Peplum!

I know its cool to like 60s and 70s and even 90s stuff right now...but i have always been a fan of 40s fashion...i even dressed up nightly in 40s attire when i used to swing dance...back in the day...wayyyy back...but how excited am i to see all this cute peplum pop up in various fashion sites! its so flattering and feminine and so fun to style! Which is your favorite?

Anthropologie Peplum Striped Top 

  Floral Peplum via Keiko Lynn

80's Peplum Rainbow Dress

Peplum Top Tutorial via Cotton and Curls 

I Love it!!! Turning Two Edition

My Baby is turning 2 in a few short weeks! I can not believe it...I have been puzzling over what to get him and how big a deal to make this 2 birthday of his. I think his birthday (Sept 2) is a pretty great one because its a great excuse to throw an end of summer party! and i will generally take any excuse i can...Below are a few things i found for inspiration while hunting around for him!

I fell in love with this Apple Papple print from One Fine Day. 

(Its one half of a favorite Swedish nursery rhyme)

You can't have too many "B"s is what i always say...not really...but really...if you came to my house you would know...I think of Bobby when i see This Sweet B

He isnt a fan right now...but just wait Bobby Barnes! You will be dapper yet!

These Natives were made for Bobby - I dare him to destroy them!

I would dress Bobby in Overalls every day if I could! These vintage striped pair are adorable!!!

We already have 2...now we need a third...they are by far the favorites in the backyard! Plasma Car

I love their clothes - this Shirt would make a fun birthday shirt! From Copenhagen Styles

 Oh my goodness...Bobby goes through shoes like no ones business...and sadly i have no size 6 shoes to pass down to him, so he will definitely be needing some birthday Boots! From Livie and Luca

These Penny Skateboards are so rad! And I know he is turning 2 and has no business on a skateboard, but its already happening people...you either go with it or listen to Bobby scream for hours while his other brothers ride around...plus that kid is already doing ollies...so i think he will be alright!

I love their Tee Pees from House of Habit. I could probably make one...but i am certain it wouldnt be this cool! i can just see the boys playing in it and it makes me smile!

I used to want to be a stand up comedian

that sounded like a blah blah blahger post title :)-

my husband and i love PRX on XM radio. i usually always listen to it if i find myself alone in a car (its not always appropriate content for kiddos) - its a lot of stories and Bryan heard one the other day that he said I had to listen to...and he was right!

any of you guys have kids (or have known kids) who love that show Blue's Clues? Remember how the host switched and the new guy (Joe) just wasn't as good...well here is an episode of MOTH where the original host - Steve- shares his story about being the host of a popular kids show...its so good...you are welcome.


 


it really moved me. It is so impressive to hear someone tell a story - and tell it well. I loved going to see the MOTH in LA and we have been fortunate to see amazing story tellers live (Bill Cosby, Robin Williams). One of my favorite story tellers is Mike Birbiglia...who is happening to be performing on my birthday in Orange County...pretty cool...i plan on seeing it!

it just has me thinking...i used to want to do stand-up - try it at least once. i even carried a notebook around with me for a span writing down things i thought were funny or little tidbits of a joke...but then i started listening to PRX and hearing more amazing story tellers and knew that making someone laugh is nice, but taking someone on a journey and being able to arouse emotions that weren't there before...that is powerful. i have a new goal now...i want to speak at a MOTH - i am going to work on cultivating some stories and see where it takes me. sort of nerve racking, but also nice to put it out there in the cyberworld as a way to kickstart my gears!

San Diego Zoo - Cool Kid Places

Wow - 2 cool kid places post in one week!

We had an open weekend a couple weekends ago and found ourselves at the San Diego Zoo. Bryan was in an adventurous mood and wanted to get out of town. Since we were planning on heading north the next weekend, the obvious choice was south! We decided all of this around 11:00 on a Saturday...still in our pajamas. So we got the boys all ready and headed down (heavily trafficked journey) and didnt make it to the gates until 2:30. We ended up staying until 8:30, which was our boys' limits. We made them walk almost the entire time - even Bobby and they were oh so pooped at the end - they all fell asleep within seconds after getting their jammies on and getting in their seats. 

So...just so you know - the zoo is very hilly! be prepared...and by very hilly - i mean...hilly! There is a tram you can take, but it is 30-45 minutes long and i didnt want to deal with Bobby that whole time. he is not the to be pinned down kinda dude. 

but the boys did great! it helped that we brought snacks and treats to help them along. We were not going to eat inside the park, but blood sugar levels at one point were at an all time low and we found this Chinese food place that we knew they would actually eat...so park food it was. and it was okay. and by okay i mean - pack your own food. 

We did take the gondola that goes across the park (in the sky, not the ground) and that was my favorite part - it was so quiet and beautiful and the second time we took it was during sunset and you got some awesome views. It was free with admission and i wish we could have ridden it one more time! you cant take a double stroller on it though, so keep that in mind before you go. Also, as a family of 5 we had to split up because only 4 at a time. 

These were the only pics we got with our good camera until the battery ran out, but we got some cute ones with our phones, which i will post on our family blog.

The kids loved this place and we will have to go back because we didn't get to see a lot of the animals...even though we were there for 6 hours! we did get to see a lot, though and the lions were awake and we heard the male lion yawn and it rumbled the ground just from yawning...i couldnt imagine a growl! we also saw the jaguars up close pacing, which was cool and the elephants were all about and so cute. i love elephants. Very fun family day - special day - i highly recommend! 

Cool Kid Places - ENC Huntington Beach

The Nature Center of the Environmental Nature Center or ENC

Inside the Nature Center an example of a Native American dwelling

Cutest (dead) hedgehog

Their butterfly room - i tried to capture all the butterflies flying around, there were lots!

Daddy and Bobby

The cocoons getting ready to hatch!

The nature walk showcased the varieties of California's plant communities

Beautiful (short) walk

Being Silly

A couple weeks ago an afternoon appointment was cancelled and Bryan and I found ourselves with the littles for an afternoon...which rarely happens. I busted out my trusty book, and discovered there was a nature center in Huntington Beach we had never been to. Off we went to the Environmental Nature Center - originally founded in the 70s by a high school biology teacher as a way to bring his high school kids to visit nature without needing a field trip (the nature center is right behind the school) you can read more about how it got started here.

This was a great place for little ones, like under 5 - the trail is not that long, maybe 1/2 mile total? and the nature center is a little small and not much to do inside - beside one coloring station. They also had a cool butterfly encased building and showed the cocoons. I think the entire tour of the place, including walking the trail took us about an hour- hour and a half tops. But it was perfect for these guys because much further than that and bobby would have probably started losing it.

it is just so much easier with my boys in nature...i took them the other day to the nature walk in Long Beach and was reflecting how just at home they were all arguing over skateboards and whatever toy and i had this first and then i was watching them on the nature trail, "hey bodie look at this!" and "Bryson lets build a fort!" and all of the sudden the playing ground is level and there is fun and freedom and teamwork. its pretty amazing to me. Not one fight, not one melt down or bad attitude. I didnt bring anything on the nature walk either, just my ergo in case bobby needed to be carried (its a mile walk- he did fine). i find the times where they play together the best are the times when i dont bring anything. i find that also about interfering with their playing. if i hear them playing and laughing together and i want to be a part of that and experience that with them, it always mucks it up. so i have learned to be content with the listening.

I would totally recommend this place - the nature walk is nice and easy and beautiful and its a fun little outing that wont take up your whole day. and, oh yeah - its free - that is also awesome.

A dress and Blanket for Riley

I have been just so giddy over this little niece of mine! I went to get some fabric to make her baby blanket and found this precious yellow fabric on sale for 2.99 a yard, so of course i had to make her a matching dress! i busted out a pattern i havent used in years, but that mamas are always telling me how much they love because of how long their girls can wear them...it starts out a dress, then becomes a cute top for several years sometimes! This size pattern says 3-6 months, so i wanted to see if bobby at nearly 2 could fit into it and he did! and of course i took pictures! (Bryson is no stranger to this, evidence here)

anyway...as i was sewing this dress i had this realization that I havent sewn a dress since i was pregnant with Bobby. as soon as i found out Bobby was a Bobby I put the dress patterns away. I think i was sewing so many dresses thinking maybe i would have a little Kajsa of my own to put in them and it was sad for me for a while to think about sewing dresses for no real reason...but now I do have a little Kajsa to put in them! and making little dresses does bring me joy...such joy...i am sorry - i love my boys and i love sewing for my boys, but man - pants and shorts are just not the same!

Sorry for the last pic of the blanket - it says her name, Riley Kajsa Guinta - just a bad shot, but had to show the original intent of the fabric trip :)

Simple Easy Kid-Friendly Snack

i know this isn't like a stroke of genius or anything, but felt compelled to post because i am always looking for new snacks with a bit of nutrition...something fun for the boys to eat. my mother-in-law showed me the ways of using the crescent rolls (these are the trader joe's version) to make stuffed little snacks. i filled these with spinach, a piece of turkey breast and cheese (i know that first picture doesnt show the turkey but I swear, i put it in) just fill and roll and 15 minutes later you have a nice little hot pocket...that is a little healthier than an actual hot pocket...a lot healthier...just even writing about hot pockets makes my stomach turn a little and reminds me of this.

Altered Thrifted Dress

BEFORE Looking Down

BEFORE straight on

AFTER: cropped head and littlest head

AFTER: there is my head and the middle head

i hate mending clothes...so not fun...i usually have a working pile that i almost always neglect...but sometimes it can be fun to transform something i would never wear into something actually wear-able. I liked this dress pattern when i picked it up at a thrift store for like $3 - but not into the collar up to my chin and the sleeves and thought it would be easy to turn it into a sleeveless tent dress.

i used a similar tent dress and cut out the neckline and arm holes (i first made the arm holes WAY too big, but that was an easy solve!) and then used single fold bias tape to finish the neck and arm holes. For a tutorial on how to use single fold bias tape- try this one here or this one here. Super easy way to transform a neckline in under a half hour!

(Apologies for the awful pictures...the first two were taken by me...and the second two were taken by a 6 year old)

Corners of my Home I am loving today

The underside of my quilt

OC Fair Family Tradition

Thyme and Tomatoes from the backyard

Seeing this sweet picture when i walk down the hall

Our nature table growing and growing

Little collections

Super Easy, Super Yummy Fig Jam

My husband bought this big old thing of figs at Costco last Sunday...and no real intention to use them in any one thing...we would add them to sandwiches and salads and the such, but there were a LOT of figs...maybe 2 pounds? maybe more? they started to go bad, so i saved the ones that did not have mold and started to make a fig jam with it. I started by looking up about 7 different recipes online and then made my own based on those. The method i used was from here - i found it very helpful - especially the mashing up with the potato masher bit...i did not want to dirty up my food processor that day!

I had about a pound of figs - i first removed the seeds...coarsely chopped...threw them in a pan with a splash of balsamic (2 tblsp?) some sugar and honey (because figs and honey...yum!) let that get together for about an hour and a half on very low simmer...let cool then...there you go! fig jam! now...its freezer jam...but should last about a month in your fridge (not mine) but you can always freeze what you want to save for later!.

Fig Jam
About 1 pound figs - stems removed coarsely chopped
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 Tblsp balsamic vinegar

Put all ingredients in heavy saucepan over med high heat. stir together until boiling. If pieces remain big, you can mash them with a fork or potato masher, but leave some pieces...its what makes jam the jam :) Once the jam has reached a nice boil, turn to low, cover and simmer for an hour and a half - occasionally checking up on it and stirring to avoid burning.

What to do with fig jam? Besides enjoying on a warm piece of toast, try topping brie with it, covering with pastry dough and baking at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. or just on top of brie with honey and crackers. Or making a fig crostini. or fig cookies or peanut butter and fig sandwich...you can even use it for a glaze over chicken or fish!

Hope this inspires you to make your own jam...you don't always need to can it...you don't always need to make a huge batch! Have fun!