Renegade Faves

i made it to Renegade last Sunday...but barely! it was sooo hot! some snooty lady told me it looked like i was struggling...so i guess i didnt do too great a job hiding that fact! but here are some of the stuff that i saw and liked over there!

1. I picked up this darling little headband from Bobby Soxie

2. The traditional gift for your 9th wedding anniversary is pottery...so B and I have been keeping our eyes open for a cool piece to gift each other. I loved the work of Eri Sugimoto (her shop only has mugs, but her booth had plates and bowls...all gorgeous!)..i didnt pull the trigger because i wanted to show B first...but loved it!

3. I loved the Tees at Gnome Enterprises...always a sucker for old school...Here is Bryson sporting his new pac-man shirt...

4. They had a ton of amazing artists there - one i fancied was Nate Duval. i loved this print in particular!

5. There were these amazing coat racks and paintings on beautiful wood by Tiny Sparks Design. I think one of them may need to be a gift for the baby...yeah...the baby...that's right...

6. Another amazing wood worker was ribbit stopit. beautiful wood puzzles and hangings.

Jen Johnson Photography Maternity Session

this is most likely my last pregnancy and when Jen asked to do a maternity session with me i knew i couldnt pass it up...after seriously a month of rescheduling like every week (sorry JJ) we finally met up and went to one of my favorite spots - the VA garden...i almost got her in trouble with the law since i told her to go the wrong way down a one-way street (seriously there is usually NO ONE there and we just so happened to run into a cop!) luckily he let us poor confused *cute* girls go...

I had never thought before of doing a maternity session - probably because a lot of the maternity sessions all seem the same - in a studio and staged and with the husband creepily caressing the belly...seriously sometimes it creeps me out...but i love the shots Jen has done - the last pic in this series is my favorite!

As someone who is not very confident in front of the camera - Jen makes it very easy to feel comfortable in your skin. I think she got some beautiful shots!

but most of all, i think she happened to take the raddest maternity picture evah!!

i mean...come on...to see more shots on Jen's Photo Blog - click here

Thank you so much Jen for taking these beautiful pics and being so patient with my crazy schedule and for making me feel beautiful even when i so dont...you're the best and i am having such a blast watching you realize your dream and becoming amazing at it to boot!

lentil brown rice summer salad

i went to Renegade yesterday and had this super yummy lentil salad and wanted to re-create it since my family is into lentils, but lentil soup is not really a summer-y dish. i improvised and added my own things, but it is pretty rad...i must admit...it would be good with bacon too...mmmm....can you tell im pregnant?

i really really hope someone makes this...and loves it...like i do!

lentil brown rice summer salad
cook 1 cup brown rice according to instructions (mine was a 2 cups water: 1 cup rice)
cook 1/2 cup lentils according to instructions (mine was 1/2 cup lentils to 2 cups water)
1 cup dried cherries
1 valencia orange diced
2 handfuls sunflower seeds
1 green onion diced
salt and pepper (to taste)

citrus vinaigrette
1/2 cup O.J.
1/4 cup Peanut Oil
1/8 cup Rice Vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon

after you cook the rice and lentils according to instructions...drain your lentils and mix together and refrigerate until chilled. Then add the cherries, orange, sunflower seeds and green onions and mix. add the vinaigrette (not all of it is needed...just enough to coat...like maybe half) and you have an awesome and healthy summer salad!

just when we get another high chair...

this boy refuses...absolutely refuses...a high chair...either one...he demands to sit like brother...in the chair, thank you very much. and lets just see you try to stop him!

the perfect sunday

bryan emailed this pic to me that he took with his phone and labeled it: the perfect sunday. i couldn't agree more: reading Harry Potter on the hammock next to my love and my other little naked loves running around in the water - laughter and sunshine and sticky popsicle bodies...perfect!

isab vintage high chair

or...alternate post title: holy crap! the most awesome-est garage sale find evah!!!

on our way to church this morning i happened to glimpse a yard sale and made bryan do a u-turn...even though we were already 10 minutes late...even though it was a crazy busy street and a pain in the booty to make any sort of turn...because i spotted this...

we never bought a high chair for bryson...we used the clip-on the table-portable thingy since our space was limited. i knew that a high chair would come in handy with the second child, so, with bodie i looked and looked and looked my entire pregnancy for a vintage *wood* high chair - simple enough right? notsomuch...i never found anything that was both functional and aesthetically pleasing, so we bought a new one. And, while i love the Anka high chair for its compact-ness and aesthetic beauty - there are certain annoyances...like that you need both hands to pull the tray out...and that the tray only goes in front - food ends up everywhere if you have messy eaters like i do...so anyway...

about 2 months ago i was at this warehouse of sorts that sells a lot of vintage furniture and they had this to die for teal blue and wood vintage high chair...for $200!!!! what??? but it was seriously gorgeous...

anyway...i saw this baby and was like, no way - this is in amazing shape..."$5!!!!" the owner said...what??? uhhhh.....okay! and then i made B pile it in the back of the car and off we went!

i still am not quite sure what i am going to do with it...i may just use it instead of our other one, since our other one is getting small-ish for bodie...or just keep this one in the kitchen and the other in the dining room?

or...get it re-furbished and sell it? i just am having such a hard time with it...it is too beautiful to sell...and at $5? come on....

oh...did i mention it converts to a walker?

there is a separate vinyl liner that connects to the bottom piece and the top chair comes off...

i haven't attempted it yet...no need to really, but the owner said everything worked. it looks like it was rarely used. the only visible wear is the paint is chipping off the metal and rusting a bit.

i had to share...this type of find almost never happens! this and my $5 kitchen table will go down in my personal history as our best!

Welcome Home Matt!

oh goodness...so excited!Matt Barnes signed with the Lakers! i am so excited for Matt (who is Bryan's cousin)...and a little selfishly, excited for myself. I have been to many of his games throughout his 7 year career (and even at UCLA) and it is always hard watching him play against the Lakers...I want Matt to do well, but end up rooting for the Lakers...i root for Matt and the Lakers...which confuses the hek out of the people around us in the stands....but now - i dont have to!

i know that this isn't a "sports blog" but i just have to say that this is the most dramatic summer of signing for basketball i have known...with LeBraun and his prime-time "special unveiling" that he is going to Magic...and Fisher meeting with Orlando too (but he knows better...he knows Lakers is home) and with Phil Jackson maybe retiring (but again...not being able to resist another "3 peat" and now with Matt (who was signed with Toronto for like, a day)...it should be its own reality show...

Anyway - Congrats Matt! Can't wait to buy my Lakers Barnes Jersey!

(Matt with Bryson when bryson was about 7 months - sorry i couldnt find a better pic!)

New Zoodie in Shop - The Koala Zoodie

I am so happy a friend and reader of this here blog wanted to order a Koala Zoodie...because now that I have a shop I have a place to put it! So thank you Suzanne! and special thanks for ordering it in Bodie's size so i can snap a few pics! bonus!!

I had gotten this request as a special order some time ago but wasn't quite sure about posting it up as a regular seller because i wasn't quite sure if it was something people would instantly recognize as "koala"...but i have had quite a few people tell me they like this little one...so why not?

i have to say also...mr bodie man does not like to wear clothes of any sort these days...he much prefers the suit God gave him...but...he was a fan of this zoodie...he kept rubbing the belly...i take that as a good sign...that and he kept the hood up the ENTIRE time...which always shocks me with an 18 month old...he usually takes anything off his head the instant you put it on...I'll take that as a good sign too :)

So...the Koala Zoodie - Available at Zoodies.com! Wuuu!

Belly Binding

after Bodie's birth i remember feeling like i needed to be held together. i felt very loose...not sure if this was a second child thing, but it was very strong. my midwife told me that in Mexico they bind the new mother for a week or so using cloth after she has the baby in efforts to bring the body back together and i remember thinking that sounded amazing.

(i have since searched around and not only in Mexico, but parts of Asia and in Indonesia also do a form of belly binding - read about it here)

i have been talking with more moms about this phenom and one mom pointed me toward Belly Bandits. These sound awesome and my chiropractor said she thought it would be a good idea because it focuses on the abdominal muscles as opposed to the hips (which she wouldn't recommend binding).

The thing about them...they are kinda pricey - from $45 - $70 or so...but i would be totally willing to try them! have you heard/used them before? thoughts?

(I also found this blog post, which has been very helpful also!)

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

have you noticed anything different? Thanks to a very talented designer i have the beginnings of a new branding...I am still tweaking it, so be warned...things may get tossled around...but i am super duper excited about the new Sweet B!! whatcha think?

rub a dub dub...

you are so happy i didnt post a pic of how gross this water is that they are sitting in...to my defense, it was bryan's idea :) and this is bodie's newest obsession...frozen chocolate bananas from Trader Joe's!
happy summer!

happy friday!

i am so so happy it is friday! i was reminded that while taking a mini vacation in the middle of the week is a wonderful wonderful thing...it makes working thursday and friday absolutely dreadful! i plan to spend loads of time with my boys...a nice brunch with ladies (because lady time is important in a male dominated house :) and hopefully sneak in some sewing time somewhere...the weather just started turning to summer around here. and let me tell you...being 8 months pregnant in upper 90s heat is not a pretty sight...not at all...i hope you all have a wonderful weekend and stay cool...somehow!

beach day

yesterday was an impromptu beach day. bryan and i spent tue night celebrating 9 years in Laguna watching Pageant of the Masters (incredible...you have to experience it for yourself...its hardly worth even describing because it won't do it justice!) and eating incredible food and enjoying falling asleep listening to the ocean and enjoyed even more sleeping in while listening to the ocean!
we didnt want our mini-vacation to end, so when we picked up the kidlets we headed to Balboa fun zone. bryson really really really really really wanted to go to the beach, so thank goodness my car is always beach ready these days...as evidenced by the small island of sand within...
i am enjoying this summer immensely...especially our beach days because the boys are at such perfect beach ages...and a certain wee one still fears the ocean enough for me to relax a bit...i am going to forever cherish days like yesterday - when we make the time to create a "vacation" in the midst of the busiest time for us...because we all need it...

Patchwork Finds - Handmade Goody Bag

I have this stash of business cards on my desk that I have been compiling in the hopes of maybe starting a feature on handmade businesses to spotlight...i am horribly horrible at any type of regularity though, so its not going to be a "Handmade Tuesday" or anything like that, but i would like to share and promote other handmade companies when i can...so here are some of the people at Patchwork that I thought were doing something cool:

1. Fruition Handmade Jewelry - (see pic on right via the Fruition etsy shop) - i loved her stuff - very simple and organic shapes and there was one particular necklace i LOVED and i see its not in her shop anymore and this makes me very sad...i was hoping to show Bryan as a hint for a "push present" it was a simple necklace with a gold hammered plain banner...it was so simple and beautiful...anyway - i love all her stuff though and was able to pick up a necklace for a dear friend's birthday who shares jewelry taste with me.

2. The Graham Street Press - A friend from church, Ryan, is part owner of this company and was a co-sponsor of Patchwork and printed their shirts on his screens. I picked up a bear shirt of his for Bryan and chatted with him a bit about what they do. If you are ever looking for a screen printing company these guys are awesome!

3. Chabuki - This was a kids clothing booth. they have a site on etsy too - i didnt buy anything from them...but only because i dont know the gender of my fetus...in fact, i am quite happy that i didnt know, because if, in fact, this baby is a girl...i could very well go broke spending money on all the cute little girls stuff...its sickening how cute some of the stuff was. they sold this simple little sundress...oh my goodness...so cute!

4. Random Nicole - Nicole is one of the women who plan and put on Patchwork. Her store is so cute and its hard to believe just one person makes so much in such a broad range of stuff. i bought a yo-yo necklace at her booth that i get complimented on all the time...also this sewing machine necklace...it got kinda cut off in the pic...but so cute - i love it! she does womens, mens, babies and accessories.

oh there is more...much more...which i shall save for a future post. If there is a certain handmade company you think i should mention - comment and let me know about it!

9 years

i keep repeating it to myself...9 years. monday morning we ate breakfast at the Jolly Roger with my dad and grandparents, which happens to be right below the spot we said "i do" at 9 years ago...it was neat to be back and see the place where we changed our lives forever.

for our anniversary we are going to see this and stay the night in a hotel like a big boy and girl...without kids...thank you annie mannie...but since they werent open yet, we went out to dinner on our actual anniversary. and we went to Haven in the Orange Circle (thanks JJ for the rec!) and can i please tell you what i ate? because i am very very PREGNANT right now and this is how i have my fun...

we ordered the brussel sprouts for starters...what? how do i know i am officially an ADULT? because i PAID for brussel sprouts...actually they were awesome! made with a lemon-ey sauce and awesome crispy prosciutto...yumm...for dinner we had the chicken n' waffles (buttermilk fried chicken, cornmeal waffles, maple syrup made with beer and hot sauce all over...OMG awesome!) and the cabernet crusted escolar (not as big a fan as the chicken n waffles - still good...but didnt finish) and let me tell you for dessert - we had...you ready? Candied Bacon Ice Cream over a brownie... and homemade twinkies...the bacon ice cream was actually amazing.

we must go back...there is a grilled octopus i need to try...and the arctic char...and the hamburger...so maybe a couple trips are in order!

in cleaning out my books i came across a travel journal i kept while on a trip to sweden in 2000...it was during that trip that bryan and i discovered we LOVED each other and we told each other when i returned. so needless to say, i was goo-goo gaga in love with him during the trip and it came across in my journal. it was fun to read to him during dinner...i kept writing things like, "i really hope i dont mess this up" - i knew what an amazing guy i had from the start and still do. the best 9 years of my life. he still makes me laugh until my sides hurt. he still makes my heart skip a beat when he takes his shirt off. he still has that way of getting me to tell him everything. i wont go on...though i could for many many a post on how wonderful i think he is...and if you know him...you know...just for fun here are some pics of us on our honeymoon in Bali and some more recent pics of us *old* ...goodness i hope my backside looks like that again!

4th of July

we had a wonderful day in santa barbara for the 4th - with friends (celebrating a 30th birthday) - on the beach and eating chili...at a chili cook-off to be exact...lets just say we are still suffering the aftermath of the party...

on the way home bryan and i talked about how blessed we are to have the friends we do. that knew us before we were the "two of us"...and now the *almost* 5 of us!

and we dont mind visiting one bit!

books up for grabs!

in the move i lost our bookshelf...my sacrifice for scaling down. actually i got a scaled down bookshelf, but it meant i had to let go a lot of books...which is a good thing. i am realizing i hold on to them for sentimental value and i will never get to reading half of them...even 1/16th of them again...except the Harry Potter series...i will re-read those a bajillion times i'm sure...PS...is it too early to start bryson on them? i know he is going to love them! i think its too early yet...

anyway - there are some books that i couldnt just throw in the goodwill bin...they mean too much to me, or have impacted me too much and i want to know they are going to good homes. so please if you see a book you think you would be interested in - let me know and email me your address to carleekajsa (at) gmail (dot) com and off it will go! (first to comment on a book gets it!)

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - a book on writing - inspirational and you will fall in love with Anne Lamott if you don't know her already. if you are looking to become a better writer, or enjoy good writing you will love this books!


The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura - love her or hate her, she knows men and knows what motivates them and this book works people!


An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks - Dr. Sacks is a famous neurologist and this book is full of some case studies of crazy brain disorders...written for lamen like me...if you are fascinated with the brain - give it a whirl!


Ishmael by Daniel Quinn - i can't really describe this book...only that it really changed the way i think and argue and my perspective on things...its inspiring!

Raise High the Roofbeams Carpenter and Seymour an Introduction by Salinger - i am only giving this away because i have 2 copies...short stories by JD Salinger - where he introduces some of the Glass family

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - a love story of sorts - beautiful fictional story - i've read it twice!

Happy Holiday Weekend

i hope your weekend has plenty of this...

a nice summery afternoon nap (ish) with my babes all about...on the slip n slide and on the mommy jungle gym...and dont ask why my headband is like that...bryan snapped this shot while taking a break from work...

hope you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!