rockstar diaries

birthday celebrations all week long!

2012-02-02T17:24:00.000-05:00

i feel like there is a 'cool kids club' at my house and i'm not a part of it since my birthday didn't take place this week and everyone else's did. but that's ok because this new baby will most likely show up on my birthday in june and we'll have our own little month to party!

anyway, my love had a birthday on monday! last year we went into the hospital on josh's birthday (even though eleanor didn't show up for 36 more painful hours. ugh.) so i think my husband and i both appreciated that we weren't in a hospital on his special day this year. we celebrated by going out for ice cream before lunch on saturday, dinner just us two that evening, a few movies in bed on monday and shared an ice cream cake roll with a few close friends that evening. i based the cake roll off this recipe but didn't add any peppermint extract (just more vanilla extract instead) and used josh's favorite ice cream, ben & jerry's mint chocolate cookie, instead of vanilla.

then, our baby girl turned ONE yesterday. we're having a little party for her this weekend where she'll get to dig into a real birthday cake, but we decided to have a little family celebration with eleanor's first cupcake last night, too. as you can see below, she was beyond excited! (and so was her mama!)

we've been working hard on sharing. as eleanor began eating her cupcake, josh went in and asked for a bite and she kindly fed him a few! we are so proud of her for always being willing to share. although i will say she somehow shares more with papa than with mama. don't even get me started on how she'll randomly give him kisses throughout the day without him even asking for them. does this mean she is a daddy's girl? someone please tell me it's just a phase. ;)

and then, she went at it. it only took her maybe 4 minutes tops. the entire thing, people. she ate the entire thing. if there was any doubt before, rest assured, she is most definitely our daughter.

then we were a big mess! so we had a bath, and opened a few presents that our families so kindly sent eleanor afterwards. (thank you, families!)

i love having a week dedicated to celebrating my two favorite people! i don't want a day to go by without both my husband and baby girl knowing by my actions and words just how much they mean to me. i hope they both feel my love for them. they are my world. happy birthday, husband and eleanor!

ps. thank you to all who left such kind and thoughtful comments on eleanor's birthday post! i cannot wait to share them with her someday.

love ever after.

2012-02-02T16:29:00.000-05:00

i absolutely love these images from photographer lauren fleishman. she's currently working on a project called love ever after which will feature the love stories of couples who have been married for over 50 years. how absolutely sweet. you can see more photos of the couples here.

happy first birthday, eleanor!

2012-02-01T09:01:00.001-05:00

i don't know how this year flew by so quickly. i remember eleanor's arrival into this world like it was yesterday, yet i can't even picture what life was like before she arrived. it's been a very bittersweet past couple of days for josh and me. how did we get here so quickly? we've been a mama and papa for an entire year? and look! she's still breathing! and healthy! and happy! and oh my gosh, so beautiful.

dear sweet eleanor, it has been my greatest privilege to be called your mother this past year. i don't know how many times throughout the day i pause and look at you and think, "she belongs to me??? how did i get so lucky?" eleanor, you have taught me so much about myself, about life and the things that matter most. you have made my saddest and most frustrating moments joyful again. i'm thankful i get to spend my days by your side. thank you for being here, for being your happy beautiful self and for making your mama and papa's day, over and over again.

we love you, eternally. happy birthday, eleanor!

ps. leave a comment for eleanor if you'd like! i'd love to hold onto them and share them with her someday.

life lately, according to my iphone pictures.

2012-01-31T16:32:00.000-05:00

...and some from josh, too.

ps. my baby girl turns ONE tomorrow. ONE.

i can't believe how this year flew by.

so i'm off to go stare at my beautiful baby girl

who is napping right now

while she's still a "something-month old"

for a few more hours. xo

happy birthday, husband!

2012-01-30T15:43:00.000-05:00

happy birthday to my love!

i loved you so much before,

but watching you take on the roll of "papa"

so naturally this past year,

i can't believe how much more i love you now.

looking forward to seeing you as a "papa of two" soon... ;)

i love you. xo taza

*polaroid from a trip to mexico a few years ago.

this week.

2012-01-27T11:01:00.000-05:00

i'm not sure if it's the sleep training thing (which is really just code for mama and papa getting no sleep), the fatigue of my current pregnancy (i could fall asleep standing up, i swear), or a combination of both, but this week hasn't been my best.

today i feel how kingsley looks in this photo:

it's been hard staying on top of things this week and when i fall behind i begin to feel so overwhelmed. do you ever feel that way? what do you do pull everything back together?

a few things that have helped me out this week are...

making time for yoga helps my tired body feel like myself again (even if i only have time for it at 10:30pm before bed... like this week). i've also been enjoying a nice big cup of tea right after we put eleanor to sleep and try to sit quietly without checking my iPhone or having a computer, book or magazine in sight. and as always, talking through my frustrations or worries with my husband helps. he's really good at making me feel like i'm heard and coming up with solutions or ideas to solve my worries.

i'm hoping to take the longest nap of my life this weekend and make this coming week a great one. hopefully you have had a wonderful week so far, and if not, i wish you a better, more productive and happy weekend!

ps. panda got a bath! this photo made me laugh so hard. he really has become part of this family. ;)

...

today...

2012-01-24T18:32:00.000-05:00

...was just beautiful.

55 degrees and sunny.

we tried to spend as much time

outside as possible.

after all, panda told eleanor

his face is too pale and needs some sun...

;)

...

feet on the table.

2012-01-24T09:09:00.001-05:00

probably the only one in the world who can get away with having her feet on the dinner table, in my opinion. i can't help but giggle at her desired sitting positions as of late. these little ones sure know how to bring lots of smiles to the dinner table. :)

ps. we're on day two of sleep training (again) at our house. this means day two of no shower or sleep for this mama. i would really love a nap, today. but gosh, i'd also really love a new mint green colored fiat and these shoes, too. i'll just keep on dreaming.

life lately, according to my iphone pictures.

2012-01-23T07:30:00.002-05:00

photo of eleanor and rinah together by carissa's iphone.

and a number of these from josh's iphone, too (thanks, love!)

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we love when friends come to visit!

2012-01-20T11:18:00.001-05:00

josh and i always talk about how we selfishly wish we could somehow pick up our best friends who now live all over the country and plop them all here in dc to live near us. now that would be something! until we figure out how to do that, we'll just be grateful that we get to see some of them on occasion when they come visit us or pass through the district.

our dear sarah who lives in LA right now is spending the next few months in NYC so we get to see her more often this spring! she came down to see us for a few days last week and let me tell you, it was such a treat! she's one of my best and closest friends and we haven't seen her since june so having her here for a few days was extra special! plus, our friends brett and chanel were also in dc for a few days last week (we haven't seem them in a while either), so it was like a big fat juilliard reunion for the day! last week was pretty wonderful in my book.

but seriously. can we just have them move to dc already?

what's that on your face, baby girl?

2012-01-18T07:58:00.000-05:00

if eleanor could have her way, her preferred meal 3x a day, plus snacks in-between, plus all night long, plus whenever it's inconvenient for mama in public, is breast milk. but we've come so far the past few months (especially this last month) with our progress on eating solids consistently! it usually requires mama and papa clapping in unison after every bite she makes, and sometimes distracting her a little bit to get more bites into her mouth, but folks... it's happening!

and what's that? you want to see an obnoxious amount of photos of my baby eating her dinner of blackberries and pasta? well you are in luck, my friend! because i have an obnoxious amount of photos of my baby eating her dinner of blackberries and pasta right here:

and that's all! bye bye!

my grandma b.

2012-01-17T10:25:00.000-05:00

my grandma b. (far left in photo of the three ladies).

over christmas break while at my parents house, i went through a huge box of old photos of my mother's parents. i was really close with both my grandma and grandpa b... they lived with my family for a number of years towards the end of their lives and i'm grateful i got to grow up around them. i wish i would have taken advantage of that experience more, now that they have passed. fortunately my mother is great at keeping track of their journals, photos, stories and ancestry. but it's still not the same as sitting across the dinner table from them each night listening to their stories. i really miss them a lot.

while looking through these photographs, i couldn't get over what a stylish and beautiful woman my grandmother was. goodness gracious, where are those clothes? and why can't we wear hats like that everyday today? ;)

a 20 week baby bump!

2012-01-16T10:52:00.001-05:00

time is flying by, i tell you. eleanor turns 1 years old in 2 short weeks and i am half way through this second pregnancy. before you know it, we'll be putting back up those christmas decorations! ;)

i swear my belly button popped back out by day 5 of this new pregnancy (perhaps that has something to do with my abs never fully coming back together from the first time around.... and you really wanted to know that, right?) but i fortunately haven't really experienced morning sickness or food aversions yet (still able to eat meat over here!) so all is good. it makes me wonder if i'm carrying a boy this time (we're not finding out the sex again until the birth) as it's all been pretty different this time around. but who knows, right? we'll see....

i think we're confusing eleanor since we're always pointing to my growing belly and saying "baby!" and then again using the word whenever we are out and about and see an actual baby. but i've been re-reading most of my pregnancy books and whenever there is a little photo of a baby on the page she loves to lean in and give it a kiss. it's kind of the cutest thing ever. i'm really looking forward to seeing her as a big sister.

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eleanor + the piano.

2012-01-12T08:26:00.000-05:00

eleanor loves playing the piano with papa.

she bobs her head back and forth while she plays.

sometimes she plays with just one finger, then both hands.

white keys. black keys. high and low. loud and soft.

it's become her favorite thing to do

and mama and papa's favorite form of entertainment at our house.

over the weekend...

2012-01-10T08:59:00.001-05:00

we took the bikes out.

it was cold. then warm. then cold again.

i made cupcakes.

eleanor enjoyed 3 baths!

josh made chicken curry in the crock pot...

and kingsley pretty much just slept (and snored) all weekend long.

hope your weekend was wonderful!

...

feature in glamour magazine.

2012-01-09T15:00:00.001-05:00

french glamour magazine did an article on blogging for their january issue and featured our blog. it's all in french but we were able to translate most of it. ;) thanks for the shout out, glamour!

a photo review of 2011...

2012-01-09T09:01:00.002-05:00

a few of my favorite photos from each month this last year

if you care to have a look...

really enjoyed 2011 (for the most part. ;)

looking forward to what's in store for 2012.

as always, thanks for reading along!

past year in review posts here :: 2010 // 2009 // 2008 // 2007

(and dang. that just made me realize how long i've been blogging. loooong.)

a holiday weekend together in new york city, part II

2012-01-08T08:38:00.000-05:00

obviously i am a little bit

behind since this happened a few weeks ago.

you can see part I here...

a few things pictured :: one of my old favorite spots, tea & sympathy :: eclairs in soho :: brunch with old friends from college at cafeteria :: eleanor taking in all the beautiful lights :: dinner at co pane :: catching up with miss marci ::

such a great trip. can't wait to go back...

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utah trip.

2012-01-04T18:02:00.001-05:00

our time out west with family always goes by way too quickly. before we know it we're back in d.c. and missing everyone terribly. it's the one thing i really hate about living on the east coast... being so far away from family. but we enjoyed our time while we were there. especially eleanor. that little one sure loved being the center of attention for 7 days straight.

and here is eleanor riding

my old red wooden horse below with my dad!

she loved that horse...

sister love.

2012-01-04T10:12:00.000-05:00

we missed our sister rachel who was on a ski trip over christmas break, but it was pretty wonderful spending time with these two.

happy new year!

2012-01-02T01:13:00.002-05:00

i cannot believe we are already into january, 2012! we spent the last week of december in utah with family and rang in the new year while we were there (although we went to bed by 10PM new years eve because we're really cool like that.)

for me, 2011 will forever be a year to remember. we welcomed our first baby girl into the world last february and also found out baby #2 is on his or her way... both of those events alone still baffle me. i am a mother! soon, i'll be a mother of two!? in my little head, this stuff is "pinch me" material.

while i've always tried make the most of each day, the days since eleanor's arrival have seemed particularly special. they are far from perfect and often a bit messy and tiresome, but they are full of such life. each night as i put eleanor to bed, i can't help but kiss her cheeks two, three, seven more times and say a little prayer of gratitude that she is here, healthy and happy. i wouldn't trade my days with her for anything in the world. she sure made 2011 a pretty great year for her mama and papa!

i want to thank so many of you for your support and love this past year. i have really enjoyed sharing bits and pieces of our lives here on this blog of mine and your support and kind words along the way have meant so much...so thank you! can't wait to see what is in store for 2012! happy new year, everyone!

shophouse.

2011-12-30T10:23:00.000-05:00

we tried out the new shophouse kitchen over at dupont circle the other week with friends. we hear it's the new asian spin-off from the people that brought us chipotle. the grilled steak was delicious but overall the meal was far too spicy for us (and we had the mildest sauce.) i suppose we are pretty wimpy though when it comes to spices so we aren't really the ones you should ask.

we did however enjoy watching eleanor sit on papa's shoulder while eating her bowl of brown rice. that child knows how to entertain.

refinery29 feature!

2011-12-29T14:23:00.003-05:00

today i am sharing 4 looks on refinery29 if you'd like to check them out! i consider myself in no way a fashion blogger but had a blast with refinery29's dc team the other week on this shoot. you can check out my interview and looks HERE if you'd like! thanks again for having me, refinery29!

rice to riches.

2011-12-29T09:01:00.000-05:00

one of my favorite little places to grab a treat when we lived in new york was rice to riches. i am a big rice pudding girl so it's kind of perfect. my favorite is their sex, drugs and rocky road. uh-mazing! we stopped by while we were in new york the other week and stuffed ourselves with as much rice pudding as we could before feeling too sick. we let eleanor try a little of papa's vanilla and she loved it. smart little cookie, that one. it's fun to share my favorite things with her and have her approve of them, if you know what i mean. makes me feel like we're kindred spirits, or something.

holiday dessert party.

2011-12-28T08:58:00.002-05:00

on christmas eve-eve, we had a few friends over for some dessert and christmas music. (a dessert party sounded like the perfect excuse to whip up all of the holiday treats i've been wanting to make!) but before we move onto some photos, i would like to take this opportunity to tell you that cake pops are the most torturous thing i have ever made and doubt i'll be attempting them again anytime soon... or ever. (emma and emily made it look so easy.) i wanted to crawl under a rock and cry when my first batch turned out like this.

besides that sorry experience, we had a great time celebrating christmas with some music, conversation and of course, yummy treats.

hope everyone had a beautiful christmas holiday!

...

eleanor walking!

2011-12-27T18:40:00.001-05:00

santa claus brought eleanor a little push toy for christmas to help her practice walking! here she is below cracking herself up as she takes her first steps with her new little walker...

oh my gosh i just love that squishy smiley face! she is such a character!

...

*ps. a few inquired as to where we found this push toy. i was in the same boat as you! most i found were ugly plastic & the beautiful wood ones i loved online were hundreds of dollars but somehow i walked by this one at babiesrus the other week and scored it for less than $30 dollars. hopefully it's still there if you're in the market!

christmas weekend in dc.

2011-12-27T14:51:00.000-05:00

christmas has always been my favorite holiday and every year as december 25th goes by, i think, "it can't get better than this." of course, it always gets better. with eleanor's first christmas celebration and a new little miracle in my tummy this year, next year's christmas better watch out! this one will be hard to top!

hope you had a beautiful christmas spent with the ones you love. i know it's such cheese but i look at my husband and baby girl and new baby bump and think, "who needs presents?" it's just so wonderful to have the ones i love most beside me everyday. i hope they know they are my world...

...and eleanor was the star in her first nativity

over the weekend with cousins in virginia. cutest star ever, that one.

life lately, according to my iphone pictures.

2011-12-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

...and josh's phone too.

...

merry christmas!

2011-12-23T09:01:00.003-05:00

...wishing your christmas weekend goes much better

than the 5 seconds eleanor endured with santa claus last week!

merry christmas!!!

a holiday weekend together in new york city, part I

2011-12-22T09:30:00.002-05:00

last time we were in new york city, baby girl was only about 8 weeks old... so this trip was kind of extra special since she's more aware of her surroundings. josh and i had so much fun watching her take it all in... meeting our old friends, people watching and making friends with strangers on the subway or in restaurants or stores, listening to all of the sounds and noises on the street.

also, that baby snow suit saved us. talk about cold. eleanor, you are a little trouper. and you make our family trips extra fun.

twelve dates of christmas: on our sixth date of christmas...

2011-12-21T23:01:00.000-05:00

...we stopped by the corner deli in nyc

for some lunch and jarritos sodas (josh's favorite).

...and since eleanor was asleep in the ergo on papa the entire time,

we'll pretend it was just the two of us. ;)

twelve dates of christmas: on our fifth date of christmas...

2011-12-21T20:35:00.001-05:00

...we drove around the neighborhoods

near chevy chase in bethesda maryland

and admired all the beautiful christmas lights on each home.

then we went for sushi (cooked rolls for me)

and came home to watch the green lantern together.

can you guess who picked the first part of our date and who picked the last part? ;)

back from new york city...

2011-12-21T13:13:00.001-05:00

we spent the weekend in new york city catching up with old and new friends, seeing all the lights and festivities the city has to offer during the holidays and just doing a few of our favorite things together in that beautiful city we used to call home. i don't even care that it was 30 degrees outside, that place can do no wrong in my eyes when it's decked out for the holidays.

hoping to go through and post more photos from our trip soon! but how cute is miss E leaning in and giving aunty sumaya a kiss at breakfast? :)

ps. last weeks giveaway winners are announced here!

holiday guest post // sugar cookies from emmadime.

2011-12-20T15:00:00.001-05:00

Hello!! - Emmadime here. When Naomi asked me if I'd like to blog about a holiday favorite of mine, I knew exactly what I wanted to share with you guys. I have decided to walk you through one of my favorite cookie recipes, as well as the process of decorating them ( the best part ). These cookies are a little tradition in my family - whenever there is a holiday or themed event, we find a cookie cutter to match the occasion and go crazy with sugar and icing!! For Thanksgiving this year, we made GOBBLE GOBBLE with lots of pretty Fall leaves - the options are limitless. Check out what I decided to make for the holidays below! Also, I designed little tags for you guys to download + print. Who doesn't like receiving individually wrapped sweets as a tiny gift!?

Click here to download Recipe + Tags!!

Enjoy.

the nutcracker.

2011-12-20T09:42:00.000-05:00

my friend sarah and i went to see washington ballet's the nutcracker the other week at the warner theater. i loved it. the beautiful theater (those ceilings). the wonderful orchestra. how it snowed the entire snow scene and not just for a few seconds at the end. it brought back so many memories of years and years of dancing in the nutcracker when i was little... and all i could think about at the end was how i had to get me and my pregnant belly into a ballet class stat. (although i haven't yet... i'm so good at coming up with excuses.)

it was fun seeing the ballet with another former dancer, too... sarah and i first met when we were 14 years old and silly bun heads attending an 8 week summer ballet intensive in new york city. we both ended up back in nyc for the college years and now we're both in dc! how it is we only end up seeing each other 2 or 3 times a year when we only live 5 minutes away from each other these days is beyond me. resolution for the new year perhaps?

holiday guest post // holiday mantle craft from candice stringham.

2011-12-19T14:18:00.000-05:00

From Candice :: Hello all! Naomi asked me if I would share my Christmas mantle scape and a quick and easy craft I made for it.

I love decorating for Christmas! My Mom always made our house magical each year growing up and some of my favorite childhood memories surround themselves in Christmas and the mood she was able to create in our home. I hope I can achieve the same thing in my home for my boys. The fireplace in our house is really the main feature. You see it right when you walk in the front door and it makes everything feel cozy in our family room so I like to focus on dressing it up.

This year I went with a starry theme, in white, silver, and live greens. I wanted to come up with a little scene to go in a large glass jar so I created my own little Christmas tree complete with glittery snow and stars shining above it. It's a really easy project with inexpensive materials. You probably have most of them at home!

Pretty Paper Trees ::

Step 1: Gather supplies, the supplies for this project are simple. You will probably have most of them at home. All you need are book pages. They can come from any book. I used old sheet music and some dictionary pages, tacky glue (but really any kind of glue would work), hot glue, a wooden dowel (I didn't have one so I just used a wood skewer, the kind that you use to make shish kabob's), card board (I just cut up an old box), a pair of zig zag scissors (you can find these at any craft store) or pinking shears, and two buttons.

Step 2: Make a base with the card board and glue it to the bottom of the skewer. Cover it with book paper so you can see it.

Step 3. Cut lots and lots of book pages. Start with the largest size. Make it the widest you want the tree to be. You need 9 squares of each size you cut. Then, cut 9 squares a quarter of an inch smaller, then 9 more a quarter of an inch smaller than that, and so on and so forth until you get to the smallest size you want. If you want the tree to be taller you can cut the squares an 1/8th of an inch smaller. If you want the tree to be shorter you can cut them 1/2 and inch smaller so there are less layers. It's a great project because you can make the trees as short or as tall as you would like.

Cut small squares of card board to go in between layers of paper. You don't want them to be seen so keep them fairly small.

Step 4. Place three sheets of each size of paper together and slide them down the skewer. Rotate each piece so that they create different points of your tree. Then, add a piece of cardboard on top. This acts as a filler so that the tree has lots of volume without having to have tons of paper.

Step 5. I used three sheets of paper for each layer and I did three layers for each size. That is why you need 9 papers per size. You could do more layers of the same size if you wanted the tree to be taller. Just make sure you keep rotating each piece so your tree has lots of different angles.

Step 6. Continue stacking paper and cardboard until you get to the top!

Step 7. Use a little tacky glue or any kind of clear drying glue on a paint brush and brush from the top to the bottom of the tree catching the edges. You want to get the glue anywhere snow would land on a real tree. Then glitter! I always glitter things in a box and over a paper. The paper catches most of the extra glitter so I can use it again and the box keeps it from getting everywhere.

Step 8. Add something to top it off. I used vintage pearl buttons but you could use a little ornament or star to top it off.

And there you have it! Your very own paper christmas tree complete with glittery snow. You could leave it just as it is or add it to any Christmas vignette. I placed mine in a large glass jar and added stars to hang around it from fishing line. It was the perfect addition to my mantle!

-- Candice.

rockstar giveaway! (closed)

2011-12-16T09:00:00.002-05:00

we have some wonderful items to giveaway today thanks to a few of our sponsors!

first we have one free pair of prescription glasses of your choice from our sponsor, bon look! they have some of the most stylish and fun frames around, plus they're offering $10 off on all frames (excluding sale items) with the code BLTAZA10!

our sponsor pequitobun is offering one reader a $200 gift certificate to their beautiful all handmade jewelry shop! pequitobun is also offering all readers a special discount code for 15% off all jewelry through december 31st! use the code ROCKSTAR15 at checkout!

and last but surely not least, our sponsor deja vu is offering a $200 gift certificate to their fabulous online clothing boutique!

to enter to win, please visit all three shops, then come back here and comment below telling us what you'd like to win! the winners will be drawn at random and announced next wednesday!

good luck!

UPDATE // 12.21 congrats to our 3 winners below!

please email me to claim your prize. thanks!

naomi.megan{at}gmail.com

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twelve dates of christmas: on our fourth date of christmas...

2011-12-15T21:45:00.001-05:00

...we put eleanor to bed early

and caught up on our favorite tv show the office

while sharing a pint of ice cream together in bed.

(our current favorite flavor is mint chocolate cookie. so good!)

a baby! a baby! another baby!

2011-12-14T23:36:00.001-05:00

thank you so much for the sweet response to our news. we are so excited! (although sometimes it seems crazy to think we'll have two babies over here.)

baby is due mid june (i'm 15 weeks along right now) but if i base this off my first pregnancy with eleanor and her ever-so-fashionably-late arrival, i'll just plan on having a baby sometime in july. ;)

we always knew if we got to have more than one baby we'd want them close together. i especially loved growing up with siblings so close in age (i'm 18 months older than my next younger sister) and really want that for eleanor and this little one on the way. we've already started teaching her to "share", so let it be known, we're ready for this challenge over here...and this blessing!

our christmas card, 2011.

2011-12-13T10:52:00.000-05:00

for our christmas card this year,

we decided to kill two birds with one stone

and mailed out a version of this card

to family and close friends last week...

merry christmas!

...and, hooray!

first pizza.

2011-12-12T23:27:00.000-05:00

last week we found ourselves at 2amy's one day where eleanor enjoyed her first pizza crust (see?).

it's fun to watch this girl try new solid foods and actually *like* them. maybe this means a diet of only eating solids in the form of blackberries, toast, cheese sticks and chicken for the rest of our lives isn't really going to happen! i mean, pizza crust now too?! baby girl, hooray! we're finally getting somewhere...

twelve dates of christmas: on our third date of christmas...

2011-12-12T07:50:00.002-05:00

...we went to see the lights at the national zoo!

holiday guest post // homemade apple cinnamon granola from beth murphy.

2011-12-10T12:05:00.000-05:00

from beth:: "one of my favorite gifts to give at Christmastime is homemade granola. it's really simple to make and looks so pretty in a jar with a bow. i used this recipe as a guideline and after making it several times it has evolved into what it is now. hope you enjoy it!"

apple cinnamon granola::

2 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

pinch of ground ginger

½ cup honey

⅜ cup brown rice syrup (available in the natural section of the grocery store or at a natural foods store)

½ cup almonds

½ cup walnuts

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil or other oil you have on hand

first, put on your favorite holiday album. okay, now... heat the oven to 300°F. mix everything together and spread evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet (don't use waxed paper, it will stick). bake for 40-60 minutes, stirring everything around halfway through baking. your kitchen will smell just lovely at this point. once it is golden and finished, take it out of the oven and let it cool on the baking sheet. transfer it into a quart sized glass jar or other container and add a sweet little gift-tag.

happy baking!

-- beth

twelve dates of christmas: on our second date of christmas...

2011-12-08T14:00:00.000-05:00

...we saw the 5 browns holiday concert on tour

and got to spend some time catching up backstage.

ps. strathmore is probably the most beautiful venue around here.

also, thanks to this cute face

for not making a single peep during the concert

(she really loves her music).

holiday guest post // gingerbread cupcakes from emma chapman.

2011-12-08T10:04:00.000-05:00

*over the next few weeks i'm so excited to share some holiday guest posts from a few lovely bloggers. enjoy!

Hello Rockstar Diaries readers, I'm Emma and I'm a baker. I own the Red Velvet Sweet Shoppe and work along side my sister, Elsie at Red Velvet. I love trying out new recipes and making up my own. This time of year I really cannot get enough of spiced cakes! So I decided to try my hand at making Gingerbread cupcakes and then I made up a Buttermilk frosting to go along with them.

Here's the recipes I used:

Gingerbread Cupcakes, makes about 20 mini sized* cupcakes.

Needed: 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch of cloves, 3/4 cup softened butter (1 and 1/2 sticks), 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses, 2 large eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

In a bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and stir until just combined. Now add all of the remaining ingredients and stir until nearly no lumps are left in the batter. Spoon batter into lined baking cups, 2/3 full. Bake at 350 F for 18-20 minutes.

*This particular recipe is from Martha Stewart. You will notice that there is no leavening agent in this recipe, which I found made a dense and cookie-like cupcake. It's delicious, but I would highly recommend sticking to the mini size or standard size cupcake for these, otherwise the batter may get too dry when baking.

Buttermilk Frosting, makes about 2 cups.

Needed: 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks), 1-2 tablespoons buttermilk, 1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar and a pinch of cinnamon.

With an electric mixer cream the butter and buttermilk together. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time (creaming in between) until you reach your desired frosting consistency. Then stir in a pinch of cinnamon and pipe or spread the frosting on your cupcakes.

Enjoy!!!

xo. Emma

15 friends project.

2011-12-06T23:47:00.001-05:00

a few days ago a package arrived from the 15 friends project which i'm so excited to be a part of. the project was started by twig creative and is a collaboration between 15 different bloggers creating a piece of artwork via two separate canvases that are currently circulating. once the canvases are complete, they'll be auctioned off on ebay with half the proceeds being donated to charity! you can follow the 15 friends project here.

i was the 5th person to receive the canvas. when it arrived, i noticed everyone so far had given such great attention to the detail towards the bottom but i wanted to do something with one of the blank top corners. since there was a pretty flower garden and a couple sitting at a table below, i used some old vintage fabric and made a few little clouds with silver linings up top. i can't wait to see what else is added! what a great concept and a fun project to be a part of!

to see where the canvas has been and where it will end up next, you can follow along here.

rockstar giveaway! (closed)

2011-12-06T07:30:00.003-05:00

today we have a wonderful giveaway for you from our sponsor, moop! moop is offering one reader a bag of their choice, so go here to check out all the options. my personal favorite is this one in the brown waxed canvas!

to enter this giveaway, comment below telling us which bag is your favorite! a random winner will be announced tomorrow and sent their favorite bag!

also, you can sign up for moop's newsletter here to be in the know about new products and all things moop!

moop is also offering exclusive free US shipping for the next 24 hours with the code MOOPLOVESTAZA.

good luck!

update 12/7 :: congrats to our giveaway winner below!

please email me your shipping info!

naomi.megan{at}gmail.com

thanks to all who entered!

hey, it's christmas! (vol. 2)

2011-12-05T15:55:00.000-05:00

do you remember this great playlist from last year? well, volume 2 is out and i kind of think it's even better than the first volume (if that's possible...) i love that musicians from all over the country participated, and this year it looks like there are links to the different artists on the site, also!

you can download it for free or stream the music here. enjoy!

twelve dates of christmas: on our first date of christmas...

2011-12-02T10:05:00.000-05:00

...we had brunch together. just the two of us. at montmarte.

a special thanks to my twin sisters who were in town

and so sweetly talked us into going

while they took eleanor to eastern market.

(our first date just the two of us since her birth! )

*i stole this twelve dates of christmas idea from my dear friend marci (who i miss so terribly, please come visit, marci!) as i love how she and her husband celebrate christmas by making time for 12 little dates during the holiday season. i thought it especially fitting this year since our attention often goes to eleanor before each other these days. can't wait for eleven more excuses to spend time with my love! (you can see all of marci & dan's cute christmas dates over the years, here.)

life lately, according to my iphone pictures.

2011-12-01T23:24:00.000-05:00

...and josh's iphone photos, too.

...

christmas tree.

2011-11-30T07:00:00.001-05:00

on saturday we fell in love

with a tiny christmas tree at eastern market.

so we brought her home to camp out

in our living room for the next month or so.

she's very colorful and sparkly.

eleanor can't stop reaching for her and giggling.

merry christmas!

please check this out!

2011-11-29T14:40:00.001-05:00

some of our dear friends have started a nonprofit organization, the foundation for survivors of abuse, in the hopes of bringing awareness to and help with removing the statute of limitations for sex abuse crimes. these laws are in need of change and i commend deondra, desirae and melody for their courage in coming forward to share their own painful story and also for their efforts with this organization. please check out their new website and help spread the word! josh and i know the 5 browns personally and they are some of the most down to earth, loving and kind people we know. i was talking with deondra last week and her positive outlook during our conversation about all of this was so inspiring to me. i'm just really proud of them and the difference they are making.

you can read more about their story in the daily beast. and also follow updates on their progress through their facebook page, www.facebook.com/survivingabuse.

eleanor's first thanksgiving.

2011-11-29T10:35:00.000-05:00

thanksgiving day was wonderful this year.

eleanor did this really kind thing where she slept in until 9am (which meant we all slept in until 9am.... ahhhhh-mazing) which started our day off quite nicely.

we then spent most of the day cooking, eating, skyping with family and checking out some monuments together in glorious 65 degree weather. we loved having my little sisters come to town. they are always a lot of fun (and such big helps in the kitchen). and we loved polishing off left overs all weekend long, too.... turkey and stuffing is somehow always better the second day. it just is.

hope your thanksgiving day was great, too!

this is what happens when you set up the self timer on your camera but suddenly notice it's on the continuous setting.

2011-11-28T07:10:00.001-05:00

we hope you had a happy thanksgiving weekend!

we got to host these pretty girlies, my little twin sisters.

so basically, we laughed a lot this weekend.

here's to happiness - holiday edition {by jacqueline}

2011-11-25T19:02:00.001-05:00

here are 10 things about the holidays

that make jacqueline terribly happy:

secretly listening to holiday music in mid-october...
..and hearing your favorite holiday songs for the first time all year
getting december holiday issues of your favorite magazines
saying "happy holidays" and giving a big smile to everyone when you're out and about (and having the sentiment returned!)
that first bite of pumpkin pie
making a stocking for your pet
tracking santa's trip online
watching elf and home alone repeatedly, because once is not enough
finding that perfect gift for a loved one...
...and the look on their face when they unwrap it

thanks for sharing, jacqueline!

find more happy lists here.

photo by jacqueline, too.

gratitude, part III

2011-11-24T10:17:00.001-05:00

i love having a holiday completely dedicated to sitting back and taking into account all that we truly are thankful for.

i am most thankful for the people in my life...

i am grateful to be a daughter of God and to know that i matter to Him, always.

i am grateful to have a husband who is patient with me, quick to forgive, always willing to serve everyone around him. i am especially grateful for his love.

i am grateful to be a new mother. the past 9 1/2 months have been so humbling. and special. and magical. and beautiful. and gosh, i could just squeeze eleanor's baby cheeks all day long.

i'm grateful for family and friends who are always supportive and encouraging.

i'm grateful for all the wonderful people i have "met", too, through this blog. what a crazy world, right? but so many of you have really touched and inspired me through your blogs, photos, words, emails and comments. i'm grateful for you.

when i think really think about it, my relationships with my loved ones, my family, my new baby girl, my relationship with my heavenly father... these are the things i am most thankful for in life. what a wonderful world. happy thanksgiving!

ps. our lovely friends andrew and carissa brought home their daughter rinah last week from uganda. it gives me goosebumps to see them as a family together in their home. (remember how it all began, here?) what a perfect time of year to really step back and tell the ones you love how much they mean to you. congratulations to the gallo family! your daughter, rinah, is beautiful!

see gratitude part I and part II.

...

a little q&a with the washington examiner.

2011-11-23T18:48:00.001-05:00

last week i had a little phone chat with the washington examiner about my faith and motherhood. the q&a was featured in this past sunday's paper. i think eleanor looks pretty darn cute mid-wave in her first official newspaper photo. ;) also, always a privilege to get the chance to talk about what matters to me most, and motherhood in a positive forum.

if you'd like to read my q&a conversation, go here.

gratitude, part II

2011-11-22T16:57:00.001-05:00

{eleanor, last june in her bumbo seat when we were moving into our new home.}

things i am thankful for, around my home:

-a home!... we maybe be renting, but we've worked hard to make this little space feel like our own. so i'm thankful for it. for the old wood floors, the squeaky staircase, the cracks in the walls because it's so darn old. for our own little parking spot out back (bless you, parking spot!), and for that little teeny tiny yard in front for mister kingsley to play and eat grass and run around like a chicken.

-new crisp white bed sheets... even if they are the cheapest and lowest thread count sheets i can find at target (because that is the only kind i buy) they are still crisp clean perfect sheets in my opinion.

-the little messes... the ones that show eleanor played here. and there. and over there too. even the messes i make, i don't mind so much (though i should note i am not speaking for josh here) because our home is lived in. and i like that.

-hot water... it's nice to take a shower and not run out of hot water. love!

-the linens closet and that glorious thing called a washer & dryer... we've lived without both before (hello new york city living!) so i don't take these things for granted. and i'm completely aware that if we keep up this city living thing, our next space or the one after that could very well not have that fancy linens closet...so i'll just keep on singing the praises of my tiny linens closet while i can. it's a big deal here.

what little things around your home

are you thankful for?

gratitude, part I here.

gratitude, part I

2011-11-22T08:00:00.003-05:00

*image by a girl and a camera photography

with thanksgiving approaching in just a few short days, i thought it might be fun to put together a few things i'm thankful for.

here is a random list of little things i'm thankful for today:

cameras

skype

christmas trees

kisses

light

pancakes

colorful leaves

potbelly's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

snowflakes

smiles

cinnamon rolls

dancing

books

singing

the earth

orange juice

car seat heaters

music

the color yellow

a fenced in dog park for kingsley

bulldogs

hardwood floors

the nutcracker ballet

paper

crisp new bed sheets

eleanor's two little teeth

cuddling

what random little things are you thankful for?

happy thanksgiving!

...

ps. i finally got around to announcing all 10 winners from last weeks giveaway.

click here to see if you're one of them.

it's amazing what you accomplish on a saturday morning before 11AM when you have a baby that wakes you up at 7.

2011-11-19T12:42:00.000-05:00

in other words.... a breakfast run, the dog park for kingsley (where he ran into his bulldog pal also named kingsley!), a family morning walk around dupont, 2 loads of laundry and 1 dishwasher load completed plus a nicely scrubbed home. we really hope this means a family nap is on eleanor's itinerary for us this afternoon.

life lately, according to my iphone pictures.

2011-11-16T02:00:00.001-05:00

ps. josh joined twitter and instagram last week!

(his username is @tiesandfries for both)

so a few of these photos are from him.

kind of love that he has caved.

i mean, who doesn't wanna flirt with their significant other

over a tweet or two. ;)

"guess why i smile alot? uh. cause it's worth it."

2011-11-15T13:32:00.002-05:00

hooray! marcel the shell is back!

thanks to olivia on twitter for letting me know.

ps. did you know there is a book, too? and talk of marcel's on tv show. yay!

rockstar giveaway! (closed)

2011-11-15T10:13:00.001-05:00

today we have 10 gift certificates to giveaway to 10 different winners from our sponsor, paper coterie! each certificate is good for one free product of your choice, plus free shipping! check out all of paper coterie's products here-- they make for the perfect holiday gift!

paper coterie is "passionate about documenting the beauty of life well lived." they offer the most beautiful photo books, journals, custom calendars or memory boxes and holiday greeting cards!

to enter to win a product of your choice, please visit paper coterie and then come back here to comment below telling us which product you would love to win! the 10 winners will be drawn at random and announced this coming friday!

good luck!

UPDATE 11/22 :: CONGRATS to our winners listed below:

please email me your contact info naomi.megan{at}gmail.com

so we can get you your gift certificates!

...

a baby lives here.

2011-11-11T16:11:00.003-05:00

i'll be the first to admit our house is never very clean....i've never been a very tidy person (why fold clothes in your drawer when you can just mash them all in there?) ...and while i do make an effort to pick up my clothes on our bedroom floor now and again since marrying josh and learning it's one of his biggest pet peeves, our home will probably always be a little bit messy.

adding a curious 9-month old baby to our home has produced even more little messes. but it's quite endearing to follow a trail of gerber puffs across the nursery floor (and once upon a time find a handful inside my shoe) or to witness eleanor's discovery of the toilet paper roll. i hear the messes get a little bigger and messier as the baby graduates to toddler stage. i'm kind of really looking forward to that.

...so long as marker never makes it to the wall or onto kingsley. :)

waking up on a wednesday.

2011-11-10T07:50:00.001-05:00

yesterday josh woke up at the crack of dawn for his morning run. in the process, another person who lives in this house and who doesn't quite yet understand what a beautiful thing sleeping in can be also sat up wide eyed, ready to play. i looked at them both and just rolled over. noooooooo. i can't do this yet. please don't let it be morning.

and somehow, within the next 3 seconds i was back asleep. so josh kindly skipped out on his run and managed to shower and shave all while holding eleanor. he also bathed my little girl and then, as i was finally waking up, he suggested the most wonderful thing i could hear at 7 in the morning... "let's go to mcdonalds for breakfast."

that man sure knows how to steal my heart.

and that, my friends, is how a pretty rockin' wednesday began. sometimes starting the morning off with a little mickey d's together is the only way to do it.

rockstar giveaway! (closed)

2011-11-08T07:47:00.003-05:00

today we have a rockstar giveaway for you from our sponsor ONA!

ONA is giving away the venice bag in the color of your choice! the handcrafted venice bag is a naturally milled full-grain leather SLR camera bag designed to hold a camera body, 3-4 lenses, small personal items and even an iPad all at once! to see all of the color options, go here.

to enter to win, please visit ONA and comment below telling me which color venice bag you would choose if you are the winner. the winner will be drawn at random and announced this coming friday.

you can also follow ONA on twitter and facebook for more info and updates!

good luck!

...

update // 12/1 i never heard back from our first winner so we've drawn another!

congrats to our winner below!

please email me your contact info- naomi.megan{at}gmail.com

burger tap & shake. kinda sorta our new favorite place.

2011-11-07T09:45:00.000-05:00

last week we tried out the new burger tap & shake in foggy bottom for lunch and loved it. i have a feeling we're going to be finding a lot more excuses to hang out in foggy bottom over the next few months... ;)

an afternoon together in richmond, virginia.

2011-11-04T10:10:00.000-04:00

last week, when we drove down to richmond virginia to see beirut perform, we arrived a few hours early so we could explore richmond together as a family. did you know josh lived there for a number of years when he was little? it's such a beautiful little city. i'd love to get to know it better.

hope to see you again soon, richmond!

ps. our giveaway winner (that lovely $250 shopping spree to loving eco!) is announced here if you'd like to see if you're the winner!

halloween party.

2011-11-03T10:55:00.001-04:00

here are a few photos from our halloween party last weekend. i didn't get a photo of everyone who came which makes me sad, but the ones below are great! i love how creative everyone was with their costumes... from robbie who dressed up as 'the bachelor' (as his wife was traveling so he had to come solo) to julie and eli's blue man group (genius) to andrea and ben's gaddafi and body guard (they won best overall costume!) it was awesome.

josh and i hadn't done the costume thing for halloween since we were bert and mary poppins back in 2008! so it was a lot of fun to brainstorm ideas for our family together. i posted a photo of our family costume the other day, but we were characters from the nutcracker ballet. i hadn't worn point shoes since my sophomore year at juilliard so it was a big deal for me to put those puppies on. also, contrary to what any tutu pattern might tell you about only needing 5-7 yards of tulle, my tutu took 14 yards. that's a lot of tulle! regardless, i maybe plan on wearing it around the house on a weekly basis. it's just so fun.

and please note jesse's skull head made out of cheese and ham below. clever girl. it was a pretty fun evening. thanks to all who came, brought treats and dressed up!

ps. the photo of josh handing out the "best/ scariest/ cutest" costume award certificates crack me up. it's his favorite part of any party... the competition part. i mean, remember these photos from pie night last year? i love him.

carving pumpkins.

2011-11-02T12:34:00.000-04:00

on halloween we carved pumpkins together. eleanor enjoyed fishing for pumpkin guts inside the hollow pumpkins and kingsley enjoyed any pumpkin guts eleanor dropped on the floor. it's a win win with those two.

ps. don't you love the two little bottom teeth on eleanor's pumpkin? that was all josh. reminds me of my "baby pumpkin" from last year but only better because we have an actual baby here now, with two bottom teeth and everything. i have a feeling the holidays are going to be extra special this year as we celebrate eleanor's "first christmas". can't wait.

kingsley turns 2!

2011-11-01T16:00:00.000-04:00

yesterday mister kingsley turned 2!

we celebrated with lots of tummy rubs and a pup donut.

love this little monster like crazy.

happy birthday, kingsley!

...

see mister kingsley's first birthday here.

beautiful.

2011-11-01T11:59:00.001-04:00

this gave me goosebumps. then made me cry. and point my toes and flex my feet and want to get up and grand jeté across my bedroom floor. the human body is really something, no? i find few things in life as inspiring as good dance and music. thanks to michelle for sharing.

rockstar giveaway! (closed)

2011-11-01T07:00:00.002-04:00

today our sponsor LovingEco is giving away a $250 shopping spree to one very lucky reader!

if you aren't already familiar with LovingEco, it's a members-only site offering up to 70% off retail prices on the best natural beauty products and eco-friendly fashion. LovingEco also gives 3% of each sale to charity!

to enter to win the $250 shopping spree, sign up to join LovingEco here (it's free and takes 5 seconds.) then come back here and comment below telling me which item on the site is your favorite! the winner will be drawn at random and announced this friday.

good luck!

...

UPDATE 11/4 :: congrats to our winner below!

please email me your contact info. naomi.megan{at}gmail.com

...

on saturday we combined two of my favorite holidays by bringing the nutcracker ballet to our halloween party!

2011-10-31T13:30:00.000-04:00

after all, we did have a snow storm here in DC on saturday.

happy halloweeeeeen!

love,

the toy soldier

the mouse king

the snow queen

and the cutest little sugar plum fairy you ever did see.

{the nutcracker.}

hope your weekend was great!

more photos to come...

pillows by poppy winners announced!

2011-10-31T10:50:00.001-04:00

congratulations to our giveaway winners below::

congrats ladies!

please email me your contact info

so we can get your pillows in the mail!

naomi.megan{at}gmail.com

and, to jump start your holiday shopping,

my mom is offering 15% off all pillows

in her shop for today only!

enter HOLIDAYJUMPSTART at check out!

you can also follow poppy on facebook for weekly updates

and new product announcements.

and feel free to share on poppy's facebook page

any personal experience and quotes that will promote home

and inspire others to celebrate all that is good at home, too.

on the swing! down the slide! at the park! oh my!

2011-10-30T22:12:00.002-04:00

i feel like it just keeps getting better and better....

this thing called parenthood.

{photos taken with instagram on my iphone earlier this week before winter showed up and it SNOOOOOOWWWWED.}

eleanor's first rock concert :: beirut.

2011-10-27T08:49:00.001-04:00

earlier this summer, josh surprised me with tickets to see beirut! (ahhh!) after months of anticipation and excitement, so we drove down to richmond virginia on tuesday to see them perform.

we debated what to do with eleanor. leave her in d.c. with a sitter? no. how about with kingsley? no. maybe find a sitter in richmond? noooo. so.... what about taking her? and take her we did. i guess her little baby banz noise silencing headphones were comfy because she fell asleep before it even started and didn't wake up until the last song. somehow you can't take photos at the national theatre (where beirut performed) but i very quietly snapped these two during the last song anyway because i am a mother who wants to annoyingly document everything for my baby.... and also, this way i can kindly remind her when our taste in music clashes someday that once upon a time when she was 9 months old, she had really good taste in music and shows. ;)

rockstar giveaway! (closed)

2011-10-25T09:48:00.004-04:00

Today we have a giveaway for you from one of my favorite people.... my mother! and her new shop, Pillows by Poppy™! My mom made a few pillows for Eleanor's nursery earlier this summer and after seeing them and persuading her all summer long, we finally got her to open up a shop! The detail work on these pillows are out of this world. I can't believe the creativity and time that go into each one. I am so proud of her and excited to share her shop with you!!

Pillows by Poppy™ is giving away a pillow of your choice to 2 lucky readers! Click here to see all of the pillow choices. Each pillow is hand sewn, one at a time by my mother (some take her hours to complete!)

(Here are my two favorites in Eleanor's nursery.)

I wanted to include these two little quotes from my mom shop because I feel they are so special:

"Pillows by Poppy™ celebrates all that is good at home. Each pillow is unique in beauty and individuality. They are expressed in varied designs, like different people from different homes. Poppy wants each pillow to remind us of our youth and those simple days of childlike faith when a bandage and kiss would take the away the hurt of an 'owie.' Poppy maintains that these pillows represent homes, not houses. She truly believes a home is a place one wants to return to. It is about family, birthday cake, and feeling safe. It is the laboratory for learning and practicing fundamental principles and useful life skills. Indeed, it is the best place on earth to learn charity.

"And what about those frayed, raw edges on Pillows by Poppy™? Poppy feels those frayed edges are kind of like us… imperfect people living in imperfect homes. Mistakes are made and apologies are expressed. Home is a place from where we can start all over again and try to do better next time."

To enter to win a pillow of your choice, please visit Pillows by Poppy™ and leave a comment below telling me which pillow you would choose. The winners will be drawn and announced this coming Friday.

Good luck!

Top photo by Josh.

All other pillow photos by Nicole Hill Gerulat.

pancake morning.

2011-10-24T07:49:00.000-04:00

on saturday morning we both woke up craving pancakes

so we made blueberry for me and plain for husband.

it was my favorite part of our weekend.

whipping up pancakes together in the kitchen in our pj's.

listening to music and singing along for eleanor in her high chair

(she still *thinks* we are the best singers ever...bless her)

it's moments spent like this with my family

that make me feel pretty darn lucky.

spending happy moments with my two people (and the king)

are always a pleasure.

also, eleanor tried her first mini pancake and... loved it.

life lately, according to my iphone pictures.

2011-10-21T18:53:00.001-04:00

shopping for frames at ikea. a gelato date with papa.

a friend's birthday picnic. our pumpkin-watching-guard-dog.

naps on mama {mama's favorite thing in this world}.

chinese take-out on the floor because sometimes that's more fun than the kitchen table.

halloweeeeeen costume time!

2011-10-19T20:41:00.001-04:00

halloween is coming up (hooray! it's about time, right? i've already started listening to christmas music so...) and i can't wait. probably because this year i not only have a bulldog to dress up (his birthday is on halloween after all), but i have a baby to dress up too. needless to say, it's a happy time in my life.

last year kingsley was a little devil. considering he's already chewed off the pumpkin stems on our front porch pumpkins, i'd say we could roll with that theme again. but this year i sorta wanna do a family themed costume idea i have in mind, so i think we'll be skipping the devil horns.

are you dressing up this year?

photo via pinterest.

eleanor goes fishing with papa.

2011-10-18T23:28:00.000-04:00

...

here's to happiness {by katie}

2011-10-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

10 things that make katie terribly happy:

my adorable new apartment in berlin... especially my tiny kitchen (lots and lots of cooking and baking!)
the love of a wonderful man
writing and receiving letters
learning and speaking german every day
the bright orange pumpkin sitting on my desk
fall colours, smells, clothes.
the cobblestones that line my little street
finding love letters among the vintage postcards at the flea market
chatting with my family and friends as if there's not an ocean between us
enjoying a nice cup of tea with my boyfriend on our sunny balcony

thanks for sharing, katie!

photo found on e liron.

here's to happiness {by astrid}

2011-10-15T21:30:00.000-04:00

10 things that make astrid terribly happy:

fall - all the pretty colours outside
crafting - a bit obsessed with printing right now
unexpected hugs
the giddy feeling you have before a tour starts
laughing till my tummy hurts
family time
the smell of cookies baking in the oven
booking flights and train tickets
lipstick
celebrating the good and the tough times together

thanks for sharing, astrid!

photos by me from last autumn on capitol hill.

diary by kingsley: i made a video.

2011-10-13T20:41:00.003-04:00

"hi friends,

it's me. kingsley. i hope you enjoy this video i made for eleanor. mom helped with the typing ...and everything else. i pretty much just directed. the music is by my current favorite band, the black keys.

bye!

-kingsley"

apple picking!

2011-10-12T08:27:00.001-04:00

on saturday we drove out to the homestead farm in maryland and picked apples and pumpkins together. while eleanor hasn't been a big fan of applesauce (gosh darn those solid foods, we'll have a break through moment one of these days i sure do pray and hope) she was in complete heaven chomping on apples the entire time in the back of our wheel barrow. :)

and now, let the sharing of apple recipes begin!

rockstar giveaway! (closed)

2011-10-11T07:55:00.003-04:00

we have a number of fun giveaways lined up for you today from our sponsors!

the first comes from our sponsor bonlook! bonlook is offering one lucky reader a pair of prescription glasses of their choice (a $99 value)! also, if you're in the market for new specs, the 13th of this month is a great day to grab a pair as bonlook is donating $25 for every pair sold to ChildSight. how cool is that?

our sponsor back yard baby is giving away a $100 gift certificate towards their online shop! back yard baby creates children's personalized tees and more that look cute and play hard!

our sponsor nicole's classes is offering three photo card templates of your choice from their new holiday photo card template line!

and our sponsor shabby apple is giving away a dress of your choice from their new sidesaddle dress line! (see all the options here.)

to enter to win, please visit our sponsors shops above and comment below telling us what item you'd love to win and why. the winners will be drawn at random and announced friday, october 14th!

good luck!

...

update// 10/14:: congrats to our winners below!

please email me your contact info. naomi.megan{at}gmail.com

free pair of bonlook glasses:

back yard baby $100 gift card:

free holiday card template:

shabby apple dress:

...

clothes for sale.

2011-10-10T19:52:00.000-04:00

went through a bunch of my clothing the other day

and decided to put a few things up for sale over on ebay...

go here if you'd like to take a look.

thanks!

thanks for 'stuffing the bus' with us!

2011-10-10T08:31:00.001-04:00

we want to thank everybody that came out last friday to truckeroo to help us stuff the bus! we loved meeting some of you and getting the chance to chat in person over a good cause. the best part? stuff the bus raised over 11,500 pounds of food for dc central kitchen (the goal was 5,000 pounds, so thank you!)

thanks again to venga and dc central kitchen for hosting the bus for such a great cause.