Monday, January 31, 2011

A tad bit jealous, but okay with it....

And so this is the story of how the internet works...you click on a story on Facebook (of a company you follow), which brings you to that persons personal blog, where they talk about the most adorable candy holders for Valentines Day, which are for the children of a woman who is a professional baker and probably the coolest mom on the planet.  

The Owl Party....


I shop on ETSY a lot. I get all my Christmas card designs done there.  Gifts. Jewelry.  Purses. Gosh what else?? Anyway, one of the gals that has designed cards for me is Less Ordinary Designs (straight out of Wisconsin.)

Well today, if you click on that link above...she shows the custom Valentine Candy holders she did....so dang cute (okay, you must know...I just love stuff like this...but I am pretty thrifty and never want to pay for stuff like this....but anyway...aren't they cute??)
Photo Courtesy of Less Ordinary Designs
Which brings me to THE MOST AMAZING BIRTHDAY PARTY EVER......so the woman that ordered these cute Valentine candy holders (see the blog for even more pictures of them) is a professional baker...cupcakes *yes*, cookies *yes*, cakes *will you be my best friend?*  So immediately, I head over to her blog Jenny Cookies. (Mom hint hint....)

Well (hold your horses), the first story on her blog is about her daughter Ally's 5th birthday party....not just a cake and balloons kind of party, but an OWL party.... yes, an owl party.

I mean really, who does not love owls??

Each child got an owl costume
Get a napkin, you are about to drool.


See what I mean?  Isn't this fantastic?

Owl art projects...divine.
So to conclude....it is obvious a large expense went into this party but don't you just love when someone is soo good at what they do that they make it look magical?

Thursday, January 27, 2011

If only I should be so lucky....

to visit some of these islands....



Visually stunning and uniquely designed, this wondrous book captures fifty islands that are far away in every sense-from the mainland, from people, from airports, and from holiday brochures. Author Judith Schalansky used historic events and scientific reports as a springboard for each island, providing information on its distance from the mainland, whether its inhabited, its features, and the stories that have shaped its lore. With stunning full-color maps and an air of mysterious adventure, Atlas of Remote Island is perfect for the traveler or romantic in all of us. (if you want to order...it can be found here)


What a sucky job to have to go and research these islands?  Ughhh terrible.....

Two words:  MEGA MILLIONS.....meaning I buy, we fly :)

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Read

Oh don't mind me...I am just trying to keep track of some of the books I want to read.  I am trying to read 2-3 books per month.  

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
The Hunger Games
The Help
I Feel Bad About My Neck
What Remains
The Book Thief
Sarah's Key
A Heartbreaking Story of Staggering Genius


TV Update:  I went about a week and then I watched the Packers/Bears game and then I broke down tonight and watched Top Chef and The Housewives....ugh.  Back on the wagon (well, until Sunday...60 Minutes has Julian Assange and I am totally fascinated by him.)

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Straight out of the mouths of babes....

Kendall really enjoys doing the Pledge of Allegiance.  She loves it.  Repeats it often. Has no clue what it means or the significance...but I think she sort of relates to it as if it was a song.

Today, I am folding laundry and I hear her instructing Mason (perhaps preparing him for next year) and she says to him "MASON(exclamation).....it is FOR WITCHES STAND. Now you say it just like that."

For witches stand......those crazy forefathers.....who knew?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Ahh, to be an Arizonan

Found on Etsy, Desertphotographer's lovely photo


It is a good thing to be an Arizonan....well for one, in Minnesota, it is sort of a unique, extra special situation....the equivalent of saying you are Hawaiian or a Jamaican.  The reason is that there are not a lot of Arizonan's in Minnesota....one because of the lack of Vitamin D and two because it is really hard to leave the Southwest. 

In the past few weeks/months/years, Arizona has received its fair share of bad press.  And well frankly, it is sad.  Arizona is a good place....good people.....beautiful landscape and OH WAIT...did I mention those sunsets?  Seriously, best in the world. Okay, best in the USA....I have not been out of the country too much, but I can claim that of the 20 something states I have visited....best sunsets.....oh and best Mexican food....

The issue in AZ is that there is such a collision of cultures/races/economic backgrounds/ages.  You have your large retiree population....you have your out-of-state implant population....you have your hippies in the north and your conservatives in the south, you have your large immigrant population and then you tie in a terrible economy, a drug war just across your border, uranium and mine drilling on your beautiful land and a large collection of native people....well, you are bound to see some conflict.

I guess what I wanted to say is that Arizona is a really great place. Don't judge it by a few bad apples.... The people are a lot of fun.....they are eccentric....they love the land.....you have cactus, you have trees, you have snow, you have desert, you have good food, you have ghost towns, you have tourist traps, you have wonderous canyons, you have bountiful rivers, you have ruins, you have craters, you have extinct volcanoes, you have fry bread, you have turquoise, you have poisonous snakes and bugs, you have blooming prairies, you have rust-free cars, and slow snowbird traffic.....and all of it is good.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

TV

What if you only listened to music? Your kids? Birds? Rather than TV......

I kind of like the idea of going without TV for a long time (perhaps a year?)....what could I get done? How many books could I read?  How many letters could Mason learn?  Yoga?  Poetry?   Don't get me wrong, I am a movie junkie through and through and will still be keeping my Netflix subscription, but I think I could easily give up TV and my beloved 60 Minutes. No News....No Trashy Housewives....No commercials....

I am going to take a gander and see what happens......

Long Beach, January 2011





















Foxy Lady--aka Queen Mary







Art Deco Carpet on the ole Queen Mary










Thursday, January 6, 2011

Listening



Blitzen Trapper - Furr


 

Jonquil - I Know, I Don't Know



Belle & Sebastian - I Want The World To Stop




Cage The Elephant - Shake Me Down



Sufjan Stevens - I Walked

Monday, January 3, 2011

North

With Flash

Without Flash


This is actually a color photo

This is also a color photo not a b/w

Another color photo....crazy color that day

Beautiful Blur

Smokehouse

Burrrrrrrrrrrr






Hansel and Gretal