surrounded by a sea of boxes.

Let the moving commence.
Tomorrow is the day of our big self move 2.5 miles away.
Are we crazy....maybe a little to do such a short move.
Change is good though right?
As the cardboard smell is waifing through this house, I find myself very anxious.
So off I go to clean like Rosie the Robot.
Be back soon....

"What do you want to be when you grow up Olivia?"

Dancing with the Stars...I guess we are busted on what we watch at home huh?

Can't blame her for dreaming big though.

Now to enjoy the next few months before real school starts..yikes.

Happy summer!!

fruition...

WOW.

Thank you to all of you who showed up or encouraged me through this first street fair.

It was a success on many levels and my mind is spinning with new ideas.

To take a little dream from a corner room in my home and out into the world to share it with all of you, leaves me speechless.

My heart is full.

Thank you thank you.

eeks,tomorrow is the big day.

"Me feel pretty" is about to take flight.

Where finally all my hard work will move from this bookshelf, to a pretty little 10x10 spot at Seabee Days.

The excitement is overwhelming, in a fantastical way!

It's a small venue, but a perfect place to start.

Funny this morning as I was setting up my canopy that I was clearly the new kid on the block.

If you live in Ventura county, come by and see me.

It would be fantastic to see some familiar faces.

For now I have to get spiffed up for Olivia's preschool graduation.

Amazing how time flies.

Dressing her in a cap and gown at age 4 is just surreal.

She is a smart little cookie though and I will for sure be the proud mom crying as they say her name.

Cheers to a wonderful weekend.

Tears of joy...I love when that happens.

So it was, back in April, I took an amazing workshop class with the sweetest Christine.

Her talent is beyond and I couldn't wait to make one of these beauties.

To say I was nervous to solder for the first time was an understatement, but I was thrilled to find how simple it was.

Not to mention calming, as I watched the metal flow.

So this is what my end product turned out to be.

For my Mom...

Seeing this picture always brings tears to my eyes and I knew there could be no better one to use for this project.

It was taken of my my and aunt (twins) when they were about 3.

My aunt has since passed, hence the wings.

My hope is that this brings you peace and joy Mom.

As much as it did me to make this treasure for you.

They are candy store goodies to me.

and I do love candy.

Keeping busy with this little guys too.

Charms galore for necklaces.

It's a little less than 2 weeks away from my first street fair and I am sure getting excited.

a little nervous too....any tips for me?

bright and shiny

These little gems have sure been keeping me busy as of late.

My house smells of solder and glue from making lots of other handmade rhinestone, soldered goodies as well.

It's so exciting.

My Etsy shop had a much needed makeover and will be seeing some my things soon.

Off to make some more...just wanted to share.

houseguests are always welcome here.

We vow to entertain via Rockband.

Feed with In n Out.

Craft up some fun stuff.

Have tricycle races.

and whatever else suits your fancy.

We love having people come and visit.

The Liebs and Sparks were no exception...we miss you guys already.

crafty in the kitchen

Without a doubt breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.

So much so, that I can eat it for dinner too.

Recently I had splurged at Costco and bought the big thing o' croissants.

This is a rarity because I find them delightful yet oh so bad for me.

But they won the battle and came home with me in order to make

Coconut croissant french toast.

BAD. Bad. bad.....but really so so delish.

If you crave coconut as much as I do, give these a whirl.

Cut croissants in half and set aside.

Then wisk 2 eggs, milk, cinnamon, and healthy splash of coconut flavoring together in a bowl.

dip croissants in batter and let the excess drip off completely.

Then cook just like normal french toast.
Top with butter and raspberry syrup (if you have it).
Enjoy.
These babies are pretty filling, so making less is really more with this breakfast treat.



Hope everyone had a happy Easter weekend.

We sure did.

ps... blog, I've kinda missed you

When housebound with sick kiddos who are sleeping much more than normal, conquer those to do list projects with that extra time.

This chandelier has been at the top of my list for awhile and finally I got to it. yipee.

Renting houses always brings upon some decorating challenges for me.

The question of how can I make what they currently have up look better for us and our style?

solution 129:

Cut strips of muslin and wrap the heck out of that wrought iron and flair it up with a piece of vintage jewelry that I found for a dollar.

I'm liking how it turned out and am amped to start some more overdue to do's.

This is about as crafty as I get these days.

hello 29

Anthony does not quite understand my facination with old things, but he surprised me with a trip to this place.

Is it wrong to love old metal and glass this much?

bye bye 28

So this was my list.
One year ago tomorrow, I wrote these thoughts down and then tucked it away.
Curious to see how that theory of "The Secret" plays out.
Completion rate 18 of 28.
Not bad I suppose.
soon to follow..
29 of 29.

impromptu night out

Randomly I flipped through our local paper and saw that Iliza Shlesinger

was doing stand up Friday night, 20 minutes from our house.

I loved her on Last Comic Standing and she more than delievered at our show.

My reality TV nerdism was totally satisfied tonight.

giving it a whirl.

This whole meal planning thing that is.

I am really a craving eater so I couldn't narrow it down to a what night we eat what list.

But, this is my attempt at a trusty "I want to make dinner easier" list.

On tonight's menu....Chili and cornbread.

Not my kids favorite, but it's cold here and a hearty dinner sounds yummy to Mom and Dad.

We trump the whiny I want Mac and cheese cries tonight.

Recipe goes like this.

1lb ground beef

1 small tomato sauce can

1 regular sized can of diced tomato

1 can kidney beans

a couple splashes of beer

cinnamon

garlic pepper

cumin

1 pkg. of chili seasoning mix.

Brown meat with cinnamon, cumin and garlic pepper.

Just keep shakin' it on until it makes a nice covering over the meat.

When browned add to a pot with all the other goodies.

warm up.

Serve on white rice

top with a dollop of sour cream and lots of sharp cheddar.

I like a little dill pickle too.

Cheers to a warm Academy awards night.

oh don't forget the cornbread with honey butter.

for the love of American Idol...

"Mine rocks way harder than yours, pretty hair boy."

It was one of those rare times.

Like once in a 5 year span rarities.

I wanted to take Anthony to do something he had yet to try. (nearly impossible)

Something I could teach him. (who am I kidding)

Indoor climbing it was.

If you have not tried this sport yet, I really encourage you to give it a whirl.

It's so exhilarating and the sense of accomplishment you feel after reaching the top is indescribable.

Just Google indoor climbing gym in your city.

So mission accomplished for a wonderful date night for us.

I am a child of the eighties.

I loved Bottle Caps, Razzles, Jolly Ranchers and all that other goodness. and I have always thought it would be fun to be a blond.

Pictured above is my beloved charm necklace.
I LOVED this thing as a kid.
Sadly my favorite one was the mini toilet.
Weird and still not sure why that was the coolest one, but so it goes.

explanation of the pictures....

a dress up Rock band/ beer pong party.

a little collegesqe, sure, but it keeps us young right?

and as far as the blog absence goes, sorry mom.

I know you have missed the pictures and stories.

My crafty table has gathered quite the layer of dust in the past few months and I just thought I had nothing much to share.

But I do miss sharing the little things with my friends and family on here.

So I decided to let go of this self imposed "my blog must be a certain way" mentality.

Embrace and share the randomness that happens in my day to day.

Cheers!

I love this Christmas feeling.

I'd be willing to bet that Walt Disney had to have been the grandfather of Clark Griswold.

Because let's be real...there is just no such thing as too many lights.

I hope you and yours are truly enjoying this holiday season too.

My holiday BFF

The bitch meets me everywhere.

She is quite the enabler too.

On Tv today, she made cookies that NEED to be embossed

with this gadget at my house now too..

Hopefully she will forgive me for Googling 'faux boix' spelled like that. and at Michael's with her glitter tactics and fancy punch ways.
At Costco in the food aisles.
We even meet after play area time at Macy's.
Even when we have seen enough of each other out and about,
she loves sending me emails with workshop ideas and daily tips.

She really knows me like a true friend should

and has my best interest at heart.

She always brightens my day.

wink wink to you Martha.

I'm sure we'll catch up again sometime real soon girl.

Holiday cheer

Making cards,

singing Christmas carols with the kids in the car,

chomping on candy canes,

spotting Christmas trees atop cars,

decorating the house,

bundling up in sweaters and scarves,
and finding an old wooden sled for a few bucks,

are just a few happy December moments around our house.

This truly is the most wonderful time of year.

This is as close as we'll get to snow at our house.

Snowflakes.

Honestly I am not a huge fan of cold weather, but I find snowflakes just beautiful.

Glittery ones at that.

Found these foam ones 6 for a dollar and had to spruce them up.

Using MS white gold glitter I went to town.

I still shake my head looking at these glittered up goodies because it's uncanny how much it looks like glass glitter.
and I love me some glass glitter.
So I started glittering everything in sight.
The huge clam shell glitzd up has me all giddy.
Ideas are flowing for Christmas present ideas.


Not to be forgotten, Thanksgiving was wonderful.
But instead of pumpkin pie, I was ready for some candy cane cookies.

I'm not gonna lie.
Hello Christmas Time!!

a happy place.

I just have such guilty pleasure in seeing peoples collections of found junk.

Giggling about spotting something I used to have as a kid.

Digging in boxes of random goodies to find that one little treasure.

Hearing the stories of strangers.

Getting flooded with creative ideas and "I can make that" moments.

Bargaining for the 3 tubes of vintages buttons I bought for just 5 bucks.

maybe to make more of these.

cheers to good finds.

I blame the crooked dance floor for my busted pump.

I laugh looking at this picture because we look so put together.

Definatly not how the night ended.

We won 50 dollars in gift cards and I busted the heel off of these shoes from dancing like the super nerds we are.

Like the heel was dangling by the fabric.

Much twirling, laughing with friends and even beer pong took place.

Needless to say, I hang my head low when I say I did not make it to Paper Source Saturday morning.

But I did manage to make some scrap pages this weekend for Just let me scrapbook.

Dusting off the old craft table feels good.

short and sassy it is.

Finished off with these snazzy kicks and a big bling ring, I'm all ready for a date night.
You girls (and mike) were such a huge help in making this so very fun.
Thanks.
An all done up picture will be posted to see the final look, not to worry.
The plan is to not enjoy the beverages too much due to the grand opening of the Paper source in Thousand Oaks.
This girl has priorities.
Seriously?!?
The temptation of crafty goodies being only about 20 miles away now versus 60 is just fantastic.
Hot damn. Speaking of crafty.
For this festive outing tonight, I made these.
Glittery pumpkins galore.



And glitter covered corks that will be poked with a bamboo skewer and then topped with the squadron symbol printed out on transparancies.
This is a first at table settings for me, but I think it will go over well.
Especially due to the fact that everyone will be seeing it with beer goggles on.
And because everything is better with candy, it will be sprinkled all over the table to enjoy.

a little something I made for the house.


Happy Friday.

What's a girl to do?

Option A:

Option B
*Don't be distracted by the pile o' laundry on the floor or the unmade bed please when helping with your opinion.

The occasion: a formal Navy Hawkeye ball (aka Jr. high prom for adults)

Anthony will be all foofed up in this.

The problem: I love the short fushia dress and I have killer shoes to match, but I think its more cocktaily than formal. We are living in CA where the weather has been abnormally warm even for here. So maybe I could pull off the short dress?

Or the lovely plum and violet colored one? How the top ties and is padded a bit in the boobage area, is a big plus. This mom of two wee ones needs all the help she can get. But for shoes and jewelry? What the heck color do I wear with it?

Please help.

Much appreciated,

conflicted fashion victim in CA.

easily amused these days.

• Finding out that my old favorite Japanese dollar store is now alive and kicking in the US. The closest one is way up north from me, but it's just another reason I need to make it to the Bay area asap. Back in my flight attendant days, this was always my first stop on a layover. I would spend hours ewwing and ahhing the aisles. Just the thought of reliving this past time soon has me all giddy.
• being refered to this fantastic mommy's blog. 2008's version of a love note in your lunch box. This may just get my kids eating more too. Yet another reason to make it to bulletpoint number one.
• making these little guys for various holiday projects.
• the I phone. holy crap. This thing has my mind spinning. The 2 features that woe me... Shazam and Urbanspoon
• Loving the prices at Mister art...especially for these

Have you found anything that has your mind racing lately?

What's in a month?

Adjusting.
A date weekend to the wine country.

tap classes that put me in tears from laughing so hard.

adjusting.

jumping on hotel beds.

playing tourists with those crazy Kayne esqe sunglasses.

painting pumpkins.

leeching on to daddy.

La zoo exploring.

adjusting.

Finally art journaling again thanks to Dina's class.

Halloween.

and lots of the in between.

Finding the new normal and enjoying the heck out of eachother.

When even my mom asked about the delay of posting on here, I knew it had been a little too long.

I do want to say thank you thank you for all the sweet welcome home comments.

It warmed my heart.

and Anthony's too.

Now I say, resume on thrift store shopping, garage sales, crafting,catching up with friends and Michelle time.

You know things have been turned upside down when I don't even get a chance for these little pleasures.

So hello November, nice to see you.

and it feels so good.

tomorrow.

When I awake in the morning I will be overwhelmed
with the thought that it is the last 24 hours we have as just three.
What a whirlwind of 7 months we have had.
Road trips, potty training, tap classes, days crafting in our PJ's,
picnics for dinner, and all the in between.
It was not always easy, but I would not have rather
shared this time away from Daddy with anyone else that you two.
My constant companions.
You always knew that a hug would everything better
and it did.
everytime.
Thank you.
As we transition from 3 to 4 again,
may you always look at Daddy as your hero
and treasure this time we spent
together in your hearts.
I know I will.

scan it in.

I have this really bad habit of letting things pile up way too high on my desk.
The good part of that, is when I finally go through it all I find little papers of goodness.
Like the one on top of Olivia writing out Mom on her own and making good use of old stickers of mine.
Or our hand drawn picture by the artist Chuck E Cheese himself from Kyan's birthday.
Or finally thumbing through Salvage sisters to find this page that totally rings true for me.

If you are looking to find something to brighten your day, I suggest rummaging through your junk drawer.
You never now what you might find stuffed in there.