Hydrangea Blue

Totally not on purpose, this week ended up having a color theme. Soothing tones of lavender, mauve and blue. Hydrangea colors.  These colors remind me of my grandma, who was never seen in anything other than white pants, white jazz shoes (once a dancer, always a dancer), and pastel tops with matching floral hats.  Easter was totally her favorite holiday. 

flower chaos on the kitchen table. 

flowers for the church Easter brunch

white sharpie on brown eggs.  i got bored after painting 3.  i'm just not a big doodler.

sisi's cabbage patch doll was wearing hydrangea colors.

sisi is finally showing signs of being nurturing.  a glimmer of hope :)  she still pretends to pinch babies though.

hand-painted petals

silk hydrangea bobbies- the perfect blend of abstract and realistic.  i'll be wearing these on Easter Sunday!

((Those last two pics don't fit the color scheme, but I added them just for fun.  I adore my goofy little family.))  

Have a blessed time with your goofy little families this Easter!  (or more accurately, this "Resurrection Sunday".)  

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Hi, Spring!

SPRING IS:

Random strip mall lots, overgrown with daisies...

Camelias from the garden...

Lobster khakis (very Cape Cod, eh?)...

Pink jasmine blooming in the courtyard...

Easter wreaths...

Chamomile, the flower that just won't die (we're on week 3 with this bunch!)...

WHAT IS SPRING TO YOU?

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Back from Florida!

too much luggage for 3 days.

 I spent last weekend in the Florida Keys attending my cousin Danny's wedding.  Joe stayed back in Cali, so I was a single mommy on this trip (but had lots of help thanks to my mom and bro.)  Sisi was an amazing traveler, so adaptable and content. Both flights were remarkably pleasant!  The main reason we've been traveling so much this past year is because everyone keeps telling us, "Your next one is going to be a little hellion! Just wait!"   So just in case, we're seeing the world now because Sisi's more than happy to tag along.  

We stayed in Islamorada, located right between Miami and Key West, the Southernmost point of the Continental US.

No beach per se at our hotel, but stairs leading into the water (which Sisi liked even better!)

Incredible wedding site.

me, mom, sisi.

 

hated paying 490.00 for her ticket, but the extra room to sprawl out was priceless!

The highlights: 
-Sisi grooved on the dance floor for 2 hours straight, and then planted a big kiss on a little 2 year old boy from Kenya named Seger.
-Wow, the clear blue water in the keys is beautiful.  I'm a big sucker for tropical beaches (already planning our next trip to Mexico!!)
-I broke my diet for fresh baked key lime pie, and it was worth it :)
-We caught up with our sorta crazy family from all over the country and had a blast reminiscing.

The only downside:
I had the song "Kokomo" in my head almost the entire time.

Oh great, it's in my head again :(

Congrats Danny and Carolyn!  Now, back to reality for me and Sisi.  Next trip- Mexico in May :))

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New Shoes for Sisi

robeez silver flats, saltwater sandals, robeez pink saddle shoes 

Sisi needed new shoes that would work for church as well as everyday.  I did an amazon search, and found comfy silver mary janes, yellow saltwaters, and stinkin' adorable pink oxfords.

I'm so bummed that Sisi has almost outgrown the largest size of Robeez.  Robeez are amazing, not just because they actually stay on, but because they are soft-soled and allow baby's feet to form and develop while they are learning to walk.  I secretly cringe when I see babies wearing super rigid-soled shoes or big fancy sneakers.  I look down at my own ugly, sore, semi-deformed feet and remember shoving my feet into too-narrow keds and rigid dress shoes as a kid just to look "cool."Believe it or not, this rigid versus soft-soled shoe thing is actually a real debate.  And it can get kinda heated. Most of you know I'm a pretty natural mama, so you can guess where I stand.  Joe's even more extreme- if he had his way, Sisi would be barefoot all the time.  But robeez have been perfect thus far- cute, affordable, and plenty flexible.  And now she's almost too big for them! Drats!

I'm actually wary about the saltwater sandals- they seem sturdy, but incredibly hard and uncomfortable.  But they aren't bestsellers for nothing- supposedly once you break em in, you're a fan for life. I'll report back and let you know how they work out for us (if Joe doesn't make me send them back first!)

Does anyone recommend a nice soft-soled shoe that comes in toddler/kid sizes?

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Giveaway at The Bride's Cafe!

Sweet Janie of The Bride's Cafe has always been one of my biggest cheerleaders, even from way back in The Treasured Petal days.  Check out her latest Petal and Thorn feature and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a $60.00 credit to our new shop!  There are a ton of cute there items under $60.00 that would make lovely gifts for friends or yourself, whether brides or not.  And her giveaways are always super simple- just comment on the post. That's it!  Just do it quick-style- the winner will be announced Monday 3/11.  Thanks!

Have an incredible weekend!  I will be attending TWO birthday parties for TWO marvelous 1 year olds.  And yes, I will be breaking my diet for birthday cake.  Absolutely.

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Siena's First Haircut!

Just wanted to share our latest milestone!

I forgot to take a good "before" picture, but this gives an idea.  At a little over 2 years, her hair hit about mid-back, but was uneven all over thanks to "weird infantile hair growth".  I  decided to give her the haircut I've always secretly wanted but could never get away with due to my chubby-ish cheeks and wide-ish nose- a sleek angled bob, shorter in the back and slightly longer in the front.

Sisi was a bit tense the whole time, but thank goodness this kid has no TV at home and was pretty much mesmerized the whole time.  She had her ducky for comfort, and I had also promised her some fruit.  Very easy to please.

Some strange movie about garden gnomes?

A little spritz.

The hairdryer freaked her out big time.

I can't be the only one who isn't planning on keeping the lock of hair, right?  Anyone else think this is grody?  It's like when they gave me the umbilical cord which they had dried out and fashioned into a heart-shape. It looked like turkey jerky.  I felt awful for wanting to throw it away, but turns out the dogs also thought it was turkey jerky, and ate it first. I probably won't save her teeth when they fall out, either.

My baby is really growing up into a beautiful and marvelous little girl.  I couldn't be more proud :)

What do you think of her new 'do?

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