Delete The Adjectives

"Wherever you go, go with all your heart." -Confucius

2012-02-01T14:03:00.000-08:00

credit: just so much fluff

"Grown don't mean nothing to a mother...They get bigger,older,but grown? What's that suppose to mean? In my heart it don't mean a thing."Toni Morrison

2012-01-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

"I think I'm going to have it,"

I said, joking between pains.

The midwife rolled competent

sleeves over corpulent milky arms.

"Dear, you never have it, we deliver it."

A judgment years proved true.

Certainly I've never had you

as you still have me, Caroline.

Why does a mother need a daughter?

Heart's needle, hostage to fortune,

freedom's end. Yet nothing's more perfect

than that bleating, razor-shaped cry

that delivers a mother to her baby.

The bloodcord snaps that held

their sphere together. The child,

tiny and alone, creates the mother.

A woman's life is her own

until it is taken away

by a first particular cry.

Then she is not alone

but part of the premises

of everything there is:

a time, a tribe, a war.

When we belong to the world

we become what we are.

From Anne Stevenson
Poems 1955 - 2005

"One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things." John Burroughs

2011-12-31T19:32:00.000-08:00

1)What did you do this year that you'd never done before?

Quit my job.

2) Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t keep any of my new year’s resolutions last year. This year I want to in 2012 I hope to venture out of the United States, lose 15 pounds and get my driver’s license.

3) Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.

4) Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5) What countries did you visit?
I stayed in the US this year.

6) What would you like to have next year that you lacked this year?
My master’s degree.

7) What date from this year will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
There were no life altering moments this year, which can be a really good thing, in many cases.

8) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting through it, mainly surviving an ungodly amount of all nighters for school

9) What was your biggest failure?
Giving into the delicious despair of my quarter life crisis.

10) Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious, although I did get the stomach flu and the snotty kind of flu in the same month and for the first time in years.

11) What was the best thing you bought?
My Canon 7D, plane tickets to New York and my Leaky Con 2012 pass.

12) Whose behavior merited celebration?
Le Hubs because he put up with my impulsive pouty ridiculousness.

13) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
My own.

14) Where did most of your money go?
Bills, per usual.

15) What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My trip to Colorado, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

16) What song will always remind you of this year?
Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO

17) Compared to this time last year, you are:
More content.

18) What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading.

19) What do you wish you'd done less of?
Drinking

20) How did you spending Christmas?
Nursing the flu but enjoying my family and watching Harper rip into everyone’s gifts.

21) Did you fall in love this year?
Most days.

22) What was your favorite TV program?
How I Met Your Mother

23) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I still don’t hate anyone.

24) That was the best book you read?
Incredibly Close and Extremely Loud

25) What was your greatest musical discovery?
Adele

26) What did you want and get?
A new camera

27) What did you want and not get?
A trip to Europe

29) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
This year I turned 24. We went to dinner, my dad surprised me by showing up on my porch.

30) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not having to work.

31) How would you describe your personal fashion concept this year?
Adventurous.

32) What kept you sane?
Reading.

33) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hmm, probably Darren Criss

34) What political issue stirred you the most?
Human and animal rights.

35) Who did you miss?
My grandmother

36) Who was the best new person you met?
My new friend, Lis.

37) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year:
Life is about calculated risk and I’m not very good at math.

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years...

2011-12-24T10:24:00.000-08:00

...gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. -John Gregory Brown

June 13, 2009: the Father Daughter dance at my wedding

Today is my dad's 50th birthday. He is a wonderful man whose unwavering love and support has allowed me to experience and accomplish so much. He is patient and kind, humble, talented, loving, very funny, and affectionate. He has raised my brother and me with a grace I can only hope to emulate in my own parenting venture.

My dad never managed to teach me how to waltz even though he's tried. I've watched him spin my mom around their living room, counting out loud for my benefit many, many times. Instead he always lets me stand on his feet when we dance together so I look like I know what I'm doing. I cried through my entire daughter dance, with my head on his shoulder, my feet on top of his as we counted one, two, three, four. He sang the words of Cheek to Cheek in my ear.

Last year, my birthday was terrible. No one showed up to my party, Guy and I were fighting over something really stupid. I was tired, Harper was teething. I just wanted it to be over. And then a little after 10pm my doorbell rang and my dad was standing on the other side of the door, with flowers and a watercolor painting of Tom and Jerry. I was shocked; hours earlier we had spoken on the phone and he had flippantly mentioned he was on his way. I thought he was joking, sure he was headed home in the opposite direction and then here he was, having spent more than a full day at work and then driving 2 1/2 hours to hug me on my birthday. I was speechless, I forgot to let him in off the porch. He came in, hugged me, drank a diet coke and headed home, like it was just the next block over instead of three hours away.

And of course there is Lake Michigan in a Jar, but that story is for another day.

And so Papa Bear, on this your birthday, I thank God that I get to be yours. All my love, Rachel

"Forever, for what you have tamed." - The Little Prince

2011-12-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

There is music playing behind a closed door. I know some of the words and it makes me wonder how much brain capacity I use remembering lyrics to songs I used to love but have forgotten about.

I think about how it would feel to be a felt tip pen. Would I write poetry or blank checks or obituaries or numbers or birth certificates? I ask myself questions I will never be able to answer. How many pages have I read? Where will I be when I die? Will I know? Will I be alone? How long would it take me to lose fifty pounds if I just stopped eating? What will my child know that I never even had the option to learn? How many times have I swept a floor, slipped my shoes on, fallen asleep on accident?

My husband is home, all the lights are on, there is a fake Christmas tree in the front window. Only the top half is decorated. The air smells like pine and smoke and the sulfur of a match tip. I wish it was cold, that is would snow, that I could sit and watch frost crystalize on the windows.

I want to kiss my husband, but I don’t because he looks at me like he would just rather sleep. I wonder how many times I have whispered "I love you’s" into the crook of his neck. I want to know if he believes me when I say it or if thinks it’s like playing back an answering machine message , every day for seven years. I want him to know it is not a prompted knee bounce, a marital reflex test. He is not a doctor, and I am not a patient. He is just a man, who walks around in his underwear and starts conversations with “I was listening to NPR and …” . I am just a woman, who is still learning what it means to be and cannot sleep with my feet underneath the covers. I don’t ask him if he knows love tumbles out when I open my mouth to breathe.

I don’t want him to know I’ve been crying while he drove the baby around in calculated circles, coaxing her eyes to close, tiny hand fisted into the warm fleece of her pajamas. I let my eyes drop shut; I pretend I am tired. I am not waiting for him, simply for sleep. I do not want him to know that I need him and I don’t know why.

He asks me what I am writing and I tell him "I don’t know". He says "I love you". I confuse him but in a good way. He rubs my feet and I say "thank you" because I don’t know what else to say. My throat aches from all the sobs I have trapped there. I have words written on my feet in permanent marker that will come off with tomorrow’s shower. He reads them but does not ask. I have nothing to tell. "You can go to bed," I say. He has work in 4 hours. I will be while he sleeps and then he will be while I sleep. Some days we are the sun and the moon, only existing when the other is out of reach.

My daughter is sleeping because it is very early or very late. I want to know what she dreams of. Her whimpers wake me sometimes, her eyelids flutter and I imagine that her blue eyes are open and she is looking at me. I hold her against the comma of my body, each night a reminder that babies don’t keep. She is long and thin like her father. Her head nestles just below my chin and her feet rest on my knees. Someday she will look down on me. Guilt rises in the back of my throat like bile. I whisper to her “You are not keeping me from anything; you are everything”.

On good days, she throws herself at me, arms open, her small pink mouth quirked with joy. She embraces me with her whole body, her arms are around my neck, one foot hooks onto my belt buckle, while the other slips gracefully into my front pocket. She has a runny nose. She presses a warm kiss to my lips and tips her head back to laugh. She does not worry if she feels too much. I envy her freedom, her ability to give as she wishes.

My dog has stolen all the blankets. He is old and blind. Sometimes he is crazy. I think about all the things he has lost and let him keep the covers, balled under him a stark white juxtaposed against his unruly black coat.

I want to know what it would be like to be a ; . A pause, a breath, a rest, a promise. Something else is coming. You'll have to wait and see.

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." -Charles Dickens

2011-12-13T14:15:00.000-08:00

Harper,
Yesterday, I woke up covered in books, with you leaning into my side, reading me How the Grinch Stole Christmas, dressed in your dinosaur footie pajamas acting as if you've been the one reading me books since the day you were born, instead of the other way around.

Last year at this time, you were static and now you are a dynamic, and such a little person. So far you have broken two Christmas ornaments, actually make that three and there are still two weeks until Christmas. But, when we turned the Christmas lights on you said oh wow and that makes all the broken ornaments in the world worth it. This year, Santa freaked you out but by the time we were done snapping the pictures you had gone from terrified to pissed off, to waving jovially as we walked off, tears still wet on your face.

You eat the middle out of cucumbers and feed the rest to the dogs. You give back rubs and foot rubs when you are feeling particularly sweet. You wave goodbye, but not hello. You and daddy like to spin around the living room and blow each other kisses and hide behind your hands, playing Pikachu. I'm writing this all down because I'm terrified that I will forget.

You think you nose is a place to keep your finger when you don't need it. You pet the vacuum because you were scared of it so we told you it was our fourth dog. You pretend to help me drink my tea and say yum after every pretend sip. You hate brushing your teeth but will comb your hair all day long. You love dance parties. We've been groovin' to Christmas music for the past month but your favorite song right now is the Glee rendition of Last Friday Night by Katy Perry.You play with glowsticks in the bathtub and try to drink the soapy water. You make me love you more everyday.

"You anchor me back down" - Mindy Gledhill

2011-12-11T08:59:00.000-08:00

"I read your blog". Four words, thirteen letters, a single flash of realization. I am a selfish person. Not in the stingy sort of way, where I hoard material items or don't want to pay taxes or give money to charity. No, in the worst kind of way, the kind where you don't even realize you are throwing someone under the bus until its said and done and they are whispering it softly in your ear, not accusing you, just reminding you that they are there. And this time it was my husband, who thought if even for a fleeting moment that I would do things differently if given the choice. And there he was wrapped around me, telling me its ok to want things that aren't this. That aren't a Friday night smooshed onto the too small square of our queen bed, vying for room to spread out because our daughter is climbing over us all and Cooper is curled up on a pillow, the other two beasts using one of my socks, as a tug of war rope. The steady thump his heart beat against my back and the baby's breath ghosting across my neck, warm in the cold before we turn the heater on, her arms slung around my neck. No, my dear boy, I would choose to do this a hundred times if I could.

And so it's possible that Johnathan Safran Foer said it best when he said "Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I'm not living." but it doesn't mean that I wouldn't choose to live this life again, even with the gravity of a hundred other unlived lives pushing down on me. Learning to accept that things are different doesn't mean that I can't see that this is better, it just means it isn't what I expected. Please , please, please know that I will always choose this. Choose you. Choose us. Choose three ill behaved canines and a little girl who can already outwit us both.

"I wish you bluebirds in the spring, to give your heart a song to sing And then a kiss, but more than this I wish you love" -Rachel Yamagata

2011-12-09T23:58:00.000-08:00

"The stars died so you could be here today." -Lawrence Krauss

2011-12-09T00:18:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been up, so many late nights where its just me and some music and the sounds of my own thoughts bouncing against my thick skull. The baby is sleeping although she isn't really a baby anymore. My husband is snoring because he's getting over a cold and the three dogs are tucked away for the night on the other side of the wall and it hits me that I have a husband, a baby, three dogs, a house, credit card bills. When did this happen?

I look at the world and its obvious how lucky I am. I have food in my fridge, the heater is ticking away on the wall and at night I sleep between my husband, who works hard so I can continue my education and my daughter, whose laugh breaks my heart into a million pieces every single day. And yet, when I'm alone my mind constantly finds that empty spot where the memories of everything I promised myself I would do should be. The year I was going to live in France writing a novel, the dream of being a travel writer for National Geographic, learning to play the guitar, the month long backpacking trip through through India, the 5 floor walkup studio I was going to have in New York, the people I'll never meet and the mistake I'll never make.

I've always done everything right, at least on the grand scale. I started dating Guy as a senior in high school. I graduated high school with honors, I never sneaked out, I never got drunk. I graduated college with honors and I worked two jobs through college to save money. I cried when I got my first C. I never tried pot. I married my husband 2 weeks after I graduated . I've never had my heartbroken. I applied for graduate school, I was accepted to graduate school, I got pregnant 5 months after I got married. I started grad school, I had Harper. I started staying up late just so I could pee by myself. I am graduating grad school with honors in May. I've never not turned in an assignment. I have never lived alone. I can't remember who I am anymore, except that I am the person who has never done anything she said she would.

I'm appalled by my own selfishness, to live a charmed life, and finding myself wishing that it was otherwise. On nights like this when the cold wraps around me like a wet blanket, I can't shake the feeling that everything is spelled out for me. Tomorrow I will wake up and I'll make breakfast. Every two hours I will change a diaper. I will watch two episode of Sesame Street or the entirety of Toy Story. While Harper naps, I will catch up on some emails and study French. When she wakes up we will go to the park and if they weather is nice we will walk to the farmer's market to pick something up for dinner. We'll watch reruns of How I Met Your Mother and I'll wish that it was my life instead of a television show. Maybe we'll open a bottle of wine and when midnight rolls around we'll quietly crawl into bed and listen to the cars drive by the window, tangled up in each other and the familiar syncopation of our breathing. Rinse repeat. For a girl who always thought fate would deal me an extraordinary hand, ordinary is nearly too much to bear.

"The jeweler allows me to wear the sapphire blue lake on my finger, the emerald green leaves around my neck." -Astrid Alauda

2011-11-30T11:40:00.000-08:00

1.What’s your story?
I'm Azadeh, a mother, make-up artist, skin care junkie, and kitchen witch. I'm a newly minted vegetarian and am aiming for veganism. I have always been creative, having been addicted to Martha Stewart's TV show and magazine back in my teenage years; painting and decoupaging picture frames, making beeswax roll candles as Christmas presents, and painting the faces in my sister's YM magazine. This lead to my work as a make-up artist, which segued to falling in love with and selling skincare, and subsequently adding jewelry to my creative outlet.

2. When, how and why did you decide to make what you make?
I used to have a small bath & body shop on etsy. After being tired of how I would have to take over my whole kitchen for 2 or 3 hours just to make a couple bars of soap, I invested some of my proceeds into purchasing jewelry supplies. I started making jewelry that *I* would wear in the hopes that others liked what I liked. There has been a lot of growth, non-stop growth in fact, with this shop. Learning how to write up descriptions, finalizing Shop Policies, investing time and energy into photography (and a new camera), tagging, etc. It is definitely a labour of love!

3. What inspires you?
I'm inspired by trends, textures, and colours. I love putting my own spin on vintage designs and current trends.

4. Other than Etsy, where else on the web can we find you?
You can find me on Twitter @AzzieCapazzi

5: What is your creative process?
Just like a writer, some days I hit a creative block and I can't make any jewelry. On those days I simply fill orders and maybe re-shoot an older listing that needs fresh pictures. Some times the creative process hits me just as I'm about to sit down to watch a movie and I will sit down and crank out 4 or 5 new designs! Those are very fulfilling moments as I get to create something while my son is tucked away in bed. I can't wait for the morning so I can photograph the pieces to list on Etsy! Sometimes I have had beads and findings for months before the inspiration to create something with them strikes. :)

6: Which season is your favorite and why?
Summer. It is warm, sunny, hot. I love dresses and being barefoot. Summer is far too short!

7: Do you dream in color?
I do dream in colour. From what I remember of my dreams it is rare for the colours to be vivid, but more washed out and pastel. I wish I remembered more of my dreams though!

8: Top 5 cities you would like to live in for a year
The Top 5 cities I would like to live in for a year, in no particular order are: Paris, France; Casablanca, Morroco; Tokyo, Japan; Florence, Italy, and Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Use Coupon Code "DeletingAdjectives" for 20% off the purchase of any 2 or more items at Goddess Jewelry! Expires December 8th.

"Pure water is the world's first and foremost medicine." -Slovakian Proverb

2011-11-26T14:44:00.000-08:00

Last night, while we were preparing for company, the plumber came to turn off the water for a hour while he worked on the regulator that controls the water pressure in the house. Long story short, my parents had to get their septic replaced last week and when the turned the water back on one of the rusted out parts broke, so the water pressure into the house was very poor. We were cooking, doing dishes, and we still had one person waiting for the shower. What an inconvenience right?

And then after dinner, I sat down in front of the television to begin our friends and family Sherlock Holmes movie marathon, full of prime rib and pie and a nice full-bodied red wine I thought about the fact that around the world tonight, there are many many people who don't even have the basic human need of clean water.I was lamenting our luck that the pipes that pump clean, clear, safe drinking water right into our home and into a glass washed by means of the dishwasher weren't working quite as well as usual. Even if we theoretically didn't have indoor plumbing, the store down the street has bottled water. We have so much clean water that if I looked out the window right now I would see a good sized swimming pool filled to the rim with gallons upon gallons. And so this Thanksgiving I am thankful for clean water and thus....

November's charity is... Charity: Water in honor of my friend Mandi's 24th birthday.

Who are they, what do they do and how do they do it? Charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Watch the video below it gives you all the details about how they are changing lives and communities by providing them with clean water and letting the literal trickle down theory work.

What you can do to help.
+Make a monetary donation
+ Buy a t-shirt, wear it and when people ask you about it, tell them how they can help.
+ Facebook, email, and tweet to let people know all about it.
+ Live in NYC? Volunteer your time.

"Wearing a bow tie is a statement. Almost an act of defiance." -Rick Kaplan

2011-11-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

1. What's your story? (who are you, what do you like to do, any interesting facts?)
We are Eva and Christoph, 23 and 24 and we live, study and work in a small town in Germany. In our free time we go on hikes as often as possible and we do climbing and lots of other outdoor activities. At the moment we're moving in together and we even designed our small hallway in our new apartment to look like a tiny climbing area with a climbing wall.

2. When, how and why did you decide to make what you make (and sell it)?
One evening we enjoyed a glass of wine and talked about fashion accessories for men. After a little while we came to the conclusion that bow-ties are definitely the coolest accessory for men and that it's so hard to find interesting and cool ones at the shops or online. We also thought that it's a cool thing for couples to wear matching accessories like a hair- and a bow-tie. So we decided to 'revive' bow-ties and thought of materials we'd like to use. In the beginning we wore our handmade bow-ties and hairbows when we went out at night but after getting more and more compliments on how cool and unique our bows look, we decided to try selling them on Etsy.

3. What inspries you?
We are definitely inspired by the old-fashioned bow-ties from the 60s and 70s but we wanted to get away from the dusty image these awesome accessory. Additionally we always keep our eyes open for new materials that might look good when turned into a bow-tie. Most of the time it is just coincidence, we stroll over a fleamarket or clear out the garage and suddenly we see for example old license plates, a few hours later we have the prototype ready and wear it a few times to test it and see how others react.

4. Other than Etsy, where else on the web can we find you?
We recently sold some of our bow-ties to http://place-a.com, a little webshop based in France. This is the only other place than Etsy where you can get our bow-ties.

5. What is your creative process?
Oh, we've already answered this in question 3..

6. What's the last thing you bougth?
A cozy knitted woolen blanket and flooring for our new apartment.

7. Who are your favorite Etsy artists?
We especially like the jewellery and accessories from leanimale's shop on Etsy, her fox earrings are simply perfect! (http://www.etsy.com/shop/leanimale)
Since at the moment we are moving, we are always on the look-out for special furniture and decorations. We are fans of those awesome Etsians: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Junglai - http://www.etsy.com/shop/virtualdesignlab

8. Do you have any reoccurring dreams? What are they?
We just talked about this question and we have to say that we don't really have reoccurring dreams but that many of our dreams circle around traveling, our future and food ;)

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"Take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency." -Susan Allen Toth

2011-11-18T16:04:00.000-08:00

We don't really get fall in San Diego. It rains a little bit more than normal and some of the leaves fall off the trees but we don't have all the traditional fall activities like watching the leaves change colors and then when they fall off the trees, jumping in big piles of leaves or wearing sweat pants under our Halloween costumes and watching your breath form into icicles like a lot of places do this time of year. What we do have is pumpkin and with that all the delicious recipes that come with them. Harper is still off dairy and so I've been frantically looking for recipes that can be amended to accommodate that. This is one of those and don't let the vegan part scare you. These turned out great and no one even knew they were dairy free. One friend even asked if the wee guppy should be eating one due to the milk content. The recipe was amended from here.

Scones:

4 cups whole wheat flour (this recipe also works with all purpose flour)
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup dairy free margarine
½ cup vanilla soy milk

1:Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2:In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt. Use a blender to add in the margarine until thoroughly mixed. In another large bowl, whisk together pumpkin and soy milk.

3:Add combined dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture. Mix, then form into 2 balls of dough. Pat out one ball of dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 10-inch circle. Use pizza wheel to cut dough into six wedges. Transfer wedges to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with second ball of dough.

4:Bake until golden for 15 minutes. Transfer baked scones to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 12 scones.

"There are worlds in an opal."-Astrid Alauda

2011-11-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

1. What's your story?
I´m Lourdes, 37 years old female, married and mother of two little girls of 3 and 1 years old. I´m a chemist and work as teacher in a secondary school. I love crafts and cook. I start making cross stitch when I finish University and with the walls full of my "art" I started looking for other hobby (I have a lot of pieces for finishing, someday).

2. When, how and why did you decide to make what you make?
I always love jewelry, specially earrings. When I was younger never thought it would be possible to make it myself. So when some supplies shops gets to me (internet and local) I start making it for me. Then for friends, with some success and custom order, and later, trying to use all the supplies I have keeping buying as a sick, I start my shop at etsy. Finally I have made lot of new things for etsy and have my boxes full of supplies yet. Last time, I start making leather bracelets with Spanish leather of really good quality making a new kind of items avaliables at my shop.

3.What inspires you?
I love the vintage style, rhinestones and brass findings makes me crazy. I love all that sparkle. I always looking for new earwires, beads and other materials to create with.

4. Other than Etsy, where else on the web can we find you?
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/lbtoyos/
Fanpage facebook:www.facebook.com/lbtoyos#!/pages/Tyss-Handmade-Jewelry/172126799466163
Twitter: twitter.com/Lbtoyos
Blog: tysshandmadejewelry.blogspot.com/

5. What is your creative process?
I always trying to be with the trends of the fall, specially the colors. So for this autumn I was looking for bamboo, emberglow, honeysuckle, phlox, dark teal... and other pantone fall trend colors for my items. I get some leather in this colors and start making bracelets with double and triple wrapped that are really actually. I love to know what´s the ultimate fashion and try to match with, without forget the vintage style items. I spend lot of time at internet to be updated.

6. What is your favorite thing about where you live?
I live outside of a small city of Spain, really tranquility where I have lot of light and enough place to work. My husband use to care childrens to let me create, doesn´t great?

7. If you couldn’t make things, what profession would you like to have?
Create is for me a scape to my normal work. I love teach, I study Chemistry because I want to teach it, and I have the work I always love to have. Jewelry is for me the second and love it. The thrid in my mind, that always love to be is owner of a shop of crafts like patchwork, sewing, crossstitch.... lots of drawers and shelves to look for every little thing... a dream!!!

8: What is your favorite recipe?
I love Fideua, that´s a recipe of east of Spain, similar to Paella but with pasta (smallest size) instead of rice. About me as a cooker, I love fast recipes, I have one of a yummy chocolate cake make in microwave in 10 minutes including dishwashing.... yummy and fast!!! Perfect for a mother with lot of things to do!

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"Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it." P.J. O'Rourke

2011-11-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

The Repurposed Library Giveaway Winner is...

RACHAEL who said "My favorite book of all time? Hm... it's hard to choose just one. But I'll have to go with The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The Time Traveler's Wife is a close second though."

"Clothes make a statement. Costumes tell a story." -Mason Cooley

2011-11-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

My little stinker.Harper was a skunk for Halloween this year.

PS: Don't forget to enter the book giveaway for your chance to win The Repurposed Library!

"Where there is life there is wishful thinking." -Gerald F. Lieberman

2011-10-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

October's Charity is...The Make a Wish Foundation in honor of my little brother Spencer's 20th birthday.

Who are they and what do they do? The Make a Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization that has a simple goal, to enrich the lives of children with life-threatening illnesses by making one of their wishes come true. Wishes fall into four categories : To be, To meet, To have and To go. The possibilities are endless and the imagination is the limit (health concerns are taken into account when making wishes. Children are not granted any wish that would put them at a significant health risk). Their goal is to affirm the life of the child and celebrate those dreams that make them unique by affirming hope and joy.

Since its humble begging in 1980 with 1 wish, the Make A Wish Foundation has granted 213,838 wishes.
75% of donations go directly to fund the wishes in the form of airfare, hotel stays, materials, transportation and other items and services that are used during the completion of the wish.
89% of parents observed increases in wish kids’ emotional strength.
81% of parents observed an increased willingness by their wish kids to comply with treatment protocols.
97 % of parents said the wish experience strengthened their families and gave them the opportunity to be a “normal” family again.
94% of wish parents expressed a deeper commitment to philanthropy and volunteering.
75% consider of make a wish kids consider their wish to be a turning point in their health battle.

Spencer's Wish: My little brother Spencer had leukemia three times and each time he had it, a doctor recommended him to receive a wish from the Make a Wish foundation. Twice he turned it down, regifting his wish so a less fortunate child would have access to the resources that would be used on his wish, but the third time as he sat in a sterile plastic bubble for months preparing for and recovering from his bone marrow transplant his doctors and nurses insisted that he make his wish. When he had recovered enough and was allowed to eat yogurt and breath non-sterile air, this wonderful foundation granted his wish to go to New York and meet The Tonight Show's David Letterman. They flew all 4 of us (5 if you count Le Guppy in utero), set up our meeting with Mr. Letterman, who was so so nice and got us tickets to see Wicked on Broadway, set up a guide at the Empire State Building so we didn't have to wait in the line, put us up in a nice hotel, gave us spending money for souvenirs and food, and made sure was had comfortable transportation to and from the airport. They allowed us to take our first family vacation in about 10 years.

Pictures from our trip: 1: Statue of Liberty 2: LOVE statue 3:Pershing Square Restaurant 4:View from our hotel room

How do they do it? Make A Wish makes dreams come true though donations of various times. These donations includes money, time, cars, airline miles, gift cards and other materials. They reach people through corporate sponsors and word of mouth. They do not solicit door to door, through chain letters, emails, or telemarketing. Word of mouth is their most successful form or advertising, so tell your friends!

What can you do to help?

Volunteer your time with a local chapter
Donate airmiles
Donate money
Blog, Tweet or Facebook about Make A Wish
Follow Make a Wish on twitter to find out about special time sensitive opportunities to help

PS: Don't forget to enter the book giveaway for your chance to win The Repurposed Library!

"Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title." -Shaggy Rogers

2011-10-29T20:35:00.000-07:00

There are few things I love more than repurposing things I have laying around, especially things I would have thrown away or recycled without a project for them. This is one of those projects. I wanted to do something with Harper that she hadn't done yet so since she had never done any painting and I had a whole lot of glass jars left over we decided to have a DIY Jack O'Lantern day.

Materials: Acrylic Paint, sharpie, glass gar and a paintbrush (not pictured).

How To:

Paint your lid
Paint your jars. 2 light coats should do. The purpose of this is to allow light to shine through the paint.
Draw or paint on your faces. I drew mine on because I'm not so good with the painting. After I took picture and the marker had dried, I went over it a second time.
Put either a tea light candle or a flameless tea light inside.

PS: Don't forget to enter the book giveaway for your chance to win The Repurposed Library!

"Books are immortal sons deifying their sires." -Plato

2011-10-24T15:04:00.000-07:00

I found Lisa's amazing book themed creations when I was looking for decor for Harper's room, which is literature themed. I feel in love and dreamed of a whole house made of books, furniture built from throwaways so you could read a few lines while you were waiting for company and silverware with beautiful poetry pounded into the metal so you could taste the words when you ate spaghetti. Yes, what a world that would be. Her work is a mix of whimsy, beauty, and all things unconventional. And lucky for you she's giving away a copy of her book so you can learn how to give your house a literary twist.

1.What’s your story?
I am a painter, sculptor, photographer, designer, instructor and author. I enjoy everything that I do, even when it might get a little difficult, when there might be a tough problem to figure out. I also love to sew, both on a sewing machine and handwork such as embroidery. I also published a book this year called "The Repurposed Library" which was an incredible project!

2. When, how and why did you decide to make what you make?
Shophouse, my etsy store, opened for business in August 2008. I had begun to make my Bookmobiles and other altered book pieces, and knowing the etsy community it seemed like a perfect place to launch this new work into the world.

I am also a fine artist and sell my paintings and sculptures through galleries and consultants as well as directly out of my studio. In fact I have an exhibit currently up in Los Angeles, called Open Book, that runs till 21 November.

3. What inspires you?
Everything around me inspires me and you never know when where it will happen. Color relationships in both the natural world and manmade. Sounds, from music to voices, things that are said. And definitely the written word. Books and printed matter always fuel my process.This is of course all channeled through my own lens of what I find valuable, intriguing, beautiful, etc.

4. Other than Etsy, where else on the web can we find you?
I do have a website which includes my blog as well as all of the work that I do.
locchipinti.com And a simple google search of my name brings up things that I didn't even know about!

5: What is your creative process?
It is very important to have an emotional connection with anything you are setting out to make and to have a relationship with the materials themselves. That's kind of it in a nutshell!

6: If you had to pick only 5 books to read for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
Impossible to answer. There are too many books in the world to limit myself, and I find that different books carry different weights depending upon where I am in my life.

7: Who would you like to switch places with for a day?
No one. I love my life!

8: What is the weirdest question you have ever been asked and what was your answer?
See question #7.

To win a signed copy of Lisa's book The Repurposed Library, be and follower and comment here with your favorite book of all time along with your email address. The giveaway ends on Sunday November 7th at 11:59 PST. The winner will be chosen Monday November 8th.

For extra entries you can...
1:Follow me on Twitter.
2:Follow DTA on Facebook.
3:Blog about the giveaway.
4: Tweet about the giveaway and link to the tweet.
Make sure to leave a separate comment for each extra entry.

"Without music life would be a mistake."-Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

2011-10-21T08:55:00.000-07:00

My mom is a music junky. Growing up, we always had the radio on. We cleaned to Bad Company, drove around blasting Peal Jam with all the windows down and went to sleep with The Beatles tinkling as our white noise. And then when we were old enough, we started to go to concerts and music festivals with her, dancing, eating nothing but nachos and soaking in the sun, the night air and the euphoria that is live music. We got concert tickets as birthday gifts and surprises. The love of music is deeply engrained and inherited, perhaps.

When people ask me what has changed most about my life since I had Le Guppy, the knee jerk reply is that I don't really go to shows anymore, which is sadly true. Between working nights, having no babysitter, and not wanting to go alone, I hadn't gone to a single show since she was born! Guy saw Muse last time they were in town and when I saw that Foster the People were coming to San Diego, I knew I was going to be there.

I bought my tickets the second they hit the Soma San Diego website and unsurprisingly the show sold out. And then finally, after two long months of waiting, Wednesday came to be. As I stood waiting for my friend to join me so we could go in, I could already feel the adrenaline pumping. The line had its own pulse, people rocking on the balls of their feet, staccato bursts of laughter, the static buzz of conversations. Finally we made it to the front, got roughed up by security and let into the venue. The first thing I saw was this sign.

That's how you know it's gonna be a good night.

And with the exception of a million girls with big frizzy hair standing in front of me for portions of it, it was a good night. There is nothing quite like the thump of the base drum reverberating in your chest, altering the course of your heart. The opening bands Reptar and Cult were really good and spot on to get people amped up for the headlining band.

Reptar was basically the beautiful love child of Hot Hot Heat and Vampire Weekend. So if you are a fan or either of those bands I would recommend them. The songs were fun and one of them I am going to buy for my very elite Upbeat Playlist.

Cults was a surprising mix of rock out and swoon. The lead singer, well she was just simply amazing, adorable with a voice to move mountains. Their set list was sort of jarring, as far as the tempo and feel of the songs, but I liked everything they played, maybe just not in that order.

And Foster the People did not disappoint. They were high energy and the quality was spot on. I've been listening to this album non-stop all summer. It was my go to everything album. They sound just as good live as they do on the album which is a testament to their talent. Also, I would like to do a shout out there light engineer. It was absolutely perfect for each and every song. If you have the chance to see them live, take it! And my favorite part I think is that for the encore they did this amazing club remix version of Pumped Up Kicks. Check out the video below for a similar performance.

This wasn't from the show I went to but the version of Pumped Up Kicks they did was very similar.

This is one of the remixes they dissected for the live version, if you are interested. Listen to it loud, in the dark with some flashing lights to get the effect.

"These gems have life in them: their colors speak, say what words fail of." -George Eliot

2011-10-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this beautiful jewelry on Etsy last week I knew I had to feature her here on Deleting The Adjectives and couldn't get an email to Sandra fast enough. I love this stuff, especially these gold dipped pieces.

1.What’s your story?
Hi, this is Sandra from Friedasophie . I named my store after my 2 grandmothers which were fashion designers, writers, hat makers and jewelry collectors. I started out as a painter in my childhood, switched to sewing when I was 11 years old, was a band manager and ran a music club with friends back in Europe in my teenage years, studied Acupuncture and Holistic Medicine at the same time and moved to San Francisco where I now work as a Jewelry Designer.

2. When, how and why did you decide to make what you make?
I started my passion for jewelry at age 7 when my grandma gave me one of her turn of the century necklaces which I took apart to make it into jewelry for my dolls. Of course these days I would keep a piece in it’s original state but I guess that is how the fascination started. A couple years ago I got very ill and was bedridden for an entire year. To keep myself from going insane, I started making earrings for myself and my friends which turned into a full time business 3 month later. I am still astonished sometimes on where my work has taken me. I am happiest when I get sit down and draw out new design ideas and than to make them into a new piece. There is such a feeling of accomplishment and peace when it is all done.

3. What inspires you?
Usually, I get inspired by the nature of a stone itself. Each stone has it’s unique beauty which is than a challenge to create into a wearable piece, yet keeping the stone natural. I do enjoy that process a lot.

4. Other than Etsy, where else on the web can we find you?
Other than my etsy store,
I have a blog: www.friedasophie.blogspot.com
and a website: www.friedsophie.com
and you can find my collections at a couple stores.

5: What is your creative process?
I find it important to take some time off. Once a week I sleep in, grab a friend and get out of the city, usually to a place where there is water and a beach.
Nature always seems to inspire me as well as a good vintage movie
or even music.

6: What do you refuse to eat?
I have been vegetarian since i was 11 years old, after my pet pig got cooked
for my family. I do eat fish though. My dad was a fisherman for a short while
and i used to go out to the sea with him as a child, so fish comes more
natural to me.

7: What person dead or alive would you most want to spend 20 minutes with? What would you do?
Oh, that is a tough one.
I am between Martin Luther King and Alexander Pushkin.
I think i will go for Pushkin since he lived in a different Era.
I would want to just chat with him and his life experiences.

8: Top 5 favorite things to do on a rainy day:
1. sleeping in and having pancakes in bed
2. putting on a vintage moody record like Nina Simone
3. inviting friends over and cooking an elaborate dinner
4. hosting a vintage movie afternoon with hot chocolate and whiskey
5. reading a book while cuddling with my cat

{If you are thinking of adding one of Sandra's pieces to your collection or buying one as a gift, don't forget to use the coupon code FREESHIPPING to get well, free shipping and for a coupon for 15% of your order go follow her blog and let me know. I'll get it to you!}

"If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then giving Fido only two of them." -Phil Pastoret

2011-10-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

Fall is here, sort of. Actually in San Diego, we've had record highs for this time of year, but I've been trying to ignore that by drinking pumpkin spice lattes and baking, which brings the temperature in my house from a gross 100 degrees to about 200 degrees.

Yesterday Le Guppy and I decided we would try our hand at some wheat free dog biscuits. Our youngest furkid has a wheat and corn allergy which means she is on a special diet. The biscuits we usually buy have fish as the main ingredient and they smell terrible. Blegh. For anyone else who likes to spoil their dogs rotten, here is the recipe.

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin + 3 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups brown rice flour
1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
Note: you will also need something to act as a cookie cutter.

You can also add 2 tablespoons of dry milk to the mix. I didn't have any so I omitted it and it did not alter the consistency of the biscuits.

1: Preheat your oven to 350* Fahrenheit
2:In a medium bowl wisp together 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin and two eggs. Set aside.
3:In a separate bowl mix together the salt, parsley and flour.
4:Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients in the the dry and mix until you have a dry stiff dough.
5:Rice flour a surface and roll the dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. If you are having issues rolling it out, add more pumpkin from your reserved 3 tablespoons, 1 tablespoon at a time until you are able to roll it out easily and without cracks.

6: Using a cookie cutter, cut as many biscuits as you can and place them on ungreased cookie sheet before forming the remaining dough into another ball until you have no dough left.
7: Bake for 20 minutes. Flip all the biscuits and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

This is what they look like when they are done baking. Sadie is in love!

"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home." -Twyla Tharp

2011-09-21T14:13:00.000-07:00

Back when we were planning our wedding, I wanted to get Guy something special to have with him on our wedding day that he could wear again and remember it. He is the sentimental type even though he sometimes tries to pretend he's not. I decided to get him some cufflinks and found some I really loved and knew he would love too. Carolina made those and when I started doing the Etsy artisans I knew I wanted her to participate.

1. What's your story?
I'm from Spain. I was born in Madrid and spent most of my childhood in the Canary Islands. Lived on and off in Europe, Far East Asia (where my parents are from) and the United States. I was a geeky kid, more interested in science experiments or a brand new box of colored pencils than playing with dolls.

I've always enjoyed experiments and observing other people's reactions. That's how I see my art, as a catalyst for emotion and a participant's experience.

2. When, how and why did you decide to make what you make (and sell it)?
My fate was sealed at age 5, when I won a children's national painting contest in Madrid. On that day, I announced that I wanted to be an artist, forever killing my parent's dream of their child becoming a doctor or a lawyer (for a while, I even wanted to be a catholic nun).

Becoming a painter didn't surprise my parents, coming from a family with an artistic background. Creating has always being part of my life and I can't think of another way to live. I have a Fine arts degree in Painting, studied Fashion Design and Graphic & Web design. Besides painting I enjoy sculpting and to create jewelry.

3. What inspires you?
Everything. Vintage and modern, pop culture, everyday life, the world of fashion, architecture and interior design, history, science and technology, just to name a few. It could be a trip to a museum or a scene I witnessed earlier at the supermarket, a vintage dress or browsing through the pages of Wired magazine. Scary but true, inspiration strikes anytime and anywhere.

My heritage has influenced my style; I admire the minimalist aesthetic and colors of Japanese and Chinese cultures, and European/Western art.

4. Other than Etsy, where else on the web can we find you?
I have a second shop on Artfire: www.bighelmethead.artfire.com
My website: www.carolinaseth.com
Blog (which I need to update more often): www.bighelmethead.blogspot.com
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Big-Helmet-Head/315560911696
I can also be followed on Twitter: twitter.com/#!/bighelmethead

5: What is your creative process?
I don't have a method. I'm not the most organized person, but whenever I have an idea, I quickly write/sketch it down so as not to forget. I have several sketch books, but I don't carry them with me all the time, so I'll make notes on any blank paper that is handy and keep it for later. I like to draw with pencil or ink what I envision with all kinds of descriptions. My daughter enjoys browsing through my notes as if they were in-congruent comic books or a mad person's visual diary.

6: Who are your favorite artists?
All the classic master painters, specially the surrealists: Dali, Miro, Magritte.
Architect Antoni Gaudi, his work is both technical and organic, scientifically beautiful, he's been truly a great source of inspiration to me. I admire pop artist Takashi Murakami, his creations are so much fun and remind us to not take life too seriously.

7: If you could move anywhere, where would it be and why?
I'm a city person and grew up and living in big cities all my life. Yet, at this stage of my life, married with a child, I found that the ideal place to live is where I am today, Northern Virginia, in the D.C. metro area. It's culturally diverse, with the intellectual and social life that the city offers, but also close to nature and able to enjoy the luxury of having my own yard and a bright studio (no more "bohemian", dark artist's loft for me).
When I get older, if I'm lucky enough, I'd like to move to someplace warm near the ocean, perhaps Southern Europe or somewhere in the Americas.

8: What are 5 of your quirks?
I can't create with a "public", it makes me nervous to have someone staring while I'm working. Whenever I see those artists painting portraits on the streets surrounded by people, I always wonder "how can they do it?".

I don't like to touch raw meat. Even though I know I can wash my hands afterwards.

I like to watch The Twilight Zone.

I collect Japanese Kewpie dolls.

Can't think of quirk #5, but I'm sure it'll manifest sometime soon

Want to get some awesome art from Carolina? --> http://www.etsy.com/shop/bighelmethead You can get 15% OFF everything on Big Helmet Head --> (both Etsy and Artfire shops, excluding custom orders). Just mention the code falling4art. The code is good until November 1st, 2011.

"When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste" -Laiko Bahrs

2011-09-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

(yes, I know the picture is terrible but when I was taking it I couldn;t make myself focus on the raw chicken)

We love Indian food in our house. There is a truly delicious Himalayan/Indian place down the street but I've been meaning to try to make my own since we enjoy it so much. Harper has a milk protein intolerance and while I was breastfeeding I gave up dairy for 13 months and now I am easing myself back into it. I am slowly re-introducing dairy but most Tikka Masala recipes require lots of heavy cream. I amended a traditional recipe and came up with this dairy free one. And unfortunately my husband loved it so much that I didn't get a chance to take a picture of it completed but I will next time we make it.

Dairy Free Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped onions
3 gloves of crush garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste (not pictured)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 can of coconut milk
6 ounces plain soy or coconut yogurt

1: Chop chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Cook in a pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat until cooked through.
2:While the chicken cooks, saute onions in a separate pan with the remaining oil. When the onions are softened and translucent, add the crushed garlic and all the spices. Mix them all together.
3: Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste and integrate the chicken. Stir and let simmer for about 10 minutes, to allow all the flavors to kiss and mingle as my mother likes to say.
4: Stir in coconut milk and yogurt. Let simmer for 1 minute.
5: Serve over rice.

"Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light." Norman B. Rice

2011-09-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the power went out. I heard the sickening sound of every gadget in my house desperately clinging to the last volts of electricity and then nothing. Suddenly there were neighbors on porches, within minutes police sirens, the clang of metal on metal as drivers forgot how an out light turns into a stop sign. Chaos and then after a while, everything settled down. People went home, found their candles, popped new batteries into their flash lights and waited for dark. And me, well when dark came, I took the opportunity to write, pen on paper.

"If my father was here tonight, he would talk about Abraham Lincoln, how sitting together in the kitchen, the flickering light from a menagerie of candles jumping and casting long shadows on the walls says something about our past, about how America became great, if only for a while. But he's not. He's tucked in 200 miles away with electricity and a bowl of vanilla ice cream, chuckling genuinely to the laugh track on an I Love Lucy rerun. He's not here, so instead I bring it up because it's tradition, because I wish he was here. My brother and I share a glance, knowing in that moment that we share a history.

The night is hot; there is no breeze and slowly everyone is chased inside from their porches to search for candles and extra batteries as the sun dips below the western most mountain. Dinner is simple because the stove still works, grilled cheese and we all secretly contemplate a bowl of tomato soup even though the heat is stifling. No one talks. The dark is heavy on our shoulders. The light bounces at the whim of the slightest breeze.

In the darkness a dog barks, a baby cries out. The streets are ink, no streetlights or stop lights or headlights to illuminate, just a nearly full moon dripping silver from its corner of the universe. The static of the radio reverberates through the house loud in the surprising quiet. The instructions are frank. Stay home. Conserve water. Be a good neighbor. We pretend that the world is ending. We dance to the sound of almost nothing, 4 people breathing, 3 dogs panting. We open a bottle of red wine and and wonder what it would be like to know this glass was our very last. We joke. We inhabit the same space, joyously and out of necessity. There is beauty in all that is lacking.

The night lengthens slowly and each candle shortens at its own pace. Wax collects on a white glass plate. We take turns manipulating the flames, playing God of our little world .Until day break, it is this single room. I try to imagine life dictated by the sun and it tires me to think of how short that days have already become. Soon, I will pull a blanket around myself tightly at night but tonight the heat gnaws at us, like a dog with a particularly delicious bone, and we can do nothing but wait for relief or sleep, whichever comes first. I fantasize about the whirl of the air conditioning, the lopsided tick of the ceiling fan. I feel old and new like a single blade of grass. I am not eloquent, I just am. I wonder if all this is the inspiration of the wine, good but forgettable or if it is all the time I have spent listening to myself think.

The quiet rocks my baby to sleep, the air surrounding her like a cotton blanket. Her eyelashes are fanned against her blushed cheeks and I want to hold her to me but I fear waking her; to disturb her from what seems a sweet dream, filled with maybe milk and grass beneath her size 3 feet. I tuck in beside her and whisper to her all my dreams, that she will be brave, strong, happy, surrounded by love. My words move languidly through the thick air and cling to the shell of her ear. They float across her face and she breathes them in. As she sleeps they travel to the tips of her fingers, tiny bits riding on each blood cell and spreading through her with the steady thrum of her heart. "

"So long sweet summer, I fell into you, now you're gracefully falling away" - Dashboard Confessional

2011-08-30T12:42:00.000-07:00

Sunday was my last official day of summer. School started for me last Wednesday and I went back to work last night. This summer has been so lovely and profound that I really didn't want to see it start to slowly fade into fall, although the heat the last few days is reminding me of the cooler weather that is to come, which is welcome. This summer has been full of friends, family, beach bonfires, birthdays, vacations, adventures, sleep, the sure beginning of a quarter life crisis, hopes, fears and dreams. In short I wish it would never end but thus it has. Nothing is forever, isn't that how the saying goes?

"L'amour est à ceux qui y pensent." -Marcel Achard

2011-08-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

I just started my very first French class and I love Paris, love it as in would move there at the very first possible chance. And so on this beautiful and slightly hot Sunday in San Diego, I am finding myself dreaming of France and all things French.

Yes please.

*Quotation means: "Love belongs to those who think about it."
Pictures via We<3It

"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!" -Dr. Seuss

2011-08-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

1.What’s your story?
My name is Stacey. I was born in PA, and moved to CA when I was 3. I grew up in San Diego, CA. I'm kind of a computer nerd, with scissors and a glue gun. I come from a long line of crafty ladies, on both sides of my family, and a great uncle who's famous for his needlepoint.

2. When, how and why did you decide to make what you make?
I've always been into creating things. I grew up in a creative household. My mom used to make crochet dolls and take them to the swap meet to sell when I was a kid. I had been making and selling jewelry since I was 16, and in 2006 I was pregnant with my second child and I saw a sock monkey on the internet and decided to give it a try. At first I wasn't sure I was even going to sell them. But I made a few more. I had been on Etsy for a short time, and decided to upgrade to a seller account and see what happens. I listed a Monkey named Plunder, and it sold that same day. So I listed more, and those sold. I really never expected it to go as far as it did, but I was selling them left and right, and before I knew it, I was improving my techniques. Today I have my own sock monkey pattern, that I developed over the last 6 years.

Right: One of Stacey's first monkeys. Left a recent monkey

3. What inspires you?
Everything. I'm really into horror movies, even though I really haven't had time to sit down to watch one in a long time. It's my favorite genre, next to comedy. But monsters and creatures of that nature are my biggest inspirations. I'd stop making normal monkeys all together and just make nothing but monsters and crazy characters... if friends, family and customers weren't always telling me how much their little munchkins love their monkeys. And I'd miss that. That really inspires me. A lot of my friends children have my monkeys, and it's really inspiring to see how much they love them. I remember being a kid and having that kind of love for one particular toy. And it feels amazing to be the person that made that toy, for someone else.

Sometimes the right socks will inspire me. Or a photo someone will share with me. I'm really into recreating characters. I have a lot of behind the scenes things I do that I can't market because of copyright, but I love to make them. I made Gene Simmons Demon character for my mom for Mother's Day. Things like that.

4. Other than Etsy, where else on the web can we find you?
I can always be found through staceyjean.com. My main monkey shop is at Etsy, zparkleys.etsy.com. I have a shop on eCrater, at staceyjean.ecrater.com. that I store my other crafts. I just recently put everything on there and haven't advertised it much. I like to make other things, to keep myself inspired and to not burn out on the monkeys. I'm also on zazzle at www.zazzle.com/staceyjean. That's where I put my monkey graphics on shirts and things. I make a lot of graphics for my website, and product packages, and then I put them over there, too. I just started a G+ profile which will house my entire portfolio, monkeys and beyond. I'll have that announced on my .com sometime this month.

I also founded and am working on helping to grow a new street team of sock breeders, we can be found at madefromsocks.com and it's full of amazing fellow sock artist. I believe in encouraging each other in our craft. I think that forming a group and working as a team to spread our craft, and helping each other to be individually creative, really helps ourselves individually to embrace our own talents and to be individually great. It also helps us as a whole to spread knowledge that we exist. I was really frustrated with all the "sock monkeys" I was seeing on the internet that aren't actually made from socks. So we infiltrated tumblr, and now there's all sorts of sock animals and friends on there.

5: What is your creative process?
I also draw, sculpt, and my degree is in interactive multi-media. I've had my hand in so many crafts that have lent to my current craft. I use a lot of those skills when I'm making monkeys. You wouldn't think that having a jewelry making background would contribute to something like plush dolls, but It does. From time to time. A lot of my monkeys are color coordinated socks, but a good number are actually characters. More and more of them are my own. I plan to increase the number of characters I design in the future.

A monkey will usually start with an idea I see, or a character. It begins in my head, and then I get out my sketch book. If it's a character that's known, I will research it on the internet pretty extensively to make sure I don't miss any small details. If it's my own character, I draw it completely from my head. I sketch the monkey completely out, really roughly. Sometimes I scribble, if the ideas come too fast. I make a lot of notes. After I have the sketch down and the idea's on solid paper, I write a list of my materials, and then I shop. From there I kinda whinge it. I find that the more I allow myself the freedom to let it come to me, the better the monkey turns out. My zombies started as one idea that I let fly. And as I used techniques on new monkeys, I'd apply it to them. They have become my testing ground now, however... because no matter what I do to them, it works. It's a zombie, it can be as ugly as it wants.

6: What was your favorite toy as a child?
My Little Pony. I still collect some of them. I have my childhood ones, and I keep a stash of collector exclusives that can be found at Comic-con and the Pony Fair. I started playing with them in 1982, at the same time they were released. And other than my teenage years, when they spent their time in the attic, they're always with me. Now, they're knick-knacks, but, they absolutely inspire me. I see a lot of influence form their curves and bright colors in my work. Once I made a sock pony of the second pony I ever got.

7: If you were stuck on an island with 5 people for one year of your life, who would you choose (other than your family of course).
This is a hard one. I know you said 5, but if I could get away from life for a year, I'd just want my favorite guy there, I won't call him out and make it awkward, but he could use a vacation too, and we have a lot of fun together. If I had to let in 4 more people, I'd say... my best friend Khara, my gal pal Windy... and they can bring their significant others, because I like them, too. And they'd both be pretty bummed to be away from them for a year.

8: Are you a dog person or cat person?
I am totally a dog person. I have two really wonderful dogs that are Rott 'n Beagle mixes. But... my mom has a cat that is really trying to win me over. So, mostly I am a dog person, but this one particular cat, she's okay in my book. Not that I dislike cats. I had an amazing orange tabby named T'ang in my early 20s, and when he died, I decided he was completely irreplaceable. So, I got dogs.

Do you want to bring one or two of these awesome sock monkeys home? Good news! Stacey is offering a 20% discount with the coupon DTA2011 . Check out zparkleys.etsy.com to get your own sock buddy.

"The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it." -Roseanne Barr

2011-08-03T13:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know its August but I am getting caught up on all the things I promised I would do. Each month I pick a different charity to support and donate money. While I have donated to these charities I haven't written about why they are so important. Expect a couple more of these in the next few weeks until I am caught up.

March's Charity: Planned Parenthood
Who are they and what do they do? Planned Parenthood is a trusted health care provider, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to millions of women, men, and young people worldwide.

For more than 90 years, Planned Parenthood has promoted a commonsense approach to women’s health and well-being, based on respect for each individual’s right to make informed, independent decisions about health, sex, and family planning. (About Us, Planned Parenthood)

Some services they provide are HIV and other STD testing, birth control, breast exams, pap smears and sex education. These services are available to anyone who asks for them regardless of their income, sexual orientation, gender, or race.

How do they do it? With the support of individual donors and some government funding Planned Parenthood makes these services available at little to no cost depending on income of the individual. They are accessible to people who do not health insurance.

A recent Post Secret submission: Just one reason why Planned Parenthood is a necessity in America.

How can you support Planned Parenthood?
Volunteer your time at a local branch, donate money via their website , or get involved on a federal level by partaking in marches and events.

Want more totally awesome charities to support?
January: The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
February: NPR

Have a charity you think should make our list? Comment or email us at R.BrandtFisher@gmail.com

"Something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again."-Menachem Schneerson

2011-07-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday sweet baby Harper turned a year old and this is the letter I wrote to her in celebration on her birthday and her life thus far.

Harper,
Today you are one year old. How quickly your first rotation around the sun has felt. Maybe it is because your presence here has made me feel both grounded and off kilter all at the same time, the world must be spinning faster than it was before I knew you.

You have grown and your personality has blossomed exponentially. On this day one year ago you were new, still folded up with the memory of a time before your birth. Today when I woke you were stretched out in every direction; your lanky body looked surprisingly large next to mine. I remember how frighteningly small you seemed just a year ago, now the speed at which you have grown brings both pride and fear.

You are a sweet and beautiful child. Affectionate , independent and spirited. You laugh frequently, give sloppy baby kisses and hugs that include a pat on the back and walk when no one is looking. You dance and sing to any type of music but your affinity for The Beatles grows stronger as time passes and I find it hard to believe John, Paul, George and Ringo will ever fall from your graces.

Watching you grow and learn has been one of the greatest joys of my life. Every day you teach me to find importance in things long forgotten. A fresh set of building blocks, bubbles, strawberries, the grass underneath your feet, the swell of the ocean, a warm nap. For this I have only you to thank.

I find myself still waking at night sometimes, to watch you sleep and even though so much has changed, so much remains the same. You are still my July Firecracker who will not be ignored. Every single day you amaze me and I have a feeling this will never change. And so little guppy, Happy Birthday. I love you so and wish for you many many many more years of growth, laughter and much happiness filled with good food, amazing people, and breathtaking experiences.

"I keep coming back to you in my head, but you couldn't know that, and I have no carbons." -Adrienne Rich

2011-06-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've been away, for quite some time. First with school and then I went on vacation to a land with no internet and no cell signal (no, not Hogwarts, rural Michigan). Anyway, I'm back.
Brain Dump:

First of all: Pottermore! Who's stoked?

Summer Goals:

Try surfing
Read more
Get a tattoo
Make bread
Harper's first birthday party
Deep clean the house
try 20 new recipes
have a garage sale
find 10 new musical artists/bands I love

Summer Reading List:

Catcher in the Rye,Nose Down Eyes Up,Beloved, Dead in the Family,The Romantics, Ronia, Proust and the Squid, The Historian , A Mango-Shaped Space, Rapture Ready ,The Hunger Games , American Nerd, The Alchemist, The Book of Lost Things, Ella Minnow Pea, Breakfast at Tiffany’s ,The Time Traveler's Wife
Not Pictured--
Yet to Complete: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Life of Pi
Completed: The Little Prince, Wicked, High Fidelity

On REPEAT:

"Sometimes, when one person is missing, the whole world seems depopulated." -Lamartine

2011-04-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

My very dear friend Michael moved to a land far far away called Kentucky. Do you know how far Louisville, Kentucky is from San Diego, California. There are 2 answers to this question. Answer a: too far. Answer b: 2,067 miles.

View Larger Map

Result: sad face. You see the thing about Michael is, we've been friends for a long while. She was in my wedding. She made sure my place cards got finished. She loves my kid. She (or we rather) can talk for hours. She even wrote a blog post one time about how cool I am.Smart, funny, liberal. What's not to love. I could wane for hours for about how amazing she is and I really miss her.

So is standard Rachel fashion, I would like to say, Michael I miss your face. San Diego isn't quite as sunny without you here. Watch your mail.

Ps: Harper says aaqq`````

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving." - Aaron Siskind

2011-04-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if any of you readers are in this area but I'd love for your kiddos to win, if you are. If you have kids in my neck of the woods, please send them my way.

Do you have an adorable kid or know someone in San Diego, Los Angeles or the Antelope Valley area that does? That adorable child could win a free portrait session and $20 credit. The second cutest kid wins 50% off their session fee. You can view my work on the Happiness is...photography website for an idea of the session you could win.

It just takes a couple easy steps:

1: You email a snapshot (no professional pictures will be accepted) of your absolutely adorable kid 0-12 to Rachel{at}HappinessIsPhotography.com by April 27, 2011 11:59 PDT. Please include their first name , age, and 1 thing you love about them as well as your contact information so I can contact you if you win.

2: I will upload all the pictures to the Happiness is… Photography facebook page your friends and family vote by liking your kids’s picture on the facebook page .

3: The kid with the most votes by on May 7th,2011 will win. The kid with the second highest amount of votes gets a runner up prize.

For the fine print check out the Happiness is… Photography Blog

"I see my body as an instrument, rather than an ornament." -Alanis Morissette

2011-03-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

Confession time. I never intended to breastfeed Le Guppy. I wasn't breastfed and neither was my brother. I'm not sure why. We were formula kids. My cousins were formula kids and even as an adult I didn't know anyone who breastfed their kids. The practice seemed a little outdated, unnecessary even.

Guy and I discussed it during my pregnancy. I was adamant that I would not breastfeed; my husband passed no judgment. A week before Harper was born I decided I might give nursing a go. Walking home from the local grocery store, organic veggies in hand and talking nervously but also excitedly about our little beast, I realized that formula feeding didn't really fit into my ideal parenting experience. That's not to say I was not concerned about what that meant, for me as an individual, for me as a wife (I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned about the toll it might have on my sex life). But we are baby-wearing, co-sleeping, veggie-pureeing parents. We don't let our daughter cry for any avoidable period of time and breastfeeding fit easily and comfortably into the parenting style that we have chosen and which has come most naturally to us. But breastfeeding isn't just for hippies like us, it can be a part of pretty much any parenting style. I have since made many friends that run the gambit of different parenting styles and many of them have incorporated breastfeeding.

When she came and the nurses asked me if I intended to breast feed I said yes even though all I wanted to do was sleep. And I was to be really honest, the first 5 weeks were really hard. For most women, even if you are doing everything right, you are going to get a little raw. And it takes some adjustment.

And then after the haze of new motherhood lifted I started to not hate it. It was convenient and there is nothing in this world sweeter than the sight of my milk drunk baby smiling up at me like nothing else in this world exists. As a mother, that is supreme, knowing your baby thinks you are the bees knees while supplying them nutritionally with all they need for at least the first 6 months of their life at the perfect temperature and available as needed. Now at 8 months she is sometimes distracted and sometimes she's focused just on me. Its an excuse to hold my baby close and talk to her. Boob was her third word after rawr and mama so now when she's hungry she lets me know by yelling things like "mama mama mama, booooooooooooooob" and then pokes my chest which I find endearing and often times it elicits laughs from both Harper and the people around us.

Questions I frequently get asked about nursing.

Does it hurt? At first it did for me and I think for most women there is a period of time when your body is adjusting to a: having milk and b:being a bottle.
Have you had any breastfeeding setbacks? Harper has a cow's milk protein allergy that her doctor is fairly certain she will outgrown but for the past 7 1/2 months I have not been consuming dairy in any measurable quantities, which is unfortunate but has been less of a sacrifice than I originally assumed it would be.
Has it affected your sex life? Not in any monumental way. I think it should be noted that my husband fully supports my breastfeeding endeavors and is not generally freaked out by "girly things" .
Do you think breast feeding negatively affects the baby's ability to bond with the other parent? No, there are plenty of other activities your partner can do with the baby such as baths, skin to skin time (often referred to as kangaroo care), baby wearing, and reading and singing to the baby.
Have you had any negative experiences? During a trip to Disneyland a man made a snide comment to me. I have had no other negative experiences.
Will you breastfeed any subsequent children? Yes.
How does your husband feel about it? He is fully supportive and loves all the money we've saved over the past 8 months.
How long do you intend to breast feed? My goal is at least a year and after that we'll see. I was thinking I would cut her off cold turkey but I am now entertaining the idea of letting her wean on her own time line.
What is your nursing schedule like and how did you establish it? Harper establishes her own nursing schedule and I nurse on demand as needed. Typically she nurses at 6am, 11 am, 3 pm, 7pm and midnight. Sometimes there is another feeding thrown in there. She also eats pureed fruits and vegetables, organic brown rice cereal, cheerios and some small pieces of meats, fruits and veggies through out the day. She loves bananas and butternut squash.

If you have any questions for me (or my husband) that have not been answered here please feel free to comment here or send my an email at R.BrandtFisher{at}gmail{dot}com

Helpful Links

*This post is not meant to vilify formula feeding in any way. Each family must decide what is best for their child.Also, there are obviously times when breastfeeding is not a feasible option for example when a child is adopted.

"The belly rules the mind. " -Spanish Proverb

2011-03-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

We love Nutella in this house. If you don't now what Nutellla is, it's a delicious chocolate hazelnut spread that is so good that even though I have a chocolate allergy I'll take 4 ibuprofen and eat a bunch of this delicious stuff on a warm butter croissant. And so when I had a chance to have people over and eat Nutella on everything and give my friends free stuff I jumped at the chance.

My mommy friend Kaycee with her Nutella mug.

We came up with some fun recipes and tried out some others. Another nutella recipe post is in the works. Look for it soon.

"Our nest eggs, no matter how small, are safe." - Nick Clooney

2011-03-20T13:06:00.001-07:00

Happy Sunday and Welcome to the first installment of Etsy Artisans. Today's interview is with Caroline and Jose of Paloma's Nest. Read carefully for a special reader discount. We had one custom made for our wedding and it is seriously adorable. Ours read "Amor Vincit Omnia" and has our wedding date June 13, 2009. I will have to find a picture of it and if I can't I will take one. :]

What’s your story?

We are Caroline Colom Vasquez and Jose Vasquez-Corbalan, the owners and designers behind the brand Paloma's Nest. We are based in Austin, Texas, and sell our wares worldwide via our site palomasnest.com. We are happy to announce the opening of our first flagship retail boutique/showroom here in Austin in June 2011. Come see us if you are in the area!

Caroline is from the small historic town of Mystic, Connecticut, and Jose is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Together their company offers a large collection of gifts, tabletop products, stationery, holiday ornaments, home furnishings, and keepsakes. As the creator of The Original Ring Bearer Bowl™, Caroline invented the concept of employing a ceramic piece, instead of the traditional pillow, in a wedding ceremony. The result was an entirely new take on the wedding tradition that has swept the bridal industry. José brings his talents as a furniture maker and woodworker to the business, creating a wide range of designs using natural and reclaimed materials, including the new "For the Gentlemen" collection featuring cuff links and lapel pins for the groom. {Readers can receive free standard shipping within the US on any item in the For The Gentlemen collection using coupon code FORTHEBOYS. Valid only on palomasnest.com}

Together Caroline and Jose raise their young daughter Paloma, for whom the company is named. In Spanish, “paloma” means “dove,” : a powerful symbol of peace, tranquility, and hope – elements that they hope each Paloma’s Nest piece will bring to every customer.

When, how and why did you decide to make what you make (and sell it)?

Caroline has a background in art and design, with a focus on home decor and ceramics. When she and Jose crossed paths, they literally began designing together the day they met and fell in love. A product line featuring home furnishings and gifts, hand crafted from both wood and clay, was always a dream they shared; making that dream a full-time reality was a leap of faith they took together in late 2007. They have never looked back, and today the company is a family-run business with a growing team of artisans and staff helping the business grow.

What inspires you?

Our designs are inspired by the concept of heirlooms. We are fascinated by history, genealogy, and family, and how items or objects are saved and passed on to future generations. This inspires us to create pieces that hold meaning by commemorating a time or occasion, and to design them in a style that is elegant and timeless. We hope to design pieces of the highest quality materials and craftsmanship that will still be beautiful in 100 years.

Other than Etsy, where else on the web can we find you?

+Our main site is http://palomasnest.com where you can find our complete collection.

+Our blog is http://palomasnest.com/blog/

+facebook is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Palomas-Nest/110467672354733

+We are on twitter @palomasnest

+Caroline likes to post some fun things on Tumblr at http://palomasnest.tumblr.com/

If you were a crayon what color would you be ( and why)?

Caroline- I'd be a white crayon. I love how it shows up on unexpected surfaces. A white crayon seems so shy but can be so bold in the right places.

What’s your favorite top five favorite art inspiring albums?

We both love Johnny Cash and the Pixies.

Caroline loves the Cure and every kind of Christmas carol you can imagine; Jose has a weakness for tango.

"A good snapshot stops a moment from running away" -Eudora Welty

2011-03-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

I don't intend to jump ship and leave this poor lonely little blog clinging to a buoy in open water wondering if I really meant it when I said "Just hang on, I'll be back in a minute". So here I am to divulge what I've been up, I came back for you, I just got caught up trying to make my dreams come true.

That's right I started my own photography endeavor, Happiness is... Photography. This past month has been filed with website building, content creation and deciding which pictures I would like to be part of my portfolio. Now I've moved onto outreach and creating marketing materials. Mom by day, barista by night, photographer by light (and grad student in the wee hours of the night by the glow of my laptop screen). Now, I am starting to book sessions and its sort of materializing, which is scary and exciting. I will post a link to the HIP blog when I get it up running and all pretty. Also, if you want to, check out the Facebook page and like me. :]

In other news, the giveaway winner is Sarah who said "I want the snow to melt! and flowers to grow! Cant wait to plant some!"

"Everyone is the age of their heart". -Guatemalan Proverb

2011-03-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

I hope that if I make it to 97, I am still getting around and enjoying life like this.

"The manner of giving is worth more than the gift." -Pierre Corneille

2011-03-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

Credit: WeHeartIt

I spent today eating good food in some of the best company I know. It's days like this where the weather is beautiful, warm and with a sweet breeze blowing that I think of all that I have to be thankful for. One of those things, is this sometimes neglected blog and those few people who actually read it and at the best of times let me know what they think. And you know what that means.... It's that time again guys. Giveaway! (one of quite a few to come in the near future).

This time its another $35 gift certificate to CSN Stores. The giveaway ends Tuesday March 15, 2011.

Mandatory Entry:
Be a follower and tell me what you are most looking forward to this spring.

Additional Entries (Please post a separate comment for each):

Tweet the giveaway (one entry a day)
Follow me on Twitter
Blog the giveaway (worth 2 entries)
Follow Delete the Adjectives on Facebook

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." William James

2011-02-28T23:37:00.000-08:00

The Hubs loves NPR and KPBS, so much that if you are in San Diego and see a red 4Runner with a "I'm a KPBS member" license plate frame, you could honk to the tune of Beethoven's 5th symphony and he'll probably be able to tell you what it was. Who better is there to tell you about the beauty that is KPBS? This is what he had to say about February's charity.

Hello everyone, my name is Guy and I'll be your guest blogger tonight. I'm here to tell you about a cause very near and dear to my heart (and ears): public radio.

I started listening to public radio at night, where my job had me locked in a room by myself. I would listen to classical music on the program Performance Today, which is actually part of American Public Radio. One of my favorite parts of Performance Today is the Piano Puzzler, by Bruce Adolphe (here's a choice selection.) Now that I commute, I listen to the news portions of public radio, most often from NPR, because it provides a balanced perspective across a wide spectrum of topics. My favorite secret about public radio is during Marketplace, they list on their website all of the great music played during the bridges -the ~15 second clip of music between stories.

February's Charity is: KBPS Public Broadcasting & National Public Radio (NPR) & American Public Radio

Who are they and what do they do? KPBS is a public service of San Diego State University (SDSU) that produces high quality, unbiased stories about San Diego area news, as well as distribute news created by the NPR and American Public Radio network. They broadcast via radio, television (with PBS) and the web. In times of emergency, they provide invaluable details, such as what areas had to evacuate in San Diego County during the 2009 wildfires.

How do they do it? Using a combination of funds from individual donors, corporate sponsers, government grants, and funding from SDSU. They deliver unbiased investigative reporting with a network of public new stations tied together though NPR.

How can you support public radio? You can donate to KBPS, American Public Media, or your local public broadcasting station. When discussing the news around the office water cooler, mention what you heard on NPR- spread the word.

"Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons" -Ruth Ann Schabacker

2011-02-25T23:56:00.000-08:00

The first of many offers for Delete the Adjectives readers: A chance to win a pair of comfy boots and a discount code just for you guys.

Check out the website and sign up for their newsletter for a chance to win a pair of boots at the end of every month. Or if you don't want to wait that long use this code for 10% off your purchase: 1544deleting

**I received monetary compensation for this post.

"I'm leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again..." - John Denver

2011-02-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

We love Colorado and some of our very favorite people live there which makes it even better. In fact we love it so much we've already booked plane tickets back. Here's part 1 of our January trip recap.

Los Angeles International Airport, Approximately 6 AM

We left out of LAX on only an hour and a half of sleep. Harper was getting over a cold and we were worried about the change in cabin pressure but she just laughed and laughed on takeoff and then I nursed her to sleep, which is pretty much how she remained until we were waiting for our luggage at the baggage claim.

Guy's BFF, Garrett and his mama, Kathy picked us up for the airport and showed us around downtown Denver. We ate sandwiches on croissants and played in the approximate .5 inches of dirty snow before piling into the car for our journey to Colorado Springs.

And when we got there, Cookie was waiting to babysit so we could go out on the town but we decided we'd stay in and have beef stew. We took her (and Kathy) up on their offer another night.

Kathy's house is full of really cool vintage stuff that inspires me to spend some time sifting through thrift stores.

While we were there we went to this really cool penny arcade where they had...

and

an Elton John pinball machine! And everything was a quarter or less to play.

More to come soon! :]

“I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.” - William Allen White

2011-02-06T21:08:00.000-08:00

I have so much in the works right now. Look for the following things coming up.

1: Colorado Trip Review
2: Cloth diapering tips
3: Recipes I love
4: Giveaways including another $35 gift certificate from CSN. (Don't know who CSN is? They sell all sorts of stuff from baby supplies to corner tv stands and have free shipping on almost everything.)
5: And an all new series featuring etsy artisans and all the awesome handmade stuff they make (some of which will include giveaways and reader exclusive discounts).

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." - Aesop

2011-02-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

This year, I decided I will choose 12 charities (one for every calendar month, although this first post is late, per usual but it works out this time because it's Save the Whales Week!), feature them here and donate something to each of them, be it money, time or material goods. There are many charitable endeavors that I keep close. The earliest I can remember being specifically emotionally invested in is animal rights. As a child I would bring home stray animals and keep them in our backyard. I'd nurse them back to health and find new homes for them. When Free Willy came out in 1993 a new form of animal activism was born. I have been very vocal in the past in regards to my research driven perspective that cetaceans do not belong in captivity, especially as pawns for human entertainment and I am not the only one who feels this way. The Orca Project recently highlighted a manuscript presented by two former Sea World trainers (both who have their PhD in related fields) that outlines why Orca captivity is unhealthy for Orcas and people alike.

No aquarium, no tank in a marine land, however spacious it may be, can begin to duplicate the conditions of the sea. And no dolphin who inhabits one of those aquariums or one of those marine lands can be considered normal. - Jacques Yves Cousteau

Credit: WDCS Flickr

January's Charity is: The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

Who are they and what do they do? The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), is the leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and welfare of all whales and dolphins.

They defend these remarkable creatures against the many threats that they face;

Hunting
Captivity
Chemical and noise pollution
Ship collisions (ship strikes)
Entanglement in fishing nets
Climate change

How do they do it?
They utilize donations to spread the word about threats to whales and dolphins all over the word. They work with lawmakers all over the world to protect natural habitats such as feeding and breeding grounds, fight against cetacean captivity, educate people about the dangers of polluting the ocean, abandoning fishing nets and driving boats recklessly. It also sheds light on the numerous whaling incidents that happen internationally on a regular basis.

How can you help end whaling and other forms of abuse?
1: Donate monetarily to WDCS
2: Adopt a Whale through WDCS (I did this when I was a kid and think its a great way to get kids involved and keep them interested)
3: Spread the word on your blog//twitter//facebook

"Babies are always more trouble than you thought -- and more wonderful." -Charles Osgood

2011-01-26T09:45:00.000-08:00

Harper,
Today you are six months old. For you, it is a lifetime, for me, just small portion . Half a year and yet so much has changed for both of us. Somethings have not changed. Your eyes are still blue, your hair is still brown (although there is a lot more of it now) and you still love The Beatles. And we are still nursing. You are a good eater. Who would have thought in those first few rough weeks, we'd be going strong now?But most things have. You have a menagerie of tricks these days. You can roll over, sit up on your own, you reach for people when you want to be held, you rawr like a dinosaur, frequently eat your feet and crawling is just around the corner, someday soon you'll learn you've got to keep your chin up, literally. And, you already have one tooth, with another one not too far behind.

You cheered through a Cubs game, flew in an airplane, played in the snow, met Mickey and Minnie Mouse, rode on the trolley, suffered through your first library convention, experienced your first theme park ride, and visited the mountains and the desert.

Your independence is growing with each passing day, you want to feed yourself, move on your own. You know what you like (pickles) and what you don't (applesauce). Despite this, you are still my sweet little Munch. Someday, I know you probably won't want to sit on my lap, but for now you are mostly content to snuggle up under my chin, so I hold you close and breathe you in.

It is hard for me to think of you as a child, a teenager and adult, partly because as much as I love watching you grow, I know with each passing day you become more your own person, and less my baby. As you grow older and begin to shape your existence, I hope you dare to live the life you dream up, laugh more than you cry and spend your time among people who cherish you. You have already exceeded every expectation I had of you, each day more icing on an already beautiful cake. I love you so, dear one, more than I ever imagined I could.

"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter." -Ansel Adams

2011-01-20T11:47:00.000-08:00

Credit: Kathleen McFadden

I came back from Colorado feeling so inspired. (Yes, we were in Colorado Springs for 5 days but in an attempt to comply with my husband's request and not share my entire life on the internet I decided not to let the world know we were going to be out of the house.) Anyway, back to my inspiration. I love Colorado, the weather, the seasons, the view, the smell of wet earth. It's fairly common knowledge that I have been dreaming of picking up and relocating since the first time I visited the Durango, Colorado in August 2008.

And while we were in the charming (albiet giant and too conservative for me) Colorado Springs we stumbled upon Front Range Gallery which is an art gallery featuring the photography of Kathleen McFadden , who is actually there at the gallery talking about her amazing photography.

Credit: Kathleen McFadden

Credit: Kathleen McFadden

And she shoots film and in the gallery on every piece of art she has the specs like which camera she used and when and where the picture was taken. Brilliant and beautiful. And now, I am even more inspired to take pictures of everything I see and everyone I know. And learn more and more about photography. I love returning from some (kind of) far away land with new things to ponder and embrace.

Full recap of our Colorado Adventure very soon. :]

"Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art." Ambrose Bierce

2011-01-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

I like to give myself really sort of impossible challenges. One that I started on new years is my 365 experiment to see if I can take a picture everyday for a whole year. I am hoping it will force me to use my camera more because I really love photography and want to get better at it. This is week one (January 1st through 7th)

"Hand Nom" Jan. 4, 2010

1. Prince John, 2. Ninth Day of Christmas, 3. oh hello, 4. Book Club Buddies, 5. New Glass, 6. Kisses

"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never." -Rajneesh

2011-01-04T04:59:00.000-08:00

I cannot speak for the fathers, for I obviously am not one. And I cannot speak for those women who have come to motherhood through adoption, although I hope to be among them in the future. And to be perfectly honest, no mother’s experience mirrors another, so I suppose I can only speak for myself but motherhood feels at times so strange and beautiful, like watching crystals form.

I look at my daughter, that phrase, my daughter, still foreign and clumsy in my mouth, and see her cells dividing and her lungs forming, her heart beating for the first time. I think of her looping enthusiastically in my belly, her soul affixing itself to the underside of her fingernails and gently onto the inside of her eyelids, waiting to feel and see the world outside. I remember her metamorphosis on the grainy monochrome ultrasound machine, from smudge, to tadpole, to all signs point to girl. I think of how she is this glorious piece of me that escaped one sticky night in July, although my body was not sure it was ready to let her go.

Now I adore the roundness of her cheeks, her soft weight on my chest as she naps and the curl of her toes as she dreams, maybe of warm milk or who she will be when she is grown. I live vicariously through her and looking at her, I look down upon myself laughing at things I might have blindly overlooked in a different time and finding joy hidden in the nooks of life; the flash of a camera, a cold winter wind, tiny socks warm from the dryer, a Christmas card tucked into a stack of advertisements , an invitation to dinner from a dear friend, my husband’s breath on my face when I wake in the night to check on the baby,a garbled text message from my father, the delicate curve of Harper's ear. Her laughter bringing forth my own, inexplicably, fast and uncontrollable.

"Of all sound of all bells... most solemn and touching is the peal which rings out the Old Year." -Charles Lamb

2011-01-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

On this day six years ago Le Hubs (then, Le Boy) went on our very first date. We saw National Treasure, the very last showing of the night. I got all dolled up, meaning I wore my hair down and my socks matched.He showed up in what were essentially his pajamas. I don't even think he had taken a shower. We were the only one's in the whole theater, he held my hand, we talked through the entire movie and the ride home and for an hour parked in my driveway. He walked me to my door and hugged me on my front porch.

Last year, I was newly pregnant and terrified at the idea and a little angry at my husband for knocking me up . I was so tired and sick I could barely stay awake to welcome 2010 into existence. I was unable to recognize the wonderful little being whose cells were quickly dividing within me. I did not realize how amazing and terrifying and beautiful and trying the year would be. I could not know that it would physically, mentally and emotionally push me and pull me in ways I had never known. I was completely unaware of all the really scary trials that stood ahead of us as a family and as individuals. Or how 2010 would teach me to step back and smell the clean laundry or appreciate the sound of my brother's voice over the phone.

This year, I watched the caterpillar of 2010 morph into the butterfly of 2011, with kisses from my lovely husband, a sleepy smile from my little guppy, champagne glass clinks from good friends and my parents, my little brother's voice reverberating in my ear, not over the static of a telephone wire but from just a few feet away. This little butterfly of a year is both beautiful and fragile. Only time will show how its wings have unfurled but today, in the winter's early morning gray sky, it lilts in the dull light, not yet heavy with minutes and the wind carries the world's hope for this brand new year. And I sit, willing myself to embrace it's newness and the beauty of the unknown.

"Musicians paint their pictures on silence." -Leopold Stokowski

2010-12-31T22:57:00.000-08:00

For the past few years, my small group of my friends have been putting together a yearly soundtrack, representing our year. And this is mine for 2010. Most of it is terribly cliche and I hope you can forgive me. I've been wildly busy falling in love with my baby and listening to pretty much no new music (if you have recommendations, please send them my way).

January: Canis Lupus by the Aquabats
We added Sadie Jane to our family.

February: You and I By Ingrid Michaelson
Le Hubs and I celebrated 5 years of dating.

March: My Girls by The Temptations
We found out Le Guppy was indeed a she.

April:This Too Shall Pass by Ok Go
So many things in life were in the process of falling apart. Sometimes you just have to remind myself that nothing is forever.

May:Rocket Man by Elton John
I celebrated my 23rd birthday, in New York with my family and spent a lot of time feeling very very alone, learning to embrace the quickly approaching idea of being a mom.

June: Haven't Met You Yet by Michael Buble
June was the last full month that I worked at Starbucks pre-guppy. This a shout out to my fellow baristas. We hear this one on Starbucks radio pretty frequently.

July: In My Life by The Beatles
Harper decided to make her grand entrance early and on July 26th, 2010 at 9:45Pm she was born.

August: Hey Soul Sister by Train
I spent pretty much the entire month of August falling in love with my little soul sister.

September: Mr. Blue Sky By ELO
Harper and I like to dance to this one. Makes us both smile.

October: Orion and Dog by Sea Wolf
I spent October enjoying the muted melancholy of fall.

November: Change of Seasons by Sweet Thing
I think there are some sweet sentiments in regards to letting things happens and lacking any semblance of control over your life in whats to come but embracing that because its an experience.

December:Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas by Judy Garland

"Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us." -Hal Borland

2010-12-29T22:35:00.000-08:00

1)What did you do this year that you'd never done before?

Had a baby.

2) Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I kept two of three. I still don't have my driver's license, which has now been recycled to this years New Year's resolution.

3) Did anyone close to you give birth?
My cousin Liz, my cousin Annie and well, me.

4) Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5) What countries did you visit?
I did not leave the country this year. Hopefully next year. We need to get Harper a passport.

6) What would you like to have next year that you lacked this year?
A better job.

7) What date from this year will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
July 26, 2010. My daughter's birthday.

8) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Incubating and birthing my itty bitty.

9) What was your biggest failure?
Not being as good with money as I could have been.

10) Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing serious, thankfully

11) What was the best thing you bought?
Stuff for my kiddo.

12) Whose behavior merited celebration?
My guppy who has been sleeping through the night since the very beginning and making each day better than the prior.

13) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The Westboro Baptist Church.

14) Where did most of your money go?
Bills, per usual.

15) What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Le Guppy

16) What song will always remind you of this year?
In My Life by the Beatles.

17) Compared to this time last year, you are:
Happier

18) What do you wish you'd done more of?
Laughing

19) What do you wish you'd done less of?
Crying

20) How will you be spending Christmas?
Hopefully among good friends and family.

21) Did you fall in love this year?
Everyday with the very same boy.

22) What was your favorite TV program?
Top Gear (the British version)

23) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
I still don’t hate anyone.

24) That was the best book you read?
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

25) What was your greatest musical discovery?
Yael Naim

26) What did you want and get?
A new lens for my camera.

27) What did you want and not get?
A new camera.

29) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
This year I turned 23. I was in New York and I went to Central Park and out to dinner with my family in Pershing Square.

30) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Honestly, more money because I would have been able to worry less.

31) How would you describe your personal fashion concept this year?
Preggo Couture?

32) What kept you sane?
My husband.

33) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Man crush:Nathan Fillion

Girl Crush: Emma Stone

34) What political issue stirred you the most?
Human Rights.

35) Who did you miss?
My grandmother

36) Who was the best new person you met?
Carly (and her daughter Molly who is 2 weeks younger than Harper)

37) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned this year:
The heart is capable of exponential growth (metaphorically speaking)

"I TRIPLE-dog-dare ya!" -Schwartz

2010-12-25T08:47:00.000-08:00

And I triple dog dare you to find this video anything but ridiculous and highly amusing . To those of you who celebrate it...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

To each and every one of you, regardless of religion or creed, I hope today is full of laughter, good food and most of all good company.

"To all that come to this happy place: welcome. Disneyland is your land." -Walt Disney

2010-12-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

Cinderella's Castle, December 11, 2010

The day before we left for Anaheim, I spent the day packing and watching Disney commercials on YouTube preparing for a much anticipated trip to Disneyland, Harper's very first.

With each one I found my excitement growing, as I thought of all the time I had spent at Disneyland. My first trip, a consolation prize for moving away from everything I have known for my whole life. I was completely mesmerized.

The night before I graduated from high school, I spent at Disneyland, celebrating graduation, the freedom of college, 4 months of dating with Le Boyfriend (now Le Hubs) and finding my mind straying to the thought of once again leaving home to venture off to somewhere new, scary and exciting.

And then, almost four years ago Le Hubs and I got engaged in front of Cinderella's Castle at Disneyland, California and last week we visited there with our four month old daughter. The legacy continues. We currently have a fund where we are setting aside money to take Harper to Disneyland, Paris for her fifth birthday.

Harper and me with Minnie Mouse

Even now, as an adult, I can't help but find myself swept up in the magic of Disneyland , especially as I watch my little guppy soak in the charm, the music and the lights. You would never believe it is nestled in the the heart of a large So Cal city and just on the other side of the biggest freeway in the state.

1. lights, 2. tiki, 3. balloons, 4. dl2, 5. mask, 6. disneytree

On her first trip at the age of 4 1/2 months Harper was able to experience Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion (which was all decked out for Christmas with the Nightmare Before Christmas stuff), the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, The Jungle Cruise, The Tiki Room, The Golden Horse shoe comedy hour, and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln which was her very favorite. I can already see we have a little human rights campaigner on our hands.

She also tried banana for the first time and met Mickey, Minnie and Pluto.

Best of all, I got to go with my whole family and spend the weekend with my (not so) baby brother. We hadn't been to Disneyland together in years. I think the last time my parents had gone with us, Spencer was nine. He's now nineteen.

The whole Mickey Mouse club.

Minnie and Harper cashed out after two long and awesome days at Disneyland

I would also like to end this magical post with one point. We love Disneyland even though there are some Disney films that we don't feel send very honest messages to modern boys and girls. While I love all the animated classics, when Harper watches movies like Sleeping Beauty, I want her to know that it could just have easily been Princess Aurora sweeping in and saving Prince Charming . I want her to know that being a girl does not equate to being the damsel in distress and I want any potential and theoretical sons to know that women are strong and intelligent. I also want my kids to know that love and families come in all different shapes and sizes and expressions. With that said, the animation on these films is just amazing and I do adore watching them.

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there." -Clement C. Moore

2010-12-19T22:07:00.000-08:00

Harper with (a very stoic) Santa, (almost) 5 months

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.- "Norman Vincent Peale

2010-12-17T23:32:00.000-08:00

We are really gearing up for Christmas, our tree is up. Our lights are strung. Gift buying is in full swing. Gift wrapping is in less than full swing and I'm even thinking of making some cookies tomorrow (which is saying a lot because I am a shite baker). And I love Christmas music, it just makes everything festive. So, I thought I would share some of my holiday spirit, with these, some of my favorites.

"Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire." -Arnold H. Glasow

2010-12-15T13:39:00.000-08:00

Finally, I turned in my final project for fall semester 2010. I have officially completed one year of graduate school. And now I can clean my house, spend some time reading something other than library theory and do some baking.

Winter Break Goals:
Update my 2011 Moleskine Planner: I love updating my planner with all the fun and exciting plans for the upcoming year. It gets me excited to start anew. Plus it gives me this wonderful (but false) sense of organization.

Get Harper's Birth Certificate: We are going on a trip to Colorado in January and in order for Harper to board the plane with need her birth certificate which we need to somehow obtain but I'm not exactly sure where to start on that.

Get my social security card: I lost my social security card. Yep, I'm admitting it (and monitoring my credit) so before I can really start looking for a new job, I need to go and order a new one.

Finish Harper's Bedroom: Harper's "bedroom" has pretty much been in a state of undoneness since she made her early arrival. I want to have it completed by the time school starts for me again in January.

Clean my house: I've been ignoring it for weeks and now it is time to embrace to power of a nice and through deep clean. I'm talking cupboards organized, carpets steam cleaned, having a garage sale kind of cleaning. I can feel the grand purge coming on and it feels so sweet.

Read: And when I say read I mean something enjoyable. Something I pluck from the shelf willingly and sit in a corner with tea and breathe in the words.

Start Harper's Scrapbook: Before Harper was born I had this grand idea that I was going to make her a scrapbook of her first year so that when she was old enough to care, we could give it to her so she could "re-experience" it. Well, I haven't started it yet because...I suck.

Take some pictures: We've been slacking and I can already tell that our photo albums are going to make it look like she grew three inches overnight because there is some unaccounted for time. In addition I've recently been organizing all our pictures and am beginning to realize there are grand gaps where we just never got any of our digital pictures printed up so I am planning on getting all those printed up and into albums.

Bake some bread: I have never done it and want to give it a try. Plus, I love carbs. (Easy recipes for the bread baking novice are welcome)

Blog reconstruction: I am thinking a blog overhaul is in order. First, I am redoing the tags so they are easier to navigate. I'll be setting up the Harper's First series in the left sidebar, offering a new winter button (which can be found below) and I am thinking about having my blog professionally re-designed ( I need recommendations for this, so if you know anyone who is good at doing custom designs, let me know)

"You can hear the footsteps of God when silence reigns in the mind." Sri Sathya Sai Baba

2010-12-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

Found this while going through some picture files on my computer. I love this beautiful little soul.

"Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone." -G.B. Stern

2010-12-05T00:18:00.000-08:00

And the winner of the $35 CSN gift certificate is..

.

Allison who said "I am thankful for my wonderful husband who just passed the bar, and for my ever supportive and loving family." I will be emailing you with details about your gift certificate tomorrow.

To everyone who participated in the giveaway, thank you. I hope to have another one in the very near future.

"Butts are bad because they wash out to sea, and fish smoke them and become nicotine-dependent." - Max

2010-12-03T11:51:00.000-08:00

Mary and Max is the story of what happens when an eight year old girl from Australia and a 44 year old New Yorker with Aspergers Syndrome become unlikely pen pals. Le Hubs tends to pick out really weird, sometimes awful, sometimes awesome stuff to watch off of Netflix and this was one of the kind of awesome ones. I'm not totally in love with how it looks but I do this the chosen medium adds some charm and the story itself is sweet, sad, funny and really quite quirky. There are some surprisingly big names tied to this 2009 Sundance Film Festival opening film. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toni Collette voice Max and Mary, respectively. This one is not for the kiddos. It has some really heavy subject material that adds a lot of depth to the characters. I love seeing an animated movie that was obviously created for an adult audience. The story is honest and the soundtrack is really well done and adds yet another layer to this feature length claymation movie about friendship found in the least likely of places, a phone book.

*For those of you with Netflix, this film is currently available in the "Watch It Now" option.

In related news, I have been inspired to find a pen pal. If anyone is interested in some good old snail mail correspondence please email me at R.BrandtFisher{@}gmail{.}com with your address.

PS: My $35 CSN Givecard giveaway is going on now until tomorrow as 11:59 Pacific time. Please check it out and enter for your chance to win.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

2010-11-27T22:39:00.000-08:00

Harper asleep on Gigi's lap. 4 months.

Sitting here, after three days of surprisingly tasty dairy free Thanksgiving, my child finally asleep after a couple hours of teething and screaming, Iron Chef America in on in the background and I am nothing but thankful. Thankful for my beautiful daughter who turned four months old yesterday and my husband so lovingly rocking said baby as he lulls in and out of his food coma. Thankful for the three dogs curled up on the couch beside me and the family and friends who have gathered here together to celebrate just how much we have to be thankful for this year. For health, for love, for a cute little 50s bungalow to call a roof over our heads.

Another thing I am thankful for this year, is this space and the people who validate it's existence with their feedback and questions. This is you. And as a special thanks to my readers I am hosting a $35 gift card giveaway sponsored by CSN Store that can be used at any of their 200 online stores. The giveaway ends December 4th, 2010 and is open to US and Canadian followers.

"I'll give a little bit of my love to you. There's so much that we need to share. Send a smile and show you care." -Roger Hodgson

2010-11-21T23:13:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, a really awesome lady and photographer who I admire, contacted me (along with a bunch of other camera wielding people all over the globe) and asked us to consider participating in Hugs from Henry.

This is Lucas. Isn't he just adorable? Lucas has down syndrome and was recently hospitalized for a serious , fast- acting respiratory infection that could have taken this little boy from his mama, his father and his sister. In addition to this scary situation, he has to attend physical therapy to help him fight to achieve milestones, such as walking, that often come easily for other children. Because of this his family has incurred a seemingly never ending pile of medical bills.

Henry is Lucas's sock monkey and to help his family diffuse the costs of these medical bills, his sock monkey will be traveling the globe, visiting various photographers. These pictures will then be compiled into a book and proceeds will go to offset the medical bills this sweet sweet little boy has accrued.

If you are interested in participating please click the banner below and it will take you to Faith's blog where you can find out more about the project, Hugs from Henry.

"It's so fluffy, I'm gonna die!" -Agnes

2010-11-15T12:43:00.000-08:00

I didn't have very high expectations when I bought tickets to see Despicable Me. I figured it would be one of those movies where they show all the funny parts in the trailer and the rest of it fails to be very interesting. Man, was I wrong. I loved this movie and am excited to see it will be released on DVD and BluRay on December 14th, which means I can officially put it on my Christmas list this year.

Basically its Daddy Warbucks gone wrong. When Gru, the world's greatest villain, is upstaged by a younger , up and coming villain, he decides that to keep his title he's got to pull off the greatest heist of all time and take the new guy out. His brilliant plan? Use three orphan cookie-selling sisters, Margo, Edith and Agnes. Cue the cute and crazy.

Why I think you should watch it...
1: Its pretty funny, with jokes for the kids and adults (both of which I laugh at)
2:The story is sweet without being gross.
3: Its ascetically interesting.
4: It didn't make me question humanity like Toy Story 3 did.
5: The soundtrack is kind of fun.

Pictures from IMDB

"The weight of the world is love." - Allen Ginsberg

2010-11-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

This awesome tattoo from here.

First, There is that baby weight you gained from eating a well balanced diet of double cheeseburgers and chocolate shakes. You know that 15 (40?) pounds you put on in the nine months you were incubating your child as it went from poppy seed to watermelon.

The weight you gain from eating more fast food meals than you dare to admit, deep fried everything. The twinkies scarfed down in the rare stolen moments between washing another load of laundry( full of a menagerie of things that have only one thing in common, they are covered in baby barf,) and going to make sure your sweet (albeit pukey) child is still sleeping and breathing.

The weight of the dust crushing the once loved treadmill that is drooping under the weight of the “Is This Normal?” baby book collection and laundry and all the imperishable groceries that never made it out of the grocery bag.

The weight of raising the next generation. The one that will try to fix the world our generation has buggered almost to the point of no return before it explodes into an epic ball of fire under the weight of all those pesky greenhouse gases.

The weight of raising a kid who doesn’t turn out to be the next Charles Manson. He had a mom, and she sucked and look how he turned out. Please, please, please don’t replace your family with a murderous cult you then refer to as your family. Or the complete opposite, what if I am an awesome mom, who doesn't screw up my kid enough and then she's not prepared for the harshness of the real world or alternatively she loves me so much that she gets a "Mom" tattoo and contracts hepatitis.

The crushing (question, guilt, heart attack inducing) weight of love. Is she eating enough? Is the back of her head getting flat? Is she stimulated enough? Is she over stimulated? Are the dogs kisses giving her rare parasites? Is that head bob ever going to correct itself? Is it normal for her to cry at the sight of her own reflection? Is she getting enough sleep? Is she sleeping too much? Was that spit up or did that qualify as actually barfing? Is sucking her thumb going to make her teeth funny and then will she need braces and then will other kids make fun of her? Does she know she’s loved? Does she love us? Is it gas or a life-threatening emergency (fart once for gas or twice for emergency!)

Love is a funny thing, especially a mother's love. It qualifies for it's own special level of crazy, overwhelming, scary, wonderful. My daughter, I think, is worth the weight.

PS: I am thinking of getting a tattoo like this one, maybe on the inside of my upper arm.

"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope." Princess Leia

2010-11-10T16:51:00.000-08:00

This is kind of really really amazing.

In other news, I will be hosting my very first giveaway sometime in the future, a $35 gift certificate to any of CSN's stores. They pretty much sell everything from luggage, to shoes, to bathroom cabinets and the winner will be able to spend it any way they choose*

"Think of stretch marks as pregnancy service stripes." -Joyce Armor

2010-11-04T15:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was on a date with my blog reader, trying to catch up on over 1000 missed blog posts (!) when I happened upon this striking beauty. Reading about another woman's pregnancy made me think about the insecurities I struggled with during my own pregnancy, some of which I have resolved and some of which still linger. This is the letter I would have sent to my pregnant self from the future.

38weeks 5days, 10 minutes before leaving for the hospital

Dear Pregnant Rachel,
This is your life. The choices you have made and those that were made for you have led you here, to the cusp of motherhood. Love it or hate it, but embrace it. Be honest, at least with yourself, about how you are feeling.

You will miss being pregnant. No, really. You will miss having le guppy to yourself. You will miss the kicks, that elbow digging into your ribs, the soft hiccups in the middle of the night, when the house is still and the sounds of passing cars and the ceiling fan seem deafening in the quiet. Try to hold onto those stolen moments when things are scary or gross or just plain inconvenient.

Your marriage will survive and thrive. The sweet clumsy first time parenting experience will bring you closer than you have ever been. Your amazing husband will be an amazing father too. I'm talking diaper changing, baby kissing, lullaby singing, baby-wearing dad. You will love him more than you do right now, especially when he takes the baby so you can take a shower.

Harper will be everything you hoped for and more. Beautiful, with big blue eyes and a smile as bright as the sun. A little July firecracker, with a charming, fierce personality from the start. Yes, I said July. She comes early, pack a bag. She is already your greatest achievement. A new soul and a Beatles fan.

You lose all your pregnancy weight and fit back into your jeans a few weeks after Harper arrives. Stop worrying about if you look fat, you do, its part of being pregnant! (and try not to focus on the stretch marks, they are just part of the game). You are going to miss all that wonderful creamy, buttery, delicious dairy in a few short months, so live it up and eat a bowl of ice cream.

Just a few more things. You will be buried under a mountain of laundry but you learn not to care, the first six weeks are really really really hard but they get exponentially better after that. Stick with breastfeeding, you'll get the hang of it. And best of all, the dogs won't eat her.

Love, your postpartum self

"Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote"- George Jean Nathan

2010-11-02T05:11:00.000-07:00

Credit: Vote

Reasons Why Voting is Awesome.
1: Nothing is more patriotic than voting. Demanding the best of your government on every level from local to federal is democracy (or in our case a Democratic Republic) at work!
2: Its a way for you to tell your representative what you want to see change or stay the same in your community, city, state, and country!
3:You get a sticker!

How to Vote:

Voting Resources
Polling Place Finder
Rock the Vote
Voting Information By State
Register to Vote (for those of you who missed out on this election)

Get educated and Go vote! The public service announcement was approved by me, Rachel. :]

"I saw old Autumn in the misty morn stand shadowless like silence, listening to silence" -Thomas Hood

2010-10-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Great Pumpkin,
I am looking forward to your arrival on Halloween Night. I hope you will bring me lots of presents. You must get discouraged because more people believe in Santa Claus than in you. Well, let's face it; Santa Claus has had more publicity, but being #2, perhaps you try harder. A lot of people say you're a fake, but I believe in you. P.S: If you are a fake, please don't tell me. I don't wanna know. -Linus Van Pelt

We are watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and smelling our pumpkin spice candles and eating...(soy) cheeseburgers...well cheese is orange, so it sort of fits the theme(?) And our itty bitty is celebrating her first Halloween. She's all ready!We went to a pumpkin patch a couple of weekends ago and she loved it! Proof....

And speaking of fall, well,I finally got around to making a blog button and its fall themed seeing as its oh so beautiful in San Diego. I'm thinking of making a new one for every season. Anyway, if you would be obliged to take it and put it up on your blog or website feel free to do so.

"Good evening, and welcome to Monsterpiece Theater." -Alastair Cookie

2010-10-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

There are so many reasons to love Sesame Street. Here are five of them. I can't wait until my little guppy is old enough to learn and laugh with all my favorite monsters.

"It could be, it might be, It is! A home run!" - Harry Caray

2010-10-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

The littlest Cubs fan cashed out after an exciting game.

A few weeks back(on September 29th) we took Harper to her very first Chicago Cubs game on . Unfortunately we were unable to make this happen at the ever charming Wrigley Field in Chicago but none-the-less it was fun.

And since we were in San Diego, our friends Michael and Matt were able to go with us. They are Padres fans and thus we were victims of some friendly rivalry and gloating when the Padres were victorious.

I wore my red chucks in support of my dearest Cubbies but unfortunately it wasn't enough. They lost 3-0 but played a pretty good game. Next season is going to be our season.

Look how happy we are. Cubs fans know how to enjoy a good baseball game, no matter the outcome. If we based our happiness on the Cubs winning, well more than one of us would have jumped off the Sears Tower by now. (Side note: Guy is an Angels fan but we still love him).

Watching the game

Guy trying to feed Harper a Kosher Dog. She wasn't interested.

"For a long time I thought I wanted to be a nun. Then I realized that what I really wanted to be was a lesbian" -Mabel Maney

2010-10-12T00:09:00.000-07:00

In light of the truly tragic slew of gay suicides a really cool video project called "It Gets Better" has emerged to offer encouragement and support to members of the LGBT community. Here are a few of my favorites. Check them out! Make your own? Show your support for those gay individuals who are struggling to accept themselves and embrace life and love their own way. I hope someday we can all learn to consider diversity an assent instead of an issue but until then I hope these videos spread awareness and hope. If you are a member of the LGBT community and need help there are people who will listen. Check out the Trevor Project. They have a 24 hour toll free anonymous hot line (1-800-4U-TREVOR) where someone is waiting to talk to you and help you in any way possible. Hell, send me an email {R.BrandtFisher@gmail.com} if you need someone to talk to. There are people out there who will love you, all of you, just how you are.

And this one, well its just funny.

PS: So happy to see this project getting some regonition Check out the White House blog post about it!

"O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention". William Shakespeare

2010-09-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

1:Week 3 Day 3 2:Scud? 3:Alone 4:This is My Story. 5:Barn Latch 6:IMG_9507-Edit 7:Driving Under the Eiffel Tower 8:Laugh 9:We're a Happy Family 10:Barn Engagement 11: Empty Moments 12:Bug 13: Jack

These are just some of the photographs that inspire me to continue taking pictures.

“ Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow. – Imogen Cunningham

2010-09-26T09:43:00.000-07:00

The more pictures I take (even the often time bad ones) the deeper I get into photography. I love the idea of it, how a photographer can look at the world through the camera lens, the lens in their eye and the lens of the mind to manipulate what is there in order to convey something And with that comes of course the want list. These are the items I'm drooling over right now.

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Beautiful Green Damask Camera Strap Cover and matching lens cap holder.

Canon 50mm f/1.8 II Lens

Expressive Photography

Canon Brand Battery

Epiphanie Camera bag : Belle

About 5 SanDisk Extreme III 4gig cards

Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 SP XR ZL Di LD Aspherical (IF) for Canon

Canon 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens