Random Goings On

Our family is in a good rhythm as the winter rolls on.  This is the best time of year for Arizona so we are enjoying the cooler weather.  I just wanted to share a bit of what each of us is up to.


Esteban
He loves Dub Step music, he uses his phone and headset to rock out when he is cleaning or doing laundry.
A few days ago I told him I was craving berries and he brought every berry at the store.  Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and he included grapes just in case.  He hosted a berry festival for me, so amazing.
Esteban and I love to watch some of the series TV on NetFlix and Hulu.  Right now we are watching Being Human and the last season of Star Trek Voyager.

Sebastian
He is finishing his finals and has been studying a lot.  He took a break to see his High School friends in their production of Beauty and the Beast.  He thought the play was outstanding, especially the young man who played Gaston.  Sebastian misses his Drama and Stage Craft classes, they were his favorite in High School.  When he has time, Sebastian watches episodes of The Walking Dead, he is so hooked.

Isabel
Is reading a lot and watching anime and horror movies with her friend Jamie.  Isabel says she wants to visit Japan when she is older.  She and her friends are trading beaded friendship bracelets.  Isabel has also been putting her hair in a pony tail for several weeks, I asked why and she said she just feels like it.
Preteen girls are fun to be around (most of the time;), I love to hear Isabel laugh.

Frances
I have been doing a bit a embroidery, made a few trees and carved a few stamps.  I seem to have the attention span of a hummingbird.  Crafting keeps my hands and mind busy and makes me feel better.  I can't get enough of Bones and The Amazing Race on Hulu.  I have also been putting whipped cream on my fruit, it is my favorite thing to eat right now.  I caught Isabel shooting the whipped cream into her mouth.  See, most of the time.

Luci
Luci has been living the good life receiving love from each of us.  We had a day of rain and Luci was not sure at all about going out.  She shakes her body like she is soaked every few minutes, so the rain walks are like a mad dash for Esteban and Sebastian.

Fruit and whipped cream, my latest food love.

This tree was a custom order finished yesterday.  It was fun to try fewer stones on a slightly taller version of my Tiny Trees.

I embroidered this fox which was a project in the book Embroider Everything by Diana Rupp.  I made a wire frame and embroidered it to the fox, I like how it turned out.

There we go, a little update.  I hope you are having a great weekend.

Friday Love Lists

Thank Grimm it's Friday!  I love that show.  There are a few other things that my kids and I have fallen in LOVE with lately.  I am going to list the latest obsessions by person.  Here we go.

Isabel:
School:  Confident in her Studies
It seems like Isabel is more relaxed in school this year.  No struggles, all As and Bs.  She comes home and tells me stories about her day.  I love it.  Chatting with her is such a pleasure, she is a sweet girl even in her occasional teen funk.

Food:  Papa's chicken tacos
Chicken slow cooked in the crock pot.  It is like sunshine, joy and chicken on a plate.

Netflix:  Vampire Diaries
Started watching a few shows, and now she is hooked.

Friend:  Jamie
From school, in two of the same classes, including choir.  They both have long dark hair.

Sebastian:
New Movie:  End of Watch
Sebastian really enjoyed the movie, still thinking and talking about it a week later.

Food:  French Toast
We got a french loaf and Sebastian makes homemade french toast with it, his secret ingredient is a few shakes of cinnamon sugar.

Netflix:  Walking Dead
He is hooked on this creepy series, but only watches one every day or two so the episodes will last.
Flashpoint
He has seen all of the episodes, but is now going back and watching them again from the beginning.

Friend:  Sean
They were in High School together.  Sebastian admires his cool geekiness.

Frances:
Food:  Hawaiian Honey Wheat Rolls
I eat at least one a day with real butter.  So delicious.  We usually have them at Thanksgiving, I got some on a whim and now I am totally in love.  I have to watch myself and not eat too many.

Netflix:  Walking Dead
I don't like horror movies.  There is just something about this show.  It seems like the story could really happen.  The actors are fantastic.  There is a lot of gross though, so beware if you are squeamish.  I am hooked, almost done with season 2.

Online:  Craftgawker
I love looking at all the crafty photos.  My Beaded Spider Tutorial picture was accepted by Craftgawker on Wednesday.  I feel proud to see my photo with all of the other cool pictures.

Other TV:  The Voice and X Factor
I love the living the dream stories of the singers and the judges are pretty entertaining.  I can't wait to see Idol too.


Thanks for reading about our current obsessions.

Have a lovely long weekend.

LOVE Sick III

Happy Friday.  I've posted a few times about things we love so much that we are SICK with them.  I really like it and want to continue the series.  We use the saying "you are sick with it" in my family when our love of something is over the top.  An example would be:  Isabel got a hand cramp from holding her DS in a tight grip for several hours without moving it.  See, clearly Isabel is sick with her DS.

Here are a few things my family is Love SICK with right now:

• Jimmy Johns.  They have the best sandwiches and ultra fast delivery.  One Italian Night Club please.  Their sandwiches have great names too.  The sandwiches are not exactly health food, so we keep this as a treat.  I find that since we don't have them all the time we love them more.  Check out their website if you get a chance at Jimmy Johns.

• Zipcar.  I know it may seem odd to some, but we don't own a car.  It was such an expense and we were able to work around it so we made the leap.  It really works for us at this time and we are saving a ton.  We can use the train which is about a block away (The train goes through Phoenix and some surrounding areas and is really nice); or Esteban and Sebastian use bikes to get around nearby.  About three or four times a month we rent a Zipcar for grocery shopping and appointments.  You may have heard of Zipcar, it is all over the country now and has gotten some buzz.  Zipcar costs about $7-$9 per hour depending on the type of car you rent.  You pay a $50 fee each year but the rental price includes miles, gas and insurance.  So we use a car when we need to and just love it.  It ends up being more affordable than taking a taxi if you consider trips back and fourth.  Everything is done online and you never have to see or speak to a person ever.  The card they send you actually unlocks the Zipcar you rent.  Check out their website at Zipcar.  We actually have one reserved for today and will be zipping around this afternoon.

Photo Courtesy:  Zipcar.com

• Bacon.  Yes.  Bacon.  It seems like we cook it just about every day.  The smell and salty goodness drives us all crazy.  Ok, so not every day, more like three times a week.  We keep it to two slices per person so we don't regret our bacon love;).  The secret is Oscar Meyer center cut.  Do not waste this valuable tip.  It is the bacon of our dreams.

Here are a few things I am Love Sick with right now:

• Wire.  You've seen the trees, earrings and rings I've been working on.  I am definitely sick with wire love.  Seeing the finished project come to life gives me a real boost.  My sewing is suffering a bit, but those cute pillows I had planned will come together when the time is right.

I made these rings for Isabel and I.  I want to call them our "Why Knot" rings.  Isabel is not so sure.

• Craftgawker.  I just recently discovered this cool site.  I am sick with the "randomize" button that shows you a random selection of the gawk worthy crafts.  I submitted my Tree of Life Parade post to the site and it was accepted.  They are big on good photos because they want people to gawk, so it was cool that my photo got in.  If you click on "latest" my little green tree will be in the first few pages.  There are good and bad offerings, it is just fun to see what photos people send in to attract attention.  Check out Craftgawker if you get a moment.

Have a  tremendous Friday.  I already have a movie lined up for my post tomorrow so be on the look out for that.  Hint:  There is a Hawk.

I was not compensated for my opinion, but I would consider being paid in wire or bacon (that certain kind of course;).

LOVE Sick II

In a previous post, I listed the things my family and I are desparately in love with.  This kind of love can make you feel sick, so we say you are "sick" with whatever your current obsession is.  Here are a few new things I am LOVE Sick for:

• Raspberry Lemonade.  I love to put a handful of raspberries in my cup of lemonade and squish them with a straw.  Instant fresh goodness.
• Making Earrings.  I sit in my cozy chair and use a tray to hold my supplies.  I cannot just watch T.V.; I have to keep my hands busy and this is my favorite thing to do while watching.

These are the beads on my jewelry making tray.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the earrings I've made so far.

• Bread-less Sandwich.  Isabel and I came up with this snack because we ran out of bread and still wanted a sandwich.  So we stacked the veggies and the cheese, wrapped ham around the stack and presto a bread-less sandwich.  So fresh, so cool, perfect for summer.  Warning the veggies may drip so keep a napkin handy.

This one has tomato, onion, pickle, cucumber, cheese and ham.

• Gordon Ramsey.  Ok, some of you may disagree, but I find Gordon Ramsey immensely entertaining.  Monday nights have Hell's Kitchen and then Masterchef.  I love both.  When Ramsey screams "It's Rawwwww!"  I have to laugh.  So now I go around saying "It's Rawwwww!" but the children don't think it's very funny.  I still do though;).

Courtesy of Hell's Kitchen

• Photo Collegeing.  Yes, I did go overboard at first.  I think I am getting better but I still have a mad urge to group photos into a boxy format.  This is a work in progress.  Here are two you haven't seen in a while:  

I think that is enough LOVE Sick sharing for today.  I hope your week is going well.

Have a dynamite Thursday.

LOVE Sick

Before we go any further I have to say as a family and as individuals we have things we love.  But my little family has a funny saying when we REALLY love something, we say "you are sick with it".  For example: "You are sick with M&Ms right now Mom." This is Isabel trying not to call me a pig when I have melted M&M stains around my mouth. So liking something way too much means you are sick with that thing.  I wanted to let you know about a few things we are sick with right now (we were not compensated to endorse anything on this post, we wish;), here goes:
Whole Family LOVE Sickness:
Luci:  Each of us has a special bond with our dog Luci. Maybe because we have had challenging times and she has really been there to love us all through it. What ever the reason, Luci is at the center of our universe and we each feel lucky to be part of the team taking care of her. All four of us list her as our #1 sickness.
Chick Fil A:  We love it so much our family budget and calendar has Chick Fil A built in for twice a month.  The Chick Fil A sauce is the best sauce in the entire universe.
Sweet Tea:  I remembered how to brew sweet tea and cooked up a batch about 6 months ago, since then Isabel and I cannot make enough.  I taught her how and now I love it when she does a batch on her own, she gets all puffed up and proud.
Pumpernickel Bread:  There is something so earthy about this dark bread, a loaf is gone in a day or so. 
NetFlix and Hulu Plus:  We ditched cable over a year ago and got NetFlix. Now we also have Hulu Plus.  I was paying more than $75 a month for cable (gold cables?) and now at about $16 ($8 each) a month and we feel like we are way better off and see fewer commercials to boot. I find we do much less vegging out in front of the TV and more watching exactly what we want.
Tempe Marketplace:  We live in Tempe Arizona, a few miles from ASU.  Nearby there is an open air shopping center that is very nice. There are misters (water turned to mist and sprayed down on people) throughout as well as fire features, a water fountain and seating areas with umbrellas. It has a giant Harkins Theatre, Target (with groceries!), Michaels (my fave), Best Buy and all those places that kids like to go.  We go there for outings, sometimes all together like to the movies, or to get a few groceries or the kids meet up with friends there.

Frances' LOVE Sickness:
Chocolate M&Ms:  Yes, I do regularly get M&M stains on my hands and mouth. 
Waffle Fries:  I know I have Chick Fil A listed above, but I am sick specifically with the waffle fries.  I think about them every day.  It may seem silly to schedule our fast food outings, but it gives us something to look forward to and we don't end up over doing it and going a few times a week. You can have too much of a good thing. Next week is the next visit!!
Instant Folgers:  Coffee lovers will be disappointed to learn that I am sick with instant coffee.  It is just so easy to microwave the water and milk and then add the delicious crystals. I drink about 2-3 cups a day and have to hold myself from drinking more.
Blogs:  I stumbled into Gertie's Blog for Better Sewing over a year ago and I am still a big fan of hers. Her book is #2 on my wish list (Sorry Gertie, it is #2 only because the DIY book has tons of easy projects;).  Through that blog I found an entire online sewing community that is generous, caring and supportive.  I read The Sew Weekly started by Mena Trott, it is a group of women from all over the world sharing clothing items they make based on a weekly theme.  I love seeing so many different and beautiful creations.  I also ADORE the blog I Spy DIY by Jenni Raddsevich. Her new book I Spy DIY is #1 on my wish list. She has super cool DIYs, especially the jewelry. Design Sponge by Grace Bonney is my favorite right now, I am super sick with it;).  It covers design, re purposing, DIY and a series called "living in" where they identify a movie that it would be cool to "live in" and why. I added the links below so you can take a look if you like. These are a few of the bigger blogs I love, I read a few others that are very special and I will share about them in another post.

Happy Tuesday!



http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/ 

http://www.sewweekly.com/


http://www.ispydiy.com/


http://www.designsponge.com/

Design*Sponge