September 29, 2010

another vintage dress

Nothing too exciting going on here lately because all I have been doing is cleaning and laundry. What a fun combination right? When there is so much to clean, I just sit around and get overwhelmed and don't want to start. Right about this time, I am also wishing that I had a fairy godmother who had a magic wand and could say, "Bibbidy-boppidy-boo!" and make my house look spotless. Oh, fairy godmother, where art thou?

Therefore since this space is quite lacking of luster, you get stuck with another post of me. Sorry. My sister took these a week or so ago and I had to be silly to try and be serious, and then once I was serious, I had to be silly again because I felt funny being serious.
a picture by myselfi think this looks funnyi resort to silly faces
dress: vintage from 1385
belt: thrifted
shoes: gift from a friend

Oh! Have I told you about how adorably cute my sister is?!! If you don't read her blog, you should, and here is a little proof of how cute she is...
I bet you had a smile on your face just watching this (I always have the biggest one)?!! How can you not?!! If it made you smile too, I say take it and share it (just don't forget to give her credit) cause I want everyone to see my little sister dance (leave the link here in a comment if you do blog about it)! This is her first officially choreographed piece and I think it is divine!

Have I told you she is a dance major, who discovered her love for dance later in life, so now she is taking dance classes like crazy to be up to par with those who have been doing it their whole life?! She is an inspiration. She has only officially been dancing for a year and a half now and I think she is pretty darn good. Okay, don't mind me, I am just the proud, gushing, older sister.

That's all for now and in the word's of Rachel, "I will back with a little OOMPH tomorrow."

September 28, 2010

polaroid tuesday: week thirty-six (and thirty-seven)

I missed last week's polaroid tuesday, so I am doing two for today. These were taken at the wedding.
week thirty-six (and thirty-seven)

week thirty-six (and thirty-seven)
I totally loved this wall! We may have to recreate a version of this at home just for fun. Hmm... my brain is now reeling with ideas.

Power is supposed to be out today (due to maintenance stuff) and the temperature is predicted to still be in the 100's, so please wish us a lot of luck. Oh, Autumn... where are you?!! If you don't come here, I will go and find you!

p.s. a new month is coming, so if you are interested in becoming a sponsor, just send me an email! tates are reasonable and my readership continues to climb daily! thanks to you lovely people!!!

p.s.s. check out this giveaway.

September 27, 2010

oh, hello, a wedding: in video

{song is stars by sophie madeleine}

Danni is married! It was such a hot day, but everything was absolutely lovely!!!

September 24, 2010

today i am playing florist

My big task for the day is to buy lots of pretty flowers and make lots of pretty little arrangements for this lady's wedding tomorrow.
flower martflower martflower martflower mart
My favorite flowers are poppies, but they aren't in season right now. And my favorite type of arrangement is anything that looks like they were picked off the side of the road (when we were dating, Ben used to do just that for me). Wildflowers are the best! What is your flower of choice?

Enjoy Autumn's first weekend!!!

September 23, 2010

packages

Part of yesterday was spent packing orders and gifts that would be traveling their way to its recipients. I especially love this sweet necklace and its sweet message and what better way to package things than with brown paper and lace?! Simple and sweet just like the contents inside.
sweet necklace for a sweet friendtied up with trimbrown paper packages
Let me tell you, some of you had some funny stories yesterday! I got one particular email, actually two, that made me roll on the ground laughing and made my stinky story not so bad! We all have those now, don't we?!!

I am off to finish making things for Danni's wedding, which is on Saturday. I am so excited!

September 22, 2010

a stinky start

This morning was a pretty cruddy. It put my whole day off balance (at least my morning). Let's see, I was downstairs getting the older two girls breakfast when I heard Ben yelling upstairs, so I ran up to see what the ruckus was. He said Soul's poop came out!

That's not unusual as she usually likes to explode in her diaper and it often leaks out. She goes poop once a day but it really is like an explosion! Not today though. Today was different. Somehow she managed to unloose her diaper while in the play yard, so as Ben was going to pick her up, he thought, "Well, it smells kinda funny in there." He looked inside and saw her little poop droplets. He freaked out! Picked her up and carried her out, only to unloose the diaper even more and more droplets fell out (onto carpet mind you) and then he stepped in it! YES, HE STEPPED IN IT! I finally get upstairs to see him changing her and I see the poop all mushed into the carpet and dragged along. So who is stuck cleaning it? Me. I guess it is in my job description (just look under mom). But let me tell you, I hate cleaning poop off carpet (who does though?!). As I was cleaning it, I vowed that we are never ever getting a pet! Ever.

I bathed Soul before I cleaned the mess, put her in the crib where she cried her head off until I finish cleaning the mush on the carpet. Finally, Ben was leaving for work and the car wouldn't start. He is yelling at me about it from downstairs. I am mad cause I am cleaning poop off the carpet (he usually does this nasty kinda of cleaning, but today he had to go to work... how convenient!). I run downstairs into the garage to see what happened. We both don't know. He keeps trying (mind you, his car is at the shop getting fixed so he had to take mine today) and finally, it started. He pulls out fast. I go back upstairs and continue to clean up poop.

So that's that. I feel out of sync today. And cause I am not a fan of a picture-less post and was not in the mood to take a picture of the mishap (plus, you probably wouldn't want to see it), I am sharing a stinky but yummy lunch we had over the weekend.
stinky but yummy lunch
Five simple ingredients: sardines, smoked herring, fresh tomatoes, and olives atop a yummy cracker. Now, this was something stinky but really yum.

Okay friends, how was your morning? I hope it was better than mine.

September 21, 2010

pancakes and a buck

Our normal breakfast consists of oatmeal for the adults and O's and milk for the kids with fruit mixed in both for good measure (though usually not in mine). I wanted to change things up a bit and decided that making some pancakes would be a very good thing. The girls were ecstatic once they learned what I was making and we were all so excited to attack the little stack of circles. Our tummies were quite content and all the pancakes were devoured quickly.
pancakes
I mentioned that I got myself a couple vintage goodies for a buck (thanks to my brother's girlfriend faye for telling us a little vintage yard sale that occurs every sunday in L.A.) and this vintage wrap skirt was one of the things I picked up in the piles. I grabbed it, looked at it, hesitated, then tried it on and decided I liked the quirky parrots! Plus, not too much to lose for a buck right?!!
vintage one buck skirt and my brave
I had to smile for picture. Still can't do the serious thing yet (this is a work in progress). And yes, I had to grab another little babe to join me in it too.

shirt: target
skirt: jet rag
shoes: none cause we don't wear them inside the house
little girl: my womb
hello kitty tin purse: belongs to the little girl (gift from grandparents)

Autumn weather has yet to hit southern California (is there such a thing as fall weather here)? It isn't too hot though, so I am thankful! I am really hoping for our little road trip cause I want to see what real fall is like. I have so many autumnal things I want to do in our little home, but time is going fast and I am not sure if we will have time to do them. It seems there is always a long list of other "to-dos" we want (or have) to do. Though for sure, we must do our annual Fall-elebration dinner to celebrate the new season.

What types of things do you do to celebrate the fall season?

September 20, 2010

some custom crowns

I haven't done custom crowns in awhile, but I always love the challenge when someone wants me to do so. A lovely lady requested that I make two coordinating crowns for her two sons, and they were going to go with a birthday party based on a particular book. Can anyone tell me what book inspired these crowns?
where the wild things are inspired crownwhere the wild things are inspired crownwhere the wild things are inspired crownwhere the wild things are inspired crownwhere the wild things are inspired crownwhere the wild things are inspired crown
We had a pretty funny Sunday. You see, we go to church about an hour away from where we live, and when we got to church, Ben realized that he forgot his shoes! Ha! To top it all off, he was the service leader for our Sunday gathering. Despite this hilarious mistake, praise God that the situation didn't deter him and he led Sunday service just fine (thanks be to God) bare feet and all (here's proof)! After which, we skidaddled to the nearest Rite Aid to pick him up some cheap flips flops. Then, we went our merry way to do some vintage clothing hunting. I came out with some goodies for myself for just a buck, but it was a bust to find anything for Ben! I guess it just wasn't his luck on Sunday.

How was your weekend? Have any funny stories that might trump the story of Ben forgetting his shoes for church?!!

September 19, 2010

soul and boogie

soul and boogie
My baby's nine months has Thomas Jefferson hair and is walking (she still crawls too). Um... can't she slow down this growing up thing just a bit? See her at eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one month.

September 18, 2010

slice of life: in video

{song is mercy by duffy}

It was just another normal week of doing normal things. This coming week will be a wee bit busier because at the week's end we get to celebrate this gal's wedding. Hope your weekend is good thus far and keep the suggestions coming for our possible road trip!

September 16, 2010

trying to act natural

Yeah. still. can't. do. it.
trying to act natural
I was laughing up a bunch and when I wasn't laughing, Ben kept saying, "You look mad!" Seriously. It is kinda funny though. You should see the mad pictures! Plus, I cheated cause I snuck Soul into the picture with me. I will get there folks. I will get over this fear. It is just kinda funny while doing so...
me and soulie
Tonight I am dying my hair back to its natural color (at least on top). You know, when you are sitting in a salon and the stylist does your hair so beautifully and you tell them, "Can you do my hair every day?" Well, my sister is a stylist so that comes close, right? When I need a cut, color, trim, or get de-frizzified, I give her a call and she fits me into her books. Gotta love having a sister who's a hair stylist. It's the best!

dress: vintage from ms. tips
belt: thrifted
baby: mine

p.s. we are thinking of taking a road trip up to san francisco, portland, seattle, and maybe vancouver, so if you have any food, shopping, or stay recommendations please do share! we would like to stay somewhere nice, but won't break the bank and we definitely want to try all the yummy food.

September 15, 2010

the giant tomato

We went tomato picking, in our backyard of course, and we came out with a basket full of tomatoes! Our favorite was the giant Dr. Wyche's tomato!!!
tomatoes
You can see it in the basket, but that doesn't even do justice to show really how big it was!
the giant tomatothe giant tomato
We chopped all the tomatoes, added some chopped onions, jalapenos, cilantro, with dashes of salt and squeezes of lime and we had a very good pico de gallo.
fresh salsa
Even with all those tomatoes, our little salsa lasted two days. Just two days. You should have seen the original giant bowl that it was in! Chips and salsa make a good dessert. That's Ben's idea of dessert! My dessert is anything sweet, but I have no problem indulging in a very good salsa! What is your idea of a good dessert?

September 14, 2010

polaroid tuesday: week thirty-five

We got a new scanner and it isn't working the way I'd like, so this is how I am sharing my polaroid for this week.
polaroid tuesday
Me and macarons are together again. This batch was slightly better than the last, though I think I didn't mix the batter well enough. It wasn't as magma-like as it is supposed to be (I think), but the strawberry italian buttercream is yum! I made a good amount, so if I am gonna be seeing you within the next few days, you will be getting a few of these yummy cuties. I vow to be a macaron making PRO!

I also tried making strawberry meringues because True can't eat the macarons due to her nut allergies, so I thought something else pink might be right up her alley. She seemed to like it, though I don't think I do. I am almost sure I didn't do it right cause they don't look all that pretty, at least to me. My recollection is that store bought ones are prettier. I used a meringue recipe that utilized splenda, yeah... I don't really like splenda. Next time, I will use another recipe.
macarons and merguines
I was holding it out to take a picture of it before it made its way to my mouth, and my little Soulie was reaching out to grab it. She is like mama... she loves sweets!
she wants one
Don't worry. I didn't give it to her, she is much too young for that. Now onto the dress that left me a bit down in the dumps, I feel a bit better about my dress today. I sewed up the holes and Ben says it looks fine (see it here and here). Makes me thankful it has a busy print to hide my little mess-ups. It is so pretty and my favorite parts are the sleeves.

I was gonna put the self-taken portrait of me in the dress here, but I am so self-conscious in pictures that I feel funny. I can't take pictures of myself or be in pictures by myself and look natural. I am horrible at looking natural! When Ben takes a picture of me I have to smile. Ben says, "Just don't think about it." But I can't. I think if I don't smile, I look angry. I am kinda doing a dare to myself (anyone else wanna join?). I am gonna work on being in a picture by myself, taken by me, Ben, or maybe the camera timer and I will just share what I wear or something. I seriously stay home all the time (rarely leave the house cause I have three kids remember?), but I do get dressed every day, so I will just share what I wear. I think my little dare is funny, but maybe some of you are as self-conscious about pictures as I am. Please tell me I am not alone...

See, I practiced last week with photo booth. Yeah, I know. I am a nerd!

p.s. Deborah was inspired and got her own zumi and made a very cute video. Ah! I love it! If you get a zumi and make a movie, please do share it with me.

September 13, 2010

part old lady

Weekend was good. I didn't get my saturday breakfast out, but I will wait patiently for that. Plus, I did get a couple goodies for myself whilst out on a vintage clothing hunt for Ben. One of my goodies is this tortoise shell tip vintage shoe. I liked its quirkiness, despite the fact it looks part old lady, but who cares! I think it is adorable, plus the heel is also a tortoise shell. I love it so much!
tortoise shell shoes
I did also get a really cool 1930's dress for really cheap, but um... I guess I am learning the ins and outs of vintage clothing cause you don't want to put crepe rayon in the wash (it was on the hand wash cycle). It now has a hole in the front which makes me really sad. Down in the dumps sad. I so wish I could turn back time and googled care instructions first. Oh well! As I type this, I am thinking about deleting the portion about my dress because it makes me too sad to even think of it. Dumb right? A dress makes me sad. There are more important things in the world! If anyone ever finds a very cute 1930's dress and don't want it, would you kindly send it my way. Maybe it would be a nice cheerer-upper!

I did say we went shopping for Ben, so don't fear he got some stuff. He never goes and he needed too and he came out with lots of good things. Finally, my Benny got some new (old) clothes. I was so happy that he was finding things he liked (and fit well) that I started to cry while we were shopping. No joke! I was that happy!

Oh! And the vintage genie granted even more clothing wishes cause not only did True pick out some vintage clothes (she loves vintage too for real, but that is another story for another day), but the girls got gifted with a plethora of vintage clothes from Auntie Reinna (and Christian) and Auntie Joan! I will share the goodies another day.

Ben's home now, girls are up from nap, and it's time to make dinner! Gotta go tell Ben woes of my dress... be back tomorrow.

September 10, 2010

slice of life: in video

{song is aukalagid by lay low}

Winners have been announced on each giveaway post. Thank you for all your lovely comments for the giveaways. Y'all are fantastic!!! Seriously.

Hope you like this week's video. Have I told you how much I love the Zumi?!! I think Ben did such a good job capturing the butterflies! And in case you are wondering about that pot of food. Ah! Well, I cooked for our church potluck the night before and Ben was supposed to put all the meat in fridge (I even reminded him), but come Sunday morning, it was still sitting out (and of course after 4 hours and not in the right temperature, food is more susceptible to food borne illness). I was a bit miffed, but he apologized right away, ran to grocery store, and we had to cook all over again. So it is kind of a funny thing to remember, but maybe now that there is video, he won't ever forget again (as this wasn't the first time this happened)!

The weekend is finally upon us and my wish is to go out for Saturday morning breakfast. What is your wish for the weekend?

Have a grand time folks!

September 9, 2010

give them wings

Days have been a bit more gloomy (though I know the heat will be back), so we have been spending mornings watching movies like Little Women (the girls are now asking for a fourth sister so they can be the little women) and The Little Princess in bed. After which, ensues a bit of crafting. The girls will do anything to get some crafting time! Since we are on a little butterfly kick from our recent outing to the Pavilion of Wings, I knew the exact thing that my girls were going to enjoy making.

They each picked out their own fabrics. Naturally, True picked something pink (she always picks pink) and Brave picked out something red. True has always loved pink and normally Brave picks out whatever big sister wants, but a little of her own personality is finally coming through, because as of late, she has declared red to be her favorite color.
making wings
I made a pattern, cut out the pieces, and sewed them together, as well as attached the elastic so that it could be worn, but I did this after they painted. I turned it inside out and the girls did the rest. They stuffed. They painted. They flew.
making wings
making wingsmaking wingsmaking wings
We used the same fabric paint that we used to make the elephants for Brave's birthday and we let the wings dry while the girls went to nap. Right when they woke up, everything was ready to go!
butterflies playingbutterflies playingbutterflies playingbutterflies in the grass
The wings have been attached to them ever since. Now, they are constantly fluttering about the house.

The wings remind me of a song my mom would sing to us when I was little. It was called Roots and Wings. A line in the song went like this... "You gave me roots to grow in love, you gave me wings to reach the sky, you set me free to be who I am, just by being who you are." I hope I can instill this sentiment in my girls. I want them to grow in knowledge of who they are in Christ and be able to see the possibilities in Christ as well. I am not gonna lie, sometimes I think, "Gosh... I take my children for granted and am not loving them the way God wants me to." It is so easy to fill the days with busyness that I forget to enjoy my children. I need to stop and remember that these days when they are little (because they really will be big and flying off before you know it) are for teaching them roots and wings.

p.s. last day for all my giveaways.

September 8, 2010

fabulous focaccia

I mentioned on Friday that we were going to do some bread making for our friends who were going to come over for dinner and so I tried out this recipe. All I gotta say is fabulous focaccia indeed! My only tweak was to use whole wheat flour and I think that it turned out even better because anything with whole wheat is just better for your body, right? Makes me feel less guilty when I am indulging in a carb-fest!
focaccia breadfocaccia breadfocaccia breadfocaccia breadfocaccia bread
I am so glad that I tripled the recipe, so now I have a few balls of dough in the freezer just waiting to taken out to be freshly baked. Give me good bread, some extra virgin oil with garlic bits and I am as happy as a clam! Anyone else love yummy bread too?

On another different note, we had a bit of a scare last night. Ben was on the front porch reading, when he noticed a couple of guys fishing around our neighbors' cars. His instincts told him something wasn't right, so he went inside and called the police to report it. Just as he was talking on the phone, he looked out our 2nd floor window and saw the guys in our driveway snooping in our car. Ben immediately yelled at them and they took off. Unfortunately, the cops didn't get them and we don't have much information. It is such a frustrating situation. Praise God no one was hurt and nothing was taken (we figured out they were trying to steal gas from everyone's tanks), but this kinda of thing is just sad and scary. It makes me so angry, but I need to remember that even those guys need God. Hmm... do you think it is possible that they smelled my focaccia baking and came looking for some?! I guess next time I will just have to leave it by the car for them.

p.s. did you know about all my giveaways?

September 7, 2010

polaroid tuesday: week thirty-four

week thirty-four
We went to the Pavilion of Wings and saw pretty butterflies. It was quite amazing to see lots of them flying around. We are now inspired to make lots of butterfly-ish things!

Don't forget to enter all the giveaways!

September 6, 2010

blog-versary giveaway day

hello
Hello!

I have been blogging for three years now and just wanted to say thanks for coming along for the ride! I am so normal and though this space records mostly the happy moments, rest assured I have my down in the dump moments too. I just don't think you want to read about that all the time, but I ain't ashamed to admit it. And just in case you don't believe me because our most recent slice of life video seems so giddy, I really do yell at my kids (though, I am not proud of it and often ask for forgiveness) and Ben and I do fight (really!). I am so human and it just makes me realize how much more I need God. All that to say... thanks and I hope you keep following along! Now, go enter all the fun giveaways going on right now.

lots of love,
Ruby

p.s. Just in case you were wondering about that furry little head under mine in the picture, it is my little Soulie riding in the sling!

polaroid camera (and film) giveaway

polaroid camera and film giveaway
Okay, here it is! The thing I love to giveaway most... a polaroid camera (and film)! You probably know by now, polaroid is making a comback via The Impossible Project, so now is your chance to snatch up this highly sought after baby! You know how much I love polaroids and I like to keep the polaroid love going... and this is my way of saying "thank you" for all the love and support you continuously give my blog (and my family) for the past three years! It has been so wonderful and I never imagined all the wonderful friends and support that would come from this.

To enter, all you have to do is:
1. Leave a comment telling me one thing you miss about using a film camera.
2. You MUST be a follower or subscriber of this blog to enter to win the camera, and if so, please leave me a comment telling me you are!
2. Blog, tweet, or facebook about this giveaway and leave separate comments to the links here.

Now, if you do all of the things mentioned above, you might even be able to up your chances by getting your name in 5 times! Isn't this the easiest thing to win a polaroid camera?!!

Those overseas are welcome to join. The giveaway will end at 8am PST on Friday, September 10th and don't forget to come back Friday to this post as this is where the winner will be announced. Good luck!

*****
Thanks to the random robot, the winner is... Gabriela Couth!
Congratulations Gabriela!!! Email me your address. And thank you everyone else for participating and I love reading your comments (though, I am still not all caught up)! It is obvious that as much as we love the convenience of digital, nothing can ever replace the feeling of film!
*****
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