Shoes

Tate has no shoes.  He is a poor, shoeless baby.  Now that he is walking (walking!!) I want to get him some shoes.  On the list, of course, are the Gucio shoes I talked about here. 

But for summer, I absolutely positively adore these:

So cute, right?

Musings on the Big 3-0

My 30th birthday is in just a few weeks.  Since I know Zach will plan something fun that will probably involve a sparkly beverage and could even include a certain type of chocolate cake (German chocolate being my ultimate favorite, and Zach having perfected it after years of practice), I have been musing on what else I really "want".

For years I had planned on getting Botox and having some sort of aesthetician tell me exactly what I need to do to make my skin look youthful forever.  (Yes, I am that vain).  However, now that the big 3-0 is finally here, I find that I am much less interested in preventing smile lines (because, after all, they seem pretty well earned, and I am terribly afraid of looking like a "Real Housewife") and much more interested in thinking about what really matters to me in my life.

So here's what I really want for my 30th birthday this year.

A financial advisor.  The kind you see in the commercials, who lets you dream about the summer house you want to own one day and then works with you to figure out how to make that dream come true.  Who is willing to help me (finally!) transfer my old job's 401k into the appropriate account.  Who can tell me whether or not I should invest in a Roth IRA or pay off my mortgage a little faster. 

And the second thing I want?  A wall like one of these:

I think I have surprised even myself over the past few years as my physical space has become more and more important to me.  The way I feel in it.  The way it reflects (or does not reflect, as may be the case) the things I love and value.  The way a space carries with it a sense of history and permanence.  So I really want to improve my space in the next few years, to have it actually represent what I love.  And I thought what better way to start than with a wall filled with things... objects, pictures, art... that I love.

So I am on the hunt for vintage frames.  Round ones, square ones, thick ones, thin ones, black ones and gold ones in all shapes, sizes and conditions. I want to collect them over the coming year, and then create a wall- a space- that I really love.

30 photo from here
wall gallery photos all from here

Boys Clothes

Cute boys clothes are so hard to find.  Mom and I spent a few hours searching for some last week.  So I was thrilled to discover wovenplay.

Wouldn't Tate look cute in this?  Undoubtedly so.

Asparagus on my Mind

I have had a serious lack of creativity lately (hence the dearth of posts).  Just feeling kind of... stumped, you know?  Inspiration, as it usually does, ended up coming from others.

First, Dawn was talking about the patience required to grow asparagus here.  It made me smile, because it was just over three years ago now that Zach decided to dig the trenches in our garden to grow asparagus.  It was such a neat day. Zach had been tossing around the idea of going back to school for his PhD, in which case we were going to sell the house.  I came home from a day of work, and he was covered in dirt and sweat, having spent the entire day digging the 3 feet deep trenches required for successful asparagus growing.  That was the moment when I knew he had decided we were going to stay in this house for at least 3 or 4 more years.  Because, as Dawn rightly points out, it takes that long for asparagus to grow and why put in the work if we were just going to move?

Three years ago we really had nothing to show for Zach's hard work.  Last year, we had skinny little asparagus' that we couldn't pick- it needed another year to grow.  But this year... success!  Take a look:

And in another asparagus news: Brigid emailed me a picture of this cake.  Amazing, no?

Brigid thinks it might be hard to eat, that the beauty and realism of the asparagus would be almost visually overwhelming.  I don't know if I would have that problem.  What do you think?

Jillian Tamaki Book Covers

I am in awe at these Penguin Classic book covers by artist Jillian Tamaki.  Aren't they amazing?

The detail is incredible... It is hard to believe that this was done completely by hand, without a machine.  This is taking book covers to a whole new level...

Apparently, they will be for sale in some kind of tactile form (not individually hand embroidered, of course) in October 2011.  Keep an eye out!

Derby Party

On Saturday, we went to a derby party.  It was so much fun!  Hard to believe that such a fantastic 6 hours could be planned around a race that lasts less than two minutes, but there it is.

First things first: A hat.  I think my natural tendency would have been to go buy a hat- maybe embellish it- as I am not a particularly crafty person.  But Zach and I have had to tighten our financial belt this month, so I decided to make the hat from things I had in the house, come hell or highwater.

So in the end... my hat was made of paper!  I used an old headband that was coming apart and a lot of hot glue.  A tissue paper flower... bands of black and white cardstock... a scrap of black lace... and a single gem leftover from Tate's birthday party.  But I think it looked great!

Decor included horse silhouettes across the mantel...

Wine that fit the theme:

Roses and hats... and more hats...

About a week before the party, the hostess asked us all to pick a horse.  Zach and I decided to pick "Animal Kingdon", thinking that was by far the most appropriate pick for our chaotic family.

And guess what?  Animal Kingdom won!  We walked away with a trophy and other assorted prizes...

I'm not ashamed to say we did drink champagne out of that trophy.

All in all, a fabulous time was had by all, and I can't wait until next year's Derby!

Happy Mother's Day

Love you, Mom.  Thanks for all you've done, and continue to do.  Out of all the mothers in the world, I think I got the best one.

And to all the other important, motherly women in my life: Janette, LaVonne, Cindy, Lissa... I love you all.

Isn't it a nice day for celebrating special women, moms and non-moms alike?   I hope your Sunday is filled with hot coffee and sizzling bacon and laughter.  I think mine is going to be.

photo via weheartit

Tangerine Dreaming

Remember how I told you that my sister, Lissa, was having a baby?  Guess what- it's a girl!  And Lissa has decided on incorporating tangerine into the nursery.  An idea I love, and which has had me dreaming in tangerine.

So when I saw Finn's nursery over on Lillie's Blog, I had to share a few peeks.  I think the soothing gray and pops of tangerinne are so fresh. 

Check out the entire room here.

Spineless Classics

Oh my.  I am absolutely loving these Spineless Classics.  The whole book, laid out in a huge 4 foot poster.  Incredible.

Perfect for a little one's room or nursery, wouldn't this copy of Jurassic Park look great in Tate's room?

Or a one-year wedding anniversary, where the gift is paper:

My favorites don't have the title on them- I love the clean look of just the book pages and the design.  In particular, I love this version of Darwin's Origin of the Species:

 There are a few that are two poster sets, like this one:

And this one, of Moby Dick:

Such a great addition to a room, don't you think?

Love Streamers

Aren't these love streamers from Etsy shop kates cottage sweet?  I think they would look great at an outdoor wedding.  Maybe one with a big red barn.