Monday, January 31, 2011

why is it?



that trying on fun glasses is always a good time?

we had a fun adventure day...visiting a few
thrift stores and ending up downtown
testing out these rockin shades at urban
outfitters.
i was diggin the green pair but ed said they
made my nose look fake.
and not sure what ruby is doing....
making sure the stay on her face,
or calmly praying to herself
that her mom will make sure she gets
in her naptime tomorrow.
you make the call.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

from the backseat


not really sure why, but i took these
at a red light recently.
sometimes i wish it was me in the backseat
throwing out all the demands.
they sure are cute.
the kids, not the demands.
hope you're weekend was gorgeous.

we are in the middle of painting our bedroom
so look forward to a fun before and after
later this week!
toodles.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

pretty pink garland



i made this sweet little pom pom garland
to hang on the mantle (my favorite piece
to decorate). it was really super easy
and involved no sewing.
any interested parties speak up
and i'll do a diy post next week.
it'll give me an excuse to make one
for someone else i love.

valentine love

i was doing some valentine dreaming
and thought i'd share some ideas....inspiration.
how about a box of fresh doughnuts
in that cute bag above?
{above image found here via here}

and this is such a sweet little card!
found here

i personally want one of these...
but where would i put it?
maybe in a bathroom?
found here

and of course. jewels.
i thought this was lovely.beautiful.charming.
found here via here

what are you pining after this year...
or shall i say planning on making?
we're planning a pretty sweet valentine
dinner party.
should be awesome.
cant wait to share!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

a little happy

I Am A Girl - The Girls With Glasses Theme Song from The Girls With Glasses on Vimeo.


these cute girls were at the conference i just went to and i thought this video was just so happy! enjoy!

phoenix winters rock

as they are full of outdoor play.
funny faces.

running in fancy shoes.

playing mini volleyball.

and just generally enjoying our dead grass
next door to the abandoned house.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

royal at the biltmore




we had some time to kill after mass on sunday
so we grabbed a coffee at royal's new spot
at the biltmore.
the owner is an architect with impeccable taste.
someday when i'm making my millions he will
design us a fancy warehouse downtown.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

fireplace update

so i went out on a limb and gave
that wild greeny-turquoisey color a chance
one afternoon during naptime.
that night i had my work cut out for me
painting it a nice bright white in exchange
for the major bobble that i had created.

it was worth it.
now i know.
and. major plus?
i love it white.
so there. much better than peachy, right?

Saturday, January 22, 2011

back home


oh is it ever so good to be back home.
little secret, i forgot to reveal, but i snuck away
pretty last minute to alt summit...a bloggers design
conference...that was a-maze-ing.
i am still in shock that i could be part of something
so incredible.
i feel pretty blessed.
more on that later.

for now,
it is so so good to be back home in sunny az,
in gorgeous weather,
with the ones i love near to hug and squeeze.
seeing ruby in the airport was glorious.
we did a dramatic run for each other.
now its just catching up and
trying to bring myself back to reality.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

something sweet


so when i first heard the name of these cookies
i admit i was quite weary and thought,
hmmm....banana in my cookie? no thanks.
but i was dreadfully wrong.
they are deeelish....and make everyone
around you happy, i promise.
thanks to megan, who introduced them to us
back in the beginning of the restaurant,
they are a shared favorite.

i had a few requests a while back so i thought
i should share the recipie for those interested.
enjoy!

banana cream sandwich cookies

2 1/3 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/2 lb. unsalted butter, room temp.
3 bananas
1/4 t. salt
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. pecans, crushed (chopped up tiny)

icing:
3 c. confectioners sugar
1 stick + 2 T. butter (or 5 oz.)
3 T. whole milk
1 t. vanilla extract

Cream butter and sugar until well blended in mixer fitted with paddle attachment.

Add mashed bananas, mix until combined.

Combine flour and salt. Add to bowl. Add crushed pecans and vanilla.

Scoop out tablespoon portions (easy with a small ice cream scoop) onto sheet pan). Slightly flatten with your palm, lightly floured.

Bake until lightly golden at 350....Timing is probably about 15-20 minutes. Sorry I dont have a note on this.

While cooking, make icing:

Whip butter in mixer until smooth. Add confectioners sugar in small batches until wholly incorporated into butter. Add milk, one Tablespoon at a time. Add vanilla.

Once cookies are cooled completely, spoon a small spoonful...or however much you like onto one side of a cookie, and top with another cookie. Enjoy with a cup of joe, your kids or a dear friend and say ahhhh, this is so good.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

aspiring

to have my bedroom feel like this
frenchy room

and dreaming
of hanging a swing somewhere in the house
just like this.
that purple rug and herringbone floor are
pretty sweet as well.

images found {here}

Monday, January 10, 2011

stunned by color

saw this project the other day
and just loved the color.

was considering using it,
or a variation of it on our fireplace.
i think it would compliment the gray room well.
darn design frenzy,
i cant get it out of my head.

i know you'll all probably say i'm crazy,
but any thoughts
or dare i ask?

Sunday, January 9, 2011

making me smile and giggle

this guy sporting his
new christmas 'old man'
jammies.
he is pretty insanely sqeezeable in these.

playing with my random bunch of jewelry
i let ruby take hold of,
and witnessing her in these beauties...
old clip on earrings i bought
from some lady at sage forever ago who had
turquoise coming out of the wazoo.
yes they are little guns in holsters.
ruby just thinks its cool that she is wearing earrings.

and spending all morning in our pj's
dancing to the 'magic dance'
aka. baby song
by david bowie
thanks to the cd in pete and emily's car.

And.
lastly,
funny things on the 'what ruby has said lately' front:
we were outside a coffee shop playing downtown,
watching construction of a parking lot
and this black man walked by and said to ruby:
'hey little mama'
to which she replied, standing on a bench leaning forward:
'im not a mommy, im a ruby girl'

you go get em lady.
tell em whats up.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

capturing a moment

ive been thinking a lot lately about photography and
how my absolute favorite pictures capture a moment
as it is happening.
they reveal the personality or character
of a person, which is so beautiful frozen on film.
it is my goal to be better at attempting this,
as daunting as it may be.
i read a while back how unnatural smiles are for
the camera and i just had to nod in agreement.
ive always felt rather silly and particularly
uncomfortable forcing a photo,
but then again i guess we need some of those,
for memories sake, i gather.


i do not know who took the above photo.
(taken at the old restaurant)
i think it was me
but it could have been my sister as she liked
to take the camera around and snap lots of surprise
photos for me to find later.

dont you think its a great photo of my dad?
what are your favorite kind of people pics?
staged or caught in a natural moment?

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

happy kitchen

kitchen+chalk.png

just love this image.

it makes me want to start from scratch,

or simply satisfy the urge by making a fun grassy centerpiece for our table

and painting a chalkboard wall near the kitchen table.

january is for new beginnings right?

Monday, January 3, 2011

christmas morning

because of the craziness of that morning,
few pics were snapped.
but im glad i caught what i did.
all she wanted was a pink present.
boy, is that santa a smart guy.
and boy was she a happy little girl,
still wearing the dress she fell asleep in the night before.
lots of treasures inside that box.

and declan was surprisingly easy going,
as ruby helped him open all his presents.

thanks to uncle al,
we were able to attend midnight mass
and stay in our pj's for the morning.
it was a wonderful and blessed day!

merry christmas and a happy new year to all!