If I could sew...

I would LOVE to make this cute onesie for my Levi!

Does anyone who knows their way around a sewing machine care to teach me?! ;)

Have a great Monday!



oh, and a happy 10 MONTH birthday (one day late) to my sweet boy!



Sheer Genius

So I got myself a sheer black maxi skirt from Urban Outfitters a few months ago, and have only worn it ONCE! I daydream about it all the time, but for some reason I'm always stumped as to what to wear with it, and I don't know why. Picking out a top and shoes to pair it with is my little speedbump. I don't know why it stumps me so much, but it does. I think because I'm so tall and the skirt hits kind of right above my ankles, so it's not-quite-a-maxi, yet not-quite-a-midi skirt, so shoes are a big toughie. Also, it is not as flowy (or SHEER!) as I would prefer. Hmm. I've worn it as a tube dress a few times, with a mini skirt and a black bandeau and a belt, and it was pretty cute, but I'd rather try to wear it the way it's meant to be worn.

 Anywho, I love what other girls do with theirs, so I'm trying to draw some inspiration from out there on the ol' Interweb. Do you like this trend? Have any styling suggestions for me?



images via weheartit.com and stylesight



Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

I love that quote. And i love this song! I used to play it for Levi when he was a newborn and dance to it with him in my arms, but I haven't done that for a while now.  As soon as he wakes up from his nap, you can bet we'll both be swaying to it in the living room. :)

Ohhh guys, I really suck. I keep telling you (and myself) that I'm going to blog more often, and it never happens. So I'm sorry. Finding time to sit down for more than 5 minutes at a time is quite a task now that Levi is crawling/standing/putting everything in sight into his mouth. I have to watch that kid like a hawk. And if you are asking yourself why I don't just plop him into a playpen or excersaucer every once in a while, let me tell you, this kid hates, HATES being confined. He is an explorer. His energy knows no bounds. He has completely abandoned the idea of toys and refuses to play with anything that is specifically made for a baby...instead he sets his sights on pretty much everything that I don't want him getting into - read: my phone, electric cords, stray crumbs, leaves from the patio, magazines, and well, pretty much anything and everything he can get his hands on.

Soooo, that is my (lame) excuse. I realized that my blog was starting to become more of a chore than an enjoyment, which is why I kind of let it fizzle out a bit. I was stressing about boring my little group of readers, when I know I should just write for the pure enjoyment of it. Being a mom really takes a lot out of you sometimes. I believe it is (or at least it should be) the most selfless job a woman can have, but that's not to say that moms should lose themselves completely in motherhood. Lately I've found myself starting to do just that. Sure, I hang out with friends and go fun places, but it's almost always with Levi attached to my hip. I've been lazy about cultivating my own interests. I can't even remember the last time I finished a book that wasn't about babies or parenting. So my point is, this little blog is MY own space. A space for my thoughts, rants, photos, inspirations, and a marker of memories. And yes, Levi is and will continue to be a HUGE part of it! I'll write in it when I want to, when I feel the urge to, and if other people read it and like it, great!

So with that, I will leave you with these recent pictures of my sweet, adorable, energetic, and wildy entertaining little boy, who will be 10 months old in a matter of days!!:

sorry about the quality of these, mostly all of my pictures happen on my iphone these days...

Oh, and for those of you that do actually follow or read my blog, a sincere thank you! :)



Warning: Baby on the Move!!

So last time I updated, I told you that Levi was on the verge of crawling. Well, about 2 days after I wrote that, the inevitable happened: he totally crawled!! It was so cute and so exciting, and it's all just going lightspeed from there. He is the fastest little monkey there is, zipping from one end of the room to the other before you can blink. And the fun doesn't stop there....'cause he STANDS too. Well, he pulls himself up to a stand with the help of anything he can find - a box, a chair, mom's leg, and the most cringe inducing; the coffee table. And he's also discovered the sure-fire way to melt my heart: he stands in his crib (which we've had to lower considerably) looking between the slats like a mopey li'l jailbird when I try to put him down for a nap.

Although he is getting into a lot more mischief these days, he is getting really, REALLY fun too. His little personality just kills me. He has the funniest sense of humor and will crack up at the silliest things. How did I ever live without this little guy in my life?!

Worst Blogger Award

...goes to me.


Sorry for the absence lately, for some unexplained reason I haven't really been in the mood to blog recently. But, I like the fact that I am able to chronicle Levi's little life and also have some "mommy time" to vent when I need to, so back to blogging I go!

So let's re-cap our past few absent weeks, shall we?


A few Sundays ago, Clay, Levi, and I went to the farmer's market at the Great Park in Irvine. We got some tacos from one of the many food carts, lounged in the sun for a bit, and bought a bunch of fruits and veggies from local farmers. I also got a little handmade diaper bag (that I probably didn't really need) from a cute lady who was vending her creations. It was a nice way to spend the day!

We also had a pool day with our friends Katie and Rob one sunny weekend, and Levi was the bestttt little baby (mostly because he slept half the time)...it was nice to get some sun and relax, although unfortunately  the unheated pool meant that  this baby would not be swimming. Yeah I know, I'm a wuss.

In other news, Levi turned a great big 7 months old on April 24th!! I can't believe how time is flying. He has...count 'em...FOUR teeth already (and he totally inherited Dad's gap...I love it!), and is just on the verge of finally crawling. As of now he gets on all fours and rocks, or he does a little army-man type scoot, or he just rolls to get around. He gets so frustrated because he is so close to making his arms and legs work together to crawl, but he ends up getting tired and collapses. Poor guy. He'll get there soon enough! Even though it will be fun to see him crawl, with the amount of mischief he tends to get into already I can only imagine how life will be once he is truly mobile. Oh. Dear.

A couple of weeks ago was Levi's first Easter! He got a little Easter basket from Grandma with some new shoes in it. We are bad parents and didn't make him a basket, mostly because the last thing we need around here is more baby crap and also because I'm lazy  I know he has no idea what is going on anyway. However, I do kind of regret not taking him to get Easter Bunny photos, because I think this year we could've gotten a good one. He is at a stage where he isn't scared of strangers yet, and  happens to looove stuffed animals...so a strange, giant stuffed bunny?! He would've loved it! Oh well. Here's hoping things go well next year.

And one last little update, this precious video. He's been starting to notice animals more and more, and dogs seem to be the object of his fascination. Clay makes barking noises and Levi cracks up. They were laying in bed one morning when I heard giggling from the other room, so I snuck in and videoed the cuteness.

That's it for now, and I'll try to be a better blogger!

With a Grain of Salt

Hi guys - sorry for not posting for so long. I haven't really been in the mood to write lately for some reason, so I decided to take a little blogging break. But I'm back!


A few days ago I had the idea to make sea-salted caramels. So that's just what I did! They were pretty delicious, however, making candy is slightly harder than I realized, only because timing is everything.  The caramelized sugar can easily burn. I'd like to think that these caramels were my practice run, and next time they'll be perfect.

Here's what I did wrong, so you can learn from my rookie mistakes:

- Um, first mistake? I used salted butter instead of unsalted, so the caramels turned out a tad bit too salty. What a dummy.  Cooking 101: Make sure you *read* the ingredient list carefully. :/  

- Second mistake? I was so worried about not burning the sugar that I don't think I cooked it long enough...which isn't so bad, but the caramels turned out a little more gooey than they were supposed to be.  I didn't have a candy thermometer, so I was just eyeballing it.  Again, this didn't affect the taste, but still - you want a firm caramel!

I followed this recipe by Ina Garten, even though generally I can't stand watching her show on the Food Network because she is so damn boring and has no personality. Sorry, but it's kinda true, right?

An attempted close-up shot.....the macro setting failed me.

Ta-Da! The finished product.

P.S. I know that in my last recipe post I said that I would take pictures of the whole cooking process on my next recipe post, but I was too stressed to worry about snapping pictures. I apologize!


Because they were overly salty, I ended up dipping the caramels in milk chocolate to counteract the saltiness, which rendered them perfecto!! Actually, I would venture to say that if you intend to dip them in chocolate or mix them in with cookie dough or whatever, you could even get away with just making them like I did with salted butter. It was the perfect salty/sweet combo!