my snobbery grows.

I love that I am not alone in my font snobbishness.
That I am not the only freak who refuses to try the new restaurant in town, simply because they had the misfortune of choosing Papyrus for their logo.
Or the cupcake shop in the mall. With really good looking cupcakes. They will not see a dollar from me as long as they have Brush Script in their logo.  Because, in all honesty, if they can't be trusted to use a non-hideous font, how can they be trusted to make cupcakes that don't contain lethal poison?

I love that on the same day both Kristen and Arielle thought of me while looking at this amazing house on Design Sponge.  Because that poster is brilliant.  I want to fly it behind an airplane during the Superbowl.  I want to take it to Oprah and have her start a NO UGLY FONT ZONE campaign.

Are you with me?

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catalyst.

Last week I attended
Catalyst West Coast.

Mind you, as it was approaching, I tried to bail.
There were some childcare issues that needed sorting out.
A.D.D. to battle.
A pressing to do list.
Fear.
Laziness.

But God had other plans for me.
He got me there.
He met me there.
Unexpectedly and mightily.

He has big plans for our future.
Big dreams.

Everything is different.

Honestly, I am terrified.

But it is a really good kind of terror.

More to be revealed as it is revealed to us.


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happy earthy mistake.

Today I will tell you a little story about how I  
reduce
reuse 
recycle
(kindly think of Jack Johnson when you read those three words.)

My tall friend Casey gives me rad hand me down clothes, purses, awesomeness.
Newsflash: I'm short.
Pants are always too long.
Capris are pants.
It's pathetic.
I have a tailor that I adore, but I didn't plan enough ahead (standard) and wanted to wear them on a little plane vacay, of which I still haven't to blogged about! But I digress... to wear the comfy jeans on what for sure would be a Southwest middle seat flight, I needed to do a little creative tailoring myself.  Which was a good or bad idea, depending on the way you look at it.

Basically, they needed to be 
{REDUCED}.


Inspired by these pants from my current obsession, Matilda Jane, 

I hastily chopped them into capris,
made a ruffle out of the leftovers,
{REUSE}
apparently totally forgot how to properly attach ruffles, considering they are wrong side out and all scraggly since my serger was broken, but then didn't care because hey, they are
{RECYCLED}
and crazy comfortable.
All hippie like and earthy.

See, in spite of my laundry woes, I do heart the planet.

Go hug a tree. 

*** Edited to add:
The sandals are from Target.  Comfy as flip flops & cheap.  My fave kind of shoes.***

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word to your mutha.

Back in ye olden days I was a sign maker.
But then summer came.
I do not prefer heat.
I heart air conditioning.
My sewing machine was in the cool house.
The saw was in the inferno backyard.
Honestly, I had no choice.
So I left the paint and sawdust for fabric and thread.
{But mostly for the air conditioning.  Or the pretty fabric.  Or both.}


Once in a while the saw calls to me.
I want to make a batch of signs for The Queen Bee Market, but I am stuck.
I need inspiration.
Words.
Colors.
Ideas.
What words would you hang in your homes?
What colors would you want them in?
I have a gorgeous pack of Amy Butler paper that is awaiting letters.
Go...
Fill my booth with wordy goodness.

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laundry fail.

I am not one of those crazies that loves laundry.
{I'm talking to you, Kelly Ripa. Who I would bet money does ZERO of her own laundry.}
Things work best if I start a load every morning.
Sometimes I stay on that schedule, other times, not so much.
Take for instance, not doing a single load for two weeks.
Bad idea.
Laundry Everest if you will.
No likey.
But the one seemingly bright spot was this new Method detergent.
I love it's tiny size.
I love how I don't have to mess with measuring into a plastic cup.
I love how it smells.
I love how it hearts the planet.

But...
It is similar to that nice guy that pursued you in high school.  The guy that your parents thought was so perfect for you.  The guy, who on paper, would be a phenomenal boyfriend.  That guy that you really, really tried to like.  Maybe even tried to date.  Perhaps went to Winter Formal with {or was that just me?} But it just didn't work out.

I do not love Mr. Method.
Guess what percentage of stains Mr. Method removed?
Mabye 5%.
5% of Laundry Everest, means that I am currently RE-WASHING Laundry Everest.

Now, just to be clear these weren't difficult stains.
I am a freakshow with my kids.
Food coloring sends me over the edge.
Smocks are involved in art projects.
Janey always has a bib on.
Halley cries when she gets messy.
(Not too happy about passing my issues down to her.)

These were tiny, insignificant smudges.
Smudges that I have never had a problem with before.

So, sorry, Mr. Nice Method.
I am breaking up with you.
It's not me.
It's you.
You just don't do it for me.

I'm going back to the bad boy that smokes under the bleachers.
His name is Kirkland.
He's cheap.
He's big.
He could care less about the planet.
But he really, really cares about getting my laundry clean.

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one thing. check.

A journey starts with a single step, right?
Does a craft fair booth start with a single item?
I am really hoping so.

I am crazy excited to be a part of what is sure to be a handmade fabulous day.
Mique of 30 Handmade Days and Jessica of Allora Handmade are hosting The Queen Bee Market, and I simply cannot wait.

To shop,
to meet the other fabulous vendors,
to shop, 
and to shop.
Maybe sell a thing or two while I am at it.
You know, to justify the shopping.

But to sell anything, first I have to make something.
Anything.
So today, I sat down while my boyfriend sang to me, and created item numero uno.

In my crazy mind it is the first of many.
But my crazy mind does not always match up with my crazy reality.
Either way, I suggest you mark your calendars for May 1st.
Come and shop with me.
It is going to be brilliant.
The question is, will my booth is overflowing with handmade happiness, or rolling with tumbleweeds?
That remains to be seen.

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Julie & Meg

When I bought The Pioneer Woman Cooks, I thought for a minute how fun it would be to do a little Julie & Julia project.


Exactly the same thing that 300 million other bloggers thought.

Although her pico de gallo and guacamole have changed my life...
(I used to think that I made the best guac ever.  Nope.  She does.)
It contains quite a few red meat dishes in there.
Me, being a recovering vegetarian, who has major texture issues with red meat, I just didn't see myself making it through. 
So instead I am doing my own, very doable project.
Julie & Meg, if you will.

{my pot much prefers it's new home to it's old one.}


I am nearly through the recipes and one by one, they don't disappoint.
Easy, family friendly, quick and cozy meals, with simple, normal ingredients.

Even the dramatic children, who hate food, seem to oblige me with a few more bites than normal, before breaking into tears and faking stomach aches.

Mind you, I have tried a handful of these recipes first hand, cooked by Meg herself.
Feel free to be jealous.
I would totally be jealous of myself too, if that was possible.

My current fave is the cozy Cheesy Potato Soup.
It is dreamy.

But don't get me started on the Chicken Enchiladas...
Because I won't stop.
My dear, beautiful friend, cilantro.  How I love thee.

You can find the recipes here.
I only have two left.
I know they will be fabulous.

It is impossible to pick a favorite. 
They are all that good.
For reals.

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double standard?

It was a pull-up emergency.
A butter, eggs and shampoo emergency, but that is of little detail.


Off to Costco we went.
All of us.


Guess what?
The princess PullUps-
GONE.
They were only available in size 4T-5T.
Which are both too big for tiny Lucy, but also too expensive. (60 in a box compared to 88 in the 2T-3T size. Hello!)

So what did we do?
Bought the boy ones.


I have to admit that it is a little weird.
Lucy could care less.
She thinks it's funny.
That's her.
Chewbacca loving, boy PullUp wearing, her.


But it got me thinking...
I bet that if I had a son and needed to choose between buying a box of princess PullUps, or hauling everyone on an extra trip to Target, I would choose Target 10 out of 10 times.


Because I can't imagine any father being cool with his boy rocking Sleeping Beauty as he slept.

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water.

Yes, I'm talking about water again.
Something that I take for granted every day.
I am pretty sure that I will never be done talking about water.

Mainly because I am passionate about water and since we just got news from Charity:Water that the first of the Project 320 wells is set to begin construction in Ethiopia.


It is so beautiful to see what started out as an unattainable dream come to fruition.
Knowing that lives will be saved across the ocean because of your prayers, love, and donations.


Do you want to win one of these?
In the colors of your choice?

Would you be able to buy some life saving water in the process?

Visit Life:Rearranged.
Read about Joy.
My heart for water.

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my boyfriends.

I love my boyfriend Craig.
He saves me so much money.
I don't know how anyone could buy furniture without him.

After weeks of searching for a quirky and cheap headboard for our guest room I found exactly what I wanted.

Ish.

So I packed up the girls, made the trek, bargained it down to $20!!!, loaded it in the van, drove home and introduced it to my other boyfriend, Spray Paint.

I nestled it on top of my new canvas tarp and gave it a nice coat of primer. (Why I have been doing messy home improvement projects for the past ten years without one is beyond me.  Probably the best $23 I have ever spent.  Cleaning paint spills off of concrete is both no fun, but now a thing of the past.)  I was tempted for a minute to leave it white, but white is too safe.  I don't like safe.  I like quirky.  I like unexpected.  I like color.

Add a can of Valspar's Mediterranean, edible pillows from Meg, a few quilts, and the room is ready for it's inaugural guest.

I couldn't have done it without my lovely boyfriends.

Who's staying over?

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boys?


When it comes to boys, I'm clueless.
The only language that I currently speak is pink, sparkles and drama.

After an incredibly long string of girl births in my circle of friends, I am attending not one, not two, but three boy baby showers in the next month.

Another loss in the Great Hard Drive Fail of 2010 was my rad bookmark folder chock full of boy ideas and inspiration...

There are burp cloths, tie onesies....
but that is all I've got in my arsenal.

I need ideas.
Easy ideas.

Help me out moms.
What was your favorite shower gift?
What do you like?
Hate?
Moms who speak Lego, mud and blue.

Because there is really no way to get away with a Pretty. Messy. Flower on a boy.

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who does that?

After a tough day that seems to be a part of a never ending string of tough days, I got an email.
A beautiful and surprising email.

From Jeanett.
Who I have yet to meet, but when I do, I know we will be great friends.

She asked (demanded politely) for my address.
All in the guise of pizza delivery.

How can I say no to cheesy goodness?
Or to having a night off of cooking?

Soon after their was a knock on the door.
Dinner arrived.

From miles away.

More than I ever expected.
Just what I needed.

Who does that?

Blog friends do that.

Thank you friend.
More than you will ever know.


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boo hoo.

Last week I sat on the couch and cried.
I boo hooed over my lost pictures.
Over how much data recovery costs.

Then I channeled my drama into yo-yos.
Because yo-yos are happy.
They don't fix hard drives, but they do distract from my crazy-person-red-and-puffy-crying-for-a-week-straight eyes. 

The thing is, I had a lot of drama.
Which made a lot of yo-yos.
Yo yo's that are now transformed into happy dingle ball bib necklaces looking for new homes.

If I sell a couple billion perhaps I can send the data recovery guy's kids to college and get my pictures back.

If your neck needs some cuteness, visit my new shop.

Need an extra incentive?
Use the code boohoo for an additional 20% off of your purchase.

I've stopped crying, but I don't plan on stop making yo-yos. 
Each one is one step closer to getting the past two years back.

***
Edited to add:
Thanks so very much for scooping the first batch up.
I will list more as I make more.
Data recovery, here I come!

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today.

the littlest one is sick.
the biggest one is missing our dog and sleeping with a picture of him under her pillow.
I am enjoying our first construction free day since January.
soaking in the quiet.
thankful for spring break.
eating candy.
cooking something yummy.
planting sunflowers.
taking pictures.
guest blogging with a purpose and a giveaway at Life. Rearranged.
just being.


what are you up to?

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