Instafriday 6/1/12

This week's theme was SUMMER FUN.

Here's to cheap target bikinis (and the confidence to wear them, despite my post-baby belly)

On memorial day, I hopped back on my surf board and caught a few!  I haven't surfed in years, but it really is like riding a bike.  Once you're out there, it all comes back to you.  I'm still very, very sore.

Homemade blueberry popsicles

 

I made a bunch of super colurful felt baby barettes (giving 2 sets away, keeping 1 set for Sisi)

 I bought a new (well, gently used) car!  Apparently, newer cars come with something called "XM" radio.  It's solved my total hatred of radio!  I've been listening to the 90's XM station nonstop.  I got to hear Paula Cole, Alanis Morrisette, Salt & Peppa, Enigma ("Return to Innocence"), and Britney Spears all in a row.  What radio station plays 5 chick songs in a row?  I LOVE it. 

 I decided to be "cool mom" and let Sisi lick the cookie batter. 

 The cookies were sugar-free and gluten free, and voted AMAZING by paleo and non-paleos alike.  Recipe coming soon.

 

Lots of fun with friends at the fake lagoon.

My sparkly seafoam nails match Sisi's mermaid bathing suit. This made me happy.

New fancy schmancy knives, and a rustic Italian seafood stew. 

 

 Raw fish can be so beautiful. 

 

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Just Listed! Anenome Floral Crown

Black-centered anenomes have always been on my floral top 5 (along with fringed tulips, scabiosa, dahlias, and cattleya orchids, in case you are wondering.)

I created this braided anenome crown using a variety of sheer and satin fabrics, with embroidery floss stamens to give them that characteristic drama. 

Wish I had a reason to wear this woodland crown! I do think I could pull it off as a sash to cinch in a billowy dress or blouse. 

photo by Ashleigh Taylor Lane Photography! 

Available in the shop! 

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Instafriday 5/25/12

women's church retreat (I won the bean game!)

enjoying every minute of this random post-church nap. she's an angel (when she's sleepin')

flowers for 3 fabric wands

 refreshing sashimi salad from the one and only fukada

 basil sleeps in so late i often make the bed with her still in it.last minute baby shower card in a jiff, thanks to my silhouette cutting machine!

 more convertible cruising

 and snoozin' pesto got a haircut!

 the baby did not.  rat tail alert!

met up with angel & baby olive and trista & baby ? for lunch

 it's supposed to be cloudy this long weekend, which is a big bummer. at least my feet scream sunshine and blue skies (essie "air" nailpolish)

 *for some reason, i really like when people blog pics of their nail polished toes.  it's kind of hilarious that i do it, too- post pics of my ugly bunioned feet for all to scrutinize. and don't look too closely, i applied that nail polish in the dark while watching a movie. i did my best.  this is real life, yo! who really has money for pedicures? :)

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2nd Generation Lovey

Think she'll notice the difference? 

original on the left, ebay find on the right

Sisi started to fall in love with ducky at about 10 months old.  He's the only lovey she's ever asked for by name or even noticed is out of sight.  This means he rarely gets a bath. When he does, I have to let her put him in the wash and say "bye bye" as we close the top.  Think he looks ragamuffin in the pics?  That was just a few days after being washed!

I realized if I'm smart, I better find a replacement online in case we ever lose him.  And being the airhead I am, it's quite likely I will, since we've gone through 6 previous loveys before introducing ducky.  We've had a few close calls with ducky, to.  o

Gund no longer makes ducky, but I was able to find him on ebay.  Phew!

When I gave her new ducky, she sniffed him and did a double-take.  But then she hugged him and stroked his fur and said, "Oh duggie duggie duggie".  

Lesson learned:  next child will have a lovey that is in stock.  I will buy 5 of them, and rotate them so they are all the same level of threadbare. 

Also, I must keep the two duckies separate.  If she ever sees both of them together, she might lose her whole sense of reality and her world might come crashing down.  :)

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Siena is 16 months!

It was the Month of the Duckie.  In the last few weeks, Duckie has gone from just a dear friend to a full-blown obsession.  It's the first lovey she's really and truly bonded with, and his absence is painful for her.  We've witnessed desperate tantrums because Duckie is out of her line of sight.  When Duckie is in her clutches, Siena instantly unwinds and relaxes.  She rubs him against her cheek and caresses the soft (extremely dirty) fur.

  (Duckie is actually a fuzzy coat with a duck hood given to Siena by her sweet cousins in Tennessee. Marcie and Aaron- you have no idea how valuable that gift has been to her!)

 She wasn't very jolly this morning, so Joe snapped a lot of this:  "blah face."

 

 And even some grumpy floor sprawling.

Sisi at a glance:

• more words- fishy, babbeeee (balloon), all done, nigh nigh
• still working on her walking skillz
• suddenly stretched out, jumped to a size 2t, and lost some of her fat rolls.  thankfully, she still has those irresistable chubby cheeks.
• i told myself by 16 months we'd stop breastfeeding for good, but i think we'll hold onto the morning feed for just a while longer.  even if she's only getting a few ounces, it's still a few less ounces of super pricey raw milk to buy. and i am just not ready to shut down breastfeeding completely because that will mean she's really a toddler and i'm in denial. 
• has regressed to 2 naps most days (a short 15 min catnap and then a long 2 hour afternoon nap.)  she's extra tired these days and i suspect that walking has a LOT to do with it!

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Instafriday 5/18/12

 LESSONS LEARNED THIS WEEK:

No matter how much I wanted a little ballerina, I am pretty sure sisi will be taking jiu jitsu soon.  She loved watching her daddy at practice!

Aerosoles shoes are not just for grannies, they are sooooo comfy on my truly disfigured feet (from years of shoving my wide feet into tiny platform shoes)  I can wear these platforms on long walks with Sisi and not feel a thing.

 A hidden benefit of the paleo diet is that your skin doesn't really sunburn.  My paleo baby has a gorgeous tan, and not one hint of burn, even though we've been cruising through the suburbs with the top down.

 Sometimes, when a baby's got to sleep, she's got to sleep.  Even if it's not on your schedule.

 Coconut milk popsicles are the BEST snack.  Shave and a haircut, two bits!  

 A little fabric and ribbon really upgrades a typical potted plant. 

 Growing flowers from seeds is great for lazy gardeners.  You throw some seeds in the dirt, add some water, and forget about it.  If something sprouts, like these pansies, GREAT!  If not, who cares? 

 The store ran out of raw goat milk, and we had to give her pasteurized instead.  She didn't die.  She'll be alright.

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Baby Hair Dilemma

From birth til now, Sisi's been in an awkward hair phase.

• Birth to 1 month: Wiry dark baby hair.  
• 1-4 months: The front hairs fell out, resulting in a male-pattern-baldness look.  
• 5-10 months: All the hair started growing at a rapid rate, but the back was much longer, like a mullet.
• 10 months-present:   The "J-Pop stage".  Her hair is somewhere between these two styles.  Choppy, thin, messy, and always in her eyes.

 

My solution is usually a headband, clip, or shih tzu ponytail, but she eventually rips it off and her bangs end up poking her eyeballs out, which really really bugs me.  And I think it bugs her, too. 

I'm starting to think a haircut is necessary?  But I'm scared to because I really want to avoid this...

me, rocking the bowl cut

my sis rocking the bowl cut.

...the BOWL CUT.  aka Beatles haircut or asian kid cut.  

What are some cute baby hairstyles?  Is 16 months too young for a haircut???

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