nauseous. I couldn't run the entire thing.

I have countless examples of almost passing out while exercising. It even happened a few times after walking up my hill to my old home from the park or metro with my kids in the stroller. Lately, I have been getting up on Monday mornings and exercising with my friend Ali. Ali is eight months pregnant, but a pilates instructor and avid exercisor so she knows what she is doing and is quite fit. Every time we run on the treadmill, I have gotten to the point of almost passing out. And this isn't just that nauseous feeling. When I am about to pass out my ears start to ring, then I almost lose my hearing altogether. Everything sounds like it is coming from inside a deep tunnel. I don't usually stop until my vision starts to blacken. At this point, I stumble off the treadmill and find the nearest chair, where I promptly sit and drop my head between my knees. It takes a minute or two and then I regain my composure. The rest of the day I have a headache.

The second or third time this happened, Ali suggested I am missing key nutrients like iron or other vitamins...I have always been anemic. I like to think this is the problem because the alternative would be that I am seriously out of shape. Truthfully, I am not in shape, but I hate to think that I can't handle a treadmill for a few minutes without falling apart.

I am weak and, more than owning some deliriously amazing shoes or a camera so I can finally stop using my phone, I would like to be strong and resilient. I want stamina and endurance. And I wouldn't mind a bikini body either.

Maybe I shouldn't be blogging about this since my track record of going through with things that require a lot of motivation isn't great, but I think I want to run a 5k? Anyone want to join me?

$50 for $25 at G Street

2011-04-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

Speaking of G Street, Living Social has a great deal that runs out in 9 1/2 hours. I know, I should have blogged about it yesterday, but if you are in the area and want a $50 gift certificate to G Street for only $25, go here (click on the link). You can buy as many as you want so if you need to purchase a more expensive textile, like upholstery or designer fabric, you can get it all 50 percent off. Pretty awesome deal.

Feeling the handmade love

2011-04-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

Remember this? I wanted to buy this pattern for the awesome utility jacket but was too intimidated by all of intricacies of it.

And then in the mail Friday, I received this:

My beloved Aunt Wendy, who also made my wedding dress, sent me this jacket for my birthday. I wore it on our date Saturday night.

I never understood the planning and time and skill it takes to pull off something like this until I started sewing. Wendy and my own mother have made me so many things over the years and I don't think I have expressed to them how amazing it feels to receive and wear something handmade (and one-of-a-kind) from them. Thank you for all of the love and hard work and thanks, Wendy, for this fabulous surprise! (sorry about the poor photo to illustrate it)

Selling New York and wasting my time

2011-04-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

I am currently obsessing over Selling New York on HGTV. I watch it Online, so I put the kids down at night, plop down on the couch and then watch as many episodes as I can get in a row before it's time for bed. Ryan isn't as interested in this as he was in my former old-tv-program binge, Arrested Development, but I pulled him in yesterday when one episode featured country music star Clay Walker, who was looking to purchase a place in New York. According to Ryan, you can't beat 90s country, so he was interested... for a few minutes.

Anyway, the show is about realtors in New York, their clientele and the amazing spaces that they help people buy and sell. I love the show because I fantasize about owning a modern penthouse with huge windows and a private outdoor terrace in New York. In this imaginary world, I would throw dinner parties (with my chef cooking, of course) out on the terrace with amazing views of Manhattan in the background...

I have a lot of projects that I need to work on (including something to do with the fabric below. I'll post on this later), but I can't pull myself away from the screen.

Have you discovered a show recently that you feel like/are binging on?

Imagining what it's like to be street chic

2011-04-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

Staying at home with little ones all day isn't super conducive to wearing fashionable clothing. But that doesn't mean I can't imagine being in the city with heels on. One of my favorite things to follow is Elle's Street Chic blog. It documents fashion on the streets of all of the fashion hubs. The styles range from conservative and classic to bold and bizarre. Whatever the look, it is fun to see what these fashion trailblazers are sporting.

Milan: simple and structured, I love her straight coat. I also like how Street Chic captures greasy faces and all, since these people don't expect a photo shoot when they leave the house.

New York: I love anyone who can pull off electric purple pants. She does it with ease...Oh and I love her platforms.

New York: quite conservative and classic. I love her high-waisted jeans, oversized fur collar and tall tote.

Paris: I have never been to Paris, but she is how I imagine Parisiens look.

Paris: This is not just a pop of color. The amazing color of her coat is perfectly balanced by camel accessories.

Paris: I love her bag, coat and the color of her shoes. The camera feels forced to me. :-)

Milan: So can we be matchy-matchy again already? She looks so feminine and there is that fabulous color again in a warmer tone.

New York: Loving the pleats again, in metallic this time.

Do you like any of these looks?

It keeps coming back around...

2011-04-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

Today marks the first day of the last year of Ryan's 20s. I'm telling him he needs to live it up (in hopes that he includes me in his livin it up plans). Happy Birthday Ryan!

Ethan and Ruby say Happy Birthday too (sorry no photos of Ryan. We really should take more photos of ourselves)!

La Roux

2011-04-01T07:30:00.000-07:00

Ruby is cracking us up constantly. We love this girl, but sometimes have to tiptoe around her since she has a bit of an attitude. We left her with a sitter a couple of weeks ago and when we came back, she just glared at us, like she was so mad. It took about an hour to get her to even smile. She is best at glaring at other people. A kid was acting up behind us in church the other day and she stared the poor guy down.

She is obsessed with Woody and "Melmo." She thinks a lot of things are "fu-y" and when she is extra happy, she shrieks, "Yippee," which I love, but have no idea where she learned it from. She recently learned to say the "K" sound on the end of "milk" and she ends up putting it on other words too, like, "pook."

More photos from the vault

2011-03-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

I just deleted about 30 photos of a toy spiderman, taken by my four-year-old. Interest in Angry Birds and Talking Tom only lasts so long and then Ethan usually ends up finding the camera on my phone and shooting away. A lot of the photos are indecipherable or quite blurry, but some turn out and give me a good laugh. I especially loved this series of photos of Ryan and me. Our dorkiness just oozes out of them.

These were taken on Valentine's Day, but they might as well have been taken today. It is so cold tonight and I would bundle up just the same if I went out. I need Spring already!

Is it warm or cold where you are?

Flipping and flopping and wishing and washing

2011-03-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Today I laughed with an old friend about how often our personal styles change. I seriously already want to sell a couch I bought a year ago. I am actually itching to get rid of every piece of furniture in my house. I want an empty house, a clean slate. And I want to go in the opposite direction.

I have been feeling like this for a while, but it really hit me when I discovered Amber from Amber Interiors. Let's just say I have developed a bit of a blog crush... Isn't her dining room so bohemian chic? I am dying over the antique rug and the light fixture. And she created the cloud art herself.

Lately, I have really been feeling blues and corals and I feel inspired by this study she put together:

Who is this girl?!? I wish I had her vision... and that I could afford her design help.

Back to reality... and to calm Ryan's nerves about my crazy flip-flopping, I will have to wait until my next move to make any big changes and by that time, I am pretty sure I will be in love with something completely different.

G Street

2011-03-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

During the debate inside my head about whether or not I should buy the top and skirt on Monday, one little thought kept creeping into my mind. It was something my mom has said so many times: "I could make that." Of course, we all know I couldn't make that outfit. But maybe I could make a variation of it. I thought if I just got some good fabric, I could make a cute pencil skirt and a flowy, cropped dolman-sleeved top with elastic around the sleeves. I figured it couldn't be that hard, right? So on my drive home from shopping, I decided to make a little trip to G Street.

G Street is a fabric store in my area tucked away inside a strip mall anchored by a Home Depot and Barnes and Noble. Upon entrance, it looks so tiny that you are tempted to walk back out until you see the escalators in the back of the small room. If you take those escalators down, you enter into an underground world of fabrics. It's always fun to visit G Street, but my kids don't agree with that point so it's usually a very quick visit. So entering G Street sans children was like a whole new experience.

I perused and touched and smelled so many fabrics and then suddenly I saw a small navy striped stretch cotton print. I grabbed it and quickly found this airy, navy floral. Lately I am digging the navy blues and peaches and mint greens of the 80s so this was right up my ally. I figured I would need a couple of yards of each and at about $16 a yard, they would cost me about $64, which is much better than the $250 I was about to spend on the outfit earlier that day... But that outfit was already an outfit- made by someone who knew what they were doing. And it was already fabulous (plus I liked the print on the Anthro top better than this one). I came close, but again, I just couldn't get myself to purchase. I don't really trust my novice sewing skills to turn this into something cool. So I didn't :-(.

I know, lame story about nothing. Sorry. I guess I am just processing my thoughts.

But back to G Street. One of my favorite things about going to G Street is seeing these faux dresses on dress forms all over the store. On first glance, it looks like someone just sewed a dress and put it on the mannequin, but if you take a closer look, you see that someone has carefully draped fabric - still on the bolt - and painstakingly pinned it to create a temporary piece. These were a few of my favorites on this, most recent trip:

I love how everything is left on the bolt and looks like it is still under construction. Oh and that floral cotton...

Look closely to see the pinheads. Cool, huh? See, this post wasn't about nothing after all.

2011-03-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

Question: Is my blog format too wide for your screen? It is for mine, and I am wondering if I need to change some things to make it fit.

On another, much more important note, it was my birthday yesterday! Yay! I am telling you this not only to solicit late birthday wishes from all of you, but also to let you know what a great day I had yesterday. Ryan woke me up yesterday morning with a wad of cash and a promise to stay home from work. (I believe he has done this every year since we moved out here, so while it's not much of a surprise anymore, it is the best gift he could ever give me). Of course, he doesn't stay home so we can spend time together. He misses work so I can leave, by myself, and go buy things for myself, which is, without a doubt, my very favorite pastime.

Ever since having kids, I have had very little time away from home alone. And I crave being alone. So I spent my hours all by myself today sauntering around in many of my favorite stores.

On my way out to Tyson's Corner, where I began my day, I decided that I needed to buy clothes that I can wear as a mom on regular weekdays. Whenever I have a little extra cash, I usually spend it on church or date outfits, as I often gravitate toward nicer-occasion clothing. So I usually wear the same grubby things over and over again during the week.

I started out at Anthropologie and, once I had tried a few things on, I decided on these two pieces:

Yeah, not exactly everyday wear. OK, I know some fabulous people dress like this everyday... but not me. I just tried it on for fun and really fell in love with the two pieces together. I like the juxtaposition of the angular, striped skirt (which looks so much cuter in person) with the flowy floral top (I loved this on).

Don't worry, I didn't buy them. I was about to spend close to the amount I had to spend for the entire day and then I would be left with nothing else - no shorts and tees and sandals for my everyday life. I did put them on hold though...

Anyway, one of my favorite moments of the day was sitting on the bench with an order of Auntie Anne's Cinnamon Sugar Pretzelsticks and eating every single one of them. I usually have to share them with my kids so this was awesome. I ended up getting a serious stomachache later in the day from all of that sugar. Another favorite moment was taking my time at G-Street Fabrics. I'll post about that a little later.

I ended the day on a sushi date with my hubby. It was delicious and if there is anything I love more than being alone, it is being with him. He is the best.

Made my day

2011-03-18T04:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, I checked my blog to see if my last post had worked and I was shocked to find a fabulous new header at the top of my blog. Apparently last night, my sister signed into my blog and replaced it! I love it so much that I have checked my blog about 100 times today. Thanks Kenz, you made my day!

In other news, I finally downloaded some photos off of my phone onto the computer and now you all must suffer... the next few posts might be loaded with semi-fuzzy photos from the past few months.

Ruby loves to swing and she doesn't care who knows it.

Ethan trained to become a Jedi warrior at the last birthday party he attended (my friend Catherine made Jedi robes and light sabers for all the boys at the party) but if you ask him, he will tell you that he is "Dark Vader." I honestly did not tell him to pose like this for the photo.

Happy St. Patty's Day

2011-03-17T05:12:00.000-07:00

Speaking of The Smiths, they hold an annual Green Party and it is one hilarious, fun, delicious and well-decorated party. So please excuse the gratuitous photo-booth shots, but I can't help myself.

The kiddies

2011-03-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

Way back in October, our friends Jon and Melissa, took photos of the kids. I have some displayed in my home, but I have never posted them on the blog. So here are my cute kids and The Smith's amazing work:

The photo shoot also served as Ruby's one-year photo shoot, so we had to get crib shots like the ones we got of Ethan when he turned one. If I have more kids, they will get their one-year photos taken in the crib, as well. I absolutely love them.

Geometry

2011-03-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been craving angles, sharp lines and geometric patterns. My house is so curvy and feminine and I have been feeling the need to add diamonds, corners and straight lines to the mix. I feel the same way with my clothing. So this shirt stood out to me when I spied it on urbanoutfitters.com. Unfortunately, I think it is sold out, but at least it gives an idea of what I am looking for. I saved the photo and then added a few things to it to make an outfit. The metal motion necklace from Madewell echos the shapes in the shirt. I think the gathered waist trousers from Zara are super sexy and soften up the look. The leopard print ballerinas, also from Zara, are cute and I love that season after season, we continue to see animal print in fashion. I prefer it in small doses, in like a shoe or belt. Of course, I have no idea where I found the bag. I don't know why I just saved the photo. I am sure it is something I couldn't afford anyway. I like the structure to the bag and the color is perfect.

In other fashion news, my friend Morgan gets to go on an anniversary trip with her husband next weekend! She e-mailed me this morning and wondered if I know of any places in the D.C. area that are currently selling beachwear, sundresses in particular. I thought I would open that up, since I honestly haven't been to the stores in a while (that's what two kids does to you). Does anyone have any good ideas for Morgan?

Another thing that gives me goosebumps

2011-03-08T05:33:00.000-08:00

Call me strange, but I think this commercial is so beautiful. It looks pretty, but I am most in love with the words. Does anyone know where they came from? It's kind of Dr. Seussish for adults.

I'm a Chobani girl, but this kind of makes me want to give Fage a try.

The good and the really bad

2011-03-07T11:28:00.000-08:00

Currently, this is Ethan's favorite book. We checked Moonshot out from the library a few weeks ago and had to re-check it out since Ethan couldn't bear parting with it. We read it daily and then spend the following 20 minutes or so looking at the pictures and discussing how the moon landing happened.

I have to admit, I wanted to keep this book just as much as Ethan. It is so beautifully written - it's a poem (but not the rhyming kind) - I sometimes get chills when I read it. I think the goosebumps are due more to magnitude of the moon landing itself, but Brian Floca's words help illustrate how amazing the feat truly was in a way that a 4-year-old can understand (although he has about 100 questions each time we read it). The illustrations are nice too. I especially love the depictions of how large the rocket was to begin with and then how Aldrin, Armstrong and Collins came back to Earth a week later in a tiny little compartment that landed with a splash in the ocean.

The best part was that we went to the National Air and Space Museum with the kids last week and saw that exact tiny compartment (among many other amazing moon landing exhibits) in person. I have been to that museum more times than I can count and I never remember enjoying it so much. My fascination with all of this has led me to question why I studied what I did in college. Oh how I wish I would have gone into the sciences. I guess it's not too late...

And since we are talking about favorite books, I just had to mention my all-time LEAST favorite children's book and Ruby's current favorite:

This book was given to us a long time ago and when Ethan was Ruby's age he loved I Spy Little Bunnies too. I cannot figure out why it is so addictive, but Ruby brings it over to me several times a day and says "Ree! Ree!" It is the weirdest book. Just look at this page (taken from my phone).

The author throws "bubble clowns" out there like two little people dressed as clowns in the reflection of a bubble is a real, normal thing. The rest of the book follows suit in the weirdness category. The last page features a "toothbrush bunny," a stuffed bunny holding a toothbrush. I just can't figure out why she couldn't find more normal things for the kids to "spy." It's definitely the creepiest book we own... and that's saying a lot since the same bookcase in which it normally sits contains "Breaking Dawn."

The awakening and some seriously morbid conversations with a 4-year-old

2011-03-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

Every March growing up, my mom would tell us to look for buds in the trees. I'm not sure they always arrived in March (I grew up in an icebox) but the buds were a sign that Spring was coming, that after the bitter, dead winter, beautiful things could come alive again.

I walked outside yesterday to see small crimson clusters on the tree in front of my townhouse and smiled. I exclaimed to my children that there were buds on the trees and that everything was coming alive! Ethan asked what "alive" was. I sat for a second and then said, "You are alive if your heart is beating and you are breathing and moving." I obviously didn't have a clear answer. After all, trees don't really breath and all movement on their part is very, very slow. But it's like they are waking up, I said, and giving us blossoms to enjoy, no matter how short-lived they may be.

Today, Ethan asked me about death. I can't remember how the conversation started but he wanted to know what happens when we die. "Does it hurt?" Of course I said no. "Do you just get back up after you die?" I answered no again and told him that his body will be buried. I explained that his spirit will live on to the next life, in which he will learn and grow even more and then finally, when the time is right, we will all be resurrected, with our bodies. We will live again!

"So did you and Dad already die?"

"What? No."

I guess I hadn't explained it well enough. I said we will all die one day when we are really old (cross our fingers), but that won't be the end of us. We will continue on. It will be more like waking up than dying, really... kind of like the buds.

And I really hope that's true. In the meantime, I am going to brush up on both my spiritual and physical facts because, honestly, his questions are getting really hard to answer.

On a much lighter note, don't mess with these kids:

They have decided to stop smiling for the camera :-(.

They just keep coming...

2011-03-02T04:16:00.000-08:00

I know, this is overkill. I just cannot stop myself. I spend waaaay too much time on the Web looking at clothing I never buy. I might as well blog about it.

And finally there is some swim clothing out there that I can get behind! The J.Crew catalogue came in the mail today and I discovered some really fabulous options.

So here are a few more outfits for my mother's trip to Hawaii (or really, for me - to dream about good clothing and warm weather).

Clockwise from top left: Pins and Needles double layer crochet oblong scarf (I would tie this scarf on my head, covering my hair and knot it in the back so it hangs down like a ponytail in the back), J.Crew swimsuit (I went back and couldn't find this on the site. It must be sold out), Stranded beach dress, Retrovert shades, Christopher Kane sandals, Bahia hobo

After I finished this collage, I looked through the J.Crew catalogue and saw this number and thought it would look great with the above outfit as well.

Clockwise from top left: Classic straw fedora, Wildbloom ruffle underwire tank, Cutler and Gross sunglasses, Palisadoes hobo, UO deep arm-hole cover-up, Sam Edelman Gigi sandal

I think this outfit looks more like my mother than any other. She is so classy, yet very low maintenance and I think this outfit really portrays that relaxed, elegant look.

Clockwise from top left: Siberian rose scarf, Shadow stripe shirt, Pins and Needles basic straw floppy hat, I have no idea where I found these shoes. Anyone know?, At the beginning wide-legs, Washington Mews Mary-Anne tote

I can't really see my mom in those insane platforms, but I had to include them, so I added another shoe option... equally fabulous but not as crazy high.

Clockwise from top left: That's amore earrings, Beaded geometry bag, Gull wing dress, Forever cotton cardigan, Double wrap braid belt, Spectator espadrilles, Jeffrey Campbell T-strap platform heel

Showing off

2011-02-28T03:38:00.000-08:00

I am showing off today

and not just because I made such cute kids.

I also made this dress. I intended to start it about a year ago for Ruby's Easter dress LAST year. I am glad I put it off since there is no way it would have fit her at six months. I had to take off the blue ruffle (shown below in a photo taken during construction) since I am not a huge fan of long gowns on little babies and it was way too long.

Here is the pattern I used:
I sort of winged it since I had a little bit of different vision in mind than what the pattern portrayed. As with everything I handmake, don't look too close. :-)

Hawaii outfits

2011-02-24T02:07:00.000-08:00

My mom and dad have gotten into the habit of going to Hawaii every March. Each year my mom tells me that my dad won the trip. I'm starting to think my dad is either really lucky or my mom doesn't want me to feel bad that they are not inviting me to Hawaii with them. For the record, I don't feel bad. I do feel jealous.

Anyway, when my mom told me they were going earlier this month, she mentioned that she needed advice on what to wear. I love to give clothing advice (although I don't usually look like I should be giving clothing advice. One day... when I have unlimited funds and time...). So I have a few options (in a few installments) for warm climate vacation outfits. These are just ideas of what I would like to wear to Hawaii and she might have to make small tweaks to make each outfit age appropriate. But I think she could pull it all off.

Clockwise from top left: Sandpiper sierra blouse, Cooperative straw boater hat, BDG slub terry military jacket, Dot to Dot studs, Ringer bermudas, Jeffrey Campbell caprice (Ryan, I want these for my birthday... yes, I am that blatant)

Mom, I think you could wear all of these things. Ok, maybe not the hat. I love a boxy top with a fitted bottom. I would wear the jacket open. I think this outfit looks easy and fun.

Clockwise from top left: Know the ropes necklace, Extended shirt dress, Raw edge floral scarf, Cooperative canvas bucket bag, Cooperative suede t-strap sandal, Urban Renewal narrow leather belt (in any of those colors)

Mom, I like the scarf over her hair but I don't see you wearing it that way. You could wear it loosely around your neck and it would still look cute. This outfit seems so comfortable to me.

Clockwise from top left: Wink necklace, super sunglasses ciccio frames, Silk blythe blouse, Cooperative straw boater hat, Lockwood satchel, Ecote braided mini-wedge sandal, Eureka cargo skirt

Mom, I can see you wearing this entire outfit... except that hat ;-). I would like wearing all of these pink/blush shades together. The necklace is playful, yet sooo subtle.

Clockwise from top left: Spring forward hoodie, Natalie one-piece, Double bow studs, Evermore shades, Reef vero sandal, Angela Adams and Sea Bags for J.Crew pocket sail bag

For some reason I struggled finding an abundance of swimwear that I loved. I think this is quite normal for me actually, but maybe swim pieces will be easier to find (and love) in the next month or two. Until then, this works.

Hope this is to your liking, Mom. I will post again soon with more outfit ideas (clearly this is more for me than her). ;-)

Unique in no way, shape or form

2011-02-22T10:33:00.000-08:00

If you have ever gone to a party or class and were asked to introduce yourself and say something unique about yourself and you began to sweat because you had absolutely no defining characteristic or story that set you apart from anybody, believe me, I know how you feel. I am so insanely normal - especially in Mormon settings. I am a blonde stay-at-home mom with a penchant for clothing and pretty housewares and things. I like to read, shop, sew, swim and one of my favorite hobbies is to socialize. I only speak English and I am currently ignoring my children. And in this little introduction of myself, I just vaguely described about half of all Mormon mommy bloggers on the Web this very minute.

So in college I realized that I did actually have something... well let me restate that; I hadn't had something that almost everyone else I met had. I had never had a cavity. I discovered this while playing a game of "I have never," and ever since then, it's been my go-to "unique" charactistic. I know, it's not much to go off of, but it's all I've got.

Before my visit to the dentist this morning, I prepared myself for letting go of this "no-cavity" title. After all, this was my first trip to the dentist in more than three years and my first teeth cleaning in six. My teeth were scraped and sprayed and picked and when the dentist came in at the end of the (2-hour) appointment and looked at my x-rays, he told me I was still cavity free! I was elated, mainly because that meant that I wouldn't have to come back and get anything filled. But I also felt happy to still be able to tout my tenacious enamel.

Then the doctor took a look in my mouth... and ate his words.

"Ooops, you actually do have a cavity."

My heart sunk.

"It's in your wisdom tooth."

Yes, I am 26 and am still the proud owner of all four wisdom teeth. I about got them out three years ago (mentioned that appointment earlier in this post), but changed my mind (it's a long story). He found another cavity in my mouth and it was in the other top wisdom tooth. So it turns out that had I gotten those teeth taken out years ago like I should have, I would still have a perfect set of teeth.

The good in all of this is that I still do not have to have the cavities filled because I am just going to finally get my wisdom teeth pulled... next Fall... I think.

Anyway, now you know how very painfully boring all of my introductions from here on out will be.

And speaking of being different, I loved this post on Little Green Notebook, one of my very favorite blogs. Sometimes we need to just do what we love, and stop thinking about what sets us apart.

image via haikuwithteeth.com

Clinging to my fleeting job as puppetmaster...

2011-02-21T05:40:00.000-08:00

How cute and well-behaved do my children look here?

Well, it took a lot of work to get to that point, especially now that Ruby's favorite word is "no." It used to be an enthusiastic "ya!" and it was so nice to be around someone so agreeable all of the time. Things have clearly changed and it's usually not this easy to wear this obstinate girl down...

p.s. Ruby had just barely spilled cereal all over the floor. Don't judge. :-).

Ethan is four

2011-02-17T18:35:00.000-08:00

Ethan celebrated four years Tuesday with some of his favorite things: bowling and new toys. I think he said it best on our way to the bowling alley, "Fun means opening presents... and awesome means going bowling."

Growing up, I was allowed to invite my friends to my birthday parties every other year. The off years were spent with my family. I like this tradition and since we had quite the party last year, just the four of us partied at the bowling alley with Ethan this year. He didn't seem to mind at all.

Neither did she.

And he got this rad crown at school, where they had a little mini-party for him.

Can you guess what the cupcakes are supposed to be?

Ethan's first day of school... 150 days later

2011-02-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

And I am finally blogging about it :-).
Ethan began preschool in September. He has loved every day of it... at least I think so. On school days he gets ready quickly and runs right into class, so that's how I know it's not too bad. He doesn't tell me much, unlike another little girl in his class, who runs home to her mom and tells her every little detail about each kid and what they did that day. I would always ask him questions like, "What did you do today? What did you play with? Who did you play with?" I realized I was becoming redundant when he climbed into the car one day and, without me asking, said "I played with toys, cars and trucks, Noah and Simon."

I used to feel bad about this lack of information, but I am used to it by now since it has been going on for five months. I have been able to go with him and help in preschool a couple of times so I am not completely in the dark. Anyway, it seems to be a success.

Speaking of talking kids, this (found via Random Thoughts About Random Things) is hilarious:

Sidenote: Ethan looks so young in this photo. It's crazy how fast these kids grow. I will have to post more current photos soon.

Neon and Nude

2011-02-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

Shopping never disappoints me. Even if I purchase nothing, I almost always come out of my favorite stores with new images in my head of what I want (or don't want) to buy. On my last trip to the mall, there were a few pieces that jumped out at me, which was not surprising since a lot of them were neon. After seeing them, I searched the Internet looking for more brights, and I found these recent runway images:

Nina Ricci Spring 2011 collection

Christopher Kane Spring 2011 collection

Not many people can don an entire neon outfit, myself included. But I want to partake in this colorful trend. The way I think I can pull it off is by pairing my neons with neutrals and nudes. I compiled a few of my favorite brights, blushes and nude separates below, though they are not arranged in particular outfits. Click on the collages to zoom.

Clockwise from top left: Anthropologie sweater, Urban Outfitters blouse, Jimmy Choo flats, Anthropologie cardigan, J.Crew flip-flop, Christian Louboutin wedges, Anthropologie wide-leg trousers, Marc Jacobs handbag, Zara pants, Urban Outfitters oxfords

Clockwise from top left: Givenchy earrings, J.Crew tee, J.Crew blouse, pink lips, Christopher Kane sandals, Zara pants, Anthropologie wedges, J.Crew pencil skirt, J.Crew flats, Urban Outfitters oxfords

The dunes

2011-02-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is another post from August. I am just trying to catch up here in my own way (slowly). Anyway, one of my favorite activities from our end-of-summer Outer Banks trip, was playing at the sand dunes. I haven't had that much fun in a long time. It was so worth finding sand in odd places for a few following days. :-)

In a blunder of Elaine Bennis Christmas card proportions, I posted a photo here of me crashing that turned out to be a little risque, though naively so. Thanks to a friend, who clicked on said photo and realized it showed a little more than she bargained for, I was alerted and I deleted the photo from the post. I apologize, if you too, zoomed in on the photo and saw a little too much of me. I guess I should examine my own photos a little more before I let the world see them. ;-O

Outfit #3

2011-02-01T17:12:00.000-08:00

I am a fan of the pleated pant, but if you are like me and you feel a little hippy (larger in the hip area), pleats can make you feel even bigger. A nice way to combat that is to wear a very high heel, making your legs look longer. I am not even sure where I found this shoe but I think the platform T-strap would look cute with an ankle pant like this pair from Zara. A boxy top like this one from Anthropologie or a floral pattern would add movement to the look. And I really like this breezy jacket, also from Anthropologie. But my favorite part of this outfit is the Kate Spade cuff. Love it.

Wishing I was in The Outer Banks

2011-01-28T13:57:00.000-08:00

It's snowing outside today and it took me about 30 minutes to clean off my windshield this morning after our heavy snow storm two days ago (lesson learned: don't wait two days to clean the wet snow off your car in January because it will freeze and turn to ice). So I have been cold all day long.

Since I am trying to blog a little bit more ;-), I have been going through our photos from the few previous months. I happened upon these ones from Labor Day weekend and the memory of the warm sand on my feet is helping me thaw out a bit.

We were able to rent a house for half a week with three other families and had an amazing time. Oh what I would give to sit on the beach in the company of good friends right now...

photos taken by Jon and Melissa Smith (second family from the left in the top photo).

Put A Bird On It

2011-01-27T05:53:00.000-08:00

I saw this on Design*Sponge this morning and laughed hard. If you fell as hard for the bird trend as I did, you will too :-).

New York outfit #2

2011-01-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

Simple knit maxi dresses and skirts are my new favorite trend. I wore one a few Sundays ago and was more comfortable than I have ever been at church. This is a good thing since my new job at church is the nursery song leader. I am serious. Best calling ever... but it requires a lot of sitting on the ground and getting up and down - "Wheels on the Bus" style. So long skirts are a must for me. Those kids should be thanking me.

I used this latest must-have in my second outfit idea for a trip to New York. I thought this would be a cute and comfy day outfit. And the dress is from Forever21 so it is really inexpensive! There are some at Anthropologie that are nice but cost quite a bit more. I would choose to spend less on the dress so I could spend more on my accesssories (hello, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag and Anthropologie booties). I love a big cocoon sweater on top like this one from Piperlime. You could wear the skinny belt on the outside for a more put together look, but I would choose to belt it inside of the sweater for a more youthful look (lack of sleep is really starting to age me :-).

If I had somewhere cool to go...

2011-01-20T16:43:00.000-08:00

My girlfriend, Lindi, has been in New York City all week, as a guest of Martha Stewart. I am not kidding. She was invited as one of 50 small business owners to attend a little conference, a taping of the show and meet the homemaking queen herself. Lindi has had so much success with her new business, Love The Day, and she is such a talented, hardworking woman.

In preparation for her trip, Lindi asked me to come up with ideas for what she should wear. In true Megan fashion, I put this task off and I ended up not getting any ideas to her before she went shopping. But I came up with what I would wear to a cocktail party anyway :-). I started with the Urban Outfitters skirt. I saw this in early December and wished that I had somewhere nice to wear it. I love the soft, gold overlay. And it's on sale right now! I would top it with a velvet fitted blazer, like this one from Zara, belted by something blingy, like this belt from J.Crew. I like a small, hard clutch with a long shoulder chain (not sure where I found that) and a pink/lilacish shoe with a little bling from Anthropologie.

As Mormon girls, we have to wear something that reaches our knees and with at least a cap sleeve, so sometimes dressing for a semi-formal event is difficult. There are some modest dress options out there at Mormon-based businesses, but sometimes those cute little short-sleeved dresses make me feel like a little girl. And an LBD wanders into funeral attire territory when it is long and has sleeves. It's a lot of black and not so little anymore. So, I think the blazer (with a deep-V... well as deep as us Molly Mormons can get) helps the playful skirt feel mature, while adding layers to make a complete look.

My six full nights of sleep

2011-01-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

About a week and a half after our move in August, Ryan and I took off. We were in need of a break... and some sleep. I hate to admit this, but Ruby is 15 months old now and still wakes up several times a night. We don't feed her or anything, but she is in a rotten habit of waking up and crying back to sleep isn't possible at the moment (this deserves its own whiny post). So anyway, we needed to get away and decided to go to Puerto Rico. And we loved it!

There were lots of historic sites to see, like old Spanish forts

And these fabulous blue cobblestone streets surrounded by colorful buildings. We enjoyed the beauty of El Yunque, the rainforest

and we had our own little "Lost" moment when we took the wrong path and ended up a couple hours off-schedule and down the wrong side of the mountain. We even stumbled upon a little Dharma Initiative-esque establishment. The best part is that we were lost and we knew it, but we just laughed about it the entire time. There was no one counting on us and we were on our own schedule. That was the theme of the entire trip. We did whatever we wanted! Only parents will understand how amazingly insane that is. We ended up finding civilization again... and our rental car. So we made our way down to a waterfall. We had hoped to hike to another waterfall and actually swim, but we were too pooped after spending hours on our feet trying to find our way.Overall, not a bad trip ;-). We went to two movies (and developed strong opinions about the Puerto Rican movie-going crowd) and swam around but mainly just slept and relaxed ate really good food. I strongly encourage anyone with kids to do this!

Special shout-out to my Mom, who dropped all that she had on her plate at home in Utah to watch the kids all week. We will always be in her debt. :-)

The move

2010-10-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

So I haven't figured out the couch situation yet. Thanks to many of you, I have several great options. Now I just need to commit...

In other news, we had a very busy summer and I am going to try to document some of it. Today I will talk about the move. I had been itching to move out of our second-floor apartment since about the time we moved in there almost four years ago. We finally jumped ship and we are so happy we did. We moved to a small community called Fairlington, which is actually a historic landmark. At the beginning of World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked architects to design these townhomes in order to house Pentagon defense workers. Because of its designation as a historic district, very little change has been made to the exteriors of the townhomes in this community and there is bountiful open space in the middle of the otherwise crowded cities of Arlington and Alexandria. It's quaint and quiet and yet we are just five minutes out of downtown Washington, D.C.

And I loved the idea of having an outdoor space...
... I know you people with backyards are laughing out loud right now, but you have no idea how cramped I have felt the last few years. There aren't many backyards (OK, affordable ones) here but we have a patio! And there are lots of shared grassy places outside of the fence :-). All we really needed was a place to eat ice cream and get really messy.

Ruby is 1!

2010-10-05T04:30:00.000-07:00

photo by Jon and Melissa Photography

At exactly 4:30 a.m. a year ago, a deep pain in my lower back and abdomen roused me from my sleep and I turned to Ryan and said, "I think this is it." I wasn't positive that this - Ruby's birth - was really actually happening since it was my first painful contraction and I had never experienced spontaneous labor before (Ethan was induced). I waited and about 10 minutes later, I had another contraction. I told Ryan to get up while I went to call the answering service for my doctor to let them know that little Ruby was on her way.

Five weeks earlier at a regular doctor's visit, the nurse practitioner was almost finished with my appointment when I asked her if she could check if I had dilated at all. She said they don't normally check this early, but... sure, why not? She did and discovered that I was already at a 3. They sent me to labor and delivery to get a stress test, where I found out that I was having contractions five minutes apart... only I couldn't feel them at all.

I was given some medication to slow things down and told to take it easy at home and stop lifting my 2 1/2-year-old. I didn't touch the medication but I was more than happy to hang out on the couch :-). At the next week's appointment, I was told I was at a 4 and that I needed to be on true bed rest for a week. They said the baby would probably be fine if she came that early, but would most likely have to live in the neonatal intensive care unit for a week. I wanted to avoid that at all costs so I listened to their advice and took another week off - thanks to my wonderful husband and friends, who took Ethan without me even asking, brought me delicious dinners and came to just hang out. One girlfriend brought a Ricki Lake documentary about natural childbirth over to watch. I laughed at her, but after watching it, thought I should probably learn how to breath through contractions because I had the feeling that my labor would go so fast that I wouldn't be able to get an epidural.

At three weeks until Ruby's due date (Oct. 8), I was off bed rest and at the park every day. I went on walks and lifted my child and danced around like I normally do. I was told I was at a "4 to 5" (factoring in the diameter of the pinky, maybe?) and I should have this baby "any day now." Every day I woke up without any plans. I prayed every night that I wouldn't go into labor but woke up every morning feeling disappointed that I hadn't.

Normally, a woman in labor is told to stay home until her contractions are regular and occur between 3 to 5 minutes apart. But those two hard contractions 10 minutes apart in the very early morning hours of Oct. 5 2009, were enough to get me out of bed and on the way to the hospital. Since I was already basically halfway through labor, my doctor told me to go to the hospital if I had any painful contractions at all.

So I called our neighbors to come stay on our couch and watch Ethan. My contractions were coming 3 minutes apart as Ryan took a shower and I got everything together. We left the house at about 5:15 a.m. As we started going, my contractions slowed and I thought maybe we should turn around and go back home. I dismissed the thought, feeling too embarrassed after waking my poor neighbors up. Ryan suggested we stop and get gas on our way since the little arm on the gas meter was like 1/4-inch below empty. Luckily, there were no gas stations along the way (and fumes ended up being enough to get us there).

We got to the hospital at about 5:30 a.m. and moseyed our way on up to labor and delivery. I stopped at several places and fell to my knees to labor through a few contractions (they were back with a vengence). I filled out my forms, changed into my gown and by 5:45-ish was lying on the table crying for an epidural. At about 5:55, my water broke. Dr. Meta, the most beautiful older woman I have ever seen, came in and checked me at the same time the anesthesiologist walked in. She turned to him and shook her head. I couldn't hear her but I watched the anesthesiologist walk backward out the door saying, "I'm sorry."

At that point, I just knew I needed to push and I must do it without medication. I was kind of excited to try. And then a contraction forked through my body and took over my determination. It's all a blurry memory to me, but Ryan said I screamed like I was being stabbed. The nurse told me to turn that scream into a push. I did and after about three pushes, Ruby came into this world at 6:04 a.m.

Her speedy delivery might have been an early indication of her personality. She is fiesty and fun and does not like to wait :-). She knows how to defend herself from her 3-year-old brother and is very good at fake crying and getting him in trouble. One of her hobbies is standing on my lap and trying to pull my eyelashes out. All joking aside, she is also really sweet and is constantly giving loves and cooing. She adores her binky and blankey and has a lot to say. Her babble of choice is "tickle-lickle-lickle" and she says a few words like "baby," "ball," "bye-bye," "momma," and "dadda." She loves peek-a-boo and talking on the phone. She stands up easily without pulling herself up but has only taken one step alone. Sometimes she starts dancing spontaneously in the shopping cart to the store music.

And today she is 1! We love her and feel so lucky to have our little Rubster.

This picky girl needs options!

2010-08-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that I have finally moved out of my two-bedroom second-floor apartment to a bigger - albeit not by much - place! I now have a basement in which to stick my loooovely brown microsuede couch! As long as it clears the narrow stairway, that baby will be out of plain sight and comfortably situated in the man room downstairs, which makes me very happy. This brings me to my next point: I need to get another sofa to replace it. I know, I should be so joyful. My only issue is that the couch I want is this one:
And purchasing that one would put me out around $2,600. Sadly, I can't spend that much on a sofa and even if I could, I would be stupid buying it anyway as I have two very fabulous small children with sticky hands and snotty noses.

I need a less expensive option. Anyone know where I can find a sofa that has this sort of look but costs less than $1,000?

A beach is a beach to me

2010-07-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

Every summer my family heads up to a small body of water in the northern Utah mountains called Bear Lake. Since it is at a high-altitude and consists mostly of snow run-off, Bear Lake is usually pretty chilly - even in mid-July. This was the case a week ago when my family reunioned there without me. I called my mom and she said she was sitting on the beach freezing. It's cold and you usually don't leave Bear Lake without a sunburn. We always say that it's just too close to the sun. I'm sure it has more to do with the fact that you don't apply sunscreen because you don't feel like you can get sunburned when your teeth are chattering.

Despite this less-than-perfect beach situation, Bear Lake is one of my favorite summer destinations because I have so many great memories there of good times with both my family and friends. I was sad to miss out on the tradition this year but our little family has come up with a beach tradition of our own, though at a beach much different from Bear Lake.

Each summer we face the risk of getting poked by a needle in the sand and head to the closest beach to us in Ocean City, Maryland. Our local friends wonder why we would want to go to such a trashy place. Yes, it's true that Ocean City ranks highest in hotel filth and features more naked lady tattooes on fat, tanned-to-brown biceps than any other place in the world. I'll admit, that's part of the allure for me. I am a champion people watcher and there are plenty of interesting people to see there. And it's not like we are anywhere near the Jersey Shore-esque bar scene. We just go with friends and enjoy the warm sand, boogey board on the rough waves and watch our children have the times of their lives. We went a couple of weeks ago to do just that.

Only, it was strange because it was really windy and we were cold! It was sort of a bizarro world as typically wave-terrified Ethan got in the water (and loved it) and the rest of us just sat in the sand and shivered. No one even swam.

But, just like my old family tradition in Bear Lake, I didn't need hot temperatures to have fun. The people-watching was superb. And the kids didn't complain once.

Bookmarked for hopefully-not-too-far-in-the-future reference

2010-07-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

You have probably seen this apartment before as photos of it have graced design blogs for a few years now. I have had links to these photos of Kate Spade's place bookmarked on my computer in hopes that one day I will have a space of my own (and a leeetle bit more money) to decorate like this one.

I often define my design style (what very little there is) as ecclectic and I guess I sort of say that because I like so many different styles and I always want to put them all together - in the same space. Ha! So I loved seeing the classic shapes mixed with more modern textiles (I want that headboard!) and art. And I have been searching for a mid-century modern dining set like that since I discovered Craigslist.

Oh, and the stripes - don't you love all of the stripe accents?

The Fourth

2010-07-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

If you know me at all, you know that I am obsessed with fireworks. I love to sit underneath them and absorb the vibration in my chest when they burst. I want to watch them fan out and to feel like they are going to sprinkle down on top of me. We were able to get a good, close view of them last year when we took my sister and her family down to the National Mall to watch them. I was pregnant then and the bathroom situation wasn't exactly ideal (and by un-ideal I mean a 30 minute wait for a Port-a-Potty sans toilet paper). Since we have a recently potty-trained kid with us, we decided to stay closer to home and are fortunate to have a great look-out point just a couple of blocks from our apartment. We had an amazing spot, but had to be there early to save it (and sweat it out in 90 + degree weather). The kids got a little restless...

Luckily, we were there with fun friends. These two are such good buddies. We all watched the traffic on I-395 slow. Soon, the cars in each lane stopped moving and then people got out of their cars to watch fireworks. It's pretty amazing to see such a huge freeway at a complete standstill, abandoned cars (well, for the moment) and all.

Of course, our amazing spot got taken over by complete strangers. We still had a pretty great view (better than this photo portrays).

We watched for a while and all seemed OK and then both children started crying at the same time. I sent Ryan home with the kids and stayed to watch the finale. He knows how much I love fireworks.

p.s. I don't choose what Google advertises on the side of my blog so don't judge me that right now, there is an advertisement for "Elephant Dung Collector." I almost feel like clicking on the link...

Perfecting the crawl

2010-07-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

Love this girl

A way to keep busy indoors (and another reason to put off cleaning your house)

2010-07-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

It is around 100 degrees outside right now (go ahead, roll your eyes, Las Vegas family members) and I decided that we would spend our time indoors today. This is strange for me, as we are at the park almost every morning. We hit up the fabric store instead of the park today. As I thumbed through the patterns, I happened upon these cute ones and bought this first one:

I'm hoping to make two dresses out of that pattern. I didn't buy the second pattern, but isn't that jacket cute? It is so detailed and I worry if I made it, it would look homemade since I am such a novice sewer. But if this heat keeps up, I'll be a pro in no time.

Another skirt, another post

2010-07-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

Guest blogging about my second solo clothes-sewing experience over at Aunt Spicy's today.

Let's talk feelings

2010-06-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

This guy is finished with school. And barring any future itch to get a doctorate, he is finished forever. Friday night, when he came home from his last class, he was a changed man. His voice even sounded different.

I feel a little different too. I have been pretty burnt out lately. Yesterday morning I got up and realized that I might actually be able to make it through the day without a major breakdown because I had something to look forward to: Ryan would come home from work that night, the next night and, I guess, the rest of our nights and he would stay home. No more eating and running. No more night school! I feel like we have him all to ourselves now and that feels amazing.

In other news, a couple of these spies were arrested in a building about a block away and I would love to find out in which park these money exchanges took place. It's all very exciting ;-).

Update

2010-06-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

This kid is currently obsessed with all things Toy Story. He is working toward getting life-sized Woody and Buzz, both of which are currently sitting on the top shelf in my closet. To get Woody down he must participate (don't bug mom) in quiet time for one hour each day for one month. For Buzz, he must sleep the entire night in his own bed for 30 nights. Ethan has a nasty little habit of sneeking into our room at night and climbing into bed with us. We don't seem to notice until I am awakened by Ethan's knobby knees jabbing into my back or by sore muscles which have been unconsiously flexing in order to stay on the bed since the 3-year-old is sprawled out in my spot. I usually wake up in the morning angry when this happens and the rest of the day my mood seems to follow suit. So I bought the toys with him in the cart, let him push the lazor on Buzz's arm all the way home for Target, and then stuck them up in the closet where he can see them (and he goes into my room at least 10 times a day to get a look).

I'm pretty sure I'm a genius because he has now slept in his bed all night for six nights in a row (and we won't mention everything else I have tried to keep him there for the last several months)!

Ethan has become quite the golfer, a product of Ryan's secret plan to have a golfing partner for the rest of his life. I think it's working since every day Ethan tells Ryan they need to "go hit balls at the ranger." This morning Ryan told him that if he took a nap today they could go tonight. He is fast asleep on the couch as I type.
This girl is crawling and we are so happy! For most moms I talk to, crawling is a trial. "That's when it really gets hard," they say, or "it's just so exhausting when they start to crawl." I don't get it. A mobile baby is a happy baby. She just crawls around and gets what she wants instead of whining and crying for something.

She is so happy and funny. Yesterday I let her drink water out of my cup. Of course it spilled all over her. To my surprise, she thought it was so funny and just giggled and giggled. She's kind of wild and loves be thrown up, bounced or hung upside down.

She thinks Ethan is the funniest kid until he gets within a foot of her and then she starts growling and batting her arms in self-defense. Ethan often comes out with scratches on his face but he doesn't complain because he knows he's not supposed to provoke her.

Unfortunately, she takes after me in the stuck-up baby department. She will not go to anyone but me, Ryan and her uncle Rob. She becomes unglued if we are around other people and I am out of her sight for even a second. Apparently I was glued to my mom's hip as a baby too. Sadly, my first word was "don't," and I used that word if people even dared to look at me. We're working on it and hoping to make her become a friendly baby. :-)

And now to work up the motivation...

2010-06-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

I picked up the finished quilt squares yesterday. Aren't the colors and patterns beautiful?

Huge thanks to the woman who started it all, Aunt Spicy. She went above and beyond her role as organizer in so many ways and even made us all these cute hanging hearts out of some of the fabric. Unfortunately, she will no longer be sending out regularly scheduled reminder e-mails to finish quilting.

I don't know what I will do without a deadline. OK, really, I know exactly what I won't do.

The wrong time to visit our nation's capital

2010-06-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Temperatures are going to be well into the 90s (with smothering humidity mixed in here and there) every day this week.

My suggestion?

Find a fountain and stick your feet in.

Hairthings for the confident

2010-06-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

So you probably won't ever catch me donning one of these... um... hairthings. But that doesn't mean that I don't think they are amazing. Because these pieces are playful and, in a weird way, fabulous. I would love to meet the girl who does have the guts (and bone structure) to wear them.

Zara Carpenter is Etsy's featured seller today and I love these images - especially the top one.

Six years ago we were doing this...

2010-06-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

... walking across a street in wedding attire.

One of these things is not like the others

2010-06-14T04:52:00.000-07:00

I am a textbook procrastinator participating in a quilt block exchange with a bunch of organized, high-functioning perfectionists. I know at least 19 of the 20 other women involved in this exchange are like this (maybe a little bit Type A? You know, they probably have designated spots in their homes for things like hair elastics and paperclips) because yesterday I received an e-mail listing each gal who was finished with her quilt squares. There were 19 who were done. And there were still two days left until the fabric squares are due!

Of course, I was one of the two dilly-dalliers who isn't quite done. Before reading through the list, I guessed the other person who was probably still sewing and I was right (you know who you are, and I love you). I can't speak for her, but I am maybe not the most motivated person, a fact that made me question why I joined this exchange in the first place. But I have definitely enjoyed piecing these squares together and working with (and smelling and feeling) the beautiful fabric. Also, it will be neat to have a quilt made by a group of such amazing friends - new and old. And - for anyone reading this post who is involved in the exchange - I am extremely close to the end and will finish before tomorrow's deadline ;-).

Found:

2010-06-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

a pair of lightly worn black leather oxfords at a secret little thrift shop (shout out to Mystique). sort of wishing they were either patent leather or brown but can't complain because I paid $3. still working up the courage to wear them.

modeled on Ethan :-).

The Shirtain

2010-06-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

shirt

curtain
=
The Shirtain

I have waaaaay too much time on my hands.

Swimming season begins

2010-06-09T16:54:00.000-07:00

Other randoms:

If I could choose what my voice sounded like, I would make sure to sing like her.

I enjoyed reading this very short post on my cousin Nic's blog. He describes an ordinary dilemma beautifully.