Monday, March 26, 2012

Bunny Shots

"I promise honey, if you wear your handsomes, I will bring your Jayhawks and change you as soon as we're done," I promised, thinking to myself if this was any indication on how easily the photo shoot was going to go, we might as well save some high-dollar gas and call it a lazy Saturday.

But alas, Mom picked the hard battle. But look, it was totally worth it!:



How Jordan Photography scored these great shots between wrestling matches, coercing out of the corner, conversations regarding poo and mini meltdowns, I'll never know. In fact, after I mandated a removal of grandparents and myself to help make it all happen, I swear I only saw two flashes. Props to that fabulous Jovi gal who is some kind of pre-school whisperer...

And to answer the first three questions I'm immediately asked: a) no, the bunnies didn't poop during the scene, nor were they skittish or biting b) I was intrigued by the subject line of an email "The bunnies are coming!" to open the communication and immediately secure a spot (so keep this in mind should you need something from a big client soon) c) yes darling girls the same age as little dude arrived in matching Easter tutus, monogrammed baskets and patten shoes and perfectly posed with a bunny tucked beneath their chins.

But alas, he's my honey. My honey bunny. Who I'm pumped took some shots that are sunny.

Happy early Easter all!

Apologies for the poor quality of photos; note these are pics of Jordan Photography pics. If you can't find me near Easter, check the slammer, not the bunny slopes...

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

LB...J?


“Honey, I know you’re disappointed, but Mama didn’t get to the laundry after MIDNIGHT last night,” I explained to my two-and-a-half year old as he burst into tears at the announcement that his go-to uniform was unavailable. I had kinda been hoping I could go into more detail about how it was the fourth night in a row I’d worked past 11:00 p.m., that he’s worn the damn Jayhawk jersey and matching shorts for gah knows how many days of 70-degree weather that the thing was practically standing up in the corner of the room on its own and that sympathy and understanding would be his response…

But yah, not so much.

You see, these days there’s not much that matters outside of the fact if the Jayhawk jersey and shorts are available for wear. Forget the elections, the turmoil of Afghanistan or the fact that people are losing their jobs. This little dude wants to know the status on the KU gear!

Given as a gift to inspire to inspire Jayhawk love from Nana, one would have never suspected that this little two-piece, size 3T ensem would quickly become the reason for our own full on war, peace negotiations and treaty talks in our own home. And the larger party, aka Mom and Dad? Not winning.

He’s worn the damn thing every day for nearly 6 weeks now.

Good-bye Baby GAP, hello Adidas and Nike.

To boot, it’s imperative that “strong socks” accompany the jersey and shorts, along with his trusty pair of “snow boots,” because, as any good alumni should know, this is what the Jayhawks wear. 24/7. In all weather. Trust me, to convince him of anything different makes for a three-day charade of win-him-back-so-he’ll-at-least-sleep-or-eat shenanigans.

So sleeveless, in shorts, with hiked up socks and snow boots it is. Because this battle? So not worth the fight.

I hear Baby GAP went out at the mall anyway.

LBJ (Little Blue Jersey)…the new LBD.

In Living Color

It's spring...so why not?!





So stop. Smell the flowers. And make sure you do it with cute nails, bright lips and moisturized, sweet-smelling hands!

Featured: 1) OPI's "Fly 2) Essie's "Orange, It's Obvious" 3) OPI's "Dutch'ya Love OPI?" 4) Loreal's "Fearlessly Fuschia" lipstick (read on Sheridan French) 5) Burt's Bees Gud lotion (read on Style Scout)

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Happy St. Pat's!

May your day be filled with a little of this:

And a whole lot of this:



Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Image courtesy of recipes.com

Sunday, March 11, 2012

When Planets Attack...


“Isn’t it awesome buddy?! An entire solar system just for you!” I said gleefully, just waiting for the charm and excitement to catch on.

And caught on it did as he paced with anticipation at the bottom of the three-foot ladder, asking question on top of question as we tried desperately to remember which planet was what with the intent to provide a bit of education on top of décor.

Throughout the day we would visit it, watching as the planets dangled lightly at the end of their strings, perfectly accenting his bedding, chair, rug and more and included one of his favorite things: the moon. So imagine the surprise when I heard this:

“Ehhh – ahhhhh – uuummmmm – Mommy? Daddy? Anybody out there?”

Tiptoeing my way near his doorway and avoiding all the crickety cracks of our aging floors, I listened quietly nearby, thinking he was a bit anxious about me turning around for another business trip. But instead I hear a bit of stress, angst and mumbling echoing through the small crack beneath the doorway.

Deciding to go in and check out what was up with this abnormal behavior, I see he’s relieved to see me and he instantly shared:

“THE ORNAMENTS WERE DRIPPING ON ME!!!”

Toddler/pre-schooler mobile? Fail.

It was scaring the crap out of him.

The hubs immediately removed and dug through the trash to find the box and millions of plastic bags for each planet as I attempted to calm our sock, rocking him gently as he spent the next 48 minutes obsessing over the fact that Mars, Jupiter and likely that damn Pluto were trying to attack him in the night. Finally, his eyes began to fade, his lovey tucked by his side, but not before he whispered:

“Promise Mommy will take it back to the store…not here?”

Promise, little buddy. Promise.

I hope Pottery Barn Kids offers store credits…

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Photo Shoots

Our party of three has two photo shoots coming up, which I'm over the moon about as we've never non-posed for a family photo. First there's this:

Seriously?! Cute baby bunnies with an even cuter two-year old? Yes please. And so much more convincing than sticking the little dude in front of a pink, worn, tired old man in a bunny suit that has eyes that you'll likely see in both of your nightmares later that evening.

Next up will be these, a gift from my husband for my birthday - a wish come true!

So what if I've put on a few pounds, that's what Photoshop is for, right?

Note to self: ask photographer if she Photoshops...

We're so looking forward to displaying these around our home...they're likely the best part of our upcoming renovations! And maybe we'll finally quit getting questions about that nice African American family that is smiling so bright in the frame in our son's room...

Can I Get My Own Country Song Now?

I know, I know – it’s not cool or even PC to b*tch on social media platforms, especially when you’re a middle-class gal living in Johnson County, employed, with an outstanding family and a circle of friends one only dreams of. But once in a blue moon, I find myself feeling a bit like this:

Climbing mountains that pop up in every direction one looks, scaling one after the next, teetering on one, hopping over to another and at some point, just crashing and burning from fatigue.

Don’t get me wrong: most of it I do to myself. Working extended hours that likely don’t provide much of a return, filling the weekends with social activities in a desperate push to balance life outside of iPhones and travel, playing 15 hours of basketball each week in an effort to stay connected with my busy two-year old and ignoring a house that continues to pile with pet hair and dishes as the hours fly by. Since mid-January, there are only six nights I haven’t picked work up again at 9 p.m., three weeks the hubs and I have actually been in the same city, two health scares, four new people we love with cancer, a flat tire, expensive house repairs and a chronically ill hubs who seem to be having a helluva a time recovering from not serious but debilitating virus symptoms.

All this has led to this:

Instead of stopping, reassessing, slowing down and taking care of myself so that I can take care of those I love, I’m instead opting to shove half a cheese pizza and donuts in my mouth each week. Not to mention the sodas, Twix from my office candy jar and anything I can think of that provides that bit of a bandaid in the moment. Because right now? I’m just not buying that whole “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” saying.

Though my super cute red dress disagrees…

Don’t worry...I anticipate the cheery, normal gal will be back soon. And in the meantime I’ll keep scribbling down my daily gratitudes, reading the gracious emails you all send and delighting in each moment because even the tough ones are amazing and trying to choose walnuts over Whoppers.

So what about you? How do you cope when life throws you a few curveballs and you’re not your best self? How do you gain back perspective? Ok, and energy…

Because it’s one a.m. and there are no Oreos in the house and Taco Bell is just too far out of my way right now, so there goes my current strategic plan…

Singin' the ABCs

Admittedly, I’ve been watching Idol here and there, generally between the hours of midnight and 2 a.m. when I dance with the devil called insomnia. My votes so far? That HeeJun should be my roommate, that I wish I had the innocence/cuteness of Shannon and that Jessica Sanchez is straight up uh-mazing. I’m sure I had other thoughts outside of that, but alas it’s nearing one a.m. again and well, they just seem to clutter yet speak more loudly at this witching hour.

That said, you know that ol’ phrase that a voice is so good it would sound remarkable singing the ABCs? I found two people that I really enjoy hearing do just this:















There’s just no sweeter sound than that of your own child busting out in song, facial expressions and all.

And India? She just has killer biceps and skin. Ok, and a voice that brings you to a happy place.

With these two…I’ll sit in the audience. Even if it is just for the ABCs.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Stop and Smell the Centifolias


"Hi, yah...I'm looking for a scent you sell that's French or something? And maybe has a name of a foreign city?" I relay to the gal at Anthropologie via telephone, who likely shared my sentiment that a geography lesson was needed in my future.

"Florence by Tocca? Yes, that's it!" I said with glee, then go on to ask the inappropriate question of whether it's sold anywhere else other than her store. Luckily the lights of Sephora shined over my head like the light bulb that went off that begged me to take an extra minute to see if it was sold there.

Alas, it was. A scent so delicious, unique, modern and romantic it just had to be mine...even after more than a decade of compliments due to Burberry Brit. You'll see why when you sniff what's in it: "Florence is scented with the sophisticated essence of the old European garden rose known as Centifolias or "cabbage" rose. Bred in the 16th and 17th centuries by the Dutch, Centifolias are noted for their highly fragrant blossoms. In the Florence collection, Tocca combines this delicate flower with iris root to anchor the scent. Notes: Italian Bergamot, Grapefruit Leaves, Green Pear, Apple Cocktail, Ivory Gardenia, Crushed Violet Petals, Jasmine, Tuberose, Blue Iris, Blonde Wood, White Musk.

Style:Sophisticated. Romantic. Feminine.

Just what the doctor ordered after what's been an incredibly challenging month. I'll take it!

And if fate tries to stop me in my tracks and throw me another one of these months like February? Well then I'll just have to stop and smell the centifolias.

Don't Blink

As soft gusts of wind picked up speed and whistled through the adjacent cracks in our car windows, I marveled at how I’d only been away six days and returned to this:




A face that nearly overnight seemed to have grown into a young boy, his feet never stopping, his mind ever-racing and his heart overflowing. His voice different, his sentences more profound and his emotions matured in the span of a simple week. In just nine days he’ll be two and a half years old. I can’t even imagine what he’ll surprise me with then.

So I’ll continue to do my best as Kenny advises and not blink, because he’s right…life goes so much faster than you think.

Don’t.blink.