Tough Ruffles

One of my favorite clutches is from Made by Hank.

Now I'm drooling over her newest "Tough Ruffles" design...

...among her other lovely things too. :)

What's your preference? Purse or clutch?

(With kids, I've got to have both, but when heading out on a date with the husband, I grab my clutch with just the necessities! Oh it's wonderful to ditch the carry-all...)

Freshly Picked

I've drooled over these Freshly Picked baby moccasins for awhile now - red, gold, brown, all their standard colors. 

But oh my, their new adorable spring colors are to die for...one pair in every color, please!

Day of Thanks: XX

And this guy.

I can't say enough about him and how thankful I am for all he does for our family. You know, keeping us alive and sheltered and all that. Pretty important stuff, which must bring lots of pressure along with it. I couldn't be more grateful for the amazing father and husband he is. One other thing he's awfully good at (or maybe I'm good at showing it) is knowing when I need a break - time without kids.

So he sent me to Portland today. 

It was a good day - sunshine, art, good books, some shopping...(sigh).

And I remembered my camera this time!

The Park blocks, near the museum and performing arts centers:

The PAM's Body Beautiful exhibit brought me back to my study abroad days in Greece. Almost ten years ago, sheesh!

And, well, of course I found plenty of pretty things 

to put on my Christmas wishlist...like this hat. LOVE!

Thanks for the break, T. :)

Orangyporangy

Recently stumbled upon Orangyporangy,

a shop of handmade goods 

where vintage sheets and feedsacks have never looked so cute...

A year or two ago, I'd seen a ton of cool old feedsacks at a nearby antique shop. I didn't purchase any, then kicked myself when I went back later and they were gone - replaced by bags someone else had made from the sacks...

I felt like someone had stolen my idea! :)

Fall Wishlist

New TOMS all around...

for me and the kiddos. Yes please.

I'd have lots of convincing to do

to get the husband to wear a pair of TOMS.

One day maybe, one day,

when he sees how comfy they are...

Lambs Ear

Simple designs,

muted colors...

I'm loving Lambs Ear Shoes right this moment.

And, ahem, not to mention their jewelry...

these square and oval bracelets are calling my name.

Two

Two sisters.

Two weddings.

Therefore, two bridesmaid outfits!

I think I've finally figured them out - a big relief, I tell ya!

These pics were to show my sistas what I'd put together:

Whaddaya think??

One wedding's a peachy pink, cream and sage green scheme,

the other blues, creams and browns.

Love that flowy pink skirt and the blue 1940s dress!

Belts, earrings, necklaces, hairdos...those aren't quite decided yet.

Can't wait for these weddings!

(Thanks to little brother for taking these pics on some sunny days!

And check out PicMonkey - I've been playing around with all their photo effects since Picnik is closing...)

Almost There

Well folks, three more weeks of tax season left.

April 17th is the BIG day!

It's close, but still so far away.

I'd be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel

if that said light was sunlight.

The forecast predicts no sun here until April 6th. 

APRIL. SIXTH. 

Hopefully it's wrong because I don't think our fully saturated ground (or me) can take much more rain!

I try to combat the grayness with wearing bright colors,

and getting outside as much as we can,

but I must say it's hard for six months out of the year.

My kids are not big fans of playing out in the rain,

so many afternoons and evenings are spent pulling my hair out 

and counting down the hours until bedtime and sweet PEACE and QUIET. 

I bet you are now realizing that spring break is next week...

and I'm dreading it.

So. I'm trying to come up with some great activities for the kids and I,

maybe a short trip to the coast or a couple museums,

possibly redecorating/painting their rooms,

and of course, getting ready for Easter!

Check out Babble for some creative ways to decorate your eggs. I loved these:

Leaf printing 

Rubber cement 

Doily tracing 

And these paper bag eggs are brilliant!

I could totally see my kiddos tearing these apart

and what's even more fun - they can be any size you want!

And like I said, I've got to wear some bright colors right now or I'll go mad.

These green and blue beauties have caught my eye:

Things have been a tad crazy around here as well,

with our youngest suffering from tonsil and adenoid problems.

That's why she hasn't been sleeping at all since January....

and I mean that literally, as in, waking up every. hour. during the nights.

Add to that getting all four canine teeth at once

and I think I glimpsed one of her 2-year molars popping in today.

Just can't win! We're all exhausted!

So here's to looking ahead - to Easter, 

to some rejuvenating sunlight,

the end of tax season, and the return of that man we call Daddy.

His help makes everything easier. :)

(P.S. We got engaged nine years ago today. And I still love, love, LOVE him.)