ruffling feathers

january with tiffany & co.

2012-01-27T08:45:00.002-07:00

first of all, thank you so much for the kind birthday wishes!

i have had a week's worth of celebrating with family & friends

and once we finish, i'll post all about my birthday in one neat post!

you all know how i love award's season. it's all about the fashion for me.

and sappy acceptance speeches.

partnering with Tiffany & Co. for their grand opening at

City Creek Center, i've been keeping my eyes peeled for their jewelry and

it hasn't been hard, as it is everywhere.

here are some of my favorite looks - from everyday to the red carpet.

from what i gather, Jessica Biel is their number one fan.

followed closely by Kate Winslet & Anne Hathaway.

images via Instyle

this one is from the most recent Golden Globes. she's a stunner!

(wearing their opera length necklace.)

Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

we only have a couple more months until City Creek and Tiffany & Co. open on March 22nd! Tiffany's is also celebrating their 175th anniversary and a brand new Spring line.

i recently attended a meeting for City Creek & the virtual tour was breath-taking.

a retractable roof, waterfalls, trout ponds, heated walk-ways, their food court is filled with

high-end favorites tailored down in cost for the general public.

i just can't wait to see downtown SLC revamped!

it's been 10+ years of construction and parts of downtown

were pretty much decrepit. it's a long awaited upgrade and i can't wait!

happy weekend!

twenty + six

2012-01-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

the weeks leading up to my birthday i kept cringing at the thought of twenty-six. that seemed so old.

but, now that i've had a minute to soak it up, i'm into it! when i look back and see how much has changed, how i've grown, this life of mine couldn't be what is it today without those 9,490 days to stretch it's legs. twenty-six sounds just right.

1.24.2012

wearing the shirt the boys got me for my birthday
&
gap cardigan
h&m pants & beanie
steve madden boots
michael kors (rose gold) watch

8.24.2011

just five months ago. everything has changed!

but change is good. i live for it, in fact.

bathing us out of house + home

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

my boy would spend all day in this tub if we let him.

our water bill is astronomical, but who can resist this face

and his high pitched "buh-bool!"screams of joy?

sometimes he is deep in bath-time thought. stirring, examining, patting.

most times though, it's a full blown party in his tubby.

you gotta stay on your toes though, because before you know it,

he's ready to pounce

gosh i love you, Hayes.

january 2012

2012-01-22T22:26:00.001-07:00

To My Cal:

I understand now why moms & dads keep having babies. It's because the ones we have grow like little sprouted beans and no matter how we try to slow time, onesies stop snapping, jammies burst at the seams, gums bulge under the pressure of little white teeth. We lean in to get a smell of your sweet cream breath but the pureed peas overtake it. The world spins madly on, and with it little babies grow up. Moms and dads have more babies thinking 'next time around I'll make time slow, I'll savor every single moment' , but that's silly because we savored all the moments anyway, they just whoosh by like a train, leaving only the wind in our hair.

So I suppose all I can do is clack clack clack the keys on this slim silver board and hope that the letters form the words, and the words make the pictures come back to my head. For when I'm old and gray, of when you were small and swaddled. Pictures like when I nurse you before bed time, and I know you're drifting off because you start to swipe your little fingers across my sternum. Like your playing the slots, swiping a credit card, or giving the runner on second the cue to steal. Back and forth. After you've eaten, your stretch both arms out like you're flying. Now we're ready for bed. I rock you side to side and you tuck your face into my ribs, letting the weight of your face fall deep into the bend of my elbow. I lay you down on your tummy, because no matter what else I try, that's how you sleep best, so I stopped arguing with you. I see your little legs pump up and down, a sign that I didn't get that last air bubble out. I rock you one more time - singing this time. I usually can't sing to you when I'm trying to get you to sleep because you like to watch my face and you could watch it for hours when I'm singing a song or reading a book. So our bedtime is quiet and it's all about cradling your heavy head in my arm, and patting your back. Those are the sounds of your nighttime.

Tonight you were fidgeting between half and fully asleep. I quietly sang "Sea of Love" and when I finished I waited a moment or two to see if you had fallen any deeper. In seconds you were filling the silence with your own humming, as you often do. Did you want to sing now? I listened to your soft notes, smiling, and before I knew it you were reaching your little fingers up my neck, searching for my chin. Then you dropped your hand down and swung it back, in a tight baby fist, clocking me in the chin three times. Urging me to keep the songs coming. "Buckets of Rain" was next, sometimes I can't think of any baby lullabies off the top of my head, so I just sing what I know.

Buckets of rain

Buckets of tears

Got all them buckets coming out of my ears

Buckets of moonbeams in my hand

You got all the love, honeybaby I can stand.

The world is yours, Cal.

Love,

Mom.

plans

2012-01-20T09:55:00.001-07:00

man, i love the weekend. i think even more than the weekend i love the anticipation of it. as soon as it actually begins, it feels like it'll soon be over, and then before we know it it's sunday night. AA Milne said it best, so i'll just leave it to him.

this weekend one of my favorite friends is in town from florida, and one of Russ' is moving to texas with his wife. so we'll be doing a bit of celebrating and some bittersweet well-wishing. and as always, wrangling these two babysprouts.

when i say wrangling, i mean it. Cal is covering some serious ground with his rolling & has even been known to army crawl an inch or two. i keep telling him to just be a little baby gosh-darnit, but he won't listen. he's taking after his brother in that way, maybe a bit more politely so. Hayes just laughs in my face when i sternly ask him to do/not do something. which usually ends in me laughing as well. note to self: work on poker face.

this weekend also marks the last before Bijou Market season begins again. it was a good month off, but we're ready to get back in the swing of work. Russ has been working on his first-ever booth (unless you count his water and fruit stand a few years ago, which pulled in an astounding $13, ha!)

he'll be selling a wi---de variety of steel letters, symbols, numbers, arrows etc. that you can commission and customize with different sizes & stains, patinas & paint. pretty exciting! we had a few neighbors over and his welding schedule is quickly filling up already which is exciting! if you'd like to commission him, he's at russbframe at gmail dot com.

here's the piece we put up in our house:

it's 8 feet long, and 70 pounds so let's all pray we never see an earthquake around here.

also, if you are a crafty lady or gent and want to apply for April, head to Bijou Market for info! Happy weekend!!

family art canvas

2012-01-19T10:07:00.001-07:00

we've been working on a fun little (if you call 8 by 3 feet little) family art project

for the toy loft. i wanted it to be colorful and inspire creativity where my boys play most often.

want to take a peek?

we got 4 colors of Crayola's non-toxic washable finger paints

and we all picked our own.

Hayes started first, with his favorite color, blue!

we're not sure if it's really his favorite, but anytime you ask him the color of something he says

"bwoo!"

at first our clean little guy was unsure of it all, so we gave him a whisk to keep himself a little clean.

after a few minutes he dove right in, and of course had to take a little taste of the paint.

Russ was next with yellow.

then me, with red.

then Cal with green

(i tested the paint out on his little leg beforehand, even if it's non-toxic i wanted to be sure it wouldn't irritate his skin, which thankfully, it didn't.

he enjoyed himself immensely

after we were done painting, Russ built a simple frame.

stapled the canvas to the frame, with his assistant of course.

done!

and hung!

this was so much fun for all of us. being the over-analytical woman that i am i could explicate on and on about how the colors ended up fitting our personalities perfectly, how our methods represented ourselves at the core, and all that the canvas represents. but, i'll spare you. we love it, it brightened up the toy loft in a hurry and i hope it reminds us to just be ourselves, to be creative, and think outside of the box.

the details:

canvas : $8.00

wood : $4.00

fingerpaints : $6.72

sundance

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

last week we caravanned with friends to their most gorgeous cabin right off the slopes at Sundance Ski Resort for a night away.
after a la---te night of games, junk food & the best burger i've had maybe ever
(the Foundry Grill at Sundance.)
i couldn't help but bask in the peace & quiet that you can't find anywhere but the mountains:

and as always, an instagram or two:

the awesome "peace to this home" tiles throughout the cabin (also: heated floors!)
//
Hayes & his buddy Blake enjoying a giant bowl of kid's pasta.

studly do-right

2012-01-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

here's a peek at a small project i worked on last week.

i bought these cobalt loafers along with a matching pair in cheetah at the end of the summer.

while the cheetah pair were immediately incorporated as wardrobe regulars

i hardly ever wore the cobalt pair.

something about them screamed Hugh Hefner & also my kindergarten teacher Miss Bolen simulataneously. so, in short, they were really messing with me.

i figured i could edge them up a little bit & turned to Studs & Spikes for inspiration.

i picked out the 3/8" gold pyramid studs and they had them shipped that same day.

awesome!

here's what i did:

*using a box-cutter or exacto knife, whichever you have that is sharp! measure the length

of the stud prongs. also measuring the distance between the prongs, make your first cuts.

full disclosure: i eyeballed all my cuts & you can tell.

when you're happy with the design and cuts then you can start closing the prongs.

i used my fingers and then used the pliers to really flatten them out.

if the flattened prongs bother your feet like they did me, i cut out a piece of felt and hot glued it over the underside of the studded section.

details:

less than an hour from start to finish - maybe more if you want to be precise, which i was not.

$4 for 100 studs

$13 for the loafers

day thirteen

2012-01-13T11:02:00.001-07:00

are you playing along with Fat Mum Slim's photo a day challenge for January?

it's all the rage on Instagram and today's prompt is "in your bag."

i love this, it's a micro view into your life, and it feels voyeuristic and indulgent, just like blogging i suppose.

i did a similar blog post back in - ahem - 2007. i'm old, man.

here is what's in my bag today, january 13, 2012.

my work notebook

my wallet complete with a driver's license picture taken when i was 36 effing weeks pregnant. so mean UDOT, so mean.

bum cream

baby toys

antibacterial

baby moccs

wayfarers

marc jacob's lola roller

all time favorite bobbi brown lip gloss

my life's MVP - aquaphor

where is my phone, Siri?

binkies

goldfish

barrette

pooh bear bandaid to brighten any boo-boo
a fresh Moleskin planner which is my brain substitute

diapers

current read - wow i was late to that party, but i love it all the same

my favorite favorite pens

my old current read, until i got my hands on the help

keys

noshing

2012-01-12T12:41:00.002-07:00

lately we've been noticing a trend whenever we're eating:

Cal's gaze locked on each and every bite.

here he is eyeballing our morning drink routine - freshly juiced carrot, apple & spinach.

maybe i wasn't ready to start solids, but he was!

so we gave him a try:

after the first couple confused bites, he kung-fu gripped the spoon right out of my hand.

decided his plan of action, looking pretty suspicious all the while.

made his move

and reveled in his slimy victory

Hayes cheered him on from the little bucket of honey he dragged from the pantry over to the counter so he could have a better view.

needless to say, Cal is a fan of the solids.

LINKS IN THIS POST:

our Breville juicer

so no one told you life was gonna be this way

2012-01-09T15:12:00.003-07:00

*clap clap clap clap*
ooof our weekend was packed! it's not always so crammed with social engagements, but when friends & buddies are in town, we try to soak it up as much as possible.

here's the cliff's notes:
>lunch with mah girls. i left Cal for a few hours for the first time ever. in nearly 6 months he's gone EVERYWHERE with me. he's easy like that, and i like that Russ & Hayes can have their quality time. but it was time. he's a fan of the bottle, which is good to know for future reference. but, lunch all by myself with free-hands and no responsibilities was sure nice.
>penta-date. we grabbed dinner with some more friends & husbands. my friends are really good at planning fun things to do while husbands are otherwise occupied, so it's nice to get everyone together! Hayes had a blast with my mom as always.
>pho at Rice King Noodle. not to be confused with the just plain Rice King across the street, also incredibly delicious. also, our sweet Hayes was the grumpiest i've ever seen him. (apologies to the buddies!) i feel for him, this stage of life has to be hard. his desire to be understood far surpasses his ability, and it makes him so frustrated. surely, not understanding why you can't squirt Sriracha directly in your mouth would be frustrating. eye-roll.
>sunday game night. we got the buddies together for brownie & salted caramel sundaes and a three hour long game of Loaded Questions. the beeds have to know just about everything about each other, but this game brought even more goods to the table. hilarious. also, i'm still snacking on the amazing treats Annie brought & unselfishly left at our house. ta----sty.

LINKS IN THIS POST:

Rice King Noodle - local pho restaurant

Loaded Questions - best game ever.

Ruffling Feathers - the Buddies.

NYE

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

went like this:

a belated birthday brunch for Nicole.

COMMUNAL!

frittatas, spinach pancakes, brunch burgers, and the world's best biscuits & jam.

they named them that because it's true.

i know i said before that their portion sizes were on the small side.

when it comes to brunch i was more than stuffed. i ordered the brunch burger + biscuits + plus apple crumb cake. ($20 for all.)

that night we met up with my dad & sister for pre-dinner and my second burger of the day at 5 Guys. oof! and then actual dinner & a fondue party with a couple of my oldest friends & their families. now you see why i wore leggings (cheetah ones, that i got made fun of all day for), i needed some elasticity for this marathon eat-fest.

we kept up Hayes to his latest ever hour of 10:30, and he actually did pretty well. then got home tucked the boys in, ate treats in bed, & finally watched Crazy, Stupid, Love.

oh man, we both loved it! is the general consensus that it could have been two more hours of Ryan & Emma? agreed.

a little kiss at midnight and we were the happiest of campers.

it was definitely our kind of night. unbelievably, we actually had a babysitter lined up, but we canceled the last minute. we both just like doing things with the whole crew. is that weird?

maybe it won't always be like that, but for now...all or nothing.

LINKS IN THIS POST:

CommunalRestaurant.com

Ruffling Feathers: Communal (2009)

warm fronts + flashbacks

2012-01-05T08:58:00.002-07:00

when Christmas came & went and there was not a flake of snow to be found, i was a little disappointed.

but, then we went to the park in the middle of winter. and it was sunny & beautiful & 60 degrees.

i'd say that's a fair trade, winter.

Cal lo---ved the swings.

Hayes loved the tunnels & slides.

and put his hands in his front hoodie pouch & all the sudden looked really old.

this park is basically in my mom's back yard, and i grew up going to this park all the time.

sledding down the hills.

candy stands. [my mom would take me to costco & buy some bulk candy and then i'd sell it at the park. such an entrepreneur for that summer when i was 10.]

Yriding bikes or rollerblading the track.

playing kickball & volleyball.

loving the playgrounds. i have such great memories here & i was so happy to watch the boys love it too.

january, we love you.

station 22

2012-01-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

we were johnny-come-latelys to the station 22 scene. i hadn't had a sandwich of their's until one was brought to me during Bijou Market. let it be known i made up for it & had a station 22 sandwich for every meal the rest of the market...

anyway, Russ still hadn't tried it, so we finally made our way downtown.

their sandwiches are made from local or sustainable ingredients, their menu is seasonal and either all of this impresses you (Em.) or makes you roll your eyes (Russ.)

whether you're impressed or rolling your eyes, it doesn't matter, go & enjoy their thoughtful & unique menu! i have yet to have anything less than delicious.

Russ with the German Bratwurst sandwich (all the way up his alley.) // Me with their Club.

I've also had the Indian Summer (ham & brie, and almost like dessert.) The Memphis (spicy fried chicken & cabbage. it almost taste pickled. MOUTH WATERING.)

also they have a surprisingly tasty assortment of baked goods.

the ghiardelli brownie & the butterscotch rice krispie were our faves.

Hayes gives it his seal of approval double fisting a chunk of mine & Russ's sandwiches.

he didn't eat ALL those fries, but he came pretty close.

the kid can pound.

Cal enjoying his usual pairing of binky + play ring. excellent choice, Cal.

he tops off most meals with a cat-nap.

finally... do you read the man repeller?

she's outrageous. i loved her new year's eve outfit idea.

not so much the sequins, because nothing has been done more than sequins on NYE,

but the sweatshirt under the blazer?

loved it! (copied it!)

LINKS IN THIS POST:

Station 22

Man Repeller

the brothers frame

2012-01-02T13:21:00.001-07:00

Callum is nearing his 6 month mark in a few weeks and for the last year+ it's been

a sort of mile marker for me. so many mothers with siblings close in age told me a version of:

the first 6 months are hard, and then you'll love it.

while we have loved every single hour of it, it really is hard work.

so i've kept my eye on that 6 month moment in time, and i can't believe it's nearly here! like i was told, it really is getting easier each day.

these boys without a doubt, with Russ as my witness, are the best of friends.

they want to be where the other one is.

they laugh and laugh at one another's antics.

they cheer each other on in their accomplishments.

(and freak-OUT when the other has their toy.)

cuddles and slobbery gummy kisses and wide-eyed grins are exchanged all day long.

i'm sure any siblings have these experiences, but for me it is the greatest reward for all the moments i feel like i'm just terrible at this.

his "Marla Hooch" face // giving stones (which i have confused many a-time for punching, and Hayes has had many a confused "time-out" for it as well.)

sweetie Cal

Hayes showing him the ropes:

au revoir twenty eleven

2011-12-30T14:24:00.002-07:00

i say it at the end of every week, month & year. time is flying!

2011 was a year of surprises & growth. my shortcomings are glaring, but i know i gave a darn good fight & i feel the ignition to do better. that's what i love about the new year & all it represents.

in 2012 i resolve to read more books, eat healthier & exercise, speak kindly of everyone, be a more loving wife, to always keep doing and avoid paralyzing discouragement. to reach for my scriptures, for my Heavenly Father, for the atonement. to be purified in it.

to be a reliable friend, an ever-present mother. the kind who shows her boys how to enjoy life.

the kind of woman who loves fiercely and lets the unimportant settle where it may.

photography by Danyelle

while i already wrote my resolutions down with a twistable crayon, #classy, i'm excited to print off this Resolution Kit designed by Run Lucas Run to make it extra official!

hello 2012, happy to have you!

minute to win it

2011-12-29T15:02:00.003-07:00

for this year's annual johansson holiday party,

they put together a slew of "minute to win it" games in addition to the usual

white elephant. (we got the mole back, ew.)

perfect for those with a short attention span,

those who hate all games in general, due to some weird emotional scarring contracted from monopoly, kevin. (hi erika!☺)

those who are weirdly competitive in battles of no importance.

if you just want to make a fool of yourself & laugh until you cry, may i suggest

games like:

dropping coins into a shot glass at the bottom of a big bucket of water.

pulling as many tissues out of the box as you can.

scooping cotton balls into a bowl.

scooting an oreo from your forehead to your mouth.

sucking jello from it's little cup using only your mouth and no force from your hands.

(so much harder than it looks & the world's most iron-clad blackmail. thankfully, the video was shot on my own phone.)

parties from yesteryear:

2010

not the party just Russ' unbeatable ugly sweater.

2009

2008

2007

instamas

2011-12-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

christmas '11

2011-12-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

the quiet moments with just Russ and the boys this Christmas were so sweet and i'll never forget them.

there weren't that many unfortunately because we were hopping all around town celebrating!

i kept thinking to myself that i would love to just hole up in a cabin somewhere just us & when i said it aloud, Russ fervently agreed. maybe next year!

here's a little peek from our weekend:

Christmas Eve:

Christmas PJs!

Christmas Day:

we finally opened our own presents at about 3 p.m.

nobody seemed to mind & Cal loved every second.

in fact he played with these little velcro balls for the entirety.

a pile of puzzles

some saggy long-johns. sex-sayyy

lining cars up in Hayes' little OCD way.

Christmas Dinner:

on the twelfth day [christmas card]

2011-12-24T10:49:00.003-07:00

of Christmas my new digs gave to me:

a sense of beginning, endless possibilities, discovery & change.

another adventure to bind us together as a family.

a place for us to grow and laugh and connect.

warm beds, full cupboards & beautiful views at every turn.

our hearts truly are bursting at the seams, not just for the things we have

but the people we love, and sweet babies entrusted to us by a loving Heavenly Father.

for our Savior's birth and sacrifice for His grace and compassion

because we have still have a long way to go in becoming more like Him

Merry Christmas!

Love,

The Frames

2008-2010 cards

on the eleventh day

2011-12-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

of Christmas my new digs gave to me:

primetime TV!

with the TV being on the bottom floor we've found that our TV

watching has skid to a complete halt. we just don't watch it anymore, which is so great.

but, we haven't stopped watching the silver screen altogether.

with the boys on the top floor (and us on the main) we felt that a better baby monitoring system (then just using the ears God gave us) was in order.

little did we know that the dual video monitor would be our favorite sit-com.

Hayes is such a crack-up when he sleeps.

he is constantly re-situating himself, flip flopping to all corners of the crib.

limbs hanging through bars.

pooh bear's little head sticks up a few inches higher than Hayes all night & is a dead giveaway when we're trying to figure out where Hayes actually is in his crib.

he looks directly into the monitor for minutes. like he knows that we're watching him.

the last few naps he's put up a blanket over his rails so we can't see him at all.

smart little turkey.

Cal's show is pretty much a nightly re-run and only good if you're in the studio audience.

on the tenth day [alice lane]

2011-12-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

as is customary with moving, we've hit our standstill.

most everything is unpacked, but most everything needs finessing.

our dining table is filled with stacks of art and prints that need to be hung, but i just can't commit.

we're taking it one room at a time, and the reading loft/office area is next on the list.

we started with these floating bookshelves that i spotted a few years ago

in another kaput magazine, ReadyMade.

while i love the idea, and will love it more once it's full, i can't help but think our collection looks way less impressive outside Russ' built-in masterpiece.

luckily around the same time i hit the decorating wall, i attended Alice Lane's annual

Holiday Social! you simply can't be in a square mile of Alice Lane and not be inspired.

it is such an amazing space, filled from floor to ceiling with home goods i'd kill for.

here are some pics from the evening:

most darling invites:

what i go to parties for:

rolo + pretzel sandwiches. dangerous for a salty/sweet combo lover like myself.

friends! Susan + Nicole

most amazing biscuits & strawberry + basil jam to take home

a killer gift swap. i made out like a bandit.

yep, there's those pants again.

and my buddy Caitlin, who you may ~~or may not~~ know as Hue.

of Hue + Hum. the inspiring blog where i live vicariously through their 24/7 creative existence.

they just cut a Christmas album.

which is so so good.

Russ deemed her "just like Jolie Lindholm" (of the Rocking Horse Winner, which is pretty much the highest compliment Russ can pay.)

once again another awesome evening, thanks Alice Lane + Kirsten

on the ninth day [tiffany & co.]

2011-12-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

of Christmas my new digs gave to me, the perfect space to dream.

i wrote earlier about how the move would be giving us a scenario to save up for whatever it is we choose to do with the rest of our lives together. it's been so nice to just dream, and not have so much to factor in to those dreams. just me, russ, and the boys. the possibilities are endless.

while we're talking dreams, i've been drooling over at Tiffany & Co. all day.
how's that for a segue?
did you know they're bringing their beautiful store to Utah? in the heart of downtown SLC a luxury shopping center called City Creek Center is being constructed and it has an awesome line-up of stores including T&Co. set to open March of next year.
it is looking promising and beautiful!

Tiffany's and I have partnered up for the next few months in preparations for their move to Utah. look out for a monthly update until the grand opening and i'll even give you a sneak peek at their store before it's official opening.

i feel like Tiffany & Co. is sort of the dream standard when it comes to being a bride, and after scouring their site, i found so many beautifully special pieces for any occasion.

here are a few of my favorites:

bow earrings

return to tiffany's pendant key

atlas dome men's watch
notebook diary

1837 key ring

frank gehry "leaves" ring
(frank gehry is hands down the most incredible architect i can think of. you can see some of his sculptural architecture here.)

i'm also a huge fan of the initial pendants by Elsa Peretti.

i'm sort of smitten with that "R" especially, which is fitting, considering.

i think putting your family's initial all on one chain would be amazing-looking.

want to hear a funny story?

when i got my wedding ring, i was under the false impression that

a yellow diamond was the same thing as a citrine.

like how you call a tissue kleenex or vice versa.
#classy.

i didn't know anyone with either stone, so i was basically flying by the seat of my own naivety.

when i would tell people that it was a yellow diamond i would get the most confused looks.

(like, why is this girl driving a 1994 land rover (our first car) & wearing THAT ring?)

i finally looked it up to see that no, in fact, dear sweet 20 year old Emily, your ring is NOT a yellow diamond.

when i saw Tiffany's version of my ring, and the $665,000 price tag, it made me laugh/facepalm at my stupidity.

let it be known that my ring is a citrine & i am in l.o.v.e. with it.

TIFFANY & CO.

prices range from $50 up to the millions.

order by 5 pm today & get your little dream by Christmas!

on the eighth day

2011-12-20T15:12:00.002-07:00

of Christmas my new digs gave to me:

a playdate with Gus. "Guhh!!!"

one of the most tragic parts of moving was splitting up these two.

for their entire lives they've played just about everyday.

living across the street from one another, as soon as Hayes could walk he was heading to Gus' house.

in the Summertime everyday after naps we head outside, and they'd RUN to each other, their little blonde mops bouncing, meeting in the middle of the street (a dead quiet cul-de-sac) and hug.

i was equally sad to split myself from his mom Rashelle, but thankfully we set up a standing play-date for the boys (and ourselves) to soften the blow.

if you can close up on this, check out pic #4.

just Hayes' whole fist in Cal's mouth. made me laugh.

the seventh day [pee-jay part-ay]

2011-12-19T10:24:00.003-07:00

i suppose one of the best things that my new digs gave to me was a central location to just about anything. really & truly it takes me 5 minutes to get to most places & most friends.

it's so so great.

the bank, grocery store, the park, our church building... all less than a block away.

so when the pj party my friends Lindsay & Jenna through started at 10 am,

i left at 9:55. i could kiss you, new digs.

the PJ party went as follows.

amazing breakfast.

the most BOMB cinnamon rolls ever consumed, by Lindsay Garrett.

milk in jars

reindeer pancakes

donuts

my Ham & Brie Strata

a hot cocoa bar

the party

gift exchange

story time

cookie decorating

holiday photo booth

general rambunchery

the favor

peppermint playdough.

we've been playing with it daily ever since.

i love this moment captured.

the gift exchange was sort of rigged, many kidlets just wanted the gifts they brought,

including Goldie.

i love how she's so surprised, like she had no idea.

and these two.

couldn't love one another more.

here's mine & Hayes' turn in the photobooth, while Cal slept.

nobody told me that my prop was a bow-tie.

you can take the mustache out of party, but you can't take the party out of the mustache.

party people:

on the sixth day

2011-12-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

of Christmas Tepanyaki gave to me:

food poisoning.

i feel terrible! we canceled our whole day's activities because i can't be too far from the toi-toi.

never again, Tepanyaki, i shake my fist at your general direction! so bummed to miss out on a morning of Christmas shopping (solo) & Bri's cookie exchange. here's hoping i feel good enough to get this evening to finally pay it forward.

what is "it" you ask? while we were out to eat the other night our whole bill was taken care of by a complete stranger. we sat in shock & then smiled ear-to-ear the rest of the night.

people are so good. it will be a fun night of scouting out the perfect little family to surprise with a free meal.

but now for the real reason of the post, thankfully on the sixth day of Christmas my new digs gave to me,

a large jetted tub. nothing makes me feel better than a hot bath. even a bath with Cal-baby, because who gets to take a bath alone these days? not me.

he looooves tub-time. if i leave the faucet trickling he'll stare at it until the water runs cold.

on the fifth day

2011-12-16T15:28:00.002-07:00

of Christmas my new digs gave to me:

a headache.
i can't find anything these days.

where are the curtain rods?

we ate our pride and push-pinned curtains to the wall.
Hayes has been getting up at the unholy hour of 7:30 am (usually 9:30) and something had to be done. Hayes is loving listening to Brite tapes lately. how retro of him!

and the wrapping paper?

paper towel wrap job with a washi tape bow.

thanks again to Aubry! who hand delivered 12 beautiful rolls of washi.

the only other person who understands the magnitude of finding washi tape in an actual store and not just online.

gratefully a trip to ikea should cure all that ails us.

curtain rods, wrapping paper, rocking moose & crusty cinnamon rolls (that smell amazing, but i always regret.)

i especially love trips to ikea with Russ.

he gets into character and says all

the swedish names super loud & we get weird looks

and i have to do the cross-legged-partial squat-pee-stopper dance because i'm crying-laughing & the only bathroom was at the corner of Ecktorp & Karlstad we'd have to swim upstream like trout to get back there.

have a great weekend my friends!

♡

on the fourth day

2011-12-15T13:58:00.001-07:00

of Christmas my new digs gave to me:

Mount Timpanogas!

and the Wasatch Front!

right outside our front windows.

and i think to myself, what a wonderful world.

amen Louie.

thanks for following along with this silly series, it's been good for my heart to count my blessings.

we were sad to clear out our beautiful home and leave our wonderful friends

(five minutes away, ha! but still.)

*******

some of you have inquired why the move?

to put it simply:

it was an amazing opportunity for us to save money more aggressively

to put towards "dream" goals than we could in our home.

and after prayer and discussion it was the right decision for our family.

so, not wanting to be in limbo-land during the holidays, we put the move on the fast-track

and here we are!

on the third day of christmas my new digs gave to me

2011-12-14T15:13:00.000-07:00

Audrey!

i've had this ginorm poster of Audrey Hepburn (a still from Funny Face)

for 5+ years. i've been carefully storing it waiting for the perfect home for her.

for those five years there hasn't been a wall big enough, as she is 8+ feet tall.

little did we know our new digs were built for giants. every wall, door frame, counter space

is exaggeratedly tall. like, the ironing board i hung on the back of our door comes up to my armpits when it's pulled down. as in, be careful honey or you might iron your ear.

she makes me so happy every time i see it, and at night you can see her from the street, so even our neighbors get to enjoy her.

i'm still ironing out the details, does she need a frame?

i figured i (Russ) could build a faux frame around her.

p.s.

i'm thinking we need a new name for the johnny jump-up.

p.p.s. if i were a camera cord where would i be?

hopefully we're not getting sick of the iphone snaps.

on the second day of christmas my new digs gave to me

2011-12-13T13:20:00.002-07:00

buns & thighs of steel.

in our old house we have a family renting our basement and we occupy the top floor, and minus the occasional trip to the basement food storage/laundry room, i was a no-stair gal.

here's us today:

equal parts of our lives are lived on each floor, 15 stairs between them. i'm almost always carrying 1-2 human children (a combined weight of 44 pounds) or a box or two. such an amazing work-out! i swear you'll be able to bounce a quarter off my keester by christmas.

i haven't even felt the need to bust out the Physique 57 DVDs (which i swear on the holy bible, are worth every penny and second invested.)

i may or may not be known to take a breather part way up.

on the first day of christmas my new digs gave to me

2011-12-12T11:38:00.001-07:00

in an effort to keep me motivated & excited to unpack & decorate, i'll be posting a quick peek into our new space each day until Christmas. it was either that,
or tape this to the front door:

on the first day of Christmas my new digs gave to me:

a fireplace! and a mantle!

just in time for the holidays, and we have been enjoying it to the fullest! one day i'll get around to making Cally his own stocking. preceding priorities being finding the toothpaste, and then the computer. hopefully in the same box!

leather & felt garlands by AnnilyGreen,

world's easiest Christmas decor, styled by Hayes.

blazing fire ♡

[via BlogPress]

december 2011

2011-12-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

To My Cal:

Last month I wondered a lot about what your personality would be like. This month you've shown it to us! Your daddy-o and I were talking about how Hayes is so much like him. Quiet and reserved when he is in a room of strangers, loud and rambunctious when with friends. Hayes has these moments of being "too-cool" that remind me so much of your dad. Let's not even talk about how much they both like to sleep.

So far your personality is looking a bit more like mine. Social! Laughing! Loud! Fiery! You concentrate so hard on your toys and if you drop one, you scream and cry. You want to be good at everything, and be everywhere, and tell all the jokes. You roll all over the place. When you're on your tummy you kick your legs so hard, and stick your bum in the air you move a few inches up. Once you figure out your arms are a necessary part of that equation I'm certain you'll army crawl (scary!) You strain your neck to sit up, and if you're leaning far enough forward you'll sit up on your own for a good while. Hayes thinks it's pretty hilarious when you fall over.

You love to shake your rattle and suck on all your toys, and you're starting to eye all our food. That is one thing I like most about being a mother of two. I'm not in a hurry to get to the next phase or milestone. I was itching to feed Hayes rice cereal, but not with you. Where's the fire? Let's slow our roll, No more growing! are common phrases out of my mouth. It's nice to be a mom twice because the hard times are nearly as bleak. I know things aren't permanent, they're phases, and if you wake up twice in a night instead of once, it's okay! (Which is amazing of you, darling, thank you.) I know it will be better tomorrow. And if it's not better tomorrow it will be next week.

The other night your dad was reading Hayes a bedtime story, Hayes was on his lap and you were on Hayes' lap. I don't know what was particularly funny to you about Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? but every so often you would burst out in a giggle. Hayes would look surprised and look down at you, and then laugh too. You would hear Hayes laughing, and so you'd laugh again. Back and forth you made each other crack up. Of course your dad and I were laughing too.

You have brought such a new light to our home. It's amazing how it doesn't dim Hayes' light, or what makes him special to us, it just adds to it. You are your own boy, you have your own place in our family and at only a few months old we could never imagine our family without you. You have this gravitational pull and everyone wants to be around you. Especially your brother. All day long he is coming up to you "Hi baby!" over and over. He kisses your head and makes you give him high fives all day long. He lays on you, rests his head on your shoulder, and worries for you when you're sad.

This month we moved to a different house and it got me thinking about why I wasn't feeling sentimental. I could have been really sad to leave the house we brought you home to, the home we made so many memories in, but I wasn't sad. I think that speaks volumes of you, your brother, and your dad and how you make me feel. Home really is wherever you are and I love you with my whole heart.

The world is yours, Cal.

Love,

Mom.

split the split

2011-12-09T12:06:00.001-07:00

last weekend we met up with family at riverwoods. we've been loving it there, each weekend there is usually something fun happening. and if all else fails, there's always Ike's Banana Splits.

some of the party people: Avery & Bethany. didn't catch anyone else, oops.

my chunky cally. we thought we would have to buy him a whole winter wardrobe,

but turns out he's already on his way out of 6-12 so he'll be nestling very nicely into Hayes' old winter clothes.

start of the split:

end of the split:

Hayes is all about climbing up op on stuff. it's so cute at the library

when i'm holding Cal & the story time ladies are giving me the stink-eye.

so cute.

we also went on his first carousel ride.

he picked the elephant.

he loves to make the trunk noise (spitting)

and say "EEEE!" when i say "elephant starts with?"

a little bit dizzy, perhaps?

hope you have a great weekend!

we're moving out & the moving in, kick your feet up and relax for us?

neon trees

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

hello & how is everyone? good, good.

i am knee deep in disarray thanks for asking, but i felt impressed to send my regards

and even give you the breaking news that a real life post is on its way.

you know the kind with pictures that aren't instagram's sloppy seconds. maybe even ones used with a different device than the one i tell to remind me to buy more bananas.

"thanks, siri!"

"it's my pleasure, emily." is how it usually goes.

if you're wondering what knee-deep disarray looks like:

in general, there's a lot of cardboard around.

a lot of baby wearing, many thanks to the Lulu Wrap by Elle-M-N-O-P

and a lot of debauchery of the Hayes persuasion because he figured out he totally can and i stopped caring after box 25.

the first & only item of business in the new digs until moving day was to put up our christmas tree.

it made it feel homey in a hurry!

and if you'd like to take a peek, or if you've ever wondered about my christmas trees of yesteryear,

i am talking all about it with my favorite Natalie the fat Ratalie.

she's got a lot of top-notch guest post-ers (C.Jane, Daybook babe Sydney, Liz of Say Yes to Hoboken, Emily f'ing Henderson and surely more amazers to come) & then me also.

but isn't that how all my guest post duties are?

and if you're wondering, Natalie was absolutely the first person, after Russ, that I told I was pregnant with Cal. her jaw literally dropped and so i waited a couple more weeks after that to tell anyone else, ha! also, she's the only blogger who i have actually cheered for while reading a post. i got up from my chair, standing up at my computer pumping my fist and "hoo hoo hoo" ing. it was the Meg Ryan post. and i just loved it. one of the few blogs i actually enjoy READING and then skimming pictures, not the other way around. anyway, read her blog, love it & then read all about my tree this year while you're at it.

twenty months

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

is such a good time.

music + a move

2011-12-02T09:54:00.001-07:00

remember how i thought i would have time to sit and enjoy the holidays?

haha! jk! lolz! rofl.

we're moving!

(just two cities to the south, but still a moving a house full of stuff is a treat regardless of distance.)

so while i work on that little project, you can read a little guest post about how i remember the reason for the season over at Someone In Mind.

hint: it's how i do just about anything in life. MUSIC!

it made me remember a post i wrote 4 years ago with my favorite christmas songs

check it out here.

honestly, not much has been added to that list.

except "Silent Night" by...

wait for it...

the Beebs.

seriously. you've never met a more anti-bieberite than myself

but when i heard it playing at bijou & nicole had to physically show me the iPod before i would believe that it was truly him singing - i love love love it.

it's such a sweet little rendition.

so, excuse me while i aimlessly walk around the house a few more times before i settle on a place to start packing.

happy weekend!

t-day

2011-11-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

to ensure adequate time was spent with our ever-growing/dividing family, thanksgiving was strewn across three days:

first, my mom & scott hosted an edited version of our traditional thanksgiving dinner and it was delicious. scott is such a good cook, and the way to em's heart is her stomach, so he's more than alright in my book!

after dinner they pulled out twenty little bowls of candy, royal icing and little graham cracker houses for us to decorate. it was such a fun night and we all enjoyed it as much or more as the all babies did.

hayes basically just sucked off all the sugar on the gum drops & then handed them to me to put on the house. it's funny how he lived his whole first year of life sugar free, but has more than made up for lost time since.

the next thanksgiving meal was with my dad at tucanos. it's truly amazing to me how much i can eat at that joint. it was a good prep for the real deal the following day. after dinner we took in riverwoods' amazing lights. millions of them. riverwoods has ruined me for all other light displays. also hayes' first encounter with santa - who gave him stones (knuckles/rocks) that blew up! hayes was dazzled. also, dazzling hayes were the plethora of boobies to check out at victoria's secret. he stood at this door for several minutes.

finally, after russ' annual morning of turkey bowling on thursday, we had another awesome meal with my mom's side of the family.

unfortunately, hayes found the little cups of peanut m&ms before we even blessed the food, and regardless of how convincing my "mmm! sweet potatoes!" commentary was, he just ate the m&ms. all night. that's it.

friday, we lounged like true loungers. no black friday funny business for us. unless you count iPad online shopping in long underwear - which is the only way to go in my opinion.

and! hayes and i went on a date, just us.

also sprinkled throughout the weekend were extensive amounts of play time with

Gus & Dash while moms were busy getting work done.

their favorite pass-time was to see who could scream the loudest

& then laugh hysterically.

FYI: "working from home" is an oxy-moron.

and ravioli holy canoli, tomorrow is december?!

jylare + things

2011-11-28T09:29:00.001-07:00

Jylare did our market photography & i've been pouring over the images with nostalgia.

she did such a great job capturing everything!

-can one acquire nostalgia even though the memory is only days old? sure, why not.-

day one:

holding Callum with my claw hand.

Hayes comes to visit! and whaddya know? doesn't want me to snuggle on him.

friends. i promise Nicole is wearing bottoms.

cute pinkish american apparel leggings at that.

do you think the girl who i've heard use ONE curse word in TEN years

would go to a large public event half nakey?

day two:

day three (in Taylorsville last Saturday)

Photography by Jylare (and our iPhones and Rashelle.)

Nicole makes all our playlists for the market & every year hundreds of people ask us what's on them. finally, we got our act together so check out the market playlist!

and that's the last you'll hear about 2011 markets, see you in April, Bij!

updated! what i wore:

day one: sweater GAP | pants c/o Zara | loafers GOJANE.COM

day two: tee Zara | cardigan AMERICAN APPAREL | pants F21 | moccasins MINNETONKA | head scarf VINTAGE

day three: ruffle blouse GAP OUTLET | skirt c/o ZARA | boots STEVE MADDEN

helping hands bank

2011-11-23T10:08:00.001-07:00

i feel like i have found the secret to my success, and that is gratitude.

it is the answer to just about any quandary and if implemented, can solve or lighten most of life's trials and hardships.

i have so so much to be grateful for, number one being a healthy family. (of course, we've been sick more times than i care to count in the last few months, but those illnesses are nothing in comparison to what others live with on a daily basis.)

russ, hayes, and a minutes-old callum.

my friend Kami lost her little girl Afton this week - born incredibly early weighing in at just 12 ounces.

at times like these i feel incredible sorrow for friends, immense gratitude for my blessings & a sense of "what can i do to help?" even though her incredible battle against the odds was lost, with the help of modern medicines in the NICU and other departments, they had several days to spend with her. with the "what can i do to help" question still lingering i was excited to hear about Helping Hands Bank - a breastmilk donor system that helps sustain the lives of infants in the NICU.

maybe you're like me, a deep freezer filled with unused breastmilk, i may use some, but i could never use all before it expires, if you're like me you'll be glad to know there are local options. Helping Hands Bank makes it incredibly easy and they will pick-up or ship your donations for free!

Click here to learn more about Helping Hands, or maybe just keep the Bigler's in your prayers, they could use them!

i hope you all have a lovely thanksgiving!!

last week

2011-11-21T11:13:00.001-07:00

last week was pretty intense!

on top of the usual preparations for the big Bij, all four of the Frames got a crazy contagious stomach bug. Hayes was first, i got it the next day, Russ got it the day after, and Cal got it the day after that.

basically a 1-3 day Occupy the Toilet type of thing - if you catch drifts. it was the worst timing ever & if i had $10 for every time i got barfed on, i would have had an extra benjamin to drop at the market.

anyway, here are some pics of the madness.

*Russ making market totes with us. he would never admit, but he loves to be crafty.

*poor sicky Hayes.

*Rashelle on Fox news talking about Bijou! their studio is so incredibly small, so Rashelle graciously accepted the live TV challenge. (i'd rather watch the birthing scene in Breaking Dawn again.)

*speaking of Breaking Dawn, Rashelle got us tickets for the night before it opened, and we figured what the heck. we earned a night off. so we went! and it was Weirdchestertonfieldville, Iowa.

during the craziness, i could not have done it without Russ. he is such an MVP in the Bijou Market undertaking. Bethany watched Cal at the market 16+ hours, my mom clocked 8, and Russ' brother Mitch came in town to help him finish up a job and was awesome too. grocery shopping, carrying Cal everywhere, making sure he didn't roll off every surface i put him down on. Cal ROLLS EVERYWHERE!

other MVPs include Rashelle & Nicole. who keep it fun & keep me from going crazy.

and Station 22 sandwiches.

delicious little life savers!

Cal for being such a sweetie, not ever crying, doing his best to sleep with loud Christmas music with bumpin' bass, throwing up all over the place with a smile on his face. he's an angel.

and this little munchie. i missed him so much.

and of course you want your kids to be happy with or without you,

but hearing Russ say he just wasn't the same boy without me around sort of warmed my heart a little bit.

petit gâteau moelleux

2011-11-17T09:19:00.001-07:00

one of the best parts about doing PR for Bijou is the amazing people i get to meet, and on occasion,party with!

one of our vendors, Mercedes White of Mercedes Macarons has perfected the art of the macaron cookie for Utah's staggering altitude. when she offered to teach a class to a few bloggers, i jumped on it! it was such a fun evening, and here's a little video for you to see by Collin Kartchner Studios: the best part of the whole thing is Mercedes will be selling pre-made mixes so you can try at home (and she promises to help you along the way) or you can set up a class for you and a few friends to learn like we did! and of course she'll be selling macarons, all at Bijou Market this weekend!

we tried 7-8 different kinds of cookies, my favorite had to be the pistachio macaron with raspberry mascarpone filling, delicious!

thanks Mercedes for such a fun evening, to Collin for filming and to Shelley for hosting (her house is incredible.)

check out the other party-goers blogs here:

Shelley of The House of Smiths

Jen of Tatertots and Jello

Amy of The Idea Room

Lara of Less Cake More Frosting

Elizabeth of Dear Lizzy

next month

2011-11-16T09:52:00.001-07:00

when i'm in the thick of craziness, i find myself looking ahead to quieter times.

when it comes to running a handmade market, the busy-ness of the christmas season is a welcome break!

also, finally, two years after graduating with my english degree, i have fallen back in love with reading. i've read books since graduation, but slowly and with extreme pickiness. if it didn't grab me in the first couple chapters, i'd give up. happily, i can't seem to get enough lately!

so in a few weeks when things calm down a bit, here's what's on my nightstand:

Unbroken and Sarah's Key are the next couple picks for the book club i'm in. we read Night Circus last month, and although it was great, i love historical fiction, so i'm excited to start these!

somehow i've never read a parenting book yet, but as we near Hayes' second birthday i figured i better get going. i've heard amazing things about How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, and i found Raising Your Spirited Child while browsing on Amazon.

and finally Freedom by Johnathan Franzen. i've been reading this for at least a year. i'm half way though but sort of stuck. it's depressing! who has read this, does it get better? or at least is there a great pay-out for finishing? i hate when this happens.

what are you all reading? i love a good recommendation.

tubby time

2011-11-14T09:46:00.001-07:00

after a couple months of baths with me or showers with russ,

we finally realized Callum was missing out on the best bath of all...

they love baths together! hayes is so sweet with him, kissing his face, ~~pointing~~ poking out his eyes & giving him zerbits (raspberries. what do you call them?)

and Cal can't get enough of Hayes, he smiles and laughs the whole bath. he kicks his legs wildly,

usually getting a few jabs at Hayes, Hayes just says "ouch! hahah! ouch!"

bath time is such a happy time!

talk shop

2011-11-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

i've got some goodies for you this fine friday!

one for utah locals & one for everrrybody.

today, 11.11 our fine state of utah is getting it's first Hennes & Mauritz aka H&M!

i know we're a titch behind the times. we got our first forever 21 & urban outfitters less than 5 years ago. but, we're getting there! slow & steady.

so if you locals are going to brave the H&M craze at Fashion Place his weekend

stop by Ann Taylor's new concept store Saturday between 1-5 pm.

eat, shop (30% off) and even schedule a personal styling appointment.

and while you're at it:

you may have gotten the Gap Friends & Family 30% off card?

well, here's one better...

40% off!

hit H&M, then the Ann Taylor party, and then finish off at Gap!

(did you know i used to be a manager at Fashion Place Gap?

many moons ago.)

all you need to do it get this image onto your phone and show Gap your

coupon and you're set!

happy shopping & happy weekend!

burger + smize

2011-11-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Hayeser has been such a little sweetie lately, and after a solid week of some serious grumpiness (molars? pre-teen angst?)

it felt like a reason to celebrate in his way.

Hayes enjoys many things, but nothing quite as much as a 5 Guys burger & free reign at a thrift store toy aisle. (much better than regular stores, because there's no packaging to deter him.)

we asked him on the drive if he wanted nuggets at Chick-Fil-A or a burger & he

said over and over, "bu-ah!" which is his word for burger.

which sidetracks me...when does the lazy-talk stop? he shortens literally every word he says except for maybe 5 of them.

anyway, he ate half my burger and probably 20 fries.

usually double-fisted.

by the end he is always covered in condiments.

fry sauce being his favorite, much to russ' dismay as he is a ketchup purist.

and see that take-out cup of vinegar down below?

the whole thing got spilled all over my lap.

i'm generally used to being spilled on, but sometimes i'd like to just make it out clean you know?

then we headed to the local thrift store to let him go to town with some second-hand toys.

let it be known that when he's done he gets baptized by disinfectant.

callum, also a little sweetie, slept for pretty much the entirety.

i did my usual perusing & would occasionally become irate at whomever kept walking passed me that smelled disgusting & then realize it was myself & my lap soaked in vinegar.

also, happy to see that russ caught me mid five guys high.

similar to a runner's high, i've been told, but cannot confirm as i've only experienced a high of the five guy's variety.

i hit my burger eating stride & i am loving life.

what an awful pic, right? y'welcome.

em elsewhere

2011-11-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

two elsewheres today!

first: guess what is next weekend, and then the next weekend after that!?

Bijou Market!

the other founders and i are posting our market gift guides and you can read about my picks here!

everything is coming together nicely and i am working furiously each naptime & a few hours after bedtime & maybe during a daily screening of Aristocats. maybe.

because i have the most supportive readers on God's green Earth, i figured you would want our official flyer & button so you can post it on your own blogs. and you would probably also want the link to our newly launched Facebook group so you can join & RSVP to Provo or SLC, or both.

and second:

want to play a little game?

head over to must-read, must drool over blog, The Daybook for a pretty easy round of "one of these things is not like the other."

that thing would be me. guest posting on Sydney's blog. just tucked in there with the likes of

Joanna Goddard. Joy Cho. Natalie Holbrook. Susan Petersen.

i mean. i know this doesn't quiiiiite cut it, but thank you for having me Sydney!

chopped!

2011-11-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

do you watched chopped? it is russ & my late sunday night tradition and we love it!

it's basically like iron chef, except each competitor has to make a dish with three secret ingredients instead of one. chopped loves to try and stump the chefs with seemingly unrelatable ingredients, i.e. cornish game hen, black garlic & lemon drop candies. of course they always end up turning something delicious-looking out. with each round we pause it after the ingredients are unveiled and tell each other what we'd make.

this weekend russ wanted to make chopped happen at home. i picked his ingredients for our entree, and he picked my ingredients to make dessert with. i'm sure i've mentioned that russ thinks he's hot stuff in the kitchen & will tell anyone who will listen that he was named iron chef in high school foods class... there was a plethora of trash talking throughout the evening.

russ: salmon, radishes & dried mangoes.

emily: oranges, coca-cola & french bread.

russ seasoned the filets and "poached them in a white cooking wine." his words.

he "put them on a bed of mashed potatoes and radish with a splash of lemon and topped it with a reconstitued dried mango & radish slaw." again, his words.

his offering was delicious, as i knew it would be, even with my constant hassling, my best "alex guarnaschelli" comments- whom he, respectfully, does not care for at all.

the lemon mashed potatoes were so good, i'll be adding lemon to my tates from here on out.

the slaw was even pretty tasty. so weird.

as for my dessert:

can we all agree that my task at hand was a little bit trickier than his?

my original plan was to make an orange zest french toast with a coca-cola caramel syrup.

i know, sounds gee-ross.

i very innocently googled if coke could indeed be made into a caramel

& saw this recipe for coca-cola chocolate cake.

i then, not so innocently, quickly copied it onto the palm of my hand.

cal did not approve.

the cake called for marshmallows and lemon juice, so i figured why not swap those out for french bread and orange juice. i know! gross. i added orange juice to the batter and the icing, so you could definitely taste it, and it wasn't even that bad!

can i just tell you, if you ate around chunks of french bread, that cake was the booomb.

make it as the recipe calls for, and i promise you'll love it. it's like an even airier texas sheet cake.

i'll be making it again the right way, because as i am typing this russ is eating his, ahem, third piece.

these guys

2011-11-06T14:12:00.002-07:00

guess who -- after many many months of getting to church late & leaving early due to the sleepmonger, Hayes himself -- finally made it through the three hour block from start to finish, with minimal tears from either parties involved?

THESE GUYS!

we are a sunday church-going bunch, and looong before Cal was even born,

we rarely made it all three hours before taking Hayes home to sleep.

the GUY LOVES. TO. SLEEP.

both of these photos were taken on separate sundays, each 9:30 am or later (church starts at 9.)

typically we'd get to church an hour late, and leave a half-hour early because Hayes could be heard taken out of the nursery down the hall yelling

"CHIIII! BAAAAH! POOOOOH!"

(pacifier, bottle, pooh bear... aka his naptime routine.)

basically begging someone! anyone! put me to bed.

so, i was overjoyed to see this happy face when i came to take him home at noon.

thank you daylight savings, i take it back, you aren't useless!

oh, and p.s. comments are back on! i had to turn them this week off due to some cray-see spamming issues.

CPW

2011-11-04T12:43:00.001-06:00

so i was getting dressed in our closet the other day & put on, yet again, these waxed effect trousers from Zara. i mumbled something to myself about how amazing the C.P.W.s must be on these pants when Russ walked passed overhearing me and said,

"Yeah, seriously, you're looking at like a twenty cent C.P. dub."

observations and confusions about this conversation:

1. how does Russ know what CPW stands for? (Cost Per Wear)

2. how does Russ know what Cost Per Wear even means?

3. how does he feel comfortable enough in his knowledge of CPW to shorten it to CPdub?

3. how does Russ know that i've worn these pants enough to pretty accurately comment on their $.20 CPW when Russ couldn't point out a single other item of my wardrobe in a line-up if our lives depended on it?

he had me laughing for the rest of the day. the guy never ceases to surprise me, so i shouldn't be so confused i suppose.

it's all true though, i have worn these pants at least once a week since i got them in september. each time i wear them, i get compliments and questions. everytime they end up on this here blog, i get even more. so here are the facts: stretchy cotton with a waxed coating - they're not waterproof & dirt & dust stick to them like a swiffer (but come off easily with a wet wipe.) they look incredibly close to leather, comfortable as leggings, but still substantial enough to keep you taut and supported where leggings fail. the gold zippers on the inseam (calf to ankle) were a happy surprise, they don't show them on Zara's website or list them in their composition, but they're still cute. Zara sent them to me as a gift, but i would buy them in an instant because as previously discussed, the CPWs are impressive.

let's set up the scene below:

setting up the ol' timer to get a pic of them (although i could've just used the ones here, here, here, or here.) and within seconds Hayes had chucked the remote off the balcony.

the last image in the sequence, captures my thoughts well i think: sweeeet.

pants C/O Zara sweater hand-knit by my Great Grandma Kay.

a.a. milne appreciation day

2011-11-02T13:14:00.002-06:00

it was Halloween 2011 & the facts are these (i miss pushing daisies.):

my sister Liz thrifted Hayes' costume for me & the rest of our costumes were built around it.

amazing, right?

Christopher Robin, Pooh Bear, Kanga & Roo.

my mom's neighborhood does the cutest halloween parade, and the cuteness was sort of lost on me until last year when i had my own little chicky. i vowed, next year! a parade must happen in my own neighborhood. so the evening started out with our own parade. rashelle and i threw it together ever so quickly and it was a huge success!

the candy cannon was the biggest hit that ever hit.
and how great to rashelle & chad look?

i was super busy with the parade stuff so i just gave russ quick instructions when he got home from work: shave your face, wear mid-thigh shorts & a sweater vest and tie.

he did pretty darn good! even leaving a portion of shirt untucked and letting one of his socks "quit" on him... just like the real guy!

credit

Gigi & Cal, Hayes & Lola, the only time Hayes would wear the Pooh Bear hat (while eating & distracted.)

my brother Collin & nieces. their costumes are always hilarious.

i wish i had a full body pic of Lizzy. so good.

parade! this is where that crappy Monster Mash playlist came in handy.

candy cannon!

August and Hayes. pretty sure they're making fun of me in that first one somehow.

cutest Roo.

Hayes can open his own candy, thank you verrry much, that will be all.

we finished the night off with market street grill's clam chowder (homemade) with family.
hot chocolate and donuts around a fire with friends.
a couple bushed kids.
and a movie and hayes' candy for me & muffin.

end of october mash-up

2011-11-01T12:09:00.000-06:00

each of these events deserves their own post, but who wants to read about october's activities for 3 more weeks? not me! so, let's just get this over with

(halloween to come later):

the last couple weeks have been packed with fun, here they are in a nutshell...
monster mash at riverwoods
halloween party at shelly's
harvesting what's left of the garden. hayes will eat any berry, ripe or not. sour!
pumpkin patch love
trick or treating with my boyfriends (cal dash hayes and monroe)
harvest party at church

dinners with family

dinners with friends

many nights out with Cal while Hayes sleeps at home with a sitter

my aunt marlyn's AMAZINGLY decorated house. every square inch. Hayes was terrified.

Murder Among the Mateys Party - Governor and Mrs. Napier

all the buddies post plank walk

Murder Among the Mateys was such a fun murder mystery party hosted by Jess & Adam. (pics from them.)

the buddies are all pretty theatrical by nature & tyson's wife natalie (right) is an actual actor, so it was so entertaining. courtney the bar wench stole my heart, she was hilarious.

jace & jenne // jamie & jimmy. how amazing is jamie's dress?

it was previously decided that the murderer would be forced to walk the plank (into a freezing cold pool.) Jimmy was it, but after an hour of wrestling, ripped clothing, and surely a plethora of cheap-shots every buddy ended up in the pool eventually.

goodbye October and hello November! and Bijou Market!

i'll sleep when i'm dead.

halloween playlist for non-children

2011-10-31T09:37:00.002-06:00

happy halloween everyone!

reader katie emailed me asking my opinion on a halloween party playlist.

she specifically said "an edgy playlist sans monster mash." i hear you loud and clear, girl.

although i downloaded the "monster mash and other songs of horror" album for $2.99 and it is actually pretty good!

as i was scrolling through our iTunes i couldn't help but laugh, musicians seem to sing about the weird/morbid/creepy almost as much the topic of love.

needless to say i had to chisel away at the playlist until i stopped at 31, in honor of the day.

these songs are either creepy in sound or lyric, will make you dance or make you cringe, but will add to any party you've got tonight!

1825 via Pinterest

spooky couch - albert hammond jr.

to hell in a handbasket - another statistics

cold wind - arcade fire

die die die - the avett brothers

psychotic girl - the black keys

black river killer - blitzen trapper

it's alright ma (i'm only bleeding) - bob dylan

flume - bon iver

the ghost inside - broken bells

42 - coldplay

hang you from the heavens - the dead weather

cannibal resource - dirty projector

ghost of a dog - edie brickell & the new bohemians

to be free - emiliana torrini

graveyard - feist

psychobabble - frou frou

heads will roll/thriller mash-up - glee cast

bandages - hot hot heat

time is running out - muse

spiderwebs - no doubt

the noose - a perfect circle

where is my mind? - pixies

lady - regina spektor

i see monsters - ryan adams

a night to remember - shedaisy (don't laugh! this song is the spookiest of all, just wait until the end!)

there is a light that never goes out - the smiths

landmines - st. vincent

silent all these years - tori amos

love is colder than death - the virgins

skeletons - yeah yeah yeahs

hayyyy.

2011-10-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

the Christensen's hosted the perfect kick-off for fall a few weeks ago: a hay ride in a beautiful orchard!

bread bowls of chili, bottles of crisp root beer, warm mugs of cocoa

a blazing fire for roasting s'mores.

p.s. don't you love when your kid does the stiff as a board body slide off your lap?

the worst.

Mr. Christensen took us all around their orchard on hay ride and it was a blast.

he drove fast and furious, it was bumpy, at times spooky & exciting!

Bri's face (far left) best captures how i felt on the ride. so fun!

such a fun party, i hope it becomes tradition!

photos by Jylare, an awesome photographer, and new friend who just moved here from California. check out more pics from the party here, and Jylare's site here.

november 2011

2011-10-27T13:50:00.000-06:00

To My Cal:

This month I tried to count all your dimples, six on your face, ten knumples (knuckle dimples.) I lost count on your little tooshie, because there's a lot down there. Your squishiness is my pride and joy! I've also been trying to observe and make guesses as to what you're personality will be like as you get older. Your brother Hayes did not drift far from his earliest traits, and I'm sure you won't either.

So far, you are much more. Of everything. You are so so happy, and it is infectious. When you're sad (being hungry or the car seat make you most upset), in a few seconds you sound like those flying dragon things on Lord of the Rings. When you poop it's a blow out, when you spit-up it's like a hose. You burp as loud as an adult, and we love you for your much-iness.

This month you started to laugh! Such an incredible sound, and it was your brother Hayes that set you off. While you were in the tub, Hayes started to splash. Little droplets coated your eyelashes and you let out a deep chuckle. I had been told numerous times by other mothers of closely spaced siblings that you boys would be the best of friends in a matter of months. Watching your friendship develop brings your dad and I so much joy. At the end of each day, we love to recount all the little moments we see between you and Hayes.

Your second month was spent out and about, but our new found freedom outside the walls of this house came to a halt after our car accident. Anxiety about driving came in full force and I found myself with pangs of fear anytime I had to go somewhere. I limited myself to driving only when absolutely necessary, and let your dad take the wheel at any opportunity. Each time you were put in your seat, my happy babbling baby turned into that flying Lord of the Rings Dragon. As soon as we pulled you out, you were fine again. It's safe to say you hate your car seat. Your poor brother is so sensitive to you, the slightest sound of crying and he points to you "Baby! Baby!" waiting for me to help you. When we're in the car and there's not much to be done, Hayes cries right a long with you, he hates to see you sad! The double stroller was crunched together like a soda can, all the wheels breaking off, making it unusable. And with all of that, leaving the walls of our comfortable and safe home lost its appeal to me.

You and I have had to learn about fear and faith this month - and for me especially, to be an example of being faith-filled. I learned again about doing all we can do, and leaving the rest up to God. I've spent time trying to create happier memories in your car seat, walks around the neighborhood with the warm sun on your cheeks seem to help, and hopefully the car seat will feel like a safe place for you again soon. Sometimes all we can do is push the fear out of our hearts and let courage find its way in.

You are our little parrot. You copy what you see, and it is so endearing. If I stick my tongue out, yours comes out too. If sigh "ohhh!" you follow. Whatever sounds I make, you try your best to copy. When I blow bubbles, your bottom lip will soon be coated in spit in your attempt. Your sweet smile brightens my whole day, there's nothing like watching you nurse only to look back up at me with a huge grin.

You have put yourself into a routine this month, and it has made all the difference. Bedtimes come easily again, naps are long and undisturbed, you are content to just be, and I love that about you. There's no doubt about it, being a mother of two is making me hustle! But, I like the mother I have become. More confident than I was, rarely second guessing myself anymore. Even more grateful and enjoying. Calm and collected when I can be, and laughing and sweating when I can't.

You have brought such an immense amount of joy into our home, Cal. Thank you for pushing your way to the front of the line to come to Earth, because one more day without you would have been a day too many.

The world is yours, Cal.
Love,

Mom

anniversaries for cheapskates

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

when i blew our anniversary fun budget on a whole new engine for our car

we decided to keep things low key. read: cheap.

all Russ wanted was my famous to him anyway beef stew. adapted from this recipe.

adaptations being that you must add red wine vinegar, and you don't really need peas or cornstarch.

all i wanted was a nap and time to read my book club book - The Night Circus.
after dinner at home, we headed to the Chocolate for a Cazookie
then to try out Starbuck's Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. (meh.)
and shop at the only store open after 9 pm (go Utah!) Target.

i really feel like Russ considers Hayes not only his son, but his good buddy.

he spent a hefty amount of time picking the perfect car out for him. making comments under his breath like "i think he'd dig this one."

and then he found this awesome hat below.

he bought it and said "i'm going to make this hat my thing."

if you see him around town, ask him where his hat is, cause he hasn't worn it since.☺

we wrapped it up with the free version of our anniversary tradition & watched our favorites from last year's Austin City Limits (Decemberists, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kings of Leon, Broken Bells & Warpaint). the whole night reminded me that we really don't need much to have fun together, we never have. but, if we're going to spend much more time being brokeasajoke we should probably work on being more imaginative in the planning department.

happy anni muffin.

also, happy 700th post to this blog here.

cray-see.

pumpkinland

2011-10-24T14:13:00.001-06:00

just sorting through photos and man! am i behind.

gotta start somewhere, how 'bout pumpkinland?

the boys

the parents

my hair is in the awkward surpreme stage. i just wear it up daily now, except when my elastic breaks... cute!

Hayes was really into these guys.

goats are super funny- i wouldn't mind a goat or two at our house!

this one made me laugh, they even stand the same!

like father like son.

i really love days where we can both take Hayes to do something fun for him.

i have a lot of guilt that he's not getting the time, patience, fun and learning from me that he deserves, so i hold tight to those happy Hayes moments.

everyone says it gets easier to take two babies out alone & i am looking forward to that day!

six

2011-10-20T09:41:00.000-06:00

photo credits unknown

holy cow six years is a long time to be married!

we've got a lot of celebrating to do...

*two healthy, happy & beautiful children

*working for ourselves and the freedom it brings

*and this story...

a couple years ago Russ & I came up with a whistle. a specific sound that we would know was the other person if we ever got lost in a crowd. the other day we split up while shopping at a big box grocery super store which shall not be named (i do not endorse it, but we had to go.) and i left my phone in the car.
the boys and i walked the aisles looking for him without luck. so, i started "the whistle" and off in the distance i heard it echoed to me. i followed the sound and continued my whistle. with every echo my heart started beating faster, little butterflies filled my stomach and a wide smile was unremovable from my face. when i finally got close enough to see his face, we were both smiling ear to ear.

so we're celebrating the little butterflies all these years later, because that is something to celebrate!
i love you Russ, happy anniversary!

camera shy

2011-10-17T10:26:00.000-06:00

this post is sponsored by Camera Shy Photography.

Camera Shy is a new studio photography shop in Lehi, Utah. they had us come in to check it out & snag a session. it's a super stylized photography studio and they took awesome care of us.

sort of a hilarious side story :
the day of the session Russ came home from work with a 3 inch long scratch, a nail gun shot a random nail and it skimmed his forehead. scary!
then, literally walking to our car to go to Camera Shy, Hayes tripped and faceplanted. his first bloody nose and fat lip, ever, minutes before our photo session. what are the odds? i couldn't stop laughing, after he was done crying of course.

let me take you through their process...

first, we started by scheduling a session online - you choose the type of session you want, the date and time and they send you a confirmation e-mail. we did the immediate family session.

when we went in for our session they were so great with Hayes. he is at a tricky age for this type of thing, but you can tell they are professionals. they had him (who is always shy and reserved at first) smiling and laughing in seconds with their bag of tricks.

they snapped away and got several frames of a handful of different settings/poses. we got great pics as a family, pics of just the boys, and pics of them individually. our photographer was easy to work with, gave clear directions and was all for a certain shot i was looking for. they offer an outfit change, but as parents of a 19 month old, that would be a rookie mistake. you just keep plowing through until he hits the wall, you know?

when we finished, they get right on the upload/editing process. you can wait in their lobby or run errands, and then after 30 minutes you get to go through the session and see all your awesome pics!

and done. seriously, it's that simple!

they send you on your way with a CD with 30-60 edited images and the copyrights to them, all for $89. they also have a great printer on site for enlargements and at $4 for an 8x10 sheet, you really can't beat that type of one stop shopping!

here's some of our faves:

and you can't beat these faces:

thanks Camera Shy!

what we wore:

Russ// button-up & jeans F21// boots VINTAGE

Emily// tank OLD NAVY cardigan TARGET pants c/o ZARA shoes GOJANE.COM

Hayes// under tee AMERICAN APPAREL striped long sleeve VINTAGE jeans GAP wellies HUNTER

Callum// tee VINTAGE jeans H&M moccasins FRESHLY PICKED