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Hello. I live in an old house in a great big city with a man who cooks, a boy who loves to laugh, a sweet + spunky girl, an old dog we gave up trying to train long ago and another young whipper snapper who plopped into our life and now it's complete. By day I design websites in my home studio. This is my space to write about projects, capture fleeting moments of family life before they fade away, and share discoveries. Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy your visit and please make yourself comfortable. More about … Read More

Fancy Nancy Birthday Send Off Spa Day

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Hadley had the perfect gift idea to celebrate my mom on her birthday before she and my dad head to Hawaii this week for a four month interim position {wait, didn’t he retire like eight years ago?} . Inspired by Fancy Nancy she treated GaGa to a special afternoon of pampering at our very own in-home Ooh La-La Spa!

Upon arrival she was greeted with ice cold lemon water and led upstairs to her private spa retreat. First treatment: a sea salt soak with lavender oil.

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A sign on the door prevented any unwelcome interruptions:

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Followed by a face mask {I think she looks relaxed}

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Noshing on sandwiches sans crust is an absolute necessity. All that pampering can make a girl famished {that’s fancy for really hungry}.IMG_1687

Hadley practiced on me earlier to perfect her hand massage technique {that’s fancy for skills}:IMG_1692

Followed by a family birthday dinner topped off with a Pralines + Cream ice cream cake. Next stop: Hawaii! Ooh La La. Aloha!IMG_1706

BFFs + Littles in the Windy City

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Our first ever trip with my college girlfriends and our mini mes. We stayed in the Lincoln Park neighborhood and were treated to spring temps during our long weekend in Chicago.

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Hads and I arrived a day early to spend the morning at American Girl Doll’s flagship store on Michigan Avenue.  She’d been anticipating meeting Julie since around Christmas and the day did not disappoint. We arrived just after opening so we practically had the store to ourselves. Overwhelmed, she didn’t know which direction to go first. She’s been diligently saving her pennies the past few months and had her list in hand.

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And of course, as with all our trips, we made it a point to hit some good restaurants.

Hadley experienced her first taste of Chicago-style pizza at Lou Manati’s.
Mandatory brunch at Nookies. Chicago has hundreds of B.Y.O.B. restaurants which I think is such a novel idea. Cheers to two rounds of mimosas for under $10. Would love for the trend to catch on in Portland.

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We spent a long sunny afternoon at Maggie Daley Park in the heart of downtown. Hadley’s fav?  Sliding down a slide with her back airborne the entire ride. Must return in the winter months to experience the Ice Ribbon.

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It was so sweet to see our daughters bond and play together…

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Rooftop dance party on the last night…

Holiday Recap

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Neighborhood tree hunting {take 2},  dreidel spinning, cousin bonding, stories + snuggles, Christmas Eve seafood feast, santa secrets, Sunriver stayover, Elfie fails, homemade gifts, sleeping in, New Years fondue, hot tubbing + snow angels, neighbors + good friends, building Olaf, moonlight walks, one more bunny stuffie … and Hadley Bug finally getting her ski legs!

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DIY Simple Holiday Vases

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It was fun to create these easy and inexpensive vases for our Thanksgiving table this year. Only took a few minutes and the kids enjoyed glazing the cans and arranging the flowers.

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Materials:
Tin Cans (soup, beans etc), labels removed
Festive Cardstock (I’m a fan of the 12″x12″ pads available at Michaels)
Glue Stick
EXACTO Knife
Ruler
Mod Podge
Paint sponge

Directions:

  1. Soak empty tin cans to easily remove labels.
  2. Choose cardstock and cut to height of can, just under the lip.
  3. Glue back of paper and wrap around the can.
  4. Cover with a couple of thin coats of Mod Podge and let dry.
  5. Fill with flowers.

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I’m looking forward to making some winter-themed ones for the holidays. They can be used for more than just flower vases, too. Pen/pencil holders, dish brush container, craft containers. So many possibilities!

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{ daily quotes }

As long as you embrace struggle and mistakes, you can learn anything.
–Salman Kahn

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.
– Henry David Thoreau

There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.
– Hodding Carter, Jr.

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{ Daily Pics }