Thursday, March 29, 2012

instagrams of the day: st. louis



we spent the better part of the week on a little family spring break-ation in st. louis.  we of course will have tons of pictures to share soon.

Friday, March 23, 2012

drama queen

i've never been a big fan of over scheduling on children's activities.  we definitely want alex to be involved in group/team settings, but it's never been a driving force of our free time or weekends.  we gave gymnastics a whirl and ballet a twirl and no one flipped for either.  frankly, they flopped.  that's okay, we keep ourselves pretty busy and figured when she found something she was interested in, we'd give it a shot.

we got involved with girl scouts last year and that has provided her with a great extra curricular activity and she seems to really enjoy it, but she did still want to "practice" for something.

how about sports?  she couldn't be bothered.  that's fine and familiar.  so when she found out she could be in a drama group at school, and begged to be a part of it, we thought sure - we'll give it a try.  it didn't take long until the acting bug bit her hard and i can't say i'm entirely surprised.

she was a part of a thrilling performance of  "monster jr. high" last night and we presented her with a small plastic oscar in recognition of her efforts.  her director asked to see it, smiled proudly and told her if anyone deserved an award for drama, it was certainly her.

"see mom" she said.  "i am really good at drama now."
"you should be." i told her. "you've been practicing for a really long time."



Wednesday, March 21, 2012

the rest of the celebration

you didn't think we'd forget to detail the rest of the birthday celebratin' now did ya?

last friday was one of the most glorious days with temperatures in the mid to upper 70s.  it was a windows open, ceiling fans a-blazin', birds a-chirpin' like nobody's business kind of day.   it may have been the nicest birthday, weather-wise, in recent memory.  actually, it just might've been the nicest birthday period.

we spent the day tidying up around the house and finishing up last minute art projects in preparation for the party.  one thing i tell myself every single time we throw a shin-dig is that cleaning all day before a party is dumb when you know it's going to be completely trashed the next morning.  there is no way around it, it makes zero sense, but we do it anyway and even as i get older, that's a lesson i never seem to learn.

this birthday was filled with a lot of my favorite people and a lot of my favorite things, which is exactly the way birthdays should be celebrated.

the day started out so wonderful that i am willing to post a picture of me taken before the introduction of coffee and cosmetics.  my husband gifted me the birthday gift to end all birthday gifts...which i declared will cover me for the next 9 holidays and my 32nd & 33rd birthdays too.


that my friends is my new mac book air (!!!) and those are tears of joy.  awww yeah - it's about to get a lot more tech savvy up in here!  at least i think.  i'm not sure yet really, because i don't exactly know what to do with it yet per se, but i will.  soon.  i promise.

the rest of the day, i surrounded myself with everything i love including this ridiculously adorable $6 birthday gift i treated myself to.  his name is XYZeebs and he is amazing:



and it wouldn't be a celebration around our house if it didn't include ice-cold boulevard beer; a seasonal treat of irish ale was on hand for guests to enjoy...


add in our favorite foods...



(chip tested.  chip approved.) 


and my ultimate favorite cocktail....



some super thoughtful gifts...



and lots of great (and adorable) friends...


and playing catchphrase on the porch into the wee hours of the morning...



...and you have yourself the perfect way to celebrate another year of life on earth.  i honestly can't think of a better way to celebrate than cramming so much awesomeness into a single day.

for the record, the girls' team won.  no matter what you heard or what anyone else says.

Monday, March 19, 2012

instagram of the day: delivery


beautiful flowers sent from my beautiful bff in beautiful nyc.

an early birthday

since alex wasn't around on my actual birthday, we kicked off the celebration early on thursday night with dinner at our favorite local sushi joint.   and since the weather was absolutely perfect, we ate on the patio and i wore an awesome new hat that was custom made for me and contained a wealth of information that i personally didn't think was necessary, but how can you say no to such a dazzling piece?


dinner was excellent but dessert really took the cake - or the fondue.



much like the fondue in our amazing little pot, i completely melted down last year upon hitting the 30th birthday milestone.  this year however, things seemed to be much sweeter.  i was less distraught over another year going by so quickly and more content with life in general.

i don't really know why that is exactly, but i'll take it.

i also don't really know who was responsible for licking this plate and this spoon clean...


   ...but it was my birthday and as i am getting older i have decided i don't really need to explain myself to anyone.

Friday, March 16, 2012

say hello to my little friend


there was no easy way to photograph it, but after the predicted 4 hours and some minor meltdowns, i present:  the light.   it looks like an artichoke or an albino mcdonalds fry guy.  i can't decide.  but i love it and more importantly it's complete just in time for my birthday party tonight!


i found the idea here if you're interested in how it's made and what it is made out of.  ta-da!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

instagram of the day: love


my husband is really cute.  realizing that the weather will be perfect this weekend for cold beers in the warm air, he gave our patio furniture a little love last night.  he also gets a lot of silly - but sweet - ideas around 11 pm.

fun with hints

okay, i'm not nearly as hostile towards my little impromptu project as i was less than 48 hours ago.  in fact, things are progressing quite nicely and the time i estimated for completion is pretty spot-on.  this might be the biggest build up in the history of blogger with the most mild-climactic result, but hey, what else did you have going on this week?  obviously not a whole lot on my end either.  so as the week draws to a close and we close in on the official marker of turning one year older, here is a small glimpse of my celebratory pet project.  i think it kind of looks like an x-ray.  maybe it is...


Wednesday, March 14, 2012

update: this could be fun

this was not fun as a matter of fact.  this project officially began last night and how can i put this delicately?  it sucked!  let me just say i almost tossed it out the window --- like literally wanted to launch it onto the street and pray that it would be run over multiple times by massive semi trucks and bulldozers.  we have a neighbor who walks by our house with about 10-12 dogs and at one point i was wishing she would walk by, find it on the street and let each pooch take their turn ripping it to shreds.  but this morning, after not nearly enough sleep, it is 75% done and i'm feeling somewhat encouraged by my progress.  i would not however, attempt this ever again, but at this point, i can see the light.
wink...wink.



stay tuned....

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

this could be fun

it's my birthday week - yep that's right, i declare the entire week!  i love birthdays and i especially love when it's mine.  so we're having a little get-to-gether this weekend to celebrate and that means a couple of things:  first it's already tuesday, which means i am sitting at my desk wondering when i'm ever going to find the time to clean the house before the weekend?

probably never.  so....i'm glad that's cleared up.

the next thing i am thinking about is what fun new project i can cram into the evening hours while i am also trying to do a million other things (because nothing motivates us to do something around the house like having a little soiree on the horizon).

so i have been wanting to try something kind of fun in our entryway and yesterday i finally found the inspiration (and confidence) i needed to attempt it.  like most of my hair-brained ideas, it took a little persuasion-power for the hubs to finally agree.  i was in need of his height, safety standards and general approval rating.  all of which were not easy to come by.  but eventually he caved.  score 2 points for the birthday-week girl!

this has both the potential of being really rad or a total disaster.  so in other words:  fun!

i estimate that it should take me about 4 hours to complete.  i can easily work on it while staying up way too late and watching international house hunters like we always do.  i offer no sneak peaks at this point, because in the event of total disaster-ness, i'll just delete this post and act like it never happened.  k?

instagram of the day: sunday


ahhh the weekend.  all curled up on the couch watching a little "finding bigfoot" on animal planet.  it's become alex's new favorite show.  the cats aren't really that impressed however.

Monday, March 12, 2012

over the weekend

talk about luck 'o the irish.  as anticipated, it was the perfect day for a st. pat's warm-up parade.  





Friday, March 9, 2012

oh buddy!

it's friday friends.  the weather is spring-like.  the brookside st. patty's warm up parade is tomorrow. we just tapped a keg of boulevard irish ale.  and i'll say it again, it's friday.


how many more reasons do we need to celebrate?  life is good!






instagram of the day: dreamland


alex has never liked to be held.  even as a baby, when you would pick her up, she would always do that back-arching-leg-stiffening thing that babies do when they want to be put down.  she would wipe off kisses, run from hugs and wiggle her way away from a snuggle if she could find an easy way out.

stubborn.

someday she'll read this blog and see all the silly things she used to say and do and when she reads it,  i want her to know that every night i get all the kisses, squeezes and snuggles that i am owed for the day after she slips away to dreamland.  luckily she is one of the soundest sleepers i have ever met in my entire life so she has zero ability to dodge my love at that point.

i snapped this picture of her the other night as i went in to say goodnight and couldn't help but lay down next to her to snuggle for a bit.  i quickly fell asleep and only awoke after the dream i was having caused me to jolt.  that was then followed by the loud crashing sound of her falling off the side of the bed to the floor below.   i gasped, rushed to her rescue and scooped her back into the bed.

she never so much as opened an eye.

there is no moral to this story other than to say: a few kisses and some decent hugs during the day are a lot less painful than getting kicked out of bed in the middle of the night.  i'm just sayin'.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

instagram of the day: fuel


this tiny coffee shop in kc used to be a phillips 66 filling station.  still the perfect spot for fueling up.  so much cuteness going on in this photo.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

what's for dinner?

i want to be a better cook.  seriously, its not hard and i do really enjoy cooking, but i never feel like i have an idea what i want to make, how to make it or how to make it taste restaurant-good.  we love food - like really, really love food and there isn't a whole lot that we don't like or wouldn't consider trying, but when it comes to making dinner, creative paralysis usually sets in and i revert back to three or four standbys; a number i think everyone in my household wishes would drastically increase.

coming up with recipes isn't the only problem, i don't want to just cook meals, i want to cook really healthy meals for my family  and working full time doesn't always give you the option to spend more than 30 minutes preparing anything -- forget about healthy options altogether.  i worked in restaurants for a number of years so i am well aware that restaurant food tastes so good because it is  loaded with tasty treats like: butter, butter, heavy cream, butter and cream.  i love all those things but i also really love things like skinny jeans and leggings, so you know where i'm going with that...

the best news for my impaired cooking has come in the form of kansas city's first trader joes being plopped down in a pretty convenient location for us.  i have worked with several trader joes all over the country for various events over the years and have always been a big fan of their no preservative/organic approach to food so finding simpler meal options is now an option and that makes everyone happier and healthier.  i'm finding some great recipes on their website too, complete with a shopping list for their stores and time friendly commitments.  with so many frozen and pre-prepared options, dinner around our house is easier than ever before and because of all natural ingredients, i can shake the guilt that often comes with taking the easy way out.  and the vegetarian options?  there are tons.  i wouldn't go so far as to say i am a better cook by any means, but at least we have a few more options on that short-list of go-to meals.

...now, making brussel sprouts delicious for a seven year old, that's another challenge all on it's own.



.... oh and speaking of food, we added a new page to our blog: eat with us to see some of our favorite local places to eat when we aren't cooking at home.

Friday, March 2, 2012

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