sharing stories while rummaging through old clothes

What started out as Spring cleaning over the spring break week - you know, hang up bright Spring colors to liven up the place from winter.... has actually turned into a colossal cleaning - so much so that we've actually looked at the possibility of moving! Have we really outgrown our space? It's hard to believe that's the case. And I don't think it is. What is however, is letting go.

In consigning some of the children's Spring clothing from last year, Ava stumbled upon some of her favorite dresses. She grabbed onto these tightly and made a pretending "wailing" noise.

Then Noah clued in and pulled one out right from under her and ran, teasing her, "Ava... look what I've got?"...

Ava was so funny about it. She turned and ran right after him. As soon as she got one dress, Noah picked up another favorite. What was a huge draining experience, cleaning, hanging, ticketing, and pinning the clothes for the consignment sale, actually turned into a little bit of whimsical fun. The kids chased each other round the dinner table, hid among piles of clothes, and in between breaks, asked, "Mom. Did I wear this when I was a baby?"

And so the stories were shared. Needless to stay, another storage bin has been filled with items the kids (and I) couldn't part with. In fact, I ended up consigning Ava's first birthday dress and regretted it. I went to the sale and lucky me, it was still there! When Ava asked me about the dress, I told her I was saving it for.  

Ava said, "that's so nice of you to save it for my daughter." 

{sighing}....

lambs... and lions... oh my!

An easy lamb/lion double-mask the kids will flip over. Plus it took less than 10 minutes. Details and photos on Creative Crafting. 

anniversary weekend

In deciding what and how to spend our anniversary weekend, we went through a gamut of ideas - from soaking somewhere on an exotic beach far away, to a last minute weekend deal to another city out of state. But when it came down to the last hour to decide, we felt there was just enough time to celebrate just being us, here at home. Although Aaron started his new job, he was able to take Friday off, so that we could head out to the Dallas Arboretum for a picnic lunch. Little did we know that the entire city had the same idea - it was packed! And in typical Texas fashion - it turned out to be a very hot day! Still, we were mesmerized by the abundance of color, welcoming Spring. 

Right now, the arboretum is hosting a special fairytale castles display - fitting so perfectly with the celebrated theme of the weekend {smiling}. The Beauty and the Beast castle was our favorite...

Because they could do this...

After lunch, the kids set out to look for butterflies...

Got some!

And we can't ever leave the arboretum without cooling off by the frogs. 

And running barefoot through the grass...

After the picnic, we dropped the kids off with Grandma, and Aaron and I "escaped" for some pampering and dinner, and then a quick road trip to East Texas' Gladewater and then down south to Roundtop {population 90} for antique shopping. I know what you're thinking - population 90? But actually, this is antique week, where more than 100,000 travelers come here to sell, shop, and well, wear their cowboy boots and have a good 'ol time. I wish I took photos of this - but alas, Aaron and I had too much fun rummaging through history, talking to people, and sipping margaritas under the warm sun.

Thanks everyone for all the love and sweet sentiments from last week's anniversary post! We are touched by each and everyone of you!! 

a love story

When I was a little girl, I was into ant farms, chasing ice cream trucks, and collecting stickers. It wasn't until college before I started dreaming about prince charming {sparked mostly when I'd procrastinate studying at the library}. And because life seems to swivel faster with each year, I decided {and secretly hoped} that fate would bring him to me. Maybe I'd rear-end him with my car, and fall instantly in love... or we'd bump shopping carts in the grocery store.. {you get the idea}. For someone who is always chasing time, I was certain that the love-at-first-sight scenario was the most efficient approach to this entire matter. I really believed in this. I had to, there were so many other important things to do... like graduating.

I transferred to a state school, where among 35 thousand, I felt small, bright-eyed, and comfortable. I was walking slowly across campus one day, with my nose stuck in my history book, when out of nowhere someone in a black shirt appears right in front of me. I stop, annoyed for a sec and about to say, "excuse me," when suddenly I feel a gust of butterflies in my stomach. My knees felt weak when I realized, he wasn't a stranger at all. He was the humble, charmingly witty {to an eleven yr old}, dirty-blonde haired boy from my 6th grade Science class, standing tall, dark and handsome right before me. I thought the butterflies were because I had found an old friend. But a few weeks later, on March 25th, 1998, we went out on our first date. We both went home that night, and knew. Our fairytale was just beginning...

Three years later, on this day, Aaron and I tied the knot before God and our loved ones.

Little did we know about the amount of work that goes into a marriage... preparing and planning for the future together - All we knew on this day was that this is the hand we will be holding, long past we are old and gray - rocking on the front porch, waiting for the great grand-kids to come over. And that image still gives me butterflies.

The image in my head - not this one {Aaron PhotoShopped us into this pic back in '04}. It makes me laugh.

 

We've been saying it all week - "I can't believe its been 10 years... really?" No! The laugh lines on our face confirm this to be true. I went through some of our old pictures today {spring cleaning still..} and there were so many journeys from this past decade - globe trotting to more than 50 cities, two home renovations, and our own new lives as parents to two amazing children.

I am so blessed to be walking this earth with you Aaron, holding my hand. Happy 10th Anniversary...

... you still give me butterflies....

nowrouz 2011 celebrated

Happy Nowrouz! This past Sunday, we celebrated Nowrouz, which literally translates to "New Light" - and is a Persian holiday commemorating the first day of Spring/birth of new life/and New Year! I personally enjoy recognizing "New Year" on this day instead of the cold of January - because it really does feel like a new beginning today. I've started "spring cleaning" around the house {still a work in progress} which is also a customary thing to do in preparation - as well as giving each other gifts, buying new clothes, and visiting relatives and friends. 

Traditionally, I remember from my childhood sitting up late at night and peeling dried fruits for the Haft Mēwa or "Seven Fruits" dish we would make with pistachios, almonds, walnuts, raisins, and so on. But since my nephew is allergic to nuts, we skipped this and instead jumped into more child/spring friendly activities associated with this time of year... yep, an egg hunt, coloring, and confetti bash...

For their gift baskets this year, I went with an earthy/Spring theme, and found some garden gloves, shovels, rakes, and books about earth day... Fancy Nancy Every Day is Earth Day for Ava and Noah got a younger version called I'm Not Too Little To Help The Earth, with moving tabs and sensory pages.

When we got home, we took advantage of what was left of the daylight, and started planting our new "garden." The kids picked out plants from the nursery {tomatoes, strawberries, lemons} and Aaron and I added green onion seeds {these grow great in this climate} and cilantro {a salad staple}.

As they sowed their seeds into the dirt, we talked about the delicate process and patience it takes to bring them to life. Just as the New Year - today - marks a new beginning, so too does the deepening understanding that no matter where we are in our lives, we should take great care with what we are given - be responsible and respectful of ourselves, our environments, and most graciously, of time...

st. paddy's day treasure hunt

Lucky for me, the kids slept in on Thursday. I wanted to do some of the activities I had suggested in my SavvySource article yesterday, so I spent some time searching for a scavenger hunt idea and came across this DIY St. Patty's Day treasure hunt post. Lucky for me (again) there were downloadable files pre-written with fun limerick clues. And well, one thing led to another - where I ended up in the art room, watching a how-to-video on YT on making four-leaf clovers, cutting and whip stitching "pot of gold" goody bags out of felt using the one-minute craft blog idea {which actually took closer to an hour} because you know me, I had to improvise... and well, I think the kids had fun...

First clue... in a shoe...

2nd clue... where you keep your hands warm...

3rd clue... under a plate...

Ava and Noah loved the treasure hunt - it's such a thrilling momentum for them. We'll be doing another one this weekend for our New Year holiday on Sunday {can't wait!} Noah ended up wearing his pot of gold around his neck {since he had to eat breakfast first}. After some clean up, we went into the backyard and what's this?

Could it really be shamrocks peeking through from the cracks? {Why is it that I never noticed these before today?} Needless to say, we're now hunting for four-leaf clovers...

eating sweet rainbows

It's been a fantastic week so far - Aaron started a new job this week, and I've trimmed the WAHM office hours.... freeing up more time to do - well, more of this... 


Where the little leprechauns and I made rainbows of our own - in cupcakes! To help celebrate St. Patrick's Day tomorrow...


The process took about an hour, was messy, and felt like an experiment as they learned to mix colors to make new ones. I would highly recommend making these sweet rainbows for St. Patrick's Day - or any day - when you want to spread some rainbows...





After mixing the white cake-mix, we split the batter into 6 small bowls. {Approx a little less than 1 cp each}. Then using red dye, we added a few drops into the first bowl...





Noah skipped over to green...





We mixed until we got the right shade of each. Surprisingly, it took a lot of dye for each.





And there you have it... Ava knew how to make the orange and purple batter - and they all turned out... well, like the rainbow!





Here is the tricky {and messy} part - adding spoonfuls to the cupcake holders. 






I did the first one {bottom right corner} and quickly realized I didn't have any room to add the purple. So less than a tablespoon each worked.





The kids agreed - because that meant a little bit of rainbow batter would be left for them...





25 minutes later, our rainbow cupcakes popped out of the oven.





And were topped with vanilla icing and colorful confetti - yum!





For more St. Paddy's day ideas - visit me at SavvySource!