Splendid

Coolest fieldtrip of all times!!!!

Okay, so this was hands down the all time best, coolest, most dreamy, most delicious, most blissful, most exciting fieldtrip of all times.  McKaylah has always wanted to be a fashion designer and luckily for us we have a good friend in the fashion industry.  Our friend Ana works for Free People/Urban Outfitters/Anthropologie, but for the Free People design department. She gave us a great tour a few days ago around the offices and even let the girls see where they do the photography shoots, letting the girls get some pictures taken by a photographer and later we went to the accessories department and got to make a Free People wrist cuffs they are putting in the stores.  McKaylah was so excited! Okay, I was, too. 

 

where the magic happens

 

trying on the spring line, fun fringe!

more spring line

 

big smiles in the entryway at Free People offices-what a neat bench, huh?

 

Ana helping McKaylah look through the upcoming Spring line

 

the mannequins in the entryway at the Free People office

 

McKaylah getting to try her hand at making wrist cuffs

 

making wrist cuffs with our friend Erin, a designer in colors and textures

 

our friend Krystal was overseeing a fitting on a "fit model" who is a perfect size 6 and let us watch what they do, how they plan lengths, etc.

professional photo-shoot with the FP photographers

 

It was amazing to see all that goes into producing such a huge, popular clothing line.  From the conception of a new skirt to it arriving in the store, it was pretty impressive the amount of people and time it takes to make it all happen. Thanks Ana and everyone!

Pirates, Peace and Projects

My friend Julie had her daughter's 8th birthday party this weekend with a Pirate theme.  It was super fun and a great way to see everyone before we take off for the holidays out west, and then onto Mexico.  I know my last few posts have been dreary and a bit glum, so I'm going to put on my happy face for this one, people. 

 Mrs. Pirate and Mr.

swashbucklers!

Pixie says "Arrrrgh Matey!" Yes, my hubs did dye her bangs and tips red (wash out) for the party, she's a "faerie pirate"

Sarah and Beth

Smooches under the mistletoe

These chipboard cards are for Ana and Sarah, I made them last night at 12 when I should have been sleeping...

 

And I recently got this book which has some really awesome ideas in it to promote bettering others lives.  It's about and by an organization called Peace Jam that helps spur projects that are helping those less fortunate.  I read through some of the stories with McKaylah the other day, it is so inspiring. 

 

  

this must be heaven!

For category stories newest challenge.  The theme is "redecorate" and I know you're shocked I picked an Anne Taintor pic, but it was that or some Anthropologie pages I've been salivating over for our Mexico apartment.  But Anne won...

 

 

My honey gets home tonight after being gone for 2 weeks!  Hot Damn! I missed his big paws! I scrapbooked a bit, got my sassafrass project almost done and got acupuncture today, what a super day! Have a great weekend!

I'd like to thank...

For this acceptance speech I'd like to thank Category Stories for this award and all the little people...ha! ha!  No, I was totally stoked when a fellow scrapblogger emailed me congratulating me for the challenge win.  The theme was "phones" and this layout was so fun to do. 

 

Then last night I did this one.

for my super duper friend Sarah.  She's got those fab cat-eye glasses and swell apron goin' on.  I loved these pictures of her.

   

and this one...

  for our election party; a Starbucks little mini newspaper and the door knocker  (I cut off the doorknob hole).

 Halloween night, I wanted to get this done before we move...

Which is only a week away...and brings me to another issue I am having...

MOVING...in a week...leaving my sweet ol' house...

 

and her...refer to above picture for reference...

 

and these terrific people...

uncle Matty, our Manny-Nanny

 

Ana and Joe 

And the guilt over my daughters having to leave all their friends, ahhhh, yes, the sweet guilt... 

Living here in Philadelphia has been so great. The museums, outdoors, history, hidden hot spots, fun outings, new friends. It's taught me so much and has introduced me to areas of my life I might not otherwise have done, namely homeschooling, which has been a deeply enriching experience in our lives.

Although I am looking forward to a new chapter, life in Mexico will be both exciting and rewarding, and challenging and sad. I look forward to learning another language, I am NOT looking forward to the language barriers before I learn Spanish. We are moving to a very large city (the largest in the world if you want to be accurate) and we will live in a skyrise penthouse apartment, sounds neat, but confining...

I know after it's all said and done I'll be happy for the experiences we'll have there, the places we'll have seen, the people we'll have met, etc., but tonight, I feel a bit melancholy... 

What's that saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" Okay, that's very dramatic there...

On the up side I will get to spend the holidays and most of the month of January back on the west coast with my mom and BF Lainie, Stef and the rest of the old timers...that will be nice.  They always cheer me up. 

I'm trying to end on a note of "the glass is half full," like my always optimistic hubby, even though I feel like hurling the glass against the wall like a frantically emotional chic from that show Rock of Love Charm School (god, what a bunch of sweeties there.) 

Anyone else out there ever feel like this? 

recap of the week and a couple days...

                      

I have seen a few Flickr groups that are doing the videos of snippets of someones day.  I have a problem with videotaping, I always forget.  I am forever with my camera in my hand, but for some reason I forget to shop video. I always enjoy looking into other's lives, very voyeuristic, really.  And not that I think my life is so dandy or interesting, but I'm making a BLURB book soon and so this is for me, too.   

So I'll do a condensed list here;

Friday;

-put away dishes from Thanksgiving

-Friday night head to Chinatown in downtown Philadelphia for karaoke with friends

Saturday;

-missed Spanish lesson

-got old tattoo covered up with Sailor Jerry style vintage bluebird and roses 

-helped Dave pack for Mexico

-made flights home to the west coast for the holidays

-did 3 loads of laundry

Sunday;

-kissed Dave off on his way to the airport

-didn't miss Spanish lesson

-went to Honey's for a late lunch with Matty and the girls

-looked up places to see in Philadelphia the next 2 weeks before we leave

-shopped on etsy for Xmas presents

Monday;

-exercised briefly

-let movers/packers in to take what we not taking to Mexico to storage

-did more laundry, scrubbed bathrooms and changed the sheets on the beds

-did homeschool lessons

-missed Dave's phone calls from Mexico about ochenta times

-looked up places to visit in Mexico

-watched the night sky and was in awe of the brightly shining Venus and Jupiter illuminated by a small crescent moon

-scrapbooked into late in the night again...

Tuesday;

-homeschool lessons

-listened to this song too many times...reminds me of my childhood with my dad, the cowboy...

-started sassafrass lass project

-art class for M

-downloaded new tunes

Wednesday;

-homeschool lessons

-M has private sewing lessons

-do Xmas cards

-went shopping at these rad places; Art Star , Scarlet Fiorella and good ol' Urban Outfitters...even with kids in toe they were on awesome behavior and were gladly rewarded with Brown Betty's Dessert Shop, yum...hand's down the BEST cupcakes I've EVER tasted!!!!

Thursday;

-exercised for a whooping one minute 34 seconds

-homeschool lessons

-girls had nature observation classes at Briar Bush, M was "Interview with Nature" and A was "Plant a Home."

-Spanish lessons

Friday;

-exercise for 30 minutes! Success!

-homeschool field trip to Betsy Ross' house 

Saturday;

- experience the great kids reenactment called Join the Constantinople Army at Valley Forge 

-went to Krystal's baby shower, sweet mama!

-worked on sassafrass lass project

Whew!  Glad the week is over...

Chinatown Karaoke

My story starts like this...

 

and ends like this...

(Yakatori Boy in Chinatown in downtown Philadelphia)