My Trash and Treasure

springfield, mo

2012-05-29T08:42:00.000-05:00

Brian had a 4 day weekend (more like 3 1/2, but that's the Army for you). So that meant one thing. Well, maybe more than one thing. But it DID mean that we'd be going on an adventure! So we decided to take a day trip out to Springfield. I got some last minute advice from a couple former locals on what to see and do. Brian and I got the car packed up the night before- which NEVER happens, so we were pretty much ready to hit the road once the littles woke up. First we headed to the historic district, perused a farmers market, and took in the architecture that all old downtowns in a America have.

And that was when Fletcher spotted a train yard down an alleyway. And so of course we gave into spending a chunk of time looking at train cars.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. My husband is 12. He not ONLY pointed out this sign, but INSISTED I take a picture. We're also super responsible parents and let our littles stand up on a train car. At least it wasn't connected to a moving train or anything, right? Fletcher loved it and we had to DRAG him away. The day was heating up to be a scorcher, so we ducked into a coffee shop to cool down. Fletcher was pleased that he could watch the trains come and go through the back window of the coffee shop.

It's out of focus, but the sign below the menu said "Decaffeinated coffee is kind of like kissing your sister." Ha! We had a good chuckle at that one. After we cooled down, it was mama's turn to spend a chunk of time at Red Velvet, which was right next door. It's a great vintage shop, carefully curated, and full of fun things to see. They had the most lovely little collection of darling little girl dresses.

I did get one treasure- a sweet capelet that I won't be wearing anytime soon in this heat! After my little shopping trip, it was Brian's turn. We found out there was a classic car show last weekend, so we headed that way. We all started melting pretty much instantly. Poor Brian. He was trying to look at all the cool old cars, and the rest of us were a whiny, sweaty mess. Fletcher perked up when he laid eyes on "Mater."

But then the littles hunkered down in a patch of shade and refused to get up. So we did one last mini-lap on the way back to our car. It was hot, hot, HOT. And somewhere on those fairgrounds I lost one of my favorite turquoise necklaces. Sad. We all needed a cool-down and something to eat, so we headed to Aviary for a late lunch. Such a great recommendation from Rachel! They have really delicious crepes, and there were so many fun things for the littles to look and marvel at. I wish I had taken in my camera, but you can see a glimpse below from our instagrams, bottom right.

We had lots more we wanted to see and check out, but the littles were toast at this point. So we packed it in, and drove past the Pythian Castle, as promised to Fletcher. He has a thing for castles, apparently.

We all had fun despite the heat, and I'm looking forward to spending a little more time there again. It's a fun little city that seems to have lots of little gems sprinkled through it. We spent the rest of the weekend in the pool, trying to beat this heat!

How was your Memorial Day weekend?

Memorial Day

2012-05-28T09:40:00.001-05:00

MAJ William Hecker
CPT Christopher Petty
SFC Stephen J. White
SGT Johnny J. Peralez, Jr.
PVT Robbie M. Mariano

Thank you. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten. Your family's sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Thank you to the thousands more that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for my country and my freedom.

banana + blueberry popsicles

2012-05-25T09:46:00.000-05:00

I don't know about where you are, but where we are, it's already hot as blazes! So the cure for any hot and humid day is a popsicle. Well, really the cure is air conditioning and a pool, but a popsicle can really help. My mom recently passed down the popsicle molds she used when I was a child, so now I'm inspired to create all sorts of popsicles. I'm sensing a summer recipe theme here, people. If you'd like to try your hand at these tasty frozen treats, you'll need the following.

2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup yogurt (I used plain greek yogurt)
2 T honey
juice of 1/2 a lemon
popsicle molds (or paper cups with popsicle sticks)
makes 8 popsicles

Combine your ingredients in your blender, or use your immersion blender if you have one.

And blend it all together.

Pour into your molds or cups evenly.

Set in freezer. I froze mine overnight. Run the popsicles briefly under hot water, and they should pop right out!

So so easy, and so so yummy. Enjoy!

feeding fish

2012-05-24T08:06:00.001-05:00

We found this really beautiful park recently that has a natural spring. It is also a rainbow trout hatchery, so you can feed the fish. Which the littles adore. These fish are voracious eaters, and do amazing leaps and wriggles just to get to the food that gets thrown in. So that's fun to watch. The scenery is gorgeous, and there are a couple of waterfalls to top it all off. Not to mention the incredible turquoise waters of the spring, where it is so clear you can see straight to the bottom. It's a treasure! If you're ever in the middle of nowhere Missouri, check out Maramec Spring Park. There's even a pretty interesting museum, too.

But the littles mostly wanted to just feed the fish.

But my favorite was the waterfalls.

But the spring was pretty gorgeous, too.

Can you see the fish in the pictures above? Amazing. You can also see them wrestle in the picture below.

It's a beautiful place to while away a morning, and then end with a picnic.

a bit of green

2012-05-23T08:27:00.000-05:00

I finished many little projects while my parents were visiting. One was planting all the veggies and herbs that Brian and the littles got me for Mother's Day. My mom actually helped with these, too.

I'm doing all container gardening this year. Between the deer, rabbits, moles, bobcats(!) and birds, our yard has more woodland creatures than a Disney movie. I figure the safest bet for my herbs and vegetables are to be high up on the deck near the house. We'll see.

I have already used the herbs in pretty much everything I've cooked since planting them. I've even thrown some into a drink! This is my first time with eggplant and leeks. I'll try not to kill them. I love to have gardens and flowers, but I'm not always spot on with maintenance. Here's hoping for a greenish thumb this year!

diy decorated letter

2012-05-22T08:20:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite books growing up was Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things that Go. I loved, loved looking for Goldbug on each page, and it was well worn by the time I was out of childhood. And when I passed it along to Fletcher, it couldn't take the extreme love he had for it, too. Not that he was too brutal with it, but it just got well used. This past Christmas we gave him a new one and retired my old book. I've kept it around thinking I'd come up with something, and well, I did!

A decorated letter "F" to hang in Fletcher's room. This is a super easy, quick project to do. If you have about a half an hour of free time, you can whip one of these out, too!

All you'll need is:
1. Mod Podge
2. a craft knife (I'm using this one)
3. a brush or foam brush
4. letter of your choice (mine is pressboard)
5. a well worn book

First rip strips out of your book. I chose the images that I knew Fletcher loved best.

Now start brushing your Mod Podge on in a thin coat on the back side of your strips.

Working with one strip at a time, start covering your letter, overlapping the strips.

Cover the entire letter, pressing down firmly where the strips meet the letter. Make sure to smooth out any bubbles.

Flip your letter over onto a safe cutting surface.

Using your craft knife, cut away at the negative space around the letter, cutting as close to the edge as possible. This is why a swiveling blade comes in handy!

When you're finished cutting, flip her back over and brush on a coat or two of Mod Podge.

Let it dry completely, and that's all there is! Except now you have to figure out where to hang it. This little project gave me a good kick start to put up all of Fletcher's pictures.

I think it fits right in, and more importantly- Fletcher loves it! He pointed out all his favorite pictures and named what they were.

{clockwise from letter F: Arian Armstrong print, picture of my dad as a child- Fletcher's namesake, a frog poem plaque Brian's grandma made when he was a child, Winnie the Pooh painting by my uncle, Fletcher name plaque picked up at a fair, Lionel tin plaque thrifted}

life lately

2012-05-21T09:36:00.000-05:00

1. Rowan can dish it out, but she can't take it! 2. beautiful park we found and are enjoying lately! 3. almost got this book while thrifting, but I already do a LOT of cooking with cheese. 4. this one jumped into my cart, though, since we love Gyo Fujikawa. 5. pie! 6. we took a whole strawberry rhubarb pie home, and it was a good decision.

My parents are leaving to go back home today. Sad. We had a great time with them, and the littles just LOVE having their Gigi and Bop around. But they'll be back soon, it's not that far!

1. looking for bugs and sitting like a lady. 2. felling some mighty bamboo for a trellis diy. 3. dressed up for Sunday. 4. cuddling with Papa.
The pictures at the very top are from my cell phone, so pardon their not so greatness. True story- I have THE only smart phone out there that doesn't support instagram. I do it occasionally on Brian's phone, but I don't have it handy for myself. So if you follow me on instagram, I'm sorry for the intermittent pictures. But trust me, I steal Brian's phone as much as possible! And above are just a few from over the weekend.

We played, planted, shopped, and swam while my parents were here, and we had a great time. My mom and I did some power thrifting and found GREAT treasure. In fact, I think I'm heading back today for a big ol' armoire that will suit our mudroom needs. We reveled in having Brian back home after 5 days in the field. Fletcher is getting enrolled into preschool this week *sniff, sniff* and I'll be signing the littles both up for some swimming classes.

How was your weekend?

watermelon basil cooler {the back deck}

2012-05-18T09:04:00.004-05:00

This is a super refreshing summery drink that my mom and I just made up last night! She started with a basic watermelon + vodka + ice cooler mixture, and then we dreamed up whatever else we thought would be tasty in the drink. Lime? Good. Frozen berries? Better. Basil? De-vine. I have dubbed it "The Back Deck" because that's where we went to drink it right down! I love it when my parents come to visit. If you'd like to make your own summery drink cooler you'll need these ingredients.

2 cups chopped fresh watermelon
1 cup frozen berries (your choice!)
1 lime, peeled and chopped
4 large basil leaves
1 to 2 cups crushed ice
4 shots of vodka
1 to 2 cups ginger ale
serves 4

Blend together your watermelon, berries, lime, and basil.

My mom is using my immersion blender here, but you can use a regular blender, of course! Sorry this is blurry, but my mom just would NOT stay still. She so does not get the whole staging a picture for the blog thing.

Now add in your vodka. My mom also did not want to actually measure the vodka. But for the blog, mom! The blog!

And then your ice. We blended the ice into it, but you could leave it crushed.

Pour your mixture into a glass, leaving it half empty. Or half full if you're an optimist. Now finish filling your glass with ginger ale.

If you have a back deck, or porch, or sunroom, take your glass out and enjoy!

Bottoms up!

and there's more

2012-05-17T08:10:00.000-05:00

More pictures of my children. I'm so very sorry, but I can't NOT share pictures of Rowan's birthday celebrations. Her grandmothers would be appalled. APPALLED. Plus I have not a one other picture to share with you, since as I explained in my last post, I have no babysitter here yet. Hence I spend every. waking. hour. with my littles. But! I have condensed the insane amount of pictures into (mostly) collages for your viewing pleasure! We (I) aim to please here at My Trash and Treasure. Always thinking of our (my) lovely readers.

Here we go. This would be the present portion of Rowan's birthday celebration. We love our Radio Flyer products around here. And Dr. Seuss. And bubbles. And we apparently feel mediocre about Candy Land. But we played anyway.

And here is the cake I did not bake from scratch, but very lovingly decorated myself. It's a bit shaky, but hey, it's a flowering vine, so it kind of blends in.

And Rowan didn't seem to mind.

After blowing out the candle, she'd say, "Again!" So we re-lit the candle and sang Happy Birthday about 3 times. Anything for the birthday girl!

And the next day while she was still dressed up after church, I took the opportunity to do a little 2 year old photo shoot.

She was adorably herself in all the photos, including breaking out into a dance, and rolling around a bit in the grass. But I think this one is my favorite!

{super cute vintage sailor dress nabbed at fuzzymama}

Thanks for hanging in there, friends.

night out

2012-05-15T09:37:00.000-05:00

I am having a really really hard time finding a babysitter around here. Which you would think is weird since we live in a college town. But no. We lucked out with a wonderful babysitter in South Carolina (hi, Allison!), and left behind our super Annie back in Illinois. They were both amazing. And I wish I could ship them to us. right. now. So I haven't gotten much extra done for myself (meaning- no diy here lately) and Brian and I have not really gone out together except when family is visiting. So we don't have much of a choice but make it family nights out when we feel like having a date.

Our town just had a mini-festival in its downtown area last Friday evening, so we all packed up to join in the fun. It wasn't much more than the shops having little open houses, but there was quite a few little bands playing live music on the sidewalks. And there is nothing we enjoy more than a good dance party. I swear, my littles hear music at the grocery store and start grooving. Never mind that we were the ONLY ones dancing to the music, we had fun! And I think we entertained quite a few people, too.

I know. The kid has moves you have NEVER seen! I don't know where he learned his dance moves, but they are unique.

We had a great time. But when Rowan grabbed the sign pole to dance, we knew it was time to go.

We don't want to encourage any sort of pole dancing. So we went out for a quick bite at a local brewery, where the littles were frighteningly good. I drank a beer that tasted like bananas. It was weird, but tasty. The littles ate well, and I was the only casualty of the evening with a Sprite poured all over my legs. Nothing like a cold and sticky drink all over your lap to make you feel alive! Wheee!

And Brian and I picked up a belated anniversary present to ourselves. We do traditional gifts, and the 9 year anniversary gift is pottery. We had decided to pick out something together, and when I saw this owl, I knew I had to talk Brian into it.

He agreed. And not even reluctantly! There's a reason we're still married after 9 years.

a mother's day

2012-05-14T09:38:00.001-05:00

I hope that all mothers had a great day yesterday! Mine was perfect. It started with a bagel, coffee, and cards in bed. We went to mass, and the littles were pretty good. When we got home, Brian whipped up a huge brunch, and we all feasted. The rest of the day included some reading, a nap, and just enjoying my little family. Brian and the littles got me a huge plat of herbs and veggies to plant, so now I have my work cut out for me! I missed spending the day with my own mama, but at least this way I wasn't "outranked" and I got to bask in being the only mama around. I did send my mom a corsage from Sugarfield Flowers, and she wore it proudly, and beautifully.

And now I'm so excited to be having both my parents come and stay this week! Which is great. Because I have this huge plat of herbs and veggies to plant...

2 years old

2012-05-11T08:58:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow! Already. Rowan is turning 2. I feel like she was *just* born. I really do. But here she is, walking, talking, and expressing her own opinions. Loudly. She is a tiny dynamo, and not a baby anymore at all.

{Rowan Catherine 5/12/10}

She was all cheeks when she was born. And the sweetest baby ever. She still has her cheeks, and she can still be sweet. When she wants to be!

Rowan can be so loving, and so challenging, all at once. She's a blessing, but also a test in patience for this mama.

You keep me on my toes, Rowan!

She loves: pretty dresses, shoes, jewelry, fire trucks, legos, strawberries, cheese, music, dancing, singing, running, drawing, reading and playdough.

Rowan can: dance on Papa's toes, sing her alphabet (along with about a dozen other songs), count to 20, recognize many letters, take off her shoes, and climb higher than this mama wants.

Adventure radiates from her pores. She doesn't understand caution, or is just missing the genetic link for it. Her smile is infectious, and she smiles readily at anyone. She loves to meet new people, and will give them a big wave, a happy "hi!" or maybe even a kiss. She prefers to be naked, but if she has to wear something, she likes to be wearing a skirt or dress. And right after I put a skirt or dress on her, she will twirl around and say, "Superman!" So it's hard to pinpoint if she likes dresses because she's girly, or because she pretends she has a cape. She does prefer Batman, Superman, and Spiderman to any Disney princess.

Rowan has no volume control, so everything comes out LOUDLY. Currently, her favorite book is Maurice Sendak's In the Night Kitchen. Which makes this mama proud and happy. She's a good sleeper, but not a great eater. She adores AND infuriates her brother.

At bedtime, she will go tell Fletcher, "Night-night. Sweet dreams. I loooooove you!" And then she insists on a kiss, whether he wants one or not. She loves to cuddle, but on her terms. And on her terms only. She can be heard from her bed at night laughing and singing "What a Wonderful World," or "Fields of Athenry," or maybe "You are my Sunshine."

She IS the sunshine in our lives, that can sometimes be covered by storm clouds. She is passionate, and that can mean she butts heads with us. I think she's awesome. I think she's going to be even more awesome. And I can't wait to see who she becomes, and what she accomplishes.

I love you, Rowan. You bring so much joy to our lives, and you are a beautiful little ball of dynamic energy. Your sweetness and love is evident, and our lives have been beyond blessed by you. xoxo, Mama

the ten.2

2012-05-10T09:03:00.001-05:00

1. Since starting this new job in March, Brian has had a reduced staff due to pregnancies, injuries, and people just plain up and leaving the Army (not blaming them!). So we're lucky when he makes it home in time to just see the littles before they get tucked into bed. And when he actually gets home early enough to play with them before bed? We're all in heaven.

2. I have been laughing at all her posts, especially dealing with a busy little boy and a newborn girl. Been there! Plus I can commiserate with being a sahm AND an Army spouse.
3. I got to spend the whole day out and about in Jefferson City last Saturday all by myself (thank you, Brian!!). I hit a couple of thrift stores, ate a leisure lunch out, stopped at a craft store, Barnes & Nobles, a couple clothing stores, and topped it all off with a trip to Target. Yes, our closest Target is 1 1/2 hours away. Sad times. It was an awesome day, and I snagged a couple of gems thrifting, including these Pyrex refrigerator dishes that match some of my hand-me-down Pyrex. Cute!

4. I'm so looking forward to a long visit from my parents next week- especially because Brian will be in the field the whole time. This is like a business trip if you don't speak military. It's so much easier to be a mom when your own mom is around. True story.
5. I realized when I saw this recipe that I have never cooked with beets before! Crazy! Probably because Brian detests them, but since he'll be gone next week I think I'll try them out. Looks delicious.
6. I'm looking forward to planting my herbs and maybe some lettuce this weekend! And I think Brian will put in his pumpkin patch. We missed doing it last year due to moving, but it's a tradition with him. He puts in a massive pumpkin patch, finding new and interesting pumpkins, and then we have a harvest party to share. The year before, our yield was around 40. Can we skip over summer and just head toward fall? No? *sigh*

7. Speaking of planting and such, we are still lucky with our new house and all the wonderful things that come up blooming! I'm not even sure what these are- they look a little like flocks?

8. My children are not angels. But they can sure look angelic in the right light!

9. Not to be a last minute procrastinator, but I'm still trying to figure out what to do for Rowan's birthday this weekend. We don't really know anyone here yet, and family is far away. Brian votes for camping. I vote for staying home while he's camping with the littles. Sounds fair, no? On a side note, how is my baby turning 2?!?!
10. I love when dinner turns out so pretty, I feel compelled to take it outside in the waning light and take a picture of it on our deck. Pretty. Oh, and tasty, too!

past in picture: march, 2004

2012-05-09T09:33:00.000-05:00

In March 2004, we had been married shy of one year, and had spent 3 months of that year together. It was Brian's first deployment to Iraq. When he came home safely, it was like the rain stopped falling after a year long flood. We reunited in a massive gymnasium with hundreds of other families and soldiers reuniting with their loved and missed ones. The energy was electric, crackling, palpable. They played Etta James, "At Last."

secrets + negotiations

2012-05-08T08:53:00.001-05:00

Brian has been working way past dinnertime lately, so we try to fit in quality family dinners on the weekends. I stay pretty flexible in regards to what and how much the littles eat. I'm guilty of making them something separate from what I make Brian and me sometimes. But when I do that, I still have a rule that they try at least ONE bite of what Brian and I are eating. This has worked well for me, because once it has been on their plate a few times, they will start eating it all on their own! However, I experiment a LOT in the kitchen, so I like to keep a little something familiar on their plates when I do. Fletcher is becoming a champ at eating new foods, and even enjoying them.

But Rowan? Not so much.

It is HARD to get her to comply with our one bite rule. So we end up with a screaming Rowan if we press the issue. Instead of insisting, we start negotiating. You want some juice with this? Then take a bite!

You want to get down? First you take a bite!

Meanwhile, Fletcher has finished his "new" food, and is busy doing this:

and this:

aaaaand this, too:

And just maybe, while laughing and distracted by Fletcher, Rowan might be doing this:

And when all else fails, we offer fudgesicles and secrets. Mama gets out the fudgesicles.

And Papa doles out secrets.

They love Papa's secrets. But they are classified secrets, sorry.

And every bite of the "new" food was eaten by both littles.

Success! What others might view as bribery, I view as incentive. Do you think there's a difference?

quinoa stuffed tomatoes

2012-05-07T09:24:00.001-05:00

Hello, tomatoes! I love when tomatoes go into season. We're not quite there, but this recipe is great for the end of spring when it's warm and good produce is starting to show up in the store and the farmer markets, but not too warm to turn on your oven! I've been making this particular dish a lot lately, because it's filling and tasty, and it makes me feel ok about eating carbs. Because (if you weren't aware) quinoa is in fact a grain, but it is full of protein! So a vegetarian's paradise. And the real reason I've been making it so much is because Brian LOVES it. Yes, the carnivore loves this dish! If you'd like to try it out, gather these ingredients:

4 med-large tomatoes
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1/2 small onion chopped
1/2 zucchini chopped
2 T olive oil
2 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T fresh basil
1/2 small lemon
serves 4

First preheat your oven to 400. Grab your vegetables for chopping.

And now a little disclaimer: I halved this recipe for the quinoa mixture portion. I always make more because we use it as a whole meal, and Brian will eat all the extra mixture. Every time. So if you're anticipating loving this, or just want it to be your whole meal, feel free to double it like I do! Ok, put your pot of quinoa and water on and cook it according to the package instructions.

Warm up your oil in a skillet, and add your onion to brown. Cut the very tops of your tomatoes off.

Scoop out the tomato innards, chop them, and reserve them for later. I discard the slimy seed part, but whatever floats your boat here. Be careful not to scoop out too much, or else your quinoa will ooze out of the tomato shell in the oven. Which probably wouldn't be the end of the world, but hey! You want a pretty tomato, right?

Set your scooped out tomatoes aside, and chop up the zucchini.

This was my first time adding zucchini. I just had it on hand! I've used peppers and carrots before, too. It all tastes good! Add your zucchini to your browning onions, and brown them also. Add more oil if needed.

By now your quinoa should be done. It usually takes about 15 minutes.

Scoop it into your onion/zucchini skillet, and stir it well. Add in your tomato innards.

Add in the cream cheese (I used Neufchatel).

Add in your yogurt or sour cream. Stir it all in, letting the cream cheese melt.

Squeeze your half lemon into the mixture.

And add in your basil. I'm obviously not using fresh basil like I put into the ingredients. I'm a rebel like that. But! I'm planting my herb garden this weekend, so it won't be too much longer before the real thing makes an appearance in my recipes!

Now add in the Parmesan, reserving about 3 T for sprinkling on top.

I've also used sharp cheddar, which is very tasty, too! Any sharp cheese will work here, I would imagine. Feel free to add more cheese to your liking. I sure do. Cheese is my Achilles heel. It's the yin to my yang. I dream of cheese. Ok, this is getting a little personal. I love cheese! There, I said it. Anyway, scoop your mixture into your tomato shells. Heap it up a little!

Sprinkle the tops with your reserved Parmesan, and place tomatoes in an oven safe dish.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes, until tops are lightly browned and tomatoes start softening.

And enjoy! It's a nice side dish or a perfect light spring meal. Happy tomato stuffing!

going home

2012-05-04T09:04:00.000-05:00

First, I just want to say thank you for all the kind wishes yesterday. I really appreciated each one!

Taking a trip with the littles, but without Brian, can leave me anxious and feeling like I'm missing my right hand. I had a lot of anxiety over my quick trip home, but of course it went fine. For one thing, I had both my parents AND inlaws to help out once I was there! And luckily my kiddos love to spend time at both homes.

After a very very successful Sunday morning at mass(!) my mom and I took the littles outside to enjoy the sunshine. I feel so nostalgic when I go home, and in some ways I feel like I've walked through time to be there. And the things that I liked best about my parent's home are the same things my own littles like. A bouncy suspension bridge that leads to a gazebo in the woods. A hobby pond with fish and frogs. Watching the little stream trickle under the bridge. Watching the birds eat and make homes amid the green. It's idyllic and beautiful.

I always feel renewed and refreshed after I go home. What is it about visiting our past that gives us a little more strength and backbone for the future?

9 years!

2012-05-03T08:06:00.001-05:00

{photo by Albert Photographic Services}

But if you tame me, my life will be filled with sunshine. I'll know the sound of footsteps that will be different from all the rest. Other footsteps send me back underground. Yours will call me out of my burrow like music. And then, look! You see the wheat fields over there? I don't eat bread. For me, wheat is no use whatever. Wheat fields say nothing to me. Which is sad. But you have hair the color of gold. So it will be wonderful, once you've tamed me! The wheat, which is golden, will remind me of you. And I'll love the sound of the wind in the wheat... -The Little Prince
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

My life has been filled with sunshine for the past 9 years! And I'm still trying to tame my wild thing. I think I'll have to work on that for another 99 years.

I love you, B. Your R.

april shower for Karen

2012-05-02T09:33:00.000-05:00

Pure honesty here: baby showers can be very boring. Very. But! When you live in Arizona, and have a baby shower in Indiana, people kindly ship most of your presents to your house. Which really cuts down on the somewhat boring area of baby showers! I know, this is very politically incorrect, but I speak the truth. And because of this, Karen's baby shower was fun, relaxed, and everyone had more time to chat and enjoy the company. Perfect! Now I will deluge you with pictures from the shower.

Although Rowan was invited, I left her screaminess with my in-laws so that I could actually enjoy myself. Everyone else's littles were wonderful and I didn't hear one scream. I would have if Rowan had been there.

Karen is one of 5, and has a big family, so it felt like a very cozy, family event. Even for those of us who weren't related!

And of course seeing some of my very best friends after not seeing them for about 6 months is always wonderful.

I have the most gorgeous friends!

And of course Karen DID have some presents to open. Including a little Kermit onesie I made for her baby boy. Let's just say that Karen is a Muppet fanatic!

It really was a lovely shower, and almost as fun as going out for dinner and sangrias the night before. And I know Karen will be an amazing mother. She has the touch when it comes to littles!

No, she really does, I promise!

Congratulations, Karen and Phil. You will both be wonderful parents and I hope you have all the blessings of a baby boy who will bring you joy, happiness, love, and most important of all- a good night's sleep. Love you!

not quite all here

2012-05-01T13:14:00.000-05:00

I had a whirlwind trip back to my hometown over the weekend for a baby shower for a good friend, Karen. Another good friend, Tara, and I drove 7 hours (well, first she drove 4.5 hours to get to me!) with 4 toddlers. These are GOOD friends, people.

{photo courtesy of Tara's phone- Fletcher is just barely peeking over}
It didn't go as badly as I thought it would. We survived, the littles survived, and we all had a great weekend. It was a short trip and I didn't get to see everyone back home, but I'll stay longer next time. My littles brought home nice little souvenirs of their trip back home in the form of raging colds. Fun! Tara and I stayed up chatting last night (this morning?) until after 3 am. We may have also used just a bit of wine to unwind. It was my mantra when the kiddos were screaming in the car (wine, wine, wine. um, ohmmmmm...) And now it's all over so I'm a bit sad. Tara left this morning heading home with her 2 littles to see her bigger 3 littles. So I'll relive it all over again tomorrow and force you to see all my pictures! You're welcome.

rainbows + roses

2012-04-26T07:56:00.000-05:00

Not to go all Mary Sunshine on you, but we live in a preeetty pastoral area. So when I go to take pictures, I have a lot of this to choose from:

And oh my goodness. We had no idea when we moved into this house a little over a month ago how much bloomage would be happening!

There are about 10 rosebushes in full bloom. And the iris is just charging out all over the yard!

I gather up long stalks of iris and thorny bunches of roses and our house is quickly adorned.

Which is good since I haven't hung one picture or piece of art in this house. Of course along with all the pastoral scenery surrounding us, we find a lot of these:

We hear cattle lowing while we play in our yard, which stops the littles dead in their tracks. Rowan gets wide eyes and says, "scared!" Yep. She may be a city girl like her mama.

{Quick message to my regulars: I'll be on a blogging hiatus until next Tuesday! See you then!}

redhead

2012-04-25T12:14:00.000-05:00

Soooo. When I came up with the idea to surprise Brian with red hair, I went along for the redhead ride. Going for, like all the other redheads out there, something like this.

Yeah. I ended up with something a little more along these lines.

Yep. That's about right.

Oh well. I'm not exactly getting Christina Hendricks comparisons, but Brian still loves it. I'm a lucky lady.

pansy maiden

2012-04-24T09:37:00.000-05:00

It's an exciting day! Pansy Maiden has new bags up! A friend of mine, Laura, owns and operates Pansy Maiden. Which means she designs and sews her beautiful creations! She is a completely vegan, cruelty-free company. And her company is up to so many new and exciting adventures, like two of her bags are being included at a Disney World Epcot Center installation on sustainable living. So exciting!

Go on and take a peek for yourself, but I am in a serious quandary on which bag to buy. I would buy them all if I could. I really would. But for now, these are in my top 3.

{Bang Messenger in Whiskey}

{Canteen Clutch/Hip Bag in Vintage Tribal Ikat}

{Petite Hobo with Fringe in Whiskey}

So so amazing, right? She also now has some really cute accessories, too! Here are my favorites.

{Faux Suede Fringe Bracelet}

{Mega Pouch in Green Floral}

I'm going to have to think pretty hard on what to get today. I'm in love with the fringe, but I also think the canteen clutch is so unique and pretty! Go check it all out, she also still has her classic creations. I can proudly say I own a custom Weekender, which I first used as a diaper bag, and now as a laptop carrier/weekend bag. It is still in beautiful shape a few years later! *AND there is a discount for all the new bags!!*

Congratulations, Laura! Your new collections are just beautiful.

extravaganza

2012-04-23T15:19:00.000-05:00

Well, that's what I've been calling Brian's birthday this year. It has been his 40th birthday extravaganza. Not so much because we did anything that extravagant, but just because it pretty much dragged on through a whole week. This past weekend, my in-laws stayed with the littles and I took Brian on a little road trip to the nearest big city, St. Louis. We had a blast! The best part of the trip was his surprise- his oldest friend and his wife (a newer, but just as dear friend) met us there and we all got to hang out together! But I'm getting ahead of myself.

First, I gave Brian a few options. Either a tour of Budweiser, a museum or two, the zoo, or going to one of the historic districts. To my complete and *utter* shock, he chose to do the art museum and the historic district to go to all the antique stores. I think he was basically not thinking of himself at all, and choosing what I would like the best. Our friends, Andrew and Emily couldn't meet us until later that afternoon, so we headed out on our own.

First was the art museum. If you've never been to St. Louis, there is a big campus called Forest Park that has museums AND a zoo. We'll be going back with the littles, for sure! It's a beautiful area of the city.

We strolled around a bit and raced each other up a big hill in front of the museum. I won, of course. Stop laughing. In front of the museum is this massive gorgeous statue.

As I squinted up at it, I asked Brian if it was St. George.

He said, "We'll have to wait until we can read the plaque, but I'm pretty sure it would be St. Louis." Duh. I'm apparently not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Brian graciously didn't laugh too much.

We're pretty spoiled having lived near the Chicago Art Institute, but this is a very decent art museum with a respectable collection. And the former art student in me can appreciate pretty much any art museum.

We both really enjoyed it, and then headed over to Cherokee Street, aka Antique Row. We ate a really tasty lunch at The Mud House, which I highly recommend for the food and really super friendly people. Plus they have a really nice patio for good weather, which we were lucky to have! The whole street is really eclectic and fun.

We browsed through a LOT of little antique/retro shops, and Brian snagged a couple skinny ties to wear with his new suit. There was a mix of the good, the bad, and the creepy.

After a quick pint at an Irish bar (of course) we left to (unknown to Brian) meet our friends at the hotel. Ok, so we did have ONE extravagance to the weekend, and that would be staying at the Four Seasons. It was bliss! As we were checking in, Andrew and Emily snuck up behind us. Andrew leaned in close to Brian's ear and said, "How much for the redhead?" Brian spun around swinging! Luckily Andrew was prepared and jumped back so the punch didn't land. Lesson to all of you out there: don't sneak up on anyone in the military without preparing to be punched!

Brian was so surprised, and I patted myself on the back for getting ONE surprise into the weekend. We got to all chat and catch up, and have a drink or two on the rooftop bar.

{another birthday Bourbon for Brian! He was a happy camper!}
We got all fancy and caught a cab to the restaurant, Vin de Set. What a fabulous restaurant! It was a pick made by Emily and Andrew who had eaten there before. And! I SWEAR I saw Rick Steves leaving the restaurant. I swear. I even said, "Mr. Steves?" And Andrew said he turned around. I didn't see that part. I have a really nerdy love of Rick Steves and his travel show on PBS. Yes, I am a NERD.

{Emily and Andrew are GORGEOUS, no?}
Obviously we all had such a good time we couldn't properly pose for a photo. And we stayed for hours celebrating Brian's 40 years on the planet.

And then stayed up even later at the hotel, chatting and doing handstand pushups. Not the girls, but it seemed like a good idea to Brian and Andrew so away they went! It did not go well for them.

Sorry they are so blurry, but they're too good not to share. They decided to give up the handstand pushups and go back to drinking.

And that went a lot better.

I have to say that I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Emily for arranging the whole weekend- you're a rockstar, Em! Also special thanks to Brian for taking me to Anthropologie before we left civilization to go back home.

what i'm loving lately: Gyo Fujikawa

2012-04-20T12:26:00.001-05:00

For Rowan's first birthday, her godparents (hi, Jo + Chris!) sent her a beautiful book of poems illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa. I really have a thing for children's illustrations from the 60's and 70's, but I wasn't familiar with her work. Well, now I am! We really pore over the book, looking at every little detail and enjoying the wonderful poems by Wordsworth, Blake, Rosetti... and lots more! I've since googled Fujikawa, and found she was a pretty prolific illustrator and has many more books out there for us to own! This particular gem was originally published in 1969, and this is a reprint from 2007.

Rowan loves to point out all the beautiful pictures that she loves best.

I have my favorites, too.

And I really love all the poems that are included in the book.

I can't wait to order more of her beautiful books!