American Girl

Growing up in Sweden I can't say that I grew up playing with American Girl dolls. But something about them intrigued me and so when the first catalog arrived a few years ago Katie and I poured over it together and that was it for us. Instant love. Santa came through and delivered her first doll, Elizabeth on Christmas morning. Elizabeth went everywhere with her and the sight of my four year old daughter without her was rarer than an up close, non disputed picture of Big Foot. But after about a year or so something happened. Elizabeth spent most of her time head down in one of the toy basket and I chalked it up to (expensive) lesson learned. Cut to last year. One day Elizabeth was back again. No explanation. Back came the catalogs but now she was also devouring the books and when you would walk past her room you could see her reading intently with her doll right next to her and my heart melted. Elizabeth was joined by a Just Like Me doll that was eventually named Emily last Christmas Eve.

One evening we were snuggled up together, talking about anything and everything, when she blurted out... "I wish we could have a mommy Katie trip. You know,  just you and me oh... and Elizabeth". After some intense brainstorming we decided on making a weekend trip to a city with an American Girl store. We were maybe a week or so in the planning stages when an email showed up in my inbox.         An American Girl store was coming to Washington! 

New plans were in order. After stalking the AG website for weeks I decided to call the reservations line to see what was going on. In one of those rare instances of just sheer happenstance, they had just opened up the reservations an hour earlier. Score! I rattled off my information and we had our reservations. July 16th, which gives us months to plan the rest of our fabulous Mommy and Katie weekend. I don't know who is more excited, Katie or me? Because I know the times when she will want to spend a whole weekend with just me are slowly ticking away. Soon I will be embarrassing and I "won't understand". But for now. I have a date with my best girl and for that... thank you American Girl. 

Push Up Cake Pops

How can you not love these? When I found these cake push up pops on Amanda's blog who in turn found them at Everything Sweet I was prepared to throw everything I have planned for my kids' birthdays out just so I could incorporate these. After calming down (a little) I started thinking... How perfect would these be to bring in to school for that special birthday treat to be shared with the class?

The pop up disposable tubes have sold out on Amazon but after a fairly intensive google session I was able to find them here and at $47 for a 100 pack including the lids. I think it is still a pretty reasonable expense. In fact my immediate response when finding them went something like this. Click add to cart, Check out & Purchase.

Carter Kustera Silhouettes. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

I love Carter Kustera's fun new modern take on silhouettes. They're dramatic, colorful and just plain fun. I especially love the "fun fact" on each person and the fact that he includes the family pet? I'm sold.

What I'm not so sold on though is $150 and up price for each unframed portrait. It isn't that they are not worth it. If I was independently wealthy these would be hanging in my living room over the console right now. So while I lust for and covet them I just can't bring myself to buy them. I worry and fret that I might grow tired of them and with that price tag I'd feel bad putting them away if (when) I'd grow tired of them or wanted to change things up. I searched the web and found several diy step by step tutorials. You see, coming from a long line of creative and crafty women I suffer from a special kind of delusion. I find something I love and convince myself that I can do it better and/or for less myself. In this case, I may not be able to do it better but I can definitely do it for less and I think the fact that I make them myself might make them more special. I'm putting this project on my to do list.

The hunt for the elusive "perfect" mirror

I admit it. I have a thing for mirrors. Not because I feel the need to look at myself in them but because I love the way the add light and interest to a room. The dot over the i or the finishing touch if you will. But for some reason I always have a hard time pulling the trigger on buying them. I find myself procrastinating, making justifications and even talking myself out of buying them. I guess part of it comes from the fact that let's face it, a good mirror isn't cheap but I think more of it is that I don't want to make a mistake and the wrong mirror in the wrong place is the perfect storm of awful for me. But here I find myself... needing that perfect mirror over the fireplace in our living room. (I know... a mirror over the fireplace... so new and forward thinking but let's face it, it is a classic for a reason. It works) So I googled and ta da! Enter convex mirror. Love at first sight.

Just a few problem standing in the way of me and my true love. At 24" it is way too small. I need something almost twice the size but worse, the closest thing I could find in the size I need made my wallet hurt just thinking of buying it. At $1500 plus, even I can't justify that purchase. As any normal sane person would I went through the stages of grief. 

Denial. No, surely if I look harder I will find a convex mirror in the right size for the right price. Must look harder. Everywhere.

Anger. What the hell? Why is it when I want something I can never find it in the US. If l was back in Sweden I bet people would stop me on the street to give me their convex mirrors.

Bargaining. Okay. Maybe I can make it myself? Or maybe I buy the mirror and I'll just reupholster the two couches in the living room myself. Sure, I've never done that before but I could learn. I mean that would save a lot of money and then the mirror really wouldn't be that expensive. In fact, I'd probably save money this way.

Depression. Let's face it. I can't reupholster the couches. They are tufted and awesome and I'll never forgive myself if I screw them up. Which I will. Sigh.

Acceptance. Convex mirror. You and I weren't meant to be together. There is another mirror out there. Sure it may not be as fabulous as you are but it will have other things going for it and I will love it just as much. Well.. almost as much. 

So for now the hunt goes on. I have flirted with Crate and Barrel's Malachy

and Zgallerie's Devon

But I'm not ready to pull the trigger yet. I guess I'll know the right one when I see it.

Free 8x10 Canvas or $50 towards any size canvas

CanvasPeople have a great offer right now. One free custom photo canvas (note: you still have to pay shipping & handling) 8x10 or $50 toward any size canvas. I'm trying to decided whether or not to order a print as a anniversary present for my brother and sister in law from their wedding (which I shot) or whether to get a fab print of the kids for their playroom. 

An ebullient life?

ebullient

(ĭ-bʊl'yənt, ĭ-bŭl'-)
adj.
1. Zestfully enthusiastic
2. The quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings

While I would love to think of myself as terribly sophisticated and tres chic, the truth is that I am anything but. My life is an exciting mix of good and not so good and just when I think I have finally figured things out, I usually wake up to find a new challenge waiting for me. For the longest time, I fought against it. Now I embrace it. I am not perfect nor do I have any desire to be but turns out, I'm pretty great anyway. I am a daughter, a wife, a mother and a friend. I don't always juggle all those roles as well as I would like but I do it with everything I have. I throw parties that I spent WAY too much time planning. I pine for and covet that perfect elusive mirror for the living room and I scour the internet trying to find whatever it is I am absolutely convinced I must have because it will complete the picture I have in my head. But in between that I curl up with my kids in the couch while we share stories. I make play doh pastries and pick rocks on the beach to bring to school for show and tell. I love, live and laugh and try to live an ebullient life.