{ so halloween happened... }

This may be the absolute last year I'm able to convince my family that it's fun to coordinate our costumes.  I'll take it though....I only spent $19 for everything for our costumes this year! ;)

I did, however, have to agree to let Happy Jack help with the spray painting job.  Not exactly a mama-of-the-year decision.

They may have been delirious because it was SO cold and wet.

Not sure if Georgia has forgiven me yet for this, but she did get an extra special doggy treat for putting up with this nonsense.

                      h  a  p  p  y      w  e  e  k  e  n  d  !

I admit to getting totally geeky and excited about planning what to wear on America's birthday. But I'm not a fan of the super literal, wrap-yourself-in-Old-Glory looks.  Ugh.  Not okay.  That being said,  I am really digging these three dresses for Independence Day.

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Not too literal, but still patriotic and plenty adorable, in my opinion.  I've also had this pic of this long sold-out cute, dress tucked away in my "to-sew" file since last year. 

Looks super easy to make, right?  Even so, I just wasn't feeling pulling out the sewing machine and decided  instead to see what I could come up with at the thrift store.  I gave myself a $5 budget for this. 
Check out the cuteness that I scored for $4!  That's FOUR dollars, people.  Four bucks for this stripey tank with sweet button details and the same price for this sassy skirt.  Oh, and the skirt has pockets!  Skirts and dresses without pockets are useless, if you ask me.
  This would have cost me at least $8 in fabric for the skirt alone, I'm guessing, if I'd gone the sew-it-myself route.

 By the way, posing for bloggy pics feels completely, utterly ridiculous.  Best to just look down,  I think.  Ha!

Anyway....yay for thrift store finds!


Oh, and happy 4th to YOU!

{ a little red, white and blue for you }

   Thought I'd help you get in the mood for America's big day this week :)

Are you as excited as I am for parades, BBQs, and fireworks?!!!

Wishing you a joyful and blessed Easter!

{ boys & cupcakes }

They just go together, ya know?

I decided to bake a batch of my husband's now famously delicious cuppycakes during naptime yesterday. Then I set out some bowls of Easter candies and sprinkles, and we went to town decorating them. Jack took this task very seriously and even gave some piping lessons to little Grant.

I found this stuff called "edible Easter grass" at Target.  Right. I'm gonna say that's debatable.  It tasted like wax.  It's pretty though.

I had a little too much fun with my own decorating.  I've told you about how my very first job was in a bakery, right?

I thought I'd share how my hubby makes his crazy delicious, insanely moist, doctored-up, from-a-box, vanilla cupcakes.  Here's how we do things at our house....

  

        Oh, and we love this recipe for irresistible chocolate                                            cupcakes. Happy baking!

{ perfect day for pancakes! }

Hotcakes, flapjacks, johnnycakes - whatever you call them, there's no better day than today to dig into a yummy stack because it's National Pancake Day! Are you celebrating with a big, fruit-filled stack?

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We're off to celebrate with a very special family breakfast. 

 I  hope you are too.  Can't think of a better way to spend a Tuesday morning! :)

{ kisses, hearts, and giggles }

               Wishing you a day filled with kisses, hearts, and giggles.

{ the love list... }

...also known as the goodies I wouldn't mind receiving for Valentine's Day.

Are you reading this, Mr. P&P?  Ha, probably not! ;)

1. Cupcakes. Oh, cupcakes. Can you ever go wrong with them?  

I'm thinking nope.

2. An indulgent, aromatic, spa pedicure - complete with exfoliating scrub treatment, hot towel wrap, and a paraffin dip.  

Oh, and  bottomless mimosas.

3. A candlelit dinner. Preferably somewhere warm, wooded and enchanted like this action above.  Heck, who am I kidding?  I'd settle for a dinner at a restaurant without high chairs. 

4. Ranunculas.  My hubby scores extra points with me every February 14th by choosing these romantic lovelies over the very expected roses. 

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h  a  p  p  y    w  e  e  k  e  n  d  !

{ blowing kisses }

I figure it's about time to start thinking about Valentine's Day, don't you?  And who doesn't enjoy celebrating a day dedicated to all things sweetness and LOVE?!?  Boy, there sure are a lot of fantastically creative DIY ideas out there these days!  It certainly is a nice change from the lame, character-laden paper Valentines I remember giving and getting as a child.  Jack had big ideas about giving "bubbles AND candy" to his friends, and so we came up with these little goodies to give out to our little group of friends, as well as his preschool class.

 The boys helped me assemble the little treat bags full of bubbles and Hershey kisses, and only insisted on sampling one chocolate each.
  I thought that was more than fair ;)

We bought our itsy-bitsy, red bubbles from Party City and the cello bags from Michael's.

And I thought, just in case you want to make some of these for your little friends too, I'd go ahead and share the printable toppers I made.
You can download them here.
 (make sure to click 'Download Original' for the highest quality)
Can you tell I received Photoshop as a Christmas gift?!!  Excited!!!

What kind of Valentine goodies are you planning on giving this year?  

{ happy new year! }

I hope you had a wondrous Christmas spent making memories with family and friends.  We sure did!

Wishing you a magical weekend full of fun as we welcome 2012!

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{ merry christmas from our family to yours }

Wishing you all the most JOYOUS CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I plan on spending the next week or so offline, cherishing time spent with family and friends.  My hope is that you are planning to do the same.
 I'd love to see you back here soon! ;)

{ my christmas wish list }

Yep, I know.  Christmas lists are for children, not grown-ups, right?  Sure.  But it's fun to put together a list of goodies that you'd love to have under your tree - even if it's just for kicks! ;)


1. I- Dreemy flats by Steve Madden.  I'm obsessed with metallic flats.  I just can't stop thinking about these. LOOK how sparkly!

2. PhotoShop Elements 10 - MS Paint has been my go-to, free program for graphics and such for a long while. It definitely works in a pinch. But I used Photoshop all through design school, and, dang, I miss it!  It's a fantastic product, and there really is no great substitute. I'd love to have Photoshop CS5 some day, but this version would be a huge upgrade for me.

3. Oh, Tolix chairs.  Or knockoff Tolix chairs even- heck, I don't care.
Come and live with me....four of you. Please and thank you.

4. Kate Spade Tate Bag - I go through handbags like Kleenex, so I'd never pay this much moola for one. But this gray lady sure is pretty.

5.  Smidgen Posts - I adore these Anthro gemstone earrings. They're both delicate and a bit tough. Love that.

6. Design* Sponge At Home - Can you ever have too many design books? I think not. This gem by blogger, Grace Bonney, is full of practical, yet inventive ideas.

7. Tocca Feu de Touch Candle - This candle is pure luxury. Makes the whole house smell amazing and lasts, and lasts, and lasts.

8.  Lemongrass is Always Greener Jacket - Jackie O. would want me to have this, doncha think?

What are you hoping to find under your tree this year?  

More importantly, what are you excited about GIVING?!?

{ a merry monday! }

Right.  I know it's Tuesday now, but I'm still reliving the magical day we had yesterday. We had the absolute merriest Monday at our house.  Our little friends came over to celebrate, and we made some wonderful memories.

 All the lucky kiddos exchanged secret Santa gifts.
 Look at these beautifully wrapped presents!

But us mamas got to take home something even better: big bags of delicious COOKIES!

I had a ridiculous amount of fun putting together a merry and bright table for our guests.

There were, of course, goodies.

Lots  

and

lots

of goodies.

The kids all took a break from snacking and ripped into those gifts!

These munchkins received some really great presents. 

Here's the lucky recipient of some very cool spelling puzzles....

Oh, and a Disney Fairy.  Yes,Tinkerbell was very popular indeed!

This little sweetie received the most perfect, handmade hat!

And this lil guy was really digging Mater. 

Hey, I see you right there behind your own Christmas card, buddy! 

My sister surprised us with a visit to join in on the merriment. Grant was so ecstatic to her!

  Aunt Eesa is only his favorite person in the world besides mama.

Jack took some time out from play to sample a snowman sipper.

I managed to grab Grant and hold him still for the quickest of hugs ;)

 A handsome boy hanging on the bench.

Joyful, smiley little friends are the best gift of all! 

One of the wee cuties slept right through most of our 'rocking around the Christmas tree' ruckus.

But, not this darling girl.  Nope, she was wide awake for all the fun!

 A rare photo of all my gorgeous, cookie-baker, mommy friends!

 

When the party time came to an end, all our small guests went home with little bags full of sticker fun.

It's wondrous days like this one that make me adore the Christmas season. 

 It was truly a laughter and joy-filled day that I will not soon forget. 

I hope you're enjoying some merriment of your own with some very special friends!

Vendor credits:

* the talented ladies at Anders Ruff are responsible for all the gorgeous printables

*Stripey straws - Hey YoYo 

*Stripey cupcake holders/ Sofie's Big Day
*Styling by me  (Rachel of polkadots and puppies)