I spy with my little eye...

Me!

Can you spot me over here?

The teacher

Ethan is full of 4-year-old wisdom and wants to share it with anyone who will listen. Sometimes he embellishes a bit, or makes things up altogether. He is constantly spitting out random facts and often gives little demonstrations on how things work.

"This," he said, picking a leafy thing off of a patio plant, "is what they call lettuce."

He continued, "What you do, is put it on a stick, like this..."

"...and then you wipe things with it." He swept it across the arm of a patio chair. "Now feel how smooth," he said. He repeated the sweeping motion on my arm this time and convinced me that the leaf had somehow made my arm softer.

Egg hunting

As promised, I have photos of our weekend egg hunts and while poor in quality (no 5k yet = no cool camera like the rest of you have... oh, and I am not a good photographer), they capture the point. The kids participated in the ward Easter egg hunt on Saturday and then our family Easter egg hunt on Sunday so there were lots of eggs to be had.

I was so concerned that Ethan would not wear that handsome yellow polo shirt and tan slacks to the Easter party. He absolutely refuses to wear anything that does not have a dinosaur/ball/bike/automobile/superhero/skull on it. I was a little disappointed but laughed when he lined up next to the other 4-year-olds  pre-hunt. I am already that embarrassing mom! 

Ethan had a ball, thank goodness! I told him to go his own way instead of following the other kids. Good lifelong advice, if you ask me :-).

Ruby was more interested in seeing what was inside each egg, than in locating more of them.

We had another egg hunt at our house Sunday.

Note the Lynyrd Skynyrd shirt he picked out because of the "skeleton," which he says is mean. Should I be worried? At least Ruby looked Easter appropriate in a dress my good friend Val made for her before she moved to Texas. Isn't it darling?

We had a wonderful Easter, and though it is not documented in photos, we were fed spiritually as well as physically. I hope yours was just as good.

Redemption

He looks pretty happy, no? More Easter photos to come...

autumn

My friend Autumn recently moved to Hawaii and we miss her and her darling boys immensely. Thank goodness for blogs so we can keep track of each other. I love her blog because she posts about the crafts and projects she is working on. She is very talented and I am pleased to announce that she recently opened up an etsy shop! Check out autumn for lovely little earrings and clips!

Practice run

This was the exact face Ethan made as an Easter egg hunt at his friend's b-day party wrapped up. I approached him to see how many eggs he had gathered and came upon a very empty looking basket. I put on my happier than happy face and said in a high, cheery voice, "Good job, E-man!"

He simply looked up at me, put two fingers up in the air and said in a dejected voice, "Two."

He had two eggs. And there had been 600 scattered across the playground to find. His strategy wasn't great. He chased the older kids (with that blinding mask on, no less) and of course, they cleaned up where ever they went. He was just a little too late :-).

I laughed but my heart sort of hurt. My girlfriend, LuAnn, took a few out of her 2-year-old's basket (he had so many that she figured he wouldn't miss a couple) and I went and re-hid them and then waved him that way so he could "find them." He did and seemed much happier after that.

We'll just call that a practice run. I'm hoping he learned a lot because I'm counting on him amassing a lot of loot at the big Easter egg hunt this Saturday :-).

Lazy Sunday afternoon

I hate to admit it, but last Sunday afternoon was one of the first I have really enjoyed in a long time. It has been a very cool and rainy Spring this year and unfortunately that has rendered us stir-crazy - especially my husband, who spends the entire week in an office and needs to get outside on the weekends. Luckily, we are currently experiencing lovely Spring weather and we had a typical lazy Sunday afternoon.

 We roamed the neighborhood and the kids took advantage of the little playground behind our house.

Ryan shaved off his beard. I miss it. But I'll still take him :-).

Anyone over 5 feet, beware... Ouch!

Just training for the 5k...

...just kidding. This is more like a late night session of "I wonder if I can still do that." Guess what? I can (with ample spotting by Krysta)! And yes, this is at my church :-).

In real "training for the 5k" news, I ran about a little less than a half mile the other day and told Ryan I couldn't do it. He said I was running too fast - for me, at least. He told me to take shorter strides and keep my body tight. So I might not exactly run a 5k. I plan on trotting that 5k! (no walking though!)

From loathe to love

I used to be a closet HGTV hater. I loathe those shows where they have like $100 to spend or only a day to complete a room makeover so the end products look pretty rotten. OK, I will admit, they look better than anything I could create, but still, the finishes always looked cheap and forced. That said, I would still turn to HGTV sometimes if there was nothing else on TV.

And then I discovered House Hunters (especially the international variety!) and Property Virgins and I enjoyed watching people find a home they loved. Then one day, I stumbled upon Sarah's House and  relished watching the process as she bought a home, envisioned it in her amazing style, gutted it and made it beautiful.

While I watched Selling New York Online the other day, I clicked on Secrets from a Stylist, since the show's host, Emily Henderson, seems quite stylish. Guess what? She is!

On her show, Emily interviews a couple that would like their space remodeled, then diagnoses what their two styles are. She then combines their styles using a layered decorating technique and changes the look - and especially the feel - of their rooms. While some of the rooms are not necessarily my style, I think she does an amazing job of pulling an eclectic look together. I would love to have that ability!

Anyway, I promise HGTV isn't paying me anything :-). I just am really enjoying it lately.

Weak

While driving by a 5k race in our vehicle Friday on the way to satisfy a Chic Fil A craving, Ryan told me he would give me anything I want if I would run a 5k with him. Some shoes immediately came to mind:

The next day I decided I would rather have a nice camera and lens than a new pair of shoes, however fabulous they are. He hasn't agreed to it but I would say that's a reasonable "anything I want" gift.

Really, I guess it's asking a lot since a 5k isn't the greatest human feat imaginable. While driving past this race, I spotted an old man who could not have been younger than 85. His skin was hanging off his bones and his head hunched almost below his shoulders. He was running right along with the pack. Most all of the other runners were just normal people. Only a few looked incredibly fit. I should be able to pull something like that off, right?

You can decide for yourself but history suggests that statement is wrong. Take for example, the last time I ran a mile. I would say it was my senior year in high school and I was required to run a mile around the school track. I got around twice and began to feel nauseous. I couldn't run the entire thing.

I have countless examples of almost passing out while exercising. It even happened a few times after walking up my hill to my old home from the park or metro with my kids in the stroller.  Lately, I have been getting up on Monday mornings and exercising with my friend Ali. Ali is eight months pregnant, but a pilates instructor and avid exercisor so she knows what she is doing and is quite fit. Every time we run on the treadmill, I have gotten to the point of almost passing out. And this isn't just that nauseous feeling. When I am about to pass out my ears start to ring, then I almost lose my hearing altogether. Everything sounds like it is coming from inside a deep tunnel. I don't usually stop until my vision starts to blacken. At this point, I stumble off the treadmill and find the nearest chair, where I promptly sit and drop my head between my knees. It takes a minute or two and then I regain my composure. The rest of the day I have a headache.

The second or third time this happened, Ali suggested I am missing key nutrients like iron or other vitamins...I have always been anemic. I like to think this is the problem because the alternative would be that I am seriously out of shape. Truthfully, I am not in shape, but I hate to think that I can't handle a treadmill for a few minutes without falling apart.

I am weak and, more than owning some deliriously amazing shoes or a camera so I can finally stop using my phone, I would like to be strong and resilient. I want stamina and endurance. And I wouldn't mind a bikini body either.

Maybe I shouldn't be blogging about this since my track record of going through with things that require a lot of motivation isn't great, but I think I want to run a 5k? Anyone want to join me?

$50 for $25 at G Street

Speaking of G Street, Living Social has a great deal that runs out in 9 1/2 hours. I know, I should have blogged about it yesterday, but if you are in the area and want a $50 gift certificate to G Street for only $25, go here (click on the link). You can buy as many as you want so if you need to purchase a more expensive textile, like upholstery or designer fabric, you can get it all 50 percent off. Pretty awesome deal.

Feeling the handmade love

Remember this? I wanted to buy this pattern for the awesome utility jacket but was too intimidated by all of intricacies of it.

And then in the mail Friday, I received this:

My beloved Aunt Wendy, who also made my wedding dress, sent me this jacket for my birthday. I wore it on our date Saturday night.

I never understood the planning and time and skill it takes to pull off something like this until I started sewing. Wendy and my own mother have made me so many things over the years and I don't think I have expressed to them how amazing it feels to receive and wear something handmade (and one-of-a-kind) from them. Thank you for all of the love and hard work and thanks, Wendy, for this fabulous surprise! (sorry about the poor photo to illustrate it) 

Selling New York and wasting my time

I am currently obsessing over Selling New York on HGTV. I watch it Online, so I put the kids down at night, plop down on the couch and then watch as many episodes as I can get in a row before it's time for bed. Ryan isn't as interested in this as he was in my former old-tv-program binge, Arrested Development, but I pulled him in yesterday when one episode featured country music star Clay Walker, who was looking to purchase a place in New York. According to Ryan, you can't beat 90s country, so he was interested... for a few minutes.

Anyway, the show is about realtors in New York, their clientele and the amazing spaces that they help people buy and sell. I love the show because I fantasize about owning a modern penthouse with huge windows and a private outdoor terrace in New York. In this imaginary world, I would throw dinner parties (with my chef cooking, of course) out on the terrace with amazing views of Manhattan in the background...

I have a lot of projects that I need to work on (including something to do with the fabric below. I'll post on this later), but I can't pull myself away from the screen.

Have you discovered a show recently that you feel like/are binging on? 

Imagining what it's like to be street chic

Staying at home with little ones all day isn't super conducive to wearing fashionable clothing. But that doesn't mean I can't imagine being in the city with heels on. One of my favorite things to follow is Elle's Street Chic blog. It documents fashion on the streets of all of the fashion hubs. The styles range from conservative and classic to bold and bizarre. Whatever the look, it is fun to see what these fashion trailblazers are sporting.

Milan: simple and structured, I love her straight coat. I also like how Street Chic captures greasy faces and all, since these people don't expect a photo shoot when they leave the house.

New York: I love anyone who can pull off electric purple pants. She does it with ease...Oh and I love her platforms.

New York: quite conservative and classic. I love her high-waisted jeans, oversized fur collar and tall tote.

Paris: I have never been to Paris, but she is how I imagine Parisiens look.

Paris: This is not just a pop of color. The amazing color of her coat is perfectly balanced by camel accessories.

Paris: I love her bag, coat and the color of her shoes. The camera feels forced to me. :-)

Milan: So can we be matchy-matchy again already? She looks so feminine and there is that fabulous color again in a warmer tone.

New York: Loving the pleats again, in metallic this time.

Do you like any of these looks?

It keeps coming back around...

Today marks the first day of the last year of Ryan's 20s. I'm telling him he needs to live it up (in hopes that he includes me in his livin it up plans). Happy Birthday Ryan!

Ethan and Ruby say Happy Birthday too (sorry no photos of Ryan. We really should take more photos of ourselves)!

La Roux

Ruby is cracking us up constantly. We love this girl, but sometimes have to tiptoe around her since she has a bit of an attitude. We left her with a sitter a couple of weeks ago and when we came back, she just glared at us, like she was so mad. It took about an hour to get her to even smile. She is best at glaring at other people. A kid was acting up behind us in church the other day and she stared the poor guy down.

She is obsessed with Woody and "Melmo." She thinks a lot of things are "fu-y" and when she is extra happy, she shrieks, "Yippee," which I love, but have no idea where she learned it from. She recently learned to say the "K" sound on the end of "milk" and she ends up putting it on other words too, like, "pook."