losing things

there are 3 things in my life that at all times 1 of them is lost:

wallet

keys

phone

i've tried a bag, i've tried leaving them in the car, i've tried having a jacket where there was a pocket for each thing, but i can't keep anything consistent.

what do you do to not lose those three items?

let's go fly a kite pencil skirt!

last saturday night, as i was thinking of what i was going to wear the next day at church, i could not put together one more unique combination with the skirts i have, so i decided to make one with some great fabric i recently got from fresh picked fabrics in brea!

i love pencil skirts with all my heart, but don't have a single one, so i decided that was the one i'd make! the one i made is very high wasted, and i also made it longer--below my knees (like the picture), in order to stay modest as my little one is climbing all over.

coupled with a mustard sweater, skinny pink belt, and a blue striped shirt (talked about here), it was perfect!

trouser top

some things are just genius--this is one of them

why, yes that is a pair of pants upside down making a shirt.
found at pour porter

my list of sewing projects in order:
finishing etsy back orders
man in my life's father's day quilt (leftover from last year)
girlfriends' baby clothes (so many friends are having girls right now!)
TROUSER TOP
doily cardi (below)

hopefully some more orders?

maybe some skirts for me?

yes, i know, i died after seeing how cute this was too...

i didn't save where it's from--
if anyone knows, contact me and i'll give them proper credit

happy tuesday!

getting enough fruits and vegetables each day--bran muffins

i'm trying to get my little one enough nutrients each day, and i am in love with bran muffins, so here is a recipe that i don't know how i can get it any more healthy...try it out!

The Healthiest Muffins Ever
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. ground bran flakes (i throw them in the food processor)
2 c. shredded carrots
1 c. shredded zucchini
1 lg. apple, peeled and cored (they don't have to be peeled...)
1 T flax seed
3 T water
1 banana
1/2 t baking powder
1 c. applesauce
2 t baking soda
The rest is all optional, because it's for flavor, so you can add any and all you want...
1/2 c molasses (this is the best addition...even if you're trying to be healthy, do it)
if you add the molasses, add 1/2 t baking soda to the recipe
dark molasses is the best...ever.
3/4 c. raisins
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 T cinnamon
1/2 T nutmeg
1 1/2 t grated orange peel
1 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 1/2 cup muffin cups with paper baking cups. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, mix all wet ingredients in another bowl, then combine. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Serve immediately!
Tip: If you want to keep them from drying out, immediately put them in ziplock bags when they come out of the oven--that way the moisture from the heat will stay in muffins instead of going into the air.

Enjoy!

geocaching

i was back-track-reading my missing posts on mackin ink (she's the outrageously spectacular writer for the sweeterie to go with the knock-out pictures), when i discovered cheeky minx.  it's a post full of pranks, including a note at the bank by a boy saying he was being held captive by a crazy lady (his mom...).  my mind snapped to my first geocaching experience a few summers back when a few of us were four-wheeling through the mountains and found a really old hunting shed.  inside was a canister that had a little notebook, and explanation of what geocaching is, and a little trinket.  you're supposed to write what you're doing when you find the canister, take the trinket, and put a trinket you have inside.  i wish i had written down precisely what the man in my life wrote, but i didn't...bummer.  this is it, paraphrased:

day 41:  last night was a cold one, and we don't think little johnny will make it through another night.  we found a mangled squirrel in the branches of a tree that we ate for dinner, but there wasn't enough meat to really go around.  poor guy, it looked like he just slipped and fell.  speaking of falling, susannah tripped on some rocks a few days back and her leg is now really infected.  we've tried to keep it clean but our rags of clothes just can't be sacrificed any further.  hopefully tomorrow will be a better day...

i don't even think we left a trinket--i just think we took the one that was in there.  great geocachers we are...

have a great weekend!

p.s. the reason this post isn't filled with how wonderful the trunk show was tonight, is because in my excitement i didn't realize until tuesday that all cities that start with "santa" in california do not mean they're near me just because i live by mexico...they have them all over.  this means that the trunk show was 6 hours away...i mopped the floor of spaghetti instead.  bummer.

happy earth day!

Earth Day 2010 Kicks Off With Lyrid Meteor Shower

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - Earth Day 2010 kicked-off with a spectacular Lyrid meteor shower in all of its glory in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday.

According to NASA , early risers who were lucky enough to witness the spring meteor shower as it reached its peak on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, got to see about 15 meteors per hour between 2 and 5 a.m. on April 22.

"The best way to observe the show is to recline comfortably, facing anywhere from north to east and gazing nearly overhead," an astronomer for the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, Anthony Cook told NationalGeographic.com . "The best location is a region far from urban light pollution with a fairly open horizon."

While this annual event has appeared in the Northern Hemisphere every April for approximately 27 centuries, this year it made Earth Day extra special, reports Space.com .

The Lyrid meteor show began on April 16 and will continue until April 25, but the greatest number of shooting stars was forecast for Thursday when the first quarter moon had set to give greater visibility.

Continue article here.

what are you doing for earth day? we're riding the tandem all day today--car free diet!

are you a tree hugger? do you use reusable grocery (or not grocery) bags? (found on oh hello friend)? what are your earth day resolutions? (found on good measure)

in defense of food...

i found this great post about food...all the rules make sense to me. it's from a book by michael pollan called in defense of food: an eater's manifesto

7 Words & 7 Rules for Eating

Pollan says everything he's learned about food and health can be summed up in seven words: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

Probably the first two words are most important. "Eat food" means to eat real food -- vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and, yes, fish and meat -- and to avoid what Pollan calls "edible food-like substances."

Here's how:

1. Don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. "When you pick up that box of portable yogurt tubes, or eat something with 15 ingredients you can't pronounce, ask yourself, "What are those things doing there?" Pollan says.
2. Don’t eat anything with more than five ingredients, or ingredients you can't pronounce.
3. Stay out of the middle of the supermarket; shop on the perimeter of the store. Real food tends to be on the outer edge of the store near the loading docks, where it can be replaced with fresh foods when it goes bad.
4. Don't eat anything that won't eventually rot. "There are exceptions -- honey -- but as a rule, things like Twinkies that never go bad aren't food," Pollan says.
5. It is not just what you eat but how you eat. "Always leave the table a little hungry," Pollan says. "Many cultures have rules that you stop eating before you are full. In Japan, they say eat until you are four-fifths full. Islamic culture has a similar rule, and in German culture they say, 'Tie off the sack before it's full.'"
6. Families traditionally ate together, around a table and not a TV, at regular meal times. It's a good tradition. Enjoy meals with the people you love. "Remember when eating between meals felt wrong?" Pollan asks.
7. Don't buy food where you buy your gasoline. In the U.S., 20% of food is eaten in the car.

yes, i do judge a book by its cover

at our library, there's a huge bin of board books that i mostly just sit by and pick out of to find books for my kid. i was looking for airplane books, but when i saw the color combinations on the cover of this book i just had to get it. His different reds plaid jacket (just looks comfortable, doesn't it?), his overalls, the lighter greens in the grass so Oliver stands out--it's just wonderful. those same facial expressions when he's thinking and crying, my kid makes on a daily basis, and the shape of his little bear body...they're right on the money. plus, i really like the story! but, i can't deny that the colors are my favorite part--it's just really aesthetically pleasing...

story by phyllis root,

illustrated by christopher denise (he has a super sweet blog, with reaaaaalllly interesting posts on his illustrations,so click on his name to check it out!)

i do not own the images, and do not claim to.

The Sweeterie

I follow a blog called The Sweeterie. I look forward to their posts more than any other blog. Most of the time their posts are sweet or just beautiful, but yesterday's was amazing--hilarious, unexpected, and oh so true.

audrey hepburn complex...

oh my gosh...

oh my gosh...

oh----my----gosh...........

ohmygosh.

i love this site.

this is a tumblr site by a girl who, while she is an amateur photographer, is sharing with the world wonderful pictures not taken by her.

she just has the best eye for photos.

i love the style of each one.

i love the topics.

i just love this site.

i just can't help myself...

i've been looking for a huge, silver, men's watch for two months. i want everything about it to be big--the face, the band--everything so my (hopefully) tanned wrist can look dainty and beautiful. i thought i had found the perfect one, but then the band was leather which is not what i want...i want the whole thing to just be bling (not diamond bling...just silver), and i want it to be huge. Like this, only silver:

then, something wonderful and conflicted happened--i admired a calculator watch by a fellow nerd (because something about calculator watches suck me into their fantasticness), and as a result, i received one! even though the style inside is screaming and slowly dying of shame, the nerd is beating her down with a TI-89. i wear it over my sleeve because i don't like the bulkiness of it being underneath, and everyone can see it--i wear it proud. i love it...i can't help myself.

windows 7 was my idea...with solid colors

ya know those commercials that are "windows 7 was my idea" where the person in the reenactment is much better looking than the person in the commercial? (what a hilarious concept--good job on whoever came up with that...)  i am going to use that concept in this post:

i have come to the realization that all but 1 shirt i have is a solid color.  ALL BUT 1! I would say that the best way to show my usual wardrobe would be this:

(windows 7 was my idea...of course this is what i look like)

therefore, it should not have been a surprise to me that when i saw MAAN i wanted it to be my wardrobe of choice for the summer...even though they're kids' clothes, the look is so fresh and fun, and even though i'm not going to wear short shorts (i would love to but it just isn't going to happen...), i would love to wear a skirt everyday or regular shorts...

as soon as i finish my current orders, i'm heading over to fresh picked fabrics in brea, ca and buying all the fabric i can to get these looks...i just can't get enough!  i look at the website (i'm trying to quit...) at least once a day to see if i can get some inspiration for my outfit that day, but i just need to hurry up with my orders so i can get started!

i also need to hurry up because i want to make something to wear for lex designs trunk show next thursday.  i've followed alexis's blog for a long time and i'm just so excited to see her stuff in real life!

i heart tina fey

i am very looking forward to seeing tina fey and steve carell in date night, and thanks to today's cup of jo post i discovered this interview by tina fey! the whole thing is funny, but especially the part about her kid and her tracy morgan impersonation...died. enjoy!

loveology/oh, hello friend

loveology (a blog i follow) is doing a giveaway by oh, hello friend (also a blog i follow).  oh, hello friend is a gorgeous shop that has beautifully, dainty little additions to your accessories.  when i went on her etsy shop i thought everything was going to be wayyyy over priced, but they are perfectly affordable! (there's even a 5 or 10 section where everything's either 5 or 10 dollars)  if you want a chance to win something from oh, hello friend go here and comment on the post, twitter or blog about it, and then comment on how you're celebrating today (what a great thing to do...)!

out to sea

why, yes I do think I will buy sandals made of rope (no sarcasm...)  these are gurkee

having already bought myself this shirt from h&m, and loving all things that deal with knots and ropes, and all navy, white, and yellow (or gold) things...it seems all things "out to sea" are right up my alley, or pier...

(one of my favorite parts about the necklace is that it has a "lobster claps."  I hope whoever designed it did that on purpose and thought it was hilarious because I sure do.) (both from anthro...)

oh my sea (not land...), and pirates...i totally forgot about pirates...


if you'd like to learn how to look "pirate chic," click here.  it leads you to wikihow.com under the title "How to Have the Pirate Chic Look," and step #1, choose the hairstyle.  what a wonderful idea...

Yes, please

I follow Elements of Style Blog and she posted a "Lifestyle Lust" about Emersonmade's lifestyle, and I was in love after like, three pictures...and then I saw the whole rest of the post and died of how wonderful everything was...

enjoy!

to continue with the post, click here!

Another food post...grilled

Food is just on the mind lately, hasn't it been?

Tonight was a bbq night.  It's been warm (70's), but kinda chilly as soon as 5 o'clock hits.  That didn't stop us from having a bbq!  We can't get enough of Nathan's Hot Dogs, so we had those and then hamburgers.  I have to say though, my favorite part about bbq's are the grilled fruits and veggies.  Pineapples were $2 each, so we grilled those (divine), and grilled onions.  Neither takes very much time to do but it is sooo worth it.  We didn't have any tomatoes, but if we had we would have grilled those too, because I just eat those with a fork when we have those.  I've started to broil them in the oven when I want something with that kind of taste...

Anyway, it was a great bbq night--do any of you have bbq favorites?