2 Awesome Shopping Finds

So- we ventured out to a couple stores yesterday- with specific items in mind- and, of course we came home with unplanned purchases- but, I couldn't help myself!

At Homegoods- I found this delicious pillow that I COULD NOT resist!!!  As Z said- "Mommy, it looks like where Ariel lives...(HECK NO, she has not seen the movie- books people, books)

Then- I had the bright idea of stopping at Ocean State Job Lot- not a place I frequent but  a good spot for things like pet supplies and lawn stuff (that was my reason for stopping- to purchase a second umbrella for the back yard- $38 a pop!)

anyhow- I ventured into the food section to find a possible-healthyish snack for the little buggers who were with me, and behaving- since I had left Home Goods with Moses SCREAMING bloody-murder at the top of his lungs- since the friken employees had deviously placed a row of enticing toy ambulances at child level in the check out line- and me, being a none-pushover parent refused to purchase one for the little man- and hence, the tantrum ensued.  and I felt like- "you know what TJX cooperation?- you can listen to him scream since this is YOUR FAULT"- ugggg- sorry- off the soap box now.

Anyway- I went to food section of the store and was shocked and delighted to find an entire WALL of Bob's Red Mill products (sold in the health food section of all of the bigger grocery stores) and all for 1/2 to 1/3 of the price!   I felt like I was in healthy grain heaven!

I came home with this assortment:

Priced between $2-$3.25 a piece!  WHAT A STEAL!!! and what a great way to try out some new healthier products in your cooking!  My friend informed me last night- that they've carried the product for over a year- I have been seriously missing out!!! Oh- and I got the kiddos some fig Newman's for their snack (and mine too:)

Reminder- my current giveaway drawing will be on Saturday- leave a comment if you are interested!!!

A Product Review (or 2)

We took a trip to the art store to buy canvases the other day- and I picked up these while were there...

mostly because of this

(while searching for the link I found them @ Amazon for $1.99 a pack- what a steal!)

and they are SO MUCH FUN!!!  (yes- they are standing on the kitchen table)

Great purchase!  Give them a whirl- you won't regret it!

Product #2- not quite a review (haven't used it yet), but more of an announcement.
As my anniversary present- D got me an industrial strength pizza stone.

I LOVE making homemade pizza- I've posted about it numerous times.  Here's the dough recipe that I use from an old Living mag- it is simply THE BEST!  But, it is not as good if it's not cooked on a stone (as I found out last week).  You see- I have cracked and subsequently chucked 3 stones since I started this hobby----yes, I said 3!
Ridiculous
I know! and I agree- and thankfully D was listening as I complained about the poor quality of all the past stones.

So he found me the ultimate stone, it's good to 750 degrees, can be left in the oven all the time and even helps to regulate the temp of your oven!

I was finally home all day today and had time to "prime" it properly.  Of course today of all days had to be 90 degrees!  Priming entailed cooking the stone starting at the ovens lowest temp for an hour and increasing it 100 degrees every hour- then reaching 500 and cooking it at 500 for 2 hours.  My house was a darn inferno.  Luckily the little ones are in a play-outside-naked stage right now- so we were all good!

I will keep you posted on the pizza making process once I get to try this baby out!

The Wrong Side of the Bed....

is where I woke up this morning:(  It was just one of those mornings...and for a while I couldn't put my finger on why I was feeling so cranky...I even contemplated starting a caffeine addiction to brighten my spirits...then I realized that my bed last night- was inhabited by four people- rather than the usual two people- and that this might just be the reason for my  less-than-perfect mood:)

when I realized the cause for my crabbiness I decided to pull myself out of my super comfy bed- and take the first step toward improving my day- making my bed. 
It, for me is an instant mood lifter- not sure why but it does the trick every time.  As I made the bed I looked around my tiny, yet peaceful bedroom and saw a lot of reminders of things that made me feel like- its really not that bad. (This is an exercise I do at the hospital in a journaling group that I sometimes run- finding a list of "simple pleasures"- things that give you joy that cost next to nothing-  that you can turn to when you are having trouble finding something positive in life)

I found myself looking at the print above our bed

and wondering- can this be applied to loss of sleep?????

I took a sniff of my all time favorite Capri Blue Candle- can be found at Anthro., and felt the wonders of aromatherapy. 

I noticed the sea rocks and shells perched on the window frames

and thought of last weeks brief (CHILLY) but beautiful beach trip with the kiddos

then I noticed the pile of children's books under my husbands bedside table- and the pink sleeping bag peeking out from under the edge of the bed

and thought about my lovely little angels- and how much I value the time they want to spend with me reading books on our cozy bed.  I also thought about our options as far as night time goes- and how I need to- despite how sleepy I am- insist on whichever one wakes up first sleeping the rest of the night on the special bed (sleeping bag on top of the crib mattress next to our bed)- simply for the sake of morning sanity.
WILL DO TONIGHT!!!!

Then I made my way into my studio to quickly ponder a current painting that I'm working on....

and felt excited as I thought about what I will be adding to the image tonight when I get a few hours in my studio:)

Oh- and I saw the fabric that I had mentioned here- that I bought for my kitchen- which my Hub immediately vetoed for reasons relating to "too many flowers"- and decided it would suit my studio windows better!

On the subject of studio time...
I have a few upcoming  show announcements!!!

Ms. Lola Rain and I will be co-hosting a group show here (at my house) on May 7th from 12-4pm!  All our welcome!  It will be an "open house" format- with snacks, art for viewing and purchasing;) and socializing.  Contact me for the address;)

At that time- and for the entire months of May and June...my work will also be on display at Tisane tea and coffee bar on Farmington Ave. in Hartford CT.

I am super excited about both upcoming shows!!!!!

How To Make: a quick personalized photo album cover

I am in full Christmas crafting, wrapping, painting, cooking madness over here!

I had this last minute gift idea for the angelbabies.  We have a little photo album that was Zella's as a baby that has a bunch of pics of her, and pics of family members in it.  She loved it when she was younger- and still enjoys looking through it- but most of all Moses loves it!  It's sad to say- but it holds true-that the 2nd does get slighted a little bit- so Moses has not had his own photo album to look at- and Zella's is getting a little ratty.

I decided to buy 2 inexpensive photo albums- (that seemed pretty sturdy) from our local drug store. They were 6$ a piece.  I bought them- despite the cheesy (in my humble, picky opinion) writing on the front,  and decided to whip up a quick, personalized collage on the front of each of them to cover up the less-than-favorable writing.

Here it is as it was when I bought it:

Here are the materials I used- various pens, scissors, craft glue, and Mod-Podge (gloss luster finish- shiny is always better;) If you haven't used it- it's a fabulous multi-purpose glue/glaze/sealer for decoupage (technically)- and it's fabulous!  It's what I used as a top coat on my custom drawer pulls on the kids dressers.  All this stuff is available at your local Walmart or arts and craft supply store.

Then I rummaged through my jam-packed scrap paper box in my studio.  In it- there are years worth of scraps- all sorts of papers.  The most exciting thing I save and use frequently for quick homemade cards (I rarely buy a card), gift tags, invitations, etc. is old calenders and book covers.

You see- one day, as Moses was ripping another book cover off of our extensive collection of hardcover children's books- I realized- "hey- I should be saving these and using them for collages"- so, ever since then I have been.  They give a great splash of color in a collaged card!

Below is the calendar page I used for Zella's album cover- it's from our 2009 calendar- which I've used  for at least 10 projects!

It was a Wolf Kaan calendar- love the vibrant colors in his paintings- so beautiful!

Here are the finished products! (they were still a little wet when I shot the photos- but the Mod-Podge dries to a clear finish)

I stuck a collection of their favorite photos in the the first 10 pages or so- and there's room for me to add more photos over time.  I still need to add a little picture of each of them in the front window...

Cute right?

I Love My Hair

Not sure if y'all are familiar with this video clip from Sesame Street- but we are loving it over here at our house!

Speaking of hair- we are always in search of good hair products for the Little Booty-Girl, and D recently got a new one that we are loving! You can find the product line here.

Here's the before and after:

On the subject of hair- I thought I'd share a recent hair experiment that I am trying on myself- it's a shampoo elimination routine....that's right- eliminating shampoo completely from my hair care routine (which, honestly was never very intense in the first place). Here is a link to an article explaining the theory behind it . I am still showering regularly BTW!

 My reasons? Well...Em brought it up on my birthday trip- so I thought I'd take the challenge- less $+ possibly radiant and shiny hair+ less time- I'm sold!
 I am currently on day 13- and it's not too bad- there have definitely been greasy moments at times, but it seems as though it's sort of leveling out a bit! I will keep you posted on the outcome of this trial!


Hope you are having a good hair day:)

Smooze, GoGo Boots, and Old Friends

Smooze are sooooo good!  We are partial to the mango variety- and with the weather we've been having lately in CT- not only are we going through many of these tasty treats a day- we are contemplating moving to Antarctica:)

This weekend was packed full of graduation parties and get-togethers with dear old friends that I don't get to see very often- we had a lot of fun! 

Friday night was spent with Kim N. and Ana- I didn't have my camera that night- but there were a lot of laughs, chips, and I stayed out later then I have in a LONG time! 

We were lucky to get to see Kim and her beautiful babes earlier that day as well.  The highlight of Z's day was a gift from Gracie- the beautiful snow boots pictured below.  D and I have been called her go-go-girl because she won't take them off (despite the 90 degree heat), and insists on wearing them with her uniform blue bathing suit.... thank you Kim!!!!;)- oh- and she loves the book and castle too!

Saturday night was spent with my favorite sisters, Annie's fabulously sweet roommate Aly, and my old friend Sarah, who I love dearly (she was in town for a wedding).  We spent the evening at Annie and Aly's new, adorable apartment- granted it was hotter than H-E-L-L-but fun- so we eventually made our way outside and over to a bar for a few more laughs....

I think Sarah looks like a model for a Modigliani painting in this one...

Sar telling/acting out one of her no-doubt hilarious stories

Playing truth of dare on Emily's iPhone at the bar

I am grateful for good friends- we missed you Kel!- xoxo