date day

{beautiful Burbank}

{my future countertops, I hope!}

 Ken and I were able to get away for a little date day this morning. We needed to pick up a couple bookcases at Ikea and my parents graciously watched the little boys. It was really fun to be free and loose on a weekday and drive down the road engaging in adult conversations with no interruptions from little ones.

We love the Covina Ikea for its size and beauty, but for a quick trip we go to Burbank. It's compact and some of the displays are different (I'm obsessed with the "Our 400 Square Foot Home" setups).

After Ikea we stopped in Thousand Oaks for lunch at Cheesecake Factory.  I had the "lunch portion" of herb crusted salmon but it was huge (I brought home half) and do you see how I got my cheesecake in a to-go container?  The best way!  Then you can eat some at the table and save the rest for home--double the pleasure.

I always go for the Oreo cheesecake.  What's your favorite??

New Scenes From The Weekend

I feel like I "pulled it off" this weekend. My goal was to have a balance of relaxation, fun and family time mixed with some chores and laundry.  It worked!  It still felt a little jam packed--like I would have liked even more unstructured time with the boys, playing games or something, but I realize with only two days in a weekend, some may be more quiet and others will have more outings.  I'm really caught up in pondering the weekends right now, so bear with me.

One really nice thing is that I have found a Saturday morning yoga class that I love.  I think I am going to make it a regular thing and I'm thrilled about that.  It is at our athletic club so it's "free" (in a way), and I can relax by the pool afterwards.  Ken and the boys met me there for a family swim.  Just about my idea of a perfect afternoon.  Other things we did:  out for frozen yogurt, a "late night" errand to Trader Joe's (the boys had an awesome time going around the store together looking for "Clark the Shark"), a beach trip, making cookies (not macaroons, alas, but those will be next weekend), and making a nice steak dinner at home on Sunday. 

How is the start of the week treating you?  I'm happy to say I got in a short walk today after work, so that is a good start for me.

dreamy :: practical

Hooray for getting through another week!  Sorry to drone on about counting down the weeks of the school year.  I never used to do that.  My job is more stressful now than it used to be and I feel like getting through each week is a huge accomplishment.  I need the weekend to unwind!  Another thing that throws me for a loop each year is Back to School Night, which was Wednesday this week.  I commute to work, so staying late for BTSN means I can't go home in between.  These last couple BTSNs I decided just to crash at my parents' house on that night  to save commuting home late at night and then having to get up at 5 the next morning just to drive straight back.  I feel like I'm still recovering!

Are you ready for a dreamy/practical list?

Dreamy
:: throw a popsicle party in the back yard!  Ken has invited a million families as usual.  It should be wild!
:: eat toast with honey and drink tea.  The boys like drinking Bedtime Tea with me in the evenings now.  So cozy!
:: be entertained!  I always have this as a goal in the back of my mind, but we rarely get to watch a show or movie anymore.  By the time the boys crash, I am exhausted.  Nonetheless, I'd love to watch a show on Netflix or bring out the Jane Eyre movie I bought ages ago but haven't watched yet.  (Ken can't stand period pieces, but maybe Dieter will watch it with me.  He watched Pride and Prejudice with me over the summer and we had a blast).

Practical
:: throw a popsicle party.  Ugh.  I'm the hugest introvert, so these parties actually take a lot out of me.  (But the kids love them).  I need to make a couple cheese balls and some popsicles and buy some popsicles too.  (And I'm going to remember to "fake it 'til I make it!")
:: do my cleaning routines
:: wash the car Sunday morning with one of the boys
:: ready myself for another full week and get my head together.  Get back on track!








 Bye bye!

PS--I'd love to hear what you're up to this weekend!

New Christmas Sewing Already!

I'm so happy to have gotten started on a bit sewing for Christmas giving. I'm making little stacks of "dinner white cloths" for people. These are excellent for giving because they are quick to sew, and if the recipients don't want to use them as informal dinner napkins they also make great towels for drying dishes.

I'm normally not inspired to start so early on Christmas presents, but Ken reminded me that our weekends in November are filling up very fast,  so last Saturday was my first and best chance for getting a chunk of sewing done.  He took the kids so I could accomplish these.

I'm so happy to have a good start on Christmas.  When the holidays finally come, I want to be super organized and "done" with everything, then just bake, eat cookies, play games with the family, and read holiday books to my little ones.  My mind is already humming with ideas for New Year's Eve.  That's how far ahead I am thinking.

A big thanks to Ken for helping me get started on these!

New December Inspiration Board

I'm so motivated and determined to work ahead on Christmas this year that I decided to skip a November inspiration board in the studio and go straight to the December board. Don't worry--we are still totally fall/turkeys/Thanksgiving in the rest of the house, but this board will help me stay focused on the holiday season that I want to have--peaceful, with little white lights and reindeer and red clothes to wear.

PS--that photo of the young woman sitting under a tree with a skirt and bare feet and a red top--clearly that's a Southern California December.  ;)

PPS--Loved getting all your emails today.  I've briefly replied back to most of you and will be  working on your envelopes over the weekend.  Yay!  I'm really looking forward to it. 

festival weekend

We spent pretty much the entire weekend going back and forth to this storytelling festival.  We've attended this festival many times over the years, but this is the first year that the boys were really old enough for us to commit to the entire weekend--songs and stories from Friday Night through Sunday midday.  It was truly fun, and I was thrilled that John McCutcheon was one of the tellers this year.  I never knew that he worked the storytelling circuit (he's more of a folk singer, or so I thought), but we loved his stories just as much as his awesome singing and instrument playing.  He is amazing.  Otherwise, there was tons of eating out, playing, reading to the boys, and we even had a little Mother's Day celebration since I'll be visiting Carrie next weekend.

And now we are down to the last 6 weeks of school.  Crazy! And oh so welcome and exciting. 

dreamy :: practical

Hooray for making it through another week! This was our first "normal" 5 day week of the year. It was hectic, but it's done.  What are you up to this weekend?  I'm in the mood for another dreamy/practical list.

Dreamy
:: drink coffee with half and half in the morning and lots of cucumber water the rest of the day
:: go to Saturday morning yoga class
:: plant a calla lilly bulb with the boys (I bought a kit at Trader Joe's today)
:: make waffles
:: take a day trip to Santa Barbara (zoo?  natural history?  art museum?)
:: read my current book (I'm reading this and I'm really enjoying it)
:: give myself a home pedicure

Practical
:: do a big clean-out of the pantry.  I'm looking forward to this, actually.
:: car wash Sunday with Rainer.  It's our routine now, since I got the new car
:: laundry!
:: home routines.  This week's zone is the kitchen.

What's on your list?