successes

I've been MIA these last few weeks. 
Every time I would sit down to write a post I would review my life day and find nothing blog-worthy to write about.  Sick kids, rain, time outs, rain, diapers, rain, tantrums (mine and theirs)...you get the picture.   
Until I had something nice to type, I decided to type nothing.
The pity party is over and now I have something nice to say. 
A few things actually about some big and small successes in our household over these last few weeks.
We haven't done much since living in Oregon.  It's sad really...I had big plans for how we'd spend our weekends and free time (ha, yeah right).  Trips to the coast, hiking to infamous waterfalls, and afternoons spent at Ikea (yes, I had every intention of spending HUGE amounts of time at Ikea.  I'm from Boise...no Ikea...so it's still a big deal to me).  Unfortunately, we just haven't done much since being here.
But last weekend, we decided to throw the kids in the car and drive to the coast.  We went to Oswald Beach.  We hiked (by hiked, I really mean took a leisurely stroll through the forest on a man made trail) down and spent some time on the sand.  It was so beautiful, and just the right amount of fresh air we all needed:


starting the 'hike'



pausing for a picture

taking a break

harper found this yellow flower...and picked it (probably against the law)

crossing the creek to get to the ocean

the boys

cutest self portrait...ever

jumping contest

beach treasures

On our hike back up to the car, we ran into a nice woman who agreed to take our family picture.  Lately, it seems we have very few of them...it's just hard to get all five people in one place, smiling nicely.  I threatened the kids and told them they had ONE opportunity to smile and cooperate. 
I thought we'd gotten a perfect family picture...until I was looking through them in the car. 
Note our middle child...stinker...and also typical:

april 2011

Family picture: not success.
After the beach (think freezing and windy 'beach,' not sunny and warm) we were all hungry and cold, so we headed to Mo's for some clam chowder.  I had mine in a sourdough bread bowl called the 'cannonball' and literally ate the whole thing.  The entire trip was a much needed break and we were finally able to check something off our 'Oregon to do list.'  Plus we were all there...together, as a complete family.  Double success.
In other exciting news, Dawson started tee ball this week.  The 'Giants' have been practicing for 2 weeks now, and had their first game Tuesday.  I might just be biased, but I think he's one of the cutest players I've EVER seen:

throwing the ball to his team mate

he's made this face since he was a baby

beckham desperately wanted to be on the field...but the purpose of the picture is actually to show the obscenely small shorts on the man standing in the background.  You read that correctly.  Man.
The '70s called...they'd like their shorts back.

handsome guy

in the outfield...during the game...he was much more interested in watching me take his picture

The games are 2 innings long and each player has a turn at bat.  Dawson hit the ball both times.  By the 2nd inning he had even gotten the hang of running he bases.  He's so thrilled to be on the team and meeting new kids!  Success.

And lastly, I have been working on a DIY sunburst mirror.  About a year ago, I started the hunt for a trio of mirrors, which have a home waiting for them above my green credenza.  I have found 2, but have not been able to find another...in my price range of course.  Because I'm a touch neurotic obsessive impatient...I got sick of waiting and decided to make my own.  It is turning out to be quite craptacular....more crap than tacular for sure though.  

Side note: this sunburst mirror is the one I REALLY want, but with 4 days left on Ebay, I'm sure it will go for much more than I'm willing to spend.   

I spent countless hours on blogs, and finally I found one on one of my favorite blogs, jandjhome.

It did not turn out exactly as I'd wanted/planned/hoped, but I don't have the tools, or the knowledge, or thousands of dollars to do what I really want. 

So instead, I spent $4.27 on this bad boy:

the mirror...goodwill of course

shims for the 'bursts'

the first layer

there was a lot of layering going on

there was a LOT of this going on too

i stained the shims with MinWax brand Jacobean stain and glued on the mirror

the collection for now

My biggest complaint is that I feel there needs to be a frame around the mirror.  The frame that came with the mirror is too chunky and tall.  So now I'm on the hunt for a circular frame, that can be stained.  At this point, it looks very DIY...Not success. 

At least it allows me to display the other 2 that I do LOVE.  So I'm willing to have this tacky pile of sticks on my wall until I can find something else.  Success.

After typing this all, I don't actually think there were any big successes in our week. 

I supposed it's a success in itself that I finally got this written. 

xo,

tracy

ps: somehow I've become mother to an entire family of owl trivets....in addition to the one I bought last month and the other I bought 2 weeks ago for my friend Brianne...where are they all migrating from?!  I fear I'm becoming a bird lady...not success.

noses and toeses.

Today we went to a birthday party at the park for a friends daughter (happy 6th birthday to Jenna!).  It was festive and fun.  And freezing.  The wind was blowing (a welcome change from the rain though) so hard and we were chilled to the bone afterwards.  We came home and immediately jumped in the bath (not all of us together.  That would be crowded.  And a little weird). 
After the kids had splashed a large majority of the water out and were sufficiently raisined, I wrapped them tight and put them on the counter for our post-bath ritual:
-comb hair (this happens every morning, but also after showers in an attempt to tame the rats nest that is ever-present in h's hair)
-clean ears
-cut fingernails
-cut toenails
Whilst I was completing item #4 on the list, I was horrified to see that I had passed on a terrible trait to my daughter.  The middle toenail of her right foot looks JUST like the middle toenail of my left food.  Confused?
Our toenail is awkward and misshapen ....oh and don't forget hideous.  It's one of my least favorite things about myself actually...it looks like a troll toe.  That a horse stepped on and smashed.  If I wasn't so self-conscious, I'd post a picture. 
Just kidding.  I have no shame (delivering 3 kids does that to you):

see, even the pretty pedicure doesn't make it look better. sad.

I also felt it was fair to subject her to humiliation (don't worry, she's too young to know.  so we can just mock her behind her little 3-year old back):


equally as ugly and trollish.  just a tiny troll.


Anyway when I noticed her inherited misfortune, I started frantically scanning her body and face for other deformities or oddities. 
And then I saw it. 
She has my nose. 
It's not quite as turned up as mine.  And her nostrils are much more even than mine.  But it's definitely there.
If you've spent any amount of time with our family, you know that I have very lopsided nostrils (dylan loves to make me show people. turd).  One is the size of a Lima bean.  The other is more like a grain of rice...seriously. 
Oh, and it looks like a ski slope from the side.
Pretty.
I'm so sad for her.
Hopefully she won't resent me later in life.  And she'll grow up and have sky high self esteem. 
Or at least she'll learn to compensate for her deformities with other things...like a stellar sense of humor.  Or brains.  Or quick wit.  Or impeccable fashion sense.
Yes, these are all things I wish for.
In any case, I have a feeling it won't be a problem:

xo,
tracy
ps: this post seemed like a big ball of whines.  But it isn't.  And there are some things I like about myself....my nose and toes just aren't some of them.

March

I don't know where the time is going.
March is almost over, and I feel like it just started. 
I spent much of the month organizing our new apartment.  It is completely done, other than a few outstanding projects.  By few, I mean several.  I have a swag lamp that needs a chain cover (this requires sewing, which I don't do.  Should make for an interesting project).  I have 2 lamps that need to be painted and shades recovered.  I have a side table to paint.  Harpers room needs 3 canvases decorated...paint, fabric, or paper??? (this is not rhetorical, I'd love suggestions).  And lastly I found a DIY blog with a lovely sunburst mirror that is calling to me....I feel that April is going to be busy.
I'm excited about the way Harpers room turned out.  Not because of it's cuteness, but because of the cost of it all.  You know, the important things, good prices:

this is the best view i could get...the room is just too small. 
curtains: $6.24/set. lamp: $9.00.  bedspread: $.70.

cube shelves: $3.24.
 harper picked out the trinkets.  notice the metal piano...it plays music and is lined with red velvet. classy.

ceramic owl: $1.99

Harper is really excited about her room, and has already stuffed her bedside table with necklaces, Barbies, Hello Kitty slippers, and books.  It's already feels more like home.
Here is a picture of the smallest bathroom in the world (excuse the awful lighting...another plus):

I would have posted more pictures, but I couldn't squeeze inside.  You aren't missing out though, the toilet/tub are the only unpictured items in the bathroom.  No, I'm not exaggerating and yes, it really is that small. 
In addition to the moving/organizing/cleaning, we ended the month with a visitor:

aunt betsy and beckham

Betsy came to stay with us while Dylan was away.  It was SO fun.  We had 5 days of eating, laughing, and shopping.
The eating: Aside from our daily soda runs, we found time to be in the kitchen a little.  We made grilled salmon with snow peas and red potatoes.  The next night we had tilapia fish tacos with home made guacamole:

We also made a roasted vegetable orzo with lemon sauce.  Oh, and there were a few bags of salt and vinegar chips tossed in there.  And a few (dozen) white chocolate macadamia nut cookies:

making cookies for aunt betsy

don't worry, these didn't last long.  we ate them for breakfast. and lunch. and maybe dinner.

I think I gained 12 lbs.
The laughing: We had an afternoon alone (that's right, no kids...it was heavenly) and decided to go shopping (surprised??).  On our way home, we noticed a carnival in the Winco parking lot....that's right, Winco.  Are you fearing for our safety?  Me too, a little.
3 words: Ring of Fire. 
We bought our tickets from a little old carnie, with no teeth.  We snapped pictures of ourselves and joked that the carnies had webbed fingers and smelled like cabbage.  As we hung upside down and I again questioned our sanity, I realized how long it had been since I'd laughed like that.  My stomach hurt and my cheeks were sore from smiling.  Sisters make everything more fun.
The shopping: During our time together, I think we went to the goodwill 11 times.  Some we visited twice.  They were just that good. 
The diamonds in the rough??   Leather purses, skinny jeans, Banana Republic sweaters, vintage Talbots black skinny belt, J. Crew sweater...the list goes on and on and on.  And on.  If you don't believe me, ask Betsy.  She had to take 2 extra suitcases home...completely full.
Aside from the clothes, I've had a few other finds. 
Prepare to be envious:

vintage floral suitcase

brass bird.  a must have.
 

i've been wanting a cake plate, but fancy glass did not seem my style (or safe with the little rats running around my house).
  i found this '50s metal one with a plate, square cover, and long wooden handle.  it is just what i wanted.

Doesn't it make you want to grab a flight to Portland?
I promise to deliver a wonderful vacation full of good food, great laughs, and tons of shopping. 
Oh, and cookies for breakfast.

xo,

tracy

ps: we had a little photoshoot while Betsy was in town with the kids.  They were cooperative (mostly) and she captured a few good ones.  I might be bias, but those are some of the sweetest faces I've seen: 

whirlwind

This post is going to be short...unless I get off track and ramble on and on and on....which I never ever do.  Ahem...
Dylan is in Nicaragua for 10 days with a club from school...I know, unfair right?!  I'm in the torrential downpour, and he's basking in the sunshine...drinking pina coladas, eating out, and shopping.  Oh, and helping the people of Nicaragua maintain their eyesight and eye health... but that's just a cover I'm pretty sure.  Since he was gone the entire Spring Break, the kids and I decided to make a trip to Boise to surprise our families.
It was such a whirlwind...in a good way.  We saw both Conklin and Hatfield (there are no pictures of the Hatfields...because most of our time together was spent chasing kids, or in a noisy playplace...those are all just excuses.  Really, I'm just a slacker) grandparents.  We spent time with aunt Jen, uncle Daniel, and cousin K (the kids loved her and were in her face the ENTIRE time).  We saw Uncle Jake, The Chatterton family (including cousins, although there are no pictures because again...total slacker), and wonderful friends.  It was so different from our normal monotonous routine, which was a nice change. 
Our trip included: the McDonalds playplace, outings to the park, making smoothies, playdate with friends, family dinners, Target shopping trips, laughing, a trip to the library, fabric shopping, eating...the list of fun goes on and on. 
It beat our usual daily activities: school, naps, annoying each other, meals, bedtime.  Boring.
I have a lot to say about the trip, but am committed to making this post short, because my eyelids are drooping and I'm running strictly on Diet Pepsi right now. 

Boise made me:
- Miss my family even more.  It is so hard being away.  It's like a giant gaping hole that nothing else can fill.
- Remember how dry my skin is there...and my hair.  The mullet looked even worse in Idaho than Oregon.  If that's even possible.
- Realize that no thrift stores compare to the Forest Grove Goodwill.
- Admit that I hate pumping my own gas...I've gotten spoiled.
- Understand how much I miss selling real estate.  I had forgotten the thrill of showing a house, discussing features of a kitchen, and thinking about things other than diapers, toddler tantrums, and wiping noses (and other body parts too).  I miss it more than I realized and think I left a little piece of myself behind when I left it.
- Remember how much I hate sales tax.
- Realize that I NEVER want to go to McDonalds again.  I'm embarrassed to say this, but we ate there 4 times this week.  By we, I mean the kids.  Unless McFlurrys and Dr. Pepper count as eating.
I am so thankful we could go and for every ones efforts to make it a great trip.  Here are a few pictures of some of the people we saw (if we saw you and there is not a picture it's because I failed to take one, or my kids were making ridiculous faces in it...they're not cooperating very well right now for photos):

with grandma conklin

harper and cousin k

love baby k

playdate with friends

reading with papa conklin

kisses from great uncle jake

While in Boise, I did a little thrifting (a big thanks to my mom for tending the littles so I could escape  go shopping alone) and had a fabulous find! 
I have been keeping an eye out for sunburst mirrors.  I wanted something that was not metal.  I already own a metal one that I found at an antique store for $1, so wanted either an all-glass design, or wood. 
I went into a consignment store called Ricochet and laid eyes on this beauty.  I immediately knew I had to take her home:

After putting it up on the wall, I'm so glad I scooped it up before someone else did!  I need one more to complete my collection and put them in an arrangement above my green credenza.  I'm debating making one myself and have been pouring over DIY blogs.  I'm halfway tempted...
Oh, and we decided to pack up and drive home in the middle of the night to beat a snow storm.  We got home at 2am, and this is what I looked back to find.  Cute, and also a little sad:

They were such good little travelers. 
It was wonderful to spend time with family and friends.  But it's always good to be home.

xo,
tracy