Storyboard Close-Up

Here is a close up of the storyboard done by Brandi Ginn. I posted earlier about where I should hang it in the bathroom here.

Botanicals

My aunt, Janet Beck Clark has opened a new Etsy shop for her amazing botanicals. People, I love these so much that I have her botanicals hanging in THREE separate rooms of my house!

Janet is amazingly talented and her botanicals are a-mazing. Both my sister and design mom have blogged about this already. I have to agree with Gabrielle that I have yet to see a picture that does them justice.

Go, look, buy. Every house should have one of these works of art.

The Perfect Summer Scent

While I was buying my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, the stunning sales girl offered a sample of their new body lotion--Almond Coconut Milk. Oooooooh, I love it! Its the perfect summer scent and although I cannot bring myself to justify the hefty $55 price tag, I really want it for vacation.

Have you ever noticed how places like that always hire insanely young and gorgeous girls that somehow make you think dropping obscene amounts of money on their product will miraculously make you look as young, fresh and gorgeous as they are?

Finally Showing Off The New Trick

There is finally a level of comfort in standing alone which allows for me to back up and snap a quick picture.

I also bought her a set of alphabet magnets which she loves.

Maggie's Photographer

I met Brandi at church and, lucky me, she's a fantastic photographer. I posted earlier about where to hang the storyboard she made of Maggie's bath pictures here. Brandi's website URL is on the card above or click here.

Water Play Date

Maggie had a play date yesterday with her friend Alex and his mommy Vicki. We took the kids to the park by my place with the water jets. After slathering on the sunscreen we let the kids loose. Maggie crawled fearlessly into the middle of it all and LOVED it! Alex sat on the side and....cried. Not because of the water but because of Maggie. Every time Maggie looked at him, pointed at him, or tried to talk to him he would burst into tears.
Here she is pointing at where some water comes out. Good thing it didn't turn on and give her a face full of water!

Here she is looking at Alex

And here's Alex's reaction

Real Simple

I still love Real Simple magazine but I'm starting to wonder if they have enough content for a monthly magazine. Sometimes it doesn't seem like it.

This month had a suggestion for cleaing the corn silk off the cob before cooking--a toothbrush. Am I the only one that thinks this is silly?

It's similar to the rediculous suggestion they had in May for putting your hair accessories on an old toilet paper roll. Who wants that tacky t.p. roll sitting out in plain sight with a bunch of hair ties and pins sticking out of it?

Are these suggestions really making our life Real Simple?

Weekend Review: Swimming Babe

Just when I start to feel like a giant slacker for spending my days playing with my daughter (and buying her toys at every turn), or using her nap time to catch up on my Judge Judy and Buffy reruns, I bust out a day like Friday! I triumphantly pack a weeks worth of household chores into one very productive morning. The stars align and Maggie decides she DOESN'T need to cling desperately to my leg and cry to be held. I miraculously have enough energy to drive the frenzy of tub and toilet scrubbing, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, etc. Sooooo satisfying.

Saturday morning was a slow start. Followed by a slow day in total. We took a trip to our lovely Boulder County Hazardous Waste Disposal place to drop off our old paint, paint thinner, etc.

Maggie crawled all over her toys and both of her parents as we spent some time watching golf. And then more hours than I care to admit to watching the SciFi channel and the most overwhelmingly bad movies. I took Maggie to the park while Patrick hit Lowes for some supplies. The water jets have finally been turned on and Maggie had a good time in the water. She cried when I put her in the stroller to come home.

Sunday was BBQ and pool day.

Very Patient Child

We had an appointment to have the oil changed in my car. That's it. Just an oil change. Why so many pictures of Maggie in the Land Rover dealership? Oh, because it took them TWO HOURS!!! It was all I could do to keep her happy and quiet that long. I'm very mad at them. Not even a "We're sorry".

Bathroom Storyboard

I got my story board from Maggie's photographer. I'm thinking I'll hang it above the towel rack in her bathroom. Good spot for it?

A Couple of Days...Plenty of Pictures

On Tuesday Maggie had her 12 month check-up. Look how happy she is to have it over with.

She leans on everything! Maybe she inherited my lazy gene. Its stuff like this that makes it hard to teach her to walk--she just wants to lean.

Still in love with her balls (and ball popper). Sometimes she loses them under the couch.

Notice how daintily she holds my pen.

Caught by Phone

I usually post such happy and sublime pictures of my child. Well, a lot of the time she looks like this:

She had somehow gotten a hold of my phone and when I took it away she screamed at me and hit the couch. mmm. cute. I snapped a picture of her with the phone which she was none too pleased about.

We also took her to Fridays for lunch yesterday and ordered her some mac n cheese from the kids menu. Her first big girl meal. She loved it. Here is the picture from my phone:

Funny, how you can go from completely healthy, organic food for your baby and then once they've had disgusting birthday cake it's like Pandoras Box has opened. Oh well, I'm pretty sure no matter how hard I try she's gonna get her fair share of kid food full of unspeakably bad-for-you ingredients. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go serve myself up some organic ice cream....

So You Think You Can Dance

I admit it. I am OBSESSED with the summer tv show So You Think You Can Dance. I completely love it!

Yes, I like watching the really bad and highly delusional dancers that audition but I remain just as interested when the competition heats up and the dancing gets, well, GOOD! How would I get through the summer without it? Maybe I like it so much because I secretly wish I could dance. I can't dance. Not.A.Lick.

Birthday Pictures

Here are some pictures of Maggie's birthday celebration.
Before the presents came out she had to dig through her old, tired toys for some fun.

She actually "read" all of her cards. The toy that elicited the biggest response? The ball popper--sending balls flying into the air.






She also did a fantastic job of enjoying her cake. She only used one hand for most the feast.

Happy Birthday Maggie

Today is my obsession, a.k.a. Maggie's, first birthday. This has been the craziest year of my life. I had no idea, NO idea, what to expect and I am amazed daily.

This year has been the hardest, busiest, silliest, most frustrating, and most fulfilling and happy year of my entire existence. No one warned me I could love a child like this. It's....limitless.

Here she is less than an hour old. She's grown so fast I could cry. Ok, I admit, I've cried several times through the year over this exact thing.

Weekend Review: Nice and Relaxing

Friday I planted and installed some planter boxes and Patrick set up the glider he ordered. The front porch looks so much better. Both came from Plow and Hearth.

Saturday morning was spent making peanut blossoms and Butterfinger Ice Cream Pie for a BBQ at our neighbors that night (Maggie caught up on her reading).Have I mentioned we have fantastic neighbors?? Good times.

I spent Saturday afternoon at the nursery and bought a couple of shrubs, a weeping cherry tree, and a blue spruce evergreen.

Ours, of course, are all much smaller/younger.

We sat around on Sunday after church and scrounged for food. Finally, a mild weekend.