oh sweet friday

*diy succulent terrarium
*sunny skies after a rainy day
*sorta lusting afer these fabulous red shoes
*zoey turned 5 months this week and had to get two shots
{poor baby}
*we ended our hectic week with a treat from sweet arlene’s !

on the web…

wanna get creative this weekend?  check out this fashion inspired DIY.

i visit this site for hilarious recaps of my favorite tv shows and celebrity gossip.

i did these things as a kid, but my kids won’t - funny!

ridiculously adorable.

nom nom nom.  just looking at these puts 5 lbs on each thigh.

have a great weekend, ya’ll!

xo, paige

just the two of us

mark’s working late and zoey’s asleep, so taylor and i are spending quality time together.
we ordered pizza, i bribed him to rub my shoulders and then we talked about stuff…
like my hair needing a trim, tattoos, zoey learning to talk, mark’s celebrity sightings in malibu, little league, recurring dreams, and that cooking with bone marrow sounds gross even if it is covered in cheese {chopped was on.}

scintillating, i know.

i tried my hardest to find out if he likes any girls at school, but he gets so irritated with me…

maybe it’s best if i don’t know.  i can’t handle tattoos and girls in one night, anyway.

scarf – missoni for target
blouse – UO
skirt – vintage, thrift
purse – vintage coach, thrift
pumps – j simpson

the shop – new items!

over the last two weekends, i’ve managed to add a few new items to the shop!
have a looksee, won’t you?

{click on the photo to go to the listing!}

i’m alive

i’ve had zero time to blog. and zero desire when i do have “free time”. but this post isn’t about telling you how busy i am… it’s just a hello and an update of what we’ve been up to.

{real quick, i’d like to say thank you to those of you who commented on my last post. that you took the time to share words of encouragement, your personal experiences, and advice/thoughts…means a lot to me.}

our week in photos…

1. for about two weeks, zoey had a bit of an infection in her nose – she was congested and had a bloody/booger-y nose. it was affecting her eating and sleeping habits. we’ve since put her on antibiotics and it seems to have cleared up the infection. she’s been sleeping really well, allowing us to get 6 to 7 hours of sleep at a time. and she’ll be 5 months next week…no. way. right?!

2. at the end of last week, we all got really sick – still not sure if it was a stomach bug or food poisoning, but it was horrible. mark and i stayed home from work on friday the 13th – drinking lots of fluids and eating crackers and applesauce. luckily, taylor didn’t get as sick as we did. we’re all better now, though!

3. zoey’s 1st pair of sunnies!

4. new vintage coffee mug.

5. sunday morning hike

6. a nasty run in my favorite tights.

things i didn’t take photos of {you’re welcome}:
*my milk ran dry. it was hard to keep up with the pumping/nursing once i started work full-time. i’m sad that we no longer share that bond, but it was a good run of nursing. i’m proud of us!
*as a result, aunt flo is back {after being gone for over a year.} what a bitch. she zapped my energy and made me feel like a zombie all week.
*our christmas decorations are still up. as is our tree. don’t judge…i’ll get to it.
*i attempted to paint my nails the other day, but only had time to finish one. i’ve been walking around with a lilac pinky all week. add the skyscraper shaped run in my tights and i’m a hot mess.

ahhhh…the life of a working mom.

my goal is to start posting again on a regular basis, but we’ll see.
life is happening at 100 mph.

thanks for stopping by!
i hope you’re all doing well.

paige

kids.

disclaimer:  while i don’t believe that taylor is being bullied, i do think that other kids are assholes and that they’re maybe sorta picking on him.  and even if taylor was being bullied, i don’t know that he would tell me.  instead, i think taylor would live in denial.  what kid wants to admit that other kids don’t like him or that he’s not included?  my son wouldn’t.  he’s stubborn and full of pride, but mostly…he’s sensitive and a bit naive…prone to becoming a ”follower”, of being easily influenced by his peers.  i see myself in my son…a little bit insecure, wanting acceptance, hoping to fit in…but always feeling a little…different, like an outsider.  not bad different…just…his own person, different.  i think maybe it’s an only child trait.  we’re a bit quiet, aloof, and we observe.  on the other hand, we want attention – often becoming the class clown, using manipulation to get our way, or simply being a brat.  i was never the cool kid, but as an adult, i can see it all unfolding before my wiser, more experienced self – taylor is that kid.  he’s the kid who wants attention from the popular kids…trying too hard.  and you know what?  the cool kids always know…they always know when you’re trying too hard.  and what taylor doesn’t understand is that these kids thrive on that shit.  they make fun, put the weaker kids down, laugh at their expense.

kids are mean.

 that being said, i have a story to share…

because of t’s ADD {which i haven’t addressed on the blog yet}, we’ve established a weekly drawing.  if he remembers to write in his assignment notebook every day and turns in all  his homework throughout the week…he gets to draw from a box.  this box contains “prizes” that taylor has written on pieces of paper.  prizes range from a trip to get frozen yogurt after dinner to an hour of playing the wii to going shopping at his favorite store.

last week, he got to choose from the box – hooray!  and the prize was “go to hot topic”…his fave store.  {a tween’s playground, a parent’s nightmare - they sell candy, t-shirts with trendy sayings, hello kitty, goth clothing, anything and everything twilight related, neon hair dye, cd’s, bracelets, etc…a myriad of trendy…junk.}

luckily, taylor had a gift card.  and after what felt like hours of deciding what to buy, he settled on a black baseball hat with the word SWAGG printed across the front, in a gold 70′s font.  taylor thought it was so cool.  he paid for it and wore it right out of the store.  i didn’t think anything of it.  was i supposed to?

the next day he wore it to school.
when i picked him up from school, he wasn’t wearing it.
me:  honey, where’s your hat?
t:  it’s in my bag.
me:  why aren’t you wearing it?  did you lose it and you just don’t want to tell me?
t:  no.
he turns his head and i can tell he’s avoiding me.  i can see his little chin quivering…
me:  taylor, what’s wrong?
t:  my friends made fun of me, mom.  they said my hat is stupid.
me:  WHAT?!  well clearly those kids are not your friends.  true friends don’t tell you that you look stupid.  are you kidding me?!  honey, i’m sorry.  it’s okay.  those kids are mean.

my heart broke into a million pieces.  i just imagined taylor, swaggering into school, new hat on his head, smirk on his face…ready to get high-fives and compliments on his cool new purchase…  only to have his spirit broken by so-called friends.  i still haven’t seen the hat.  i’m praying that it’s at the bottom of his backpack, but my fear is that someone took it from him.

so okay…he wasn’t bullied, per se…kids will be kids, right?
but what bothers me the most is that he took his hat off!  he didn’t stand up to them, he didn’t hold his ground…he acquiesced.  have i not given him the skills to be himself, to be confident in who he is and what he likes? 

ugh.  i don’t even know how to wrap this up.  i’m just so bummed that this happened and i wanted to share it.

if you have any thoughts…please feel free to share.

1.10.12

right at this moment, i am eating mint truffle kisses and getting a foot massage from my husband.

i can’t really focus on anything, like typing or saying something interesting, because my brain has turned to mush and my fingers have chocolate on them.

sooooooo…hopefully you’ll understand.

happy tuesday.

wearing…
scarf – UO
tee – jcrew
skirt – vintage

bf+v giveaway winner

remember this giveaway?

i finally got around to choosing a winner…

danielle v of vintage danielle!

congrats!  i’ll be in touch soon.

thanks to all who entered!

xo, paige

cooking with bf+v: pasta with brie, mushrooms, and arugula

one of my new year’s resolutions is to cook more.
but more specifically, to cook at least one meal per week out of the…
real simple
dinner tonight: done!
{fall/winter 2011}
recipe book.

if you know me well at all, you know that i’m not much of a cook.  i don’t know the first thing about what flavors go well together or how to add a pinch of this or a pinch of that.  also…i guess i’m afraid to fail.
however, in an effort to take cooking by the cajones, eat healthier, and to introduce new things to my son {who’s such a picky eater} i’ve decided that it’s good for me to start cooking…and ultimately – to enjoy it!

so without further adieu…

pasta with brie, mushrooms, and arugula

hands on time:  20 mins / total time:  20 minutes / serves 4

ingredients:

12 ounces penne (3/4 box)  *i used bowtie
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound button mushrooms, quartered
1 small red onion, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
kosher salt and black pepper
8 ounces Brie, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cups baby arugula *i used spinach

TIP

mixing Brie with the pasta cooking water is a quick way to create a rich creamy sauce.
for best results, bring Brie to room temp before using.

*i set the Brie out before i got started; however, i went one step further by cutting the rind off the cheese.

…and then i poured myself a glass of wine.

1.  cook the pasta according to the package directions.  save 1/2 cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.

2.  meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.  add mushrooms and onion and cook, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to release their juices, 2 to 3 mins.  add the wine, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until the mushrooms begin to brown, 5 to 6 mins more.

*to save time, i bought pre-cut/washed mushrooms, i didn’t add onions {because i’m nursing} and i actually cooked the mushrooms a bit longer than necessary – to give them a yummy carmelized flavor.

3.  add the brie and the reserved cooking water to the pasta and toss until coated.  fold in the mushroom mixture and arugula.

*before i put the drained pasta back into the pot, i added the reserved cooking water and the brie and stirred it around a bit – this made a “cheesy sauce”.  then i added the pasta, the mushrooms, and the spinach.

voila!  grown-up mac n cheese.

it was a big hit in our home…i hope you’ll try it, too!

until next time…

oh sweet friday – the saturday edition

new years day.

i was in bed by 10 on new year’s eve, so i rang in the new year with bailey’s in my coffee and a delicious breakfast of cinnamon french toast and crispy bacon !

later that afternoon, we dropped taylor off at a friend’s house for a sleepover and then went on a mini-hike.

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the next day, we were off from work and school.

in keeping with {one of} our new year’s resolutions, we went on a family walk around the neighborhood.
california has been enjoying very unseasonably warm temps – 80′s !!

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trying new recipes!  {more on that, later.}

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and last but not least, i’m back in the gym.  i have about 10 {baby} lbs to lose and i’m determined to fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans !

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ps.  exactly one year ago today…we found out we were having a baby.

hello

not to complain or anything, but…my life is all kinds of crazy right now.
i’m back to work full-time….which should explain it. 
i really don’t have much time for blogging until i fall into a routine that doesn’t have me running around like a chicken with her head cut off.
but anyway, when i do have “free time”, i don’t necessarily choose blogging, first.  i’d like to go to the gym, read a magazine, hang out with my family, or even…go to bed early. 
how does one find the time?!
on one hand, i’m getting good at multi-tasking…for example – i went home for lunch yesterday and before i ate, i snapped a few photos on the patio.  
{and btw…this outfit looked better in my head.}
more than anything, this post isn’t about the 80′s paper bag pants that give me mom butt.
it’s just me saying hello.  and venting to you that there are simply not enough hours in the day for everything i wish to accomplish. 

i need an assistant. 

wearing…
tee – target
blazer – UO
trousers – anthropologie
necklace – vintage, thrift
shoes – ??

ps.  in the next several days, i hope to share a recipe, new additions to the shop, my new year’s resolutions, the giveaway winner and photos of the babe.