Friday Flowers

I think I'm liking this Friday thing...

Carrot-Copia from the girls over at Studio Choo/Small Stump. You can follow the progress on their new shop opening up in San Francisco.. it looks amazing already! Have I ever told you that in another life, I'd open a flower shop and have two big portuguese water dogs in the store with me? Like I said, in another life...

smitten by the smitten

So there are rarely ressources, specially cooking ones, that are "no brainers" for me. My only exception until now, was Marcella Hazan. However, on my sister's recommendation, I started perusing Smitten Kitchen's site with a little bit more interest.
And OMG. The results! The boozy french toast is almost a weekly weekend occurence; the mac n' cheese is on meal plan heavy rotation; the banana bread has eclipsed my old stained recipe from lord knows where; and well, the pictures are stunning and the writing is hypnotic.
So there, my new favorite. Thought I'd share with you.

Living Spaces

So today I left my purse on the sidewalk in front of my coffee joint. It's good that the girls that run it know that I am a) opening a business b) sleep deprived c) pregnancy-related-retarded (otherwise known as PRR). Guys, this does not bode well for the remaining 18 weeks.

In lieu of writing yet another annoying, self-pitying post, I thought I'd share with you some pictures of spaces that have made me feel good lately. Having the kids sick at home with me has made me realize that I NEED some Emeline Only Space. I'm thinking of a reading room/office/boudoir with a big ass clawfoot tub in it.




You know, like somewhere I could retreat to when I feel like I need to get away, but can't? Am I making any sense? I think the sleep deprivation and all the sulfates from the chicken fingers are talking...
Anyways, thanks for being around. I think I feel a whole lot better when I give this space some time and affection.
Oh and all the photos come from Bloesem's Let's Get Personal feature.

Check List for the Week:

1 sick 2 yr old: Check
1 bored 3 1/2 yr old, getting over sickness now transmitted to above child: Check
1 pregnant mama with the beginnings of a flu: Check
1 mother over seas: Check
2 boxes of chicken fingers in freezer: Check
1 father who hasn't been alone in 20 years: Check
1 delayed grant decision: Check
1 loan office delaying disbursement due to above delay: Check
1 lease depending on deposit from above loan: Check
5 guaranteed nightly wakings: Check
1 meal plan missing from my fridge : Check

1 awesome week ahead: Check

Flower Fridays?

Ranunculus, citrus and rosemary...

from Small Stump+ Studio Choo

Maybe we've got ourselves a new Friday theme?

Fun Crafting Vote

Go and vote for your favorite crafters over at PoppyTalk!




Or you could just peruse all the sites of the nominated crafters, like me.
Has it been hour already? You'd think that I lead a life of leisure, what with all this time wasting I do!
Well at least I categorize that time as "inspiration seeking", right? Maybe I could even log those hours somewhere.
(Cute little logo, don't you think?)

Ceramics

Dutch artist Jorine Oosterhoff:
lovelovelove





Again with the ceramics? What's there not to love? One day I'll learn to work in this medium... imagine all the teapots I'll make!
Via Bloesem that has just reinstated my faith in the internet!

Sweet January

Does anyone else feel like 2010 has a whole lot of surprises in store? Some good, some horrible but all necessary. Seems like I haven't had good news in a long time. It actually seems like all we've been getting is news that's super tragic and difficult to make sense of.

Yuck.
I'm in the middle of what feels like a tornado. After 18 months of slaving away at this business plan, things seem to be so close. And I haven't been able to sit back and be proud of all the work that we've done. Not once. Maybe it's because all the steps have been so incredibly difficult? So complicated and annoying? I don't know, maybe it's because going into this kind of project without any money puts you in a situation where you have very little power? Kind of like at I'm at the mercy of the bureaucrats that constantly need more and more from you. With every bank statement I send, or every call I take from my realtor, I want to retreat into my carapace. Yet I think about the finished product and I all I want us to be there. To fast forward.

So today, like many others, was suppose to be a day when I could move forward and cross something major off the eternal list of things to do. As per usual, it got delayed and didn't happen. So now schedules need to be reshuffled, kids relocated, ultrasounds canceled. Questions answered and "WTFs??" adressed.
I guess I'm just so tired of being so close and have it delayed, pushed back, questioned.
Boo. Pity party much? Yes indeed. I just can't find the right balance between feeling on top of the world and feeling weighed down by it all.

And it doesn't help that I'm backed by the most loyal, dedicated man I have ever met? Who almost always finds a way to make me feel better about what I'm doing? And the boys, that despite their distaste for most natural foods and luca's relunctance to fall asleep and STAY asleep, are always ready to make me laugh and try to enjoy the moment?

So yeah, poor me. Boo hoo. But still, why does it always have to be so darned hard?
Stop. Breathe. Enjoy?
Easier said than done!
Maybe I need to go watch It's Complicated- again.
Thanks to Jenna that inspired me to come back here...