Isn’t that ladybug amazing? Having been nicknamed Ladybug as a kid, I have quite a collection of these, but I was so amazed to find this little pressed tin one that is a pincushion and a tape measure (look at the little behind!) It’s missing one googly eye, but I’m gonna do my best to find another to replace it. Great 50 cent purchase.

The cape I found at Goodwill and is adorably handmade. It’ll probably take several years before my little one (who is still making us wait for her arrival) fits this cape, but it’ll be getting alot of use then, I hope. Can’t ya’ll just see it paired with a red dress and some rad knee-high stripey socks?! Rad!

Last weekend we went to a college surplus auction and I fell head over heels in love with a few items. A card catalog has been on my list of wants for a long time- wouldn’t it be great to store ribbons and markers and tiny little treasures in? And that table! It was this amazing shade of minty green with this sort of mid-century style legs. It would be perfect for my heavy paper cutter and book binding machine. And that mailbox!!!!! I don’t know what I would use it for (dirty laundry? books? gallons of chocolate sauce?)- but it would have been mine if there weren’t a move to Hawaii in our very immediate future. It sold for $25!

Amazing things can be found in your area at public surplus.

Love love friends! Hopefully the next news I share with you is about a little baby named ginger.
elle

love love love this kid.

The last two nights I’ve had the opportunity to spend my evenings out of the house. This is rare. Garth and I have pretty much given in to the fact that having a toddler that goes to bed at 7pm means that our evenings now consist of watching movies in bed with ice cream (ok, let’s be real, even before we had Jack, most of our nights were spent in this manner, we just had the option of staying out past 6pm). Garth took on all three nighttime rituals with jack (feeding, bathing, storytime) each evening so that I could go to a craft club meeting on monday night and a relief society meeting (that was actually a little shower for me and the ginger baby) on tuesday night.

I was driving to one of these events in the setting sun, in my little blue convertable, top down, radio up and singing along, when I thought to myself, “ahhhh….I feel like me again”. And then I marveled that I hadn’t even known that I was feeling like someone else. I guess it’s not someone else, it’s just that I play so many other roles, there’s not much time for the me part of me. I am a wife, a mother, a cooker of dinners, a teacher of sunday schools, a maker of bow ties and journals, and a list-maker that always wants to check one more thing off the list. Even this blog post was on my list.

I miss being a taker of walks to Balboa Park, a dressmaker, and a Sunday afternoon test chef. I miss being a neighbor to my girlfriends and family. I miss having a mind so full of hope that it spilled over into my heart. I miss the weightlessness of a mind not heavy with the kind of worry that only a mom can know. These things have fallen away (or have been left behind as I moved away) as my life ran tumbling forward.

To every thing there is a season. This is the season of not me. It is the season of this new little family that Garth and I have created and the new delights that brings. I am the one who waddles, the receiver of precious Jack kisses, the keeper of the heart of the rarest of men, and a wise and patient mother-in-the-making (it’ll take me my lifetime, I’m sure). I am also still a girl who sings her heart out in her little blue convertable while the sun is setting. It is all me- and it is my brilliant always-in-motion life. Now it’s time to go listen to my favorite song on this subject.

All you’ll be you are today. Chris Cornell

…and messes

I’m still not sure how all of our dishes coordinated with each other and the box in the recycle bin- it was some mad crazy coincidence.

We’ve got McGuires tonight, the market tomorrow, and grilling, lounging, fireworks, cart vendor french fries, and a no-work Monday to take in this weekend. Have a great and safe weekend everyone!

good news came in today. lots of it. i’ll spill soon.

elle

These so remind me of after-soccer snacks from when I was a kiddo. It’s the only time I remember oranges being cut into wedges.

Serious making happening here. I make bow ties and it’s wedding season- so I am a busy busy bee.

speaking of bees… my Mom keeps them (raises them?) and I think of her whenever I take my contacts in or out. =)

Evidence of Mothers’s Day, Christmas, and Jack’s newfound love of relocating things can be seen in this tiny corner of our house. Not a planned collection at all.

Friends, summer is here, and it is aetch. oh. tee. Already daydreaming of fall…

as always, more to come.
elle

where does all of the time go?

This week has been so busy and lazy, all at the same time.
Garth had the week off.
Jack was blowing kisses and letting go of my hand to wander off.
The In-laws were in town.
There were custom wedding ties to finish and awesome new bow ties to work on.
I had a grilled cheese, orange juice, and hash browns at Waffle House. Twice.
The house has been cockroach bombed, mopped, and the ac turned on for the summer.
No thrift shopping for me. For real.
Clutch replaced in my sweet little VW.

Back to a sort-of-routine and a week of leftovers in the fridge.
Hope ya’ll are enjoying the sunshine friends!

elle

Jack and I spend most of our time in this room- and it usually looks just like this. I find that I can get more done if Jack is allowed to make messes, even though it bothers me that our home is often disheveled. We live 15 minutes away from a stunning beach- and we’ve only been there perhaps 3 or 4 times since we’ve lived here. So one day this week, when I was already annoyed with Jack by 10am, I decided that we needed to just get out of the house and go to the beach.

So glad that we did. We will more often. It’s hard for me to have someone at home all day that depends on me for everything- even entertainment. I am so independant and driven- and the life of a one year old isn’t really compatible with those two things. So to the beach we will go- twice a week if neccesary for me to chill out.

and we will take treats,
elle