if not now...when?

OK, UNCLE!!

i'll blog again! you know, i've thought about ditching the whole thing. i have fun stuff to blog about but it starts to seem like a job or somethin'! ;) but ok, i guess i do have enough people out there who *do* want to read my blog! **smooches**

so, we are in the heart of summer vacation. things haven't gone exactly as i thought they would. (((KERRY - don't read this part - it's too sad!!!) we had our new van literally packed and ready to go. hubby took it to get gas the night before we were supposed to leave, and the SOB DIED on the drive home!! (the van, not the husband, thank goodness!!) so we canceled our trip up the coast, and we've spent the last, oh i don't know, month or so trying to get it all fixed and restored a bit more. and of course, since it is summer, camping spots are pretty booked up (as is our own schedule here at home). soooo - can you believe it?? we are probably $3-4,000 into that sucker POST PURCHACE and the furthest it has gone is the day use lot at doheny state beach! LOL! we finally secured a spot next week for a few days up by morro bay. we are going to take my parents and their RV along so if we end up dead again, at least we'll have a ride home... thank god i knew going into this adventure that volkswagens are notorious for this kind of crap, and i haven't freaked out at how much money we have spent...

but now, since the grandparents are going, we are hoping to leave the kids with them and drive up to hearst castle. i have lived in so cal all my life, and i have NEVER been there. weird! so that ought to be fun!

and as for the rest of the summer - just doing the normal summer stuff. beach, pool, movies - and for some reason this year, an obscene number of doctor appointments (not so typical). poor sarah - she had her kindergarten entrance check up, which spawned a trip to the opthamologist (and glasses!!) and to the pediatric ENT for her still-not healed eardrums (from tubes many, many moons ago). it's been a little crazy. but she is excited about her pretty little princess glasses - she looks so cute! :) we should pick them up early this week. i'll definitely post a pic!

and how FUN is this?? tonight, sarah and i are going to the orange county performing arts center to watch GREASE outside under the stars!! we are both soooo excited! i think it will be sooo fun! we both love that movie (yeah, i suck as an influence showing my 5 year old a movie that says "pussy wagon" and "flog your log" - luckily for me, she is clueless and she loves the singing and dancing. :P) can't wait - it might even be the coolest thing we do this summer!

my garden is doing pretty well. i never did find vermiculite, so i haven't planted my second box. but for now, we have TONS of cherry tomatoes, a lot of regular tomatoes, lots of basil, and a few onions, peppers, and different squashes. the pictures i have of it are so out of date - it has grown SO much in the last 3 weeks! i'm pretty pleased. i do want to grow more herbs in the next box when i get it filled.

sarah had her dance recital in june. a friend of mine video taped the rehersal, so you can check it out  at the end of this post if you are interested. sarah is the fourth girl from the left, and i'll just say she really enjoyed it and leave it at that! ;)

we saw WICKED last month, and i loved it! it was different than i imagined but in a good way. if you like the wizard of oz, i think it would be impossible NOT to like wicked! :)

well, this post is getting so long. and after skipping so much blogging time, i guess i have a lot to say. but i leave it for another day. i have stuff to do, and this might qualify me for typepad's wordiest-post-with-no-pictures award of the day. boo hiss. i DID update my flickr this weekend - lots of new pics and layouts that i did for freckle friends.

hope everyone is having an amazing summer! :) i love this time of year!

oh, and if you are looking for a good belly laugh inducing mom-type blog to peruse during these dog days of summer check these girls out. i love these blogs! :) suzanne's blog is especially funny if you live in orange county (thanks to the awesome rollerderby-ing karen for hooking me up with that one!) and happy meals and happy hour is hilarious! 

a new addition to the family...

our new baby.

the road to hippy-dom continues...

lisa - i think i'm more likely to get a call from the GREEN party than the liberatarians at this point! LMAO! :D

i'm ready to hit the road...

WTH is vermiculite??

and why is it so hard to find?!?!

we built some garden beds for the yard. (and when i say "WE" built them, of course i mean my husband built them while i hovered and told him what to do!) i bought this book, and this square foot gardening method calls for you to make your own soil mixture with compost, peat moss, and vermiculite. problem is, vermiculite is virtually impossible to find! garden center after big box hardware store after building supply either didn't carry it, never heard of it, or told me is was far too dangerous to use in my garden. sheesh. i did find one bag of it, and paid a small fortune for the honor. i got one bed planted, and i am looking forward to not paying $5.99/lb for bell peppers and eating salmonella-laced tomatoes. :) although, after tallying up what we spent to get to this point, i might have been able to take a few trips to whole foods... ;) i'm still on the lookout for another 8 cubic feet of that sneaky vermiculite, in case y'all got some lying around! ;)

my hippy side has been spending some time in the bookstore this week. first a garden, then mother earth news?? i'm sure i'm just about to get my republican card revoked for that one! :P  i also found this groovy magazine - mary jane's farm. totally cool stuff there - sthey even have a website and a message board. most of the people there actually LIVE on farms, and, well, i live in orange county. a girl can dream, right? it's fun to look at.

i love magazines. am i the only one who is just suffocating under an avalanche of magazines every month? i know i can't be. i only get one scrapbooking magazine these days. there is so much inspiration on the web, i'm afraid the magazines have become pretty much obsolete... home and garden and decor magazines are another story. some of my favorites are mary engelbreit's home companion (TONS of scrapbooking and craft inspiration in there), cottage living, romantic homes (a new favorite), and cooking light. IN FACT, i love magazines so much that i am putting up a challenge over at freckle friends later today that involve magazines..... come check it out! ;) and speaking of freckle friends, hope to see some of you at the crop this weekend. it should be a great time. susan is truly the ULTIMATE hostess, and that carries over to her crops. :) she pretty much rocks!

ETA!!! freckle friends is holding an auction in conjunction with the crop/fundraiser for autism speaks. in addition to the crop, they are hosting a silent acution that you can also participate in online!! 100% of the proceeds will go directly to autism speaks. they will have awesome handmade items from ali edwards, donna downey, stephanie ackerman, wilna furstenberg, and amy tangerine. they will also be auctioning off a canon printer. the bidding starts june 5th at noon, and will go until saturday, june 7th at 9pm. you can check out all the details HERE!!

hope everyone is enjoying june so far. the countdown to summer continues... 14 days until summer vacation!! WOO HOO! i'm not sure who is more excited - me or the kids. can't wait!

have a great day! :)

*sigh*

go see this movie.

these two are so hot.

ok, well, really, he's hot. but i loved this movie!:)

have a great weekend. we are off to buy garden boxes and plant some yummies... that ought to take up the whole weekend.

only 19 days till summer vacation.... the countdown is on! woo hoo! :)

memorial day

remember today and every day.

history of memorial day:

HEADQUARTERS GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
General Orders No.11, WASHINGTON, D.C., May 5, 1868

The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.
We are organized, comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose among other things, "of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors, and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion." What can aid more to assure this result than cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes? Their soldier lives were the reveille of freedom to a race in chains, and their deaths the tattoo of rebellious tyranny in arms. We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.

If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us.

Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from hishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation's gratitude, the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan.

It is the purpose of the Commander-in-Chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades. He earnestly desires the public press to lend its friendly aid in bringing to the notice of comrades in all parts of the country in time for simultaneous compliance therewith.

Department commanders will use efforts to make this order effective.
By order of

JOHN A. LOGAN,
Commander-in-Chief

N.P. CHIPMAN,
Adjutant General

Official:
WM. T. COLLINS, A.A.G.

*************************************************************************
thanks to all who have given the ultimate sacrifice, today and every day.

we made butter!

and it was oh, so fun and satisying! :)

i stumbled on to this cool website after stumbling around a bunch of eat local websites. she had a cool little post about making your own butter with your KITCHEN AID! sarah was anxious to help after we bought this apron for her at anthropologie today. (it's a little bit big on her.)

but anyways....  this is when i really, really wish that i had better lighting in my kitchen. hmmm, we have the lights ordered. i guess i  need to see when they are getting installed. it sucks to take pics in there. but here we are.

my old, old kitchen aid. if it ever dies, i promise to buy one of the big, colorful mixers they have at williams sonoma! but this trusty little thing has been with me for for gosh, 15 years?

 

but it is still whirring along...

and we have butter!! not only that, we have buttermilk, too! :) just in time for pancakes sunday morning!

the instructions (which originally came from here) said not to use ultra-pasteurized whipping cream, but that was all i could find. :( i went to two different stores - and the best i could do was horizon organic. i'll have to keep looking around and see if maybe whole foods has it. i'd like to see what difference it makes...

but really, this ultra-pasteurized version tastes great to me! it was pretty exciting to see whipping cream transform itself like that. i really am a city girl, aren't i?

maybe there is still hope for this one. isn't she cute?

and in a little bit of blogging housekeeping, it doesn't look like i have been hit with this new typepad posting format that i keep reading about. i'm a little skeered - it sounds a little messed up. i guess they haven't rolled it out 100%, and they haven't switched me over. i'm anxious to see what it's like.

we saw indiana jones and the crystal skull yesterday afternoon. the kids and i really enjoyed it. not as good as raiders or the last crusade, but better than temple of doom. we were entertained, and that says a lot since we rarely go to the movies. much more excited about this!! i cannot wait. and if carrie and big don't get married, well, i am just going to cry!

Making Fun of Duran Duran 1!

this completely cracked me up. this you tube user has 3 more of these. comic genius via some beautiful boys! ;) i love it...

what we've been doing...

finally, after a week of clouds and gloom, it is sunny and springy again here in california. thank god. it's may!! what is up with the early june gloom?? *grumble grumble*

here are some pictures we took today. we have a little birdy who made her nest right outside our front door. i love that! she is such a good mama - always watching over her nest. spring has come to our yard!

and finally, some blue sky. it has been a while since we have seen any of that! ;)

mother's day was very nice - we went to visit my in-laws, and i got some cool stuff. my mom is out of town, so we didn't get to see her. here is a picture of my favorite mother's day gift!! ok, now i had to order it myself, but my husband was happy that i got something i love! :)

seriously, this girl, lisa leonard, rocks this jewelry! and she's a california girl. check her out.

i also got a tent (don't laugh - i asked for it!!), a gift certificate from sephora, and roses, along with the goodies the kids made for me at school. sarah's class made little jars of cinnamon sugar - so cute! :) it was a good day! :)

we have been doing some crafting around here... maybe it has to do with the weather being too crappy to even want to leave the house.... here are some goodies i have made! :) my beading skills are getting better. (however, my photography skills could use a little brush-up.)

bracelets i made for myself - i really like these!

a little necklace i made for sarah - she has the matching anklet, but who knows where it has ended up...

and i have been working on my little house from lori marie's class at artistic affaire. i am really enjoying this project. i am not an experienced embroiderer, but i do enjoy it. :) it can be relaxing. my little house is far from finished, but here is my doormat! ;)

another sure sign of the season - strawberries from one of the few farms remaining in orange county. i love this place - i know i have blogged about it before. i was going to join their CSA with my parent before the left town again. but since they are going to be gone a lot, we have just been going down there every week and picking out some goodies. aah, the food of the gods, if you ask me:

fresh farm grown organic strawberries, organic shortcakes, and fresh whipping cream. i could seriously live on this stuff. too bad real whipping cream has 50 calories (and all 50 of them are FAT) per TEASPOON! :P

and last, but certainly not least, last week, i ventured down to northern san diego county - beautiful area - valley center, northeast of escondido. very rural, horse and chicken and llama farms. my kinda place! so pretty. BUT i was not there for the country life - far from it! i went to the duran duran concert at the valley view casino. it was an interesting place - actually, it was a nice venue. SMALL - which is great! and the boys did not disappoint! love them so much - they could not be any cooler, even if simon is turning 50 this year!!! holy crap - that makes me feel old!! :P loved hearing notorious, last chance on the stairway, sunrise, save a prayer, reflex... so many good songs. i don't love their collaboration with timbaland and justin timberlake, and they did play a lot of new songs, but the oldies and goodies more than made up for it. i love them so much! :D

i couldn't get very good pictures with the crappy little point and shoot. the lighting on the stage was just too much for it to contend with... but i'll leave you with a little shot of simon! ;) have a great week!

happy mother's day!!

i just wanted to wish a happy mother's day to all of the FABULOUS mothers out there! i hope that everyone is having a wonderful day with your families. i got to sleep in today, i got lots of cool goodies, and i don't have to cook. sounds like the perfect day if i may say so myself! ;) off to do the family thing. have the best day ever! :)

my artistic weekend!

this past weekend, i attended an amazing event at the gorgeous home of kim caldwell. i just don't think that there are enough superlatives to describe the event and the incredible hospitality that kim showed all of us. so, sit down and be prepared to be a tiny bit jealous! ;) (but don't worry - there will be another artistic affaire in the coming months...)

the weekend started out friday night at sweetpeas and snapshots. i love this store, and i had read about some of their legendary events, but let me tell you, they are truly amazing. the owner of the store, mary, just has the most amazing touch. she is a party planning goddess. we had an indian themed soiree - complete with a henna tattoo artist, rita, and a beautiful belly dancer! the scene was gorgeous - colorful, exotic, amazing. we had indian food, champagne and vodka with mango juice, and delicious red velvet cupcakes. take a gander... i swear - i want to have *my* birthday party there! ;)

lilia meredith was there with a canvas/gesso-ing/painting project - so much fun! and she is the NICEST lady with the cutest little daughter. it was great to meet her. :)

saturday morning, we started at 10am in kim's amazing home. check out what we encountered when we got there...

every detail - the food, the flowers, the decor - was just perfect!

and then the reason we were all there?

emily, lori marie, kim, and candice!

these girls just came up with the best classes for us - i was so excited to have a great class with lori marie - the only teacher who i had never had a class with before. she did not disappoint. we made (or at least started) our own little houses out of fabric and trims and felt goodness - all to be mounted on canvas and made into a wall hanging. look how freaking cute her sample was!!

i can't wait to finish my project - i'll post it asap. lori marie was so cute and funny. she seriously makes the cutest stuff! do yourself a favor and check out her etsy shop. it doesn't look like she has a lot right now, but she'll have a bunch going up this month. her stuff is impeccably made - you won't be disappointed! :)

next, we had emily's class - and it was a lightbulb moment! i don't seem to have any pictures of her class - but i think that is because all of our fingers were covered in paint! :D BUT - how clever is this?? we took a chipboard bird book (from maya road i believe), covered it in paint or glue, and then covered it in PAPER TOWELS for texture!! it was sooo cool. seriously - i never would have thought of it! we painted over the towels and they truly made for an interesting texture. a lot of us also ended up doing the same technique with patterned napkins. you could also use pretty tissue paper for this technique. i love that i now have this in my artistic arsenal! :) emily is so sweet - i always love taking classes with her!

the third class was with kim henkel. she is so completely adorable and talented. she had a little felt cupcake book that was meant to be a birthday reminder book. i think i will use mine as a mini book with pictures. it's just too cute to only use for birthdays! :) and kim is just so creative - she ordered bakery boxes to hold our kits. everything was so colorful and pretty! her classes never disappoint.

here is kim's sample - my cover is almost done, but i still have to put my book together.

 

i loved all of this felt... :)

the last class of the day was a creativity fairy hat from candice. i swear, that girl never does anything that isn't completely over the top - and i mean that in the BEST way possible!! these little hats were so adorable - they weren't easy to make - but worth the work!

isn't this cute?!

i want to make more of these hats - that pink festooning on the hat was so, so pretty  - i want to put it all over my house and have a party!

some other favorite from the day. i swear, i could go on and on about this event for hours! you can see more of the event photos here. thanks again to everyone who made it such a special day! XO