a family outing for some julian apples.

apple picking has been on my list of things to do for a few years now. seems like the tiny window of opportunity is gone the second after i actually think about it.. this year we made it.. we drove some windy roads and oooohhed and awwed at the cows, horses, camels {yes. a camel farm is up there } and some goats along the way..it is gorgeous up in julian.. we ate a yummy lunch, cruised the tiny towns shops, peeked in the windows of the apple pie bakeries, i enjoyed some sangria at the winery located 5 steps from the orchards entrance {it was delicious}..

and of course.

picked some apples.

happy friday!

what a great week.. it is totally feeling like fall... crisp, breezy and a bit sunny.. i noticed yellow leaves on a tree, it's getting dark earlier and earlier.. and i have started baking a bit more..

yes. definitely signs of fall.

i have also been making these roasted veggie tacos a couple times a week..

there are so many yummy veggies right now so you can use whatever you want..
it will be just as delish..

 i did butternut squash because it is my ABSOLUTE favorite..
we are bff's..
broccoli, red pepper, purple cauliflower and onion..
chop up all delicious bursts of color..

i was so excited when i found purple cauliflower isn't is so pretty?

i tossed in olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.. 

375 degrees for 45ish minutes..

i scooped the veggies on a warmed tortilla and topped it with sour cream, avocado and some hot sauce..

so good and so healthy.

and?

{the best part}

so easy!!

ps- another version i have been wanting to make and it is waaay fancier than mine, is juli's.. check it out here

happy friday my friends!

Nate Berkus?

so you all have seen my headboard, right..

 i blogged about it here, here and here..

you were sick of hearing about it i talked about it so much..

if there was a fire.. you would see be trying to shove this mamma jamma out the door...

well..

i am so honored to say..

you can see it right HERE too..

yes, the nate berkus website has my little DIY featured..

o.m.g.

i about peed my pants when i saw it..

seriously.

a small request

my little second grader..

my little.. beautiful.. little girl..

my reading real books about fairies and wearing cool boots little girl..

my independent.. energetic.. can't possibly be in enough places at once little girl..

my sweet.. sweet.. ask a million questions little girl..

my follow all the rules and make sure everyone else {including me} are doing the same..

can you please stop growing up?

love, mom

weekend.

my anchovy creative {isn't that the best name ever?} stamp was hand delivered by the sweet anne herself this weekend and i began stamping and water coloring right away..

i really like the idea of a handmade card.. 

it is so personal..

just like a photo.
i was inspired by some invitations she did for a wedding..
yes. she water colored wedding invites..
she is awesome.

i have started packaging my hex bracelets like this.. it makes the gift giving part of it easy.. that is if you are gifting them?

hubby was sick and so i.. in between photo shoots.. played pet shop in the garage/playroom, grocery shopped, did laundry and made {stuff}..

it was a creative and productive kind of weekend..
i love this photo hubby shot.. he is so sneaky..

inspiration can get the best of me.

my new office wall..

it was the hardest thing i have ever done..

i cried..

i sweated..

i whined more than i would like to admit..

then.

i cried again..

i painted over the ENTIRE wall..

yes.

but being the stubborn girl that i am..

i went for it again..

thanks GOODNESS third time is NOT a charm.. 

second time is..

happy friday friends!

YUBZ is fabulous!

so i have to share my new toy with you. 

geeky mom is going to speak for a minute {or 2}..

this is the coolest headset that plugs into your phone..

yes. my iphone, your iphone, blackberry,  droid... and more..

it reduces radiation by 96% which is huge considering our little ones chat on our phones so much too.. and it is seriously SO much more comfy while sitting on the couch blabbing away..
if i leaned this against my shoulder while driving and talking would it still be considered hands free?
{hmm?}
but anyway.. i think sometimes old school IS way cooler..

my girls LOVE it and i do not have to be concerned about my iphone slipping out of their little hands and shattering before my eyes....
it is lightweight and really clear and loud enough to actually hear well..

honestly..

little c does not know what a REAL telephone looks like..

we were doing flashcards a few months ago and we came to a "T" with a picture of a telephone on it and she stopped and says "what is that?"

i realized, she has never seen a real phone let alone the old school "retro" phone as the cool kids call it these days..

i am planning on snatching these up as gifts for christmas for anyone i can think of ..

it is a PERFECT gift for that white elephant party.

$49 bucks and you can get it right here..
it comes in tons of colors, even a bling bling gold..

400 posts, nyc and mad men

 chin chin..
this is my 400th post!!

this photo is from our trip to nyc..
we ordered manhattan's as our first cocktail in manhattan..
i miss nyc so much i am going back in february..

{yippee!!}

hubby and i just jumped on the mad men train and LOVE. LOVE

LOVING it..

why i wait so long to give something a try is beyond me?

i could of been watching this fabulousness all along??

i am so lame. so lame.

anyway..

thank you for sticking around for 400 posts and listening to me blabbering about my silly everyday..

i really, really love blogging and i really love that you are here.

xx

:)

 

a chair do-over..

these u.g.l.y. chairs i bought off craigslist for $40..

there were 3 more for a total of 6.

yes. that is less than $7 a chair..

good bones. i knew they had potential.

i sprayed them with a high gloss white paint..

i bought some amazing fabric from spoonflower..

they have great modern and fresh prints..

i do not have a fancy technique or secret to tell you about reupholstering but to pull the fabric tight and the more staples the better..

i bought a staple gun for $20 at home depot and it is the best money ever spent..

seriously.

you need one.

the corners could be tricky but just fold them like when you're wrapping a gift and remember staple staple and then.. staple once more..

nice and smooth..

try to line up your print..

i did say {try}..

there she is..

i can not tell you how much a print does for a space..

i love print and have tried to "keep it simple" with solid accents..

then i always go back to a print and feel that everything is just right again..

so my advice..

go for print..

 ...

hex bracelet update

so as you may know..

i have been selling these hex bracelets..

i had a client buy one off my wrist and have been selling them ever since..

they are fabulous gifts..

for you.. or a friend..

i hooked up with a company and got a great deal on a large quantity of hex nuts so my pricing is now a bit lower at $20 for a single strand and $30 for 2 strands {as shown in photo}..

i am also offering a free shipping discount to all you lovely readers.. 

so stock up ladies {and boy?}..

i have a paypal button on the left sidebar all set up for you..

i am all about ease and simplicity..

{i'm trying anyway}

so enjoy..

and thank you..

mucho.

xx-

f

blogging when she was 2..

there are some hilarious stories of little c when she was 2 years old.. she is still a firey little girlhere and there..but there are not as many {now} funny stories to blog about.. posts like this are why i am so happy i decided to start blogging.. looking back as i cry of laughter, sweet moments and just the everyday are priceless.. i remember starting this blog and telling a "friend" and she in turn asked me if i thought starting a blog was self indulgent? i remember saying no {and being insulted}.. but i didn't realize how much i meant it.. 

until years later...

here is {c} at 2 years old..

i wrote this in june of 2009.

this princess crown makes her sing... as soon as it is set on top of her head..

she sings...

she dances...

and NOW she will not take her princess shoes of her feet...

i mean even for bed..

she wears them to bed..

i bow out gracefully.. often.

she is now obsessed with the toilet wand.. no i am not speaking of a magical princess wand named "toilet"..

i am talking about the actual toilet wand.. the one you use to clean the toilet.

yup.

she also loves to take a cup from the bath, fill it with toilet water and dump it back to the bathtub..

YUMMY!

do you know what this means??

umm.. i have to clean my child, tub, toilet and floor immediatley.. lovely right?!

she is obsessed with pirates booty to the point we play tug o' war with the huge costco size bag and she usually wins hands down..

nummmmmyyyyy.. bitey and milkkkkkkkkkkk are her favorite words..

she does not like shopping carts, and has learned to squat while buckled in just to let me know she does not have to sit even if i do say so.. she will squat, thank you very much..

she loves to STAB at the pin pad while i am checking out...

loves to open candy, hand sanitizer, mascara.. whatever she can get her hands on from that "impulse buy" shelf..

obsessed with how many wipes she can whip out of the container in the fastest speed possible before i hear her and coming racing down the hall..

she does not like her diaper when it gets too wet. she rips it off and throws it wherever her little heart desires...then pees, slips on the pee and is mad. (potty training hint.. i know, i know)

she thinks her little potty is a step stool to the towel rack where she HANGS like a monkey...

smarty pants gingerly places her head down on the HARD wood floor before throwing a tantrum..

she likes to bring me rolly polly's from the garden and throw them at my feet..

she eats shredded cheese like a puppy and says "dawwwwgeeeee"

she is 2...

ohhh yes she is..

and

WE LOVE HER DEARLY....

(insert sigh of exhaustion here)

omg!

is this NOT? the cutest family...

doing what you love.

i couldn't believe when i scrolled through my twitter stream.. {through my iphone}

rip steve jobs?

my heart sunk.

this amazing man was the definition of "going for it".. "don't look back".. "taking a risk"..

i mean just LOOK at what he created..

i blog and edit from an imac.. i communicate in many ways with everyone i know and, will get to know on an iphone.. i have all my music on an ipod.. and i am currently obsessing about an ipad..

  steve jobs changed the world..
i am aching for his family...
rest in peace steve jobs.

our work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle -  steve jobs

currently loving..

skinny jeans and flats are my staple..

rosebud is the best best best..

kelly wearstler and her blog..

she is so dang cool..

i love delicate gold jewelry and have been obsessed with this ring for ages.. 

elbow patches are my latest obsession..

all things jose villa looks at..

he is amazing..

snakeskin anything..

chevron..

images via everythingfab, cupofjoe, kellywearstler, josevilla

just a photo

i snapped these photos today of the girls.. we were shuffling out the door and one was in the garage putting on her shoes.. and i just felt like stopping to taking a photo..

i feel like it's been awhile since i have...

it's been a bit loco in mi casa but. i am learning to juggle pretty well..

{i think?}

well, i am trying to actually be present when the girls are home..

not being on the computer..

reading a book with them..

the simple things..

so for no reason at all.. i took a photo..

not all dolled up.. not with a mess on their face.. no big story to tell..

just them.. on their way to school..

One Pie is 6 meals served to a neighbor in need..

client deliveries ready to go at mama's kitchen..

I am so excited to be a part of this amazing fundraiser with Mama's Kitchen.. Mama's Kitchen is an organization that delivers meals to the homes of San Diegians affected by AIDS or cancer, every day of the year, free of charge. This is a volunteer driven, non-profit organization. Mama's Kitchen also feeds the children of these clients and they are right now as I type, supplying meals for 75 children. This fundraiser is simply buy a $20 pie {or 2} and it in turn, you will be providing 6 meals per pie. Choose from Apple, Pumpkin or Pecan. All pies will be delivered to your local Wells Fargo that you select upon checkout the DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING. They make it soo easy and it is such a great cause. I will be selling pies along with many other fine ladies of the fabulous sdmomfia.  I had the pleasure of touring their facilities last week, learning about their great organization and how EASY it is for us to help.

 we met with mama's kitchen, took notes, asked a lot of questions and they served us one of their home cooked meals..

here is a fellow sdmomfia gal tweeting as we ate, noted and asked..

we are great multi, multitaskers...

mama's kitchen has all donated food in a large pantry for clients to choose from..

here is the large kitchen where all the action happens..

this is what buying 1 pie provides for a client..
6 meals..
talk about stretching that dollar bill..

so..to buy your pie and give the gift of nourishment.. click HERE or click my ad on the right ------>
enter your info, {fawn christiansen} as your seller and where you'd like it delivered..
here is MY contribution..
after you buy your pie..
mosey on back over here to this post and let me know you bought your pie by leaving a comment..
if you bought 2, enter twice..
i will be random.org picking a buyer on Thanksgiving to win a MINI Photo shoot
with Sequins and Candy Photography
{that's me}
 leaving you plenty of time to get your Christmas Cards done..

Let's Buy some Pies!