Western obsession

I woke up to find this on my kitchen table...

(click on image to enlarge)

There is a bit of a Western obsession in my house, which began a few weeks ago with Silverado.  He watched True Grit last week. Now he is pulling a Lonesome Dove marathon. Lonesome Dove, by the way, is like a man's soap opera. I didn't see the first few episodes - Saturday I was sewing, baking and preparing a lesson - so I asked Ryan to catch me up.

 His description went something like this:

"This guy accidentally killed a man. That lady (a young Diane Lane) is in love with him, but he is a jerk and lied to her. Oh, by the way, she is a whore and sleeps with lots of men. Most women in this movie are whores. Anyway, he dumped her and she got kidnapped by some bad guys and some Indians, who repeatedly raped her. But she is now in love with this old guy (played by Robert Duval), who rescued her. These guys go around and steal cattle. They are the good guys."

Me: "and they steal cattle?"

Ryan: "Well, they steal it from some bad Mexicans."

Me: "Right, that makes them good."

Pouf

Ages ago, I bought this Amy Butler pouf pattern because I planned on making some fun little poufs - or gumdrop pillows - for my future daughter's bedroom (that's how long ago it was). No, I never made them but I am glad I have the pattern now. I may be late in the game, but I am seeing poufs everywhere.

 Calypso St. Barth

 Viva Terra

I adore these white leather ones (not to mention that pink couch).

source unknown

I have a lot of different patterns going on in my living room. I need to add a little texture, so I think I will make mine in maybe a teal or green velvet.

Or... I was searching for velvet fabrics and came across this vintage candy apple red. Kind of fun, right?

Here's hoping E and R aren't prone to claustrophobia

Hear me: Pinterest has changed my world forever. Never have I felt so inspired by images or moved to change my surroundings. And I have wasted more time gazing at the loveliness on Pinterest than I should admit. Ryan called to remind me this morning that my job today is to fold the laundry. That's how bad things have gotten around here. I'm proud to report those clothes currently look like they could be on a table display at the Gap.

Looking past my laziness, one idea that Pinterest keeps throwing at me is the concept of a built-in or nook bed. They look so cozy and sweet. The other night I told Ryan that if we ever happen to own a home, we have to build our kids' beds into or out of the wall or place them in an existing nook. I know we aren't the most motivated folks, but if Ryan starts to learn basic carpenter skills now, then in 10 years (about the time we can afford a real home out here), he should be some sort of a pro. :-)

Awe heck, maybe we should have one too!

Good at soccer, he is

 Ethan also finished up his soccer class on Friday. It was not only the last day of class, it was costume day so Ethan dressed up... for about two minutes while he sat in the shade watching Clifford on the phone. When it was time to play, he deemed the Jedi robe too hot for soccer.

He proved he doesn't need the force to show off his mad skills.

Congraduations

 Ethan graduated from preschool on Friday. Well, technically he didn't graduate since the little dude is heading back there next year. So we'll say he graduated from his first year of preschool. Quite an accomplishment considering all of that hard organized play they put in. Boy, did we celebrate.

 Oh, and I shouldn't have called him a "little" dude. According to his preschool book, he has grown three inches since September. I knew I wasn't just seeing things.

 He adores his teacher, Miss Rebecca. He has made quite a few friends too... from all over the world. At his end of the year picnic, we were all supposed to bring a dish from our home country. I totally missed out on an opportunity to take green jello with shredded carrots in it. Or funeral potatoes. I took a fruit salad that was quite a hit, so no regrets :-). But next year I might just show up with some Lion House rolls.

They have practiced and practiced over the last few months to put on a show for us. And don't worry, Ethan didn't crack a smile the entire time. He did warm up to be quite the performer though (see video at the end of this post).

And yes, things got a little out of hand towards the end.

A quick trip to the beach

Last week we traded our Play-Doh and fake sand...

...for the real stuff.

We left the beltway behind and discovered Bethany and Rehoboth beaches. We may have brought home a suitcase full of sand that has since found its way into every little corner in our home (including in between our bed sheets), but it was more than worth it.

Oh, and we saw dolphins. Unfortunately, this is the only photo I got and it is of only the very tip of one of the dophin's dorsel fins, but I was freaking out. Ryan told me he has never seen me so excited and the poor guy has lived with me for seven years. Of course, photos never accurately depict how near things are, so you have no idea how close these dolphins were to the shore! That was a very happy moment for me and Ethan thought it was pretty cool too.

p.s. Do you love the too-close-for comfort squeeze shot attempt? Yep, that's the only photo of me on the trip.