A photo and a cactus...

This image makes me wish we had more photographs hanging on our walls. We have a few that I love from our friend Kris, but now I'm on the hunt for a large-scale wacky ass portrait. Oh, and a cactus.

*photo found via emmas designblogg

Crazy town...

EZ E has spent the last few days channeling his inner-Judd Nelson (ala The Breakfast Club). He refuses to remove these crazy winter gloves for any reason. To make matters hysterically crazier, yesterday he kept talking about some guy he called the "fat pisser".
EZ E: Remember when the fat pisser cut Woody's arm?
Me: What?!
EZ E: The fat pisser. He cut Woody's arm and Jessie yelled, "That's not fair, fat pisser!".
Me: Hmmm. The fat pisser?
EZ E: Uh huh. The fat pisser with a tool.
Me: ????????
I don't know how, but we finally realized that he was talking about 'the prospector' from Toy Story. One rainbow baby + one two-year-old= crazy town.

To go...

I totally love Fishs Eddy and always forget to check it out when I'm on the hunt for gifts. I've never been to the brick & mortar store, but I'm dying to go. Has anyone gone? Is it as fabulous as it looks?

Birding...

Today did get better. I had been saving an old spice shaker forever, so this afternoon we filled it with bird seed, slapped a fancy label on it, and went out to feed the birds. Our whole yard was soon filled with crackles, which made EZ E ecstatic.

Pretending...

I already loved The Brick House blog, but she also has a rad tumblr page. That's where I found this photo, originally from a new-to-me blog called chezerbey. That's all I need...two more things to look at everyday (that's me pretending like I don't really like it).

Maid service...

This morning started off great (please note sarcasm).
7:00 a.m. (our two-year-old EZ E yelling from his bed): "Hello! Bring my breakfast to me!"
7:01 a.m. (again from his bed, but louder): "Hello! Mommy! Daddy! BRING MY BREAKFAST TO ME!"
Not being in the bed & breakfast business, PRH and I, of course, ignore him and...
7:01 and a half a.m. (EZ E gives it one more screaming try): BREAKFAST!!!
7:02 a.m.: He finally tromps out into the living room with the "get ready for a challenge today" look on his face. Oh, and he's soaking wet. Fabulous.
7:03 a.m.: I'm changing this one last diaper and then I'm running away.

*This amazing hand-made breakfast is by thisisloveforever

Bill me...

I'm a sucker for security envelope anything. These necklaces by UglyKittyRedeux definitely fit the bill.

About damn time...

Kicky's alphabet quilt is finished! Ha! What's that? She's already five months old. Hey, let's just be happy that it's finished. I'm already still annoyed about the whole 26 letters in the english alphabet thing. After letter number, oh let's say 2, the hand-applique really started to be a drag (I even cheated and machined a few letters). The quilt itself is a bit tiny, but so is EZ E's baby quilt. My plan is to make them bigger as they get bigger. Clever, right? Sure, just go with it.

I'd like to know...

Today is Monday, so that means it's time for I'd like to know, a weekly post dedicated to talented artists, designers, etc...all people I'd like to know and who I thought you may like to know of too. Today I'd like to know Holly Wales. These are fabulous! You can see more of Holly Wales's work here and be sure to check out her blog while you're at it. BTW, I found her work in an interesting book called Sketchbooks: The Hidden Art of Designers, Illustrators, & Creatives. I always love to see what's going on in artists heads, so this was a good read. Happy Monday!

This weekend...

We have an action-packed weekend ahead of us. We're looking at three houses this afternoon; my parents are rolling back into town after a week in Florida, so we're making them dinner tonight; my brother-in-law's birthday party is tomorrow night; and then our friend Jeff is coming to visit on Sunday. At some point I'm sure we'll also sit on the back porch staring at the backyard, trying to work up the momentum to build a raised bed for a small veggie garden. What are you doing? Hope you all have a lovely weekend and I'll see you again on Monday!

*photo by maus.

Fashion lady...

EZ E made this mask for me. According to him, my superhero moniker is 'fashion lady' and this is the mask that I'm to wear when fighting crime, making lunch, driving the car, cleaning toilets...pretty much constantly. What fashionable lady wouldn't want to wear this mask?

Get cooking...

You may recall my obsession with the Lodge enamel cast iron apple pot. The photo above? That's the apple pot in our kitchen! Hells yeah! It was a birthday gift from my parents (thanks, mom and dad!) and I'm happy to report that it's just as fabulous as I had imagined. Thirty-three cheers for wacky cooking gear!

Foxy...

TsuruBride knocks it out of the park again! I know that I've posted these bags before, but they're just so hysterically awesome that I couldn't resist posting them again. Too funny.

Blowhole...

Meet the newest member of the A.O. household...Blowhole (EZ E chose his name). He's a betta and was a gift from my parents to EZ E. I won't go into the gory details, but I accidentally almost killed Blowhole the other day...right in front of EZ E. He screamed, "What are you doing to Blowhole?!" and my stomach sank. I thought for sure Blowhole was a goner, but luckily he pulled through. He occasionally floats around the top of the tank, but I think he's just toying with me. He still seems pissed that I almost wiped him out. I know...get over it, Blowhole.

Collected...

I have a couple of metal picnic baskets, but nothing that rivals this collection. I totally love the faux bois/faux basketry patterns. I only found a few on etsy, but found more on ebay. They're super cute and would make great storage containers. BTW, this photo came from a great book from Country Living called Collection Style: Arranging & Displaying Your Treasures. It's definitely a book that I plan to add to my library.

Color and type...

This image from emmas designblogg reminds me of the tiny collections I had as a child...and all of the collections that I'm sure EZ E and Kicky will have. I'm already kind of a freak about keeping their toys organized so I'm loving that these toys are organized by color and type.

Spidermom...

Here's my quick and dirty version of this awesome cape, with spiderman on one side and batman on the other. Yet another costume that EZ E refused to pose in*. Fortunately, however, he wears this costume everywhere (a sign of true love)! EZ E also insisted that I make masks for each. I'm seen here posing as spidermom, secretly wishing this is the last time I'll be seen in public wearing this cape and mask. I'm willing to bet it won't be.

*this post has made me reconsider the photos I put on my own blog. Creepy is right!

Sucky...

Late yesterday afternoon PRH came rushing outside to show me Kicky's wrist, which was swollen and purplish red in color. Even though she wasn't crying and didn't seem uncomfortable, we thought she may have sprained it or had some sort of allergic reaction to something. We immediately called the pediatrician and rushed in for a visit. The prognosis? A hickey. Apparently she had sucked on her little wrist so hard that she left a little bruise. The doctor and nurses were laughing so hard...and I was mortified. Perhaps her new nickname should be 'sucky'.

On the farm...

I'm dreaming of beautiful farmhouses with generous porches today.

*photo from country living

The painter...

EZ E spent a considerable amount of time this weekend "painting" our patio with water while we worked in the yard. My father-in-law used to keep our niece occupied with this idea and I think it's particularly brilliant.

Breakfast conversation...

March 23, 2010 (today) at 7:02 a.m. over breakfast
Me: Hey E, did you poop your pants?
EZ E: It's not nice to say poop, mama.
Me: Poop isn't a bad word.
EZ E: Oh, you just can't say it at the post office?

*photo by honey.huckabee (print available here)

Congrats...

My best friend and her husband bought a new-to-them mid century house this weekend and this is the ceiling. Nice to meet you, floor to ceiling limestone fireplace! How fabulous is that?! I can't wait to see it in person. Congratulations, Em and Greg!

Fingers crossed...

It's quite rainy here today, but I'm not complaining because the past week has been gorgeous. Our friends came over and we had a great time racing around in the back yard, trying (unsuccessfully) to keep our children from whacking each other in the head. Today we're going to the library after lunch. Hooray! I requested a ton of books and they're all in, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a sleeping baby and a happily occupied EZ E.

*photo from admiral and tea

I'd like to know...

Today is Monday, so that means it's time for I'd like to know, a weekly post dedicated to talented artists, designers, etc...all people I'd like to know and who I thought you may like to know of too. Today I'd like to know Paola Guimerans. I saw her work on little paper planes and went to look for more. I was definitely not disappointed. She's clearly someone who loves to draw. You can see more of her work here. Happy Monday!

This weekend...

Our plan for this weekend? Spend every possible minute outside. What are you up to?

*photo from virginhoney

Swatches...

When we lived in Buffalo, we spent a lot of time walking and a lot of time looking at houses. Some of the color combinations were so interesting and I just found about a million photos I took of them. We had put an offer on a beautiful Victorian when we lived there and I would have loved to dress it up a bit. It was in a slightly dodgy neighborhood, but it had great light and amazing fireplaces (below). The owners refused our offer, but ended up accepting much less nine months later. Oh well.

Refusal...

I wish we had made this space helmet a bit bigger...because PRH and I are the only people who wear it!

Duck, duck...

I saw these slippers on etsy this morning and couldn't resist sharing. They're from saint reagan's hollow and I think they're pretty hysterical.

Genuine jazz hands...

I'm sure it'll come as no shock to all those familiar with my somewhat obsessive tendencies that I went back to Target again yesterday to scope out the Liberty of London collection. There was definitely more stuff to be had, but fortunately I came to my senses before shelling out tons of cash. Plus, all I wanted was a damn planter...and then had to wonder, when did I become some old lady who just wants a 'damn planter'?! When did I become the girl who puts on gardening gloves and makes genuine 'jazz hands' for the camera (note the fuzziness of the photo)?! In my defense, the gloves are a little slice of perfection. OK, I'm off to stack rocks...and come to terms with my old-ladyhood.

Subtle and clean...

Spring is here, my babies! And I couldn't be more excited! I woke up this morning and felt a shift in the air. I started cleaning windows yesterday and I'm going to finish the job today. Wooo hooooo! Yes, clean windows make me giddy in the dorkiest possible way. We're also changing things up in the A.O. backyard. This is the first time PRH and I have lived in a house with a decent backyard, so we're pretty psyched to get things rolling back there. I've been thinking about this backyard* with it's big minimalist planters and that wire chaise in the background. Not to mention all of the stone, the floating stair, the light fixtures, the cut-out stair, and the doorway...none of which will be happening in our backyard, but I am going for something subtle and clean. EZ E is on a rock-gathering kick, so I'm going to capitalize on that and have him help me stack rocks for a flower bed. Wish me luck.

*I think this photo came from Anna's amazing tumblr (my very favorite), but I didn't make a note of it. If you know where the image is from, please let me know so I can properly credit it.

To make...

I'm thinking about this paper chandelier this afternoon and trying to figure out a fun way to make one with EZ E. We tried something with straws and paper circles, but it was a disaster.

*photo of Lena Corwin's paper chandelier from the flickrstream of freshly blended

Fancy that...

It's Spring, so I decided to make a wreath for our front door. A couple of wreaths that I'd seen online have been in my brain for a while now; this wreath from Smile and Wave and the gorgeous yarn wreaths that Katie Runnels makes. Using those as inspiration, I combined the two ideas and made this. I like quick-ish projects that make the front of our house look a little fancier.

Fight...

Andrea Heimer has a new show up at Rare Device that I wish I could see in person. These are awesome...and so is Rare Device.

The wing wingers...

You can always tell when artist parents need more time in the studio. I didn't mention the other day just how much PRH and I got into making the space shuttle. It was meant to be a project that we did with EZ E, but ended up being a project that we totally took over. Here we are on Saturday 'winging the wings'. What's that on our heads, you ask? Why, it's the homemade space helmet and wings that EZ E refuses to wear, of course. PRH and I thought he'd wear it if we did...we were wrong. I particularly love the photo of EZ E and PRH without the helmet on...he's serious about winging those wings! Oh, and don't let Kicky's little smile fool you. She's been waking up at least 3 times per night for the past week, which is making me C-R-A-Z-Y. She's lucky she's cute or I'd have to send her to space with her brother.

Taylor ceramics...

Our lovely and talented friend Cara has opened a new shop! We own several of Cara's pieces and use them all of the time. Wouldn't these make beautiful spring-time hostess gifts?