yesterday

Tuesday was a blissful day of getting some things done, which included yogurt and dinner with my two sisters, but I am still stuck on which umbrella. Ah! It takes us forever to decide things, but I guess that is better than being an impulsive shopper!

We just get mad at ourselves sometimes because we just take so darn long to make decisions. The only time we are fast (kinda fast) is at the flea market and that is cause if we don't decide then, well it will probably be gone the next minute. Do you take forever when making a purchase or do you buy on impulse?

polaroid tuesday: week twenty-four

Our nice collection of vintage baby shoes. No matter what age, a girl will always love her shoes.

Some tidbits...

1. Yesterday, the biggest problem in our house was deciding what outdoor umbrella to buy... this cool one (don't worry I found it for a lower price) or something simpler? Um... help! Let me know what you think.

2. I am really nervous about renegade and am thinking of backing out because I don't know if I have time to make all I want to make. Do I need to have a lot of stuff?

3. I think I forgot to post the polaroid for last week. I will need to do that today.

4. My sister is having a fantabulous artist feature everyday this week. You must check it out!

5. We still don't know what umbrella to get and it is giving me a headache.

6. When I was little, my mom told me that if I don't wear socks around the house I would get lots of veins on my feet. I think that is why I have a lot of veins on my feet!

7. I can't think of anything more, but I hate ending this list at 7. I feel like it should go to 10.

8. Sorry if this post is kind of random. That is how I feel today. Umbrella online shopping can do that to you!

Thanks folks for putting up with me! xoxo

hello monday

This weekend we were busy bees. I spent Saturday morning out by myself with all three girls, which is a rarity as I seriously never leave the house with all three of them by myself, but I decided to be brave. Ben had a weight management conference he attended in the morning, then we did more errands together in the afternoon. All I gotta say is that time always flies on the weekend! Hurry up Friday and get here already!

The dress I am wearing is a thrift store dress refashioned. Ben got on my case for not taking a before picture, but I will just describe it to you. It was super, super big with long puffy sleeves, and super, super long! What a difference a bit of sewing makes, right? The coloring of it is a bit autumnal, but whatever... I like it!

I can hardly believe it is already July! Our anniversary is coming up and we are stuck on what to do. A nice dinner here or go somewhere like last year... we better decide soon!

Happy Monday everyone! Is anyone as excited as I am for Friday to come already?!!

hats off to papi week

Last week, we declared it, "Hats off to Papi Week!" We decided that Ben shouldn't just have one day of Father's Day, but a whole week worth! So everyday, when he least expected it, we surprised him with a little something, with a little card that had a special picture and always read this:

day one: work hat

We surprised him at work and he was completely bewildered because the receptionist called him and told him he had a patient waiting, but it was just us! His little surprise was a new work bag, so he could finally get rid of the ratty old backpack that he has been carrying around for years, which was also the backpack I used when I was traveling all throughout Europe about 7 years ago, so you can bet that thing was ready to retire.

day two: work out hat

I originally hid his surprise in a box that he normally takes to work, but that day he decided to not take the box, so I had to change up the surprise and we went back to his work for lunch and surprised him there again. This time with balloons. To go with the work out hat, we gave him a heart rate monitor for when he works out and a bandana to keep his long hair out of his eyes.

day three: chef hat

We slyly went to the other medical office he works at the day before and put his surprise on his desk, so when he came in on that day, his surprise was already waiting for him first thing. He is the chef in our house and we gave him this recipe book that he had been wanting.

day four: handy man

Ben was expecting us to show up at his work, but this time around, we just waited for him to come home and gave him his surprise then. He is our handy man, but his tools are scattered everywhere, so we got him this vintage toolbox to help keep his stuff together.

day five: gardening hat

This day we surprised him at work for lunch with some sushi and a big number 1 balloon because his is our #1 PAPI. I think you all know by now how how much Ben loves gardening, so we gave him the diy garden markers and this book to read to the girls.

When he came home, the girls were waiting at the door with a little note for him that basically told him that tonight they were going to take him on a Papi and kids date!

With a ring pop in hand (because he is their POP), they got down on their knees and asked, "Will you be our Papi forever?" It was really sweet and of course their Papi said, "Yes!"

So the two older girls and Ben went to out for dinner together and Papi also took them on a special trip to what they call "the hello kitty store." I think it is so important for fathers to take their daughters on father-daughter dates.

day six: cool man hat

One thing you must know about Ben is that he never buys anything for himself. No electronic gadgets, no shoes, clothes, no nothing. We live on one budget, so we are very careful where we choose to spend our money, so he doesn't like to buy anything for himself because he would rather spend it on me or the girls. The last pair of jeans he got was almost 3 years ago when I called a store to order them while I was in labor at the hospital (that is a story for another day), so his were getting pretty worn. For his last present, we gave him two pairs of jeans! I am guessing these will last him for the next 10 years! He was pretty excited and they looked really nice on him! Even after that, he said it was too much and we should return it so he could get me something instead, but we aren't going to let him do that. It is his turn to get spoiled.

day seven: his favorite hat

It was Sunday and actually the whole weekend he was sick, so instead of breakfast in bed, we gave him lunch in bed. We had other plans to celebrate for the weekend, but we had to change them because he was sick. We will just have to save them another day!

We love our Papi so much and we give him a hats off because he is by far our #1 Papi!!! Thank you Benny, you are the most amazing man ever and I am so glad that God has blessed me (and our girls) with you!!!

DIY: garden markers

We have been needing some garden markers to mark all our different vegetables, especially the tomatoes since we have over 20 varieties currently growing. I really liked this one from Terrain and this one that Stephanie brought over from France, but sold rather quickly in her shop, so with a little inspiration from both, I made my own. This was actually part of Ben's father's day surprise (I will tell you about it tomorrow). Ben was very happy to have something to mark all his, I mean our, tomatoes! It all looks especially pretty in the garden.

materials:

- 10'' paint stirrers

- chalkboard paint (or black paint)

- 1'' paint brush

- white china marker (grease pencil)

The easy peasy directions: Paint all the paint stirrers (back, front, and sides) with chalkboard paint (I think using black paint would work just as well, since you aren't using chalk). Let dry before painting each side. Apply two coats. Voila! Easy, right?

I found the china marker, which is typically used to mark glass, at a local art store.

We then packaged it up nicely as part of Ben's father's day gift.

The china marker writes and stays nicely on the paint. Water will not remove the writing, but when it does need to be removed, just wipe off with some baby oil and a piece of cloth or paper towel. Thus, your garden marker can be used over and over again!

Doesn't it look so sweet there in front of the tomato plant?

And as I was writing out the garden markers, I noticed that some tomato plants have some pretty rad names... Like Cherokee Purple or Pink Firefly tomatoes! Who knew tomato names were so cool and pretty themselves?!!

This was such an easy little project (that I ended up making 60 of them) and is perfect for any garden or as a gift for garden loving friend!

p.s. ben informs me i spelled one of the tomato names wrong. it is dr. wyche's with a y, not a v. oh well. good thing this is not a spelling tomato names tutorial!

last night's dinner

One of our easy go-to dinners... cook whole wheat spaghetti, boil shrimp in water with a little bit of garlic salt sprinkled in, drain the shrimp, lightly coat the spaghetti with extra virgin olive oil, put shrimp on top, add lots parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes (I like to put a lot). It is all so yum!

What did you have for dinner last night?

p.s. thank you so much for your seriously sweet words regarding yesterday's post and how you still continue to visit this space even when i feel kinda boring! you guys are the best!

dried up

Honestly, lately I have been feeling a bit dried up in the crafty department. Not really in a mood to sew or make anything. I get little spurts here and there, which usually results in a necklace, but other than that I have felt kaput! Seriously. I haven't sewn to just sew in a very long while. I think part of it is I have now 3 to take care of and time isn't the same, another part of it is my studio area is really, really a bad mess, and the other part just is me feeling blah! Oh and another part is gardening has been taking a lot of my time.

Yesterday, I was pruning, deadheading, and watering outside and I was getting rid of these dried up blooms on some rose bushes. I got them all clumped up together on a table ready to be tossed when I noticed they all looked so pretty that I couldn't resist running in the house to grab the camera. Even dried up roses are absolutely beautiful, they remind me a bit of fabric.

These simple roses inspired me, rather reminded me, of my own state of dried up-ness. Though, I haven't been crafting much of late lots of other good things have been happening, like a lot of cuddling with my babes which are much more important. Them being little last for only a short season and this season needs to be treasured as much as possible.

The roses live and die and get cut off the stem, with the rose bush only to flower again later with new blooms. I will let that be me. Right now I am in the die and cut off stage, and I just need to regenerate a bit and I will be back. Before you know it, I will be itching to sew again, my sketch book will be brimming with new little projects, and unfinished ones will be completed. Until then, I will continue loving up the darlings in my life because they will always be what is most important. Don't you agree?

Enjoy your tuesday friends!

happy day

Aren't Fridays always happy?!! They must be for sure. For you school folk, that means no school for two days, for you working in the world folk, that means no work for two days, and for us working at home folk (be it just staying home with kids or running a wee business), that means we get to be with our working out of the home love(s) for two whole days! Therefore, Fridays must always be happy days.

It seems to a be a little ritual in our house of late, that Friday mornings I go out and pick some flowers to bring inside. I like that ritual. I hope I can keep all the flowers alive, so I can keep doing this little ritual.

It feels like I say this all the time, but this week was such a whirlwind and time to get things done just isn't there anymore. Plus, we have been working on a little something for Ben that has taken chunks of our day, but we are so glad to do it! We will share it on Monday, but let's just say that instead of just giving Ben a father's day, we are giving him a father's week. We think he actually deserves a father's month, but we will work our way up there and do a week for now. Oh boy... we love our Papi so, so much!!!

I hope you enjoy your weekend loving and adoring all your darlings, especially them fathers!

p.s. a little bird tells me there is one dollhouse pillow up for grabs. sold.

a bit of texture

I am still on my necklace making bit as it makes me happy as a clam! This one I love cause it has a whole lot of texture. I think the yarn, tulle, jersey, vintage lace and buttons make a lovely combination. What do you think? You can expect to see some of these in the shop soon.

Instead of waiting to have all my items ready at one time to update the shop, I will just update as I am able (less pressure for me), so tomorrow morning there will be this dollhouse pillow up for grabs. Next week, will be some necklaces and hair clips (hopefully). Being a mama to my three babycakies always comes first, so crafting and sewing sometimes gets thrown to the wayside.

Today is Thursday (yay!) and that means the weekend is almost here! Ben has been feeling under the weather lately, so please pray he gets better. We don't like our Papi feeling sick!

p.s. my sister and her friend are real cute and encouraging. you will no doubt be encouraged after reading what they did yesterday! this world needs more richelles and stephanies!

the first of our summer nights

We had some friends come over, made some homemade burgers, drank some yummy wine, indulged in peaches and ice cream, and enjoyed the beginning of our summer nights.

My favorite part is when the sun went down and I could turn on the canopy of lights we had over head. It is all so very pretty and perfect! Now on my shopping list is a very long vintage farm table... I think it would be perfect for our outside dining area.

Oh Summer... I dislike your heat during the day, but I love your nice and perfectly cool evenings at night! What do you like to eat or do for your summer nights outside?

polaroid tuesday: week twenty-three

Can you see the little hummingbird?

Ah! Things are good. I am knee deep in lots of things I have to do and I feel like I can never catch up. That is why I have been a bit absent lately (okay, just yesterday). The girls are being more difficult these days and I think True is going through the terrible 2's a bit late in life (can it manifest at 4?). Now, off to dive back into all the things that need to be done!

10 things i have learned while gardening

1. digging holes is a good workout.

2. i like the smell of soil.

3. i like the feel of soil in my bare hands.

4. june is a horrible time to plant.

5. yellowing leaves means either too much/too little water.

6. i don't know how to figure out if i water too much/too little.

7. i have to learn to be patient as plants need time to grow.

8. diatomaceous earth is wondrous in getting rid of ants.

9. i like picking flowers from the garden and putting them inside the house.

10. having a garden is like having another kid... it takes a lot of time and energy to grow.

{ginormous dahlia freshly picked from the garden}

Our little garden is far from being done, like I said above, I need to be patient and let the plants grow as it will be awhile until everything looks nice and full and it really does take so much time to cultivate a garden. I am sure some plants will go kaput and I will have to fill the holes with something else. It is all such a learning process. I just want to go flea marketing to fill up the yard with cute tables and chairs, so we can all relax outside and enjoy our Summer nights. How do you plan on spending your summer nights? And do please share if you have any good gardening tips that you think will be helpful! I definitely can use all the help that I can get! I am sure some of you out there are real gardening pros...

See you all on Monday!

laundry

Seeing a cute baby in a basket full of clean laundry helps putting away laundry a little more appealing. You should try it sometime...

polaroid tuesday: week twenty-two

I went thrifting and came home with lots of colorful vintage baubles and a couple sweet enamel pins.

My sister-in-law is here and my girls are having a blast! They love their Auntia Suzi! Tomorrow we are headed to grab us some Sprinkles... yum!

a little piñata

At the community picnic yesterday, there was a piñata for all the kids, but with my girls being really shy, they did not want to participate. Though, as soon as we came home, True headed to her room to retrieve the little piñata that their grandmama got for them and she was trying to hang it so she and Brave could play. Ben and I decided to up their game a bit and actually put some goodies in it, hang it from the top of the stairs, and let them have a go at their own little piñata party. They had a blast!

I am glad my girls had fun having their own little piñata party at home. Maybe, we should practice with home piñata parties all the time, so they will be pros the next time they see one at a party!

Hello Monday!

slightly changed

Since we have been spending most days and evenings outside working on the garden, the inside of the house has been a bit, well, unkempt. Dishes were all over the kitchen, some even in our bathroom (seriously), and clothes and paper strewn all over the place. Finally, during their nap time yesterday, I did some cleaning and slight rearranging. I was definitely itching for a little change. I feel so much better and now I can see the bottom of our kitchen sink again!

To bring some of the outside in, I cut some hydrangeas and brought them inside. Flowers always make a space more cheerful!

I just did some pillow moving and little vignette rearranging and the girls did a new piece on our chalkboard canvas.

I feel so much better with this slightly changed arrangement. Today holds more cleaning and tomorrow some morning gardening, then a trip to my parents' house because we have some family in town. On Sunday, our church is having a community picnic after our worship gathering, so if anyone lives in the L.A. area and want to join in for the picnic let me know! We are supposed to invite our friends and well, you all are my friends too! Just bring yourself and we will provide the food. If you are interested, send me an email and I will give you directions or the address. I would love to meet some of you!

Have a happy weekend friends! What are your plans for the weekend?