a few (of many) flickr faves

1. oboy, 2. mirrors, 3. forever....love, 4. Untitled, 5. polaroid | Rome, 6. Untitled, 7. strawberry, 8. step, 9. Untitled

happiness is...

... spending a warm, sunny day in Los Angeles.


I love Pinkberry. If you've ever been there you probably love it too. If not come visit me and I will take you.

Last Tuesday I decided to spend the day hanging out with my sweet, sweet grandmother. I took her down to Los Angeles to see a taping of Jeopardy. Oh man, she was in heaven! She's a huge fan of the show and she was so happy to go see it in person. I have to admit it was pretty fun. After we did a little shopping and went over to the Farmers Market... the one by CBS Studios. The weather could not have been better. Our last stop before heading home? Pinkberry of course.

shake it like a polaroid picture (and a little bit of a fan post)

If I haven't said it before, which I'm pretty sure I have but maybe you just weren't listening (that's ok though, I understand... I know, I ramble)... I love my Polaroid camera. I have a 680 SLR and it is fast becoming one of my most treasured possessions. I have to confess I never knew what the allure of a Polaroid camera was... I was sucked into the digital, take-200-shots-and-keep-2-thing. Don't get me wrong. I love my digital camera but I'm using it less these days.

What happened was I saw this photo:

Gorgeous right?

and then I saw this one:


and then I saw many more like them and learned that they were taken by a Polaroid. What? I was in love. Obviously the wonderfulness of these photos belongs to Jen Gotch who took them and not just to the camera. I can't even really remember how I found her photos to begin with but I somehow found her on Flickr and found myself adding photo after photo as a favorite. I was worried for a minute this might seem creepy and she'd block me! lol But no!

Needless to say I am a huge fan! I could go on but then this would turn into a crazy fan post and well... I think it already is.

Okay one last thing. She also makes these lovely Ban.dos. You should look at them. They are fantastic. The minute I'm back from my trip I'm ordering one. I especially like the one below. Even though it's sold Jen is going to make me one similar. I'm very excited for my new purchase-to-be!

free encouragement

There seems to be an awful lot of discouragement in the world and it seems to just be getting worse. Is it driving you crazy? It is me. As Erin from Design for Mankind says, "It’s mean, it smells and it makes you look fat." Enter... The Free Encouragement Project. Awesome.

You can read about this project here and here. I'm bummed I missed the beginning of it because it's such a great idea. Who doesn't like a little encouragement? I'd wish I'd known about the project sooner. I would have loved to contribute!

You can view the gallary here, but these are some of my favorites.

As I've read these... and believe me I've read a lot of them... and I wonder who the person was writing to and it makes me smile. I can't wait to see the postcard set!

sorry harlow

I realized today that I am going to be gone for Harlow's first birthday. (It's March 12th... right Elyse?) We're both a little sad about this. To make amends I have promised to make her a peanut butter and carrot cake with a cottage cheese frosting for her birthday. (If you think I'm kidding then well... you're wrong.) I've also promised her a trip to Utah as a belated birthday present for her sometime this spring/summer. It will really be for my birthday but we'll let her think it's for her.

15 days

In case anyone had lost track...
... I'm leaving for London in 15 days. This makes me very happy.

photo: here

grateful friday

If you didn't already know this about me I will tell you now... I am a big Grateful Dead fan. And today at work we've been listening to the Grateful Dead station all day. (yes, there is a all Dead station... thank you sateliete radio) I thought it would get old after a few hours but ... nope. Really, I've been in a good mood all day. The music is soothing and groovy and each song is bringing back a sweet memory.



Thanks Jerry.

"rich and full of blissful, transcendent musical moments that moved the body and enriched the soul"

optimistic

photo: unknown

etsy favorites

One of my very favorite Etsy shops is Katie Henry's shop. I was so sad I missed out on this bag. I know a few people who have purchased her stuff and they all love it. I'll have to keep checking back.


Lucinda has some lovely little porcelain and ceramic things like these beautiful bowls. I'm not sure what I'd use them for but they are so pretty.


How cute is he?? His name is Joaquin.


This is one of my very favorite prints. I'm not sure why I haven't bought it yet. But I just keep coming back to look at it. Alicia Bock is incredibly talented and her work was in Charlotte's apartment in the Sex & the City movie. Pretty awesome no? This one is my favorite but all of her stuff is pretty great. Remember the calender I posted that I was so excited about? Yeah, she made it.


I love this beautiful print from Leslie Sophia Lindell. She has lots of other great prints as well. And to sweeten the deal she is offering free shipping and will be donating #5 from every print sold to Wildlife Victoria who will be helping to care for the wildlife injured in the terrible wildfires in Australia.


Aren't these bracelets sweet? I love the teal and the taupe ones. Sofia Barao has a great collection of handmade goodies from Paris.

let's try again tomorrow

today has been a bust... photo: sorry i can't remember where it's from...

grey skies are gonna clear up

put on a happy face

the sun came out this afternoon so i ran some errands and took some pictures. this was given to me by a friend - i've got a thing for giraffes and this little guy is a cutie.

this is no longer true of the walgreen's near me. i bought it all.

photo

scatter brained

i'm trying to really be organized for my trip to england but i think the more organized i try to be the more jumbled up in the head i get.

i've got my passport now and i put it in a very safe place. the problem is every time i've put something in a "very safe place" i forget where that safe place is and panic. so i keep checking to make sure it is where i think it is. and i keep thinking of things i want to do in case i forget. and random things keep reminding me of things i want to do. why did i think one week would be enough?

i came across Ici and the word Ici reminded me of a brand of toys and whatnot called nici that the kids liked. they sell them at this cute little store in the cute little down of marlow. so that reminded me that i want to go to marlow. natalia and i would go there fairly often to eat at zizi's or to watch a cricket game (i still don't get it... pretty sure i never will) and to look at all the cute little shops. and yes, i need to find another word for cute.

It is cute though. See?

forgot mine

and apparently santa barbara is getting it's year supply of rain all in one day. so here are some pretty photos of umbrellas to look at while i pray it stops raining before i go to lunch.

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sunday updates

I've been checking the status of my passport application every day this week. I sent it overnight Express on Friday (last) and was told I'd have it within two weeks. Every time I've logged on to check the status I see (in big red letters): "Application not found... blah blah blah ... it may take 7 - 10 days for your status to be available." Okay. That is reasonable. But I'm pretty sure I'm more well known for my impatience than for my reasonable-ness. So you can imagine my surprise when my brand new, beautiful passport showed up in the mail on Thursday! Yee haw!

I also survived my first Sharing Time. Only two of my kids were there but that actually worked out a little better. I spent forever preparing and making cute things and coming up with fun stories and yet I feel like it was the most boring sharing time ever. Really. Ah well... I have six more months to get ready for the next one.

Harlow struck again... right in front of my grandmother's door. At least I caught before my grandmother stepped in it or Harlow ate it. (sorry, sick I know...) I think my Grandma is starting to take it personally. I can't say I blame her.

I'm going through a "downsizing" phase. Do you ever have those? Where you just want to go through all your stuff and just get rid of it? That's where I am right now! I have too much stuff and it's cluttering my house and my head. So it's all going!

Okay, back to some late night vacuuming!

happy valentine's day

some valentine's sweeties for you


because you're worth

HAPPY (almost) VALENTINE'S DAY

Here is one of my very favorite poems:

..........
i carry your heart 

with me (i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)

............................... i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

...here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

e.e. cummings

photo

fun stuff even if you aren't crafty (like me!)

photo from simple song

first, this japanese tape from DWR was irrestistable! the colors and the finish are perfect for my sketch book or for holding my polaroids. and the little splashes of color make me happy. it's sold out now so i got it just in time! i've got a thing of stationary, tape, pens, paper, etc.

photo from simple song
i thought this was such a sweet idea for valentines! you take little match boxes and make them fancy.i have all this scrapbooking paper i've never used so i thought i'd give it a shot. they're really cute and so inexpensive so i'm making them for everyone!

apparently martha stewart makes glitter. who knew! i've never been into martha but this glitter is SO pretty. it comes in a 3-pack of similar shades (like a paint swatch). i couldn't pass up such pretty colors! i'll use some one my valentines but i want to glitter more stuff! haha then i can buy more colors. oh and i also comes with a little tube of glue with a fine point.

okay, that's as crafty as i get!

harlow says hello

Just in case you forgot how cute Harlow is she posed for a few pictures as she was falling asleep. I don't know how I feel about the bows in her hair - she'd just gotten back from the groomers. Part of me thinks it's adorable. Part of me is embarrassed for her.

To counteract her cuteness she did something very UN-cute the other day. While I was in the shower my grandmother decided to go to bed so she left Harlow in the living room. Alone. With all the lights off. She obviously did not like this and decided to get back at my grandmother. The next day my grandmother told me that Harlow had pooped right in front of her bedroom door. And how did my grandmother find it? When she walked out of her bedroom... barefoot. Eeeww! I would have been SO mad but I can't help laughing. In Harlow's defense she NEVER has accidents in the house... except when she's mad at my grandmother and it's always in her room, in front of her room, etc. It's only happened a few times but it's pretty obvious that she knows what she's doing! Don't mess with Harlow.

Just in case this story makes you love Harlow less just look at the pictures above one more time. 99.9% cute!

impatience

It's all I can do to keep myself from starting to pack. But I've still got 4 weeks until I leave so ... I'll wait. My coworkers are already making fun of me because anytime someone mentions my trip I smile and sigh. I can't help it.

sweet forgiveness

as i sat in church yesterday before before sacrament started i noticed isaac slowly inching down the pew towards me. i pretended to be busy reading the program trying not to smile. he reached me, still looking down and gave me a hug saying, "it's okay vanessa. i feel happy again" and scooted away.

thanks isaac.

my bags are packed... i'm ready to go...

Roundtrip ticket to England = $558
Expedited passport renewal = $150
Going to a place I love and getting to see people I adore after a craptastic year = PRICELESS!

I booked my ticket the other night! I panicked yesterday because on Virgin Atlantic the price jumped from $618 to $945 in less than 12 hours! What the heck? All the other airlines I checked were holding at just under $600 and then right before I left work I checked Travelocity and there was a Virgin flight for $558! Virgin's prices on their site had gone back down to $618 too. Maybe they did that just to make me panic. Well it worked. But I still cannot figure out how it can be cheaper through Travelocity than directly through the airline. But I'll take it! It's non-stop both ways and now I'm leaving Monday night instead of Tuesday afternoon which will buy me a whole extra day there. I will get on the bus to LAX immediately after work and go to the airport. I'm mean literally immediately. I get off work at 4 and the shuttle leaves at 4... fortunately the bus leaves from about 50 yards away from my desk. So I'm going to be wrecked but I am a pro at sleeping on busses and planes.

edit:: I just talked to the kids and parents of the family I'll be staying with and I am SO happy I might just burst. Erin (almost 5) answered the phone and said, "Hello, may I ask who's speaking please?" How freaking cute! I said, "Erin, it's Vanessa." ... silence ... "Vanessa? VANESSA! When are you coming to see me? I have been missing you!" I said "next month" and she turns away from the phone and yells, "Mummy! Vanessa said she is really coming!" I love this kid! I talked to everyone and blah blah they were so nice. Sean willing volunteered to give up his room for me (his new room used to be the guest room) and their current nanny said she wanted to come get me from the airport. Ahhhhh I feel so loved and so freaking happy!

Now I just have to wait 1 month!

a month of love

jen gotch

it's okay

cute idea for valentines day

hi-ya!

I was going through some stuff in my mom's garage and found a huge box of old pictures. Score! I think they reason I'm crying in this picture is because my mom looks like she's about to Karate chop me.



This is me and my mom with my great grandparents - Granny Goose and Papa Red. I don't know why we called them that other than the fact that my great grandpa has red hair. They are the cutest. Papa Red liked to look mean in pictures. He's the opposite of mean.

February!

Already? Really?

I think my taxes are done but I feel like I'm missing something so I'm just waiting to file them ... still.

I'm also desperately trying to think of something creative to do for sharing time in Primary this month. This scares me more than doing my taxes.

If anyone is wondering, Isaac (age 5) is still not speaking to me. His brother told me he asked him when he'd talk to me again and he said, "when she wants me in her class. again" :( So sad. For the record I DO want him in my class but it's not like I got to pick. I did run into his family at Trader Joe's and he smiled so big and waved excitedly and then remembered he wasn't talking to me and promptly turned his back to me. I can't win! But I have faith that we will soon be friends again.


Harlow just wants to play