we've been tuning into pbs all week long for the excellent series by ken burns on national parks. i especially enjoyed the episode about dan's hero, president theodore roosevelt venturing into the woods with john muir. talk about mountain man rendezvous. i am taken with the narration, beautiful vintage photographs, scenic panoramas and expert historians telling the tales in a way that leaves you wanting more.
i am, of course, bias toward historians.
move over khloe.
our favorite darling recently married her beau!
a secret ceremony in france. talk about romantic.
am sure my invite got lost in the mail.
congrats on your nuptials, mrs. claire.
miss kelly over @ design crush (one of the best blogs on the market) invited me to offer up a li'l story, a tale, some words for her new feature (aptly named), WORD. thank you, kel. she gave me a photo and i created a poem to go along.
it goes like this.
thank you kelly for encouraging the art of the written word. read all of the entries in her category here. photos inspiring words. love it. a most fantastic writing assignment.
these babies are just about ready to make their debut.
the mini mart will be stocked with mini diaries on friday.
{this is a limited edition, so get them while they're hot.}
now i am 28. two even numbers side by side.
couldn't feel more good about that.
thank you for so many thoughtful birthday wishes. you have no idea how much i like this little space and all of you who visit me here. anyway, i really had a fabulous weekend. it was low-key and lovely. exactly what i wanted. it included a lot of togetherness, cuddling and reruns, a morning yoga class, an afternoon out & about with just me/myself/and i, a moment sunk-in with a pile of magazines, breakfast mcmuffins, a date night, a giant slice of chocolate cake (for two) with mini chocolate chips wrapped around the edge, 500 days of summer (i loved the wardrobe choices, not to mention, the charming soundtrack.) and an outing (with my boys) into the sunshine to see the rippling river and the changing fall leaves and to snap some family shots. i have a new goal; to use the self-timer (a lot) more often. am getting the hang of it. love the game of hurdling into perfect position just in time.
this li'l getaway is one of our favorite spots. heaven on earth. swan valley. i devour the simplicity; the quiet dusty roads and the blue skies and the changing leaves and the farmhouses with plenty of room to breathe in the inbetween spaces. the cows look happy here. it's days like this when i remember i can love both the busyhustlebustlechaoticexciting city life and the sweetslowdreamywideopen country life. they are equally amazing. you see, i have finally given myself permission to lend my heart to both the city and the country, loving different parts of each of their personalities.
this place is known for its incredible fly fishing and famed square ice cream. every time we stop in, there is a long line for a scoop and a tally sheet, just in case you might be visiting from a foreign country. they like to keep up on their bragging rights. the wind + the sun + the ice cream + the cowboys + the open roads + the leaves dancing. a very good start to being 28.
here we go. as usual, i have big plans.
• am happy you enjoyed my take on the li'l luxuries of life. visit post I & II to find updated details on where to find each item.
• mom, thank you for the mini tribute post (and indulging readers in more than they ever wanted to know about marta and her wild imagination). speaking of my mom, she spills her mothering methods, in an interview as part of parenting profiles, over on the petticoat project.
will be absent tomorrow.
but will discuss all the little things
i've learned in my twenty-seven years soon.
will be celebrating the day
with dan and my little one.
whereabouts :::
01. quote journal. love this.
02. quickie limeade. sprite + cucumber + lime.
03. little books to browse. i like you is my number one fave.
04. guittard semisweet chips. worth the extra dime.
05. letterpress cards from joy. linda & harriett. paper source.
06. surf's up postage stamps from usps.
life is full of little things that make me happy.
little luxuries for little money.
it's important to celebrate the details.
the rest of my list, a little later.
whereabouts :::
01. purse pocket must-haves
02. dove soap
03. thesaurus. my favorite writing partner.
04. pretty glassine bags from postalpress.com
05. nail polish from sephora + walmart
06. sprinkles from the bulk food bin
07. darling tulip cupcake papers from etsy
my sunshine boy. oh how fun hanging out with a one year old can be.
good morning. there are a billion things to blog about. so i better begin. the first day of autumn was serious business around here. the cool air hit and the jackets came out to play. i love scarf weather and am stocking up on chili supplies for our annual homemade cook-off. my li'l one and i are planning to lunch with his pal, paxton. he turns one today. such sweet wee friends. i bought candy corn in the bulk foods at my grocery store and loaded them into my new anthro bowl. thank you, whit. am hoping they'll last into october. am unboxing my sweaters and boxing up everything else in this place. practically. benji's arms are suddenly long enough to reach up onto every surface of every table. it's hard to be frustrated when your cute tiny tot is up on his tippy toes blindly swiping all the papers on your desk to and fro. am realizing i have a lot of non-absolutely-necessary stuff lying around. benji is aiding in the process of project: fall clean-up.
have you noticed the new feature in blogger? search no more for a Search Bar element. hooray. seriously, your blog search bar is your new best friend. i use mine all the time (and hope you do too). it is so handy if you're wondering when you wrote that post about mint brownies or that one silhouette project or the time you had cupcakes in the big apple or the post describing memories of your mom. yes sir, the blog search bar is a must-have. if you're set up in blogger, simply go to customize / layout / add a gadget / search box. you'll wonder how you ever got along without it. you're welcome.
and now, a big fat thank you for taking my pop quiz seriously. i am so happy to have a wealth of information there. thanks for your thorough answers. to say merci in a proper manner, three of you will receive the first mini diaries of the autumn season. (they're back from the printshop and so pretty. am currently binding them! almost available in the shop.) the winners are: lovely lindsay, rachel, and sonya audrey. congrats and please email me your shipping addresses.
have a lovely wed-nes-day. xo.
the whole fam. around one big table. here is what it looks like to reunite seven siblings and their spouses (what i call spice) sans children to surprise my parents with a spontaneous dinner party. doesn't everyone look so good? it was nice to have everyone in one place again. finally. we're all there. well almost. minus the two who were busy laboring with the cutest addition of the year. oh it was just magic. the chatter and laughter was non-stop and i was, without a doubt, in my happy place. and the almond raspberry torte, ammmazing. not to mention the clam chowder and coho salmon. please excuse the blurry shots, i guess i was too excited to concentrate. can you blame me?
on saturday, while still visiting salt lake city, my cousin bff whit planned an early pseudo birthday party for me with the girls. she is the type of gal who makes a big deal of the birthdate, even if we live miles away. we are very fifth grade about each other's birthdays and i couldn't be luckier. she makes everything lovely and gives the most thoughtful gifts. more on that later. so dan took benji hiking and i got a day out on the town. it turned out to be a dream of a day. lunch. window shopping. a chick flick. even dinner. with my favorites. girls club usa.
my mom, sisters and cousins and i met up at cucina deli. pretty much the cutest italian themed cafe in the city. i love that place. i always order their striped ravioli w/ pine nuts. and this time, whit introduced me to the frozen strawberry lemonade. slurping the season of summer through a straw. it's so nice to be together with the girls you've grown up with. i'll spare you the billion of group photos we attempted to take.
next stop, anthropologie. of course. who among us wouldn't like to live there? i am suspicious about whitney spending a bit too much time in there (i don't blame her); the ladies at the shop kept saying, hello again / hi whitney / good to see you! i dream of trying on every cardigan and skirt and stretchy pant in that place. i loved the map wall display and the beautiful wire ferris wheel. wouldn't it be perfect in a li'l playroom? it did not have a price tag, which made it all the more whimsical. i left with a darling butter dish, a gift from my sister amy.
j crew cardigans. ruffles are always on my wishlist.
my sistas + mom. love them.
thank you for celebrating with me on a whim.
it was a non-stop fun fest.
also. thank you for commenting so thoroughly on the blogging questionnaire. i appreciate it and so enjoyed reading what you had to say. will be choosing a couple winners in a few days. also my li'l batch of life luxuries will debut this week.
