4.30.12

She loves to dance and twirl while wearing mommy's pearls...

today: toddler pedicure, hello kitty stamps are a hit, dora is a new fave, pizza dough is rising on the counter, everyone is content.

happy friday.

mommas

Right before it began to rain yesterday I went out to grab the ferns hanging on our front entry porch to put on the sidewalk for a good soaking. I gasped when I looked down and saw a nest complete with eggs sitting in one of them. It caught me totally off guard and I wasn't sure what to do. I snapped a quick pic with my cell phone and then picked up the fern and put it right back where it had been hanging.

This morning as I was doing the breakfast dishes I looked out the window above the sink at the fern and saw the momma cardinal dutifully perched on top of her brood. It made me smile and think about the beautiful poem below.

MOTHER

"Mother is a little girl who trod my path before me;

Just a bigger, wiser little girl who ran ahead-

Bigger, wiser, stronger girl who always watches o’ver me,

One who knows the pitfalls in the rugged road I tread.

Mother is a playmate who will always treat me kindly-

Playmate who will yield me what true happiness demands.

She will never let my feet stray into brambles blindly-

Mother’s just a bigger little girl who understands.

Mother is an older little playmate who’ll befriend me-

Yesteryear she traveled in the path that’s mine today.

Never need I fear a foe from which she might defend me-

Faithful little pal who ran ahead and learned the way."

*source

Introducing the: Equine Good Luck Horseshoe

Hi there all! Just popping in for a quick moment to let you know I've stocked a fun new item in my shop today! The new "Equine Good Luck Horseshoe" is now available for purchase {here} in limited quantities!

Hope you have a blessed and happy start to your week!

happy earth day

First off I have to say these Skinny Girl Brownies are flippin' awesome! That Bethany Frankel deserves a crown for {this} recipe. Lucy and I made a batch this afternoon and I was so surprised at how yummy they were. 

 I had mentioned to Nick a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to put a tree in the back side-yard for shade and today he suggested he go and pick one up- it being earth day and all. He came home with a beautiful silver maple and Lucy was thrilled to help plant it.

It will be fun to watch it grow with the kids year after year.

 I hope you all had a beautiful weekend!!!

what's for dinner

I'm always curious what other families eat for dinner. Mostly so I can get new ideas to add into our regular rotation. In the spirit of voyeuristic dining I'm sharing our menu for this week.

Monday- I have no shame in admitting that Nick and I both ate cereal and Lucy had a pb&j. We usually head to the grocery store on Monday evenings and it was slim pickings in the house. When we got home we snacked on the fresh grapes I was rinsing and new brick of Gouda.

Tuesday- Buffalo Chicken Soup. It's a straight-up house favorite around here. I {blogged} about it a while back and posted the easy-peasy recipe.

Wednesday- Pizza night. I've been using {this} dough recipe for a couple of years. There is a random organic sauce in a can I buy and the cheese we use varies depending on what toppings we're having. This week its good ol' shredded mozzarella and pepperoni. When I use pepperoni I like to go to the deli counter and have them cut 5-6 thin slices of the large diameter fresh stuff for me. Not only is it fresh but it only cost about 40 cents to do it this way.

Thursday- Pineapple Chicken Quesadillas. Recipe found {here}

Friday- "Daddy's Choice" We like to keep our Friday evenings flexible. For the longest time we were going to Panera as our end of the week treat. I love their creamy tomato soup! Sometimes we have leftovers or we'll actually go out and get something and we let Nick choose where we go {mostly because I'm totally drained for food ideas by this point in the week}.

So there you have it. Thats what our food week looks like right now. What's your favorite go to dish you're loving right now???

the waterfall braid

I went to see my favorite hairstylist yesterday to get my color done. At the end I mentioned my obsession with braids. She said she had been dying to practice the "Waterfall Braid" on someone so I happily volunteered to be her guinea pig. I loved the way it turned out. I wish I could unscrew my head off my shoulders every morning so I could recreate it myself. 

Here is a great tutorial I found on YouTube. She doesn't braid her bangs in like we did but you'll get the picture. 

Have fun playing around and happy Sunday!!!

the state of things

Here we are- another week whizzed right by me again. They go so fast but at least I feel like we get quite a bit done all things considered. Lucy is finally getting over her ear infection that left us all in a fog for a week just trying to muddle through having a newborn and a sick toddler. I finished painting her antique cradle for her "baby", rearranged some of the furniture in her room- it always bugged me where her bed was, went through a pile of mail and cleared off the entry table, painted the inside of the hall closet and cleaned it out and tackled the backed up laundry pile. 

Last weekend we were cleaning out the garage and I uncovered my old dresser. I actually had this in my childhood bedroom, then during my bachelorette days I painted it turquoise to match my Marimekko bedding. I dragged it inside last night because I'd really like to paint it again and find a good spot for it. I knew the only way I'd do it is if I was confronted with it sitting in the middle of our downstairs hall so there it is. It has a large mirror too but I doubt I'll use it. 

Lucy has spent a leisurely morning with her watercolors. - lucky!

I've had a pot of this good smelling concoction simmering for the past couple of hours. It's rosemary, sliced lemon, and vanilla.  Bring it all to a simmer and add water when needed. A great natural deodorizer! 

So those are the state of things around here. I'm super excited for a much needed date night tomorrow. 

Wishing you a happy and blessed weekend!

easter greetings!

What a week! Lucy caught a nasty little bug that turned out to be a double ear infection. I'm so glad I decided to take her to the doctor on Friday and didn't wait it out. It's so funny but I swear any time a holiday or birthday comes around someone seems to get sick. Is it just us this happens to? 

Despite her not feeling well we all still had a great Easter. It was good family fun all day and we were reminded at how grateful and thankful we are to have each other.

On Friday while Lucy napped I had some time to put away my laundry. I propped Grayson up against the pillows on our bed so he could "watch" me. One minute he was WIDE awake and the next thing I know I hear the distinct sound of his snore and look over to see this:

He must have slowly transitioned onto his side into what he found to be a more comfortable position. Going back to his snore- it's hysterical. Nick likened it to that of a Pug. He's pretty much dead on in that assessment. Our sweet little Pug pup. 

Wishing you a blessed and Happy Easter!

spring bedding and goings on

Last weekend I finally got around to changing over to our spring bedding.

We have a beautiful big lilac bush at the end of our driveway and I clipped a few branches to bring that heavenly smell inside. 

 I also broke out the spring/summer pillows,

planted my basil and rosemary- the chives actually came back from last year

 Lucy got a new sandbox last week and thinks it's the best thing ever. 

Today we had a couple of new light fixtures installed. One in the upstairs hall and one in the family room. Never under estimate the power of a new light. 

On an unrelated note- am I the only one that thinks this week feels super crazy and busy? And it's only Tuesday- yikes!

heavenly

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend! We were pretty busy and productive around here getting things in order for Easter, a little retail therapy and tons of time out in the yard. Lucy LOVES to be outside and cries when we finally have to drag her in every night, while Grayson is happy to hang out outside too swaddled and laying on a quilt. Luckily this gives us time to work in the yard pulling weeds, planting and planning our next steps. These are some of my favorite "garden center" images via {Pinterest }as of late. 

I love this front door and the planters with hydrangeas.

 This image inspired me to plant a climbing rose on our new arbor.

 A beautiful white barn- nuff said!

 The chicken coop of my dreams- Nick says I can keep on dreamin.'

 A raised bed is on my wish list for this year. I requested a cool kit for Mothers Day. 

 Succulents seem to be all the rage suddenly- how beautiful is this planter?

I hope you all have a most wonderful week ahead!!!