gillar girl

a little robot.

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

We've been lucky so far this winter dodging all kinds of colds, but dang it! Our luck has run out. Strep throat and other yucky colds have been making their rounds this week. So Andy has been getting in lots of snuggling time with the cute little robot Ashlyn made him this year for Christmas.

She came up with the idea of the stuffed robot completely on her own (so perfect for him) and we kind of collaborated on how to make it a reality. We sketched out a pattern on a brown grocery bag and after a couple tries found one we liked. Then Ashlyn cut out all the pieces, sewed on the button eyes, stuffed it and sewed his side up. She did a fabulous job and even learned how to do a blind stitch. That's my girl!

And I think it's official, that after all these years, Andy's sock dog is no longer the top dog. Now, it's the robot that comes to breakfast and watches cartoons every morning.

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make more forts.

2012-01-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

Not that our boys need any encouragement in the fort-building arena. . . but I do really love this print. I am certain they would love to see this little message hanging on their walls. And really, isn't fort building one of the biggest perks of childhood?!

For sure, the best hours spent around here, are transforming the bunkbeds into bi-planes or the arctic or wild jungles. . .

The worst, however, are when I am trying to get them to clean those forts up!

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PRINT MADE + SOLD: at yellow heart art

it's about time for a little piper & chloe.

2012-01-23T09:30:00.000-08:00

Well the most exciting news coming out from gillar girl this week. . . the anticipation . . . the excitement. . . piper & chloe will be back this spring on April 13 & 14! Hip hip hooray! Get ready for more of those vintage inspired, hip and freshly modern handmade goods from the most original artists and designers in the Beehive State.

Last week was our first meeting and brain storm session, and right now we are just working on getting all those behind the scenes details in place. Things like: redesigning our blog & logo, finding a location to hold the event (either in Davis or Salt Lake County) and streamlining our application process. Then the fun can begin!

If you are, or know of a fabulous graphic designer, please send them our way. Also, if you know of a model home or other location that you think would be a good fit for us, we would love to hear about it at piperandchloe@hotmail.com. And if you are a tad bit forgetful and don't want to accidentally miss the event, we would be happy to send you a reminder the week before--just drop us a line at the same place!

Applications for vendors will be available beginning Friday, January 27. Watch the piper & chloe blog for details and an application form, as well as features & giveaways from our favorite artists in the world!

And just in case you've forgotten how truly inspiring the piper & chloe showcase is, I'll leave you with a few pictures, and as always if you just want a great soundtrack to listen to, just park it right at the piper & chloe blog.

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hooray hooray the weekend is near.

2012-01-20T17:18:00.000-08:00

So whatcha guys doing this weekend? The number one thing I am looking forward to this weekend... Sleeping in tomorrow. But late last night (as we were discussing this happy prospect), Jimmy and I had to pinky promise each other we would not stay up until an insane hour, thinking ah well, we can totally sleep in tomorrow. When you stay up until 1:30 and wake up at 8:00, the thrill from getting to sleep in, is not really there.

Aside from sleeping, we are also planning to:

1. BUILD A SNOW FORT.
(hopefully)

There is a small window where I am actually excited for snowstorms and it is rapidly coming to a close... The weather report keeps promising a snow storm, so we are keeping our fingers crossed, as we are quite anxious to break out those awesome snow brickers again. I think we've really only had one snowstorm all winter. And as you can see, these boys put it to good use. I sure do love those little hooligans.

2. DO A LITTLE ART JOURNALING.

I was really excited to gush all about this to you guys this week, but everyday has been super cloudy and I am not advanced enough to know how to take good pictures on cloudy days. And of course, I cannot talk about it without a little visual stimulation to go along.

3. THINK ABOUT CRAFTY THINGS FOR VALENTINES.

I loooove this holiday and will be pinning a few ideas onto my holiday board. I have heard some expressions of dislike over pinterest recently and all I have to say about that is... ARE YOU PEOPLE CRAZY?! I am a devout pinterester, and will hear none of that.

4. MAKE A LIST of new places to check out at Las Vegas Market. I think the last time I went was two years ago, so I'm excited to discover a few new things. Including a fabulous new restaurant. Any suggestions?

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IMAGE SOURCES:

i am baker (cookie)

go home (chair + light)

a little etsy shop update.

2012-01-18T21:33:00.000-08:00

A little etsy shop update. . . . because I am in such a mood to make things right now. And when that mood strikes, I just want to run with it! I wish I could hibernate for a couple days, and just be crafty, but alas, reality does not allow!

Shortly I'll be adding lots of cute hair pins too, as soon as I can get some nice pictures. (Right now the only ones I've got, are the ones below that I snapped with my phone. A wee bit grainy :)

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a pretty pink pillow.

2012-01-17T07:00:00.001-08:00

Good gracious. Have you ever seen a more adorable pillow? For sure, these are on ashlyn's girl-of-the-limberlost-inspired-bedroom pinboard we are putting together.

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PILLOW MADE + SOLD AT: that funky boutique

the living desert.

2012-01-16T16:08:00.000-08:00

The kids were out of school today, and Jimmy took the day off. It was one of those wasted days off. Like the ones where you can't wait for everyone to just. get. out. of. the. house. Is it me being being cranky pants or everyone else? Unsure. But I do know I am very much looking forward to tomorrow morning when the return to work and school arrives!

We did, however, have a really fun Saturday and Sunday. Jimmy took Ashlyn and Cam skiing, Andy went to play with his best buddy. And Ava Carmel, Marm and I went to Build A Bear. She has been saving her pennies to go there, and it did not disappoint! (That would be Ava saving her pennies.)

We also went to what will be our new ward (church congregation), and we loved it. Everyone was so excited to have a family moving in. With four kids, no less!!! We will be giving a big boost to their primary (children's organization) numbers! They made us all feel very welcome :).

After we got home from church, we made lots of chocolate chip cookies and started working on some art journals. These were sooo incredibly fun to work on, and I am so glad I stumbled upon them. I will share some pictures once there is better light to take some pictures. (It's been snowing today!)

So since today was crap-o, I will now reminisce about a rather enjoyable excursion we had whilst (I've been watching a Masterpiece Theater series) on our trip in Palm Springs. Last time we went, a few years ago, we took the kids to The Living Desert Zoo, and they have not forgotten it, and couldn't wait to go again.

It's a really small zoo, but so nicely done, with lots of little paths and interesting vegetation to explore. I think that is their favorite part. They also have a fun playground, petting zoo and huge outdoor model train exhibit, and of course the animals. My camera died after the first thirty minutes, so I don't have many pictures. But here is what I snapped before that blasted battery light started flashing.

Oh it was so nice to feel that sun shining on our faces every day! We didn't do much on this trip other than visit the zoo one afternoon, and relax and play in the pool every single day. We also went for a little hike one evening, found the perfect bedspread for Cam's new bedroom, celebrated Andy's 8th birthday with breakfast at IHOP and a game of family tag at the park. I was 'it' a lot.

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home tour: kids room.

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

So have you ever wondered if it would be possible to live with all four of your kids in one room? What? No?!

Okay, well neither had I, until three months ago, when we moved into a two-bedroom condo while trying to find the perfect house. I've always been super intrigued with maximizing the use of small spaces (think IKEA showroom), so this was a great chance to figure out how to make a small space function comfortably for a family of six.

The biggest challenge was figuring out how to fit all four of our kids in one room--without it feeling totally crammed. So in addition to sleeping, I also really wanted a little play space, and a (semi) quiet place to escape to for homework or reading all contained within this room. Since the second bedroom was too small to realistically sleep four of them, let alone all that other hoopla, we decided to use the smaller second bedroom as the master bedroom, and the master bedroom became the kids room.

Bunk beds are the obvious solution when trying to sleep a lot of people in one room. Plus it gives each child their "own" little space; albeit small.

Two tips for bunkbeds:

1. When using multiple bunkbeds, choosing a light/white finish to keep things light and bright. (And don't fall into the trap that white doesn't work for boys. So not true.)

2. Open slats on the head and foot boards will keep the room visually open and airy.

On one wall in their bedroom is a row of four very sturdy hooks. Each child has a hook to hang their backpacks and lesson bags on (like their dance bag or piano bag). This helps keep all the clutter off the floor. Under the hooks is a red bench (not pictured) with a large basket tray perched on top for collecting all their school papers; things like field trip permission slips and log-in information for homework.

A small white metal table tucked right up next to one of the bunkbeds takes up minimal space, but still give the kids a spot to do a little homework or color in a coloring book.

The drawers under the bunkbeds hold things like stuffed animals and baby dolls. Before we moved, each child chose two sets of toys they wanted to bring.

Cam chose legos and blocks. Andy chose train tracks and knex. Ashlyn chose her american girl dolls. Ava chose littlest pet shops and her baby dolls. Almost all of these toys are stored on shelves inside the closet. Honestly, I don't think they have even missed all their other stuff.

I'm sure they'll be happy to see it again when the storage is all unpacked, but they've been pretty content with what we've got here. It actually kind of seems like they play with their toys more now that they have fewer to choose from.

A basket full of our favorite children's books and a few throw pillows tossed on the floor make a comfy little spot to get cozy with a story. Andy and Ava Carmel love to snuggle up here and look at books.

You can't really see it in any of these pictures, but right here, we also have three large bulletin/magnetic boards hung, one right above the other, to pin any special art projects onto, as well as our weekly calendar.

There is no overhead lighting in the bedrooms here, so we need lots of lamps. A lamp next to each bunk bed gives off just enough light for reading stories in bed, right before the lights are turned out for the night. Which apparently is their signal to talk and laugh for the next two hours. Oh serenity now.

In the beginning it took forever for them all to fall asleep, but finally instead of banning talking (ineffective), we made a rule that if they "must" talk, it has to be in such a quiet whisper that we can't hear it outside their room. For some reason, whispering that quietly makes them sleepy and they usually end up falling asleep pretty fast now.

Andy working on getting a game all set up for us to play. He and Cam are always busy building or creating something! Recently they have been discussing the possibility that they may not become astronauts. Instead they are leaning towards pilots. So yesterday they transformed their beds into private jets. :) They always make me smile.

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more gumballs.

2012-01-12T06:30:00.000-08:00

I realize I have already documented my love of gumballs sufficiently here! But humor me once again while I share a few pictures of some brightly packaged very cherry gumballs--a pretty little idea for your Valentine's Day treats. (I know it is super early.)

But the other day when I was putting away all our holiday decorations, I decided I might as well keep our red gumballs out for Valentine's Day.

I have about 30 little bags left, so I think I will dust off my little shop and get these, and a few other things listed in the next couple days.

I'm still pondering my yearly goals--not fully committed to anything yet--but one of the things on my list, is to start making little things for my etsy shop. I get such an incredible amount of satisfaction from creating pretty little things. It is one of my favorite ways to pass the time, and I never take time to do it! It's always, after I get things straightened up or make this appointment or finish this project. I want to spend less time crossing things off my lists and more time just doing things I/we enjoy. Perhaps it will be the year to minimize my list making. . .

So anyway, back to gumballs. My jaw starts to hurt if I eat too many. But the kids are totally immune. They have robo jaws. We finally had to implement a two-a-day limit.

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a few highlights.

2012-01-09T23:35:00.000-08:00

Howdy friends! Here are a few highlights (and one low light) of our weekend:

1. Jimmy and I went on a little date, and I got a few of these cute hooks for Andy's future bedroom. They had some really cute elephant ones in the store that I got too. I can't wait to put them up. And have I mentioned how I can't wait for the day when not all four of our kids are sleeping in the same room?!

2. It finally snowed! The boys spent hours making snow igloo forts with these awesome snow brickers Santa left. Here are some that are almost identical to ours.

3. Two of my dearest friends had babies! Carrie & Sean had their adorable little girl last night a mere 11 minutes after arriving to the hospital. Holy freak.

That's what I would have been doing when I realized there was no epidural in store.

And remember Larissa & Scott? They are the most excited, most happy parents, to a beautiful newborn baby girl. I can't even tell you how happy I am for them.

4. And in much less delightful news, we've had a little round of the stomach flu going on around here this weekend. Ava Carmel is on the mend (tonight she announced: "Well. I'm better. My poop isn't sloppy anymore.")

Good to know Ava. Good to know.

But poor Andy is just beginning. Fingers crossed it doesn't pass through everyone...

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the second half of 2011.

2012-01-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

In July, summer finally came. To celebrate that (and our cutie-pie Cam's birthday) we loaded up the camping gear and drove up into the cool mountain air for a little camping trip.

In August, Andy went to an amazing art camp at Red Butte Garden, and as you can imagine, loved every single second.

September was a very tender time, as our grandpa tried to recover from critical injuries from a car accident. We spent precious hours by his side, day after day, holding his hand, sharing stories and singing the U of U fight song. :) But by the end of the month, he had been reunited with our dear grandma (his darling red head sweetheart). He grew up during the Depression in a tiny home in the middle of an apple orchard. He helped free prisoners from Nazi concentration camps in Germany. He built swingsets and play cupboards and toy boxes for his grandchildren. We adored him. I was very close to him and my grandma, and I miss him so very much.

In October we traded our lot in Farmington for a condo. We decided to move there while our house remodel was going to be completed. But after yet another set back with the house, we gave up on the project entirely and decided to just sell it. To console ourselves, we surprised the kids with a trip to Newport Beach. And more importantly to Disneyland!

In November we continued our commuter lifestyle and spent lots of time in the park waiting for ballet lessons to begin and soccer practices to end. We also got our project house under contract (insert humungous sigh of relief) and made an offer on a beautiful home that needs some updating, but not nearly what we were trying to do before.

In December we continued our cozy lifestyle in our two-bedroom condo, got it all fixed up with new cupboards, paint, floors and appliances, put it on the market and sold it. Phew. In a few weeks, if all goes as planned, we will have three real estate transactions taking place and will finally be in our "home". We can't wait to be settled. We are so excited for 2012!

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the first half of 2011.

2012-01-04T22:41:00.001-08:00

The new year is upon us, but before moving on, a quick little recap is in order...

In January we were getting all settled into our rental house in our new neighborhood. And discovering the huge upside to bunkbeds: Oh the forts! The downside: changing sheets on that top bunk. Oh what a pain.

A quick trip to Southern California in February helped us get through the first half of the very long, long winter. Unfortunately, I got pneumonia while we were there. That was lame. But oh how we love the ocean. And don't forget the sand crabs. We are quite fond of those too.

In March, it snowed and rained and rained and snowed, and we couldn't wait for spring, so we brought in armfuls of branches from the apple trees in the backyard and forced lots of pretty little blossoms.

In April, we bought this cute little house and began designing a second story addition and full remodel. . . for the next six months. . . and then we sold it. . . Ah but wait, I'm getting ahead of myself...

In May, we played a lot of soccer. And refrained from combing our hair. This, my friends, is called a good, good life.

In June, Ashlyn graduated from elementary school. Grandpa loved watching her sing and dance to the music of the 1940's--it reminded him of those happy days with his "little red headed sweetheart" (my grandma).

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happy times were had.

2012-01-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow the kids go back to school. And even though I am feeling ready to be back into a little routine, we have had the best Christmas season ever and I kind of don't want it all to end quite yet.

We pulled in late last night to our "sold" condo--we got an offer as we were driving home from California. Wow, that happened quick! The condo was still full of Christmas magic, just like we left it. And one very crispy, crispy Christmas tree!

We had lots of fun doing our Christmas adventures this year, but we've done the same type of thing for several years straight, so I think next year we'll change it up a bit. We have lots of holiday traditions and sometimes people can feel bogged down by that. I've found the key is to be flexible and not feel guilty about trying new things, or even letting some things go, if you feel too overwhelmed by the season.

We did add something new this year that we all loved! On Christmas Eve, we hung up snowflakes and glittery silvery ornaments all over the house to decorate for Santa Claus. It felt so magical, glittering and glowing that night and the next morning.

The kids loved their gifts, and best of all, were so excited to give each other their special handmade gift. Ashlyn made Andy a stuffed robot, Cam made Ava a butterfly headband, Andy made Ashlyn a box of pretty fabric covered bandaids, and Ava Carmel made a map covered lampshade for Cam. This tradition, although a little time consuming, is one of the most loved by all I think.

Ava Carmel was so excited to give Jimmy the "pinch pot" she made for him in her kindergarten art class. She had been counting down the days until he could open it. And Andy and Cam were beyond excited to get a batch of 'staches and spent a lot of time posing for pictures. "Take a picture of this one mom!" Times 5,000. I think Andy is really rockin that one in that picture up there!!

We also loved having Christmas fall on a Sunday this year. We woke up early and played with all the fun things Santa left for us and then went to the Christmas service, which we thought made the holiday somuch more meaningful. The music was so beautiful and angelic, and all I could think of was how there were probably people all over the world singing songs of love and worship to our Savior on this holiday. It filled my heart with joy. That is the way Christmas should be celebrated every year.

Oh Christmas! It's a great day to be a kid!

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happy new year.

2011-12-31T15:40:00.000-08:00

Wow! 2011 is almost over. And phew, we made it! It's been a challenging one, but there have been very valuable lessons learned through it all, that will benefit me for the rest of my life. And for that I am truly thankful.

I think the most life-changing one being: emotional self reliance. This has been such a liberating lesson, and one that has changed my life (and I think my families life) for the better.

So tonight we are celebrating new year's eve low key; going for a little hike, making some cute and crazy party hats with the kids, eating a little frozen yogurt and a little martinelli's to ring in the new year.

I am very much looking forward to 2012! And I am so thankful for my wonderful family and friends and all of you who stop in from time to time on this little blog of mine.

Happy New Year!

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IMAGE SOURCE: babiekins magazine

happy holiday commotion.

2011-12-28T22:49:00.000-08:00

We had such a happy Christmas, and hope you all did too! There is always lots of commotion when all the kids are home from school, but we have definitely been having lots of FUN! Making little gifts for each other, baking cookies, visiting the elves at Gardner Village, decorating the condo for Santa Claus, and lots of Christmas movies.

I'm always a little sad when this magical month comes to an end, but by December 30th I inevitably start looking forward to a new year beginning. I am getting that little twinge of excitement to start filling in my new 2012 calendar :).

So we are finishing 2011 out relaxing in the warm sunshine in Palm Springs. It was a horrendous road trip down--oh non-stop 3-hour traffic jam coming out of Vegas, I do not like you. Especially at 11'o clock at night. But 75 degree weather feels divine!

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wrapping it up.

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

Good morning friends! The last few days I've been getting everything all wrapped up and stashed away until Christmas Eve. I really love wrapping presents, even if it is all torn away within seconds!

Last week I stopped in to the paper store and happened upon this darling paper that was just perfect for gift tags. Being a naive scrapbooker, I've always wondered what you would use this type of paper for. Now I know!

There were 15 "tags" on each 12x12 page, so I only had to buy a few sheets, to have all the tags I needed. Add a little strip of colorful fabric or simple white string and voila. A festive little package.

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an afternoon wherein we meet blitzen.

2011-12-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

One of our Christmas adventures this year, was to visit a Christmas past. So one Friday afternoon we decided to check out the Dickens Festival. I was feeling a wee bit grouchy when I walked in and realized we had just spent $32 to walk through a big craft show. (And it was no piper & chloe I tell ya.)

But after I stumbled upon everyone (elle & marm both forgot their phones. naughty.) and ate a giant scone :), my spirits improved dramatically. The kids had so much fun trying out all the toy wooden guns, going on an old fashioned carriage ride, sitting on Santa's lap and looking at Blitzen.

And yes, we are quite positive that this particular reindeer is indeed Blitzen, because as we were discussing Santa's reindeer, he turned and stared us down every time we said Blitzen. For reals.

The best thing about this time of year is going on all these fun outings with my family. Just look at all those cute little munchkins!

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out and about.

2011-12-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

I have been trying oh so hard to get all our shopping finished up by this Saturday, so we could just chillax this last week before Christmas. :) I don't think I'll quite make it, but at least most of it is all finished. . . An improvement over last year, which was quite possibly the worst Christmas ever. Mostly due to moving two weeks before and a 5 foot cardboard rocket that caused Jimmy to have temper tantrums until 2:00 a.m. I may have had one thrown in there too.

So in these noble efforts to have a calm and relaxing pre-Christmas week, Ava Carmel and I have been hitting the streets (and the laptop) to get all our ordering and purchasing finished up!

I had put "boots" on the top of her list, because every time we've climbed into the car the last couple weeks, she tells me "mommy, i need some new boots for christmas. mine are stuffed."

Stuffed, as in i am having to stuff my toes into these too-small boots everyday, right? Wouldn't that be your interpretation too?

Finally, yesterday, I was feeling her toes in the boot to see how small they really were. They weren't. I couldn't figure out why she was insisting her toes were so stuffed. And finally it clicked, her boots aren't stuffed, they're scuffed. So I think we'll just get some shoe polish, and call it good. Check.

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dear sunshine.

2011-12-15T09:51:00.000-08:00

We'll be seeing you soon. Although I am loving the gray, foggy skies this week, as we get ready for Christmas. (I do love cozy weather.) But come December 26th, I know I will be longing for a little sunshine. Especially since this year we are living in such cramped quarters AND as luck would have it, this is the one year the kids school break lasts for nearly three weeks!

Yep, that is a recipe for disaster.

So, we just booked a week in Palm Springs for a little sunshine and open space the day after Christmas. . . I do believe it is the warmest destination that can be found within 12 hours!

And when we get back, it will only be ONE more month until we can move to our "new" house! The kids have a chain to count down the days to Christmas. I have one to count down the days until we move.

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haul out the holly.

2011-12-06T12:46:00.001-08:00

Why hello stockings and garlands and red berry sprigs! It is so great to see you again!

It only took us like ten minutes to decorate the whole place up for the holidays. And that is what six people living in a two-bedroom condo will get you, my friends. (Now, if you are interested in gaining this experience for yourself(!), we will be listing this condo on the market next week.) More details to come on that shortly.

Last night, we went out into the frigid cold air and found a perfect Christmas tree. I was a little worried it may not fit in our cozy space, but then, as luck would have it, we forgot we had a Christmas tree strapped to the roof of our car, and pulled into the covered parking, and compacted it a little more.

And what do you know? It fits just fine. :)

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from the northpole.

2011-12-05T12:57:00.001-08:00

The cutest little pram Ava Carmel and I ever did see. Just the right size to push around these little tiny mice. I am sure those elves in the North Pole are busy making lots of these this year. Because don't you think the cutest toys in the world must originate at the North Pole?

I sure hope we are lucky enough to find one under our Christmas tree, but if not you can purchase them here.

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the first gift of december.

2011-12-03T22:00:00.001-08:00

Here is our little stack of advent calendars (our first "adventure" of December), waiting to be opened. I can't believe how good the kids are at just eating the one little chocolate each day. I have memories of these calendars when I was little, and for sure they were all eaten by the 5th.

My well documented sweet tooth appears to have been finely developed at a very early age. . .

So this picture here, shows a brilliant little gift wrap idea my friend came up with.

She assigned one roll of paper for each of her kids. That way she doesn't have to tag anything, and she can keep track of their gifts easier. So all of Ashlyn's gift will be wrapped in the bird paper, and all of Ava Carmel's will be wrapped in the glittler pink plaid, etc.

And now I have a very legitimate excuse to buy six perfectly coordinating wrapping papers!

Jimmy gets very bored with these kind of endeavors (spending thirty minutes looking at all the gift wrapping options), but Ashlyn. . . Ashlyn loves it. Therefore, Jimmy is now fired as my Christmas shopping assistant. I don't know how I'm going to tell him. He's going to be so devastated.

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happy december.

2011-12-01T20:04:00.001-08:00

But first i just have to tell you, we had the hugest windstorm last night/this morning. Do you remember how i get weirdly excited about big storms? Well there was a gust clocked at 102 mph. Holy moly. It was crazy. I was wishing i could be geraldo out there hanging onto a stop sign for dear life, telling everyone just how fast those wind gusts were blowing! Oh boy, he is entertaining.

But then I decided I would just rather watch and laugh at geraldo doing that and felt quite thankful to be in my cozy, warm bed.

Driving around, I can't believe these huge trees that look like someone just plucked them out of the ground, roots and all. Power lines are down everywhere, so our power has been out all day and night.

We used lots of candles this morning, which the kids loved since it made them feel like pioneers! But tonight it was starting to get pretty chilly, and thank goodness we live ten minutes away from mom and dads, so sleepover tonight.

And in other, almost as exciting news; we began our christmas adventures.

LET THE FUN BEGIN!

1 - open the first present of the christmas season
(one of those store-bought candy advent calendars)

2 - write a letter to santa claus

3 - snuggle up by the fire and read the legend of the candycane

4 - christmas devotional and cocoa

5 - find the perfect christmas tree

6 - a little christmas treat

7 - live nativity

8 - watch polar express with pj's and popcorn

9 - make teacher gift and card

10 - candlelight christmas

11 - lights at temple square

12 - read christmas oranges and prepare a christmas basket for someone

13 - send out christmas packages

14 - a drive along christmas street

15 - bundle up for a snow walk with hot cocoa + danish pastry

16 - make graham cracker gingerbread houses

17 - go to the nutcracker

18 - make snowflakes

19 - act out nativity

20 - make + decorate christmas sugar cookies

21 - visit the elves at gardner village

22 - shop for cousins

23 - visit christmas village

24 - play santa claus

25 - merry christmas!

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and i'm thankful for you.

2011-11-30T20:33:00.001-08:00

so i never quite got around to my annual thanksgiving post. but no matter, i am still feeling thankful. first and foremost that my darling dad is getting better day by day. he has been so sick for the last several weeks, and in the hospital for the last five days, but i believe he is on the mend, and i am so very thankful...

this year we put out a container full of colored pencils and a bowl full of paper leaves the kids cut out. anyone and everyone could write their thankful thoughts on a leaf and hang it on the branches in the vase on the table. i love reading these sweet little things. and here are a few of mine. . .

so thankful for: zion canyon. emigration market. madsen bikes. the english countryside. public libraries. pinterest. mechanical pencils. my sisters. landrovers. disneyland. my marm. my daddy. old wonderful books from grandma and grandpa's library. hot water. anthropologie window displays. a fireplace. the temple. happy children. transom windows. the temper trap. sycamore trees. crescent moons. caramel sea salt gelato. turning point. paper stores. chick fil a chicken nuggets. dishes from anthropologie. vegetable gardens. happy memories. djeco toys. snow capped mountains. yellowstone. my jimmy. a daughter old enough to babysit. almond extract. new york city. the happiness project. wireless printers. my blog. peonies.

and tomorrow christmas adventures begin! i am so excited :) i just wish it would start snowing already! if you are curious about what we have in store, i'll be sure to post our "adventures" in the next day or two.

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the birthday girl.

2011-11-22T08:19:00.001-08:00

This girl is my amazing sister and it's her birthday today! happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy birthday dear ashley happy birthday to you! i love you more than you can even fathom. you are the most wise, the most hilarious, the most talented, the most beautiful girl in all the land and i can't wait til you guys are living right next door. oh the fun we are all going to have. don't be trying to get out of that now. have the best day ever!

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ASHLEY'S blog: the beals

come visit at bijou market.

2011-11-17T17:40:00.001-08:00

I am so excited to be a vendor at bijou market this year. The hours aren't posted on the flyer, so let me just tell you what they are in case you have the inclination to go! I am really excited to be involved with a handmade market again. I LOVE them, and know I will find all kinds of great things for the kids (and me. ha!)

I'll be selling little bags of gumballs, ruffled paper garlands, a few throw pillows and fabric garlands and some cute little hair pins.

hours:

FRIDAY 10 - 8

SATURDAY 10 - 6

If you see me meandering about, be sure to say hello! Here are a few things that I'll have there. . .

My sister Cristelle will have lots of adorable draw string skirts there and my mom also made a few darling stuffed owls. I had to hide them from my kids because they went crazy over them and were all claiming one for their own. So colorful and cuddly.

Have a cozy weekend! It's supposed to snow here. We're pretty excited about it and just bought some hot cocoa and marshmallows to be properly prepared. And I also checked out Secret Garden (thanks for the suggestion Jen :) to read by the fire. Here's to hoping there are a few quiet moments for that too!

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my chums.

2011-11-15T20:32:00.001-08:00

Meet Scott & Larissa. I love these two. Larissa and I met when we were 14 years old at EFY, and instantly became the best of friends (even though we lived 1000 miles apart. give or take.)

No matter. We talked and wrote and went to more EFY's together, and visited each other every summer and Christmas break for the next 4 years, and counted down the days until we could actually be college roommates. And when that day finally came, we had the best time! Late night walks to the grocery store and getting stuck on top of chain link fences (so painful), uncontrollable giggles during church (so embarrassing. sometimes you just can't stop.), shopping at Downeast (when it was brand spanking new), agonizing over all the decisions that happen at that time of life. I love this girl.

She introduced me to speed walking (not fun), and I introduced her to Scott (way fun). She got the better end of that deal. (Anyone who has ever walked with me knows I am a slow, sometimes crooked, walker--and she was like the 5th fastest speed walker in all of British Colombia. For reals.) Walking to classes with me was torture. But she was patient with me.

But that's probably because I introduced her to Scott. :)

Scott and I became good friends while his best friend and I were dating. He is one of the most genuine people in the world, laid back and kind and such a good person, and every girl he would go out with used to corner me and try to find out all about how he was feeling. Oh my gosh! The memories I have of this are so hilarious; me trying to get out of all these awkward conversations. But honestly I saw it with my own eyes! he was never head over heels until he met Larissa. And I was so glad, because I knew they would be so perfect for each other.

They have been married for a long time and have been wanting to start a little family of their own for so many years and haven't been able to. They would love to adopt, and have recently started a blog of their own called the road to our family. I have no doubt they will be the most incredible parents. And I can't wait to see them with a little babe in their arms. So if you know someone who may be interested in their story, I know they would love for you to pass their information along.

And in the meantime, why don't we all just take a moment and feel jealous about their perfect Southern California weather. We took the kids on a surprise trip a couple weeks ago, and every time I go there, I am so tempted by that perfect climate. It is starting to get cold here in Utah, but I am still (after two days) enjoying my walks around the park. (I modified slightly from my last post the "running everyday" to "walking everyday." Just cause I like to lower the bar every once in awhile.)

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LARISSA + SCOTT adoption blog: road to our family

evaluating.

2011-11-13T21:49:00.000-08:00

Life feels pretty hectic right now. But even so, every Sunday night I get a little twinge of giddiness as I search for a sharp pencil, so that I can fill in our weekly calendar and make my weekly to do lists (love them) and take a few moments to evaluate life.

Tonights evaluation: I'm in need of getting some positive energy going, and most importantly, committing to being happy right now in this moment of my life, not just struggling through it.

So, here's my game plan:

1. FRESH AIR. Tomorrow I am going to start running every weekday. I have a troublesome knee and winter is setting in, but I feel certain it would bring my soul much needed peace and energy. Being in the fresh air and the beauty of Gods creations would be a huge boost right now. For a few weeks, I've been thinking I should start doing this, and after we walked out of the temple Saturday morning, Jimmy looked at me and said, "I think I need to start running everyday to improve my energy and mood." Hello second witness. Got it.

2. PLAN DINNER the MORNING OF. Typically I make a weekly menu and then do my grocery list from that. The problem is this: what sounds good on Monday morning, rarely sounds good by Thursday afternoon. And then, since the planned meal doesn't sound very good, I procrastinate starting dinner all afternoon and evening until we end up eating grilled cheese sandwiches or going out.

I have much better luck if on Thursday morning I think "what sounds good?" and go buy the ingredients then and there. And these days it's quite enjoyable to dash into Emigration Market to pick up a few things every morning.

3. CRACK a SMILE. Smile big at Jimmy every time he walks in the door, instead of giving him that pathetic, withered, exhausted look. I can see myself giving it right now and it's making me shudder. Also, smile to myself--I have done this one often and it is true that it automatically sends little brighteners into your psyche. There is a fabulous blog written by a couple who are super inspiring about choosing to be happy. One of their posts was called crack a smile, and I loved it.

That's all for this week. My sister Cristelle is really good at making lists. And actually doing them. Her secret is to not make your list too long. So I think three should do it this week. Let's not overdo it.

PHOTO BY: ashley beal

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five things and a red bed.

2011-11-09T07:24:00.000-08:00

Things to be happy about today:

1. the sun shining in the blue sky (even it is frigid out there), which brings me to...

2. a cozy fire in the fireplace

3. i have two boxes of bright red and bright green gumballs that i will be packaging in little bags for bijou market (seeing their bright colors in those crisp cellophane bags looks so festive.) It is kind of funny how excited I get about doing these little kinds of projects--they are just so pretty and colorful and give me a ridiculous amount of satisfaction!

4. jimmy is going in to work late today, so after we drop ava off to school we are going to walk around Gateway--maybe stop by Anthropologie for two hooks that will work as towel hooks, and start on some Christmas shopping.

5. there are officially ZERO boxes/bins left to unpack

Now isn't this bedroom pictured above the perfect picture of simplicity? I have been helping a friend with her daughter's room, and this is the inspiration picture. This bed has arrived from land of nod, and she's considering painting it this delightful shade of red. It reminds me of my gumballs. And I love it.

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IMAGE SOURCE: little moth

a finished cottage.

2011-11-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

Oh, I am so tired tonight. I spent at least six hours in the car today, transporting kids to and fro. Commuting is not my cup o' tea. And we're only into the first two weeks! How will I manage a few more months?! The thought gives me serious depression and thoughts of home schooling. But yikes, four kids home all day in this little place would probably make constant commuting seem like a serene mountainside picnic.

Yesterday the car got strangely quiet on the half-hour drive home from school, so I looked in the back seat to see what was causing this atypical behavior. Cam, Andy and Ava were all totally zonked out. It was sad and hilarious at the same time. Oh our poor kids. Sometimes we have some serious doubts about what we are putting them through--all this moving around over this last year. Such nomads we've become.

So the other night we noticed a familiar house for sale, and we were super envious of the lucky people who will end up with this adorable cottage. First of all, because it is so colorful and whimsical (and those are pretty much the exact wood floors we will be doing) and second of all, because it is all finished. What a treat. We recognized it as one of the homes featured in the spring Utah Style magazine. If I remember right, the designer/home owner of this home used to design little boutique hotels all over Europe. Now that sounds like one delightful job.

Don't you love that high bed with the little ladder? I have that in my inspiration file for one of the girls beds. And speaking of beds, I am now headed off to mine. Sweet dreams.

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happy november.

2011-11-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Aaah cozy days ahead.

This November I am excited about:

creating lots of fun little whimsies for the bijou market.

holiday shopping completed before the clock strikes 12 on november 30th. can i do it?! we shall see.

baking danish pastries. mmmm.

sitting by the fire reading a good classic. any recommendations?

cups of cocoa with lots of whip cream.

cold weather makes me hungry.

{it snowed a little this morning.}

IMAGE SOURCE:
herz-allerliebst

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a happy halloween weekend

2011-10-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

We've got lots of fun Halloween plans this weekend. Haunted house at the mortuary (mwah hah hah hah), costume party for grown-ups (yay!) at Eggs in the City, and some sugar cookie making are all in the works. The next two months are my very favorite: so full of fun and coziness.

I was looking through some old pictures and found this one from a party a couple years ago. I had forgotten about this easy Halloween centerpiece; a pile of fall leaves from outside, a white tin bin (black would be even better), some poisonous ripe red apples, and a few floating candles. And aren't those white chocolate ghost lollipops Elle made delightful?

Ashlyn and Ava Carmel are feeling under the weather today, so I am happy to be stuck at home for a few hours. I think I will try to get our bathrooms organized. All the cupboards and drawers are still empty, and the floors are stacked with plastic bins full of shampoo and toilet paper. I've got a few bruises on my shins and made a few angry noises, while trying to navigate around them all in the middle of the night.

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only two boxes left.

2011-10-26T22:48:00.000-07:00

We have had such a crazy blur of the last two months. I feel like I am just starting to come out of a fog. And with only two boxes left to unpack (woohoo!), it feels like the right side of my brain can reengage!

I am feeling excited to do things like: organize all our photos and kids art work, write on my blog, dream on more house design, Halloween sugar cookies with the kids, and all sorts of crafty projects (I'll be a vendor at bijou market in a few weeks. I'm so excited to be a vendor at one of these events instead of the planner of the event!) Maybe one day we'll tackle another piper & chloe, but for now I'm very happy going this route.

So these little garlands are one of the things I'll have at Bijou. They're so bright and festive don't you think? I'm thinking we will use a whole batch of them on our christmas tree this year.

And tomorrow morning we're walking with Ava's kindergarten class to a little market down the street. She is beyond excited to be going on her first field trip. I love kindergarteners, especially that one named Ava Carmel.

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a fabulous furniture sale.

2011-10-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

S a T U R D a Y

oCToBeR 8th - 9:30 to 11:30

1964 yalecrest ave - salt lake city

Well hello my friends. It's been a very busy month full of many tender emotions, which I will write about later. But right now we are in the midst of boxing things up and I have no spare moments for my most enjoyable blogging hobby.

It seems like we just did this purge and move thing and I am trying to keep a good attitude about doing it all again (and knowing we will do it again in six months!) Some hours I succeed, some hours fail. But I'm taking it day by day, hour by hour.

The moving van will be here Monday, and we do have lots of gorgeous things that we will be selling Saturday morning.

You know I have a real aversion to putting things in storage, so there will be furniture, rugs and accessories all tagged. There will be a few things that will be making the move to the condo while we complete the big renovation on the house (can you believe we are actually finally moving forward and almost finished with demo?!), but there are many things that just won't fit. I will keep some special, sentimental pieces that I love dearly, but for most things I would rather them go to a nice home than sit in storage. Being in the furniture business does have that lovely perk of being able to buy furniture quite easily. :)

Now remember we are not early risers, so no early birds!!

Hope you all have a cozy autumn weekend. Go see the gorgeous changing leaves for me! That's what I wish we could be doing!

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sleeping in close quarters.

2011-09-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

Some of my very favorite spaces to decorate are little, tiny rooms. I am so in love with that first picture, I could stare at it for hours! It is so cute and colorful and tiny and efficient!

We have decided in the condo, the "childrens suite" will be the master bedroom. This will be their room to play in, study in and sleep in, so the beds have to take up minimal space. We really want to be able to fit a big table in for them to do homework on and all their other projects, plus still have room to play too.

I am hoping that we will be able to fit two sets of bunkbeds against one wall, similar to that bottom picture to leave lots of open floor space.

The kids are SO excited about moving to a condo for a few months. We are so lucky they are so adventurous.

Here's to hoping that excitement won't wear off for at least a few weeks!

SOURCES:
decor pad
luxe life
sarah richardson
richard leo johnson
elle decor

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hello again.

2011-09-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well hello there. It's been awhile.

My darling grandpa was in a horrible car accident a few weeks ago, and it has been very emotional for me to see him suffering. He is the one who calls me his little gillar (from which my blog was named) and the one who I have been working on his life story. We have always been very close and I love him dearly. Lots of tears these last few weeks. :(

I just haven't felt like writing.

Also, the kids have all started school. Obviously. It is of course, the middle of September now. The best part of my day is walking down the street and seeing Ava Carmel running towards me with her arms outstretched. She loves kindergarten and I am doing remarkably well with it all, if I do say so myself. (I didn't even cry on the first day. Huge for me. I am a crybaby at these kind of events.)

Also, we are still waiting to start on our house. This is so depressing to me and I have lost all patience for this project. Jimmy and I have had many huge arguments (mostly in front of the kids. we are awesome parents.) about what to do; buy another house (his vote), just renovate the existing home (my vote), keep trying to figure out a 2nd story addition (his other vote, depending on the day), or just forget it and build on our lot.

And now I remember why, when my friends begin their home building projects, I tell them to make sure to hire a marriage counselor when they hire their contractor! Neither of us are very good at compromise, both a little bull-headed; he a little more than me, of course. But I think we finally have a plan we are both happy with. So hopefully, we will see some progress here in a couple weeks. Whatever. We better.

And also, in the last news of the day, we have sort of sold our lot in Farmington. We are getting a partial cash payment and a condo. We figure a condo will be easier to sell than land. And besides we will now have a rent-free place to live while we do the renovation. And besides that, we get to move again. Won't that be so fun?

So it seems that it may have been good fortune that it has taken us so long to begin. Funny how things have a way of working out. The condo is however, two bedrooms. Yes, that's right, there will be six of us living in a two bedroom condo. It's pretty spacious for a two bedroom, but still. You will be seeing lots of space maximizing solutions here in the next little bit.

So anyway, this has been nice. It feels good to write again. Sorry it is all kind of a downer, but life just isn't always fun and games is it?! Dang it.

We did however, have a really fun time in St. George this weekend hanging out with family. Thanks David and Pilar and Cristine for making a fun weekend and that delicious lemony dessert!!

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shopping for the kids?

2011-08-17T22:48:00.000-07:00

So are you guys all finished with your back to school shopping yet?

We are just getting going this week... In a little bit of denial about the whole back to school thing.

Last week we cleaned out the closets. (This is how we do it.) For some reason, my kids really like doing this. Except Andy, who fizzles out after trying on the 5th shirt. Which is unfortunate, since he is my child with the most clothes (because 1. he gets all of Cam's hand me downs and 2. he gains like 6 ounces a year and can pretty much still wear the same clothes he's worn for the last four years.) But he humors me pretty well, and tries everything on so I can compile my lists!

And now that I have my lists in hand on what all of their back to school clothing needs are, we are starting the shopping. I'm not gonna lie. I L.O.V.E shopping for kids clothes. Soooo much more than I like shopping for me.

And I especially adore the clothes from here. They are called Next and are based out of the UK, so the look is unique, which I love (last August I shopped at Target for the boys, and I am not exaggerating, half of their class had the exact same clothes--it may as well have been the school uniform.)

The only drawback to Next, is that I find their website a little tricky to navigate. So if you head over there, here's my tip: I think it's easiest to just shop their collections, rather than the categories of things.

One other good thing: you receive your order super fast (like in two days the last time I ordered.)

Which is perfect for a procrastinator like me!

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a campout invitation.

2011-08-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

Nothing is a better excuse for a little outdoor adventure, than a summer birthday! So this year Jimmy and I decided to surprise Cam with a little camping trip.

He was pretty thrilled to find a bundle of firewood with his little invitation attached to a balloon, sitting there in his room when he woke up.

We loaded up the car (along with his birthday cake and presents) and then headed up into the mountains for a delightful camp out! We had the best time! And we are trying to figure out when we can squeeze in one more before school begins. . .

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a boys room: stop and go.

2011-08-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

It's always so nice to look at the pictures taken of rooms, right after we finish them. I wonder how long they stay looking this way?! If it's anything like around here, not long. Not long at all! Yikes, our house is a total disaster today after having a sleepover with cousins last night... But rest assured good times were had!

So anyway, these are some of the pictures from the room we worked up from the inspiration board I posted yesterday.

Since we had a very tight budget set for this room, one thing we really needed was a low-cost solution for a colorful window treatment. Window treatments can be some of the costliest parts of any design project, especially a custom roman shade, which is what I would have normally used with this type of window/room configuration.

So I was super happy to have inspiration strike with these colorful buntings. They read as a window treatment, although they obviously don't provide much privacy (the client already had wood blinds in place, so that was already taken care of).

It's purpose was more just to give the room a little element of surprise and lots of color. And I loved the way they turned out!

We had these ones custom made by knotted nest. She was fabulous! I sent over our inspiration board and asked her to create something that would work within those parameters. (Our only request was no florals, since after all, this is a room shared by two fighter-jet loving boys!)

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inspiration board: stop and go.

2011-08-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

I have been getting all my inspiration boards and pictures from client projects (and from my home) organized to put together for my online portfolio.

This was one of my favorite boys rooms ever (that I've done). We had to wait months and months for that bedding to get off of backorder, but it was worth the wait. Stripes always are. :)

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a summery photo shoot.

2011-08-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

During the two funnest weeks of the summer (which just happened to perfectly coincide with Ashley being in town), we had our family pictures taken (by that aforementioned sister). She is amazing!! And a total inspiration about taking something you love and becoming incredible at it.

We are so happy with our pictures! We debated about whether we should go to the Salt Flats for the shoot (where she did Elle's family pics), but in the end we decided we wanted more of an urban feel, since we just have moved back near downtown. . .

Speaking of which, we are in a bit of a quandary about what to do with that "new" house of ours. The bids are coming back and they are above and beyond what we would like to spend.

Do we scale back our plans? Do we sell it and look for a home that requires less work?

But it's on my very favorite street in the whole wide world. And what are the chances of finding another one right there (in a somewhat timely manner)--I am getting anxious to get my hands on our next home!

What to do. What to do...

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the lantern party

2011-08-07T16:43:00.001-07:00

Ah summer bliss. I really don't want it to end. It seems like once August begins, it's time to think about getting ready for back to school days, and I am so not ready to start waking up early again!

So instead of thinking about having to set my alarm clock, let's focus instead on all the fun we have been having the last few weeks having birthdays! Here are a few pictures and details from Ava Carmel's fifth birthday. . .

the LANTERN PARTY agenda:

{1}: MADE PRETTY PRINCESS BRACELETS + NECKLACES

We did this by putting plastic beads on glittery pipe cleaners. I always find that it works best at our parties to have some sort of crafting activity going on while the children arrive. It lets them ease into the party and get comfortable while working on a little project. So glad we have our Ashlyn, Cam and Andy party assistants!

{2}: PLAYED THE FLOATING LANTERN GAME

We did this by giving each girl a balloon, which was her "lantern." We played songs from the Tangled soundtrack and each girl tried to keep her lantern from touching the ground for the entire song. They could use their heads or fingertips or knees or hands to keep the lanterns off the ground.

{3}: LONG LONG LOCKS 

When the girls finished the floating lanterns game, we noticed that there was a piece of yellow "hair" (yarn) hanging out the back door, with a note on it that said "follow me." The girls followed Rapunzel's tangled hair all around the house, up and down the stairs, out the front door, around the yard, around the neighbor's yard, and finally found a basket full of golden magical locks (pineapple licorice.)

{4}: SCAVENGER HUNT FOR THE RAPUNZEL CAKE

The girls received a mysterious letter full of clues asking them to help find the lost Rapunzel cake. The clues led them all around the house, until finally they found the cake, sitting under the lanterns. Then it was on to cake and ice cream and opening gifts.

{5}: DREAM LANTERNS

Each girl got a "lantern" (a balloon) and a little piece of paper. We helped them write down their dreams on the paper, attach them to the balloon string, count to three, and then they all watched the lanterns float higher and higher. Most of the girls dreams were "to see the lanterns," except for Brynn who wished for some new markers :) They were all so cute.

How I love my big 5-year old Ava Carmel! She is still walking around shaking her head with dismay while trying not to smile, saying "I can't believe I'm 5! I am so. big. now."

(You can see the invitations for the party here.)

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summer adventures for august.

2011-08-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

Here are our adventures for the last few weeks of summer vacation. We are going to make the most of it! Please feel free to add any ideas for field trips or movies in the comments.

To see the details on how our summer adventures work, look here.

To see last months adventures, look here.

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a little bit of red.

2011-08-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

Just some pretty images with little pops of red today. I am feeling so anxious to begin on our renovation. I'm trying to be patient, but it's so long to just be waiting. Waiting for the city. Waiting for bids to come back. Waiting. W a i t i n g. W a i t i n g.

In the meantime, we've got a big summer thunderstorm brewing outside. Oh how I love a good summer storm! Right now all the kids and I are snuggling in my bed watching Free Willy (which also happens to be our movie matinee for this week.) I'll post the summer adventures for the rest of our summer tomorrow.

Can it already be August?!

image credits:
design dazzle
house beautiful
scarlet m.'s look book
style me pretty

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flower girl dresses.

2011-07-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

We really lucked out with our vacation to the Oregon Coast this year for Jimmy's sister's wedding. Just look at that sun shining! Holy mackerel, that never happens for us.

And I so loved the flower girl dresses we had made for Ashlyn and Ava Carmel. Sweet and simple. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera to capture any of those sweet moments as they were sprinkling their flower petals all around.

As we were heading out the door of the beach house to go to the wedding, Jimmy said: okay you've got everything right? We don't have a key to get back in.

Dresses, check. Black ribbons, check. Baskets, check. Safety pins, check. Curling iron, check. On and on, I did my mental checklist.

Note to self: Don't make mental checklists for big events. Make real ones.

Okay Jimmy I've got everything! You can shut it.

And then that dreadful moment right as the door latches shut, I realize freak. i don't have my camera.

Oh seriously. Of all the moments to not have my camera. I briefly contemplated how much we would get charged for breaking a window to get back into the beach house, but that was just one of those panicky, logic-less thoughts that you get in desperate situations. You get those too right?

So alas, I have no pictures of the wedding. It was beautiful though, sweet and simple. As we were driving back to the beach house after the festivities, I made the kids promise to go straight down to the beach without changing, so I could snap a few pictures. They grudgingly obliged (they wanted their swimsuits on pronto), so I had to make it super quick and Andy escaped before I got any of him. He is fast. And sneaky.

Dresses were made by boutique mia.

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mister toad.

2011-07-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

Nothing makes these boys happier than having a few reptiles to take care of. They have been missing all those lizards they used to be able to catch in the rocks on the hillside of our last home. And sometimes they just feel so unlucky that I won't let them have a pet turtle (too stinky) or a pet snake (too scary).

But they really lucked out a few weeks ago, when my brother in law Joe, suggested they go look for frogs at the ponds by their house. The boys and Jimmy got home a little after midnight (the frogs only come out when it is completely dark), so excited to have caught four frogs and one big toad.

The next few days they were outside from early morning til bedtime; busy converting a few bins into the perfect frog habitats, catching bugs for the frog food and training them to jump on command. It totally makes me smile.

The only rule is no frogs in the house. They know if that were to happen, that smile would be nowhere to be found.

So in that first picture Andy is whispering "jump" to the frog. They have also "taught" the frogs how to play leap frog with their hand. Oh man, it cracks me up and I just don't ever want these boys to grow up. Is it too much to ask that they stay at the age where having a pet frog (even if he has to stay outside in the backyard) is the best thing they could ever imagine?

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lighting up ava's room.

2011-07-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

So the night before Ava's birthday, after she fell asleep, I had this brilliant thought that I should hang a few of the battery operated light-up lanterns in her room. So if she woke up in the middle of the night, she would see that magical sight of the floating lanterns gleaming!

Well after I hung up a few, I got all excited and thought maybe I should just go ahead and hang them all up. (Originally I was just planning on having them hanging above the tables at the party.)

So I had Andy and Cam get out of bed to help me, ever so quietly, hang the rest of the lanterns. They were more than happy to oblige and pretty soon we had her whole room filled with lanterns--it was so fun and it looked so amazing! and I was a little giddy about it all. (Cam and Andy thought it was pretty cool too.)

But it looked so magical, that then I wanted to wake Ava Carmel up so she could see the gorgeous sight, (Jimmy tried to deter me, but I would have none of it. those lanterns just looked amazing. no wonder Rapunzel wanted to see them. and besides they wouldn't look nearly as glowy with the morning sun. and besides you only get a birthday once a year. and glowing lanterns in your bedroom, once in your lifetime, if you're lucky! and ava was lucky!)

Unfortunately, she was in her deepest REM cycle, and could not be woken to save her life. or to see the lanterns. She even covered her ear with her hand, in her sleep, to get that pesky voice to stop whispering for her to wake up and look at the lanterns!

After the covering of the ear, I finally took a hint and let her rest peacefully. (But thankfully she started coughing in the middle of the night and I had to get her a drink of water, which woke her up, and she got to see the glowing lanterns.)

Phew.

Oh yeah, and she LOVED them too.

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totally non creepy rhino.

2011-07-19T22:43:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed these on the walls of Anthropologie? I love them!

I thought this rhino would be perfect for Andy's new room. But when I showed him, he said, "creepy."

Creepy?! What?! Nooooo. Cute. This rhino is cute. What's so creepy about a pretend rhino (minus the body) hanging on your wall?

Real rhino head, creepy. Pretend rhino head covered in old book pages, adorable.

He's not convinced.

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the lantern invitations.

2011-07-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

It is now that time of year when party posts overtake this blog! We had the most delightful party this morning in the backyard with all of Ava Carmel's cute little friends. Ava was so very excited--she just kept saying "oh mommy thank you for this party!" It was super sweet and of course words like that, make every effort worth it.

(And just in case you think my children are naturally full of gratitude, please know I have taught them in no uncertain terms to thank me for everything! Perhaps this is a little self-serving, but I think they will have happier lives, simply by noticing the things that are done for them; whether it is making them a meal or buying them a snow cone or planning a birthday party. A thankful heart is a happy heart, is our motto!)

And now moving right along from that fascinating little tangent....

These were the invitations we made for Ava Carmel's "Tangled Lanterns" birthday party. It has become a birthday tradition for me and the birthday child to work on the party invitations together, and they really look forward to it each party year. Their involvement usually varies, depending on their age, interest and my patience level that day...

For Ava's help with this invitation, I cut out all the lanterns and then I told her to "choose four lanterns for Ellie's invitation." She would deliberate over which ones Ellie would like best and put them on the card. Then we would move on to the next one, "choose four lanterns for Meg's invitation," until we had finished them all.

After they were all finished we got on our bicycles and went for a long bike ride, hand delivering most of them. Ava has a freak out every time Jimmy tries to remove her training wheels, and it cracks me up how she just cruises right along beside me pumping those legs so fast--those little wheels rattling like mad. Those wheels are going to just come flying off one day.

Hope you all have a happy weekend! We have plans for cleaning out the basement (it has become full of random piles and half empty moving boxes and bins). And of course, on a much more exciting note, we will be celebrating Cam's 10th birthday. Woohoo!

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summer babies.

2011-07-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

These two kiddos are my summer babies. Ava Carmel's due date was on Cam's birthday. As it turned out, she arrived two days early, and we came home from the hospital on Cam's birthday.

I have the best memory from when we arrived home that afternoon. The kids and grandma and grandpa were relaxing (as much relaxation as you can get with a 7, 5 and 2 year old) in the pool in the backyard. When I whispered to Cam that his new little baby sister was inside the house, he couldn't get out fast enough. He kept saying, "This is the best birthday I've ever had!" He has always been such a great big brother to her and Andy.

So we are planning two festive celebrations this week to celebrate my favorite 5 year old and 10 year old in the whole wide world! Wow, how time flies. Ava Carmel's party will be a Tangled/Lanterns festivity and Cam's will be a Backyard "Campout".

Today is shopping day for Ava's party. Things on our list: lots of yellow yarn, a very fancy ruffly skirt, long strands of yellow licroice (I think I've seen this around), lanterns and more lanterns, and some ballet shoes. I love birthday parties!

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pretty colors.

2011-07-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

jenny keenan

canadian house and home

This morning the city approved our variance (we had to have our neighbors sign a form that approved adding a second story to our "new" house.) The first hurdle is crossed!

The next will be to see which changes the city requires us to make to the plans we submitted. Hopefully not many. We think we've complied with every little requirement, but we'll see how we did in probably about 4-6 weeks (the timeline they said it would take before they could get back to us with "first changes.") It's a tedious process, but we knew what we were in for!

Tonight I was going to post pictures from our trip to Oregon, but blogger is slower than molasses in uploading my photos. So in the meantime we are watching Swamp People (holy huge alligators) and dreaming on colors for the house. Since it is basically a rebuild, it will be super easy to implement a color scheme that flows throughout the entire home. It's just deciding on precisely which color scheme, that will be hard. I love so many!

Here's two I'm thinking on...

First color inspiration: coral + charcoal gray + yellow + peacock blue.

Second color inspiration: gray + yellow + robins egg blue.

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lots of lanterns.

2011-07-06T00:09:00.000-07:00

Today I'm getting inspired for Ava Carmel's summer birthday. As with most ~~4 year old~~ girls, she is completely enamored with Tangled. So I thought it would be fun to have tons of lanterns all over the backyard.

I even found some sky lanterns that you light and send into the air, just like on the movie! But I might be too scared to actually use them--maybe if we lived right next to a lake instead of a neighborhood filled with towering trees I would... Wouldn't they be so gorgeous all lit up and floating at the end of a wedding party on the coast?

Anyway, I found this first image on a great blog called pink wallpaper. It looks like it's from a book, but I can't find which one. I wish I knew, because it looks like one I would love to have!! The second image of lanterns covered with tissue circles, is from martha stewart (tutorial here .)

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an unfitted bathroom.

2011-07-03T23:04:00.000-07:00

Well folks. I have exciting news...

We turned our plans into the city on Wednesday! We were feeling really excited because someone told us it would only take 7-10 days to get them through. 7-10 days! 7-10 days! Lots of happy dancing ensued.

Unfortunately, that person didn't know what they were talking about.

And so instead it will be 4-6 weeks before they get back to us with first changes. Still. Just happy to get the ball rolling.

So I mentioned before how the two most difficult things for us to figure out were: 1. the new staircase location and 2. the master bath layout.

For the masterbath, I really want an authentic feel. The look of an unfitted bathroom and kitchen really, really appeal to me. They just feel so much more authentic for the time period of the home. . . A bathroom that can have a small upholstered chair and table, towel hooks and not bars. Exposed pipes and legs, rather than bulky cupboards.

The problem is... reality. Where do you store all your toothbrushes and bottles of biosilk?! It is such a pretty look, but is it practical? Also, Jimmy is not as big of a fan of the unfitted look. But I am hoping to entice him with these pretty pictures, and hopeful that we can come up with a good compromise combining the unfitted sink with some pretty furniture storage pieces... Still thinking on this.

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summertime party.

2011-07-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

My mom throws the best "school's out" celebration parties each summer for all the grandkids. They get sooo excited when they receive their invitation in the mail early each summer!

On party day it started out chilly, but the sun made a happy appearance long enough for water balloons, and other fun backyard games, like floating plastic balls down the stream (an impromptu game created by ty that was enjoyed by all!)

These were the yummiest (and cutiest) treats. They are made like rice crispy treats except my mom used colorful trix cereal (instead or rice krispies), formed them into balls and stuck them on top of a jumbo pretzel stick. Ava's got mysteriously smaller while she was distracted with the water balloons.

I loved having all my family together these last few weeks. It was. so. much. fun. Thanks mom and dad for letting all of us hang out in your backyard for the last three weeks and for building the coolest giant sandbox ever to keep all the grandkids entertained in. We love you!!

Fun memories were made by all!

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summer adventures for july.

2011-06-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here are our plans for summer adventures (this week and through the end of july). Woohoo!

During the movie matinee, the kids can buy theater candy, popcorn and drinks with some of the dots they earn from workshop. I've had kind of a hard time coming up with movie ideas for these themes, especially ones that Ava Carmel and Andy would enjoy too. So if you have any other ideas I would love to hear what they are in the comments section!

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summer adventures. here's how it works.

2011-06-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

Here's the thing. I really don't like to be overscheduled. The feeling of waking up in the morning and not having one thing on the calendar is pure bliss to me.

However, if I don't put a few things on the calendar, it seems like the days and weeks pass by, and at the end of the season (whichever it may be), I suddenly think, "wait! we didn't ever ______ (fill in the blank with whichever activity you wish you had done before the snow started and never stopped.)

And I do like lists. And making up little themes and activities. So put all that together, and just for kicks I decided this summer we would do something called Summer Adventures. So far the kids are totally loving it, and have yet to utter the words, "I'm bored." I think we're on to something.

It takes a little work initially to plan these kinds of things (and workshop too), but in the long run, I feel like it gives their creativity and imaginations just the spark they need, to totally take off and entertain themselves for large chunks of time.

So just in case you're curious, I will tell you how our "summer adventures" work:

1. Every week has a "theme."

2. Every week we do a few activities that coordinate with the theme:
-go on a FIELDTRIP
-a MOVIE MATINEE
-KIDS CLUB class by ashlyn OR teach me mommy class by me
-an IDEA JAR that's full of slips of paper with ideas of things to do

So for example, this week's theme is "Farm Animals." For our FIELDTRIP, we headed over to Wheeler Farm with our good friends, saw and smelled the animals (I think I really could like living on a farm, if only the animals didn't poop.. they're just so stinky), played in the stream and had a picnic lunch.

Thursday our MOVIE MATINEE will be Babe (i have yet to see this movie all the way through, but i know it's about a pig. that saves the sheep?) Another idea would be Charlotte's Web. Popcorn, treats, pillows and blankets will all be present.

Friday, Ashlyn will do a little KIDS CLUB on farm animals. She loves planning out little classes and activities, treats, etc. Strange, how she totally reminds me of someone.

In the IDEA JAR (the kids come up with most of the ideas and stick them in the jar at the beginning of the week), there are things like make animal puppets, pretend our bikes are tractors, etc. Sometimes "idea jar" is one of the activities in our daily workshop. Or sometimes they just go choose a paper. I'm actually surprised by how much they like this little jar of ideas.

All in all, I think it's a keeper. They are really liking it. Even more than I thought they would. I'll share our weekly themes tomorrow since this is getting a little long..

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we miss our ashley.

2011-06-26T22:47:00.000-07:00

We are feeling a little lonesome and blue around here with Ashley, Bostyn and Nixon gone. We had the BEST time hanging out day and night for the last couple weeks while Eric was taking his boards.

But alas, they flew home Friday to pack up their moving truck and move to Pennsylvania for the next eight or so years (insert humungous sigh of sadness), and now our long fun playdate is over.

And I will die if I have to go another year before seeing them again.

But hopefully it will be much sooner than a year (perhaps just a few months? perhaps Piper & Chloe will throw a holiday show she will need to come work at??)

And so on that hopeful note, we will now be moving along from the melodramatic feelings I am having, to sharing some pretty pictures we took a few weeks ago during an afternoon at Temple Square.

That crazy snowy wet spring has blessedly passed. But before it did, it produced incredible amounts of snow in the mountains (ski resorts are still open), lots of gray skies and tulips that lasted forever! Gorgeous I tell you.

this beautiful place is where Jimmy and I were married.

i love these ruffly petaled ones.

it was a lovely Sunday afternoon stroll.

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a few favorites.

2011-06-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

Three wonderful things about the weekend:

1. My sister ashley is in town and I LOVE her!! I haven't seen her for a year and it has nearly killed me. Oh it's been way too long. All five of us sisters were together last week, which is like a once-every-couple-years occurrence it seems. It was wonderful, and we took lots of pictures in true schmidt girl fashion!

2. Jimmy and I made all our last changes on the house plans and handed them over to the architect to have them engineered. Crossing our fingers that that part will go MUCH faster...

3. Salted caramel gelato at Vinto. enough said.

Other than that, I have been lazy about updating my blog with personal things. It just seems so time consuming to get that camera cord out and hook it up to the computer, upload all the pics to flickr and then get them back to my blog. It's pure laziness I tell you.

So much easier to just show you some of my favorite pretty things from restoration hardware's baby & child. There are lots more things I love too that are a little less frilly, that I've been pinning on the inspiration boards for the boys rooms. I was just really pleasantly surprised by all the cute stuff in their look books.

Remember that perfect book of nursery rhymes (that belonged to my grandmother). For Ava Carmel's next room, I will choose some to have copied and framed. But instead of the smaller frames above, I'll hang them in these bigger frames with a mat.

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summer break is around the corner.

2011-06-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

School will be out just around the corner and I think I'm probably more excited about it than the kids First of all, because we can all sleep in a little more. Sleep is very important to everyone is this household! (No early birds to be found around here.)

Second, since we have had so much fun with our Christmas adventures and summer workshop over the last few years, we decided to do something called Summer Adventures during these carefree summer months. I'll tell you a little more about that later, but we are all super excited about it!

For now though, I must be off to make our jumbo-sized no-more-school celebratory cupcakes. Yummah.

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perfect summer hair.

2011-06-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

If you've spent more than a couple hours with me, you of course know, that I always have an elastic band handy to pull my hair back into a quick little bun. Now triple that quick little bun, and you know i love it!

For reals, I think I'll be doing my hair like this everyday this summer. (I've put mini bobby pins on my shopping list. I'm not sure if minis will hold all my hair though... I'll let you know.)

Here is the step by step tutorial from a cup of jo.

photo by: jamie beck

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where or where should our new staircase go?

2011-06-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

We are on the final stretch of completing our house plans--at least to the point where we can submit them to the city. It has taken us forever to get the details ironed out. There are so many quirky rules and regulations for renovating a home in these historic neighborhoods.

And since we don't want to extend the footprint of the original home, it's been like trying to figure out a puzzle to get everything we want, to fit in the space we have to work with. But it's been worth all the late nights, drawing and redrawing because I think we've finally got it!

Two places that have been especially difficult to figure out are: the new location of one central staircase, and the configuration of the master bathroom. (More on the master bathroom later.) For now, let's concentrate on the stair situation.

Currently there are two sets of stairs, one in the front of the house and one in the back of the house. Neither location is ideal for what we are envisioning for the home.

Since we are adding a second story, we want the stairs going to the basement and to the upper floor located next to one another. First because it takes up less space, and second, that way the basement won't have that old-house-disconnected-basement feeling.

Plus, the house is small! No need for two staircases. Bigger need for laundry room and mudroom!

We have considered so many different locations. . . We nixed this one Jimmy's drawing here on the wall, because it made the windows look too cramped and the risers felt a little too high.

To help us visualize we draw or tape our ideas on the floors and walls. . . It's a great way too help yourself visualize renovations or even furniture you're thinking about purchasing--just tape out the dimensions onto the floor.

So after lots of back and forth, sketching and taping, we have finally settled on the new location. Here, they will be centrally located within the home. The railings will all be open as much as possible, to give an open connected feeling between all the levels of the home. And when all is said and done, it will look very similar to this inspiration picture below.

image source: Sarah's House

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a day wherein cam experiences the joy of a freshly cut lawn.

2011-05-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

Oh it's a happy day when your kids can start doing your chores for you. . .

And do you want to know what makes the day even happier?

When your kids think your chores are the funnest thing in the world. Like so fun, you can actually use the chores as bribes. It is a rarity, to be sure. Which is why, once you have happened upon this anomaly, you should use it extensively for all sorts of fabulous results.

As in, Hi Cam, just wanted to let you know if you don't finish your math homework lickety-split, you won't be able to mow the lawn this afternoon.

Or.

Hey Cam, just want to be clear that if this room isn't spotless the next time I come up here, there will be no mowing the lawn this weekend.

You get the idea.

That was the fastest Cam had math homework finished in the last five months. . . Also, the first time I had seen the top of his nightstand in a good six weeks.

I am figuring this won't last for long (or will it? mowing the lawn does look pretty fun), so I am trying to squeeze all the mileage out of it I possibly can.

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fabulous finds under fifty: early summer.

2011-05-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

oh what a delightful moth expedition pillow. it totally reminds me of girl of the limberlost (one of my favorite books ever.)

JOLIE MARCHE. $42.

oh so perfect burst of lobster red color. use next to an upholstered chair for a place to set drinks or books. as a nightstand in a guest room or childrens room (take off the glass so you don't have to clean fingerprints), or of course, as it's intended purpose; a little patio table. currently 75% off. you better hurry.

WISTERIA. $22.

I surely would keep a Zara store busy. Wish we had one closer than 700 miles away.

ZARA KIDS. $36.

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To see my last post of fabulous finds, you can find it here.

a vintage inspired coastal wedding.

2011-05-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Next month my sister in law is getting married along the picturesque Oregon coastline. She asked me to be her wedding planner, but unfortunately, the time required for other various projects I have been working on would not permit me to do the full scale planning (as much fun as it sounded!)

So instead I just put together some ideas and images for her to jump off from.

ideas like:

burnished silver. peacock blue. turquoise. creamy white. colors that reflect the water clouds and sand. driftwood garlands. parchment bunting and pinwheels. mirrors in various sizes and shapes (reflective like the ocean water). vintage type set table numbers. japanese tape for holding table assignments.

pretty pinwheels for the kids to play with in the coastline breezes. fabric kites for after the ceremony and pretty photos. sandals for the bride. delicate vintage inspired veil or hair accessory. paper butterflies thrown by the flower girls. tissue dots in peacock blue, cream and silver thrown by flower girls.

candles nestled in sand or smooth pebbles in mason jars in clear glass and various shades of blue glass. lots of driftwood. found bottles (message in a bottle look). just married glitter garland. cream colored convertible triumph. flower garland tied to bumper. for tunes the XX, adele, feist.

To see more from the inspiration board I have been compiling for her you can look here.

IMAGE CREDITS

(from top to bottom)

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bringing spring indoors.

2011-05-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, Arcadian Lighting contacted me, asking if they could write a spring decorating post here on gillar girl. I happily said why yes, of course because:

1. I love reading their posts elsewhere on the world wide web--they always have such pretty pictures and practical design tips... and

2. I am totally in love with their white faux wood floor lamp (from one of the pictures below), which is just one of their many stylish light fixtures that I've got my eye on for our big reno project.

(But just to be clear, I am not receiving a white faux wood floor lamp for that little plug, unless of course, they want to send one to me, which no pressure or anything would be awesome.)

But for realsies, I want to give their writer Melanie a big thank you for sharing with us: Spring Inspired Interiors.

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Spring is in the air. No, literally, this unusual living wall even smells of the season. Hang a light fixture that simulates daylight and let's call it a day?

Saffronia Baldwin

Hardly!

Although this spring-inspired wall would be interesting, think about the upkeep. For a commercial space this might work wonders, but what about for a home?

How do you decorate for the season with style? Here are three easy tips from the pros:

1. Use natural elements to add a touch of color to shelving, tables or a bedside table. Fresh flowers, or even pictures of flowers, brings the outdoors in and brings life to any room.

The Newlywed Diaries

A floor lamp or a light fixture made with bark or simulated wood adds interest and is a definite conversation piece.

Bear Hill Interiors

2. Use punches of seasonal colors in your decor.

Bring Restoration

Change inexpensive area rugs and pillows for big impact on a small budget.

My Favorite and My Best

If you lean toward neutral color schemes for your home, this is the perfect time to display a treasured canvas with bright colors. Illuminate art with a warm glow from a lighting fixture and then use the colors from your artwork throughout your interior.

The Savannah Cabinet Shop

3. Pattern can bring a lot to the table (no pun intended,) and you don't only have to look at floral patterns. Think paisleys, plaids and polka dots in spring colors as well.

Carol Spinski

Change out bedding, drapery, table linens and pillows to bring a fresh outlook to any space. For a simple and monochromatic feel, keep it light and airy.

Canadian Cottage

Whatever your style, make sure to keep your larger furniture pieces neutral for an easier transformation. Then you can welcome, not only spring, but any season!

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a birthday bicycle.

2011-05-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

One morning Ashlyn woke up and there was a bike sitting right there in her room. (That morning happened to be her birthday.)

She has wanted a bike just like this ever since two years ago when we saw a darling blue-green bike parked on the corner across from our favorite Saturday morning pancake stop. For the last couple years it has been at the tippy top of her Christmas and birthday wish lists and finally on her 12th birthday she got it...

Along with breakfast bed. And a birthday crown no less.

And an invitation to a special get-out-of-school birthday lunch date. (She chose the Corner Bakery. As did every working professional within a 5-mile radius. But we had a little birthday luck and actually got a spot to sit and eat our yummy food.)

At the end of the day we had a very messy lemony cake for her to make all her birthday wishes on.

I have this memory from when she was about 3 years old and feeling that sense of panic that all mothers do when they realize that these little years are passing by so quickly.

But immediately after, I felt this incredible joy that I would get to watch her grow up--that I would be the one there with her throughout all these years. She is the little girl that introduced me to this wonderful world of motherhood. Which has brought me more joy than anything in the world. I love you, my Ashlyn!

at a spring dinner party.

2011-05-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

I know it is a little after the matter and I am a total slow poke at getting things updated (what was that about being inundated with blog posts?!), but just in case you were curious, we did have quite a delightful little Easter! Easter Egg hunts, holding newborn baby Lucy, lots of bubble blowing and being with our wonderful family made the day a happy one.

Our little place settings for dinner were tiny nests filled with little jelly bean eggs. These would also be so perfect for any springtime birthday or dinner party, or even a baby shower.

The craft store had little nests for sale, but they were too expensive to buy one for every person, so instead I just picked up a bunch of those mini, mini grapevine wreaths and added a little of the straw-looking filler. (I can't remember the name of it and I don't have the bag anymore--it's kind of a different name--but in our craft store it was near the bags of dried moss. Let me just interject here: Don't use the dried moss! It is super messy. If you can find this other stuff, it is a lot better.)

Anyway, the store didn't have enough of those grapevine wreaths for everyone, so I pulled some of the dead vines off our fence and wove a few myself. (I contemplated whether or not I should share that, because it makes me sound like such an overzealous crafter! but I'm just telling you because it seriously took like one minute to make each one--just winding the vine around itself to form a little "nest"--and was so easy that I just feel obligated to share!!

Brynn enjoying a fine spear of asparagus.

I always love the fail proof wrapping paper table covering. After the party's over, I just pull the whole mess off and throw it away. (And I'm sorry my pictures are so washed out--I tried editing them because they were so dark and clearly I do not know what I am doing.)

Lots of bubbles in the backyard.

Grandpa and I giving little Emmett a few hints. Subtlety is one of our strong points.

I love seeing my cute parents with their little grandkids. Marm was inside holding the little babe Lucy.

Lots of delicious loot. That mysteriously disappeared two days later.

That was really mysterious.

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how did this happen?

2011-05-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

My littlest girl is starting kindergarten in a few months. She took her paperwork oh so seriously and listened so intently to what each page said before she signed her A-V-A in her best handwriting with her pink sparkly pen.

"Will you keep your feet and hands to yourself?"

"YES!"

"Will you follow bus rules on your field trips?"

"YES!"

"Will you go to school everyday unless you are sick?"

"Oh YES!"

She can't wait. I am putting on my happy face and pretending I'm excited for her new big adventure, but really I am so sad for me. With Ashlyn I was a little sad when she started kindergarten, but it just seemed like we had all the time in the world before she would be finishing elementary school. I think with your last child you realize just how quickly time passes.

And what will I do with all my free time? Renovate a house? Finish my grandpa's life story? Start doing yoga? Take on a few more design clients?

Oh yes, I've got lots of big plans... But still, none of them sound anywhere near as fun as having my little buddy with me everywhere I go. I think I'm going to need a puppy.

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garden prep.

2011-05-09T22:09:00.000-07:00

My trusty little assistant and I prep our garden for some good summer eatin! We got our peas and buttercup lettuce in a few weeks ago and it looks like we're a little behind schedule for the other things.

Here's my wish list from elle's much more complete planting schedule.

may 5:
summer squash (seedling)
beans (direct seed)

may 19:
cucumbers (seedling)
peppers (seedling)
tomatoes (seedling)

And boo. Looks like I missed the BEET deadline (those babies were supposed to go in april 21). I will be putting that at the top of my to do list tomorrow cause have you had a fresh roasted beet lately? Yum.

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a tutorial: moss filled urns

2011-05-05T22:58:00.000-07:00

I don't know how it is at your house, but around here it seems like April and May rank right up there with December in terms of busyness. Recitals, school programs, soccer games, plus throw in working on house plans (and all those deadlines), and a few design jobs all finishing up at the same time, and you've got one crazy girl! (That would be me.)

But my life and to-do list are starting to slow down a bit, and I've got lots I want to share and get documented, so prepare to be inundated with blog posts!

First on the list, is a little tutorial Ava Carmel and I put together a few weeks ago when we were longing for the spring weather situation to get under control. Since Mother Nature was so dragging her feet this year, we finally took matters into our own hands, and decided to add a little indoor greenery to our tables and window sills ourselves.

It's a simple little project that I think most people could complete within 1/2 hour. I am soooo slow at doing craft projects, I don't count myself in the normal category, but I still finished two urns and one bowl in an hour. Not bad for an abnormal crafter.

INSTRUCTIONS.

Cover your work space with a large plastic sheet or trash bag, for easy clean-up.

Gather your supplies:

glue gun

some white bowls and urns (look at thrift stores, consignment shops and in your cupboards)

a few plastic grocery bags or trash can liners

a sheet of pretty green moss

Create a nice roundish mound 2-3 inches above the rim of the bowl, by stuffing a few plastic bags inside the bowl or urn.

Break off large pieces of moss and secure to the plastic bags with hot glue. I found it easiest to work in small sections... So put the glue on a small section and then place the moss. Put the glue on another small section and place the moss. Repeat until completely covered. Fill in any bare spots with small pieces of moss.

Pinch the moss over the edge of the bowl or urn to give it a nice, full look. You can also hot glue the moss to the inside edges of the urn or bowl to make it a little more secure.

I got these little urns for a couple of dollars at a local consignment store so I was totally fine gluing the bags and moss right to them. The soup tureen however, will probably not be a permanent moss display, so I didn't glue that one and it looks fine. It's just a little more fragile.

We added a few eggs to our bigger moss bowl because it was around Easter time. But I've just let them stay, since eggs are generally kind of a spring thing. . . It was so nice to have a little greenery to tide us over until the trees actually started blossoming. (Which I am happy to report, they are now doing!)

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keys are in hand.

2011-04-26T15:10:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! It's official my friends. We are now the happy homeowners of this exciting new project and are just itching to get started!

It will probably still be a couple more months before we can get going on anything, because we are still working on the house plans and then it's on to the lengthy approval process from the city. But rest assured we will share all the details (and pictures) along the way!

Ava Carmel checks out the flour and sugar bins ~ so in love with all these vintagey details. . .

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a happy easter.

2011-04-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well we have had a great spring break, despite the chilly, rainy weather. In the non-rainy moments, the kids went on lots of bike rides, we spent a few hours at the zoo, got new rain boots for all!, tried to make sock animals (that was a fail! cam has half a dog--which he has been carrying around for the last two days, andy has a dog head, and the girls each have a pair of new socks.)

Today we colored lots of beautiful easter eggs. We tried marbelizing them this year and we all LOVED the way they turned out. We followed these easy instructions (yes, can you believe martha had a project with easy instructions?!)

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and we will celebrate the resurrection of our Savior. I love this holiday and this season in general. New life, new beginnings, lindt chocolate carrots, happy sunny days ahead. These last several weeks, I have been reading John in the New Testament, and it has made me even more thankful for the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

Did Jesus really live again?

Yes, when the third day came.

He wakened and he left the tomb,

He called Mary's name.

And there were nail prints in his hands,

And a spear wound in his side.

Did Jesus really live again?

After he had died?

Oh yes, and so shall I.

(song from LDS Childrens Songbook)

The truth of these words makes my soul rejoice!

Andy does his finest work while biting his tongue. I think he gets it from me.

Ava loves her bunny, but no, she can't sleep with it.

Happy Easter!

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it's raining cats and dogs.

2011-04-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

For the most part it has been a happy commotion here, with all the kids home from school the last couple days. Today we all went to Target to find a gift for our cutie cousin/niece Ella, and saw some itsy little sock monkeys.

Of course, they all wanted one. What is it with kids and stuffed animals? We've got them coming out our ears over here. I asked Andy today why he always wanted to buy stuffed animals with his hard earned lemonade stand money, and he said most seriously, "because they are really alive."

So I said maybe we could try making our own little sock dogs and kitties since 1. my children think that doing "projects" is the best fun around and 2. I've been reading a lovely little book called The Homemade Home that is totally inspiring (written by designer/stylist Sania Pell)

adorable ideas + beautifully styled photos = book I don't ever want to return to the library

If only I had a few more hours in the day, you can be sure I would be a crafting maniac. As it is, I am just a wannabe. But if it keeps raining, I think we'll be needing a few things to keep us all entertained; things like making fabric bandaids :) and sock kitty cats.

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i need a bandaid.

2011-04-13T22:48:00.000-07:00

This project may seem a little over the top to some, but rest assured I am the kind of girl that would totally buy a box of cute band aids. Sometimes when I come across an exceptionally cute box I'll buy it for the girls to use when they're playing hospital with their dolls.

Besides Ava Carmel is always sporting a band aid, so why not accessorize with it?!

Oh, they would so love a little box of these!

And thinking way ahead... since they are so easy to make (tutorial from the pink couch), it would be the perfect handmade sibling gift for Ashlyn or Ava Carmel.

image from the lovely blog of: the pink couch

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fabulous finds under $50: neutrals.

2011-04-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

In the time I spend sourcing items during the week, I often come across the most delightful things. And some lucky moments, I come across the most delightful things at the most delightful prices!

I thought some of you might like me to share some of those good finds :). . . so every week or so I will post my fabulous finds of the week.

basketweave pillow by elle decor for kohls. on sale for $29.99.

driftwood bowl by elle decor for kohls. on sale for $41.99.

And just so you know, I am very in love with driftwood, so it might be appearing in this little installment quite often! It reminds me of summers spent on the riverbanks in Zion Canyon (or floating down the river... smacking my tailbone on the hidden rocks... ahhh good times.)

ruffled linen drum shade from lamps plus.

on sale for $49.99

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a box of balloons.

2011-04-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

This year for Jimmy's birthday, the kids gave him a big box full of balloons. But not just your ordinary box of balloons, oh no. On each balloon string a little handwritten memory was attached.

Andy was really hoping there would be enough balloons to make the box float.

Jimmy is intrigued by what could be in the big box that weighs nothing...

He loved reading each of their sweet memories recorded in their cute handwriting. After we were done with the balloons, we cut all the memory papers off to keep. One day (hopefully soon) I will organize all our photos and keepsakes into volumes of scrapbooks!

We finished off the celebration with an ice cream cake from Maggie Moos. Ava is thinking of a good wish too. Probably something like "I wish I could eat that whole cake myself."

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a sunday morning conversation.

2011-04-10T21:53:00.000-07:00

So today after I taught the little 7-year old class at church, I came home to be with Andy, who has that wicked cough (that any of you who personally know Andy, are very familiar with!)

He asked if I would teach him our lesson (I teach his class), so I told him all about our Word of Wisdom lesson, and how we need to take good care of our bodies by choosing to put good things in them, like fruits and vegetables and grains, and keep harmful things out, etc.

And how all of these instructions are found in the Doctrine and Covenants.

His eyes totally lit up and I was thinking we must have just had some sort of profound teaching moment, when he said, "Ohhhh! Now I know why it's called the Doctor Covenants."

It totally made me smile, and I explained that it was actually called the Doctrine and Covenants.

But I don't think he believed me. It just made a little too much sense the other way.

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a girly fort.

2011-04-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't you have loved this as a little girl? I think I still want one.

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image from: party bunting store

mellow morning in the park.

2011-04-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

Jimmy likes his birthdays nice and mellow, so on his special day we stopped at Tulie Bakery for a little stash of his favorite cinnamon rolls. Then we took our delicious stash over to Memory Grove and went for a little morning hike.

It was so wonderful to see signs of spring popping up here and there, and run around in the brisk air.

Ava Carmel kept her party hat on from sun-up to sun-down.

And after laughing at all the dogs zooming around in the park chasing squirrels, we decided we definitely want a dog.

But not until we are done with the house.

One thing at a time people. (People meaning four little munchkins who swear that nothing in the world sounds more fun than being on poop patrol for a pet puppy.)

Anyway, have I mentioned lately how much I love this boy. Cause I do.

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making plans.

2011-04-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

{plans and picture of our last home}

This afternoon we are meeting with an architect to begin drawing up plans for our new house. I am so excited!

Plus my sister Cristelle is having her baby today. So excited again!

Some people think it's crazy to want to design and renovate/build again, but it is so fun for us to watch our plans go from paper to reality. We just love this kind of stuff!

And just in case you have built a home, and are wondering what to do with all your old plans, they DO make perfect wrapping paper (but be sure to save one set.) Above, we had just used a set for wrapping a big box of balloons for Jimmy's birthday.

Yes, six years later and we still have a few sets still laying around.

Maybe this time around we don't need to order quite so many sets.

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making new look old.

2011-03-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

Even though we will be doing extensive renovations (down to the foundation--it's really more of a rebuild) on the house we are buying, it is still really important to us that we make it look "real." Like when people drive by or walk through they can't tell for sure if it has all been redone because it looks like it could have possibly been built that way originally.

So I have been on the look out for lots of beautiful vintage details we can incorporate. I always love the work of Miles Redd--so many times when I am loving some pages from a magazine, I'll look at the designer and. . . oh surprise, surprise, its Miles Redd.

{love everything here: the bench built-in, the mix of black + white doors, the paneled ceiling, the flagstone floor}

{even though I am usually all for white, I am really loving this black mantle}

{love the rustic wood beams on the ceiling paired with the white wood paneling on the walls}

{love the transoms above the doorways. must have those, the lights, the style of the cupboard doors}

all images from website of miles redd

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a stacked frame collage.

2011-03-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

Despite making a bunch of pinky promises with myself that I would be completely unpacked within a couple weeks, we had our last lone moving box sitting right there where the black alarm clock is, for a solid two months.

I kind of ran out of steam there for awhile, plus I didn't know what to do with this space. (Plus the box was full of hot rollers, and extra bags of cotton balls. No urgent needs there.)

So when I finally got that box unpacked I decided to pull out all those frames I had hanging in our last homes' entry. I really liked those, and thought about hanging them along the staircase here in our rental home, but I didn't want to put a million holes in the walls when we are so temporary. So I decided to just stack them here along the wall behind the bathtub.

I thought it might be a little too random, but I really like it!--especially since there isn't a backsplash installed here.

And here are a few practical tips for making a stacked (or hanging) collage that looks collected over time, but not too jumbled and mismatched:

1. Buy a few frames that match perfectly (in our collage, it's the silvery gold ones)

2. For the remainder of the frames choose completely different styles (some ornate, some rustic wood, some flat, some carved)

3. Paint all the mismatched frames the same color (I laid mine all on a tarp and spray painted them white)

4. I wanted my white frames to relate back to the silvery gold ones, so I rubbed a gold acrylic paint on the white ones with a washcloth. Acrylic paint wipes easily off with water within the first several minutes, so it is really easy to play with it until you get the exact amount you want.

So there you have it! (If you want a guide on hanging a collage I wrote about one method here.)

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a snapshot: ashlyn

2011-03-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

a snapshot of our ashlyn in march.

eleven years old.

excited for middle school.

loves having a little sister.

loves going for walks.

starting to like clothes and doing her hair.

ballerina.

violinist (memorizing Bouree.)

actress (a fairy in A Midsummer Nights Dream.)

feels loved most when we spend one on one time together.

writes the most interesting stories.

loves her american girl dolls.
is easily frustrated.

wants a turquoise beach cruiser.
is excited to have her own room again.

reads a book a week.

i love you my ashlyn.

another garland.

2011-03-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

I got rid of most of my fabric stash when we moved, but there were a few that I just couldn't part with. Right there at the top of my list was this dick and jane flannel. . . and finally it has been used!

If you've read my blog for more than five days, you probably know I am mildly obsessed with garlands. Bird garlands, mitten garlands, word garlands.

So what better purpose could this adorable fabric serve, than . . . as part of a garland!

Originally it was intended to be a valentines day decoration, but that day came and went without it ever being assembled. So next year it will serve its intended purpose, but for now it is our springtime garland.

In other news: Tomorrow I am planting peas. I hope I'm not too late. And that it doesn't snow. The wind is blowing hard tonight.

In most important news: today is my dad's birthday. I sure do love him.

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under contract.

2011-03-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

Even though this weekend was too chilly for all our planned outdoor fun (we attempted our doughnut picnic--lasted about four minutes, and then decided maybe we've jumped the gun a bit on the whole "spring is here" thing), there was one very bright spot.

We found a house!

We actually looked at it over a month ago, and just couldn't forget it and last week the price dropped, so... we have been negotiating over the last week and we are officially under contract now. We are so excited for our BIG renovation project!

(It is still in all of its 1927 vintage glory.)

So I thought over the next few weeks I would share some of my favorite books, that are giving me lots of inspiration for this next home.

This first one is called The White Home by Caroline Clifton-Mogg. For those of you who love white and bright, this is a must have!

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spring weekend plans.

2011-03-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hooray! The weekend is here!

this weekend i'm excited about:

making a dress for ava (following this tutorial from made)

doughnut breakfast in the park

sunday walks looking for signs of spring and the perfect fixer-upper

cheering for byu with jimmy and my munchkins

happy first day of spring!

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