Fresh&Vintage

Ending my Silence on "Sweet Sixteen"

What a crazy year! I don't even know where to begin so I'll just dive in

headfirst with TODAY-8/6/2010, exactly sixteen years ago TODAY,

I became a mother for the first time.

Sean is "sweet sixteen", a six-foot-one-spiritual-giant (cheesy?? maybe--but true), and probably the best oldest kid a mother could ask for. I have truly grown to appreciate Sean even more over this past year as he has helped tremendously to keep the family running smoothly.

After an unexpected job loss for Rob, I found myself turning a small part-time gig at my favorite fashion retailer into a full-blown 50 hour a week career. Having been a stay-at-home, work-from-home Mom for the previous  15 years, this brought on a slough of changes and challenges too numerous to list. I could never be able to explain how much I have missed "all of you" --you bloggers, designers, photographers, cooks, friends and family out in cyberspace whom I have loved sharing with in so many ways over the years. I have decided that after almost a full year (my hire date anniversary is August 21st)  of full-time employment outside the home, it's time for me to take a stab at blogging again. I have missed it too much-especially my camera and my kitchen-to stay away any longer.

Work has been enlightening for me. I received my first promotion in June and am now working as an appointment based personal stylist. I love meeting new people and building relationships  while also helping others put a little flair into their wardrobes. It's not AS creative as designing my own line but I am enjoying it tremendously and it has helped to make this past year more bearable. I am so happy to say that Rob has a really good new job, and when I say new I mean like still in training new.

 

The kids have been enjoying a different kind of summer with both Mom and Dad working full-time but I am happy to say they are enjoying themselves and growing in ways that make me feel really proud. No, the house doesn't stay as clean as it used to and we are eating a lot more take-out and frozen stuff I swore I'd never buy but we are happy. Last night, I heard Chloe holler down the stairs to Sean "the oven's preheated now--the beeper just went off to say so!" Sean jumped up from the computer to traipse up the stairs and put some frozen who-knows-whats into the oven for the 3 kids. It's silly I know, but I felt proud knowing that they are fending well for themselves when they need to and even know how to PREHEAT the oven ;)

 

Don't worry Mom! Things around here haven't gone completely processed or drive-thru. I am still taking time to whip up lots of culinary delights. I typically spend my day off cooking something to share at work.  Over the past 8 months, my co-workers have enjoyed: dozens of homemade cookies, fresh peach pies, lemon cake, swiss chocolate ganache cake, lasagna, chocolate covered marshmallow eggs...you know... the kinds of things I love to make and then share. 

I just have never had the time or the organizational skills to whip out the camera and the computer all at the same time to blog any of it. I will try to be better-I truly need to. I am so sad to admit that when I picked up my camera this morning to take pictures of Sean, it was covered with dust and my memory card revealed that the last pictures I even shot was back in March!

 

I'm heading back to the kitchen now. Sean said his perfect birthday would include some stir-fried steak, vegetables and rice and a fresh peach pie. I say his perfect birthday includes me having the day OFF with Rob being happy at work in his new job so I can make the meal happen. 

 

I never would have guessed I could be able to a have a day off,  do some cooking, take a few pictures and blog the day as well. Today is truly a sweet sixteen.

Stay sweet,

eva

Little Miss(es) Manners

Let me begin this blog post with a pre-script, an FYI sort of disclaimer: I had a 500+ photo-amazing- good-time during my month long visit to the Pacific Northwest.  Spending that much time with my mom and pop hasn't happened since I said the most important yes of my life in this heavenly place almost 16 years ago. I have lots to tell and even more pictures to share (you oughta know my people fairly well by the time I'm finished.) Please indulge me.

I've been home for 2 weeks now (in which time I've sent Sean to Scout camp, celebrated his 15th birthday, organized my entire house yet again--yes closets included, taught Chloe to use her first sewing machine, revamped an after-school command center to be blogged at a later date, drafted my first resume' ever, and landed a job interview-PHEW!)

Excuse, excuses! My sister-in-law Marci is prepared to stay married to my brother forever but divorce me forthwith if I don't get to it. She said, and I quote, " I know I was there, but I've been looking every day at your blog, waiting to see our memories  through your eyes." Although Marci doesn't know it yet (she will when she reads this), her saying that meant the world to me. It meant she loved me. It meant that I am her sister and not just her husband's. You are my sister too, Marse and I love you!

If a blogging manners handbook existed then timely (as in a day or two) posting after a month long stay with family would certainly be discussed in chapter one...so here goes.
A bit late but no less meaningful.
Travel journal is presently in-hand.
And when I say travel-journal I mean spiral bound notebook I'd stuffed into my carry-on and written in: bills to be paid while I'm gone.

My last night at home, I nestled onto the couch next to Mom, pulled out the spiral notebook and a calendar. My quest: to try and get my exhausted, overjoyed brain to recall at least a skeletal recollection of the what and when  of the previous 31 days. No easy task. Especially after midnight with two women known much more for our meals than our memories. AHA! I had it. Forget the bones, let's get to the heart of things. What did we cook?! Great food is central to every Michael family occasion...literally EVERY occasion...we even cook meals as we are planning menus for the next occasion. My method proved to be fruitful. Mom and I hammered out a heart-centered travel journal only to find out that we'd eaten 28 wonderful home-cooked dinners out of the 31 of my days spent home. One night was leftovers and two nights we ordered pizza.

WHO does this?! That's the question I walked away from Oregon proudly and rhetorically repeating inside my head. WHO cooks the fresh herbs cut from the garden two minutes ago variety of dinner 28 times out of 31? I'll tell you the who does this: Mary Michael. My mom. My kid's grandmom.
The kind of mom & grandmom I hope to be one day.

I loved every last taste of burgundy laced marinara, jalapeño infused breakfast burritos (yes, she does breakfast too) and caramelized on the grill fresh Oregon corn on the cob. The kids are still licking salt off their fingers from the homemade french fries. It should be a sin to eat so well. But this isn't gluttony. This is sharing and savoring. It's not how much food we can eat. It's how flavorful and meaningful can we make the food we are eating. It's sealing the deal in making the day indelible in the journal of Michael family moments.

One such indelible day happened on day #7 of the trip when Grandma Mary invited all off the miss-es  and their dollies for afternoon tea.

My Americanisms lead my fingers to nearly type the words high tea but to avoid any cultural folly, I consulted Wikipedia. Look what I found there:

"high tea has become a term for elaborate afternoon tea, though this is American usage and mainly unrecognised in Britain. Such usage is disfavored by etiquette advisors, such as Miss Manners
The term "high tea" is also used in the United States to refer to afternoon tea or the "tea party," a very formal, ritualised gathering in which tea, thin sandwiches and little cakes are served on the best china. This usage is an analogical construction, the term "high" being associated with social "formality" (rather than a "high," or main, table). Most etiquette mavens advise that such usage is unorthodox outside commercial contexts."

Hopefully, my afternoon tea manners are better than Marci's reminder made me realize that my blogging timeliness ones are. Unorthodox when eating cherry pecan tea scones, dilly cucumber sandwiches, chicken artichoke filled pastries,  and lemon raspberry tarts I will not be! Someone may have slurped a time or two while indulging in the fresh raspberry lemonade but I'm not mentioning any names ;) Suffice it to say, none of our guests under the age of 20 did any slurping. Look at Hannah's wonderful missy manners.

 

Hannah's sister Micah Jane was just as well-mannered while her mommy (my beautiful sister Rachel) introduced her to tea scones with clotted cream and lemon curd.

Rachel is the sister I shared a bedroom with while growing up. We made daisy chains together for hours when we were young. I taught her algebra while playing school when I was 12 and she was 7! No wonder she ended up as high school valedictorian.  She's the sister I again shared a bedroom with while in college. The one I prayed for desperately when cancer tried to rob her of her dignity 5 years ago. But when you are an amazing, focussed strength like Rachel your dignity (nor your beauty) will be robbed by anything. I hope we will be serving afternoon tea to our girls until we are 95 and 90, sis! You're mine forever. Smooches.

The miss-es manners weren't the only ones invited to tea. Lucky for baby Gavin, he's still the mommy-fed variety of boy. Other than him, there were NO BOYS ALLOWED! I stole away from the chocolate covered strawberries long enough to grab this beautiful shot of Gavin resting peacefully on the shoulder of my mom's best friend, Birdie.

 These 2 strong women have spent their professional careers as obstetric nurses--Mom and Birdie are what I consider women's best friend--the earthly saviors of the most important moments(s)in many women's lives. I know what my ob nurses meant to me and can only imagine the places these 2 have carved out inside the hearts of their patients over the last 30 years. Mom and Birdie are "Tier Ones"--the closest variety of friends who talk about everything and share tears of joy and sadness with one another. To bind the friendship even more tightly, they also SEW together. Now, we're talking sacred friendship. I love Birdie for being my Mom's confidante and home girl, her Tier One. 

 

I had to give my dad a little lesson in the merits of women friendships while I was home. One day when Birdie called for Mom, Dad huffed a little and rolled his eyes (in the really...she's calling again today kind of way). I said, "Dad--you have no idea what Birdie saves you from!" I tried to shed some light on the subject by explaining how much it would hurt me if Rob rolled his eyes when my Tier Ones call me (Dad LOVES my best girl friends--they are like his other daughters). I saw a light click in his head and I really think Birdie became someone new to him--even if he'll never admit it. And guess what! I never saw him roll his eyes or heard him sigh again when Birdie called Mom for the rest of the visit. Sorry Dad, but it's true. LOVE YOU!

Strengthening friendships between cousins and sisters was a highlight in Grandma Mary's afternoon tea. We were all encircled by the comforts of wonderful food and the sights, sounds and smells of familial love known to me as HOME.

Look at the special treats we made for each of the girls. These Polly cakes turned out so cute, they each deserved their own individual portrait. I think I was up until 2 or...maybe 3 in the morning getting these girls finished for the tea. Teeny Polly sized couture dresses fashioned from icing takes a serious time commitment.

Maryn was the brave one.  All gentility aside, she cut into her Polly cake in no time flat. Hand-fashioned beauty is not the thing to get between Maryn and her dessert--can you blame her?!

And, because I started this blog post with a pre-script disclaimer, you get to see even more pictures. My blogging manners are already in question anyway so I may as well share.

 

These were so much fun to create and even more fun to give away that I think I'll do a blog post tutorial some time this fall.

Hannah took her Polly cake home. I think it made it another 3-4 hours before she cut into it. Such a perfect Miss Manners. I loved being at afternoon tea with all of you in Oregon--the place I will call home forever. Thank you Mom. Your strength and talents mystify me. And just so you know  the kids are still asking things like "ummmmmmmmm can you call Grandma and see how she makes her spaghetti sauce?"  GLOAT now...I know you will anyway :)

On day #7,  being in the land of berries made me feel like a queen. And to think I was there for 24 more wonderful days to follow. And, lucky you--if you keep returning to my blog, you'll be subjected to even more stories and pictures. I promise to try and make it worth a gander.

Mind your manners

~eva

I'm an Auntie again!

So, my brother Sean is the only boy in my family. There are 5 of us kids but Mom and Dad had only one son. And being that my dad only has one sister, we always told my brother Sean when he was growing up that he'd be the only hope for carrying on the Michael name  <----(my maiden name).

Sean took the challenge to heart I guess since 3 weeks ago my sister-in-law Marci gave birth to their 4th BOY! Way to go Sean, you make a sister proud and our genealogy will thank you for generations to come. Here's Gavin Sean---the newest addition to the Michael clan. This little pumpkin takes his job of eating very seriously packing on a full 3 pounds past his birth weight by 20 days old. Being home in Oregon has its advantages and snuggling my little nephew and taking his newborn pictures are some of the finest :)

 

 

Off to the coast for a lovely reunion of sorts.

Will share pictures when I return.

Make waves!

~eva

In the land of berries...

for a whole month! Yep, that's right I am sitting in my mom's house right now in Oregon soaking in all of the love, fun, and wonderful mealtime moments of being at mom's house for holiday. I wish Americans used the word holiday for vacation--it sounds so much more exciting and like family will be with you for the time away so I'm just going to borrow holiday and run with it. Besides, today's Indepenence Day--a wonderful holiday and I'm feeling especially independent today :)

 My kids are in love with grandma, who is spoiling them and their bellies. Mom is the one who taught me how to make yummy scones like these ^ and in the day and half we've been here we have already been to the farm twice to buy raspberries, cherries, and strawberries. I love coming home.

Yesterday's dinner:

Herb Rubbed Rotisserie Chickens

TDF Roasted Potatoes (red, white, and yellow potatoes tossed with vidalia onions, red and yellow peppers, fresh basil, fresh rosemary, garlic, olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper)

Steamed Corn

Fruit Salad with berry yogurt

We ate dinner on my parents' back porch. My kids thought they were in heaven with yummy Oregon berries to eat, bbqing chicken to smell, and  7 cousins to play with. Grandma's house is the land of endless smoothies, sharp cheddar cheese and hugs and kisses. Chloe came up behind me in the kitchen today, hugged me from behind and whispered to me,

"Thanks for having such a nice Mom!"

That made my heart feel more full than my belly. Knowing that my mom means to my kids what HER mom meant to me is the best part of holiday.

I'll have the camera in tote for picnicking and fireworks festivities tonight. We're off to buy some mentos and Diet Coke. The kids want to show their cousins some Independent Soda Fountains like these ones ^ from last year.

Happy 4th!

Sparkle

~eva

Enjoy!

If you need me this weekend, I'm hoping to be taking in a good novel while drinking a Pomegranate Punch from Smoothie King--
all POOLSIDE, of course.
Yippee--it's Memorial Day weekend and summer is right around the corner. With the community pool now open and only 9 days of school left, the summer games have begun and the kids are loving it. Sean is so happy to be turning 15 this summer and finally be old enough
to go to the pool sans an adult.
Teenagers!
 Where has the time gone since my oldest was tiny like Baby Kate!?

It seems like just moments ago,
Sean was small enough to fit inside a Moses Basket
and needed me for his every living moment. Time going by is the one thing we can always be certain of.  Here are the pictures of Baby Kate I promised to share with all of you.  I had such a great time taking these newborn shots for my dear friends Tiffany and Michael.
I hope you enjoy!

Teeny precious feet^ ...Sean's are a size 11 now!

Baby Kate is just a wee 4  days old here ^

By 13 days old^ Kate is starting to get chubbier. What a good baby girl she is. She let me turn her and prod at her blankets and fuss with her hands...I even stole her binky and she still posed like a seasoned supermodel.

I love the sweet fuzzy shoulders newborns have ^

And the involuntary smiles ^ they give when they're sleeping away time with the angels.

And the fact that mommy's hand ^ makes everything in the world feel safe

The stork didn't drop her off at the doorstep (life could never be so easy)
 but her family is so happy to welcome Kate home!

From our Heavenly Father's hands and into those of her mommy

Who will comfort her
feed her
teach her
love her

Because that's what loving parents do!

Follow Kate's example and get a nap this weekend. You deserve it!
Enjoy the holiday and the memories of loved ones who've gone before us.

Rest
~eva

The Perfect Saturday...

includes sunshine warm enough
to wear yellow strappy wedges
(seeeeeeeeeeeeee I told you I love new shoes)

It includes
a husband and kids who are patient enough to go
treasure-hunting mom style
(hmmmm....I think we hit 3 vintage remix stores,
2 antique stores, and a nursery)

a mom who is patient enough to go
treasure-hunting kid style
(a walk around the lake in our neighborhood allowing
all kinds of things to be gathered along the way)

Chloe found this abandoned bird's nest on the ground--
the amazingly beautiful architecture and sturdiness of which
got me wondering why
being called a bird-brain is such a pejorative?!
Bird's nests have some serious high-quality engineering, I must say!

I wouldn't mind having a bird's brain if it meant
creating something as amazing as this :)

The kids also found these wee baby turtles along the water's edge.
Can you believe how tiny Michelangelo is?
Evidently he's a boy because he has one stripe on his tummy.

Michelle is a girl because she has two tummy stripes.
This is all according to my budding veterinarian's 7 yr old mind.

We kept Michelle and Michelangelo for 2 weeks--
changing their water every day,
feeding them earthworms that Sean diligently
dug up from the backyard every day after school.
M & M also loved carrots, lettuce, and strawberries.
We watched them grow and become more lively until ready to go home.
And then we set the baby turtles free back into the lake
by our house and the kids happily watched
them instinctively burrow themselves into the mud for safe hiding.
At this size, they would otherwise most certainly fall prey to
a skunk or raccoon or maybe even a cranky old dog---
HAHAHA!
Very funny I know...

but oh my digression!

Back to the Perfect Saturday...
It includes a leisurely stroll through the nursery
to pick out this year's annuals to plant

and being lucky enough to find these fabulous succulents
in a window box outside one of the vintage depots
where we shopped.

I love succulents.
I always have.
Maybe because when I was a kid my Grandma Dorothy
always seemed to have 3-4 varieties growing
in pots on her front porch next to the davenport

Anyone else's grandma use fun words like davenport for sofa
and keep succulents like aloe
on-hand so she could tear a piece off
on-demand and squeeze its soothing goo
on your sunburned nose and shoulders?!
My Grandma Dorothy was a real treat.
Beautiful, fashionable,  and eccentric..like these succulents.

A final word on the perfect Saturday...
it's just one of those days when no one has to go to work
and everyone's happy to be with family
exploring  in the sunshine
and having a piggyback ride
down historical main street, USA

When the discovery of new things brings back old memories
and makes you so happy to have been born
and to be alive
knowing loving grandparents
are watching down from even above the sun
basking your life with the rays of their loving warmth.

Bask away
~eva

 

(a little sneak peek from my first newborn photo shoot-just 3 days young
welcome to life Baby Kate--you are one beautiful babe!)

Ps. Sorry to keep post scripting but can anyone please tell me the name of the succulents pictured above? I've been ogling local nurseries and am yet to find some to purchase. These chubby, taut low maintenance plants are perfect for a green (as in the new variety) green-thumb like me.

More pictures of Baby Kate coming soon.

Raindrops on Roses...

When the dog bites
(When the bee stings)
When he's feeling sad
We take him for some of his favorite things
so then he won't feeeeeel so bad

I've been hearing Julie Andrews singing in my head ever since
Brad was bitten by our neighbor's dog a few weeks ago
(on April 26th to be exact)
I've been wanting to post on my blog ever since
but instead you'll be inundated with several retro-posts
so I can catch up on my journaling.
Thanks for indulging me.

Speaking of indulging...
some soft serve chocolate ice cream (for me)
and a root beer float (for Brad)
were our first stop in trying to boost our boy's spirits
after the dog-biting incident.
Sadly for Brad, he's always been a little skittish of canines anyway.
I know...I know... that's probably why the dog bit him
or so I've been told...
That dogs smell fear and so they sometimes bite.
Sad day for my boy...and that dang dog is BIG!
[applicable side note: I was chased down and bitten by a German Shepherd when I was 10.
I've been pretty scared of dogs myself ever since---
sighhhhhhhhhhhhh!]
A multi-generational curse.

My neighbors were mortified.
I think they came over to check on Brad over a dozen times.
The dog is getting old
and cranky, they said.
A kid left the gate open and big old cranky dog got out.
Brad shrieked and jumped and the dog did too--
unfortunately jumped ON Brad's arm.
Thank goodness for root beer floats,
for people who keep their dog's shots current,

 for sunshiny days,
giggly little sisters,
and slip~n~slides.
Brad is all smiles again
and his arm's all healed too.

So, what are your
raindrops on roses
and
whiskers on kittens???
What makes you feel better when you've had a bad day?

For me, it's a new pair of shoes ;)

Brad loves ice cream
and goofy novelty tee-shirts

Hug it out
~eva

Ps. Anyone ever been bitten by a dog? Your kids?
Not you bitten by your kids? LOL!
But your kids bitten by a dog?

Suggestions for helping kids overcome canine fear?

Wrapping Things Up With Thanks

Easter this year was really nice. I hate to be wrapping things up (as in delicately blown eggs, pretty holiday wreaths, vintage holiday books...and such) to store them away until next year so, instead... I think I'll blog our holiday wrap-up. You know, as in share some tidbits about our meal and the final pictures of the egg dioramas Chloe and I made during our Eggstravaganza.

When I've put as much work into something as I did this Easter, it's always more special to be able to share it with others, so thank you fellow bloggers for allowing me a space for sharing some of what I love to do.

When I step out and meander around inside the cyber corner of fellow crafters, cooks, and seamstresses out there, I feel a kindred bond. I feel understood.  In some arenas, I feel as if I have a big huge zit in the middle of my forehead...like people are staring at me saying things like hey lady, can you not see how crazy and socially strange you are?! Although many of my IRL (I think that's text for IN REAL LIFE) friends do love to tap into their creative sides , it seems that more of my friends often smile and shake their heads at me and my patterns, crafts, and recipes with this quizzical look on their faces as if to say,  "HOWWWWWWWWWWW?" and/or "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!

Fully intended as a compliment and issued with sincere love I know without a doubt...and yet the quizzical looks often leave me feeling like doh...there's that big zit again... glaringly placed right in the middle of my forehead just making me look like a fool. I have no explanation as to why I am the way I am. Being creative is just me and I cannot possibly express the gratitude I feel to so many of you in blog-land and the boutique community at large who make me feel normal.
Have I said to you~~THANK YOU for that!

Thank you Kim for the wonderful phone conversation yesterday. Friends like you who "get me" are a treat akin to a personalized homemade marshmallow egg. Special and made just for me and intended to make me feel God's love through the serving hands and words of another,
so merci my dear!

I'm sure (well....I hope anyway) that many of you reading this understand the gist of what I'm not so eloquently putting into words. Trying to put into words a meaningful explanation (that often feels more like a justification) for being"crafty" seems to get lost in translation. Sometimes, I feel like there's a modern-day Tower of Babel thing going on for today's woman who actually loves spending 3 hours making an apricot/ pineapple reduction glaze for the Easter ham...or to be like my friend Tara who lovingly hand-sewed I don't know... like a bajillion white bullion roses
on to her daughter's baptismal dress.
Tara's mantra: "trim trim, dripping with trim!"
which is to say you can never have too many wonderfully executed details!

 Thank you sweet Tara for understanding.
My forehead has no zit in your presence :)
(Well, except for that one time!)

Thank you Martha for an inspiration point on this year's ham and deco eggs. I hope you don't mind that I took artistic license with both and made a few changes to make them a little bit of my own. Thank you for putting the word Martha into the English vocabulary to be translated as one who does lots of crafty/cooky/painty/sewy kinds of things. Your name has been thrown in my direction with both love and in poking fun many a time. Bloggers, if you want to make your own deco blown eggs or a tasty ham like this one next Easter or whenever, grab an issue of her April 09 magazine.

 

I couldn't possibly count how many times I helped roll out clover rolls with Mom and Grandma when I was a girl. Thank you to the most lovely, talented and caring women who never put their candles under a bushel. Your lights ever-shining on a hill shower gifts upon me daily. I love you both eternally.

And I am so grateful that eternal love for family is not just a pipe dream. It's a wonderful reality that God has given to all of his children. How can anyone possibly look at the utter perfect beauty that springs forth from earth's instinctual clock and not know that God is real?  Take these amazing Star of Bethlehem blossoms^ (my new favorite high rising flower) for example. Do these not obviously confirm that Easter isn't just about colored eggs and chocolate bunnies but about eternal life and the supernal gift
of being able to love and be loved forever.

And you gotta want to love a man forever who will carry tables and rearrange furniture and wash dishes to make a holiday weekend easier. And it's a double bonus when the same man will sit happily reading in your newly decorated frou-frou'd up living room. I think the manliness of the leather balances out the silk and roses and girly vintagey stuff I make him live amongst. I always love it when I find Rob (glasses-adorned now since he's hit the big four-oh!) reading in peace. It's a rare occasion that he's not working either for "the man" (the job) or for "the woman" (me).
Thank you Rob for dealing with my incessant projects.
I love being married to you!

I love that it's okay for Chloe and I to spread a huge mess of paper mache' all over the kitchen table and Rob just smiles..beams actually especially when he sees his daughter's completed piece of artwork.
Here^ Chloe's drawing on her birdy's door.

Here ^ she carefully cuts it out.

And, here ^ she's giddy about her own hand-made accomplishment.

All done up, our little egg nest dioramas bring a heart-warming touch of Spring and a get-your hands messy creativity inside of our home. The best part of making these for me was that Chloe showed me how to fold the little flowers for around our doors. Thank you Chloe for sharing your creative spirit every single day.

I hadn't really planned to wax so introspectively in this post. I really just wanted to wrap-up the Easter weekend. But I often find that the best things in life happen organically. Like my just acquiring this picture ^ of Chloe and I from 6 years ago. Out of nowhere a few days ago my sister-in-law (and super best kind of friend) emailed me this picture that's been on her computer since we lived together in Vegas. Looking at it more closely, I realized this was Chloe's easter dress from that year. We have both changed quite a bit in 6 years (we've both put on some weight for sure!!! ) Only Chloe's gotten taller too---me just heavier). I guess that's what happens with age. I decided the other day I would never look at myself again and think of aging or putting on a few pounds as "going downhill." Instead, I'll call my self "going upscale."
It sounds so much better and well...the scale has gone up for sure.
Could be the clover leaf rolls and chocolate covered marshmallows
but... probably not!

Thanks for staying this long to read and see what I've been up to.
You know I so totally love you for that.
And if  you're the creative type,
I promise you do NOT have any forehead zits as far as I'm concerned.
My thanks
~eva

Eggs... glorious eggs...

was that a ditty sung in egg commercials years ago?
Hmmmmm...I can't remember.
I do for sure remember
The Incredible Edible Egg
(you're supposed to ^ sing the italics;)
To me, eggs are both glorious and incredible!

They hold within them the very essence of life.
They come in the gamut of shapes, sizes, and colors.
Paint shades are mixed to mimic coveted hens' shades
of grey greens & grey blues and the robin's egg...
awwwwwwwwwwwwwww well is there anything prettier?

In homage to the Easter season and to eggs themselves,
Chloe and I began our
1st Annual Spring Craft Eggstravaganza yesterday.
Cheesy name, I know but...come on!!
Work with me ;)
This event is planned to cover egg-themed fun over the next 3 days.

We kicked things off  by making these damask decoupaged blown eggs.
Once they were finished, I decided to build my
Easter table theme around these beauties.
I hope our dinner guests will feel welcomed and loved.

Today's Eggstravaganza event included a BYOEggs easter egg hunt and picnic at the park with several of our friends. It was one of those great impromptu ideas that some fast-finger texting whipped into shape in a matter of minutes. I'd wanted to hostess an egg hunt at my house but newly acquired  holiday plans found me pouring over menu ideas and table setting decor instead. While driving around town to pick up goodies for our crafts, I thought...why not plan a bring your own kind of get-together. Everyone bring a dozen candy-filled
eggs per child and their own picnic lunches.
A mass text message was sent out and voila...egg hunt planned.
Thankfully the weather was beautiful and everyone had really good time. 

 

We broke the kids into different age groups to let the little ones get a head start. Here's Chloe and her friend Leah running in heat # 2.

 

Sean and Brad were a huge help to the little kids and even good sports when I  started up with my camera. Any of you mothers of boys in the 8-18 yr old range can probably relate to the groans and sighs and..."what, more pictures?!" kind of reactions typical of their demographic ;)

And... since I had my camera along  and access to so many cute faces, I grabbed these shots to add to my candids portfolio. My friend Emily is mommy to 4 of the most darling little ones. Would you look at how cute these kiddos are! And this is with windblown hair and candy-covered faces.
Is it really fair that one mother has 4 kids as beautiful as these sweethearts?!
Thanks Emily for letting me photograph your babies.

 

 

Yesterday's BYOEggs Hunt was a definite highlight in our Eggstravaganza
I think the smile on Mary's face says it all

Thank you to all of our friends who joined in on the fun.

We closed the night off by working on some paper mache' egg dioramas. They are still drying but I'll be sure
to post pictures just as soon as we are finished.

Chloe loved getting her hands all goopy.

Finally, here are the egg-shaped delectables that I promised to share with all of you. These are homemade chocolate covered marshmallow eggs---yummmmmmmmmmm!

 

 

 Our Eggstravaganza is turning out to be pretty extraordinary--my kids say let's repeat next year for sure. Thanks for coming by to celebrate with us.

 

Have a wonderful holiday!
~eva

Snapping Spring

The weather is warming, blossoms are blooming
and kiddos are smiling at being able to run free after winter's thaw.
I took my camera out 3 times this week to snap  springtime shots
of these sweet smiling faces and some new design work as well.
Makes me look forward to Spring Break this week and
Easter right around the bend.

I hit the design studio a few days ago. The fruits of my efforts are currently available in  my etsy shop . Spring Pop and Apron Rose are brand-new designs for Spring 2009 and all of the pieces are new patterns I've been working on.  So...what do you think?

 

The Scrappy Apron Skirt is my favorite. I want to make one for myself.
 Chloe says it's very comfy which is always a good thing!

Apron Rose is also listed on ebay right now--if you're the auction bidding type, head on over by clicking here.

I've been wanting to spread my photography wings a bit and am hoping for a successful foray into snapping kids at their happiest.
Here are some shots from the week.

 

Oh how Izzy's sweet,  smooshy lollipop faces make me want to be a kid again.
How  'bout you?

If you live locally and would like me to do a photo shoot of your kids, I'm currently booking Spring Shots at a super reasonable introductory rate. Leave me a comment and I'll email you to set up booking.  Thanks for stopping by.
Act like a kid...make funny faces...have a lollipop for goodness sake!
Enjoy Spring--it has sprung!
~eva