to name a few.....

this week has been long.
but a good long.
an i-actually-got-some-stuff-done long.
and there was some inspiration behind the madness.

i am not a creature made up entirely of me.
there is a whole community behind some of the endeavors i pursue and today i wanted to share them with you.
why you ask?
because i would like some travelers to accompany me on the crazy journey and i would like to see how you fair as well.

one love true to my heart has got to be project life. i love the idea. the concept. the project.
i do at times find myself WAY behind.
that has been my goal this week. catch up.
complete it till now.

and until i get the right desk {scouring the junk shops & flea markets for that perfect one to put my stamp on} and the go ahead on the tv room re-do...so excited!!...i made a make shift work space until tonight at 7pm. {i'll clean it up for the weekend}

i am almost there.
between wanting to add a photoshop touch, getting photo's together to order, make breakfast lunch and dinner, saying hello on here, bathing the kids and plus document life down for future insertion in said book...i think i have done ok.
not great but okay. and i'll take it!
two women who inspire me at this task and take it way past the next level are the amazing ali edwards and elise blaha.
and of course cathy zielske with her tips and turorials! i am one with photoshop thanks to this lady.
i have stolen elements from all and am not ashamed to admit it.
i feel my project is better from what i have "learnt" from their efforts.
that's my story and i am sticking to it.

these cinnamon buns made by this lady.
they are the ones i have been waiting for. looking for. dreaming about.
don't think you have put too much cinnamon on - i would add more next time and maybe some more butter to really get a "sauce" going - they are so good!

the flea market here in town is starting up next week and i have a few things on my list - vintage tea cups {aydan's is wanting a mad hatter tea party for her birthday}, old decorative frames, decorative mirrors and a couple of lampshades so i can do this to them. {the list is bigger but i will start slow...}

there is a little site called call me cupcake that i have just discovered that has the most brilliant photography to show off her culinary creations that it inspires you to whip up a batch of everything on offer. i may have to sacrifice my body in the name of recommendation. so committed to her cause she is swedish by nature but thankfully translates everything in english for the rest of us. how lucky are we. the s'mores ones, i think, our going to be our next victims. and she has candy cane ice cream too!! decisions, decisions.

there is a little girl at a little site joyfully helping the rest of us see the art in the world. and for that i thank you - has opened my eyes quite a bit.

i saw this tomato sauce praised on two different blogs in one day therefore making me come to the conclusion that ricotta cheese will have to tumble into our grocery cart this weekend and tuesday night pasta night will be forever transformed. if one does find themselves ricotta-less come tuesday this is the standard favorite.

if you are in the new york area this weekend you have to go to the brooklyn flea as they are baking up cookies and selling them to help kids. this wonderful lady from this gorgeous site will be there, with what i can imagine only as mouthwatering cookies - i have been hearing about them for two days now and think i might have to whip myself up a batch as geographically i am unable to attend and am now craving a really good cookie.

as for tonight {pizza friday!} i'm going to finish up with project life, do some yoga with aydan, make some ceasar's, wrap a birthday present & make a lego card, plan tomorrow's canvas painting night with the kids, organize an outing to the nursery tomorrow for me and my boy while aydan parties with her school chums and make the weekly grocery list. oh and figure out what to do with the gorgeous chippy paint window frames the husband salvaged for me.
sounds like the beginning of a beautiful weekend.

okay that's it for me.
toodles.
xoxo.

valentines round up.

so i have been hitting the web in search of valentines craft ideas and such things and these are what i came across......

 love this idea from the anderson crew.....individual valentines mailboxes for their cards.


matchbox valentines found over at inchmark journal curated by the talents brooke reynolds.

these were presented over at design mom...we are going to make a variation of these for aydan's class this year.

valentines bingo over at two peas in a bucket.

a deck of cards turned love notes from peppermint creative.

i made these 3 years ago for my family with these step by step instructions and templates from ali edwards.

i'm going to make these for my kids this year....shhhh don't tell!.

crayon hearts via marth stewart...i had to add a martha inspiration on here!

valentines subway art by eighteen25 - i have the christmas one as well!!!

they also made heart wreaths and when i find a mold i am going to make one for myself.

and this is my pick for valentines. {wink, wink, nudge, nudge.}

well i hope this is as inspiring to you as it has been to me.
i'm going to go and put up my decorations.
also i am going to make the garland that has been on my mind for a while now.
i'll share later.
my craft area is calling.
see ya.

friday friday.

i had the tune of monday monday by the mama's and papa's in my head but changed it to friday as i want to sing about how happy i am that it is friday!

are you happy it is friday?
do you have any plans this weekend?

i decided to have a glass of chocolate milk while i talked to you.....our little secret.

today i wanted to share with you some beauties and inspiration i have been hanging out with on the web all week.....

there is an on-line storytime for kids - did you know about it?
loving this print - what an amazing valentines gift! {wink, wink}
how fun would it be to make this scrub???
uumm..hello...happy birthday to me!!
take the time to go over these tips for photo taking and then bat my eyes real nice at the husband for this lens.
how do i get these actions onto photoshop elements? that i have to take time for too!!
hoping i have a chance to make this cake for a birthday this summer.
also excited for the launch of this site....hhmmm...do you think i have photography on the brain?
what i love about this new site is that it's audio & visual - i am hopeless with manuals....and self help books! {ugh!!} 
i fell down the rabbit hole and stumbled onto this blog of absolute beauty and craftyness.
so excited about this preschool blog i found - so many awesome ideas!
and i am wondering if i can use this on the cabinets when i re-decorate the main floor bathroom this spring/summer? do we have the type?? can't afford to rip everything out and start from scratch.
great rules to live by - thanks celina!

i have been spending my time gazing at other things as well but i want to surprise people with them so i will be keeping that under my hat for right now.
also i am putting together all my valentines inspirations to share with you on monday. busy busy!

this weekend is already fixing to be a good one i think - supposed to be sunshiny and mild. we have an outing to ikea planned, there will be some skating, hoping for some sledding {possibly to a new hill!}, oh and of course snuggles with a movie and popcorn - we might even rent a new one.

and we will top it all off with the superbowl! love that for a sunday afternoon {plus an excuse to drink beer in the afternoon...wait that doesn't sound to good, a little too enthusiastic maybe}. my game day plan here will be some of the husbands wings + some of these with a couple of drumsticks thrown in for coop. i'm going to try out sheri's chili and make something leafy & green. and some sort of guacamole/pico de gallo dip for tortilla chips. yum! there is a lemon cake recipe that has been eyeing me up and down for a while now that i think i will test drive and let you know how it is - chocolate just seems too much to add to this menu. plus there are only four of us!!!

now all i have to figure out is who we are rooting for! patriots seems the obvious choice therefore should we go for the giants? i was hoping to cheer for the 49ers....oh well i'm just here for the food & beer anyways!

and...it's snowing.... :)
happy weekending!!! xoxo

the obsession of mario kart turned into the wall of mario this morning.....

had to show my favorite.

**did you here that picnik on-line photo editing is shutting down on april 19th? i used there system to edit all the photo's in today's post. i just found them, was about to sign up for year only to find out a week later they were closing down. *pout* 

four simple goals.

loved ali’s idea of creating Four Simple Goals for the remainder of the year. i especially love her focus on choosing things that will make your life richer & happier on a daily basis.

Here’s mine:

1. making the bed every morning. this is something that is majorly simple yet completely overlooked. the days that i have made the bed i feel calmer and refreshed when i walk into my room vs. the days i don't - i really get a feeling of unorganized and almost panicked. amazing how one little step like this can affect the day to day but i quite honestly feel better about it all if the bed is made. weird, huh?

2. stop, drop and listen. taking a cue from the old stop, drop and roll i have noticed how chores and duties in life have overshadowed the kids and their personal needs. i need to stop, drop and listen to what they have to say and listen to their creativity, give them praise and be more involved. this is important to them and me as well. laundry can wait and dinner can be simple. this is something i have to remember and reinforce - it's important to us all as a family. take time and be present.

3. get on top of things - be more prepared. i give off this air of having it all together. but the truth is i have tons of half finished projects and lots of "i'll get to that later" and a to-do list a mile long. i really need to concentrate on one task, get it done {finally put the finishing touches on my december daily 2008 album!}, feel good about it and then carry on. i keep dabbling in one thing then another and it's complete mayhem! gives me a feeling of un-easiness. also i need to get our taxes organized week by week throughout the year rather than plunking everything in a box, stressing out for one whole week to put it together and get it submitted. time management and task orientation...let see if it happens. fingers crossed.

4. drink more water. completely do-able. completely simple. completely forgotten. this seems that it would be no problem but i find that i will go a whole day without a glass of water. yes i found it more simple at our old house because we had a fridge with a water tap but i have to be more on top of this because i do find i feel better the days i have multiple glasses of water.  and since i am at my heaviest right now i need all the weight loss help i can get!!! haha.

well that's it. my little list to help me get to the end of the year healthily and happily. hopefully getting these down on paper will help me to adopt and stick to them.

do you have any goals for the rest of the year?
happy monday! xoxo

my dirty little secret.

i have a secret. a dirty little secret. something i have not really announced to the world - have kept to myself - but some people have actually found out about and have decided to follow me around with it.

i spend my time doing it and am addicted. i really didn't need one more thing to take up my time on the computer, in my day. life - but how can you resist? i have my usual hit list and sometimes i find it trying to connect with those wonderful writers and creators on a daily basis but once i explored this world i could not resist throwing my hat in the ring and hoping, hoping for an invitation. a vip - if you will - into this addition. into this world of inspiration. it's one giant place that does not take up space in my house or computer that i can save and display all the lovely things in find in the giant world wide web that i want to stare at, savour, soak in the inspiration from and one day attempt. it's perfect and i love it.

it's called pinterest and i am an addict. hi my name is jen and i have been a pinterest addict for months now. i am coming clean. i love this site. love it. i have "pinned" my boards with ideas for the home or crafting and recipes to savour or for your sweet tooth generously offered by other members or have procured some of my own blog or while exploring the web.

i am excited to soon launch a series here on my site called the best of pinterest where i will do something that i have pinned and that has inspired me. sharing all my pinterest goodies!!

have you started "pinning"?

jets overhead.

awesome band - jets overhead - performing an acoustic version of always a first time from their album, no nations. she is an dear old friend of mine and he is her husband. hauntingly beautiful. enjoy.



Jets Overhead - Always a First Time from Daniel Pender on Vimeo.

check out their other song as well. totally worth it. i should be born video is awesome. indy music at it's best.

april inspirations.

now that the sun is shinning i feel a little more like myself and want to get on top of things. i have been poking around and pinning (more on that later) and these are some things that have crossed my path and fueled some inspiration for the upcoming month:

• this little dress tutorial - i want to make one for aydan.
• this house - mainly the kitchen. love all the elements, completely my style.
• fabric with these types of patterns always make me smile - where in my house could i incorporate it?
• young house love inspiring me to get myself in gear and hang our photo's already!!! what do you do with previously framed beauties? i have to update some but it's a little painflu to take out the oldies.
• getting in the easter spirit and these got me right in the heart. also plan on making my easter egg candles this year - tutorial to come!
• the snow is melting!! the snow is melting!! i now have a full organic view of my raised beds and am full of improvement ideas and can see the future bounty if i squint real hard. so inspired.
• this colour for coop's room.
• hunting down a gray colour for the entrance and possibly bathroom. possibly this tone?
• this shop - love the items and wouldn't they make for great diy's ?

that's it for now! should keep me busy for a while. what is inspiring you today?

renegade pizza.

with no dinner plan insight and no meat to defrost i felt stuck for dinner. i wanted excitement, flavour, to tantalize my taste buds. i stood in front of the fridge/freezer/pantry and weighed my options. searched for inspiration.

it hit in the form of stone pizza bases, asparagus, on-their-way-out mushrooms and leftover chicken. a small nub of fontina cheese caught my eye which i blended with finely shredded pecorino to stretch it. a little italian seasoning sprinkled on the sauce before adding the main performers gave it the perfect touch.

20 minutes at 375 F and the crust was crisp & the kitchen was filed with an out of this world aroma - never the combo i would have put together but very excited with the end result.

as i bit into a slice i had visions of plucking warm sun-soaked yellow & red tomatoes from the garden as well as fresh basil and hoping that i have fresh mozzarella on hand that can be cut thick and melted on top.

this is a great example of lemonade out of lemons - stand in front of your ingredients, think outside of the box and wonderful things do appear.

playing catch-up: project life weeks six, seven and eight.

we have been so sick here and just passing it back & forth. it's for this reason some of my regular posts have been affected. tossed aside like a dirty shirt. well it's time for laundry people!

so as not to bore you with everyday in the past three weeks i have chosen some highlights - hope they are pleasing, they sure are to us!!


saturday | february 12 - went to participation class with aydan at her dance. the picture didn't turn out that great but i still love it just the same!

warming up that night.

monday | february 14th  valentines day! icing the cake for dessert - my little helpers.

wednesday | february 23rd  feeling better and i got a craving for pineapple upside down cake so i whipped one up. yum!

saturday | february 26th  last hooray on the rink with friends over and awesome chocolate cake. topped the night off with opening our old navy delivery. fun fun fun!!

thursday | march 3rd  my boy so proud of his tinkertoy creation.

saturday | march 5th  on our way to alycia's birthday party.

sunday | march 6th  home from disney on ice with our prizes!! they both got hats!!

so that's it for now! all caught up. i will hopefully be more on top of it come next week as we all seem to be on the mend from this outrageous cold! and hopefully soon i will have the album and be able to show them off that way!!

inspirations.

what is inspiring me to create for 2011:

• this family picture project.
• project life.
• the want to further, expand and develop my writing. to become more of a storyteller.
• these spaces. 1 & 5 our my favorites.
• her and them.
• her and her.
• these - aren't they too cute?

that's it for me right now - what is inspiring you for 2011?

Great message which brightened my day

Love this! Saw this over on Ali Edward's Blog. Goes to show that sesame street really does deliver the right messages!!