Hijinks

The boys in action...

 A scary cheetah--it took days to scrub off all the spots, and in the meantime he looked like he had a horrible case of chicken pox!

 I'm not sure how this could be a comfortable way to lie.

 Pretending to be a mother dinosaur defending her eggs--we're REALLY into play-acting right now.

 He made me snap this photo in Target so I wouldn't forget that he wanted this for his birthday.  And, yes, he dressed himself for the outing, hat and all!

Look how cute Sammy is!  Who put a cute bandana on you, Sammy?

Oh wait--that's not a bandana.  James put his dinosaur underwear around your neck.  Poor dog!

Who loves dinosaurs?  This kid does!

Hope you have a terrific weekend! We are hosting a kids' birthday party and doing some back-to-school shopping.  Should be fun!

 

Small pleasures

Now that summer is here, the pace of life has slowed down in our house, with mornings spent outside, afternoons wasted away with a good book, and playtime or dinner lengthening into the late evening.  While we always desire a tranquil household, in the summer, that tranquility really stretches into leisure.  Here are a few little things I'm taking the time to enjoy right now:

 New LeCreuset tea kettle matches my other LeCreuset (cobalt color), is really quiet and efficient, and was a great deal from the clearance section at TJ Maxx!

 A bowlful of colorful bangles to wear this summer

A little tray on our kitchen counter holding all our coffee clutter--I can whip up an Americano in just a moment thanks to our Nespresso maker

Sammy takes advantage of the privacy of the window seat to take an afternoon nap in a place where James won't find him!

I grouped my perfumes onto a little tray in my closet so I remember to use them every day

New baubles to wear--I love the handcrafted design of this blue quartz necklace from Turkey

Other favorite summer pleasures: sleeping in, setting up the sprinkler for the kids to run through, eating fresh produce, and watching the flowers bloom on my shrubs and perennials.  What do you look forward to in the summer?

Injury

I haven't posted in a while.  Here's why:

I'll spare you any more gruesome pictures or explanation, but essentially I broke two toes in a backyard soccer death match with my bro-in-law.  (Thanks, J!  I was not kidding about you coming over to take over my landscaping duties.)

James has been really sweet about it and made me this get-better-soon bouquet:

He handed it to me and warned: "don't touch the yellow flower--it has thorns!" (a lesson learned the hard way, I'm guessing).

Theoretically, this loss of mobility should result in more blog posts, but I'm not sure it will turn out that way.  I have a lot of summer plans and projects in mind, but I'm just trying to wait and not jump into them prematurely, thereby delaying my recovery unnecessarily.  So if you don't hear from me for a while, it's because I'm sitting in a comfy chair with my foot propped up, drinking tea and reading on my iPad.  I know, sounds rough, right?  :)

Have a great weekend!

James says...

Haven't done a family recap post for a while, so today I'll share a few pics of J and a couple of his most recent comments:

The many faces of James...

Preppy James

Paleontologist James

Contemplating prehistoric sea battles:

"When a Cretoxyrhina meets a Ginsu shark, there will be blood."

 

Superhero James

Artist James

Overheard the other night as Josh took away a privilege for refusal to eat spaghetti:

Josh - "So, James, why are you getting a consequence?"

James - "Because I was not being good."
Josh - "Specifically, how did you respond when I asked you to go to time out?"
James - "I tried to defeat you."

Snapshots

No major news to report here.  Just a few images of everyday life...

Bought these sandals from Target for the summer.  There is a tan/navy combo too, but I had to go for the bright orange. (Bonus: these are part of the buy one, get one 50% off sale online)

Up close view of a new purse my parents gave me for my birthday last week.  I like the fun coral/underwater look, and the colors will be perfect for spring and summer outfits! 

Got some new curtains and sconces in the breakfast room.  Did you know that Porch Light Antiques (in the East Village) carries Creative Candles?  They have lots of pretty colors! 

A few of the many fabric samples I'm always staring at.  :)

New MK blackout watch (super excited about this--should be great for the summer, and the rubber wristband makes it comfy too!)

Cute frog and ladybug hanging from my new Kieselstein-Cord bag.

I finally got this painting hung in my office.  I'm not sure if it's cool or kind of ugly, but I do like it, along with its faux bamboo frame, and I guess that's what matters!

What's been going on in your life lately?



Fun times

How was your weekend?  I had an especially nice one, starting with having friends over Friday night for dinner and a movie.  We watched Midnight in Paris, so at least now I can say I watched one of the Oscar Best Picture nominees.  It's very uncultured of us, but the truth is that we mostly watch movies, not films.  I'm pretty sure there's a difference in semantics.

Also, my brother was in town this weekend to show off his new Land Rover see his family, so we had a great breakfast at Palmer's on Saturday morning (one of the best places for breakfast in Des Moines, in my opinion).  Then we went to Dillard's since they were having a great sale this weekend.  We got a few deals, including a couple sets of Bodum double-walled tumblers.  Josh and I have wanting to try these for a while, and the store had them marked down to $6 for a pair.

Don't the layers of espresso look great in these?  Apparently these cups are good for serving either hot or cold drinks and won't produce condensation on a cold drink.  I'll have to test that capability this summer, or rather, have a guest try it out since I don't use ice in drinks and prefer everything room temperature or hot.

To celebrate Kansas' down-to-the-wire win over Missouri on Saturday, we made these Nutella sandwich cookies.  James tasted one and said, "Wow, I like it! It's delicious!"  I'm not sure why he expected that he would dislike sugar cookies filled with Nutella!

We spent the rest of the weekend hanging with family, building real-life Angry Birds sets, and going on a walk (our unseasonably warm winter continues!).

This surprisingly strong tower withstood seven direct hits from the yellow bird, and everyone knows he's the most effective of all the Angry Birds.

This week is going to be busy for me as we have something scheduled every night, plus I have a lot on my plate at work, so it was nice to have a leisurely, sunny weekend to get us well rested!  Hope you have a great week!

Unsupervised

I left them alone for a few minutes and this is what they did:

Sammy dragged our bedspread and blanket onto the floor and into another room to make a sunnier napping spot.

James logged onto PBS Kids and devoured a row of Oreos.

Can you imagine what would happen if left completely on their own?  Also, do your kids always cut open bags and packages right below the resealable zipper?

  I was going to use the Oreos to make these very delicious looking oreo-filled brownies, so I was FORCED to buy another box of cookies.  Also, the brownies are quite delicious but should be a very infrequent treat (did I mention the full name is "cookies 'n cream oreo fudge brownies"?).

Blogging has been, and probably will be, pretty thin for a bit as I adjust to my new full-time job.  I am LOVING my new job so far...my co-workers are terrific, the students are inspiring on so many levels, the campus is small and vibrant, and I just love that feeling of driving into the garage at the end of the day knowing that I worked hard and enjoyed my work. 

One side benefit of this job (well, to me it's a side benefit) is that I have to dress up every day, which means I've had to augment my wardrobe a little.  Thankfully, the retail industry has been there to help me out with sale after sale as stores clear out their inventory to make way for spring.  I keeping thinking, "okay, I'm done," and then I get another "EXTRA 60% OFF SALE!!" in my inbox.  Some of the best deals still going on: extra 60% off sale items at Talbots and LOFT, extra 40% off sale at Ann Taylor (and 30% off full-price items!), and extra 35% off everything at Banana Republic (these are some of my go-to stores for petite work clothes).  Happy shopping--hope you find some steals!

 

Changing things up in 2012...

A visual of my New Year's resolutions...

From top, clockwise: Wear my contacts more (additional resolution: get prescription sunglasses!) try new hairstyles, use brighter nail polish.  The dinosaur was there already but I left him in the photo.  I guess he's a good reminder that I'm not trying to be Jackie O here; I need style that is realistic for my lifestyle, but I should try to take more risks and have more fun with it!

So here is my first attempt at a hairdo outside my normal options (wavy, straight, or ponytail)  :)

 Messy bun -- this seems very doable as an everyday hairstyle.  It literally took me about one minute to put it up, but there are no visible rubber bands (an upgrade from my usual style!!).  I didn't use hairspray or tease the top to give it some lift, but I think it still looks okay.

For some great hair tutorials, check out Cup of Jo's roundup (here).

Next up, nails...

 Sonia Kashuk "Stop Whining" maroon nail polish

And lastly, a more put together outfit than I would usually wear to make returns and run to the grocery store on a rainy afternoon:

 Skirt: Gap, Button-down white and blue stripe shirt: Gap (old), Orange sweater: Gap (old), Navy tights, Rain boots: Capelli (similar here or here), Jacket: J. Crew (old, gifted from my sister!!), Umbrella: LE Canvas

The Starbucks guy told me, "Hey, I really like your outfit today," so that was positive reinforcement that I should put a little more effort into getting ready each day!  :)

Don't worry, I have other (more important) New Year's resolutions too; they're not all about fashion!!  What about you?  Any differences you want to make in 2012?

 And one picture of my little photographer:

(He took the picture of me above and then said, "Oops, Mommy, I did not get your face.")

My holiday break, in photos

I shouldn't say "break" because that implies I took time off work.  I actually had a huge editing project that I labored through the whole time, with the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  When that was finished, I jumped right into planning my spring semester classes, so I feel like Christmas and New Year's Day just whizzed by and all of a sudden it's 2012!

A few images from the last couple weeks...

New stocking for Sammy--crewel from here

Yummy food at a Christmas party
 

Glass ornaments on the table made lights all over the walls and ceiling every afternoon



 
My parents' tree -- it was so full and huge this year!

I'm pretty sure Uncle Marc did not follow the instructions on the plate of cookies James left out: "Nobody else eat them because they're only for Santa Claus.  From: James."

This is what happens when Josh wraps presents: he uses my black and white polka dot paper and addresses the gift tags using references to kids' movies we've been watching lately.

 

 My Christmas present from Mama and Papa Santa -- cute new snow boots from Sorel.
Josh says they make me look like Santa, but everyone knows Santa wears patent black boots with white fur...totally different!

Starbucks Christmas blend on sale after the holidays -- buy one get one free -- we stocked up!

Now, on to 2012!  I'm really looking forward to this year.  2011 was actually a great year for our family, and we feel very blessed and grateful for that, but I know it was a tough year for many in our nation and around the world.  So here's to a terrific new year!

Season's greetings (and valedictions)

 Apologies for the total lack of posting the last week or so.  It's not like the world desperately needed to hear my voice online, and I was instead making it heard clearly in many more personal ways--comments on final exams, instructions to my son on how to make French toast, notes in Christmas cards, letters of invitation to holiday parties.

This time of year is very busy for me, as it is for most people, with holiday traveling, shopping, wrapping, and baking, plus the frantic closing of the academic semester.

 So I will leave you with the hopes of a merry Christmas and a pleasant and safe holiday season, and I'll be back in the new year to post about my usual collection of decorating and cooking ideas.

Happy holidays!

All images mine.

Happy Thanksgiving

Since we don't eat meat, we'll be having a sides-only Thanksgiving (which I always thought was the best part anyway, along with the desserts!).  I did toy with the idea of making this amazing turkey-shaped veggie tray:

Photo and recipe at Eating with Food Allergies

For sides, my husband requested Cool Ranch Doritos, I asked for stuffing, and J wants a grilled cheese sandwich.  In other words, a spread just like the pilgrims envisioned.

Really, we'll just try not to get too stuffed so that we have plenty of energy left over for this:

BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING last year...fun was had by all, and it's a good thing we got a kid's cart because we definitely used it!

I think the trick for Black Friday shopping is to relax and have a good time watching the spectacle of it all.  I never go with one item in mind that I just have to have.  Instead, we try to see if we can get some good deals, and we always fuel up with to-go cups of coffee and frequent food breaks.  My brother is the best Black Friday shopping partner.  Josh is way too practical and not impulsive enough; he tries to say reasonable things like "maybe you don't need two external hard drives, and I doubt you will go back and watch all those episodes even though the whole season on DVD just costs $5."  Booo, Josh.

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

James says...

Happy Wednesday!  A couple insights into our little guy's mind, to help get you through the middle of the week...

Future paleontologist

"Mommy, do you know why I have to be good all the time?" he asked me.  "No, James.  Why?" "So I can grow up to be a paleontologist like Barnum Brown."

Yes, this guy is my son's hero.  Discoverer of the first T-Rex skeleton, dapper dresser, dude named after the circus (yes, really).

Also, as we were leaving the library with a new stack of dinosaur books (what else?), we passed a portly gentleman standing outside.  "Mommy," J told me (loudly!), "that boy has a baby growing in his tummy!  That's why it's so big!!"

Maybe in addition to reading about maiasaura we should be reading about manners!  :)