Truly Selfless

Not only did she offer the baby her very own blanket to use, but she then took her on a walk while nursing a broken leg.

Quite the sacrifices.

Quite the inspiration.

I Went Sewing, I'm a Sewer, I Sew . . .

Remember that brown dress I got for my birthday? (see picture in last post) I decided it was a tad too short when I sat down, so I added 3 inches to it. MYSELF. FIRST TRY. Crazy, right?






And, as long as we're on the subject of sewing, here's a pillow case I made. I bought a travel-sized pillow for Sophie, and wouldn't you know it, couldn't find a travel pillow sized case, so I made it.

And finally, while this didn't involve actual sewing (just a staple gun for this one), I turned the toy box into a toy box-slash-bench. Padded and everything.

It Was My Birthday

I had a birthday (shout hooray). For my birthday, I got gift cards. Lots of gift cards. So Jake took Sophie and me to Arizona Mills mall yesterday to do some birthday shopping while he did some study walking. And boy, did I go shopping. Let me share some of my birthday treasures with you.






Another casual summer skirt












Big bag from the Gap (clearance: $6.99)













Dress (Marshall's clearance: $10.00)












Sunday Skirt











After purchasing this skirt, I had to head back to the Gap to buy some shoes I had passed up the first time around (clearance: $8.50)











And this cute little body spray "So Pink"
(insert Robin/Jake/Susan's comments here "WHAT? Abbie bought body spray???!!?!?!")







I also ordered a swimming suit online:






This is the first suit I've ever owned, I'm pretty sure, that didn't come from the racks of Ross. I'm pretty excited about it.









And finally, these glasses, you know, to match the suit. (& to accentuate my new haircut, a birthday gift from Jake's mom)





Not pictured: Swim cover, lounge capris (Ross, Stephanie.) .

Now I'll be all stylish for our upcoming vacation (San Diego).

Slip-n-Slide Extravaganza

Is she excited to be here?

Still happy

Sideline Observations:

Photo Finish:

Unfortunately, threatening skies closed the night for us.

Self-Serve Snack

This morning as I was perusing the fridge for breakfast, Sophie opened the fridge's fruit drawer, took out a small tomato (it is a fruit), and ate the whole thing.

Now, as lunch time approaches, I just found her sitting at the kitchen table with 2 large tomatoes that she managed to swipe from the bowl in the center of the table. She alternated the tomatoes with each bite.














What can I say? The girl loves her some tomatoes (I can't blame her. These are vine-ripe tomatoes fresh from the Farmer's Market.)

Then and Now

Then (8:30 this morning):

Now (now):

Raindrops

Yesterday afternoon brought a shower of rain - highly unusual for Arizona. AZ summers are used to the rain, but only late at night and for a short period of time.


Sophie and I enjoyed the rainy sidewalks and especially the water-filled street gutter. Sure it was probably quite filthy, as the water is street runoff, but do you know what a piping hot AZ street does to gutter water? It makes it feel like you're in a bath. I have to say it was quite pleasant to walk in.

Summer Skirts

It's too hot for pants today. We're enjoying our summer skirts.

And Now, A Riddle

Question: What do you get when you cross a baby who spent an afternoon in the pool & sun plus a late night up with Nana, with a husband who studied until past 2am last night?


Answer: A quiet morning at my house.

Please note: these pictures were taken 30 seconds ago.
Everyone is STILL IN BED at 11:45am here.

(sorry, no flash. I didn't want to wake them)

Design Mom Winnings

Remember my awesome luck in April when I won a Design Mom contest? Well, my last prize finally came in the mail today. I'm so pleased with everything I won. Here's my loot:



I got matching jackets from Robin's Egg Pink (only the small jacket is pictured)


A tiny purse & hair clip (not pictured) from ShyGirl Designs



And I got to pick $100 of whatever I wanted in whatever fabric I wanted from Sweet Funky Vintage.











I chose a halter dress, a skirt, & a shirt that says "Sophie". I chose them all in 3T, because I wanted Sophie to really be able to appreciate the name on her shirt. All three turned out even cuter than I thought, and the people I worked with were awesome.

Bonus: Priority Mail Boxes make great seats.

We're Here AND We're Online

Our move was pretty flawless. We used a Budget truck, and even though they gypped us out of 20 miles, and made us pay for the "extra" usage, we would still recommend them 100% more than U-Haul.

Anyway, internet connection wasn't high on our list of things to do, so it didn't happen until yesterday, hence my absence. But we're here, and now we're back on the World Wide Spiderweb. And in the meantime, I've even managed to do some decorating to my humble abode (and if you've been by, you know what I mean by humble).

We dropped about 500 square feet on this move, not to mention a garage, but have found all the nooks and crannies of this place, and have found a spot for almost everything (although, to maintain our minimalist look, 5 boxes of decor went stored).

Now for some pictures:

Our main bookcase now serves as a toy shelf in Sophie's room, with the top shelf reserved for our books (please note the rainbow of books I created. Not only was it fun to do [Diana? This seems like something you'd enjoy. Plus I used brackets inside parentheses just for you] but also it's visually pleasing EVERY time I go into her room. EVERY time.)


Here's my entire kitchen. Is it wrong for me to say that I'm thoroughly enjoying such a tiny space? I'd prefer a dishwasher, but putting away the dishes consists of only a hip pivot on my part. And the linoleum floor is a breeze to clean. I'm sure eventually I'll pine for a bigger place with more expensive floors and counters (you know maybe some granite, stainless, & travertine? [please read that last sentence with the utmost sarcasm possible]), but not today.


Here's our front room, complete with its built-in bookcase-slash-coat closet. (I had to spell it out cause that's how I wanted you to read it). What? Charm built in to our home? Its almost unheard of in Arizona.


And last but not least, may I present our favorite place (which cannot be utilized AT ALL until the temperature drops below 100) : The enclosed patio & back yard WITH GRASS. Wait... with grass that WE DON'T HAVE TO MOW OR TAKE CARE OF. That's better.


Thanks to everyone who complimented me on my last post. Everyone is free to stop by and visit whenever they want. It's good to be home.

Goodbye Tucson

In the great gold house

There was a family

And a little girl

And a picture of

Sophie growing up in a whirl

And there were 3 tall pictures

Of 3 tall flowers

And 2 white prizms

And a blue kitchen

And a university

and a law degree

And a green master bedroom

And a yellow nursery there

And in the backyard, a mountain

That looked like a bear.

Good-bye home

Good-bye tree

Good-bye place

where Sophie started to talk

Good-bye tile

Where Sophie learned to walk

Good-bye El Guero Canelo

Good-bye Beyond Bread

Good-bye Pat’s

And good-bye Bumstead’s

Good-bye roses

And good-bye hoses

Good-bye green room

And Good-bye yellow room

Good-bye Circle K

And good-bye U of A

Good-bye Law School

Good-bye ward

And good-bye to the view

From our old back yard

Good-bye mountain

Good-bye bear

Good-bye Tucson everywhere