a different sort of weekend

(my brother johnny, my mom + my sister becca)

this weekend my brother, who has had type 1 diabetes since he was 13, was taken to the er because of a severe diabetic reaction called diabetic ketoacidosis. he has been in the icu since saturday, but he is now stabilized and is recovering. hopefully he will get out of the icu soon and be released. 

grateful for so much, 

including that he just got a new job which gave him new insurance this month,

 and that his friend could tell something was wrong with him, 

and that she called his roommate who took him to the hospital.

looking forward to him being healthy & home.

hilarious.

this preview is so, so funny.

thank you, nbc, for bringing will arnett back on a show.

he's hilarious.

i love the part when they both think they've been awake all night- 

um, no, not familiar at all at this house.

oh, and my girls have the same sheets as their baby.

(little tastemakers)

meanwhile,

in real life,

my 3 year old is screaming her head off upstairs to resist nap/rest time. 

to which i say,

"sweet girl, you wouldn't be screaming so loudly if you didn't need to sleep. 

do you know how badly i want to sleep?!"

(exhibit a- she was falling asleep in the car on her way home from school but i kept her up til we got home.)

giveaway (winner) & the one that got away

we have a winner!

congrats christine!

(you can read christine's blog here)

and then, the one that got away.

do you remember how last week matt's car got stolen from the church parking lot?

well, they found it.

and my friends, this car is no longer in our family.

(insert sad face here)

short version?

whoever stole it totally destroyed it inside and out.

they stole all of matt's books from the trunk, 

his cd's (he was taking them to his office)

and

our girls' toys & books  that we keep for longer trips.

then, they filled the inside and the trunk full with random stuff- trash, clothes, suitcases.

then they just destroyed it:

spray painted it, ripped off windshield wipers, all the mirrors, smashed all the windows, crashed the front of the car, wrecked our car seat.

obviously his car isn't worth much 

(so we didn't have comprehensive coverage on it, 

so unfortunately now we just eat the loss plus pay the impound fee of $300)

but it was sad to see 

his car in this state.

in the midst of it i am grateful to have friends who lent us a car in the meantime, people in our life who support us in amazing ways, a healthy family, and my own old car that is still safe and sound in our driveway. there is so much to be thankful for, even when things like this happen- i don't have to worry about whether my children will eat tonight or if i have a bed to sleep in. so many other people in this world deal with such issues of injustice and lack that his seems minor.

and in the end, 

someone is in a desperate and broken enough place to do this to someone else's property, 

which makes me most sad.

(can you tell i've had some time t simmer down? i was all fired up at the robbers on saturday, but i've since mellowed out. don't get me wrong, i still think they are lame, but i kind of pity them.)

and just like that, it's friday

it's been a busy week around these parts!

 m is going to two schools this year- her deaf school tuesday, wednesday and thursday, 

and a mainstream preschool co-op on monday and friday.

be still my beating heart - today was her first day of that school, and i'm not going to lie, i'm nervous for my sweet girl to be forging into new territory where she's the only kid who is deaf & has implants. i'm sure she will be just fine, but my mommy instinct is in overdrive this morning.

that, and i'm sad not to have our regular family friday (matt's day off is friday) and lazy monday errand day like last year. 

i'm hoping that the gift will be some one on one time with ruby:

 this one? 

look at that face.

 she is trouble, i tell you. 

(of course i love every ounce of her troublemaking self)

suddenly, as if someone waved a magic wand over her, ruby is into everything. 

she's a walking, climbing, crawling, pulling up and onto, stair attacking machine. 

 and this, my friends, was my daughters' room (it actually got worse because m decided to "help" me) until i spent almost all monday cleaning it.  

yep, keep it classy, susannah.

kind of funny, because it doesn't look as bad as it truly was here 

(or enough to merit 5 hours of work), 

but let me tell you, it was driving me crazy. 

sidenote: mom of the year goes to me yet again;

 notice ruby is about to open the diaper pail as i snap this picture.

we spent labor day with a group of friends

 our pal peter giving little m a twirl

 fun for our kiddos to race around and play together

 our friend micah whisking m away

 i have no words for this picture.

 rocked a few late nights this week for papyrus...

this week has been full of cards that are being edited and edited again. 

(not my favorite to paint and repaint a card just because they decide on a different color.)

 my favorite person.

it's been a full week with some hard stuff, and i'm so glad we are on this journey together.

and here is m's second first day of school picture! 

here she is outside of her new mainstream preschool, ready to take on a whole new adventure!

hope you have a fantastic weekend! i'll announce the giveaway winner by tomorrow!

dear monday

dear person who stole my husband's car sometime between yesterday afternoon and this morning, 

seriously?!
a. it's an old car! as in 1992 old. as in the year i graduated high school old.
b. you stole it from a church parking lot!? what? really?
c. you owe me a car, plus our good car seat, which was inexplicably in matt's car instead of mine. oh, and some really great cd's. (the more i write this, the more i go from being amused to being mad.)

dear jillian michaels,

all i know is that your dvd is. killing. me. we've worked our way up over the month to the highest level, but i have to say: level three? in theory at least, it seems like the more i do it, the easier it should get, but level three feels like level 800 and my legs are jello tonight. on a positive note, thanks for kicking my butt in a good way.

dear ants,
i am so freaking over you making our kitchen, bedrooms, diningroom, entryway & really- any location that you fancy- your playground. could you at least pick another house to frolic in?

dear children,
i love you. but this whole neverending bedtime routine where you come out for every excuse under the sun? it has to end. really. i'm a better mommy when i get some time with jillian (see above) every night, and you are better children when you actually go to sleep on time. no you don't need more water, to go pee again, to say good night one more time, to get more books, to brush your teeth again, to wash your hands because you forgot earlier, another hug or the light on. go. to. sleep.

dear children (part two),
also, i really do love you from here to the deep blue sky, but every time i do aforementioned jillian dvd & rock those jumping jacks (among other pounding high impact moves) i am reminded of your birth, and how you both left an indelible mark on my body. thanks for making me feel like an 85 year old. let's just say little m isn't the only one who has accidents around here. (and i'll beat you all to the punch- yes, i've done kegels)

dear leaky sippy cup,
i do not like you and the way you ruined my phone after like 30 seconds of contact. i won't complain about having an iphone, but i kind of miss my old phone. really, i hated sippy cups already- remembering to bring them places & making sure they don't leak all over creation? one of those mom tasks i'm not really that great at.

dear us weekly,
it's bad enough that i read celebrity trash. but let me refresh your memory- the contestants on the bachelor, jersey shore & those teenage mom shows are not celebrities. so please, stop pretending they are by slapping them on the cover.

speaking of celebrities?
dear heidi klum,
you are officially invited to my celebrity sleepover. i think i might be dropping drew barrymore from the lineup and i think you'd fit right in.

love,
me

giveaway!

have you heard of anthology magazine?

so many of my favorite and inspiring home/style magazines are no longer as of the last year or two, and anthology has popped up in their (very sad) demise. i usually purchase mine (as well as other magazines for illustration & artmaking inspiration) from my very favorite magazine shop- issues in oakland. last time round, magazines in hand, i decided why not just subscribe, in the hopes that more subscribers would perhaps help this magazine stay around for awhile.

i had a subscription snafu, and long story short, i have an extra copy of the spring issue of anthology, still wrapped in plastic. i've already read mine cover to cover and bought the issue for friends who might enjoy it, so i decided...why not give it away to one of you?

it reminds me of a synthesis of a magazine and blog, and i think you'll enjoy it! it is full of pretty things for your home, party ideas, and other lovelinesses.

would you like it for your very own?

for your entry, tell me your favorite or most inspiring magazine or blog in the comment section through thursday, september 8 at midnight, and i will pick a winner at random this friday!

oh, saturday

hope you are having a restful, sunny saturday!

hello september, i miss august already

back to school this week has felt a little frenetic.

so, let's all rewind to a few weeks ago when vacation was still in full swing.

matt's parents took our girls for the night and we went to l.a.

to see our dear friends jeff & jenny (and their awesome son henry),

hit up as many galleries as possible,

and of course,

eat.

we went to mario batali's osteria mozza.

two words:

yum and yum.

.

the only opening they had was right when they opened at 5:30, 

so we got there nice and early. 

we decided to get the pasta tasting menu, which was amazing & delicious:

five pasta courses, plus two desserts!

the portions are smaller, so i felt full but not stuffed

(although these pictures look deceptively large)

oh, and an extra little surprise something to get things started...

matt savoring the deliciousness

and then, dessert!

the food was absolutely delicious, and the timing between each course was perfect - it didn't come too quickly, but it also didn't lag.

most of all, i loved the time to just sit with matt and talk about life. you know, often it seems like our life is so busy (this week is a perfect example) that even if we see each other a lot that we are operating more like a well oiled machine - helping each other with the girls, get whatever work we need done, packing snacks, doing laundry, and so on. obviously that kind of tag teaming is necessary to get through the week, especially with small children.

but i guess i've been reminded lately that it is so vital to have moments like this- a leisurely meal or a long drive or a free afternoon - where you can get past talking about the to-do list for the day or the week and begin talking about the ways you relate to each other, your hopes for your family or your relationship, the things you've been thinking about lately. i'm not saying those conversations don't ever happen in the context of a typical week, but it is so easy for life to just happen, to get sucked into a routine and to lose those bigger conversations. when you finally claim that time together, it is as if you are pulled back on course.

here's to making more of those moments with the people in our lives that we love (significant others, yes, but also just those people around us who make us better), and having longer meals with lots of laughter and conversation!

happy friday! 

happy september!

happy eating!