Sisters

And so it goes...

Sisters don't always get along, we all know that.
Anyone who has had a sister knows that

we don't exactly always make each others' lives easier.

I was no exception to the rule.

I used to take my sisters' clothes and

hide it in the trunk of my Malibu. True Story.

If they wanted their clothing back,

they had to sneak my keys while I was asleep and go raid my trunk.

And that was when I was 20.

Imagine us as little ones.

I was the oldest so naturally, I was a little bossy.

Ok, maybe a lot bossy. My nickname used to be "revolutionary"...

Those definitely weren't my proudest moments.

But we all grew up and grew past those childish spats, for the most part anyway.

We all love each other and want the best for one another.

Now, I have a different set of sisters to worry about.

I am determined to raise my girls to love and respect each other.

To want to be in each others' lives and have

that sister bond that's so coveted by many.
I know that I can't force a relationship but I can encourage it...

I will try my hardest to avoid that phase where they are competitive with each other.
Any tips and advice would be gladly accepted...

Kate is a little rough when it comes to Ella. She is only 2 so I guess that's to be expected.

But poor little Ella, she definitely gets the short end of the stick being only 11 months old.
Here's the kicker...
She is starting to defend herself though, if you see here in this
funny little clip of my girls fighting over the same toy.
Ella actually tries to throw a toy at Kate!
Kinda funny. Gotta work on that...

They really do make me laugh these girls...

Jack's Back!

We love when Jack's back in town from North Carolina. 

He and Charlie love to play together. 

When Jack leaves, Charlie is so sad and asks for him for weeks.

A card game between friends...

Here was the conversation:
Jack: You got any 8's Charlie?
Charlie: Uh, I don't know, what do those look like?
Jack: Um, I think it's 2 circles on top of each other.
Charlie: Well, I don't know, here check for yourself...
Jack: Nope, no 8s. You got any 3's?
Charlie: Yeah, I have 4 of them...hey wait a minute, how did you know?

Hopefully, these are the makings of a lifelong friendship.

Daytrippin'

There's nothing like packin' up 3 small kids, their carseats and all the stuff that entails into the back of your Expedition and taking off for a little daytrip of exploring, eating and general craziness & fun.

It can definitely be a lot of work and take quite a bit of

patience but so worth it in the end.

This time we went in the direction of Solvang,

a small Danish town about an hour past Santa Barbara.

I read while I was there that it was voted one of the 

"10 Most Beautiful Small

Towns in the Western United States."

Rightly so. It is quite beautiful and rich in history, which I love.

The kids loved the horse pulled trolleys and the family style bikes rolling around everywhere. Charlie especially loved the old bookstore, where they have a used section upstairs and he smelled the books and smiled. I may just have created a lover of books like myself after all... that makes me happy.  

Our first stop was Enjoy Cupcakes. And yes, we VERY much enjoyed them.

There really is just something about the idea and simplicity of a cupcake that can make you smile and just forget about all your problems for the 5 glorious minutes it takes you to eat and completely enjoy it while simultaneously wishing you could do a little happy dance while you're savoring each bite.

I never really was an avid cupcake fan until J came along.

Her absolute and undeniable love of them has rubbed off on me

after being dragged (willingly, of course) to every

famous cupcake store from here to

San Francisco to New York City.

I've been craving the yummy goodness ever since Sunday.

Enjoy had AMAZING flavors in the shape of 6 mini cupcakes in a box of heaven. Flavors like:

Chocolate Blackberry Syrah

Vanilla Bean

Fudgy Chocolate Mac

Cocoa Creme Brulee

and a chardonnay one that I can't quite remember

the name to right now, but was equally amazing.

and Blueberry cobbler cupcake (My favorite!)

(This photo is from the Enjoy cupcakes blog... )

I hope that's ok, as this is just a testament to how much I LOVE them.

I was too entranced by the cupcakes to stop and think to take photos of  my own. :o)

The kids patiently waiting for J to buy their chosen cupcakes...

About to eat their little cakes.

An old-fashioned ice cream parlor waiting at the counter

for their ice cream on a hot, almost summer day...

Oh to be kids again...

She really enjoys her food, my little Kate.

We couldn't bear the thought of unloading all 3 of them after fighting them to get back in the stroller for a photo in front of the big windmill so I just stuck the whole stroller in the shot.

Ella

The kids, J & I as tourists

There's nothing better than a lazy Sunday spent shopping & eating with people you love.

Outside the beautiful restaurant, Suzanne's Kitchen, in Ojai, CA

After quick stop to see Ojai, a town we've both always wanted to see,

we headed home with some happy but sleepy, well-fed kiddos...

Hopefully, there will be many, many more of these little day trips to speak of this summer.

This is what summer's all about.

Weekend Projects

Ella wasn't feeling that great this afternoon so that means no church for us tonight
and so I'm in the process of purging ourselves of all the clutter everywhere.

I wanted to declutter my sewing corner so that I could have a clean slate when I start working on all my sewing projects. I started pulling out all of the material I have collected over the years and dude,

I know a post was just written about my love of the fabric store see? 

but this is ridiculous. I think I may have a problem...

I didn't know I singlehandedly kept Joann's in business...

I could seriously start a fabric store of my own with all the different fabrics I have!

The scary part is that this isn't even all of it! I know I have a box hidden somewhere in the mess of a garage we are currently trying to sort through.

I decided to put my stash to good use and create some fancy things...

A new cover for my beloved camera strap

Taken with my blackberry so it's a little blurry ...

I also made a fancy new quilt, mattress and pillows for

Kate's newly painted Ikea doll bed. 

This is the before...

and the after

Ella was lovin' it.

She got all comfy and laid there for a while...

Okay, off I go to finish the projects I've started...

Have a great weekend, my friends!

An Elmo Show & An Art Show

Kate's little friend, Nikki, invited her to a Sesame Street Live show tonight.

Kate is so excited she's been ready to go since 2pm and

she's only being picked up at 4pm!

My little girl LOVES Abby and Zoe so this is a real treat for her.

 

Thanks Chou and Jeff for bringing her with you guys!

{----------------------------------------------}

Mr. Charlie had an open house and an art show at his school tonight.

I had been given a heads up by my aunt, who is the school's secretary,

that Charlie's self-portrait may make me blush a little.

and it did... but just a little.

Here he is by his masterpiece...

His work of art...

He makes me laugh, my beautiful, smart little guy. He really does.

{The Queen Bee Market}

A few weeks ago, I found out about

the Queen Bee Market the night before it actually happened.

I was so distraught that I wasn't able to make it there on such short notice!

I LOVE EVENTS LIKE THESE.

Being surrounded by creative women and all their

beautiful homemade items inspires me and makes me oh so happy!

So, I can say with some degree of certainty,

that this is where I will be on

November 12th & 13th...

Sleepover

We've got a teether in our home right now.

That means mama gets no sleep.

An angel took the big sister for a sleepover

so I could have one less to take care of

while trying to soothe poor lil' Ella.

Here she is, going on her first

REAL sleepover where she knows

exactly what that means...

With the "bunny bear" and teddy in tow...

My girl's growing up...

and now off to sleep I go before the little one

wakes and needs some love.

My big, comfy bed is calling me...

My Candy Store...

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love to go to the fabric store.

It's like candy to me.

It's filled with so many possibilities.

The ideas start flowing freely and my heart races just a little bit.

I come alive.

{I think someone else hearts the fabric store too...}

 

Can you spy the stow away?

Hopefully, I'll be able to teach my girls a thing or two about

being crafty and they will inherit my love of creating beautiful things.

I hope they'll adopt my love of sewing and baking... 

I don't really know where I got mine from. My Granny Suzie used to sew but I was

too young to learn anything from her when she was in her prime.

She made many wedding dresses.

I used to love to go in her sewing room at her home

and poke around. We used to hide in there. I loved seeing all the thread

and baby jars filled with buttons and bobbins.

The shelves over the ironing board filled with tons of material and scraps.

 The girls enjoying some play time together after our fabric store excursion
while the boys are off to t-ball practice...

____________________________________________

and tonight's post ends with some snuggles and a little cartoon time before bed...

Ella has never slept in my bed, although she adores being in there with them...see?

I am really looking forward to getting started on my
sewing projects now that I have all my material.
Ella's first birthday will be here before we know it
and there are flowers & dresses to be made.

With love...