the currier family

this is what my bed looks like now.

2012-02-04T11:53:00.000-08:00

today...

2012-01-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

it snowed. a perfect day for staying in our jammies until it was time for a warm bath, then jumping right back into other clean jammies. yep, that's exactly how our day went today.

the aftermath and a realization

2011-12-27T11:33:00.000-08:00

is it bad that our house still looks like this two days later?

here is what eric got me. *these things were very much on my wishlist, so i was very pleased with what i received this year.

here is what i got him. *not pictured: a choclate brown IZOD cardigan (hopefully he wore it to work today) and the new Ray LaMontagne album.

and this is what i realized.
i would never in a million years consider ourselves hipsters, so i guess that make us old people. and i think i'm okay with that. :)

happy birthday, jesus!

2011-12-26T06:41:00.001-08:00

in order to illustrate that christmas was jesus' birthday. we threw our own lil party after dinner complete with cupcakes and birthday song. happy birthday, jesus!

christmas morning.

2011-12-26T05:54:00.000-08:00

christmas morning at our house consists of:

the last year we will only have 3 stockings.

a quiet, but very special visit for santa.

running into a room full of gifts.

opening gifts from love ones.

the real christmas story.

and a much anticipated, delicious christmas breakfast casserole.

it's the small things that count.

2011-12-22T17:07:00.000-08:00

eric has started a new bedtime activity, and it's definitely one that makes me smile. after dinner he takes max into his playroom to read him two stories from the little boys bible storybook. the one we have is specific to fathers and sons, but there is also one specific to mothers and sons as well. first it tells a bible story, then after each story it explains what it means to become a man of God, then it prompts the dad (or mom) to tell a related story from his (or her) childhood. you guys, i was dying hearing the conversations coming from that room. i am so proud of eric for taking this step in developing a deeper relationship with max and making God the center of it, because it's things like this that will encourage our little guy to grow into a solid God-fearing man.

shut the front door...

2011-12-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

aren't these just the cutest darn things you have ever seen? i am in love with this zoo pack collection from skip hop. they have adorable options for both boys and girls. as of right now...

i'm pretty sure theo might NEED this one with it's matching lunch bag.

max already has the dog, and it gets a lot of use. we would totally recommend these for your lil one.

advent conspiracy.

2011-12-18T06:54:00.000-08:00

i have made the mistake in the past with making traditions specific to the places we live, not realizing that this year we would be celebrating 2,000 miles away from our last home. so i will start by saying as long as we are here, we would love to make this a tradition.

(back it up a few years ago) when eric and i lived in oregon we attended a church called imago dei community church, where the pastor started something called advent conspiracy. since our attendence, it has become a world recognized concept during the holiday season. the purpose is to cut done your spending on needless things, and create memories instead as your gift. "giving the gift of presence." so we decided to have a day dedicated to christmas. apparently God was in agreeance with because we woke up to this...another blanket of snow, which suggested that we must have a snowman for breakfast.

then we drove to downtown oak park (a frank lloyd wright historic district, which means a very cool neighborhood) to take max to his first movie at the theater, arthur's christmas . but wait...look at who we spotted crossing the street! so we stopped to let max tell him what he wanted for christmas..."two lions" (from the target dollar section) are what he always mentions when asked what he wants for Christmas. "so they can fight".

as we were buying our tickets we spotted a guy carving a big block of ice (with a chainsaw) into a santa riding a motorcycle..amazing. and yes it was really that cold that the ice did not melt. this picture was taken as it was still a work in progress.

as we entered the cinema, max was in AWE. i could only imagine what was going on in his little head. however, i do think that at the moment this picture was taken the ticket guy was making him feel uncomfortable.

at the concession stand, he chose his treat of skittles, which mommy had to limit since this was before lunch. but he was such a good boy. he sat. he listened. and he kept quiet as he watched the whole movie, munching on his chosen skittles, daddy's popcorn, and mommy's chocolate-covered raisins, and of course water to wash all the sugar bugs down.

after the movie was over we drove downtown for a late lunch/early dinner at a local pizzeria and walked over to the lincoln park zoo to enjoy the "holiday zoo lights".

it was a great family day that i hope we can remember for a long time.

all is well...

2011-12-17T08:48:00.001-08:00

when you serve a snowman for breakfast.

here's my inspiration.

here's my results. not exactly..but not bad, right? is it weird that i think pinterest makes me a better mom?

*a little later i will post about the rest of our day, so stay tuned...

today went a lil differently

2011-12-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

it's not unusual for max to ask to play with the dry erase board while i'm busy doing something in the kitchen, but it is unusual to have him burst out of the room, run down the hall, and slam the door to my room shut. so like any mother would do, i found him to see what he was up to (since my mommy instinct was sounding its alarm). when i opened the door, i asked him what he was doing. he was covering him face with his hand and said matter-of-factly, "hiding". (as if i was supposed to respond to that with "oh, okay honey. have fun hiding.") i couldn't see the markings at this point, so i asked him why he was covering his face and this is what was revealed to me. it looks like day 3 of stay in and being sick makes you do crazy things.

our version: elf on a shelf

2011-12-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

before i was aware that the "elf on a shelf" was all the rage, i found this "magic elf" at goodwill for $2.99 last year. i'm not quite sure what the "elf on a shelf" does, but this lil guy holds a card that reveals something new about the true meaning of Christmas each day in the month of december. cute, right? i thought so, too. as i had dreams of my children happily prancing around the house looking for this mysterious elf, my sister brought me right back down to reality by telling me it might trigger fighting, like "i found it first..no i found it first", and so on. we laughed at that image, then i put it away til the next Christmas anyway because next year max would be 3, find joy in looking for it, and be able to appreciate it a little more, i thought. so as i was pulling out my holiday decor this year, i was so excited to rediscover this purchase i made late last december.

i have to admit i was a bit giddy inside for him to go on his first adventure. little to my surprise he found horror in this little elf...sheer terror. that evening he woke up several times screaming "no, no i don't like that elf". it was almost every hour on the hour "put the elf away..i don't like him". we promised him the elf would be put away and would not return this year. so next year we might have to opt for the cuter, cartoon-y looking one that is all over pinterest right now.

well...

2011-12-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

WE HAD OUR FIRST SNOW!! (don't worry i'm not panicking. i told my sister i might panic come the first snow knowing that the first snow is a sign of a newborn in my near future.) we have been anxiously waiting for this moment, checking the windows daily upon waking, talking about it constantly...and today our wish came true. max woke up at about 6:30am this morning and we couldn't help but notice a thin blanket of white, powder covering our backyard...yipee! we woke up dad to give him the good news...IT SNOWED!! it was like christmas morning. i was just as excited as max (maybe more). so as soon as the sun came up completely we layered our pajamas to protected us from the cold and went outside to play. what a perfect start to our friday.

*i think i see a snowsuit in our near future.

looky what i've got.

2011-12-08T17:14:00.001-08:00

i have to admit this pregnancy has been extremely different in terms of keeping track of my progress, keeping up on baby's progress, and no time to focus on the little things. believe it or not, i can't believe that i'm already (hold on let me look at my calendar)31 weeks. it's amazing how fast time flies when you pack-up, move, get settled, and have a toddler you are trying to engage, keep up with and potty train.

so to give you all an update..here i am baby and all. i feel great, half of the time i don't even remember that i'm pregnant. when people ask me when i'm due, i look at them (with an ackward pause, i'm sure), and then i'm like, "oh, the end of january". it is just so far off my radar now that i have my much needed energy back. theo is growing perfectly and moving like crazy, which makes for uneventful (but good, of course) doctor visits. this time around i do not have gestatonal diabetes, but i am still being aware of what goes into my mouth. all and all, things are going just as smoothly as can be. i have recently started my bradley method exercises, and i'm just gearing myself up for another unmedicated childbirth. so things couldn't be going any better.

23 more days til christmas

2011-12-02T06:58:00.000-08:00

what are your thoughts on advent calendars? i used to love them growing up, then as an adult without kids (or even infants) i found them extremely stress inducing, reminding me how fast the holiday was approaching.how many less days i had to ship off gifts to family far away.and if i skipped a day or two now i had that much more chocolate to consume on the day i caught up. (not that chocolate is a problem, but when it is cheap milk chocolate, believe me i can think of many other ways i would rather spend my calories.)

however, now that my baby is 3, i have a whole new appreciation for them. this year i diy-ed one with different activities to keep us busy and festive this season. for starters, nothing is numbered in terms of dates (so i guess it's not technically a calendar), but i am going to stay diligent and not skip days. you'd be proud of me...i'm stepping outside of my comfort zone. i have added things like "make christmas treats and give them to a neighbor" (we don't know any of them yet), "make treats and give them to a local fire station" (that's in honor of uncle sean), and then we have other fun activities, like "go sledding", "have a snowball fight", and "make a snowman" like i've said before i'm anxiously waiting for it to snow. some other fun things we have to look forward to are "go on a hot chocolate date", "watch a christmas movie and eat popcorn", and "make a christmas craft", which was the first activity to kick off the month of december.

here is what my advent "calendar" looks like...i just repurposed a canister i had with vintage, christmas fabric and grograin ribbon, then wrote 25 activities on strips of card stock that i folded so it would be easy for little hands to grab one at a time.

making a christmas craft was defintely a hit. i just cut out a christmas tree silhouette and pasted it on to card stock (for durability), and let them get after it with different toddler/preschooler meduims, such as crayons, markers, stickers, and pom-poms (which they picked, i glued, and they put on their page.)

i'd have to say it was a great success. it was a time of creativity and ownership over their craft. but it also kept them seated and focused for a good amount of time. (i'm thinking more crafts will be in our future).

*today, december 2nd, max picked "make treats and drop them off at daddy's work".

from max

2011-11-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

since tomorrow is my last day of bible study, i wanted to do something special for the other kids from max. not sure what to do, but knowing i didn't want to make a trip to the store, i started searching through my pantry only to find an over abundance of s'more makings from max's birthday a few weeks ago. with that i decided to make those marshmallow pops i've been seeing everywhere s'more style with a tag that reads:

"i know bible study is over, but i'd love to see you s'more. love, max"

*the "cellophane" bag is actually a zip-lock bag with the top cut off...shhh.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

2011-11-28T08:30:00.000-08:00

my favorite tradition of all times is decorating for Christmas the day after thanksgiving. i enjoy nothing more than searching for the perfect tree, bringing it home, and dressing it up in all its glory while listening to songs of the season. after all is said and done...sitting in the glow of the twinkle lights, eating our traditional alice water's turkey soup, watching a chosen Christmas flick (this year was the grinch who stole christmas), and as our night cap, sipping on hot chocolate topped off with homemade marshmallows (secretly willing it to snow)...ahhh, i love the christmas season.

our thanksgiving.

2011-11-28T08:21:00.000-08:00

this day was a pretty typical american holiday for us. and this picture pretty much sums it up.

family.games.football.kicking your feet up.and of course food(not pictured, but trust me it as there).

i know this might sound weird

2011-11-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

but (no pun intended) since the day i found out we were having a boy, i have been really excited for the day i get to see his little buns running around in little boy's underwear. i don't know why, but i just think that the combination of the childish images stretched out on those little cheeks would be to-die-for. unfortunately, in our case max wants to be able to see the image (ok, that makes sense), so he insists on wearing them backwards. so this is what i get to see prancing around my humble abode...still cute, but not quite the same.

is this normal?

2011-11-19T18:45:00.000-08:00

okay, so i have heard that it is totally normal for toddlers to regress, but really, for real is this normal?

on this day...

2011-11-17T07:40:00.000-08:00

this boy turned 3.

*no he is not wearing nail polish. that is blue ink from the stamp pad.

halloween.

2011-11-17T06:31:00.000-08:00

so bare with me as I attempt a game of catch-up...i know most of you have been anxious to see what we have been up to since we moved, but let's be honest...it was a bunch of uneventful, unmotivated unpacking and trying to make our new home liveable. i can now say (from experience) that it is not a good idea to move with a toddler in your first trimester of pregnancy or with an infant in tow. although I could write a few pages on how hard it has been, I want to focus on the thing I have been blessed with...a hard-working husband that did the majority of the work. he packed us all up, drove us across the country, found a darling place for us to call home, unloaded our stuff, and got rid of the musty smell in our basement plus other countless jobs around the house, all the while working a full-time job (which he started right away) to provide for our family. So with that said this is what we managed for our halloween weekend...

saturday our church hosted an annual "pumpkin chase", full of age-appropriate games and crafts for the littles and a dinner for the family.

and of course monday we trick-or-treated around our neighborhood. this was definitely the highlight. i'm pretty sure max wanted to live with every neighbor that gave him candy. he would just stand there saying "thank-you...bye...happy halloween...thank you..." until daddy prompted him to move on to the next house. it was really cute to watch him interact with each person at their front door.

when we got home, we allowed him to eat one piece of candy before bed, and believe it or not, he chose the package of pretzels. that made me smile.

dad came back from canada...

2011-10-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

and all we got was this coonskin cap, a piece of (north american made, no formaldehyde added, soy-based adhesive, sustainably harvested) plywood with LOVE printed in a heart across the front,

and this awesome array of canadian candy. (bacon caramel toffee..are you kidding me?)

looks like this guy really knows us. we're happy to have you back home, dad!

*don't mind max's blue mouth. it's from a treat he got after going wee-wee in the toilet...potty training...enough said.

i love october

2011-10-04T16:04:00.000-07:00

today was a glorious day filled with friends and farm-fresh produce. it was a perfect (70 degrees) day for running up and down the columns at garden patch farms in search for the vine rippened fruits and veggies. unfortunately they were a bit picked over, but it was still a great experience and we will definitely be back next year... maybe just a month earlier.

here is what we came home with...a variety of peppers and a mini pumpkin. (the raspberries didn't quite make it to the register.)

i'd say it was one successful day full of good memories.

today we had some visitors.

2011-10-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

who's been sleeping in my bed?

2011-09-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

max was having a hard time falling asleep last night. he was just in that talking-playing-singing kinda mood. after sending him to bed for the last time, this is what we stumbled across when we decided to retire. looks like someone decided to help himself to the comforts of his parents' bed...stinker.

the best money ever spent

2011-09-26T19:23:00.001-07:00

and it was only $14.99

*just remember if you purchase one from ikea. you need to prep the chalkboard by rubbing (the side of) a piece of chalk all over the surface then erase it. otherwise you will not be able to fully erase your doodles.

in other news, we are in the process of finishing max's (very small) "big boy" room. i'm pretty sure daddy's gonna be building a version of this. i'll keep you posted on the progress.

a perfect day

2011-09-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

ever since we moved into this house built in the 1950's, it has been screaming for me to make cookies. i know that sounds super stereotypical of the 50's housewife, but hey if you knew me you would know that she is a figure i long to be...getting ready daily, keeper of a perfect (but lived in) home, making everything from scratch, family dinners at the dining room table, baking, etc... i could go on but i'll spare you. some of you may be laughing at my description, but this is who she is to me.

anyway...we are pretty close to being completely settled (since we moved), the weather has turned for the cooler (it's raining to be exact), and max has been asking to make cookies (no joke), so i figured what would be a more perfect day than today to make cookies with my almost 3 year old. so before he went down for his nap, i promised him we would make them when he woke up. so without further ado, here are the memories we made today with bedhead and all.

i have to say i was a bit reluctant to take on such a task anticipating the large mess in my aready messy kitchen. but I have to say i was pleasantly surprised. max took this experience very seriously and he listened to instructions well. each time we were done with an ingredient i put it back in the cupboard, so in the end i was left with wiping down the counters...not bad, right?

after the cookies were out of the oven max insisted on "watching them cool". it's a wonder we even had any to bake after these lil finger kept finding their way into the dough (a trait he definitely picked up from his mimi).

once these delights were cool and ready for consumption, max picked his favorite one and said "i'm a good cookie maker". and as a proud mama i said, " yes, you are".

who misses this face??

2011-09-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

*well then, stay tuned and you will see a lot more of it.

nothin' but nut

2011-05-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

each year, or so, eric and i look at the things we buy to see where we can minimize waste. for instance, we love soda water. so instead of going through cases of san pellegrino regularly, we made it known that we wanted a soda stream and were gifted one for christmas (thanks mom and dad!), and now we get fresh homemade soda water whenever we want without having to throw out (recycle) a glass bottle.

about a year ago, eric discovered that our juicer was strong enough to pulverize peanuts into peanut butter. i have to admit i was not this appliance's biggest fan until it started making our peanut butter. it is big and bulky, which makes it really heavy, so if it was not housed on our kitchen counter it was rarely used. however, i found it hard to give up the much needed real estate for an occasional glass of fresh juice. to be honest...i wanted jack lalanne's power juicer, but eric wasn't having it. why when we have a perfectly fine one in our cupboard? i don't know (i'm not ashamed to admit it) maybe too many late night infomercials in college. (they really hooked me with their advertising {by far one of the best infomercials out there}. oh and montel william's is a close second with the health master.) with that said... we decided to sacrifice the edge of our counter (to experiment), and we now use it all the time. max loves to make his own juices...his favorites are carrot/orange and carrot/apple. i have to say it feels good when your toddler is begging you for carrot juice. :)

don't worry the motor was not running. he asked if he could taste it and i said, "hold on let me grab my camera...okay, go ahead."
to make this yummy peanut butter. we just buy 2 bags of the old-fashioned "blistered" peanuts (eric's favorite) and send them through like you would anything else. the "chunky" texture comes out the front and the smooth and creamy comes out the bottom, but we just mix it altogether anyway in a wide-mouthed reused pepperoncini jar.
i'm thinking this would make a great gift. tied up with a little bow...darling, right? who doesn't like peanut butter?

*to find out if your juicer has the same capabilities look it up the in it's manual or if you don't have that try the internet (that's what we did).

only the beginning...

2011-05-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

after this picture was taken, we were laughing at how pathetic it was. our family is suffering from the common cold, but we were having a great night. max requested watching superman while i rocked him in his rocking chair...sigh. just to milk the moment i thought i'd get his blanket and swaddle him. at first he thought it was pretty silly, but after a few rocks he tossed the blanket off in a panic and that is when this picture was snapped. little did we know that it was the beginning to a LONG, dreadful night. it wasn't until 4am that we got our longest stretch of shut-eye.
of course, he woke up at 6:30am for the day without a care in the world. you would have no idea he had gotten close to no sleep the night before. me on the other hand, i felt like i got hit by a mack truck, so i decided to nap with max. 4 hours later we woke up to dad stocking the fidge and freezer with ready-made meals and these beauties. and this is another reason why i love my husband. he knows me so well.

* the medicine is in hopes of having a better night sleep tonight for the WHOLE family.

the gift that keeps giving

2011-05-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

this is by far my favorite meal. it is a soup that comes from the hispanic countries in the carribbean, like puerto rico (that explains why i always want to garnish it with fresh avocado). and it is superb. i mean SUPERB. i love it...i crave it, yet i don't know tons about it. all i know is eric found it in one of our cookbooks right after max was born (so it has a special place in my heart) and we fell instantly in love with it. it is so warm and comforting, all the while being light with a refreshing kick (i'm sure that is because of the hints of lime throughout). if it is in the slightest bit dreary or damp this is usually my way of welcoming the forecast. so with that being said, this was my request for my mother's day dinner and eric brought it to my attention that we ate it on my birthday too...i told you i like it, or should i say i love it. so i know this is the time where i usually tell you or link up a recipe, but to be honest this is a recipe that eric is tucking away in his back pocket until i request it again. it is his little secret.

*just know that it is pretty labor intensive, and i don't even know the proper name of it.

happy mother's day

2011-05-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

to me and all the other mamas out there. i'm so lucky eric is giving me the whole weekend to celebrate the greatest "job" in the world. yah...it's hard sometimes, demanding at moments, and never ending. but it is the most rewarding position God has appointed me yet. i'm so thankful for the time i get to spend with my lil boy. so with all the small sacrifices...i wouldn't trade it for the world.

137th renewal of the greatest two minutes in sports

2011-05-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

also known as the Kentucky Derby, complete with hats and homegrown mint juleps. i was rooting for decisive moment (luv the name) and eric was rooting for shackleford (i'm pretty sure he was chosen for the name too). it was pretty exciting. our horses were neck and neck for a second then animal kingdom came out of nowhere and took the win. next year we'll play for money.

to have bangs or not to have bangs...

2011-05-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

that is the question. okay, so here is my issue with bangs. i want to love them and on most days i do, but they take a lot of effort. a lot more effort than i am willing to put in on some days. so this is a formal apology to my husband for looking like this (minus the hat) yesterday.
wayne.

{it didn't help that i was wearing one of his black concert tees he handed down to me a few years ago.}

tips for anyone contemplating bangs:

*just know that they are high maintenance and there is really no way around that.
*invest in a hair brush, hair dryer, and flat iron if you don't already have any of these three.
*if they are in anyway fluffy, flat iron them.
*either commit to them or don't both, because they require somewhat of a lifestyle change (if you are used to getting up and going about your day without even thinking about your hair).
*don't shower the night before and think you can get up without doing your hair (this was my mistake).
*and most importantly, don't put your hair behind your ears unless you are trying to look like the photo above (another habit i am trying to break).

what am i waiting for?

2011-05-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

about a year and a half ago, i bought these {i have two}beauties with every intention of painting them a high gloss white. eric, on the other hand, liked their original "coat", and since marriage is full of compromises i let him have this one. wink.wink

anyway, about a month ago eric gave me the go-ahead to paint them, so off to the store i went to purchase a can of white lacquer. and well, it's been sitting in my garage waiting for me to do it ever since. what am i waiting for? I.HAVE.NO.IDEA. i think i am getting cold feet. why? i don't know. i think it would look so much better white. maybe it's the pressure now that we have spent so much time bonding with them as their original shade. maybe{subconsciously}i'm afraid i'll make 'em look worse. who knows? someone just tell me to do it!

this is my new mantra.

2011-05-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

i'm happy to report that the 'green' movement hasn't stopped at
"reduce, reuse, recycle" or "be green". the latest?

great, right? i might have to give this little message a new home. the only thing i might add...if it breaks, fix it. although it just doesn't have the same ring to it. i guess i'll leave the sign making up to persimmon and pink.

anyway, check out this etsy shop. there are so many other darling signs. {i have some other favorites that might just have to accompany this one in the mail.}

summer love.

2011-04-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

nothing gets you more geared up for summer than a little spring cleaning and a homemade fudgecicle.

the.best.day.ever.

2011-04-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

what could be better than receiving an unexpected package in the mail?
it's bullseye!

YAY!

next up toy story 2.

thank you Antee Denise, Uncle Jefe, and Arnen (Arden). we love you so much! you have given bullseye a good home! he is very well taken care of...

easter.

2011-04-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

well easter sunday was a success. eric and i love celebrating holidays with our little family. we love the ability to create traditions and memories that are tailored just for us. (btw, if it were up to max the easter bunny would be an easter hippopotamus.)

here is how we spent our day:

6:30am easter basket for max (coffee for mom and dad)

8:30am head to church (we go early to hang out {dance} while daddy has rehearsal)

11:30am-3pm relax, garden, prepare our dish to bring over to mimi's and papa's

4pm easter egg hunt with the cousins

4:30pm max was pleased with his results (about $3.50 in "coins")

*confession* i know i don't have photos for a lot of our day, but in all honesty, photos miss the moment in our family anyway. maybe it's because i am not a professional photographer. maybe it's because i have a cheap digital camera that takes like 5 seconds to take the picture and most of our captured moments end up looking like this...

either way i was just absorbing the day with my family so a lot of the precious images are tucked away in my head.

egg-cellent!

2011-04-25T09:35:00.000-07:00

question: have you ever wondered why easter eggs peel so nicely, but as soon as you commit to deviled eggs off season, they are nearly impossible to peel without destroying the looks of them?

the key ingredient is: vinegar

our method is putting the eggs in a pot, fill to about an inch above the eggs, put in a heavy splash of vinegar, bring to a rapid boil, then remove for heat and cover for 10 minutes. after the timer goes off shock the eggs in an ice cold water bath. and your results... easy-to-peel eggs.

here is a yummy deviled egg recipe:

10 eggs, 2/3 c. mayo, 1 tbl. mustard, 1 tsp. white vinegar, salt (optional) and pepper to taste, garnish with paprika and celery salt (optional)

cut eggs in half, empty yokes in a medium bowl and mix all ingredients, except the garnish. pipe mixture into solid egg whites, sprinkle on garnish and voila. yummy deviled eggs!

"look, dad, it's a little oliver."

2011-04-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

max was outside gardening with dad, and look what he found...a little oliver.
(actually a black fuzzy caterpiller)

this is the real oliver. the much more cuddly oliver.
also known as our "good sport".

*stay tuned for easy-to-peel hard boiled egg instruction. just in time for easter eggs.*

lemme re-phrase that.

2011-04-18T09:43:00.000-07:00

this is what i get for trying to set up a "perfect" picture...
he was sitting nicely next to the board holding a card...cute picture right? well wanting to take it to the next level, i said' "max why don't you bend over", and this is what i got. (not wrong, just not what i meant) i should have said lean forward. lol...i love how literal lil ones are.

food chain friends.

2011-04-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

how cute are these?

i'm thinking they are perfect for a certain someone's easter basket. they are food chain friends. "they are friends. they eat each other. it's a complicated relationship." {you can purchase them at amazon, but i found mine at homegoods for a fraction of the price.}

love. hate. relationship.

2011-04-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

for those of you that don't know...we have been having a few sleep issues in our family (ahem...max). trying to brainstorm what the best option would be, my "brilliant" mommy impulse said, "let's transform his room to a big boy room". thinking his crib was inhibiting his sleep, since he was practically hanging out of it. little did i know, i was creating a whole new monster...the get-outta-bed-fifty-times-before-i-actually-fall-asleep monster. okay so i'm exaggerating, but really it is anywhere from one to five times, but it feels like fifty.

with that said...i love how it turned out. it was a process, but a lot of fun to put together. here's a peak at his now "big boy room".

the farm.

2011-02-08T14:07:00.000-08:00

saturday we spent the morning at south coast farms. we did some produce shopping and found some "cock-a-doodle-doos" while exploring the grounds. we love that place. it is so rejuvenating for the soul. it makes us think about growing our own food, joining their CSA, maybe raising our own chickens, cooking fresh, and teaching max all about it.

getting the idea

2011-01-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

last year i made a felt "mr. potato head", thinking this would be a perfect, quiet activity that he could be somewhat creative with. little did i know that he would totally not get the concept at all...sigh (that was all the air leaving my "good-mommy-idea" balloon.) anyway, i kept it accessible, but all he wanted to do with it was wave the bag around releasing all of its content all over the room. then upon finding a piece that struck his fancy, he would rip it apart (again an invisible mommy tear was shed).

anyway...this morning eric got up with max, so that i could sleep in, and this is what I found.

...his version of what mister potato head should look like.

homemade baby powder

2011-01-21T14:26:00.000-08:00

okay, so here is my first attempt at posting about something "green". as much as i love the idea of giving people around me ideas, i feel silly giving you potentially unsolicited advice. so with that said, i just wanted to share a little diaper rash remedy that works in our household.

eric and i have cloth diapered max since he was about a month old. not only does it coincide with our environmental beliefs, but it also made sense for us financially to pursue this method. (that is a post in and of itself...) luckily, in our diapering days we have not had many rashes until this last month...ugh. We tried the "natural" creams, the butt paste, even lotrimin (an anti-fungal cream) and nothing could protect his little tush from this issue we were having. so low and behold i just grabbed our homemade "baby powder" from the bathroom to see what it had to offer. we were pleasantly surprised when the rash started healing with each diaper change.

Here is what we do:

1. we use a 8 ounce mason jar to hold the powder.
2. hammer a nail in to the top in a random pattern to create holes. (if you need the holes bigger, just wiggle the nail around to manipulate the hole to desired size.)
3. fill jar about 3/4 full.
4. we use about a tablespoon of uncooked rice to agitate the mixture enough for it to come out.
5. you can add a few drops of essential oils if you want. we use lavender. (just shake mixture around so that the rice and essential oil are evenly distributed throughout.)
6. and use. eric and i, also, use it as a "dry shampoo". (we love it for this purpose alone...and now we love it even more that it has another purpose.)

*it is really easy to travel with...just unscrew top and place another lid on top of the poked lid. this will eliminate any spills.

just another day

2011-01-10T11:23:00.000-08:00

if only i knew...

2011-01-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

what this little guy was thinking.

i love the dinosaur stand-off. a million things could be happening here. are they protecting something? are they just hanging out? are they about to jump? who knows? max had his story and i'm sure he conducted them perfectly. :)

or the horse along for the ride. i'm not quite sure where this gal came from, but if you are the owner of this horse please let us know so we can return it. in the meantime, she is being well taken care of. :P

enough said... (what?... love it.)

hungry?... max was eating granola. he would say "hungry? here"... as he was putting it in its mouth

hungry no more...i will feed you everlasting food (play doh).

just trying out a new way of watching the tube.

these jars we use for food storage, like snacks, cereal, ect... however, when they sit empty on the coffee table, they are game for turning into something else.

hey...wait a minute...last i checked my 2 year old couldn't spell.

needless to say...all of this makes me smile. i find these random things around the house everyday. max is just starting to make believe and talk for his "friends" and it is "too-die-for". i wish i had a recorder attached to me to capture everything i hear. unfortunately, most of the time it is short-lived, and then if you ask him to say it again, it never comes out as genuine as before. anyway, since you don't live in my shoes i will give you the best glimpse into my life as i can.

cheers!

2011-01-01T19:38:00.001-08:00

happy.

new.

year.

This year...

2010-12-29T14:38:00.000-08:00

we had a break through!

Last year Max was absolutely terrified of Santa Claus...
I felt awful leaving him in the arms of a total stranger as he was hysterically reaching for me. I was trying my hardest to tell him everything way okay and possibly crack a smile, but it was impossible to convince him. So I left him there all of 5 second to snap this picture only to sweep him back into my arms to comfort him again.However this year we had a whole different experience. We didn't visit Santa at the local mall, but we got a visit in the comfort of the C'de Baca's home.

At first Max was very reluctant...
then he realized this guy might not be so bad.
he brings presents.
and Christmas jammies.
(alright, i think i like you enough to have a little chat)
by the time Santa had to leave...Max was convinced.
this guy is not so bad after all.
til next year Santa!

Holiday Mayhem

2010-12-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

With the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving weekend, I thought that the essence of these photos seemed to not fit the craziness of 6 parents, two grandparents, 1 aunt, 1 uncle, 4 kiddos (age 3 1/2 and younger), and 5 dogs in a 3 bedroom condo. But in a strange way they did...

Max was independent and entertained.
there was lots of baby swapping.

and the dogs got the couch, since everyone else was in the kitchen or congregated around the dining room table.

*************************************************************************************
Eric and I decided to leave a little early, so that we could jump right into the holiday spirit (the other holiday). He took me to brunch at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs (which was how we were going to celebrate my birthday, but never got a chance). After filling our tummies and spending some time in the photobooth, we drove through the mountains. We stopped at random thrift shops and a flea market. That day we made memories...and a really fun tradition.
The next day we woke up, pulled out our Christmas decorations, and found our Christmas tree.
Max was more interested in the snowman than he was the tree.
but we found the perfect one anyway.
wrapped it up.
and brought it home to decorate.

family.

2010-12-23T08:11:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky to have our family visit for the week of birthdays in our family. Unfortunately, Oma and Papa's trip was cut short due to the loss of their home. The morning of my birthday (November 6th), they got the news that their home had burnt down, and Uncle Mark was in the hospital...devastating. *Thankfully, Uncle Mark is safe and healing up just fine.*

Here are a few of the top moments that we shared...minus Max's birthday photos (for the sake of duplicating photos).

our first stop...In n' Out burger, of course.

hanging out in the desert (Palm Desert).

walking the pier and watching the surfers brave the waves.

eating ice cream.
hanging out with dad (Uncle Eric).

happy birthday little one.

2010-12-23T06:43:00.000-08:00

Okay so I have to admit...I got so behind on my posts that the job became so daunting and rather unappealing that I just started to ignore it. Unfortunately for me these things just don't go away, so it was up to me to motivate myself to get it together and show you what we have been up to since out sugar overload. (which I know you guys are all sick of looking at.)

Anyway...on November 9th my little guy turned 2. I can hardly believe it has been that long. The other night I was going through our old photos and videos (which I will share once I have caught up with our current posts), and I cannot believe what a person he has become.

Since Max is crazy about dinosaurs, we decided that would make a perfect theme for our family get together. It was super simple and low key and definitely took the pressure off having it just be family. As cousins arrived we set up a station for "growing dinosaurs". (you know the kind that start as capsules them morph into little sponge dinosaurs.) FYI this activity was not as "instant" as I thought it would be :)
After that...we ate fossils and cheese (mac n' cheese), then the cake (which was actually homemade jello). Not to self...don't laugh while it's in your hand cuz it makes your candles flail violently, which makes for laughing harder (not a good situation, but funny).
After that we (the daddies) opened up fossils.
This is how they turned out...darling, huh? I definitely recommend this little project for a rainy day. I found these kits at the dollar store, each one had different dinosaur bones that had to be a assembled.
The rest of the night, we opened gifts. Uncle Sean helped Max get through the impossible packaging. (I think it is funny that the toys are perfectly secure in the box, but once opened your home is chock full of choking hazards for the little ones.)
Max got to show off what he got to Papa.

We got our token cousin picture.
Here is a random picture with Uncle Cooper (Tooper) in between festivities. (I told Max to smile for the camera and he couldn't take his eyes off of Cooper...so cute.)

A few days later...Nate dropped off a little buddy.

sugar overdose.

2010-11-01T22:47:00.001-07:00

let's be real, that is definitely an understatement when describing our holiday weekend. i think max consumed more sweets (aka trick-or-treats) in these three days, then he has ever had in his 2 years of being alive all lumped together. (and i'm pretty sure i was right along with him experiencing a {sugar} high just knowing about all the sweetner running through his veins.) we had no choice, but to compromise our rules against cornsyrup and partially hydrogenated oils cuz those went right out the window. i'll be honest, there is practically no way of avoiding these two when participating in halloween :)

needless to say, we had a bast. our weekend was full of festivities. max loved dressing up. trick-or treating. and running from house to house.

here's a little glimpse of how it all panned out:

up until thursday night i thought i had max's costume all figured out. he was gonna make a darling max from where the wild things are. (perfect, right?) well not so much...he had other plans, and i had no other options but to make it work. as i was going through a hamper full of freshly restored clothes my brother wore when he was young, max reached in and pulled out this pair of onesie pajamas with an old school butt flap insisting on being a certain someone. darling...i know! with not much time to spare...i finished what was needed to make the costume somewhat recognizable. i thought it was pretty clever, however not many (actually no one) guessed it on their own. anyway, off to the first engagement...

friday morning was our annual harvest party for kids klub. we met at a local park to decorate cupcakes and have a little free play, so the mommies could catch-up and giggle about the costumes.
saturday we carved our pumpkin with daddy to enter it into a pumpkin carving contest at my parent annual pumpkin party. i probably shouldn't admit this, but we tied with my uncle for last place...oops...oh well i thought it was cute and plus we still got a prize. :)
and finally for sunday, the actual day, we met at didi's house for our 2nd annual halloween picture with the cousins,
then with mimi and papa.
before we attended our final commitment to meet up with friend, eat some good food, and trick-or-treat at our own pace.
passing friends on our left and right...in front and behind.
all and all, it was a successful halloween weekend! max was over the moon. can you guess who he insisted on being?
you guessed it!! (i assume ;)) yo gabba gabba's very own muno!

a breath of fresh air!

2010-11-01T05:23:00.000-07:00

For those of you that are losing faith in mankind, I have the sweetest story about this little monster truck...

The other day I took Max to Walmart in search of anything dinosaurs (for his upcoming birthday), while I was busy picking out the "perfect" combination of breeds, Max was enamored with a man picking out the perfect truck for his grandson. Of course, there was no competition. The man had a line up of trucks, tractors, and helicopters all with buttons that made various sound effects. No matter how hard I tried to get Max back on my side of the aisle, he always ended up smiling and dancing to the noises that flooded our section. Once the man pick the perfect truck and placed it in his cart, Max just stood there staring at it. (It's moments like these that I wish I could read his thoughts.) At this point I was able to wrap-up what I was doing, we thanked the man for playing, and we were off to check out. About halfway to the register something caught my attention...(I'm not sure if he said something or what, but...) the man came rushing up to us with a small version of the trucks they were playing with and a $5 bill and said in broken english, "Here I would like to buy this for him." I was pleasantly surprised...showed my appreciation, but tried to tell him he didn't need to do that. Well he insisted and said, "please it's a gift". Max was ecstatic! And I was touched! Max said his thank-yous, gave an ear to ear grin and a wave good-bye. That was the nicest thing that has ever happened to us.

I wish there was a way of getting a hold of this guy. I would love to send him a thank-you note and let him know that this truck goes everywhere with us. (Max even takes it to bed with him.) I would tell him that he made this little boy's day with this lil truck. I would tell him that I appreciate his kindness and generosity, because I'm so thankful for people like him (in this broken world).

It is people like this man that encourage me to do more random acts of kindness. So my challenge to you...how are you gonna touch someone's life today?

i feel like i'm falling for Fall.

2010-10-25T07:23:00.000-07:00

saturday we spent the morning at the Pumpkin City pumpkin patch. it's no Tanaka Farms, but they sure do a good job of turning a parking lot into a "family-friendly" frolicking ground sprinkled with rows of the orange gourd-like squash.

our first stop was at our 2nd annual picture of max against the measuring stick. (last year max was sitting at the base, because he was nowhere close to walking, let alone standing.)

our next stop was the corner of the patch with the 25 cent rides. lucky for us we came with not much, but bit of our "spare" change. max just bounced from ride...

to ride...

to ride...

right when we were able to convince him there were other cool things to do. he spotted (bee-lined it for) a carousel for only 50 cents (phew!) and insisted mom ride it with him.

we tried to pick up just about every pumpkin.

tried to take advantage of the endless photo opps...

but this was about as good as we got. :) oh well, we tried...

i'd say up until max realized he was a hair to short for the other rides, we had a great time. unfortunately, we left the patch kicking and screaming. (we were totally those people.) but i have to say we were able to enjoy ourselves for only a couple dollars.

til next time Pumpkin City.

don't mind the hiatus...

2010-10-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

I know it has been way too long since my last post. You're not gonna believe what I have gotten myself into when I tell you, because honestly, I'm still shocked I was able to pull it off. :)

For starters, I was asked to speak at a MOPS meeting about Organic Housekeeping...I know...what? For those of you that know me, you know this is so not my cup of tea .
public speaking.microphones.podiums.a power point presentation and all. Just thinking about it makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit. But seriously (all kidding aside), I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to get through it with no major mishaps. Just a bit of a dry mouth, but thanks to my stainless steel water bottle that was taken care of with small swig of water. So when is the next one? You might ask with a chuckle under your breath. Well...actually, funny you should ask, cuz it is scheduled for March 17th. :) I'm thinking this might be my new thing...we'll see.

Okay so that was the beginning of October...what have I been doing the rest of October besides enjoying every drop of rain that has fallen on south Orange County. (My heart still belongs to Oregon.) Well I committed to a booth at my church's holiday boutique that was last night. Since my interests don't lie with just one thing, my table was a bit of a smorgasbord...with pillows, wreaths, homemade soap, reusable snack bags, coasters, and cake-style appetizer plates. The whole night was a success made possible by my friend, Jeanne. And cupcakes compliments of my sister, Kelly. (This morning Max's first word was "tuptake", so a banana muffin was used to fill the void.)

Now that the craziness is behind me, I have to ease myself back into the blogosphere. So to cover-up the lack of photos throughout my activities, I have a flashback picture of Max last year at Halloween. What is he gonna be this year? Not sure...maybe (most likely) Max from Where the Wild Things Are. :)

now for getting my house back together...

Making Life Lovely...

2010-09-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

Today I am joining Life Made Lovely Mondays and since fall is now here I thought how appropriate to put a little decor up myself. Decorating is usually a process for me, so this is just the beginning, but at least it's a start.

This is a picture of my ever-changing mantle, by this I mean it changes with every season. My mom does it, my sisters do it and now it's my turn to join in the fun. It is a perfect way to bring holidays to life, especially when you live in an area that doesn't have much of any seasons except summer with an occasional autumn or spring day thrown in there.

This is my entry "catchall" bowl, which has turned into a sunglasses bowl. I remember reading somewhere that (I think it was) Jacki O. had a bowl of sunglasses next to her front door, which she chose from daily depending on her mood.

So this is how I made my Monday lovely... Go here for other lovely ideas.

oh boy!

2010-09-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

My boy is all boy and I love it! He loves to climb the hill in our backyard. The only drawback...he doesn't know how to get himself down, so who do you think has to rescue him? Yep, that's right..me...lucky old me! :)

His other hobby...taking the river rocks from our fountain and...

stuffing them in his pocket.

And now...we love to wait for the garbage truck to drive by every Tuesday morning. We wait for hours just to see him for a 2-5 minute stop.

The only thing pink about this boy is his mustache.

...after his banana raspberry smoothie.

Fall is in the air...

2010-09-13T21:43:00.000-07:00

and all that was missing was a big mug of hot apple cider. It was a perfect drizzly, but not too wet day. And with an invitation to the Irvine Regional Park from the cousins, we couldn't pass it up.

We rode the train...
met some ponies...

and threw some rocks in the parking lot.

A day well spent with this cute boy.

The best part of waking up...

2010-09-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

is not Folger's in your cup, but actually this yummy "garden bread" in your mouth...along side a fresh cup of joe, but definitely not Folger's (sorry to the makers of Folger's). I stumbled upon this yummy loaf when really I was just trying to make due with what I had in my pantry, fridge, freezer, and garden. Carrots we always have. Zucchini we grow. Sweet potato puree from my Deceptively Delicious days. We were out of normal sugar, so I used brown sugar... and so on and so forth.
Here is the recipe for my creative, quick bread. I have made it a few times since it's original debut, and it has been a hit in my family.

"garden bread"

1 cup of shredded zucchini
1 cup of shredded carrot
1 cup of sweet potato, pureed
1 2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons of vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I use walnuts.)

Steps
1. Move rack to a low position so that the tops of the pans are in the center of oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms of pans with shortening.
2. Mix all veggies, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except nuts. Once everything is combined fold in nuts. Divide evenly between pans.
3. Bake 8-inch pans for 50-60 minutes. Check with a toothpick. I take it out when the toothpick ALMOST comes out clean, then I let it cool in the pan. Once it is no longer piping hot, I take it out of the pan, slice it, and eat it up!

oh and the other thing...waking up to these findings. Adorable!
Eric has been waking up with Max on Saturdays lately. And this is what I found one of "those" Saturdays. It made me smile!

not your gramma's doily

2010-09-01T13:09:00.001-07:00

Here is a quick, easy way to add a little spice to your coffee table with a doily.

Right now I am loving the nostalgic feel of a doily (although these came straight from JoAnn's Fabric). Not knowing exactly what I was going to do, I picked up a few to ponder. After sitting on them for awhile (no pun intended), I realized that they could have a beautiful marriage with my other obsession...FELT.

So first, I chose my color scheme...monochromatic...(I thought). I love monochromatic schemes in any color.
Then I pinned the doily to the felt and cut around the crocheted beauty. Not every circle is perfect, but that's okay. I never claimed to being a perfectionist...and anyway, I think the minor flaws just make it that much more endearing.
Once all the colors were cut, I hand-stitched around to attach the doily to the back. I chose to use a kelly green thread for all four coaster for the sake of saving money on all the different shades of thread I would have had to buy.
So there you have it! A beautiful stack of homemade coasters.

Where the heck are my keys???

2010-08-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

oh. there they are!

goldfish update.

2010-08-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

I am sad to announce that our last two "pishies" have gotten a one-way ticket on the Porcelain Express. I can't believe it! What more did they need? I was such a good owner (I thought). I thought for sure they were stoked to be going home with me. I guess not...looks like all my efforts have gone down the toilet (literally). Go ahead..laugh... I still have next year...and the year after that...and the year after that... to figure this out.

RIP Mee-moo (aka "pishes") 1-10. August 13th- August 23, 2010

goldfish.

2010-08-19T11:29:00.000-07:00

carnival fish to be exact...all 10 of them...er...I mean 9 of them (as of this morning). courtesy of SCC.

I had no idea that I was the lucky mom of so many fish, I thought it was probably 5, maybe 6. And really why not have 5 or 6 if you have 1, since they can all live in the same place...right? ...WRONG! Upon arriving home, I started to do some research. I figured since I have committed to the little fellas, I may as well do it right. And it turns out these little guys are harder to take care of then they seem (probably why they die after 3 days anyway).

To start each fish needs about one gallon of water and their water has to be cleaned frequently, because their waste causes there to be too much ammonia in the water. So without an automatic filter I have been giving them fresh water every other day.
Feeding them too much is another common cause of death for fish. If they eat too much (which they will easily do if food is available) it can cause a disease called air bladder disease. So again, we feed them every other day and remove any leftover food after 5- 10 mins. (Leftover food can contribute to the production of ammonia in the water, as well).

Max is saying, "Hi pishies." (In his darling high voice.)
Here he is saying, "Hi guys" in that same high pitch. It sounds a lot like, "Hi dies".

The moral of this story is that these "carnival fish" are just as alive as any other fish (according to the pet store guy). I immediately felt convicted. So with that...my mindset has changed, and I am committed to giving these guys a good life. And in the meantime, I hope to teach Max that every life counts no matter how insignificant it may seem.

VBS

2010-08-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

This past week was Vacation Bible School at our church. The theme was "High Sea Adventures". It was amazing to see everyone come together and totally tranform the grounds into a briny blue experience. During the week, I volunteered as the lead storytime setup person. It was so much fun turning the classroom into a house, then into a city, then back into another home. It brought me back to my roots as a visual merchandiser (without the pressures of my last [type A] boss.) :)
Here is a little snip of what our week was like...

Every morning, the kids would meet in the sanctuary for music. Claire was Max's designated dance partner. Each morning when the music would start, he would squirm out of my arms and ask her to dance. At first Claire would always turn him down, then with a little more persistence on Max's part, she would do him the honors.
Max and his leader walking off to do crafts.

On the last day, there was a carnival to wrap up the week. Daddy thought it was okay to put Max in the bounce house. I had a (few) minor heart attack(s), but everything turned out okay. Max loved it. (It was almost impossible to get him out.)
To coax him out, we sent him to the bouncey slide with dad. Nate (on the right) was at the top making sure all the kids were going down one at a time (with the exception of Eric).

By the end of the fun-filled week, Max was ZONKED! It was so rewarding watching Max have so much fun with his friends and leaders. (I was chopped liver...and quite frankly, I was totally okay with that.)
By the way, we have now adopted 10 (yes, you heard me right! ...10) goldfish. Can't wait til next year!

mister felt (potato) man

2010-08-12T19:24:00.001-07:00

Last fall my family went to Hawaii for our good friends' wedding. Realizing that the flight would be about 5 hours in the air, I (kinda) started to panic knowing I would have to keep my 11 month old content and quiet...ugh! Fortunately for me (my husband and my child) I had a bunch of felt (since I have a new obsession with it) stashed with my extra fabric I keep lying around. So here it goes...

This is a really easy no-sew project. I made mine (or should I say Max's) the night before we left. I started off by cutting a piece of felt to 8 1/2 x 11. I figured the size of notebook paper was manageable. Then I cut a wonky oval shape. Everything was cut free-hand, so sizes and shapes will vary.
Then I cut features for a basic (potato) man...eyes (I glued the pupil to the white part), nose, ears, and mouth. And some basic accessories...a hat and some shoes. Then I went to town...
I made an old (potato) man
who morphed into a young (potato) jokester...
who became a strapping (potato) cowboy...
then a (potato) woman...
And finally a goofy (potato) clown.
To store, I pile everything onto the piece of background felt, fold and keep in a random shoe bag I had (again) just lying around my house.
It's amazing the things you think of...other options are a baseball player, a snow bunny, a gladiator, etc... You make the call! Hopefully this will keep your little ones occupied for hours. :)

Serving Miss Darling

2010-08-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

The other day I snagged this picture from my mom before she gave it to Goodwill. I love the frame, but I'm not crazy about the print. While racking my brain on how to incorporate it into my house, I realized I could convert it into a darling serving tray. So...

First, I took it apart, and stripped the back of it's hardware so that it would sit flat on a table. I flipped over the print (so that it wouldn't show through) and covered it with my fabric of choice, pulling it taut to eliminate any wrinkles.

Next, I put the "picture" back in place with the cardboard backing. At this point, I checked the front to make sure there were no wrinkles. I cut a piece of felt to the size of the frame and glued it to the backside (along the perimeter of the frame). This will keep your new tray from scratching your table.

And voila...a serving tray!

Here I used it for a water station to avoid drips on my coffee table. :)

A new beginning...

2010-08-05T14:38:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I have done a little gussying up with our blog. It has been brought to my attention that people are interested in more of the details from the Currier household than I thought. So I (reluctantly) figured...I'd give it a shot. I just wanted to tell you that I will be heading in a slightly different direction with my posts...some will be about living a "future-friendly" lifestyle, some will be about the projects we are involved in, and some will just be about plain ole everyday life, but most importantly, all of it will be keeping you up to date with our family.

What am I trying to accomplish with this new idea you ask? Well, I'm hoping that with this (slow) transition we can encourage you guys to try something new and give you a new appreciation for the gift God has created for us (planet Earth). I'm hoping to keep it real without making anyone feel uncomfortable. (Forgive me if I cross any lines.) Just know that I am a passionate person, but pass no judgment on the decisions you make. (Trust me, I'm far from perfect.)

Friendly Disclaimer :) I'm still pretty new to this consistent blogging, so bare with me it might take a while for me to get into my groove, but nonethless I will do my best with this commitment. Hope you guys enjoy this journey with our family!

Indian winter?

2010-07-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

I understand that an Indian summer is when there are warm days in autumn, so what do you call cold, overcast days in the summer? Eskimo winter? Perhaps...Canadian winter? Or is it just Indian winter? Anyhoo, the other day was quite frigid, so I deemed it appropriate to cozy up with a big bowl of fresh, popped popcorn. This is one of my favorite memories from childhood. Nothing like a wooden (or bamboo) bowl bigger than you filled with white, melt-in-your-mouth kernels of stove-top, popped popcorn.

summer. roast.

2010-07-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

Most houses in southern California have a pool, but this house...well, this house...we have a roasting pan.

Today...

2010-07-16T19:13:00.001-07:00

we got an unexpected visit from...

ARCHER!!!

"Show mommy how the piggies eat."

2010-07-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

Lately, Max has taken interest in my pot holders. I got him some puppets thinking they would suffice. They serve the same purpose (right?), but are much softer than a pot holder. I stand corrected!

Max loves Arden

2010-07-13T23:22:00.000-07:00

These pictures were so sweet, I felt like they needed a post all to themselves. Mr. Max fell in love with his cousin, Arden. They would go in for this slow motion kiss...

...then...

...laugh hysterically.

Our fourth of July...

2010-07-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

Although everything we planned on doing fell through, we ended up having an awesome family day.

Max inspired this shot. I was following his lead.

Our neighbor gave us a box of sparklers, so these were our fireworks for the night. Maybe next year we will get to see a real fireworks show.

Yes! I'm so glad I captured this face. Can you imagine what I could have said that warranted this look? Anyway, that's beside the point...this face is priceless!

Our trip to Chicago (in a nutshell).

2010-07-06T09:27:00.001-07:00

Upon arriving at O'hare airport, we headed to Battlecreek, MI staight away where Eric's parents have a cottage on Lake Mill. (Little known fact, their house was once owned by the Kellogg family back in the day.) There is a Kellogg cereal museum not to far from their place, but this time it was closed due to the economy. Boo! (I was really sad.) Despite the minor mishap, we managed to have more fun then ever!

We started off with a morning of bubbles with Oma.

We played in the water with daddy.

Then we took their boat out for a spin.

At first, Max wasn't too sure about the life jacket...

then he got used to it, and it didn't even bother him.

On the way back to Illinois, we stopped at Steak n Shake. (the midwest version of In-n-Out, if you will).

The next day, we spent the whole day in the city. Starting off with the Shedd Aquarium...

and finished with the Lincoln Park Zoo.

We met up with friends. Eric's old roommate's son, Nicholas. This is a spitting image of Eric and Eli sitting on their couch a few years ago (just in a miniature version).

We met Oma's horse, Rosie.

Max met lots of cousins.

And finally, a picture with Oma and Papa (or "Bobby" according to Max) and all their grandchildren.

After a busy week of running around and meeting lots of family and friends, Max and Dad crashed out.

A Tribute to Dad...

2010-06-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

We are so grateful for our Dad!

We cook together...

We work together...

We relax together...

And in the meantime...We try to be like him!

work hard like him...

and dress like him!

We love our dad! Happy Father's Day!

Some things never change...

2010-05-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

except for...

Now he does it by choice...

...and...

...Now it makes him HAPPY!!

Dr.Suess is the new Shakespeare

2010-05-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

Lately, Max is obsessed with reading books...morning and night. I don't know how it worked out this way, but before bed he prefers Eric Carle and in the morning he likes Dr. Suess. Unfortunately for me, Dr. Suess is like reading Shakespeare in old english when you are still half asleep.

However, the other morning I had a "Mommy AH- HA" moment... Since my sweet Max is saying yes to everything nowadays, I tried to utilize it to my advantage. I asked him if he would rather have daddy read to him and he very quickly and enthusiastically said "Yes!" and started pursuing dad over on his side of the bed while mommy gets to drift back to dreamland. Pretty clever on my part, huh? I thought so myself. The only thing...dad caught on pretty quick.

Smile!...

2010-05-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

These were the images I captured (in order) repeating the word SMILE, each with an even more enthusiastic inflection. What does a mother need to do for a good picture? (I mean...a smile-ing picture?)

Clearly, by this last picture he thought I was pretty ridiculous.

3 years of bliss

2010-04-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

On this coming Earth day, Eric and I will be celebrating our third year of marriage. Since we share our anniversary with Mother Nature herself, we feel that it is only appropriate to give her a little something in return...so each year we plant something. This year we planted our very own mandarin tree.

(love the Radio Flyer wagons at this nursery)

the gift that keeps on giving.

A week of first...

2010-04-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

Max was such a big boy! We started swim lessons on Monday. It's a mommy and me class that introduces him to the water, teaching him to float on his back and eventually putting his face under. He was a bit reluctant leaving my arms at first, but was so good. He didn't cry once.

Once he was back in my arms, he just held on to me pressing his cheek against mine.

Today not only was Max a big boy, but now he looks like one. He got his first haircut! Since he was sitting on my lap, we missed out on the action photos, so here are the Before and After shots.

Aw...my baby kinda looks like Randy Quaid from King Pin in this picture, huh? (Okay, okay, so we did push his hair forward a little bit, but we needed the dramatic affect.)

Now he looks like such a handsome, big boy.

I have to admit that as much as I don't want him to grow up, it is so fun to see him develop into a real person. He has such a fun personality. :)

Hangin' with my Peeps...

2010-04-12T20:58:00.000-07:00

on my very favorite holiday...Easter! After church, we spent the afternoon at the C'deBaca's for lunch. It was such a beautiful spring day. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

First, my mantle...notice the peeps bunting. Kelly told me about this tutorial, and I had to have it! So off to the fabric store I went, to purchase some yellow felt and voila! Just a little somethin' somethin' to make my heart sing.

Getting ready for a family picture. This is such a mommy moment.

Although, this was not the best picture of the bunch. I love, love, love how real and genuine it is.

This picture particularly melts my heart. I don't know what they are looking at, but notice Max is putting a gorilla on his head...again such a true moment.

The night before Easter, I was flipping through a book that had instructions on how to make a bow-tie out of flannel pajamas. Since I didn't have a pair of pj's to donate to a craft, I pulled out some suiting fabric I bought back in my college days. :) He looks very Willy Wonka-esque to me...I love it!

Max is in love with Beau. Occasionally, through out the day he would squat down next to him and say (in a hi pitched voice), "Hi, Beau". This is something he learned from his cousin Archer. At this particular moment he was talking about the caterpillar on his bouncer...so sweet.

And finally, me and Beau...look at his sweet face! I love him!

All and all, Easter was such a special day. I couldn't have pick a better place to celebrate our risen Savior.

Just a regular Wednesday morning

2010-04-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

This is a perfect example of what I deal with on a daily basis now. Sometimes it takes all my might not to crack a smile.

Enjoying a big, fat fresh strawberry...

2010-04-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

My, Avery, what big eyes you have...

2010-01-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

Mimi was watching Avery so we decided to pay them a visit. A few minutes into being there, this is what I found. Max was having a bit of an identity crisis.

*Don't worry, Kim, I wash everything right after this picture with soap and water. :)

Bathtime wih Arch

2010-01-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

At the park with dad...

2010-01-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

Eric was able to catch these great images.

Becoming a pacifier guy...

2010-01-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

As a baby, Max would never take a "paci". Now that I have plenty of random pacifiers around the house, occasionally this is what I find.

Christmas clean up

2010-01-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

getting into "situations"

Christmas

2010-01-18T11:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve at Mimi and Papa's house...

Christmas morning at our house...dad setting up his tent from Oma and Papa.

trying it out

back at Mimi and Papa's for more presents

hanging out with Uncle Tim

At the Santa Ana Zoo...

2009-12-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Jeanne, this face was captured! A few weeks ago, we went to the Santa Ana Zoo and with all the hype this face...the face was documented. Max is famous for making this scrunchy nose, and I LOVE IT!!! So here it is for everyone who hasn't seen it yet.

Building a fire with dad

2009-12-08T19:39:00.001-08:00

Going on a hunt for a Christmas tree...

2009-12-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

We started off at the christmas tree farm, in hopes of cutting our first California tree down. Everything was so crisp and pretty, but unfortunately we didn't find the right one. The next morning we went to a lot off El toro Rd. They had trees "direct from Oregon". :) This was it... we found our tree! (They even gave us a discount for being from OR.)

At the farm

the one

the finished product

A night with Archer...

2009-11-19T11:16:00.001-08:00

It is so neat to watch their personalities develop. Just recently there has been a real comradery between the two of them. You can really tell that they genuinely enjoy being around each other.

Here they were sharing dinner...mmm peas! (Look at Archer's mouth.)

Max took Archer for a ride in his new wagon.

Watching a movie with Uncle Eric.

The guys

Don't cry Baby Avery...

2009-11-19T10:59:00.000-08:00

Mom, Max and I were watching Avery while Kim ran errands. When she began to fuss we all did everything we could to comfort her. Max was especially concerned and wanted to help. Before I had the idea of grabbing the camera, he gave her a big wet kiss on her forehead.

He was so overcome with gentleness, he couldn't contain himself.

Can you tell what time of day it is?

2009-11-19T10:53:00.000-08:00

Yep...it's morning!

This is bedhead at its finest.

What a difference a year makes...

2009-11-09T19:01:00.000-08:00

A year ago today, I had no idea how much more love I could have for Max. Everyday he brings us such joy. We could not have been blessed with a more perfect son.

Today is his first birthday, and although we are all sick, he still manages to smile and light up the room.

Happy birthday, Max!! We love you, boy!

First Halloween

2009-11-02T09:55:00.000-08:00

Max was just getting to know our first pumpkin.

I was really into it...you can just call me Martha! (Actually, this pumpkin won us second place at my parents' pumpkin party...not bad for our first one!)

...wish I could say the same for Max. He's just not that interested.

Mimi and Auntie Kelly helping him get ready. He would let anyone, but me, put the hat on him.

Our lil Frankenstein

not too sure about this dressing up business

and, finally, dessert!