yes please

yes...

to this fabric.

would be so lovely made into summer

pillows or a table cloth.

it may be possible that i love fabric too much.

and a most definite yes

to making this cake for the 4th!

oh food dye you are such a good time...

in large doses on on special occasions right?

seriously

what would i ever have done without

green peanut m and m's?

and why yes

to copying this table seen recently

at the duce.

so cute for a bedside

or actually i am not sure where.

a kids craft table?

{fancy photo by me}

a little 4th of july

not much,

but i was feeling the need for a bit

of american flair in my home, so i whipped up some

red white and blue flags during naptime...

rearrange my house time actually.

i finally got around to cleaning up my mantle

which has been bugging me

and took some wooden skewers

and made some simple flags.

i later tried to take pics while ruby

and dec got destructive with the area.

they are the cutest of helpers in my blogging efforts.

mr. teeth is the happiest of happy's.

cheerio to a new week,

one that ends in a vacay! yeahooo!

definintely diggin

the idea of an 'art barn'

out back.

you just step outside and step away from

the everyday troubles and enter your very own

art getaway.

this probably only works in those places like

dreamy sunny southern ca.

*image found via simple lovely *

this and other paper lampshades
that i would love to use in ruby's closet room
someday.
maybe i could give a whirl at making one. hmmm.
*found via eatdrinkchic*


and these gorgeous kitchen towels.
i have been dreaming of a nice new clean set
of kitchen towels and then spotted these
lovelies.
*found via rie elise larson via eatdrinkchic*

a small break from reality

is what happens when you leave

hot hot phoenix

and step onto balboa island.

you wake up in the morning and justify a walk for coffee and doughnuts.

step aside group of old men....coffee talking about worldly affairs,

here i come with my mother load of children

and hunger for an extra large coffee and perhaps a hippo cookie...

for later of course,

yet i must admit if there were no children around it would be

me.hippo cookie.coffee.book.outside.silencio.

how sweet are these lovely ladies

checking out the scene on the balboa pier?

some hungry mom's were well pleased that this pier ended in

hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes,

all enjoyed in the lovely grassy park nearby.

who wants sandy dinner, not me.

i think i am beginning to sound as if all i eat is junk.

only on vacation, or on special occasions, i think.

and could i just have a bit of this girl's

let loose courage for one minute?

it was really after dinner
so at least 6ish

and once we were close to the water

without a moments notice,

the clothes came off

(i encouraged keeping undies on)

and lots of rolling in the sand ensued.

pearls and pink polka dot undies,

sunset on the beach.

doesnt get any better, really.

mini back pack tutorial

so we recently took a little trip to the beach

and i just thought it would be fun to make

miss ruby

her own little 'pac pac'

to carry on the plane...filled with activities

such as stickers, paper, pencils, snacks,

and her very first little magnetic doodle board.

it was a hit.

clearly

since she was such a good model for me.

so here is a little step by step:

1. cut two canvas weight (or heavier weight material) rectangles

11 1/2 x 13''

cut two more rectangles in a

lighter, cotton type fabric in a cute pattern,

same dimension.

2. sew two separate pieces together, right sides

facing out

3. cut a 5x5'' square pocket out of canvas material. sew 1/4" seam down the top of pocket. pin to the middle of one rectanctangle and sew down, leaving top open.
4. fold down top of each rectangle by 1/2 " and sew down to form and opening which will encase the drawstring eventually.

5. cut 2: 3 1/8 x 19 1/4" pieces of canvas or other neutral color for the straps. fold these in half and sew along the opening, as well as along the fold. add these straps to the rectangle with no pocket, folding over top edges and sewing onto canvas in a rectangle shape to secure strength.

6. drawstring: cut 2: 31 x 1" pieces of patterened fabric. fold in half and sew down to flatten. sew two pieces together.

7. with canvas regtangle pieces facing eachother, sew together...making sure to not sew the straps into this process. turn right side out and shimmy that drawstring on through.

*notes: i would maybe use a lighter weight than the canvas i used as it was hard to pull the backpack's drawsting tight. and the words i stamped on the outside are a french term of endearment meaning 'little cabbage'. wish i would have embroidered them but was delierious and tired at the time. next time, perhaps.

ps. i am not the faciest sewer. i just love it. some day i will be amazing. wait for it.

go grab a BIG coffee

a giant coffee that is

and shop your heart out next door

at the bunky boutique

i stopped by here on a date with my little guy

and while he snacked on straws

i had a good look around.

it is a great straight shot from

a day at the art museum

or

the phoenix library.

i know there are so many coffee places

but it is so great to have so many darn good ones!

thanks to the Pool fam (of Matt's Big Breakfast)

for another smashing spot.

it is going to be amazing when the weather cools off

with the big open space. great people watching.

so go peek at some art,

or grab a great summer read and head over to

this new spot.

pondering...

the possibility of doing a padded fabric wall

in ruby's bedroom...

with this fabric above.

maybe turning her closet into a little room...

Just dreaming up possibilities.

and while i was fabric shopping

i spotted these fun whimsical kitchen prints...

which could really make some

great oven mits,

kitchen towels,

or sweet little aprons.

online fabric shopping
is dangerous
but fun to dream right?

pauline darley

something about this photo

just speaks the streets of paris to me.

rain.stripes.rad outfit.

im thinking a fish would make for

a great combination of pet + fun home decor in my kitchen



i want to go to here.


pronto.


the light.the cozy sheets.the french press.on and on.
count me in.





all photos courtesy of the talented frenchie photographer

little things

its those little things...

that make me happy

like cleaning off my back porch

with my homemade cleaning solution:

warm water. fresh mint. half a lemon

because it smells so lovely

cutting fresh flowers

and putting them here there and everywhere

...

yet no longer outside for now with the gush of summer heat

finding $3 chairs for the kids

at the local ranch market

in rediculous bright colors like turquoise and orange

some peaceful coloring and conversation

with my little girl

while the wild man takes a snooze

...

most esp. the never ending new vocabulary:

'look mom' 'grass'

'look mom' 'circles'

'oh woooow mom'

...

it is those little moments

that i would like to pause and hold on to for just a bit longer,

for they fly away really too quickly.

been reading

so i picked up this book

at the library the other day...

and while wishing i had more time to lazily soak it up

i have rather enjoyed what i've delved into so far.

it is my favorite kind of book related to food;

a bit of reading enticing you into

salivating at the mouth for the recipe that follows.

thus far, ive wanted to make everything,

yet time and children seem to stall my hunger a bit.

i did have a go at this hunk of love

and was so pleased to have a reason to

by delicious summer berries.

its a perfect go to summer dessert i believe would

pair fabulously with fresh unsweetened whip cream

and a nice cup of joe.

oh, and did i mention

how terribly helpful this guy is in the kitchen?

no more comments on that.

so here goes:

blueberry rasberry pound cake:

2 c. plus 8 T. cake flour 2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp

1 t. baking powder 2 T. kirsch...or as i used 1 t. orange and lemon zest + 1 t. vanilla ext

1/2 t. salt 1 c. blueberries, rinsed and dried well

5 lg. eggs 1 c. rasberries, rinsed and dried well

1 2/3 c. sugar

• 
  
  set oven rack to middle position. preheat to 300


• 
  
  butter standard size 9 c. bundt pan...dust with flour


• 
  
  medium bowl: wisk 2 c. flour plus 6 T. flour, bak.powder and salt


• 
  
  mixer: blend eggs and sugar until thick and pale yellow...one minute


• 
  
  add butter and kirsch and blend until fluffy.


• 
  
  add dry ingredients (including zest if using) and process just to combine...dont overmix.


• 
  
  toss berries with remaining flour. pour batter over berries and gently fold in.


• 
  
  pour into pan and cook 1 hours to 1 1/4 hours.


• 
  
  keeps 2-3 days.

*find the book info and even more fun on the author's blog

post library cozy time

what is it about dad's and little girls reading together

that just gets me everytime?

the latest loves from the library:

'the teeny tiny woman'

and all things elephant...

even if dad accidentally picked up one in spanish.

ruby hasnt quite picked up on it yet.

me gusta elephantes.

(my espanol is terrible)

tomato pincushions

i just thought these were too cute

so i made up a few

and would love to make a whole bunch

to use as gifts.

how cute would they be

wrapped in a wooden crate
and some faux grass stuffing,

and perhaps a pack of pins hanging with a sweet hangtag.

i know i would love a little box of squishy

'homegrown tomatoes'...

also a great little addition to ruby's play kitchen.

to make:

see this tutorial

a whole new look

photo found via my little day

so ive been a little busy lately visiting with one

of my dearest old friends who came in town

with her sweet sweet three little girls.

it was really too fun and such a treat to have

someone to talk to and lose your cold coffee cup with all day long,

and stay up way too late

over many beers with our husbands

just laughing and talking forever.

it does not happen often

and we felt so blessed

to have such a wonderful family grace our home.

i will have to share some pics of the girls

and their many dress ups,

but for now

i just wanted to say in my rather exhausted state

that i am proud to present

a whole new look to our 'mchales' blog...

with a new name and new fun features.

bear with me as i get used to it and update it slowly.

thank you to all my readers.

you mean so much to me.

and so many thanks to the ever amazing

designers of the new blog look.

on that note i am off to catch some zzzzs

before the little guy awakes hungry.

never enough water

to drink, to play in, swim in, on and on.
its a cure all for so many things when it just gets too hot.
we've been spending a lot of time just playing
with buckets of water and toys in the evenings, or under the umbrella.
with a slight breeze it is quite nice.
i may have to get a cheesy blow up pool soon.
either that or start diggin....no not really.

hope your weekends were wonderful and not too hot
like it is here!

francais et japonais

i found this cutest of frenchy blogs and just had to share. so much eye candy and whimsical inspiration.

stuck inside

when youre stuck inside a lot with kids and warm weather you try to come up with creative ways to make your house as messy as possible. no, not really, but that is what seems to be happening lately.
while dec was napping, ruby was helping me sew....turning nobs...pulling strings ste, so i decided we should try to make one of those darn cute dolls i always see online. it turned out pretty cute. i'll have to try for another one and give some direction.
for now, here she is.
what do you think?
names? she looks very french so maybe something frenchy. who knows.

organizing craze

 

so while ed was doing a marathon of work in the yard
i spent memorial day re=organizing the entire kitchen,
pantry, cabinets, etc.
now i can happily walk by and see all my white dishes...
well most of them anyhow. they make me happy displayed so.