my happy little life

on halloween beware of things that go bump in the night...

hope your weekend is as spooky scary as a

werewolf bat mitzvah. happy halloween!

today i'm cooking for our annual halloween dinner party

i like to be the hostess and feed people, like monica.

and i also have really funny friends.

it always makes for a good time.

phoebe: ah, catwoman. we meet again.

monica: yes we do, supergirl.

phoebe: it’s me- phoebe.

on our way to the church halloween party

grant thinks i should change up my costume, as every year i am a witch. and i also try to get my family to follow suit. but i say...

i'm off to watch hocus pocus again....

more spooky posts to come.

favorite season, favorite quote

"delicious autumn! my very soul is wedded to it, and if i were a bird i would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." ~george eliot

images from here (check out her beautiful party invites!) + here + here. saving all the autumn goodness i see here.

happy birthday coco

me and my little sister, 1986ish

i'm off to idaho to celebrate 27 years of coco-dependence. too bad we won't be in so cal at the beach, but i'm pretty sure we can still manange to have some fun...

seven years

this picture was taken on our hawaiian honeymoon seven years ago. it feels like that was a different lifetime. and also like it has just been a blink of an eye since that day. how does that work? anyway.

this morning, as grant brought me in some beautiful orange flowers and breakfast, and i laid in bed with the fan blowing on me, i felt like i was still in our hotel room on the big island- feeling relaxed and excited for the future. it was a nice moment.

and then it was time to get up and make cate's lunch and get her off to school and kiss grant goodbye for the day. and i thought, this day is so much better than a honeymoon. i like life. and my husband.

no itch here.

celebrating grant

this weekend we celebrated the husband's 30th birthday. i have been thinking a lot about how incredibly proud i am of him. he has made such good choices and has worked so hard in his thirty years. he is so dedicated to his family and the best dad i could ever imagine. i am incredibly blessed to have him as my husband.

when we got married grant had just decided that he would give up his former life as a fire fighter in favor of going back to college. the same month (the first month of our marriage) that he started school, we found out we were going to have a baby. i was incredibly sick for months and was trying to finish my last semester of school. i couldn't even make myself something to eat, let alone work/ get to school, or contribute in any way to the running of our life. grant, on the other hand, went to school full-time, worked every night, and helped me when he was home. this pattern continued for the next four years. and still, he continues to work so hard for his family. his work ethic and personality are such that i know at any job he has he will be respected and liked. that gives me great peace and security in our roles as man and wife, and i love him for it. and he does it all while making everyone around him laugh all the time.

i am so amazed at the things he creates and can care for. he really loves growing things and fixing things and planning things. he's a man's man and a renaissance man and a family man. that sounds like a lot of men, but really what i mean to say is- he's everything. to me and to cate, he's absolutely everything.

i love you, grant. happy birthday.

grant's old school bday invite

i was just about to hop on the computer to design a little party invite for grant's 30th birthday, when i thought to myself, "i'm so sick of the computer." so i reverted to the high school days when i was a professional note writer. every class period (well, the ones i attended anyway) meant it was time to make a friend a collage note of all our inside jokes and draw funny pictures. did you do that too? ahh, those were the days. anyway, five minutes with a sharpie or two and the result was an invite that looked like it was done by a 14 year old. but i love it, plus it's perfect for grant and his maturity level!

i sent it out via email to our local peeps- but i feel like i forgot someone or two because i'm scatter brained like that lately. if you are tight with grant and want to come celebrate and i forgot you, email me! (and sorry!)

i love you grant! it's the last week of your 20s, enjoy!

cate says...

dictated by cate

dear dad,

i love you.thanks for teaching me almost how to ride a bike. mom even loves you too. thanks for letting me play on your ipod. thank you for letting me borrow you in the guest room when i'm scared. even i love you too.

love, cakies

let's party

 

she's waiting patiently...

^{_{postcard by advice to sink in slowly, purchase here.}}

happy mother's day to me!

_{^{another pic by tara, that i took off her blog, but it's ok, right tara? after all, the picture is of my intense garage sale-ing face in my car with my garage sale-ing address pad in my hand. (also pictured: 1 or 2 of em's dreads).}}

grant didn't ask what i wanted for my mother's day treat, but i told him anyway. i requested/ demanded a saturday morning-afternoon to myself to go garage sale-ing and thrifting all over utah county. (and to come home to a sparkling clean house. is that too much? even so, grant says he's good for it). i couldn't be happier! so, get ready mcdonald's drive through, i'll be there bright and early....

what is your special mother's day treat?

_{^{**more motherhood posts to come- after i return home with my spoils!**}}

two motherhood re-runs.

_{^{cate and me, extra frills by nie}}

last year i participated in nie's wonderful mother week. she asked me to write my feelings about motherhood. i went back today and read it, and it still rang true to my heart:

the moment i looked at my daughter for the first time i doubled in my desires to be a good, strong, faithful woman. motherhood has made me feel everything more deeply: love, joy, happiness; but also pain, worry, and fear. and as hard and tiring as that sounds (and it is both hard and tiring), that fullness of emotion is what I love about motherhood. i will take the worry and work if with it comes love that makes you want to burst, happiness that makes you float, and a desire to nurture that sends you on the errand of angels. being a mother fills me with purpose.

_{^{my 29th birthday cupcake}}

and secondly, a re-post of the lesson this cupcake taught me about motherhood, originally posted january 2007:

i tried to save this cupcake till tonight when i could enjoy it in the bath with a book and some tea, but the temptation proved too great. as i took that glorious bite, i got to thinking about the place this perfect little cupcake must have come from. then i got to thinking, wouldn't it be the best job in the whole world to own a really sweet and pretty bakery? that made oversize cupcakes and little tarts and cheesecakes and breads? that had the most fabulous party cake designer around and sold little girls aprons and mixes and handmade goodies all along the walls?

then i thought, the only better job in the world would be to have a yarn and fabric store with every delicious yarn and gorgeous fabric, both new and vintage imaginable in wonderful colors and big comfortable couches where you sat and knit or hand sewed and tought people to knit or hand sew all day. oh i just don't know which one i'd like more! but then i considered that another really really good job would be to organize and design happy spaces for people in their homes. to teach people how to get rid of clutter and live with inspiring things around them. and design beautiful rooms and cozy beds. or maybe a photographer, wouldn't that be exciting! but even all the creative careers in the world surely can't match the intoxicating thrill of running a corporation, i mused. that would truly be a one in a million life- fast paced, lots to do each day, in charge of so many important things. oh but it would be fun, i dreamed, to be like a personal shopper. who got to pick out all the clothes and shoes and stuff she loved for someone to wear. shopping all the time! what fun! then again, teachers get to mold a whole new generation- that is amazingly rewarding work- so much sacrifice, so much fruit. that would be a saint's job.

"WAIT!" i thought, "i've got it!" the ultimate most wonderful job that takes the cake! being a mom, who can make her home inspiring, clean, and inviting...who can fill it with fragrant smells of cupcakes and bread baking and throw fabulous parties.. who can sit on a comfy couch and knit when the days duties are done...who can take pictures of her family and life any time she'd like, who can learn anything at all that she'd like to do...who is responsible for clothing and fashioning her little family...who runs her little company with hard work, saving, and all the wisdom of the best corporations- in charge of molding the most important things and people in her whole world. why, yes THAT would be the most perfect, the most fulfilling, the most rewarding job (with the most fruit). and would you look at that? i have it.

***more mother's day posting to come!***

some days it's target, some days it's lessons from heaven.

_{^{cate and me, taken by tara}}

i believe there are two types of hard days when you're a mom. the first kind, and most common kind, is just your typical 'if i don't get some peace and quiet heads are gonna roll' day. naps wouldn't be had, the whole neighborhood full of kids were in your kitchen asking for drinks, you were on the phone all day with the insurance, you were called stupid by a five year old, and there is marker all over the wall and the body of the party who claims innocence. these are the days that mostly can be melted away with a bath and a book at midnight, a walk, a trip to target, going to mcdonalds for dinner and letting the kids play in the play place while you sip a diet coke, or whatever floats your me-time boat.

but there's another kind of hard day. a kind that hurts a little more. growth is always painful, and this kind of day stretches and grows all your mommy muscles. i had a day like this recently. it was ugly.

a few nights ago cate was particularly unwilling to go to bed. i was particularly mad at her because she has been so grumpy in the mornings due to a chronic unwillingness to go to bed. i finally scared/ threatened her enough to make her stay in her room, but she was screaming at me across the house from her bed, and i quote: "mooooooooooom! you're so duuuuuuuuumb! i'm so hungry. my body is empty, just bones and bloooooooooood! if you don't bring me some applesauce i'm going to slap your faaaaaaaaaaace! you wanna get slapped?"

(i feel i must point out, i have never said that to her before and i don't know where she got it. i mean, where did she get that she's only bones and blood when she's hungry? who knows.)

and it got worse, but i'll save you the details. let's just say, it ended with grant calming her down and laying with her till she fell asleep and me in the bathroom crying. i really try to be a good mom. i really try to be nice. and i thought, if this is what she thinks of me now, what's it going to be like when she's 16? am i not getting pregnant because i'm such a crappy mom and i can't handle more than one child and it's an act of mercy on God's part? and on the pity party went. 

then i decided to pray. i asked for help and guidance in total humility. meaning, i was determined to follow and do whatever prompting i received, even if it hurt. i was hoping for a bed time routine and parenting tips to be written in the sky for me. but, as usual, no exact instructions came. instead what floated into my mind and heart was a clear picture of how much my Heavenly Father loves me. i felt how much he does for me despite how incredibly imperfect i am, how i am so quick to be demanding and yet slow to obey, how much i whine when i really should be only living in thanksgiving daily, and how often i fall short in kindness offered to others. most importantly, i felt how patient He is with me as i work all this out throughout my life. i felt how much mercy i require daily, and how it might be just a little more than i am willing to give out. and how i have just as many bad mommy habits as cate has bad five year old habits.

in short, my heart heard: "cate is just a child. be kind and patient, and she'll get there. like I am with you."

that's not to say cate doesn't need to be trained up right, and punished for true naughtiness. but sometimes, no, all the time, that can be done with a soft tone, an extra measure of love, and a consistent good example of the kind of behavior i want her to emulate (whoops). that sounds hard. i'm glad i'm not in this alone.

grow, mommy, grow.

p.s.- additional reading on hard mommy days found here, by my friend sara. she had a tough one this week, too. and i think she got the same answer i did. i really appreciated her honest words on how hard it can be to even know what's the right thing to do, let alone do it.

p.p.s. - yes, grant and i have been saying "you wanna get slapped?" in our best cate with attitude impression and laughing hysterically ever since.

p.p.s.s. - i hope your mother's day is restful and full of appreciation and french toast! i'm going to be updating all weekend, sharing some thoughts and images that celebrate motherhood. because it's important. and because i'm pretty sure that i'm a mommy blogger. how do you know if you're a mommy blogger? anyway.

i'm turning three

^{_{(mailbox letters from anthropologie)}}

so, true to tradition, it's a birthday giveaway!

i really love and appreciate all the great people i've gotten to "know" through this blog. your comments brighten my day, and your support of my etsy shop has been heaven sent. as a thank you for a fun three years of my life, i'd love to give you three fun goodies that i made with love. leave a comment for your chance to win these three items from my shop.

^{_{included: aqua vintage floral earrings, a sweet floral hair bobby, and the last journal i will be making.}}

i will randomly pick the winning comment on monday morning. good luck!

^{_{and thanks. really and truly. from my happy heart.}}

the mccalebs are hitting the road

1. Grand canyon, 2. car.jpg, 3. Ne.jpg, 4. Maccas, 5. road trip, 6. pola.jpg

we are heading up to idaho for easter weekend. i'm looking forward to a good book and good tunes on the road, and then a relaxing do-nothing weekend with my sister and her husband. i love where she lives. have a safe and good holiday!

project 31 update

i spent the morning putting together the newborn kits. it was quick, and thouroughly enjoyable work. i'm about halfway done! the main thing i need to do now is sew quilts and a few more receiving blankets. between my stash and what i was sent i believe i have all the fabric i need! yay! many graciously offered to help with the sewing/ quilting part, and i was about to take you up on it...and then i thought about the older primary girls. i am the primary counselor that's over the activity days little mamas and i thought i might ask their leaders if they'd like to come tie the quilts for an activity, and that idea felt really good. so that's where i'm at! ahead of my next birthday deadline, hopefully! quilting the spring away...

i'm taking three big boxes of newborn kits to the humanitarian center today to be shipped out to countries with mothers in need. i do have one item on my to-do list that i don't think i'll ever be able to accomplish, and that is to thank you enough. i had grand ideas of sending everyone thank you cards, and then i got to thinking- wouldn't you all rather i spent that money on one more kit or a few more quilts? i think so. i think you will be so good as to let me thank you from the bottom of my heart here, and i'll get to sewing. this project has renewed my belief in the goodness of people and i am so grateful! thank you, thank you, and thank you.

kiss me, i'm irish

we ate corned beef and cabbage with irish soda bread last night in preparation for the day of the irish. it was super delicious. i was chuckling while i cooked thinking about how my irish grandparents always had a plaque on their wall with this prayer on it: "may you be in heaven a half hour before the devil knows your dead" ha! you've gotta love people with humor like that.

i told cate about st. patrick's day and ireland- she has a lot of irish ancestors through me. i was given the irish name kelly after my great grandparents' last name. i have always dreamed of going to ireland, (and scotland too- mccaleb), to research our family history, and to see the green grass in real life.

really, cate is also mexican, japanese, native american, swiss, and a lot more- a true american- so we actually have a lot of family history travelling to do, but i really love the romantic beauty of ireland, and have always been drawn to that part of the world. plus i really love corned beef.

the best part of dinner was the irish soda bread- it was so so good, and it's really easy to make. (so is corned beef if you've never tried it). corned beef is cheap meat, a head of cabbage is less than 50 cents, and i bet you have all the ingredients for the bread in your cupboard. you should make this meal tonight!

my happy plans for this evening include knitting and watching two favorite movies: far and away followed by tristan and isolde.

have a happy st. patrick's day. here's an irish blessing from us to you...

may the light always find you on a dreary day.
when you need to be home, may you find your way.
may you always have courage to take a chance
and never find frogs in your underpants.

a little note for my valentine

off to the kindergarten valentine's day party

ready to share the love.

valentine's day preparations

i love all the sweet, artistically talented bloggers that offer free downloads around holidays for us readers. cate and i went through some of the free options around the web for valentine's to download and print. cate chose these pretty little traditional valentines cards from bunny cakes. i love them.

the girl loves a project. i mean LOVES. it was like so fun to her to print them off, plan how she wanted to present them, go to the store for candy, sign, and put them together. she just bossed me around and made sure i tied the string right. she didn't want to print off her name- signing was a must.

i think they are so cute. i love her litte handwriting. and she is beyond excited to pass them out. some other projects she and i looked at but didn't get around to (of course) from martha (of course):

i know some people don't love the whole valentine's thing. but it is so fun to me! i don't care if the greeting card company made it up- any day where i get to be pretty, treated with sweetness, have a declicious dinner and some romance is right on in my book.

quick update

project 31 is rolling along. i have donations for every single item i need for the 31 newborn kits and lots of fabric donations and i will sew until there are 31 baby quilts too! thank you SO much, i was overwhelmed by the awesome response. packages are starting to arrive! i will be sure to post some pictures when i get it all together and ready to take to the humanitarian center. my heart is happy.

my 31st birthday celebration

lately i have been thinking and feeling and wanting to be more involved in service activities for humanitarian aid. this desire peaked last saturday when i participated in a humanitarian service conference for women in my area. it was amazing what we accomplished in one afternoon, and i was inspired to try and continue to work. luckily, i belong to a church that is committed to world wide service, and relieving suffering wherever possible. because of this, it is super easy and organized for anyone who wants to help to find a way to help. and i want to help. there are projects and programs going on in every developing country of the world: we are working on immunizing, teaching health care and gardening, providing wheelchairs to previously immobile individuals, vision help, disaster relief, and especially, clothing and feeding the world's poor. i am particularly moved to action when i hear stories and see the pictures of babies being born into such poverty as to be brought home from the hospital wrapped in a newspaper. when i think of that and look at the amount of fabric i have, it makes me ill. my goodness, let's get these babies some blankets!

i decided that every year for my birthday i will try and make a few mothers have a better birth-day for their newborns. i live near the lds humanitarian center where all goods and donations are organized, boxed, and dispatched out to the world. the church pairs with philanthropic organizations to meet specific needs. a constant need for orphanages and hospitals in developing countries is newborn kits: a layette gown, booties, cotton diapers and pins, a receiving blanket and ivory soap. quilts are also always needed. i can certainly spare some quilting time if it means a cold and lonely child somewhere will be wrapped up cozy! can you? i would like to deliver one newborn kit and one quilt for each year of my life, every year, and i need your help. so this year, my goal is 31 newborn kits and 31 quilts. next year 32, and so on (the hope being that each year i'll be more organized and have more help...) and i'd love to blow the goal numbers away.

because the service missionaries and humanitarian workers have seen the exact needs and don't like to waste materials or efforts, the accepted donation requirements are very specific. they are very clear that quality is more important than quantity, we want these goods to be new and be items that will last. receiving blankets must be serged and quilts tied with high loft batting. i am willing to do all the sewing work, as well as packaging all the kits. if you want to help, i am looking for donations of soap, flannel fabric, flatfold cotton diapers, batting, booties, well... everything!

if you'd like to get involved please please email me and tell me what you were thinking you'd like to donate, and i'll give you instructions how to get it to me and try to balance out the items. if you are local, i will be having a quilting and packaging day when i've gathered all the supplies i need- email me if you'd like to come assist with that as well. and finally, if you'd really really like to help, link this post on your blog and invite others who might not see this to help, too.

i just imagine myself being a new mother, bringing home my baby in a newspaper, having nothing to diaper or swaddle her in and i get tears in my eyes. then i imagine being able to wash and wrap my baby and cradle her close and keep her warm and it makes me really want to do something, even if it's a small, humble effort. please help me if you can. email: kellymccaleb@hotmail.com.

2008 year in review

i am happy to be back home and getting into my regular routine. i have a great desire to clean and organize! our christmas vacation was wonderful! i didn't want the new year holiday to pass without celebrating the completion of 2008...

in january the big event was my 30th birthday (i have still not come to terms with this, and i'm already about to turn 31). anyway, i went to idaho to be with my sister, and we celebrated by having fireside hamburgers and diet cokes. grant had a surprise party for me when i got back and it was seriously the funnest night ever. just my favorite people and favorite foods. of both events i only took ONE picture, and here it is, ha!

february was uneventful and full of love.

in march we got to see the mccaleb cousins for easter. such beautiful girls!

april took us outside getting our garden ready. cate loved every minute of it.

may was such a fun month. garage sale season started, lots of friends came visiting, cate graduated preschool and the weather was awesome. my feelings can be summed up in this picture of cate on lovely day in may:

in june the main event was our little puppy penny going through heat. YUCK. we had to rig a diaper and i didn't enjoy one second of it.

in july cate turned five! we celebrated her birthday and the fourth in lake tahoe (home), with lots of family. it was perfect!

august was spent hugging cate as i was in mourning that my baby was starting kindergarten! we also enjoyed the bounty of fresh produce from our garden and prayed and cried for nie nie and her family. it was an emotional month.

september is my favorite weather month. we could be found riding bikes and walking around the neighborhood, as well as eating lots of zucchini bread.

october and halloween found us with our friends and november and thanksgiving found us with family. it was all awesome, but undocumented. i never have pictures of these months because i take lots of family pictures for others during this time and i find myself so sick of my camera that our events get overlooked. but, my sister's family came to utah for thanksgiving and we heather took a million and one pictures of every second of it. one she took that sums it all up...

and finally, december! it was a whirlwind of snow, parties, travel, and fun. christmas spent swimming under the arizona sun. but more on that later. cate is very, very happy in december...

and now 2009...i am so ready for a fresh start. some people hate resolutions, but i love them. tonight i will be making a few goals to help me focus and have the year i want to have. happy new year to you!

lost in a winter wonderland

the snow came down heavy this past week and i steered clear of the computer to enjoy the coziness and prepare for christmas. cate had friends over for hot chocolate and christmas crafts; i baked and baked and still didn't get treats to everyone, but you have to know when to quit; shipped out cards and presents and etsy orders; and, of course, we settled in for a few long winter's naps. i wish i would have taken more pictures of the snow... it was so beautiful! but now we are in snowless arizona enjoying the mild weather. have a merry christmas, everyone!

 

today is baking and packaging day

for neighbors, friends, and family. as always, i turn to martha for the inspiration behind the work. i LOVE days like these.

our tree is making me happy.

i love a woodlandy red tree with birds, berries, pinecones, and lots of lights. the tree smells so good and the lights make me so happy! merry christmas!!

also...what we did this weekend...

• sister heather and fam came and she took our family photos. i am so in love with them, i could stare at them all day. and these are just three of them! she really is so amazing. these are priceless and will be HUGE soon on our wall. thanks heathie!
• we. ate. a. lot. (isn't the point of thanksgiving to show gratitude for blessings by eating? and we are so very grateful...)
• saw twilight thrice. yep, i've seen it three times. (no, you're a loser). and i decided i like it better than the book. the things that bug me in the book (her lame clothes, her constant lying to charlie, the dumb h.s. banter) were replaced with coolness. i love kristen stewart as bella (minus a little bit of the stammering and eye blinking). and edward? yes. yes. yes.
• a lot of rock band. not me, i was too busy cooking. but i now dream of 8 year olds singing "wanted dead or alive" or "i'm a creep" all night.
• were thankful for our blessings. including, but not limited to: a new car, a great family and "super fun" cousins, golden girls re-runs, cameras and computers, our little doggie, our health, our cozy house that now smells like pine from the tree, and the gospel. church was so good yesterday. i came empty and left full.
• hung out and laid around, mccaleb style:

hope your holiday was great, too!

happy december!

we're busy getting ready for christmas...i'll be back soon with lots of handmade goodness to share!

thankful for :: her & him

they are my happy little life.

giving thanks

from a favorite hymn of mine: "when upon life's billows you are tempest- tossed; when you are discouraged thinking 'all is lost'. count your blessings! name them one by one; count your many blessings see what god has done!" i am so excited for this month of putting our worries into perspective and focusing on our abundance. i am greatly looking forward to a feast of real thanksgiving for all we have, and i am going to try to spend the whole month thinking and writing about the blessings in my life.

no matter the price of gas, no matter how hard it is to make your mortgage payment or rent, this holiday season is a wonderful time to remember that if you own more than two pairs of shoes, can eat six straight meals, and have a change of underwear you are one of the richest 5% of the world. as americans, there is so much available to us, all of us, if we want it and are willing to work for it. how empowering! and when you open your eyes to how so much of the world is living, we can be nothing but grateful for our options.

and so, the first of many blessing counting sessions this month:

i am grateful to have found my soul mate, and for the funniest, coziest little girl on planet earth. i am grateful that grant and i were able to go to college. we are first generation in both of our families to go, and even though it's rough paying back our loans, we were able to get educations and have the ability to support our family, and that is priceless! i am grateful that i can believe in god and worship as i choose, and even if others disagree with my views, i am guaranteed the right to them. i am grateful that there are men and women who are willing to give their lives to protect my family from terror. i am grateful that my mother never succumbed to the pressures of her generation to have smaller families- my five siblings are my best friends. i am grateful for my struggle with infertility, as it not only makes mothering the one i have so much more precious, but also gives me empathy for the struggles of other women...and it keeps me on my knees. i am grateful for my friends who don't care if i call them back and forgive me my foibles. i am grateful for the talents i have been given, but also for the many weaknesses that keep me dependent on god. i am grateful for this silly blog, where i can air out my thoughts and feelings have them met with warmth and friendship. i am grateful for books and electronic yahtzee, my beloved bathroom companions. i am grateful for public libraries, where i have learned far more than in all 25 years of formal schooling- and for only "a buck fifty in late fees". i am grateful for the beauty of the earth. i am grateful for delicious food. i am grateful for bathtubs. i am grateful for thrift stores. i am grateful for the office. i am grateful for toasters. ok, i'm getting silly now (but seriously, i'm super grateful for many silly things). 

"the pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. no americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving." -h westermayer.

i am happy for this time of thanksgiving. a time to realize again the constant need to reach out to those less fortunate than me. here's to focusing on the positive, and to living a month of humble gratitude. let's feast!

beware of things that go bump in the night...

my amazing sister took these spooky pictures at a cemetery in illinois. she's the real photographer in the family; i only play one on my computer. there's a ton more spooky shots worth a look at on her blog. they got me in the moooooooood! happy halloween! i hope it's frightening...

halloween 2008. and how i'm blowing it.

remember this fancy post? it was written on, what we affectionately call around here, an upswing. sometimes i get in moods where i am so creative i can hardly contain myself. my plans are lofty, projects are started in every room, life is good! i pump out ideas, crafts, and glorious dinners! i update the etsy shop! i take great pictures! i answer emails! sleep is a burden! i'm hot, baby!

but do you know what happens after upswings? it then is time for the less-affectionately called downswing. it's been downswing city around here. as in: i never sent out invites. i haven't bought/ carved/ cared about pumpkins. cate's costume is still undecided. i didn't decorate the house. i can't find my witch dress. i have no time to rip up fabric or make fancy confections. and frankly, i'm kind of ticked that tomorrow is halloween and i have to miss my ice cream and granola bowl slash golden girls hour. i mean, their hearts are true, they're my pals and my confidants! 

so i've got like, this afternoon, to pull myself out of it and get ready to enjoy my favorite day of the year or i will have officially blown it. i think i'm going to stare at this picture of me from last halloween (ha ha... but really though, i do look like that in my witch dress) until i'm in the mood to carve a big pumpkin, rat my hair, and light spooky candles. because i know i will be so sad i didn't when the next upswing hits. ah, such is the life of a hormonalcreativedramatic woman (i think that's the official diagnostic term). so, in case you were wondering if i always have my act together, the answer is an emphatic no. if you were wondering if i really do look like elvira in my witch dress, the answer is an emphatic yes.

it's just such a shame i can't find it.

planning halloween

it's time to plan my annual halloween dinner. this year i decided i'm going all out. last night i pulled out all my martha octobers, halloween special issues, and fall kids magazines. (yes, i am that devoted of a fan. i have near complete archives of all martha publications, including 2 copies of all the babys, a working copy and a stay nice copy.) here's what martha ideas caught my eye and will guide me for this year's festivities:

1. the invitations. so clever, i love it. but let's be honest, will i get around to making them, or just send an evite? i'm hoping i'll make them...we'll see.

2. the decor: outdoor and indoor. of course the indoor will get done. i have next to no budget for things like this, so i love looks that involve things like lots of shreded fabric... i can do that! the outdoor? i never seem to get around to decorating outside, mostly because i think most people get way out of control and carnivalish and i don't want to participate in that. but i would really love to have this spooky graveyard going on, or these awesome scare crows. maybe i'll enlist grant for those projects. here are great pumpkin carving templates.

3. the table setting. empty jars, chessecloth, candles. meets the 3 requirements: cheap, simple, scary. of course, i do love the second table setting too, and i think it would be just as simple. not sure which to use!

4. the menu. it's the same every year: rustic roasted chicken, potatoes, bread, and vegetables with sparkling cider to drink. the particular recipes can change or be potlucked out. i will probably purchase the chicken from costco, make outback steakhouse style baked potatoes, homemade sourdough bread, roasted asparagus or green beans.. and this year i think i will add this delicious looking macaroni gratin:

 

5. the dessert: haunted house cake! recipe found here. it's labor intensive, but sooo worth it, i think. also i think some cinnamon doughnuts and cocoa will be necessary! i can't wait to try and put this cake together. and i can't wait for halloween, the coziest evening of the year!

6. oh, i almost forgot: the entertainment. truthfully, i never plan any because we have such lively and fun friends and the conversation is enough. but in the background i think i will have this playing (i can't handle real scary movies):

happy halloween!

our weekend in beautiful lake tahoe

have a super weekend!

1. Heat Relief, 2. Salute, 3. sweethearts, 4. Red, White, and Blue row houses, 5. Granny Along: The road to No-where., 6. DSC_9126, 7. First day without tights :), 8. red pie at night, 9. Red, White, and Blue, 10. Birthday, 11. Pinwheel pillow, 12. b0003, 13. Red, White And Vans., 14. patriotic.qov - 484, 15. A patriotic house in Annapolis, 16. patriotic cupcakes

today she is five.

happy birthday to my sweet girl!

we are so ready for summer!

to do list: work on our garden, swimlayinthesunswimlayinthesun, do some quilting, make some strawberry jam, eat veggies from our garden, snap away on my camera to remember this great time of life, go camping, snuggle my girl like crazy before she begins kindergarten, read some mindless novels and watch some mindless movies (like meatballs, a summer fave), and... just be. what are you planning for the summer? 

preschool graduation

                

and it might as well have been high school graduation for how emotional it made me! but seriously, look at these girls, little teenagers stuck in 4 year old bodies! i don't want them to get one second older. oops, too late.

a typewriter and a rose

my mother's day rose was blooming so beautifully today! i was in cleaning up the guest room and thought it would look pretty on the desk even though i'm hardly ever in this room. i went and got it and set it next to the typewriter that coco bought me at a garage sale for my birthday (i collect them). stacked to the right are thrifted copies up of my all time favorite books. the scene was so simple and beautiful to me i swelled with inspiration. and i decided to make this room a place i do frequent. i think i will shut the door when i need some peace and quiet and sit and type a journal entry or funny story for cate's memory book. and i'll pretend i'm a writer in a flat in a paris writing something transcendent. and i'll walk out of the room ten minutes later totally calm and refreshed. isn't it amazing what one little rose can do? now hear this ladies: flowers are not a waste of money!

today my bloggity turns two

i love my little blog and etsy shop. i am so grateful for all of you kind people who have supported me and befriended me. i wish i had the time to make a gift for everyone of you. i can't, but would love to randomly pick a few of you to crochet a little wristlet for. leave a comment, and i'll draw the winners on monday night. thank you so much. for everything.

we had a great easter

we are all grateful for jesus and ready for spring! hope your weekend was lovely too...

we love you!

                             

my thirty favorite things are going to...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

5

Timestamp: 2008-01-29 23:13:12 UTC

so ignoring the accidental double posts that would make the winner:

Happy Birthday! If I look like you when I'm 30, I'll be one happy old lady!! (TOTALLY kidding!) Hope you have a wonderful day! Posted by: Camille | January 24, 2008 at 11:36 PM

and i like that she can crack a joke! oh and check out her blog, it's super cute. camille, email me with your address and you will receive a really really good package! including...

my all time favorite issues of martha, a cd of my 30 favorite songs, archer farms blueberry almond oatmeal, fabric, fabric, fabric, a great book, vintage trims, vintage patterns, birds and flowers, pretty paper, smutty celeberity mags, bath supplies, a buck for a fountain soda, and a few more random goodies that i enjoy to round it out to 30. you should be all set to live a day in my life (i see you're a quilter so that will not be hard)!

details of the birthday partying forthcoming!

it's my birthday

in honor of my lovely life, i would like to give someone a lovely present that represents what has made me happy these last 30 years. wish me a happy birthday and i'll randomly pick a name from the comments to receive a package of 30 (yes, 30!) of my favorite things (music, food, fabric, mags, you know, good stuff). and could you tell me how young i still am? cause i am freaking out.

can't wait to see what grant gets me

in one week i will turn 30. i am kind of ignoring that it's happening. i'm ok with being 30, i think. what does worry me is that my 29th birthday seems like it was a second ago- so is it going to go that fast from here on out? am i basically 40 now? am i going to blink my eyes and be 50? is cate going to be getting married soon? it's all so fast! it really frightens me that it's all playing out so quickly.

however, i'm excited for this time of my life too. my 20's were productive and exhausting. such a time of huge life decisions and change. what with growing up, yucky college and working hard to put myself through it, serving a mission, abandoning my selfish independent life and adjusting to marriage and motherhood, and losing my mom...there was a lot of (sometimes painful) growth. i feel like in these last ten years i've really found out who i am and what i'm made of. and i like that. i feel comfortable in my own skin. i am happy. i am secure. i am determined to be hopeful, and so i am excited to start this new chapter in my history.

and, of course, i'm excited for my "birthday week" to begin no matter the age i'm turning. i really milk the birthday thing. goodbye twenties. hello week of pedicures, massage, uniterupted baths and not doing dishes. oh, and one more great thing: my husband is the world' greatest present giver. for christmas he rolled up us weekly mag in my stocking and had creatively wrapped every form diet coke is bottled in, which he had me open in between opening the cutest clothes and shoes ever that were so me. i mean, look at these shoes he got me, i almost started crying i love them so:

christmas day with grant's fam

warm wishes

thank you all for the sympathy, it really cheered me up! we hope you all have a merry christmas and a happy new year! i'm taking a computer break until then to relax with my family and bake treats and craft with cate! one note: my sister coco will be here to cut hair again januray 4th and 5th. last hair session she was full for 3 days, and this time she only has 2 days to be here, so email her quickly to reserve your spot- nicolereneer[at]hotmail[dot]com. colors, cuts, waxes. one more note: about that time i will be doing a shop update with quilt kits (i've gotten alot of emails for them since i've been out for awhile- so make a note if you've been wanting one), finally some knitted and cotton mary janes, and also some quiet books that i get lots of emails for, but i just needed a long break from the last round of them. oh ya, and some hairclips. i got this email from one of my best customers last week: "hi kelly, this is sara down in texas. we got our cute hairclips in the mail today and I LOVE THEM!!!!! more please, more fabrics, and colors, and buttons. they rock and i want lots and lots." that email made my day, so yep, i'm making more- cate wears them seriously everyday too, they are so cute. on final note: have a warm, safe, and peaceful holiday! with love, k.m.

december to do list*

• look out the window on a snowy afternoon in a cozy blanket on the couch.
• dip toast in hot chocolate.
• take twelve long bubble baths.
• re watch the entire gilmore girls series.
• read the beatles by bob spitz.
• go to costco to look at books, eat samples, and pick up a few presents.
• at least one day, sleep till eleven.
• take penny lane on a walk or ten.
• go thrifting.
• go through old december and january marthas.
• bake bake bake.
• crochet some granny squares.
• take grant on a date and then come home and cozy with a fire.
• make a quilt.
• watch christmas vacation, elf, it's a wonderful life, sleepless in seatle, and star wars.

*note to self: all totally optional. you have no actual commitments for the rest of the month. relax. enjoy your family. lay around. sit by the fire. whatever. simplify and have a merry christmas.