Eleven.

we're hitting the road.

alone.

{well...oliver's coming too.}

we're going to the city where we were married.

to talk without curious big kid ears.

to eat where we want.

to linger.

to celebrate 11 happy years of life + love.

happy anniversary to the boy who married the luckiest girl in the world.

{photo of Abby by You Look Nice Today Photography}

My Word for 2010.

Instead of posting my list of goals like I have in years past, I'm jumping on the "choose a word" bandwagon inspired by Ali Edwards.

And so...

LEARN

There are so many things I am interested in.

So many skills I'd like to develop.

So many attributes I want to attain.   

So many.

This year I'll be reminding myself that everyday I'm given the chance to grow.

Everyday is a gift, and an opportunity to become who I am meant to be.

LEARN.

Pretty all encompassing, no?

This very moment...

I'm amazed by the teeny tiny fortune teller Abby made from a sticker. 

Vintage Mario is being played on the Wii.

Audrey is napping.

The cozy brick house is surprisingly quiet for a Saturday afternoon.

I'm getting used to my new haircut + just may tweet a picture of it.  Maybe.

I'm looking forward to this coming week.  Like losing sleep, looking forward to it.

Happy weekend, dears.

Twilight Valentines in The Shop.

Look what's available for preorder right now in the shop.

What?  You're Team Jacob?  Well then.  I may have a little something for you too.

Happy daydreaming, friends...

Banana Crunch Muffins.

Last night as the children were cozied up in their beds, I decided to bake Ryan his very favorite muffins.  He was after all installing my new printer for me. A task which took much longer than either of us anticipated.  Fair trade, no? 

Now, this recipe is not a Dandee original. It is an Ina classic found via Stephmodo, but you must try it out for yourself. The muffins are completely divine and will have your house smelling so good you'll think you've died and gone to heaven.  Trust me.

Ingredients:

nocoupons

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
• 1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
• 1 cup small-diced walnuts
• 1 cup granola
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• Dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't overmix.

Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each one to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

I dare you to only eat one.  I've already devoured three.  Yikes.  

Vintage Hoops + Other Randomness.

a random post of sorts...

...for weeks i've been searching ebay + the like for some pretty metal vintage embroidery hoops. tons of people have lots of luck with this sort of thing, but the hoops were being elusive. guess what i scored while thrifting on saturday?...

...and this is the thing. i hardly ever get to go thrifting. lots of little children = little time for gallivanting around town hunting for treasures. it was a thrifting miracle...

...also, did you know that twitter is fun? i love following my peeps, and getting a peek at the day-to-day or minute-to-minute things that go into their lives...

...and did you know that when i tweet, it's because i'm being too lazy to blog...like when i showed a picture of the cute curtain i made for my kitchen window...or the sweet note abby wrote in a friends birthday card...or the AWESOME thing i tweeted today...it has to do with owen and a hilarious thing he said at preschool...you know what, just follow me, and you'll stay in the know...

...and the best thing of all? the sun peeked her lovely face out from the clouds for about 45 minutes this afternoon. i sat on the hard tile floor in the kitchen next to the french door and soaked it all in. i can barely stand these consecutive gray days. the sun shining + the scriptures downloaded onto my iPhone made it a truly happy afternoon. and i needed that...

the end.

Ten Years.

After 23 hours of back labor sweet Easton was born at
1:22 p.m 10 years ago today.

I'll always remember:

How tired I was.
How Ryan + I cried together when he was born.
How alert he was.
How I didn't think my world could get any better.
How much I craved apple juice after labor.
How I immediately loved him.

And look at him now! 10 years old. Loves basketball + reading. Playing the Wii. Obedient. Kind. Funny.
My mother heart breaks and swells when I realize how quickly he's growing up.
Right before my eyes he has become a young man.

Happy Birthday to the one that made me a mother first.

Cheap Entertainment.

When it's cold outside we...

...run around the house + pretend we're being chased by monsters.

Have a happy weekend, friends.

Kisses!

Getting Soooo Big.

Oliver's new trick: standing in his crib.

Which breaks my heart + makes me smile at the same time.

My boy is growing.
9.5 months old.
2 tiny bottom teeth.
Army man crawl.
Loving sweet potatoes.
Happiest of baby stages.

New Year, New Decade.

{scanned photo of me and baby easton circa 2000. and yes, I'm wearing overalls.}

It's a new year. A new decade! I've been feeling contemplative since I pulled out my pretty new calendars on Friday. Ten years ago I was living in my first (tiny) home. I was preparing to birth my first babe. I was getting ready to celebrate my first wedding anniversary. I was on the brink of the happiest days of my life + I didn't even know it. And look what has happened! Five babies, four houses, same wonderful husband. I'm happier than I ever thought possible. I have everything (and more) than I allowed myself to hope for as a small child when the world was so big and anything seemed possible. I love my life. And I can't wait to see what the next decade holds for me and all of my dear ones living + loving inside this cozy brick house.

Welcome twenty-ten.