Me in Melange

Most annoying thing in the world

Here is the most annoying thing in the world....last night I woke up at midnight to nurse, husband slept through it, changed the baby, husband slept....woke up at 2:00 a.m. with a coughing fit that was so bad I thought I was going to throw up, husband slept...nursed some more, he still slept.  Woke up at 5:00 a.m. to nurse, and change the baby because she was wet through and through....and yes, he was still sleeping.  I think there could have been an earthquake, rock concert, and cold rain showers and he would have slept through the whole thing.  How much do you want to bet though that if someone whispered "you won a new motorcycle" and he would have bolted out of bed?  Signed, ME {lv}

New Kai rollerball perfume!

This is my new favorite thing...the Kai rollerball perfum!  The smell of this perfume is divine, lots of gardenia, it reminds me of Hawaii, and has such a fresh clean smell to it...nothing commercial about it.  The rollerball dispenser is my favorite because it is small, you can keep it in your purse and re-apply it to pulse points easily.  FABULOUS!  Signed, ME {lv}

snow days...

The NW is getting a blast of wintery weather this week.  Here in the Willamette Valley we don't usually get snow, just lots and lots of rain.  So I thought I might share some pics of a snowy Eugene....

This is a view from our house in the south hills once the snow finally stopped...

And here's my snow covered myer lemon tree (I'm playing survival of the fittest with the poor thing after I couldn't get rid of some pesky aphids) Also a small patch of green... looked perfect for a snowy picnic!

Such fun!  Snow always makes you feel like a kid.  signed, me {CA}  

Hair fantasty

Lately I've had the fantasy of walking into the bathroom, grabbing a big pair of scissors and cutting my hair right off.  It is long right now, middle of my back, curly and a sea of frizz.   It would be a total Brittany Spears move.  But I'm not kidding when I say the urge is strong, REAL strong.  I imagine myself giving in to the impulse and just lopping it all off.  What stops me?  The fact that my husband might commit me to the looney bin, as would my hairdresser when I walked in with raggedy locks and have to explain that I couldn't wait for his qualified hand, I had to play beauty school myself.  Would that be so bad?  Sometimes you have to do crazy things, and I think giving myself a haircut might just qualify as my crazy thing this month.  I'm off to look for some scissors....  Signed, ME {lv}

It's all about how you look.

You can be on your last leg....feelin' scrappy, dog-tired and grumpy, but if you look put together, you'll have them all fooled.  Every day I pick up the girls at school mid-day....along with a fairly large group of other mothers.  I've made a big effort to pull myself together when I go on this mid-day jaunt.  Meaning a cute outfit, some makeup and at least a pass with the brush on my hair.  Why?  Because I feel so tired, and so out of it that I figure I have to do something to keep it together.  The other day this mother, whom I don't know all that well, asked me about having three kids and said, "you look great, and make it look so easy."   Ha,  I almost lost it in a fit of laughter.  I almost called her crazy.   Me?  Look good?  Make it look easy?   She was genuinely surprised  when I told her the truth....Gia has colic and cries 90% of the time, I get zero sleep, my body is squishy and I feel like my breasts might fall off from her round the clock nursing....and it is anything but easy.  But hey, I did have on a pretty cute outfit and makeup can help.  Makes me wonder how many assumptions I make during the day based on how someone looks--assumptions that could be totally wrong.  I think I probably saw some mom who made it "look" easy to have three kids and therefore I had three myself thinking I could handle it.....OOPS! :-)

I think by forcing myself to dress and get myself together I made myself feel a little better...a case of the "outside shaping the inside".  Maybe I can trick myself into feeling rested and fabulous!  Signed, ME {lv} 

Feelin' Punchy!

Noticed a little something new on our site??

It's the beginning of something GREAT!!  Now everytime you purchase any jeans or any Hard Tail items we will punch your card accordingly.  Buy 5 pairs of jeans and get your 6th 50% off, buy 10 Hard Tail items and get a free, yes FREE, pair of yoga pants!!!  For details go to this link.  Happy Shopping!  signed, me {CA}

masha dyans

The other day I finally got around to sorting through our wedding cards. Out of all of them, my two favorites just happened to be by the same artist, Masha Dyans.  This one, given at a shower from my in-laws....

And this one, given to us by my parents for our wedding....

I love how expressive they are!  And the watercolors are so vivid and full of life.  Here are some of my other favorites...

Some are just perfect for Valentine's Day!  To see the full collection of Masha's work, click here. signed, me {CA}

the simplicity of building memories...

The other day LV was chatting about the major pressure there is these days to celebrate your little one's birthday. It seems as though, big hoopla events and keeping up with little junior jones is the norm... one parent out-doing the other and really, I wondered, does the kid even remember such events when they're 4 through 6??  I was refreshed to find this Mom who put together a 'Little Princess Picnic' for her daughter's 6th birthday.  Totally creative, sweet and memorable... and doesn't seem to be too stressful for momma. signed, me {CA}

Cool Quote!

We often choose a friend as we do a mistress - for no particular excellence in themselves, but merely from some circumstance that flatters our self-love.”

William Hazlitt quotes

I found this quote today while looking for something else, and I really like it.  Thought I would pass it on!  Signed, ME {lv}

Mindy Kaling!

Speaking of 'Things I've bought that I love'.... I am smitten with Mindy Kaling's blog.  You know her from 'The Office', and she has a hilarious blog where she discusses all the frivolous and fun things in life.

Check her out when you have time, or when you need a good laugh!  signed, me {CA} 

midsummer in midwinter

I love my new lamp!  I have been admiring for such a long time and finally took it home with me last week.  We have it hanging in our bedroom and it looks lovely!

You can find one in the MoMa store... Tord Boontje, is the artist.  You might recognize his designs from Target store decorations for Christmas 2006.  signed, me {CA} 

I heart Orla Kiely...

My husband actually said it was a mild obsession last night. ;)  But with her bold, graphic prints, fabulous color combinations, and London look... what's not to love!?

Orla Kiely would be my pick for a new *Melange* designer in 2008, who would be yours?  signed, me {CA}

stamp it pretty...

I was looking for an interesting stamp for a wedding invite that I'm designing for a friend and I was delighted to find these...

I love that they're elegant and pretty without being too wedding-ish.  signed, me {CA}

The Cocoa Room Chocolates!

I finally purchased some of these chocolates and they are AWESOME!  Cocoa Room Chocolates  They are amazing colors and taste really fantastic.  I put them in a glass bowl and they are beautiful....they don't last long though because they are too tempting to not eat.  I think they would make a great hostess gift, or I was thinking that they could be part of a beautiful presentation for a dinner part dessert....for example wouldn't they be pretty sprinkled on top of whipped cream--on top of cake, or sorbet or something yummy?!!  Signed, ME {lv}

papier couture

I just read about this on one of my favorite blogs, housemartin (I really can't wait until she opens her retail store ink & peat in Portland this spring!) She just wrote about this amazing art collection of handmade paper couture dresses by Portland artist, Lia Griffith.  Lia's delightful creations debuted in a runway show in 2006 and are now going to be broadcasted by Oregon Public Broadcasting. Her work is truly amazing and at first glance you might not even think her couture dresses are really made entirely of paper! Here is what Lia has to say about her Venus Collection, "This collection gives me the opportunity to push the edges of fashion; blending costume and couture with the unexpected medium of paper to create a new form of expression."   Take some time to check out each fabulous dress!  signed, me {CA}

 

The simplicity of childhood.

You know what I think is funny?  My kids have almost every toy under the sun, completely over indulged by a large family who loves to buy gifts.  You know what they are playing with right now and have been for the last hour?  My old purses and a stack of junk mail from my office....they are playing some game I can't recognize but it involves a lot of imagination and role playing.   This is what I love about children, their incredible imagination.   It also reminds me that energy I spend worrying about what to buy for Christmas, or birthdays, is almost always wasted.  My quest to find the coolest toy or gadget, totally unnecessary.  Most of the time it is just the most simplest of things that make them happy, and I should be encouraging this simplicity right now because I'm sure it doesn't last.   Signed, ME {lv}

I love my new AG jeans!

I just bought these new Adriano Goldschmied New Legend Jean, and I love them.  I have to stop myself from wearing them every day.  The back heart shaped seaming gives your booty a "lift" (which is good because mine was feeling very droopy), and I like that there is just enough fading to make them feel softer, but not so much they look worn out or distressed.  Once again I'm amazed by how much they stretch out because these babies were tight, REAL tight when I bought them, but after I break them in for 20 minutes or so they are great.  It is hard to remember the stretch factor when you first get them on and you are feeling like a stuffed sausage, but have faith!  Signed, ME {lv}

my wallet is looking empty...

I came across a fabulous concept today called 'spaving'.  It's defined as spending to save money, or rather spending + saving = spaving.  :)  Brilliant!  So in the spirit of such things, I thought I'd share some pieces that you could 'spave' on right now...

With an additional 20% off you could really 'spave' a lot!  ;) coupon code: care2save  signed, me {CA}

fashion in the office...

As I worked in our office today (that's getting more cheerful and organized by the day ;) I couldn't help but get annoyed with the furniture... not that I think we should be wasteful and run out and buy new furniture, because when it comes down to it the desks still stand on their veneer covered legs. But it made me wonder about the choice. Ladies from about 7 years ago got to pick it out, they chose the standard, mainstream Office Max desks... WHY!? I don't get it. Especially when there are companies like Ikea, who bring fashion to a mundane thing like an office desk.  For instance...

Ah, these bring a smile to my face. No clutter, clean lines... fashion extends beyond just the clothes we put on in the morning. But for now, our outfits will definitely be the most fashionable thing in the room. ;) signed, me {CA}       

Care 2 Save??

Did we mention we're having a sale??  ;)

It's one of those end of the season things that you will not want to miss!  Happy Shopping!!  signed,  me {CA}

Better late than never...

It always takes me a few days, or in this case weeks, to come up with some really good New Year's Resolutions.  But, I was thinking about all of the take-out and junk-food that my husband and I have been eating lately, like the box of crackers we ate for dinner a few nights ago :) and decided that the perfect resolution is for me to cook...actually cook not re-heat, at least 4 days a week.  Now I've had these goals before and they haven't really stuck.  But, this time I'm going to the root of the problem!  I think that the root of my issue is not that I don't want to cook dinner, it's that I don't have anything at home that I can easily cook.  And the minute I set foot in the grocery store on my way home from work I head straight for the rotisserie chicken and frozen pizza because its easy.  So, here is part 2 of my resolution:  To stock up on groceries every weekend so that I have food in the fridge, ready to go.  My thinking: If I eliminate grocery shopping when I'm tired, our diet will improve.   

If you've ever watched Rachel Ray prepare one of her famous "30 Minute Meals", you know how amazing it is.  So, I tried to follow her lead and downloaded her recipe and shopping list...but somehow it took me hours to cook what she cooks in 30 minutes.  Not so amazing...or practical!  The key factor for quick cooking I've decided is having all of your fruits, veggies, meats, etc. washed, chopped, and ready to go.  That's Rachel Ray's secret!  So, part 3 of my resolution:  The minute I get home from my weekend grocery trip, I'm going to wash, chop, marinate, and go the extra mile so that come Monday night all I have to do is cook!  I did my prep yesterday afternoon.  I bought chicken, pork, beef and shrimp.  Ambitious, but this way we have options!  I have a family pack of chicken, de-skinned and trimmed and in 2 (yes 2!) different marinades.  Onions, peppers, broccoli, and garlic are washed and chopped and ready to go.  My husband is going to have to suck it up and grill even though it's freezing, because grilling eliminates dishes.

The best part of the whole resolution:  Any night that I cook dinner, we have to sit at the table not in front of the TV and eat together.  We used to do this, but somehow we got out of the habit.  If I'm going to cook, we're going to sit at the table and enjoy our dinner! 

So, I'll keep you all updated on how I'm doing! 

Wish me luck!  {J'S}

 

Oh Crap, I should have never read this book!

I may have ruined my eating life.  I just finished reading, Skinny Bitch, and I don't think I can eat meat or dairy again!!!  Do I have to become a vegan??  I love steak, but after reading this book I'm so disgusted by the images of slaughter houses I don't know if I can ever eat it again!!!  Interesting book....don't read it if you love meat.  Signed, ME {lv}

Sunday afternoon project...

I kidnapped these old bulletin boards from work today...

They were collecting dust and getting really ratty looking.  But, after about an hour, they're looking brand new...

Gave them a simple makeover and hopefully now, they will spread some colorful cheer in our bleak office.  All you need is fabric (cut 2 inches bigger than the dimensions of the board), grosgrain ribbon, scissors, and a staple gun.  I separated some of the boards from their frame and spray painted the frame a nice red... I have a plan for those, I'll share next time. :)  Overall, a fun and easy project to revamp an office or a bedroom.  signed, me {CA}

Cute kid's clothing site!

Ava just had her 5th birthday and received a dress from this site, www.comfykid.com, they have some adorable clothing--bit hard to navigate but worth the effort!  Signed, ME {lv}

office transformation...

About a year and a half ago, our little web office moved from a very inconvenient 3rd floor location to right behind our store front. We love being so close to all of the action and it really helps unite the store front with the web... actually, it just makes a whole lot more sense.  But, we moved down here in kind of a hurry and didn't really think through how to make our little space functional, as well as pretty!  And for the past year and a half we have lived in a space that was neither.  YUCK! We thought, so our New Year's resolution was to make our little office space as functional and fashionable as possible.  We've already started the transformation by rearranging the furniture and trying to purge as much stuff as possible.  We thought about showing you guys some "before" pictures... but quite frankly, it was too embarrassing to show!!  So we'll start with where we are now...

Yep, four (pretty much blank) walls, but overall, the placement is at least better (believe it or not!) and I'm not facing the back corner anymore... so that makes me especially happy.  LV painted the far wall blue and I hung up some words that I found in the clean up... these show through our one window into the store front.  But we have a long way to go before we reach "pretty".  We'll keep you updated on our progress but I thought I'd share some office inspirations I found on a fantastic blog called Design Sponge.  They do sneak peeks into artist/designer homes and work spaces.  Really fun to page through the very creative rooms!  Here are a few favorites...

Sigh, we'll get there soon!  signed, me {CA}

thinking ahead...

 

Visions of spring and summer from Trina Turk.  Something to get you through a yucky, cold winter day.  Enjoy!  signed, me {CA}

I need a security system for my closet!

I have three sisters who live close....close enough to drive over and visit...a LOT.  They are my best friends and great fun and aside from the occasional catfight, it is wonderful.  The downside though is that we all pretty much wear the same size clothing.  The other day one of my sisters was lamenting the cost of dry-cleaning and telling me how she had FINALLY gotten all her stuff back from the cleaners, and "oh, you know what I found, your green Vince sweater".  HA!  I had completely forgotten about that sweater, but the second she mentioned it I remembered how great it was.  It isn't like I have so many clothes that I forget, but I have a bad memory and my sisters are crafty.  I have a Citizens sweatshirt that I adore and that I know my youngest sister wore home one day from house--6 months ago!  When I asked her about it she said, "oh, I don't have that"....I had to do an interrogation just to get her to admit she in fact DID have it!!  Another sister has a pair of cute orange tennis shoes that I loved, and she has worn them so much that honestly I feel like they aren't even mine anymore, they are molded to HER feet!!  Its like being in college when your roommates would borrow stuff except it isn't as convenient to get stuff back!  I've got to figure out some security system....maybe those theft tags you see at the mall :-), or a list of my "good stuff" so I don't forget what my good stuff is!!  Signed ME {lv}

planning for the year...

Every year I promise myself that I will get a cute day planner...  this spiral Kate Spade planner to be exact...

And then, like an uneducated shopper, I wait too long and they're sold out everywhere by the time I actually go to purchase one. (They're under $20, super cute, and sell fast)  So, here I am in 2008, with another crappy planner that I don't like... 50% off at Barnes & Noble, yes... but not nearly as cute and it's not a spiral so it won't lay flat on my desk.  UGH!  Next year I will not wait for Santa... and I will buy one in November!  signed, me {CA}

my buys...

   

These are my past few purchases, I bought the C&C and the HT pants before I went home for the holidays.  Wore them on the very long plane ride back to the east coast, and let me tell ya, I was SO happy with my new buys!  The Hard Tail pants are incredibly soft and didn't stretch out to a different size, despite all of my squirming and wrestlessness on an overnight flight. HT is also preshrunk, which I sometimes forget... I was really happy that they didn't shrink up, as far as inseam goes.  We still have these left in a great blue that would go with everything and they're on sale!! The C&C extra long sleeve is my favorite... I bought this in both colors that we had, this gorgeous garnet and the heather grey. I love the extra long sleeve, it makes what would otherwise be an ordinary turtle into something very chic. I pull the sleeves down to my knuckles and feel instantly cozy.  And then today I'm treating myself to the Citizens hoodie... wanted it as soon as I noticed that it matched my new Hard Tail sweats!  signed, me {CA}

deceptive in a good way

Over Christmas, my Mom and I spent a lot of time talking about nutrition and how kids can be really picky eaters.  I, myself, didn't like much when I was a kid and especially hated salad... well really, I didn't dig on many veggies at all.  But my Mom always insisted on at least trying them and didn't let me get away without eating the portion on my plate, and certainly stayed away from the game of take "X" more bites and then you're done.  But, I doubt that it was very much fun for her or me.  We noticed eating habits of the little ones in our family... and I was thinking that there had to be some better way to get veggies in their diet without going through the hassle of trying to get your picky eater to try something new, let alone GREEN!  I saw Jessica Seinfeld featured on some morning show... with her cookbook, Deceptively Delicious which is an ingenious way of sneaking in veggies to many kid-friendly recipes by using purees.  Now, I totally bought this with the intention of passing it along to LV, as my husband pointed out that we have no need to hide our veggies in our house right now... but I had to test out a few recipes first! Here are my yellow cupcakes...

chocked full of pumpkin puree and a cream cheese frosting!  An instant improvement on plain yellow cake because now it's a source of important antioxidants, beta-carotene and calcium!  I love that!  The book is full of other mother's wisdom, time-saving tips, and of course nutritional info. A great gift to pass along... you'll get it eventually LV!  ;)  signed, me {CA} 

Agave--give it a try!

I've read about Agave in magazines...it is often mentioned when celebs talk about their "special" diets etc.  I actually didn't even really realize what it was, but I noticed it at the market last week and bought some on a whim.  Turns out it is the nectar of a cactus, and resembles honey but the taste is different, milder, not as strong and mild.  I really like it, better than honey for sure.  I think the reason it goes on special diets is that it doesn't raise your blood sugar like sugar or honey (apparently).  Not really sure about the details of why it might be healthier, but I do know the taste is really nice and I'm sort of addicted to it mixed into my mint tea!  Something to try.....  Signed, ME {lv}

Eileen Fisher Wool Silk Speckle Long Cardigan

Eileen Fisher Wool Silk Speckle Long Cardigan is a fantastic piece which I wanted to sing the praises of in case anyone missed it.  I love Eileen Fisher, although don't end up buying a lot personally, but this particular cardigan is GREAT.  This is the kind of thing I can see throwing on over everything, it is very trans-seasonal, and the color is light and airy (but still beautiful in the dead of winter).  I love that it is hooded because it gives it a slightly sporty look---I can imagine wearing this at my beach home as I stand on the deck looking at the ocean with my hunky boyfriend (I don't have a beach home or hunky boyfriend, but you get the picture)!  Signed, ME {lv}

New Year's Resolution

I haven't decided on the rest of my resolutions yet (I always give myself the first two weeks of January to formulate them), but the one I had decided on FOR SURE was:  Play with kids more.  I feel like that I get so busy trying to keep the house running, working, and discipling the girls so they don't end up like Lindsey Lohan, that sometimes the simple undivided act of playing goes by the wayside.  For men it is different, they focus usually 100% on "kid time" when they have kid time....for women, you are usually throwing a load of wash in, starting dinner, answering phone calls, AND trying to have kid time....hence my feeling I don't get to "play" enough with my kids.   This goes hand in hand with my other fear which is that "daddy is the fun one."  The ironic part is that I have been all excited about my renewed dedication to the simple pleasure of playing with my kids, and I went into their room and suggested we arrange their dollhouse furniture.  Sounded like a good idea, and I was ready for action...but it turned out that they didn't really want me playing with them, I was "cramping" their style :-)!!!  I guess this is what happens when you have two kids close together in age, they are each others best friend and complete focus.  Mommy was getting in the way with her big oversized hands in their kid size dollhouse!!!  Signed, ME {lv}