day eighteen - 08:03

day seventeen - 10:04

day sixteen - 09:37

day fifteen - 07:35

day fourteen - 00:22

day thirteen - 07:58

day twelve - 14:13

i love you cowboy

day eleven - 12:48

day ten - 12:44

day nine - 11:16

day eight - 09:19

as seen out the window on my way to work

a true love (old movie theatres)



and it almost slipped me by unnoticed.
this is my one year anniversary

i have learned so much more than i would have imagined.

thanks for continuing to inspire me...

day seven - 07:45

day six - 07:03

day five - 13:03

day four - 15:42

day three - 13:48

day two - 07:14

30 days of living... day one 07:50

i love this idea. and will be giving it a go myself. (thanks for the inspiration carol!) i will be showing images from my everyday life. could be kids, activities, thrifting, crafting... and hopefully it will help me move a little more slowly. and take the time to look a little more carefully. (and perhaps even do a little less blogging and a little more getting other things done!)

happy november!

BOO!

perfect weekend {busy week}

the tour of our neighborhood happened yesterday. almost 500 people trounced up and down our little streets, checking out our "spectacular vernacular". (click on the photo gallery.) the sky was blue. the leaves turning yellow. the girls sold lemonade. (made a killing!) we met one of the architects of our tract. and got to see his blueprints and the original sales brochures. and the day ended with a neighborhood party with a group of dear dear friends. all who live within a block. ages 9 mos to 90. it was awesome. it was perfect. we. are. so. lucky.(at the after tour party i met some of the moms who were on the pta in 1956! the year the school opened. what an inspiration!)

tomorrow. a parade of ghouls and goblins around the school. hopefully with lots of neighbors in attendance. then trick or treating up and down our little streets with a sweet group of mice, cats, witches, supermen, and a waitress. can't wait!

community
community
community

(my new mantra. it gives me strength. really.)

busy week ahead. relying on that strength. {i'll be in and out.}

hope you have a spooktacular 31st!

{bright} blues

coming back...

(i know that was quick but...)

because my mama and my c don't flickr



i'll be posting some photos here as well.

be well

oh - and take the challenge...

going...

i think i need to take a blogging break. i am (once again) feeling overwhelmed and not able to put forward what i would like to see being put forward here. instead of sounding like a broken record i'll give this space a rest. i'll still be over at flickr. and checking in with you.

ahhh life! a good friend, when asked how he was doing, once told me that "life is full". i have always held on to that. no matter whether it be good. or bad. it does seem to hold that constant. full. and i am not really sure that i would like it any other way.

see you soon...

nada zip zero zilch

on the crafting front. and a growing number of requests (read demands). is hallowe'en really only 12 days away?? eeeek is right!!



and the weather. southern CA in the fall drives me mad. though the skies are gorgeous - the santa ana winds have moved in. bringing temps back in the 80s.

and of course the kids insist on wearing winter hats...



i hope to have the bulk of pta organizing done by this weekend. and we can move on to more exciting things. like witches and scarey pink kitty-cats...

to temper all this i received the loveliest, most unexpected birthday present from the loveliest lisa s. thank you so much. (the light in our house isn't ever what i want it to be when i find the time to photograph anything... plan on getting it down this weekend to share. it really must be shared!) lisa just completed her DRAWING A DAY series. this too is too good not to check out. you can find it here... sifting through these gorgeous images is the respite i have needed...

have a great weekend!

it's the most wonderful time of the year...

oh how i love hallowe'en. even as a kid i remember so clearly pulling my mom over to the pattern books at the fabric store to begin inspiration for my holiday transformation. i love dressing up. i love not knowing exactly who is at my front door. i love the screams and the giggles.

we are so lucky to live in a pretty tight neighborhood. where trick-or-treating door-to-door still happens. and where some of the neighbors are famous for their decorations (mainly at christmas but hallowe'en does pretty well too!). there will be a group of four families getting together this year to head out together. our kids range in ages from 20 months to 5 years. my big bug will certainly be the ringleader. (seems she has my "holiday-love" gene.)

this weekend we had a few of the kids over to the house to help make decorations. nothing elaborate here. we stuck gooey eyes on a wreath (a la martha). made pumpkins and cats out of cut paper (as i recall doing as a grade-schooler). linked together orange, black and white paper chains. and devoured cookies we baked in the shapes of owls, bats, cats and pumpkins.



it was so much fun. my dear friend always says this is her favorite time of year. from now on through to new year's. (she called me last night feeling quite festive - making dinner while listening to this!) and i agree. i know that the hustle and bustle can get us down. i try to ignore what is going on in the stores. we have an unspoken agreement that no christmas music is played until after thanksgiving. (at least when d is around!) but i just love to relish the togetherness of it all. the little things. like watching the big bug helping a little friend form a cat from folded paper. and having an elderly neighbor come up the driveway to help me adjust our pumpkin lights swagged over the front door. hallowe'en seems to be the holiday that brings it all in. the temps start to cool. the nights come earlier. we aren't on our front steps after dinner anymore. but we still find some great community time.

happy monday.

like she ate too much turkey

it was canadian thanksgiving on monday. made me a little homesick hearing what different people were doing north of the border.

and so i ordered my laptop a new sleeve. (actually its first. i felt it was getting too dinged on the journey from studio to minivan to home and back again.) yes, i do resort to retail therepy on occasion. especially when i can make it "work related".



but i fear that it is too tight a fit. i guess 15" doesn't mean across does it? will have to visit the 17". sorry laptop. (and oh how she loved that hooty zipper pull.) blame it on the turkey. (i always do.)

have a great weekend everyone!

Corners of My (Dream) Home(s) 1

I love architecture. In my list of possibilities it is always present.

Our Home is a dream home, in that it is ours! (I never would have thought I would own a home in L.A.) But I am always looking. Ripping pages out of magazines. Studying the Architecture section at the bookstore. We have pretty much finalized our plans for our home. Unfortunately, I have more ideas that I have house. (And I do not want a bigger house - ours is a perfect fit. Well except prehaps for a studio in the backyard. But that is another dream!) And so I dream... some more.

If I could hire an architect to turn a shed into my dream home, that architect would be Barbara Bestor. (You may have spotted her house early this year in Domino magazine. What a transformation.) I think she is genius. And, as a mom, knows how to develop an effective floorplan!

Her website is full of wonderful images. And her book. Well, a source for many of my dreams.

oh and this is cool too!

{just removed the photo i had attached to this post. you can find it, and more, here. i realized - and i don't know why i didn't think of it at the time, blame it on a head full of mush, pulled in too many directions lately, though no excuse is really ok - that although i did link it back to its source, the source itself didn't give any credit. that while this image wasn't by another blogger, it was by a photographer, and wasn't mine for the taking. while i didn't mean any harm, i "stole" the image. i am not sure where it is from. and given all the recent ongoings in our community, i should have been smarter. my bad. i hope my error reminds others of all that amanda put so eloquently...)

i *heart*

my new chair at work (i can feel my posture improving)

my new slim l o n g jeans (it is so hard for me to find a pair that fit the way i want them to - these do)

the days getting shorter (yes i realize i may be alone on this one but for some reason i have always liked the dark. oh, and maybe it has something to do with the fact that my kids seem to be sleeping more!)

weather predictions (i can remember being obsessed with this site when planning our {outdoor} wedding. i still check it every once-in-a-while.)

coming home to a telephone message from a new dear friend

hallowe'en preparations (oh this is good! gotta get mine done.)

this hippo (makes me smile. i love a happy ending!)

this drawing (makes me think)

getting things done (well not crafty things, but things none-the-less)

hope your week is full of love!

things are (looking up)

this was the sky out our back-door yesterday as i returned from shipping out the last of my big projects that were due this week. big sigh. big sky. felt pretty good.

it has been a challenge getting things done for me lately. thanks for all your kind words. it is amazing how much difference 6 hours a week less at work makes! but it certainly does seem to make a difference. i really need to finish reading this book. and to put some of its methods in place.

but i think first i need to clear my desk in the studio. i always feel so much better with a clear desk.

update on the big bug - she has moved into a k/1 split, with a teacher i feel very positive about - and is really enjoying herself. she even stopped the postal carrier the other day to tell her about her day. another big sigh!

the weekend is filling up quickly. i have signed up for a one day workshop on writing grant proposals that i am (strangely perhaps) excited about. and sunday we will be taking giselle to church with us for a blessing, in celebration of the feast day of st.francis. needless-to-say the big bug is very excited about this. though rather concerned that our dear giselle will not keep her head out long enough to be blessed. i have reassured her that a blessing on the shell is just as good.

and i am really (really!) hoping to get back to the sewing machine too. i have orders for hallowe'en costumes (a scarey pink kitty-cat and a witch, inspired naturally by this). and pjs for the big bug's bday present.

hannah's post this week really resonated with me. i feel so blessed to know you - to have you in my life. my work at the studio is very solitary, and i often compare you to co-workers. i love to hear what you have been doing, to peek over my cubicle wall and into yours. to hear what your kids have been doing. and to share (the often mundane) concerns of my life. thank you friends!

have a great weekend

up to my eyeballs

in paperwork

literally



we have two deadlines in the studio this week and i am feeling the pressure. (the deadlines coupled with my new reduced work schedule that corresponds with the big bug's school day have me pretty muddled.)

hope to be back to the blog friday...

monday monday

i did something i rarely do. i cleared our calendar this weekend. i slacked off on plans we had made. i offered (lame) excuses and (through the understanding and generousity of our friends!) was able to stay close to home. it was the first bit of weather we have had that felt anything close to fall and all i wanted to do was cocoon with my family. it felt so good.



as i have mentioned the little bug seems to be having the most difficulty with her sister going off to kindergarten. i hadn't even considered it really, but she is used to having her near all the time. and now she isn't. of course it is hard on her. (she has regressed quite a bit - but we are working with that - and trying to be very patient.) so this weekend it was a treat just to see them together. playing. reading. jumping in the puddles. (we had rain - what a treat!)

d however did not take it easy. and our bathroom. has. tile! (he is busy at home as i type this finishing it up.) i am so pleased. next step - a proper tub faucet. and - gasp - a toilet can't be too far in the future. can it?? and someday (soon i think) it will look like this.

as for my new role at the big bug's school - i was voted in on thursday as president of the pta. this is something that doesn't really fall inside my comfort zone - but it is something i look forward to exploring, and seeing how i grow. (anyone out there have any pointers? i'd love to hear others' ideas, suggestions etc.)

happy monday!

week(end)

the weeks keep speeding by. i know that in no time i'll be celebrating 37! (well at least in no time celebrating halloween!!)

attended a very exciting, inspiring pta meeting last night. and feel renewed. but tired too. i have taken on a role that i am not entirely prepared for - but i think ready for.

hoping to glean some assertiveness along-side stephanie... and to have a *s l o w* weekend.

hope yours is as you wish it to be!

if you are as envious as i am that aforementioned steph will be seeing m.ward this weekend - check out the live podcast from kcrw - the next best thing?

unremarkably remarkable

thank you all so very much for all of your bday wishes! it was a lovely day. as i told melissa - unremarkably remarkable. just the way i wanted it. yummy indian food. chocolate cake. an unexpected visit from our beloved neighbors bearing this as a present. (i subscribe to and love the magazine and was keen to check out their publication.) and i got this too. from sam. by kristina. (you ladies rock!) and this yummy-crazy fabric and kit from my dearest friend back home. (oh how i miss you.) but i didn't get to bed as early as i hoped. (too much cake and unexpected visit for the little bug!) i was surprised too that some of you knew my previous place of employment. in fact one of you worked there too! (myredwagon - i did work for atique and maha - their first year of ownership - 1995 - 1996 if I recall correctly. and you??) ah what a lovely small world it is. remarkable.

speaking of melissa, and lovely (which by the way go hand-in-hand) have you seen this? (oh that portland. i will be checking for seat sales!)

a few have also mentioned that bloglines is delaying updating my blog. as i understand it when i updated to beta the feed changed. unfortunately you have to resubscribe to have it in a more timely manner. bummer. sorry. other than that i like beta. so far so good.

i also can't pass this day without thinking of my dad. it is his birthday today. he would have been 65. he always told me that i had been his best birthday gift. and that he forgave me for always ending up with my left-over cake. (not true - the left-over cake part that is.) i miss you dad.

happy wednesday

09.25

today is my birthday. i arrived 36 years ago today. my mom likes to tell the story of how she thought she had indigestion from a mama burger at a&w - but it was me.

as i grow older. and watch my kids grow older too. their birthdays seem to become more and more significant - while my own seems less and less. i completely understand why my mom likes to tell that story. my birthday is a marker in her life as much as it is in mine. don't get me wrong. i like the cake and the tradition of yummy indian food ordered in. and i love hearing those two little voices sing to me. and opening presents wrapped by little hands. but their days. the days that mark their arrival in my life. those are the days during which i seem to contemplate my own life more. so tonight we will eat yummy indian food. and i will listen to them sing. and i will mark the entrance into my 36th year with those i love the most. and then i will try and treat myself by going to bed early. and that will be that.

today also marks my anniversary of arriving in los angeles. i arrived 10 years ago today. (this seems much more poignant than turning 36! and harder to believe... 26 seems so long ago.) i vividly recall the day 10 years ago i drove down the 405 freeway in my little blue 1989 vw golf. i was coming for an internship at the getty conservation institute. i had applied for it on a whim, never thinking it would actually happen. i was living in toronto and very happy with how things were turning out. i actually had a job in the field i had studied. (ok, so i was supplementing it by working nights managing a cafe - but by day i was working in the field i had studied!) i lived in a great neighborhood. i had adopted this city as my home and planned on staying for a while. then the news arrived. i accepted. and i prepared for my journey to l.a. (how could i refuse?) i had no idea how big the city, or the job, really was. i couldn't find a place to sleep that birthday night, and ended up in a terrible flea bag motel (literally flea). i remember vividly calling my mom in tears questioning what i had done. (i had to get the inebriated motel manager to install a phone in the room after giving him a $25 deposit) the next night was in much better quarters and i soon settled in to my new life. (always reminding myself that it was only for a year and to make the most of this adventure.) 10 years later. here i am. still trying to make the most of this adventure. the internship turned into a temporary one year position. that was renewed for another 2 years. during which i met d on a tram ride up the hill. and the rest - how cliche - is history. my history.

amazing what can happen in 10 years. or maybe not, really. amazing what can happen in 36. (if you had asked me 12 years ago where i would be at 36 - i never. ever. would have said los angeles with an (american) husband and two kids. never. maybe two kids. maybe a husband. but i was thinking sheep farm with a conservation studio about that time...)

apples and honey

for rosh hashana




a sweet new year to all
l'shana tova

special stolen hour last night. just me and the little bug while the big bug and her "coach" (dad) were at soccer practice. we have just recently realized that all this change in our household has played on her too. she misses her big sister. a lot. the change in routine has caused a bit of a regression. though i don't think it isn't something a little extra attention - and good old playskool puzzles - can't help.

and to help me - i purchased a new agenda. and i plan on finishing reading this book over the next few days. and delving into this one next. (thanks sam and lisa!)

neighborhood news

just made the switch to a new blogging neighborhood - bloggerbeta. (or is it betablogger??) do things look any different? i can't see any difference! can you still comment? (if you can't let me know by email, please) hmmmm... will see how it goes. and the search for the perfect new autumnal banner continues. (this too, is not it. but it does make me happy seeing that little face! gone already. sorry! it was this one here. )

i take that back. the new spell-check is much improved. (god knows i need a good spell-check) and you can now "label" posts by category. is this useful? and it also seems to have messed up my bloglines feeds.

and we have chosen to stay with our neighborhood school. but are switching teachers. i am not looking forward to another transition but know that the change is for the best. (interestingly, i found out yesterday that e's current teacher has a degree in theatre, then received her teaching credential through the lausd internship program - a response to the teacher shortage in the region. i think that this explains why i like her so much, but feel that she is lacking in certain background skills. an interesting article on this can be found here.)



and very (v e r y !) excited that our neighborhood is to be part of this tour! there will be tours of some of the homes. (we declined the invitation as we are still in such a state of "progress"!) we have been talking about trying to get hpoz status and hope that this will get the ball rolling. if you live in the area hope you can make it to the tour! the buzz is that krisel of palmer & krisel, the architects of our development, will be in attendance. (probably not that exciting for 99.9% of you but quite a thrill for us - mid-century modern architecture nerds that we are...)

and speaking of neighborhood, have you checked out / joined this flickr group. fantastic idea i think. thanks 62cherry!

hope you are having a great week

five and up

five years ago i would never have imagined the passion that this little girl brings out in me. five short years ago i would never have imagined the overwhelming emotions of being a mom. five years ago i was in the hospital, waiting for her (we didn't know she was to be a her) to arrive. i am lucky. she was a very quick and easy delivery. she was three weeks early and weighed only 6 lbs 10 oz. (though she doubled that in less than a month. man, could she nurse.) she was so tiny to me. her head fit in david's palm. so tiny. fragile. but quickly fierce. strong. and she makes me the same. happy birthday miss e. (you can check out a few pics from her tea party, which we had last weekend here.)



it has been a passionate and overwhelmingly emotional week for me. and i have been surprised by the strength of my convictions. it is amazing what those big brown eyes do to me. and i thank you too - again - for standing by me. for listening to my tale. for offering your advice, opinions and support. i know there are so many bigger issues out there - but our kids' education - it is big too. and demanding that it be a quality education - for all children - is something i feel espcially passionate about.

i have been in contact with the charter school we originally investigated while exploring our options early on and it sounds like they have room if we need. but i do love and believe in the concept of our neighborhood school. part of the reason we decided to go this way, though we knew it would be a lot more work - was because we wanted the girls to know that this is the world they are part of. this is the reality and it is not perfect. but we can and will work hard to make it what it needs to be. and i have met with the principal, assistant principal, another mom, and another kindgergarten teacher there. this teacher gives me hope. she is saying the things i think should be said. ("no television in the classroom!" "teaching to the individual instead of to the test" etc.) i was not surprised to hear that she is a mom to two girls. it is a kindergarten / first grade split and this excites me as well. we haven't finalized our decision yet, but i am feeling oh so much better.

a few valuable links and references came up in the comments and in emails i have received this week. i think that they are important enough to restate here.

Commercial Alert

whitedot

American Academy of Pediatrics

Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood

A Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer

Consuming Kids by Susan Linn

i hope this dialogue keeps going. that we keep talking about the current state of our kids' education. and that we keep supporting one another in whatever decisions we make.

again. thank you.

who knows where the next five years will take us? i so look forward to the journey.

enjoy your weekend!