Some Favorites

When did I start this blog?
I'll have to check, but it was some time over a year ago.

I still haven't figured some things out - especially template wise, but there are some things I have figured out and I think I've come a long way since when I started this blog oh so long ago.

I need to go back and check that first post I ever made. I do know that I was hoping that this could be a photography blog one day. It's come to the point where I have to have someplace to show my work - and this blog is the best place for me so far. I also want to showcase some of the amazing designers that we have modeled for.

Including the faithful people who believed in me, or at least thought I had beautiful children when I was at best a mediocre photographer: Vanessa and Company and Mia Carina Boutique. They have had me photograph their well thought out and exquisitely made children's clothing for nearly a year or more. I wish them continuous success. I believe in them too. Gorgeous, gorgeous clothing that we have the privilege to wear, model and photograph.

So I'll be posting my favorites little by little and new ones as they come along. I'll be sharing links to the boutiques where they come from and maybe I'll share a couple of pictures of photographers whom I admire.

well, at least links to their blogs...

The H Word

After a long day, I give the girls their snacks and figure that I will give Bruce some corn chowder, salad and a jalapeno bagel for dinner. I lie down and relax with a good book for the first time in a hundred years when I hear a small sound.

I take off my reading glasses and look up to see Emme peering at me.

"I am the 'H' word." Emme announces.

"H? Are you happy?" I ask.

"I am H because huh-huh-hungry begins with H."

The Human Bee

Celeste, Emme, and Sabrina are playing mermaids in the pool.

"I'm so tired of being a mermaid! I want to be a human bee!" Emme wails.

Uncle Lorenzo's phone

So Mom tells me that she gets a phone call from the Ontario, CA area code.
"Hello?" she says.

"Hello? Is this Gloria?" a man queries.

"Yes, this is Gloria." answers my mom.

"I have your phone ma'am." the man informs her."I found your number here and speed dialed you from it."

"I'm pretty sure you have my brother's phone. I'll call him and tell him you found it."

Me interrupting the story:

"Mom, how could you call Uncle Lorenzo when that man has his phone?" I am laughing at my silly mom.

Mom: "He has a land line Monica. I called him there. I'm sure. Do you really think I called Lorenzo's cell phone number to tell him his cell phone is lost?"

scenario:

Mom dialing Uncle Lorenzo's cell: "Hello Lorenzo?"

Man with lost phone: "Hello? I'm the one who found his phone. I'm still here!"

I guess Mom had me there.

Brooke's Dishwasher

I just wanted to put this in as a followup to Brooke's printer, because I don't want to forget...

Brooke loves the dishwasher. Her superhuman hearing is as alert to the sound of an opening dishwasher as it is the the printer printing.

She has figured out to open it whether it is locked or not. Most of the time, she leaves it alone, but when I need to load or unload, she is right there.

She likes to stand on the door and bounce. After I pull of her off the door about 5 times, she moves on to her next favorite task: Pulling out the clean silverware and handing it to me. (I have to load dirty dishes when she's asleep). The silverware drawer is right next to the dishwasher. She hands me the forks, spoons and butter knives one at a time. Each time I say "thank you", and each time she says "thank you" in response.

Lately she has moved on to dishes. She's pretty good at it. Lucky me. She'll even get a dishrag and scrub surfaces for me. I think she's a clean freak.

Brooke's Printer

Brooke has a special relationship with our printer. It's just an ordinary printer - pretty much a box with some buttons and trays. Brooke loves it. She likes to stand on a chair that I have next to it and try to take it apart. She loves to pull out the 4x6 photo paper and put it back in or strew it about as her fancy has it.

Her most favorite thing to do however, and I what I think she considers is her job, is to pull out pages as they are being freshly printed out. She is mysterious. I will print something and she will appear out of nowhere and stand while my document is printing, patiently waiting for her prize - to rip it out and hand it to me.

She has keen hearing. I know she is upstairs while I am downstairs planning on printing a document. I know she is there, but sure enough, the whir of the printer guarantees that she will materialize without a sound. She is as quiet as a cat. Standing with grim patience she grabs printout after printout handing them to me efficiently without taking her eyes off my hewlett-packard.

She hands the printouts to me without eye contact. While I watch in irritation - I really don't want her to wrinkle my papers, but arguing with a one y/o is pointless - I am at the same time impressed and tickled. She has a method. She listens and knows that more than one page will come out. She gets the page with her right hand and hands it to me with the fierceness of a bullseye slingshot. Page after page. Wait, shoot, wait, shoot. When the printer sounds like it's finished, she disappears back to where she had come from. Job done.

The Blame Game

Bruce is out of town and I have to put 3 little girls to bed. This is usually Bruce's job, but when he's out of town, naturally it's mine.

I am fried out of my brain at 8:30 pm having hung out with 3 little girls and their compatriots all day. I have no patience, but I tough it out.

I get the girls washed up and teeth brushed and pajamas on. Celeste picks out a book, "The Blame Game" A Berenstain Bears story about kids arguing. Not the best subject for my fried brain, but I read it with gusto and expression.

I am reading, and Emme, who is enchanted by the subject matter, starts repeating over and over, "It's your fault! No it's not! It's your fault! No it's not!"

I keep reading, hoping Emme will stop, but she doesn't. I become irritated and impatient.

"Emme, do YOU want to read the story?" I ask sarcastically. I'm thinking she'll stop and say 'no Mama, you go on and read.'.

"uh...Okay!" Emme says pleasantly. She takes the book from me and begins to read out loud.

Laughing and forgetting any irritations I have ever had in my life, I take the book back and tell her that I'll read after all.

Emme looks up at me with a winning, "Gotcha!" smile.

Sky Pie

Emme:

"Mommy, today we had a field trip. Mrs. Autumm drove an airplane and took us to see God. He was very handsome and was wearing a tee shirt that said 'I'm up high in the sky'.

Clean Carpets

I am content today because I had my downstairs carpet cleaned and also my carpeted stairs and landings.

Truck mounted steam cleaning. That's what I like to use. I had a guy - his name is Rafael - come to my home for years to clean my carpets. I used to have him come 4 times a year but it's been over a year since I had my carpets cleaned and I lost his business card. I had to find him.

I had to find him, but I couldn't find him through information or in the phone book. So I looked for steam mounted cleaning and found a different company: Cambridge Carpet Cleaning. The owner called this morning and said he'd be here between 12:30 and 1:30.

Okay - so he called and said he was running late and would be here around 2:00. No problem, I say, just make sure you'll be done by 3:30 so I can pick up my kids from school. No problem he assures me.

At 2:00 one of the Kennedys knocks on my door. "Hi. I'm John." He introduces himself with a Boston accent. He is enchanted with Brooke. He sees my "photo studio" and asks who is the photographer in the house. He tells me his wife is in charge of the Nordstrom Children's Department. The clock is ticking. I hear myself mention that Bruce is going to Ireland in October. I learn that John is pure Irish. We discuss our childhood in catholic schools - Sister Constancia, Sister Marcella, Father Flannagan and Father Killeen. He shows me pictures of his 4 beautiful children and hands me his estimate. It is 2:45.

At 3:00 he starts on my carpets. He does a great job. I pay him at 4:00 and we are both out the door.

As I head toward school to pick up my girls, I muse over my experiences with professional carpet cleaners. I remember the guys who came in with an estimate of $500 dollars.

"NO." I tell them flatly.

The lead guy counters with $500 plus a free scotch guard.

"NO". I repeat showing the estimator the door. He stays put.

"How about $450, no scotch guard?" He asks. By this time I was nervous.

"I don't want my carpets cleaned after all." I say standing firm.

The guy gets on his knees and begs.

"Please lady. Please let us clean your carpets. We'll do it for you for 300 dollars AND scotch guard." He is desperate.

I should have shooed him out of my home, but I am a sucker for a grown man begging on his knees.

"Okay."

They cleaned the carpets and I paid them. I thought they did a decent job until 6 months later. I called Rafael the guy who regularly did my carpets. He walked around my home suspiciously sniffing.

"Did you bring in another cleaner?" He asks me.

"No." I lie.

He raises his eyebrow up at me and calls his guys in to set up. They clean the carpets. As I pay him, Rafael looks me straight in the eye and says,

"I know you had someone else come in and clean these carpets."

"How do you know?" I wonder.

"They used cheap solution and it stuck in the fibers. I had to clean it all up with my steam cleaner. LOOK at the BUBBLES." He shows me a large cannister filled with dirt and gray bubbles. "I ALWAYS know when my customers cheat on me." He frowns and tilts his head.

"I'm sorry." I apologize.

"Never EVER use another carpet cleaner. Is that clear?"

It was clear. From then on, I called Rafael and only Rafael. One day he gave me a refrigerator magnet with his number so I wouldn't lose it. I stuck it on my magnet board. Safe and sound. Until yesterday when I lost it.

It's a long story - another long story. According to Bruce, I HAD to have the dowstairs carpet cleaned today or his plans for rearranging the furniture and rooms this weekend would be foiled. On Thurday Bruce pressured me to get the carpets cleaned Friday afternoon. No ifs ands or buts. Fine. As I spoke to Bruce on the phone, I grabbed Rafael's magnetic business card and haven't seen it since.

I looked all over. Finally I resorted to the phone book and found my chatty Irish friend with the Boston accent and 4 kids.

Rafael is going to be furious.

The Public Hair

Years ago, when I was 18, I took a trip with my cousin Priscilla - we like to call her Pita - to Europe. We stayed at her aunt's (my 2nd cousin's) home in Weiderstadt, Germany and traveled to various countries with Pita's Nana (my great aunt) as a chaperone.

We usually traveled by bus. Our aunt (2nd cousin) Yolanda would take us to the Rhein Mein air force base where she had signed us up for trips to various countries.

I am thinking of a particular bus trip. Where we were going, I don't remember. It was the bus ride that sticks in my memory. Pita is a very easy going and extremely likeable person. In Spanish, the word is "simpatica". We sat next to each other prepared for the hours long trip to who knows where anymore. We had Evian water bottles, snacks and books. Possibly V.C. Andrews books, but I don't remember. We were at peace with the world and with each other.

As we read our books quietly, I happened to glance down - maybe I was at the bottom of the page. I saw a short curly hair resting on my tee shirt right below my chin. I picked up the hair and absentmindedly examined it. I quickly came to the conclusion that it was a pubic hair. I replaced it and went back to my book.

Pita must have been watching me the whole time.

"Give me that!" she said disgustedly. She snatched the hair from my chest and tossed it away.

We looked at each other with merry eyes - Pita has that kind of sense of humor - my kind. We went back to our books.

Here we are 24 years later. Me, Pita and Pita's Mom Priscilla (my 2nd cousin)That's my mom's arm there on the left with Brooke's little hand there too. I don't know who the guys are in the back.

Sequel to The Moco story

So I never mentioned that when Brooke first got her little green doll, she turned up her tiny nose at it and tossed it away (when Lynn's mom wasn't looking of course.)

We kept that little mucinex guy in the minnie van for quite a while. We would hand it to Brooke when she was upset or bored but she would toss the hapless fellow away every time.

This led us to believe, naturally, that she didn't care too much for him.

So when Vanessa asked for him (see comments below)I thought "why not?" and gave the Moco to Vanessa as a birthday gift. She was delighted!

As Vanessa laughed and held her new little Moco guy in her hands, Brooke toddled right up to her and grabbed him away with force. She had a frown on her face as if to say, "that's mine!".

Well, Vanessa wasn't ready to give him up, so they had a bit of a tug of war over the Moco. Brooke vs Aunt V.

Aunt V, being bigger and stronger, won.

The Moco

Not too long ago, I was unloading the girls from the car into their school. It takes a while. Emme likes to take her time. We have homework to remember, seat belts to unbuckle, friends to say hello to.

This particular morning, Emme's classmate Lynn's mom drove up and parked a few spots from us. As I was standing at the open car door waiting for Celeste and Emme to come out, she called out to me.

"Wait! I have something for the baby!" she rummaged through her bag and walked up to the Minnie van.

"Hello Brooke!" she cooed affectionately. She handed my baby something small and green. A little stuffed something with a tee, plaid pants and a small hat.

I thanked her graciously and shepherded the girls into the kindergarten class.

I usually pick Emme up at 1 - right before nap. Then I pick Celeste up at 3:30. All this driving on the 405 has been taking its toll on me and I decided that it was time for Emme start taking naps at school. One of the ways that I was able to convince her to stay was to allow her to take her Care Bear to school.

"How was your nap with your Care Bear?" I asked one day.

"It was great mom. May I take a Care Bear for Lynn to nap with too?"

"Sure." I said. "Just ask Celeste if it's okay and you may let Lynn borrow one."

Next day:

"How was nap today Emme?"

"It was great mom. But Lynn wants you to buy her a new Care Bear. She doesn't want to nap with an old one."

"What?" I am dumbfounded at the nerve of this little kid. "She wants me to buy her a new Care Bear? Tell her to nap with a little moco like the one her mom gave Brooke!"

"What's a moe coe?" Celeste asks her in her gringo accent.

"A moco" Emme says in a perfect Mexican accent "is a booger."

This one's for you, Vanessa:

Early Birds

Celeste, bless her darling heart woke up early this morning because I asked her to. I needed to get this set out today - Thursday is a good day for listing auctions. Last night I kind of asked her casually, "hey, could you wake up early tomorrow?"
"Sure!" She agreed cheerfully. "Then we can watch the sunset together!" (I think she meant rise).

True to her word, this beautiful child came to my bedroom at 6:30, dressed and ready to change the world. She was wearing a mini-skirt. Quickly, I got out of bed, curled her hair and lassoed soft, sleepy Emme into feeding Brooke some cheerios.

Celeste and I did the shoot lickety split and we had time to spare. Emme was dressed - they had their new pink jelly sketchers on - and we stood looking at eachother. What next?

"Let's go to school early!" I suggested. "Hurray!" they chimed. We climbed into the minnie van and got to school a half hour early. We were one of the first there. The teacher was so surprised and delighted to see us, she gave me a sticker. I'd take a picture of it, but Brooke chewed it up and spit it out. It was a little circle that said:

"Good Job!"

No Rest For the Weary!

I plan on making my next few sets OOAK. Just so that I can catch up on life and get my home organized and pay more attention to my kids and my hubby - hehe - Good thing I don't have pets!

Among all that, what do I do for fun? Sew! So I sewed up this cute little beach ensemble for a launch that I had been invited to. I'm at the tail end of the launch, but I made it and there it is. I'm calling it "Buckets and Spades". Kind of British sounding, I think. The fabric is by Makower of U.K. Sounds British to me.

Ignore the dirty soles of the shoes. You know, she didn't go very far to get those dirty. She barely walks! I was horrified when I saw the pix, but that's all I got from her. Only 5 good pictures. I had to use the shoes, and cropping didn't work. Hey! It's life. People walk.

"This Song Scares Me"

I just sent off my last custom order today.

For weeks, I had been sewing every spare moment I could squeeze in among:

a vacation at the beach
a virulent bout with the stomach flu (my whole family)
a stuffy head and fever (me and Brooke)
every day life

After I collapsed in relief with the last stitch, I called Bruce and asked him to pick up Celeste from school and take her to gymnastics. I was drugged up on Sudafed. He heard it in my voice and quickly agreed. Later, he brought home dinner from the yummy taqueria "Carnitas Michoacan". He looked at me affectionately and gave me a hug.

"You're stressed." He said. He had brought my favorite drink: Horchata.

Stress manifests itself in me in destructive ways. It's either my hair - I go bald - or my immune system - I catch every virus that comes through the pike.

It's not the sewing that stresses me out. It's the time management. Or lack of. Emme wanted me to help her with a puzzle today. I couldn't because I had to get this last dress out. It was 3 days late. I had to finish. "That's okay mom." she said. "I'll wait until you're done."

She smiled and finished the puzzle herself.

Coffee in my Junk Drawer

What happens when you make coffee but forget to put the coffee pot in the coffee maker?

A big mess.

The drawer was closed! I had to pull everything out and dry the inside of the drawer. All of my junk was soaked in coffee. I couldn't believe how many things could fit in there. I need to sort it out. There is no way I'm sticking all this stuff back in.

Cute Kid

This evening as we were getting ready for bed, Emme pulled out a carpenter's tape measure. I had been using it earlier to measure some things. She must have picked it up from where I had placed it and hidden it in her room.

The industrial strength measuring tool looked huge in her dimpled 4 year old hands. As I stood wondering what she was going to do with it, she placed it at my feet.

"Mama, let me see how old you are." She said pulling and pushing the yellow metal tape out trying to reach my head.

"How old am I?" I asked.

She looked up at the top of the tape as high as she could see.

"Hmmm...two...no, that's not right."

She looked down at the bottom of the tape. She counted.

"Eighteen Mama. You're eighteen o'clock."

Blue Skies

We had the pleasure of modeling this beautiful tutu set by Evee - ebay id: chic*lil*lovebugs*boutique. I love the soft colors and the way they offset Brooke's dark hair and eyes.

I don't think I gave this picture to Evee because I'm not so happy about how the chair is not perfectly horizontal. What I do like, and why I'm showing it off, is how her two little baby feet are included in the whole picture. There are still a lot of things I need to work on in my photography, but I am pleased with how this series of pictures came out.

Speaking of Telenovelas

Here is the music video to the one I'm watching right now - Pasion. I was surprised to see that it is sung by Sarah Brightman with Fernando Lima - two of the most beautiful voices in the world...

PASION Sarah Brightman y Fernando Lima

Triple Play

I've been tagged...by 3 different people all at once!

Here are my taggers:

Amy - http://funkymonkeyb.blogspot.com/
Lesa - http://isabelinspireddesigns.blogspot.com/
Holly - http://peytonsplaceboutique.blogspot.com/

Here are the rules:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven random things about me:

1. I love Mexican telenovelas.
2. I can read, write and speak Spanish if forced to.
3. I have a head vase collection.
4. I'm a pretty good cook. At least, I like to think I am.
5. Friends used to call me Snow White - until I had kids!
6. My sign is Gemini - I have a good side and a bad side. Friends and family never know which side they are going to get. The bad side is pretty bad. I'm not proud of it.
7. I wear contact lenses.

Oh man, now I have to find 7 people to tag...
Vanessa
http://vanessaandcompany.blogspot.com/
because I love you
Jen
http://fabricbliss.blogspot.com/
because I love your fabric and your mailing list emails
Beth
http://jusshardesigns.blogspot.com/
because I love your crocheted baby stuff!
Eileen
http://whimsyportraits.blogspot.com/
because I love your photography and your baby is Brooke's age!
Mari
http://marihodge.blogspot.com/
because you haven't been tagged in a while and I love you too
Kathy
http://www.bedknobsnbroomsticks.blogspot.com/
because I found you on the Faeryhill Guest Launch blog thread :-)
Twinkle
http://www.twinklepics.blogspot.com/
because I've recently come across your blog and LOVED it

ay yay yay!
May I never be tagged again!

Road Trip

This Thursday we took a little Road Trip to San Diego. We are still here in SD - Mission Beach partying it up with the Sprink Break die hards.

I just had to jot down a quick couple of notes before I get back to nursing the keg with Nana and Brooke...

On the way to San Diego, we had some kid car tunes going. One of the girls' favorites is a song about the 50 states. Celeste was happily belting it out until she got to Mississippi. Then she stopped thoughtfully:

"Mama, do they make sippy cups in Mrs.Sippy?"

***

The next day, Friday, we went to Sea World. In the Aquarium, the girls got to see the small sea life such as jelly fish, sea stars, anemones, etc. Bruce took them to the window where the squidlike creatures were. He told them they were called "cuttlefish". To which their response was:

"They don't look very cuddly to me."

The Bathroom (again)

We keep Brooke's crib in our bedroom. It's nice, because I can hear her breathing at night. Even after having successfully kept 2 other children alive so far, I still worry.

Still, it's pretty inconvenient for obvious and not so obvious reasons. The one I'm talking about right now is using my en suite bathroom. Doesn't that sound nice? "En suite". It's really a tiny closet of a bathroom that is attached to my bedroom. I like it because it has a commode, a sink and a shower. It's small, but everything works and that's all right with me.

What I do in the morning is: 1. roll out of bed - 2. make lunch, dress the girls and drive them to school - 3. come home, make coffee, feed Brooke, drink coffee, skip breakfast - 4. Put Brooke down for a nap.

Notice I skipped the shower. The best time to take a shower is during Brooke's nap. But I can't take one while she is napping because I'll wake her up. Her crib is right next to my en suite water closet.

Therefore, I take my shower in the Rubber Ducky Bathroom. That's Celeste and Emme's bathroom. It's bigger, but it's not my bath, so I haven't taken over it. I take my shower, clean up and leave. It's as if no one was ever there.

Until...
Yesterday, I was getting the girls ready for a bath. I started the water running while they got undressed. When Emme stepped into the bath, her eyes and mouth opened wide. She gasped.



"Mommy!" She exclaimed. "Somebody came into our house while we were gone and took a bath in our tub! The rubber duckies are moved and LOOK! The grownup shampoo bottle is empty!"

Never once did she think it could have been me.

Vanessa & Company

My creative, talented sister Vanessa has come up with some stunning kids' clothes lately. Some of us know that she has been successful selling aprons, pillows and other home-deccy treasures. Lately, however, she has a added this new category to her repertoire of artistic fabric creations.

Brooke, Emme and Celeste have been recipients of her gifts and love Aunt Vanessa's clothes. Her sturdy little dresses, skirts, shirts and jackets have been through the wash many times after surviving the school sandbox. They still look great and ready for my girls' numerous adventures.

Here are some delicious samples of what she has to offer:

Euro Pop



Alice In Wonderland





Bunny's Last Stand




They are all in a size 4/5 and are ready to ship.
Go take a look!

Sunshine and Hello Kitty

I made three sets last week. I have had them listed since the 27th. I ended up calling the mermaid set "Atomica: Queen of the Pacific". I thought that was a pretty cool name. Celeste and Emme would totally approve. Funny I have not yet run it by them.

My Hello Kitty set was the first in this particular series. It was my first try at the Euro pattern Cara. The Cara pattern can be a little tricky at first. Especially if you're a cocky seamstress who thinks she knows it all as I am. I tried to skip through some steps without reading the directions carefully and had to back up a couple of times. It came out beautiful. It must have, because Mari took some awesome closeups. To me, that means she liked it. You can find this auction here.




This picture makes me happy. Mari took this closeup for the bows, but I love it so much that I have it in my listing. This beautiful child could sell a potato sack to the most discriminating customer. Loreen of LoreenJane made the perfect bows to match my fabric swatches quick as a wink - She was a joy to collaborate with. You can find her auction here.

Finally, my last dress - my all time favorite design - mine. It's a "Monica" as my friend Dominique would say. I really didn't think this would get any bids, but I made it because I liked the fabric and thought it deserved the royal treatment. Luckily, it even has some watchers too. That tells me I should always go against my grain and not be so conservative anymore. They like it! They really really like it! Believe me, I have thrown some bombs up there that have had nary a watcher, so I am thrilled right now.

Here it is:



Yes, that's my delicate little princess at 7:30 in the morning, freezing her petunias while I, in my ski cap and parka shoot away. She's such a good sport. Well, she did complain once, teeth chattering - "Mommy, can you make something with sleeves next time?"
"Just smile and pose!" I bark.

You've already seen my mermaid set "Atomica: Queen of the Pacific" (nice ring to it, I think). So the last visual treat I have for my blogging friends is this:



This delightful necklace is by Cecelia of Mon Ami Jewelry. She custom matched it to my "You are my Sunshine" dress. You can check out all of her listings including an amazing --I wish I could buy it but everyone would think I was shilling-- necklace called "Precious". OMG I really really like it. Here are Cecelia's listings.

Not sewing this weekend. Off to other creative pursuits such as cooking. I'm having a small playdate at my house with a couple of Celeste's friends and their families. Hopefully Vanessa and Fam will come too. I'm looking forward to it and going all out cooking a feast of bbq ribs and fried chicken with all the fixin's. Can't wait!

Girlz Rock

Girlz Rule. Well you don't have to tell me twice! Especially since Brooke is my boss. She rules all right. Sigh. But we won't get into that...

haha - I just realized that the set is Girlz Rock. Well, that tells you how I'm feeling lately! Truly, Mama rules. Howz that?

We had the opportunity to photograph and model this darling designer outfit from Cream Puff Couture. The moment I opened up the box, I was delighted. I loved the skull applique with it's bling accents and detailed embroidery. Right up my alley! She can wear it when Emme wears La Tatuada. Sisters to the death. Sigh again.

You can find the auction here.

Retro Mermaids

I really couldn't think of what to call this set - until just now for the title of this blog post. The Free Spirit fabric reminds me of atomic age design. The mermaids on the knit leggings and, hence, the applique remind me of something I would find in an antique mall. In my mind, the designs are very retro. Even the style of the tunic and leggings - makes me think of the '50's and '60's.

I asked my friend Monica of Maddie's Bowtique to make me some bows to match some samples of fabric that I had brought to her. She made 3 pairs of bows for me. Beautiful, perfectly scaled bows. She made them the way I would have made them if I could make bows.

I love the tiny little mermaids she picked for this set. The ribbons are perfect and she had not even seen the Free Spirit fabric because I didn't know I was going to use it at the time. I'm going to list the complete ensemble on September 27. It's going to be a custom auction because Celeste and I could not part with our Retro Mermaids!

Shameless Bragging

As if that's not what I do everytime I write in this blog...

Celeste got her school report card - and it was the Kindergarten equivalent of straight A's. What I found most remarkable among many good things is that her teacher commented that she puts Celeste with the kids who need extra help because she is very patient with them. Not only did Mrs. Margo write that in her report card, but she took me aside and told me. She also said that Celeste is not only very pretty and girly, but that she is also very athletic and likes to "go for it!"

*****

So today, we are waiting while Celeste is having her gymnastics class. It is a LONG hour. Emme is bored, so I suggest that we play a clapping game. You may know which one: "I had a little sister, her name is sister Sue. I put her in the bathtub, to see what she would do..." and so on.

At first, we clap slowly so that Emme can get the rhythm of the game. Then suddenly, she gets it! We are clapping quickly to the beat of the song. This is not easy for a 4 year old! I am so impressed.:-)

Then Emme wants to play another game. Okay - so I suggest an obscure one: "I love my love with an "A" because he is Adorable. Emme's turn: I love my love with a "B" because she is a Baby. We take turns going through the alphabet all the way to Z. At first Emme needs some help. When she gets to "F" she has to whisper the alphabet to see what comes next (a,b,c,d,e,F!). She also needs help with some letters like K - Kandy or G - Gump - But she gets it! I am so impressed and praise her so much that she asks to play it over and over until Celeste joins us.

On the way home from gymnastics we play "I love my love" again and again. The girls get so good at it that they come up with lines like: "I love my love with an 'L' because she Likes to Lick Lollipops!"

I love my girls with an "S" because they are So Smart!

Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder

Preschool through Kindergarten had a big party yesterday for Valentine's day. The theme was Tea Party and the parents were instructed to dress the kids in special outfits.

I dressed Emme up in her "La Tatuada" set with her silver Michael Kors sandals and her hair done up in a ponytail with red heart-tipped ribbon streamers. She added the final touch with a silver tiara adorned with purple gemstones.

She was a show-stopper when we walked into the preschool/preK classroom. The teachers oohed and ahhed at her outfit. The kids ran up to her and touched the sparkling crystal skull and crossbones. Emme stood regally and accepted the admiration graciously.

I stood beaming until Emme's best buddy Leah marched up to Emme and declared, "Well, my dress is more beautiful than yours. Look! It's got princesses!" She pointed to her golden Disney Store dress with the full skirt and sleeveless bodice. In the center of the dress was a lovely Disney Princess cameo.

Emme silently admired Leah's dress until Leah walked away distracted by the Valentine festivities. I worried about Emme because she relates so much to her clothing. It's a struggle or a triumph to pick out her clothes every day. Her mood depends on what she is wearing.

After school, I asked her, "So how was your day?"

Emme: It was great, mom! I had a great day!

Me: How did you feel when Leah told you her dress was more beautiful than yours?

Emme: That was okay because my dress was better. Hers had "armpits" (that's Emme's way of saying sleeveless. She dislikes sleeveless clothing).

Me: Well, I'm happy you felt good in your dress!

Emme: I did. But I told Leah that she hurt my feelings when she said that hers was more beautiful than mine.

Me: You did?

Emme: Yes. Leah told me that she had to say it because I looked so beautiful in my tiara and she didn't have one.

Me: And what did you say?

Emme: I said, "Leah, we are BOTH beautiful." And we hugged each other.

Conversations in the Minnie Van part 2

Celeste: "So Mommy, did you really work in the city?"

Me: "Yes"

Celeste: "Was it pretty?"

Me: "Yes. It was very pretty. I worked in the financial district. The buildings are beautiful there."

Celeste: "Was it noisy?"

Me: "Yes."

Celeste: "And then you went to Iowa where it's nice and quiet and met Daddy. Right?"

Me: "No."

Celeste: "How did you meet Daddy, then?"

***
I give the girls a quick synopsis of my first blind date with Bruce and how it was set up. I stick in lots of details - things I know they'll enjoy - like what he wore, what I wore... things like that.
***

Me: ...and that's how I met Daddy.

Emme: How did you meet us?

Celeste: (laughing heartily) Emme! Mommy didn't MEET us! She MADE us!

Emme: Ohhhh...Mommy, how did you make us?

Pretty Please

Pretty please with a cherry on top? That's what I used to say when I was a little kid. I made this adorable set for Brooke's first birthday. It is totally over the top for my usual style - but once I put it on Brooke, I knew I loved it. I think I will be making lots more sets like this for my baby. It's like having a little girl for the first time!

You can see my auction here.

Snow

Today Bruce decided to take me and the girls on a picnic in the mountains. He wanted the girls to experience snow. It was something they had been yearning for. They were so excited. They got their caps, mittens and rain boots and we all piled into the car for a relatively short trip up the Angeles Crest Highway.

The weather here in Los Angeles has been beautiful. The days are crisp and clear and the grass and trees are green from the recent rains. The drive up to the mountain forest reminded me of the Road To Hana in Maui. We even saw a waterfall. It was lovely.

We stopped at a little picnic area. It seemed everyone had the same idea. Families of all sizes, nationalities, ages had come out into the sunny day to see some snow - such a special thing for us Californians!

The girls were in heaven throwing snowballs at their daddy and climbing up small drifts.

Here are some pictures of them with their first snowballs. Something to be chronicled!





Bruce took this last one. I love it. Contented sisterhood. See the melting snowball in Emme's hand?



When the girls could ignore their appetites no longer, we drove up the highway a bit, turned onto a lookout area and parked. We picnicked tailgate style, feasting on fried chicken, coleslaw and lemonade. The view, needless to say was amazing. But here was my favorite view:



The picnic in the van was Brooke's favorite part of the trip. She felt like part of the gang sitting with us eating pita chips and hummus along with her King's Hawaiian Bread.

It was an unforgettable day!

Camera Tip

I just checked out this video on the $1.00 camera stabilizer. I can't wait to make one for myself!

Come to think of it, it won't be too helpful with photographing children since I'm always crawling on the ground or on my knees trying to get nice shots of them.

hmmm.... worth a shot anyway!




$1 Image Stabilizer For Any Camera - Lose The Tripod - video powered by Metacafe

Conversations With The Neighbor

I adore my neighbor. She drives a Jaguar and wears diamonds and hotpants with marabou feathers - I kid you not - to water the lawn. She's not too much older than I am which is the funny part. We get along great and we have kids around the same age. She has all boys and I have all girls. The same ob/gyn delivered our children. We have at least that in common.

So the other day, after a morning of shopping, I breezed out of Bruce's car and found D watering the lawn in a tennis skirt and sporting a new haircolor - red. My heart lifted to see her and I walked on over to chat because I was feeling fine.

Me: "Hi D!"

D: "Hi Monica!. How're the girls?"

Me: "Great. Growing. How're the boys?"

chit chat chit chat....

D: "So I found out why Dr. X (our former ob/gyn) went on leave."

explanation: Right before I became pregnant with Brooke, Dr. X took an unexpected leave of absence from his private practice. He left a very competent friend of his, Dr. Z to take over the practice and that's who delivered my baby.

We, D and I speculated for months on why Dr. X left. Did he take a vacation? Was he stressed? Did his wife threaten to leave him unless he slowed down? The possibilities were limitless. He was so charismatic, so handsome, so young, so successful. Why would he leave a thriving medical practice in Encino? Maybe he retired. But his nameplate is still on the door of his office. We were stumped.

back to the conversation:

Me: "Tell me. Why did he leave his practice?"

D: "He is a compulsive shoplifter."

Me: "Wha? What could he possibly shoplift? Those Armani suits?"

D: "Please, Monica! Where would he stick them? Besides, he told me he went to Italy specifically to buy suits once a year."

Me: "Well, what, then? I can't imagine he needed to shoplift anything."

D: "It's a sickness. They caught him at Barney's in New York shoplifting jewelry. They took away his license. Apparently he's been caught before. I don't know what he's doing right now. Recuperating, I guess."

Me: Feeling bad for sweet Dr. X. Why did they come down so hard on him? Why did they take away his license? What could he shoplift - and I seriously wondered - from a woman who has nothing on and has all her netherparts exposed to him? Ask him to pay a fine and let the guy practice. He is the best doctor around.

"Well, I hope he comes back soon."

D: "Yeah. Me too. I miss him."

Maria

Maria is the lady who helps me keep my house clean. She's been helping me since I was pregnant with Emme. Maria is a wonderfully business minded woman and very successful, I'm sure. She is my age and certainly does much better at cleaning houses than I do at selling boutique clothing items.

She must know this because the other day she called me on the phone:
"Eh, Mees Monica?"
"Si Maria, que pasa?"

Translated conversation follows:

"Lately you've been paying me eight five dollars. You only need to pay seven five."

She annunciated it like this: ocho cinco and siete cinco - so we would be clear.

I usually pay her seventy five dollars a week, but I had been paying her eighty five dollars since the holidays. Kinda like a pay raise. Or at least so I was thinking.

"Please, you only need to pay me seven five. I want to be clear with you in case you forgot and started paying more by accident."

"Okay Maria." I say slightly embarrassed, but remembering that Bruce had complained that I had given her a raise. "I just paid more because it was the holidays."

"Gracias Mees Monica. And don't forget: It's SEVEN five, not eight five."

"Okay Maria. I won't forget."

God Bless Maria. He is saving a special place in heaven for her. I know it.

Ahhh...Emme...My Emme...

I made the most darling pair of Tinkerbell pants in the Zuma pattern. The fabric is a gorgeous oxford/pique. There was only one yard left last year when I bought it. I haven't been able to find more since.

This evening, Emme offered to try on some clothes for me - OFFERED. I jumped at the chance. "Okay, I say handing her the Zumas. "Try these on."
"Sure!" Emme is uncharacteristically cooperative. It doesn't last long.
Emme pulls them on and frowns. "Oh no." She says. "I'm taking these off."
"Why?" I whine.
"Because they make me look fat."
That's what she said.
She's a skinny little beanpole.
And what's more - Hello? SHE'S FOUR.
I don't get it.

La Tatuada

Mom has a very cool neighbor. His name is Rudy, but we secretly call him "El Tatuado." He's the one who decorates his home every year with flair and vigor. Yes. Vigor. He starts with Halloween. He decorates the outside of his home from top to bottom with scary scenery from the huge blowup ghost in his driveway to the 4 inch goblin who beckons brave kids to stop by the porch for treats.

He moves on to Thanksgiving with the biggest inedible turkey you've ever seen. Then it's on to Christmas. This past year, he added Santa on a pulley crossing the California winter wonderland in his sleigh. Rudolph is leading the way, his nose as red as ever. We were even lucky enough to spot Real Santa, stopping by Rudy's home with his huge bag of gifts. Rudy must have an "in" with jolly St. Nick to have had him come before midnight.

You would think it would end with Christmas, but it doesn't. My favorite time of year in Rudyland is next: Valentine's day. That's when he pulls out all the stops and displays a giant beating heart on his front lawn, complete with an arrow piercing through. It all ends with a blast in July. Red, white and blue everywhere. And on the 4th, our nation's patriot stands proudly, protecting his art with a water hose while the surrounding neighbors light illegal fireworks from Tijuana.

We call Rudy (secretly) "El Tatuado" because, well, because he is full of tattoos. He likes to decorate. He must have begun decorating his body with tattoos when he was young and in the military. When he ran out of room, he moved on to other things.

We love friendly, life-of-the-neighborhood Rudy. It is him to whom I dedicate my latest boutique creation: "La Tatuada".

Spring in Venice

Today was my first official boutique launch with my new design group "VendeMia". We had the opportunity to mingle with some very talented ladies. Click on the Vendemia logo to the right and you will find some of the best children's clothing made in the U.S.

Here is the Princesa set I had mentioned in a previous post:



Brooke, ever the professional modeling diva, just couldn't sit back and let Celeste steal the spotlight.

I'll Take What She Gives Me

The other day I made this sweet little heart tunic with matching leggings. It was my first try at making leggings and I was surprised at how easy they were to make and at how well they turned out.

Celeste must have been surprised too. When I asked her to model them for me, she agreed quickly without need of a bribe. She gladly started changing into the set. As she pulled on the leggings, she looked up at me sincerely and said,

"Mommy, these clothes are really nice. They look like somebody else made them."