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In the form of French Meringues. Yum. Oui Oui. Merci Beaucoup. Magnifique.  I made some of these last week for a baby shower and decided to make some heart-shaped ones in honor of the upcoming Valentines Day. You know, because things taste better when they are heart-shaped. And meringues, they are so fluffy and good. All you need are 2 ingredients: egg whites & suga' sug.


 

Chris' subscription to Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion has come to an end. I AM SO BUMMED OUT. I so looked forward to each and every issue of that magazine. And to you, "R. Fontaine" (if that's even your real name) while you may be 'delighted' to send me more Martha, all I really want is more Mary. Boo. The only thing that's bringing me the least bit of comfort are these:

 Gah. How about this guy:

Henry & Kate's room, finally finished. You like? I WISH! I'm needing some major inspiration for Henry's room and I'm completely ga-ga over this one. Especially that mini-bed on the right. It makes my heart hurt it's so good. Henry & Kate will be sharing a room in no time, and I really don't want to do anything that's gender specific. This room is amazing, no? Except the dream catcher thingy. I can do without that and the gigantic yellow M&M chair. Did you see the Mark Ruffalo layout in the new issue of Domino?  Here is their kids room:

 No, seriously. Its TRUE

The new valentine line at Target.  I'm going to have to buy the rest in shifts. My absolute favorite:

 These beauties are going to look great with my Decole, Just thought you might like to know.

Jumper's for Kate. 1 of 2. In general I tend to not sew for babies under 1. I think they should live in soft cottony, comfy pajama-type clothes. Plus, they grow out of clothes so fast. Anyway this here jumper is a size 12 months, so I'm hoping to get some mileage out of it. It is a soft, light-weight corduroy. I love this fabric. The acorns…gah. To die for. From Joann. And those vintage hangers? I found them in Utah in the Fall. All 6 for .49 cents. And then there was this little get-up, too:

I did make 2 pair of pajama bottoms for Henry. They were SO SHORT. I don't know what I was thinking…. AND can you believe the night I pulled the pattern out to make said pants, the pattern piece was missing. The one piece I needed. Who does that? Who cut's out the piece they need and then returns it? What else? Oh an apron for my sister:
I think it's one of my all-time favorites. I had the hardest time trying to pair something with that wonderful Anna Maria Horner red print, but I think the black works.

I'm off to Target for some retail therapy. I saw something there the other night that I have not been able to stop dreaming about.

Earlier this week while sitting atop the over-sized rubber hot dog at our local mall, I was teaching Henry all about life's little important lessons. Just minutes earlier, we witnessed two small girls playing  together. A third girl came up and asked, "Can I play with you?" The girls looked at each other, thought it over turned to her and said, "No!" and ran off. The little girl burst into tears and started sobbing. Her Mother came over, "What's the matter?" "They wouldn't play with me," she says. And the very wise and bold Mother said, "So what?? Who cares??"  Brilliant I'm thinking. I should be more like that. I am the one who thinks everyone should play together and be nice to each other. Henry asks why the girl is crying. We talk it over. He want's to hear the story again. "She is crying because those girls wouldn't play with her. That wasn't the right or the nice thing to do, was it?" He agree's. Henry is my very sensitive one. He IS my little Charlie Brown. In every single way. Deep down I knew that could have been him. That one day it probably would be him. But he got it. He GOT it.

Minutes later, the little girl runs up to him.

'This is your moment! This is your time to make the right decision!' I'm on the verge of busting with pride.

"Do you want to play with me?" the little girl asks Him.

…..waiting

…..waiting

…..waiting

and then it happens….

Henry throws his head back as far as it will go, tongue slightly sticking out, eyes rolling back in his head and let's out a long "aaaahhhhhh"

Translation= he would rather DIE than play with the little girl.

(Side note: This is the same reaction he had when opening a christmas package from Grandma that contained 4 pair of pants. Refusing to say 'thank you,' he later admitted that 'he shouldn't have to say thank you for gifts that are boring'.)

I don't believe it. What happened to our talk? Our talk that we had not 5 minutes prior. Had he already forgotten about the giant over-sized hot dog? The relish? The mustard?

I assure him it will be so fun. "Let's play tag!" The little girl says.  Tag's him and off he runs. 

Take home message: don't underestimate the power of conversations on an over-sized hot dog.

Last night at Grammies. The boys on the roof, picking avocados from her tree at dusk. And now, I have about 2 dozen. I'm such a lucky duck.

My Dad told me that I used to eat at least one of these a day. We had 2 avocado tree's. One in the front of the house, one in the back. I actually drove by our old house in Whittier. Wanna see it? The house with the avocado tree's? Okay…
I LOVE this house. I miss this house so much. The picket fence and green trim are new. But last time I was there I noticed they cut down the avocado tree!  The horror! Michal, I drove by your old house, too which holds just as many wonderful memories for me. So anyway, I've got avocado's coming out the wazoo. My Dad froze guacamole and it turned out pretty good. I'll have to get online to find some good recipes and definitely puree and freeze some for Kate.
Totally unrelated: new flats and wide leg pants are making me very happy today.

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There were many of you who wanted to donated to the last Etsy sale for Nie Nie. If you are still interested in donating an item to help raise funds for the Nielsons, please contact Jenny @ jennyeckton@gmail.com. She is currently accepting donations for this.

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The 2009 Intestinal Parasite weight-loss program was in full swing this past weekend. You guys. You guys…I can't believe I lived to tell the tale.  My mother-in-law called today to make sure we were all okay because there have been no updates here. There have been personal, heartbreaking things this week which have kept me from this space so there is not a lot to share. But I can tell you what is making me happy:

My paper whites. I planted them a week too late this year and they hadn't bloomed in time for Christmas, but just in time for our trip home. Utah was good, too. Henry was over the moon about the snow: Which resulted in his first ever snowman:
It was a wonderful trip and we are happy to be home. I'll post more soon. I do have all those Christmas handmades I've been wanting to show off!

xo