putting the hard in hard boiled....

as i was thumbing through some of the magazines mema passed along to me, i spotted the sweetest set of decorated easter eggs that ever existed (thank you family circle, i am now a reader for life)!  ofcourse this was waaaay back in december... so as you can imagine, i was one emergency flight to japan and several wood cut-outs away from creating my very own washi-tape snowflakes.

well, that didn't really happen and april is finally here,
so today was my day of reckoning!

you'll have to excuse me, i know i am a bit behind with the trends and i know everyone discovered washi-tape like 5 years ago... but i believe washi-tape was not brought into my life for very specific reasons. or rather, hard boiled eggs and i have a love-hate relationship... and washi-tape just happened to get stuck in the middle of things.
either way, we are off to a rocky start.

i am pretty bummed that i did not end up with a cute washi-tape project to share with all you sweet people in this space today (see here, here and here) and even more bummed a good couple feet of my forever-coveted happy tape ended up in the trash can with a bunch of cracked eggs.  having said that, here are some tips if you plan on making some of these fabulous eggs with your little ones:

+ you'd think this would be a no brainer, but obviously there are people (read: the always brilliant kim rakes) out there that take such risks... avoid using hard boiled eggs at all costs. they stink. they aren't the safest in the hands of children under 3. and maybe i am special, but i started with 8 and ended up with 4.  my boiling skills need some work.
+ use wood or paper mache eggs so you can keep them forever. we live in small town usa, where both were lacking, so that's why i took the plunge and used the fresh from the farm stuff.
+ pre-cut all the pieces of washi tape beforehand and make sure you cut a lot!  stick the pieces to something (like a plate) for easy access by little fingers.
+ dress your kids in sweet easter attire because a project like this is a good time for picture taking: the concentration, the little fingers at work, and the colors... oh my!
+ oh, and should you have no other option but to use the real deal, avoid telling your kids NOT to crack them.  it will put crazy ideas in their head and they will do exactly that.







although i am already at work at painting some plastic eggs for our next attempt, i will say some good did come from this incomplete project:

+ i could probably write a book on creative ways to take pictures of washi tape and easter eggs
(though i will spare you the other 20 pictures i took)
+ the girls had a good time putting tape on the eggs... but had a lot more fun cracking them
+ and last but not least.... this picture:



cameron is a sneaky cyclops and haley is a zombie!
who needs a picture with the easter bunny anyway?

<3

it's a jungle out there...

our yard needs serious mowing. 
though i am sure you wouldn't have even noticed had i not said anything.
 even with that subliminal toy lawn mower in the photo.





i've found that the sweetness of these two squished together like peanut butter and jelly can distract one from everything else going on in this photo.... and quite possibly in life.

or that`s my reasoning if this tuesday doesn't end up quite as productive as i would have hoped.

have a lovely one, friends! <3

decisions... decisions...

the weather was particularly flirty yesterday and we found ourselves out in the front yard making green leaf soup, playing store and hot dog stand, and taking in the enhanting smell of cedar wood.

have you ever smelt cedar?  it is heavenly... even our cheap stuff will put you at risk for splinters in your nose.  i am considering finding myself a lumberjack boyfriend... between his woodsy scent and the plaid shirts, i think there would be no room for arguments.  and if for some reason, you find yourself googling cedar scented perfumes (haha really? you too?), i`d just keep that to yourself but know you are not alone.

in other clubhouse related news...

the brown and green is growing on me a bit, but i still had to fight the urge to whip out the white paint and attack.  i am debating between painting the whole thing white with red accents or red with white accents.  and i am not sure what color to paint the roof either-- red, white, or a blackish grey? 

i would leave it up to the girls but haley just wants everything to be pink... and although that'll help her daddy rest easy (no boys allowed!) it will just make me nauseous.

i am leaning toward white with red accents and a gray roof, so it matches our house.

but i've always wanted my very own barn, so the red is tempting.

what do you think?

sweet and slow and sunday

sunshine on a sunday afternoon sets the stage for spending the afternoon dipping your feet in the cold creek, fishing with willow tree branches for magical golden fish, and ditching the long sleeves and putting on your happiest spring attire.

speaking of spring outfits:
cameron pranced around in a hand-me-down tee and a mama-made skirt and the cutest golden sandals from lindsay. i have a whole pile of old blouses and shirts that are just a'waitin to be transformed into little skirts for my girls because i can't seem to figure out how to make anything else.  hmpf.  me and betty (my machine) just aren't tight like that yet... but hopefully with this change in weather.... a change in heart (on both of our parts) is coming too.

after today, i am thinking sundays should be 48 hours long.
i believe our souls could always use a little more rest and personally,
its days like this where i am reminded that i already have everything i`ll ever need just by looking at those sweet faces.

a little funshine...

this saturday brought an afternoon at the park where the universe sent me a hug and a kiss and yet another hug, a tunnel provided a little humor courtesy of static mohawks and the chubbiest peek-a-boo faces, Haley found out that she can jet down the slide on her belly and told me she was a rocketship, and the excitement of it all put Cameron to sleep in a swing...



there's something sweet about the sunshine...
 <3

piggies in pajamas

My two little pigs packed up and moved out... to a house made of cardboard! We spent superbowl sunday  playing the three little pigs and the big bad wolf, jumping out of windows and opening up doors. The only thing that was missing was my personal super bowl favorite: pigs in a blanket.  We're all about keeping with themes over here.

It's definitely the most special of gifts because I was just lamenting over the loss of their old play tent nick and i made them after accidently catching a glimpse of it here. Thank you Kelly and Brandon for making my kids so happy and giving me back a little piece of my heart ;)











Haley loved it so much she decided to camp out in it. I think she woke up feeling completely renewed and a bit grown up.. yet still disappointed at the lack of a campfire. haha. such a silly girl.

my punxsutawney punx

happy groundhog day!

in celebration of an early spring, and because i don't know the first thing about paper groundhog construction, the little ladies and i opted for a simpler project and made some pretty flowers out of scrap paper. we also pranced around in fluttery spring dresses and our signature bows and didn't bother with socks. such spring chickens, we are!

we headed outside with hopes of doodling up a sidewalk chalk storm, but were reminded that it is still winter when we were met with 9234802 mph winds blowing our skirts up. (hello cute baby bloomers on screaming toddler, you give me such smiles!)  i think we'll be okay though... while sidewalk chalk is fun,  it is unmatched by the thrill of peeling dried up glue off your fingers.

a couple of our other little projects are floating around the web.  check them out here, here, and here  and enjoy all the other sweet valentine crafts. 

a smoochy sun-day...

today's 60 degree weather had us all in the kissiest of moods.

we headed to north carolina to seize the sunshine and the quaint historic district of old salem. i had an engagement session with a sweet and smoochy couple and the girls had a date with their daddy at the children's museum.





i hated that i couldn't be with my little polka-dotted bandits on their great adventure, but since the girls stay home with me every day, quality time out with their daddy is key.  plus, i can't tell you how wonderful it is to chat with people that can pronounce their r's and k's... or how good it is to be back in the company of those who can't after an afternoon apart.





i've spent my night editing pictures and having a good laugh and a good cry with my sister in law.  if i had the energy, the perfect ending to this smoochy sunday would be a good makeout session with my husband.

realistically, a heavy duty face plant into my pillow is about all i have left in me.
i hope your sunday was just as sweet...
good night <3

c is for cookie...

I swear we do more than bake cookies in this household. Although, these pictures coupled with Cameron's sweet round face may lead you to believe otherwise. We're tricky like that.





This little baking bout was brought on by a craving for funfetti icecream sandwiches that could not be ignored. two of my favorite things combined in one delicacy? bring it on! the sandwiches are currently settling in the freezer and we've been munchin' away on the worm family haley rolled out for us. She told me that there is a daddy worm, mommy worm, "me" (her) worm, and baby worm (cameron, i assume). She thought she was so clever, I couldn't help but laugh.





Sadly, they didn't keep their wormish figures after baking. However, momma worm has curves and a sweet tan, so i'm not complaining.





Clean-up was particularly endearing today. Tippy toes and two sisters, joined at the hip... or at least the pictures make it appear so.



There always seems to be a bit of heartbreak during our baking sessions



...but nothing that can't be fixed with a cup of milk as big as one's head.

Thursday, you were kind to me! Let's carry this onto the weekend, shall we?