mom’s visit // day four

{in recognition of mother’s day, i thought i’d share a few photos from the last day of my mom’s visit.}

we had lunch then drove up mulholland highway to snap a few photos.
i can never get enough of the santa monica mountains!

later that afternoon i took the ladies on a hike – something they really wanted to do while they were here.

their visit went by way too fast!  i miss her so much already!

happy mother’s day, mommy friends.

have a lovely day.

what i wore:  jacket – soto {a local boutique} // blouse – marshall’s // leggings – sanctuary
booties – sam edelman // necklace - gagehuntley

ps.  today is the last day to enter the dogeared jewelry mother’s day giveaway!  enter now!

mom’s visit // days two & three

day two:  was spent in ventura.  {i didn’t take any photos.}  we had a late lunch at a seafood restaurant on the pier, then walked to the end and watched the local fishermen pulling in little fish here and there – someone even caught a sting ray!  {they let it go.}  afterwards, we headed over to main street to peruse the shops and thrift stores.  i purchased a boy’s sized blazer and a vintage vase.  mark bought a few records for our record player.  it was an easy trip a few miles up the coast.  there’s just something about ventura… maybe it’s the laid back beach vibe or the locally owned cafes and antique stores…whatever it is, i’m always eager to take our out-of-town guests.  that and i love, love, love the thrift stores!

day three:  we had the best brunch at our favorite mexican restaurant – bottomless mismosas and tons of delicious eats!  after stuffing our faces, we played in the park and i snapped a few photos.  i love the similarity of the pics of me with my mom and then of zoey and me.  mark took some fun photos of taylor, too!  it was a cold and rainy day, so we ended up inside for most of the afternoon.

easter weekend {via instagram}

1.  date night {ish}
2.  margaritas and mexican food…the best.
3.  i made these!  from scratch!  all by myself!  lemon blueberry muffins.
4.  i mean…cute. 
5.  mi familia on easter sunday.
6.  i ended the day with a rainbow peep kabob.   

i hope you had a lovely easter weekend, too. 

happy monday!

our weekend

what i wore:  denim jacket + camo – jcp // tshirt – american apparel // bag – uo

after spending several days indoors, fighting that gnarly sinus infection, i just had to get out of the house and breathe a little fresh air.  on sunday afternoon, we packed up the kiddos and attended a local art exhibit.  afterwards, mark snapped a few photos while zoey and taylor ran around, climbing on things.  otherwise, the weekend was filled with a bit of spring cleaning and organizing future projects.

ps.  our little wren is 19 months as of yesterday!

3.21.13

hi all!  i’ve been sick for the last few days with a nasty sinus infection.  being outside for any length of time causes sneezing fits and watery eyes.  my nasal passages are totally blocked…i’m miserable!  hopefully, with antibiotics and nose sprays, this infection will clear up in a day or two.  until i feel up to posting more, i thought i’d share some photos that i took a few days ago.  this chick loves playing outside.  it’s her favorite thing.

a clothespin craft

{via}

how cute is this?!
i cannot wait for the days when zoey and i can do crafts together.
le sigh.

{for more crafty tutorials and fun printables, visit non dairy diary.}

weekend faves

just a few of my favorite photos from the weekend.

happy monday!

last night

last night, all i wanted to do was have a couple of margaritas and relax on the couch with mark.  i put zoey down for bed and crept quietly away from her door, strategically stepping over the creaky spots in the carpet.  i knew she wasn’t asleep yet, but i had high hopes that she would get comfy and drift off quickly.  i breathed a sigh of relief as i made my way down stairs, grabbed a plate of food and joined mark in the living room to catch up on our shows.  let the weekend begin!  however, within a few minutes, zoey was whimpering and squealing, no doubt chatting with her animal friends.  we tried to ignore it, thinking that she was just getting situated, but then she started calling out our names.  ugh…heart melt.  maybe she needs a diaper change?  so mark headed upstairs to take care of business.  i listened intently as they chatted a bit and soon, all i could hear was the rhythmic creaking of the floor as mark rocked her back and forth and eventually, to sleep.  another sigh of relief.  nope.  as he attempted to leave the room, she woke up, crying even harder this time.  mark came downstairs, defeated.  what in the world does she want?!  slightly irritated {and selfishly wanting to be done with all things kid-related for the night} i trudged up the stairs.  she was standing up in her crib, tears streaming down her face.  i picked her up and held her, patting her back and trying to calm her down.  within seconds she was passed out on my shoulder.  i held my breath and gently laid her in the crib…as soon as her head hit the mattress, she woke up crying.  grrrrrr…what is up with this chick?  my impatience was growing.  i picked her up and she clung to me like a little monkey.  so tightly.  legs and arms wrapped around and holding on for dear life.  instantly, all of my frustration melted away.  i stopped for a second and thought…maybe she just wants to be held.  maybe she needs to feel close to someone.  she’s a baby, but she’s human.  we all have bad days, we all need to be hugged and loved more on some days than others.  hell, i had had a less than stellar week and needed a little love, too.  so we swayed, mother and daughter, cheek to cheek, feeling the most comforting love on the planet.  however, she was still a bit squirmy…sleepy indeed, but not quite comfortable.  like most moms, i ran the gamut of possible problems:  diaper?  clean.  teething?  no.  stuffy nose?  nah.  still hungry?  nope.  and then it dawned on me:  she’s wearing a loose t-shirt instead of the usual tighter fitting jammy set!  so i changed her shirt and crossed my fingers.  again, she fell asleep on my shoulder.  not long after, she lifted her head and sleepily motioned to her bed.  success!  i put her down, covered her up and snuck out of her room.  …all that time i was assuming she needed a little love and maybe she did {!}, but it seems to me like she just didn’t like the shirt she was wearing!  it made me laugh because my dad tells me that from a very young age, i was especially particular about my socks.  still am!  i never sleep in them and i can’t stand it if they don’t line up properly on the heel or toes.  taylor is the same way.  anyway, even though it was a very small problem to solve, i solved it.  i made her happy and comfortable and of all the things that i can’t figure out as a parent, it’s these little moments that make me feel like a good mommy.

currently // february {and giveaway winner announced!}

top:  look 1 // look 2
botton:  look 1 // look 2

loving :: dresses over pants.  although, i’m finding that there are all these “rules.”  for example:  the dress should come to the knee or just above – if it’s too long, you’ll look like a hippie {and?!}  also, the jeans shouldn’t be too baggy.  i say eff that.  i was trying on a dress recently and thought the baggy cut of the dress with my flared jeans looked incredibly awesome - like something you might find in a free people catalogue.  any thoughts on this combo?  i’ve put together a few looks {in my head} and you may see them on the blog in the near future.

reading :: i cannot wait to get my hot little hands on the kiss (witch and wizard) by james patterson.  the critics are saying that if you loved the hunger games and twilight – this is a must-read.  has anyone read it?

watching :: it’s not for everyone, but lately i am so into infested and fatal attractions on animal planet.  infested is based on true accounts of creepy crawlies and animals invading people’s homes!  eek!  it gives me the heebie jeebies, but it’s gnarly fun.  fatal attractions is basically about people who think they can raise and domesticate wild animals.  inevitably, the owner gets eaten or attacked and the animal – put down.  it’s sad, actually.  but sort of fascinating.  

thinking about :: re-opening barefoot & vintage on etsy.  it’s a lot of work, but i have a crap ton of clothing, shoes and home goods in the garage.  they need to find vintage-loving owners! 

anticipating :: my mom and her bff are flying out from IL in may!  i can’t wait to take a couple of days off work and do touristy things around town.  that and i miss my mama.  it’ll be good to spend time with her.

listening to :: songza!  awesome 80s/90s playlists.  i love old school.  but there are also some really great indie and mainstream channels. 

working on :: a couple of clothing-related diys.  hopefully i’ll get to one or two of them this weekend so i can share with ya’ll next week!

wishing for :: a date night with mark.  a sexy one.  like red lips and bottles of wine and dinner by candlelight kinda sexy.  {sorry, parents.  tmi?}

also, i apologize for being mia this week.  i think i mentioned that mark was in tahoe for 5 days – skiing with his pals and sleeping in and not changing diapers or getting up in the middle of the night with a baby who wakes up screaming because she’s sleeping the width of her bed and that’s not comfortable so naturally you scream.  yeah…he had a nice mini vacay.  i’m totes jealous.  {more on this later…i’m planning to write/vent/rant about it.  not that he went on vacation, but the part about me being alone with a crazy toddler for 5 days and nights…how i handled and didn’t handle it.  kudos to you, single moms.}  where was i?  oh yes…mia.  absence does make the heart grow fonder, so blogging has been on the back burner. 

and now…drumroll please!  the winner of the gage huntley designs giveaway:

CHARLENE KUSER
@swtlilchick

congrats, charlene!  i will give your email address to amanda and she’ll be in touch soon.

thanks to all who entered! 

happy thursday, friends.

{as always, this post was inspired by kelly of our lovely lives.}

on happiness and fame

kimono – similar // vintage blouse + pants – from a friend // booties – similar // hat – marshall’s // necklaces – flea market, UO, clyde’s rebirth

for the most part, i’d say i’m a pretty happy person.  things often make me happy – a great book, a perfect cup of jo, a cheesy burger with greasy fries, a funny tv show, an amazing find at the thrift store.  things.  and people, too.  but there was a moment yesterday that filled my heart with so much happiness.  i mean, i really felt thankful and blessed.  i felt good about our family and who we are.  because yes, we argue and we have bad days.  days when taylor is rude and irresponsible or not staying on top of his homework, days when zoey is super cranky and difficult, days when mark and i just aren’t on the same page {no pun intended.}  and even though some weeks are tough, you hope to have a moment on the weekend when everyone is just…vibing.  we had that moment on sunday.  it was fleeting, but i stopped to take it in…to take note of how awesome it was.  we had just come home from the farmer’s market… mark left to get his haircut… the kids and i were in the kitchen – i was cleaning and putting away fresh fruits and vegetables, zoey was sitting in her high chair, eating lunch, blabbing on about spoons and doggies, taylor was sitting at the kitchen table putting together a model transformer-type character.  every now and then he’d stop to show me certain pieces and explain what they do.  no tv.  no video games.  i wasn’t instagramming my bounty.  we were talking and listening to music.  it was a very simple moment, but it made me feel so great inside.

later that day, we stepped outside to snap a few photos… i kid you not, there were 10 kids out there.  and their parents.  {normally our street is a ghost town.}  the adults were craning their necks to see what we were up to, but the kids rolled over on their scooters and lined up behind mark.  the little girls were whispering and giggling.  i’m telling you, there’s nothing worse than being judged by a 6-year-old.  throw me up on a blogger slaughtering website any day - a live audience is worse.  i almost buckled under the pressure of those probing eyes, until i heard one of the girls say to mark, “why is she fashion modeling?  can we watch?”  and then to hear mark try to explain that i take pictures and share them on the internet…ridiculous.  humorous.  but we continued.  and then one of the girls yelled at me, “we love your fashion dresses.”  i melted.  it was adorable.  {and here’s where i confess:  we often snap 2 or 3 outfits on the weekend because we don’t have time during the week.  you’ll see the “fashion dresses” in a couple of days.}

so that’s my story.  on happiness and fame. 

have a fabulous monday!