Everyday Beauty

First Easter

 
We spent Easter out of town, with family, and had a wonderful holiday weekend. It was Sofia's first Easter, and I kept reminding myself that she has no clue what Easter even is....so there was no need for a fancy basket. So, she got a book and a soft bunny and a few marshmallow bunnies. She enjoyed chewing on all items equally as far as I can tell!

 
We managed to get one family picure where we are all sort of looking at the camera and no one is crying or pouting, so I thought I'd share it. I hope you had a happy Easter too! 

Hello Saturday

 
Well, I couldn't sleep, so I came downstairs {it's 3:30 am} and thought I would tackle something on the mental to-do list I've been writing all week. Deadlines, things I need to do, things I want to do. You know. I have sort of come to terms with the fact that there are about 2 million things racing through my thoughts at any given time, and I can really only do one at a time. Which one should I start first?

I made a pot of coffee and had a heaping tablespoon of Nutella {I know}, and here I sit with not too much to say. Just wanted to say hello!

So, hello! I hope it's a lovely Saturday for you! I know it will be be for me. I am so HAPPY to have my husband back!

{Large glittered Gothic letters are from Wendy Addison, a few years ago. I think maybe you can still call her in her studio and order things the old-fashioned wonderful way. If not, you can also buy them by calling here.}

xo

Brown-Eyed Girl

 
Ciao Bellas! It's me again. I'm 8 and a half months old already, and thought I would pop in and say a quick hello.{Please forgive my crusty little nose that mama wipes all day long.} 
Well, I must scoot along now {literally} and see what kind of a mess I can get into! Last week I chewed a book to bits before mama realized it. I think today I'll try and eat something a little more tasty.....hopefully mama will put some pears in my lunch. I'm really over the green beans, I must say!

Enjoy your day!

xoxoxo Sofia Angelina

Happy New Year!

 
2010 was a good year.
Although we sadly said goodbye to two cherished members of our family, we also welcomed our healthy baby girl into the world this year.
We thought we should celebrate with a bottle of sparkling wine to close out the year.
Coppola's Sofia Blanc de Blancs seemed appropriate.

 
Party hats, horns and confetti poppers are sitting on the counter, and little hands are eager to get a hold of them. A fun night for all, even if it will be quite low-key. It's always nice to sit around and reflect on the past year, and think how we've changed, grown, been challenged and how we're still holding on to each other, no matter what.
It's all about family and friends and love.
At the end of the day, I think that's all that really matters.

I wish you all good things in 2011! Salute!

Emerging from Pajama Land

 
Greetings dear readers! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with your families. Ours was lovely and cozy and memorable. I like to drag it out as long as possible, but at some point I guess I do have to get out of my pajamas and do something with the old hairdo.

 
I came downstairs with curlers in my hair, and for some reason my boys thought it was the funniest thing in the world. They commenced belly laughing while taking a series of silly photos as you can see.

 
They make me laugh. The sound of their laughter is like medicine.

 
Good thing I don't take myself too seriously!

This morning I woke up and finished packing up the decorations. Farewell 'til next year, my pretties. I will not miss the glitter trail through the house, and my vacuum needs a break.

We consumed pounds of cavatelli and Arancini on Christmas Day. Sadly, the elastic waistband of my pajamas was the only thing that would fit, which is part of the reason I still have them on. I have vowed to eat nothing but lettuce leaves for a few days.....will let you know how that works out for me ;-)

Getting ready to ring in the New Year! Always so hard to believe another one has come and gone.....

Not a Creature was Stirring...

 
...except for a candy cane mouse! Mario and I made 25 of these little cuties for his classmates. I thought they turned out sweet, and those googly eyes really give them a mischievious personality.
The pastel candy canes can be found here. And that's just faux fur from the craft store that I cut into a teardrop shape. Then I cut felt ears in a dumbell shape and threaded them through 2 slots that were snipped in the teardrop. Sounds much more complicated than it is. You can find a pattern for the body & ears here, though I made my mice about twice as big as this pattern. The ears are about right though.

 

I don't know exactly why, but I am SO ridiculously excited for Christmas this year. Like I'm 5. The kids and I have been crafting and baking with no end in sight. Still have 3 kinds of cookies yet to bake today. The dough is made and chilling in the fridge. A few days ago, I made these yummy Angel Macaroons with Necco wafers stuck in the soft chewy coconut mounds.

 
This old Reindeer got a red nose with some nail polish, and voila, he is Rudolph. I swear I could quote the entire script from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at this point....and the Polar Express....

 
Speaking of reindeer, we mixed up some Reindeer Food {oats & glitter}. I hope Prancer & Donner like steel-cut oats 'cause that's all I had on hand!

 
My sweater is hanging up, ready to wear to Mass on Saturday.

And a little more sparkle with the accessories. Hey, it's Christmas! Gotta have some sparkle, right?

 
Well, readers, I'm going to go finish up the baking now.....and a few other last-minute tasks before the big day arrives!

A Simple Cozy Eggnog Day

 
Got snow.
School's closed.
Still in jammies.
Rudolph's in the DVD player.
I poured us each a  glass of scrumptious eggnog.
Delicious!
Simple things.
Nothing fancy.
Nothing forced.

 
Our Christmas home is all spruced up.
Beautful in all it's imperfections and messes.
The children are checking their Advent calendar daily.
They're ready for Santa.
And we're all ready for that wonderful, magical Christmas Day.

{thank you to the those who purchased the necklaces in my last post. Big Hugs.} 

The Gumdrop Nibbler

 
There is a Gumdrop Nibbler on the loose in our house. Mario made this ornament, and one day last week I peeked in and saw Sam sneakily chomping on it - while it was still hanging on the tree. Never mind that it is FULL of toothpicks. I figured Mario would have had a fit to find his beloved ornament full of teeth marks and half gone, so I quickly made another one and hung it in place.

 
Never a dull moment around here...

My October

 
Hello Friends! I have missed you!

October came and went in a flash, as it always does for us. I have to tell you, I had a bit of the blues for awhile, and that's part of why I was away. It was just an overall feeling I couldn't shake. But I'm feeling better now and wanted to share some bits of October with you.

We celebrated the boys' birthdays, as well as George's {he and Sammy share the same birthday!} and I made these felt crowns for them to wear. I'll change the number as each year passes. I wonder if they'll want to wear these when they're 18. Not likely, right?

 
The theme for the party was trains, so I made them a choo choo train cake using this cake pan.

 
They flipped out when they saw it, which made it worth the all-day effort. Naturally, they only wanted to eat the candies...

 
An ariel view of the licorice track:

To celebrate Fall, we headed to a local farm that specializes in heirloom pumpkins. They looked so beautiful and bountiful all piled up like this.

 
This year, I chose one of these squatty peach ones:

 
The boys were more interested in playing on the huge dirt mound, complete with dump trucks and tractors.....

 
...while Sofia and I sat under the pavilion.

 

Then, of course there was Trick or Treat. It's always so fun to see all the cuties parading through the streets. Superman and Buzz Lightyear were happy to be running around the neighborhood filling their treat bags with sweets.

 
The little ballerina stayed behind with me, while I passed out candy. I was amazed at how many kids came through without costumes. It should be illegal! I dress up every year as a good witch. Mario told me I should get a new costume, but when else do I get to wear a black velvet hat and striped stockings?! {and by the way, one size does NOT fit all in those striped tights! I was pulling them up all night long. Just thought I'd share.}

 
Let's see what else did we do in October? Oh! We went on a steam engine excursion. {I'm not kidding when I tell you trains are an integral part of my life....lol.....} It started out fun.....steam and whistles and chugging and all that good train stuff....

 
Unfortunately, it all went south when there was train trouble and they left us on the rails at a standstill for 2 hours while the engine uncoupled and went on ahead with the other passenger cars. Mario called it the Polar Express. George and I have a different name for it....ha ha.

But it was a memory, to be sure!

I'll leave you with this thought.....  Don't you just want to take a bite out of those chubby thighs? Maybe it's just me.

 
{The blanket was made by Caroline, although the pretty edge isn't visible here. It's one of my favorites.}

See you soon! Have a great day!

At the Risk of Seeming Totally Obnoxious....

 
I have to ask you one more time (just once, I promise) to hop on over and vote for Mario's picture in the photo contest.
Just CLICK HERE to vote. Easy as pie.

 Pretty please?

Hey, what kind of a mother would I be if I didn't solicit votes for my own kid?  {ha ha}

Ok, I won't bother you about this again. I know.....I can be such a pest sometimes.

Voting ends this Friday!

Thanks girls! xoxo