happy halloween.

david was late for school because we stopped at the pumpkin patch to take pictures--oops!

my little astronaut & racecar driver.

i'm pretty proud of myself for getting a little festive. i bought this $5 tee at target.
have a great day & eat too much candy!!

guaranteed...

to make you smile.

wire charm bracelet

Sterling silver wire charm bracelet. So sweet and simple. The charms move and clink. $52

What should the featured item be for November?
1. Wire charm bracelet
2. Tag Keyring
3. Baby spoon

Leave a comment and cast your vote. Happy Monday!

saturday. candy corn century and park play.

we woke up early to go meet steve at the first rest stop. we waited in the car.

and we waited some more.

steve & scott arrived and took off any extra layers.

then we drove up the 46 to watch them come up the hill. here they come!!!.

and there they go!!!

then we went to cambria to play a little. david loves the swings.

matty rocked the playground.

then down to the beach to play. so glad my boys are well!!

self-portrait.

david plays in the sand.

mommy & matty.

cute shoes.
hey, i never got any candy corn?!

Hold hands with me...

Wow, it's been a rough couple of weeks. Matty really turned a corner yesterday with his nasty cold. David is feeling much better today, thank goodness! We visited our pediatrician yesterday. I apologized to him for a second visit in one week. I told I feel like I am so in the middle of taking care of David that I lose objectivity and it's really hard for me to tell whether he getting better or worse! He set David's chart down, turned and looked at me and said, " Don't ever think you are wasting my time. David is a unique kid and needs special attention. We have to stay on top of any health issues he has." So of course, I was tearing up. I am so thankful for good doctors, who really love my boys. I am so thankful for a husband who helps me and lets me vent when I am exhausted and for friends who love and support us. This blog has been the perfect way to connect while I've been holed up in the house with sick kiddos. Thanks for walking this journey with me. We all need to hold hands and help each other out.

***I updated the handmade brass, vintage & beaded designs link to the right. I was having so much FUN last night with these vintage pieces!!!

Handmade Brass, Vintage & Beaded Designs

New, fun stuff! Email me if you're interested in something. If it's marked SOLD, I might be able to create something similar.

Oh. my. GOODNESS! Love these brass bangles. Two bangles united by two large brass rings, dangle with a french charm (less than yesterday, more than today), a swarovski ball and tiny key. SOLD

Another one. So, so cute! Three bangles united by two large brass ringes, dangle with a vintage key, vintage heart locket and crystal quartz. SOLD

Vintage brass pendant (about 2") reads "Our hearts beat as one". Strung from large handmade brass chain. J-clasps in the front, about 20" in length, hits at the bust. I also added a swarovski ball. Fun, fifties charm! SOLD

This pendant is sooo fun and unusual! It reads "He who holds the key can unlock my heart. The key fits perfectly inside the vintage brass peandant. I also added a little crystal. J-clasp in the front 22" long SOLD

Amour vintage brass pendant is strung from handmade chain with a vintage heart locket and crystal. J-clasps in the front. 22" in length. SOLD

family photos.

Trina took some photos of our family at Sweet Springs Nature Preserve last weekend. She is so talented and patient. We are not the easiest family to shoot! I feel like she really captured the our family. Here's just a sample of her work.



I took David to the doctor yesterday because he has been getting worse instead of better. Our pediatrician put him on antibiotics because his cold has turned into bronchitis. I feel relieved to have some answers (instead of worrying and wondering if I am crazy or overreacting!) Hopefully in the next day or so he'll turn a corner and start feeling better. To tell the truth I've been feeling like I'm in isolation and also pretty exhausted. A friend is coming over today to give me a little break. Pedicure?!

On a lighter note, I am working on putting together a boutique page to add to the upper right-hand corner of my blog that would have rotating designs (handmade brass, antiqued sterling silver and other one-of-a kind designs) for sale. I'll try to have it up today or tomorrow!

I'd like to introduce you...

to Rachel and her amazing wares! We've gotten aquainted online. Her blog is darling and always inspiring.
We did a trade--some beautiful handmade journals for some of my jewelry. Go check out her etsy store!


Thanks for the goods Rachel! I love them. Happy Monday everyone.

antiqued sterling silver

I had a request for a custom necklace that inspired these other pieces.

I am super excited about these new sterling designs! This necklace has a vintage key (I love the scallops on the key!!), sterling heart and a faceted crystal. Once the piece was assembled, I dipped it in a solution to give it a patina. About 20" in length. SOLD

Oh, this one is so fun! It is has a vintage key, sterling heart locket and a tag stamped 'true love'. I finished it off with a round crystal and a cream pearl. Then dipped it to give it the antique look. About 18" in length. SOLD

And of course a sweet pair of earrings to pull it all together. These are simple, sweet and seriously look vintage. Just a round crystal strung from sterling earwires and dipped to antique. I made a few pairs. SOLD
If you're interested in something, send over an email.

a hoedown and a small breakdown

We had a fun, though short time at the hoedown. Matty had a a blast throwing his cowboy hat like a frisbee and yelling 'YeeHAW!!'. David got some great snuggles and cruised around to visit and make friends. We had amazing hambugers and lots of cookies.




Once we got home and the boys were in bed I had a mini-breakdown that included tears and strong feelings of 'I cannot change ONE MORE diaper or wipe ONE MORE boogie nose! I cannot pick up ONE MORE toy or do ONE MORE dish!' Steve let me sleep in this morning and woke me up to chocolate chip pancakes and coffee And he did the dishes. I am feeling a little more like myself this morning--and grateful for an understanding husband! On today's adgenda--let the house be messy, Target therapy, date night tonight. Maybe a load of laundry, if I can squeeze it in.

it's okay not to share...

your cold!
david is feeling better, but matty has got it now. this was a rare moment of both boys happy at the same moment. they've been a bit grumpy (and i have been, too!) i'm ready for us all to be well. tonight we are going to the college hoedown. hopefully i'll get some fun pics of the boys in their cowboy get-ups. then get them tucked in early for bed. any fun weekend plans for you?

Would you rather...

Eat cold cereal or delivered pizza for dinner, every night for a year???
.....................................................................................................

The winners for the baby spoon giveaway are Kim (kimmieclover@aol.com) and Carrie Haughey (carriemartha.blogspot.com). Congratulations!

handmade brass.

Oh, I have been having fun with some new handmade chain and vintage brass!

Crystal quartz with round, vintage locket and sweet key. About 20" long (Hits right above the bust). So fun and goes with everything. SOLD

Jet black glass is strung from vintage brass filigree. Earwires are gold-filled. About 1 1/2" in length. SOLD

Chunky handmade chain with an oval, vintage locket and freshwater pearl. I love this bracelet!!! SOLD

But this one is to DIE for! handmade chain with a J-clasp in the front is strung with Cherry quartz. The free-form pendant has a beautiful plum color. Very long--hits right about the belly-button. So, so fun!! SOLD

Both boys are home sick today with colds. Argh! I was getting cabin fever so we walked around Morro Bay for a bit. The weather was crisp and so clear. It felt great to be out--but, of course, both boys were a bit fussy. Hopefully tomorrow they'll be themselves again!

flashback.

when did my boys get so big?! i came across this picture the other night and i just can't believe how much they have changed. david had so many medical issues when i shot this photo and matty was such a little guy and i was so overwhelmed trying to balance it all! i love how they are growing together and how they love each other, how different they are and how they are just brothers.

baby's first spoon.

let's see, who could i make a baby spoon for? wait, everyone i know just had a baby! i think these are so, so sweet and because they are stainless steel, you can use them everyday! i recommend hand washing. about 5" long. $24

and I'm going to give two away. so, tell what your favorite baby name is today. (mine changes every day--today it's hallryn for a girl and james for a boy). and no, we're not expecting!

it's officially fall...

so i pulled out my boots. who cares if it was 73 degrees today?! it's officially fall! i love skirts and boots. what's your favorite fall/winter wear?

boys and their trucks.

i thought it would be fun to fill this rusty dump truck with mini pumpkins and put it out on the porch. the boys have been having a blast pushing it around and dumping out the pumpkins.

we've been trying to encourage matty to go 'poopy in the potty', so the other day i picked up this really cool remote-controlled hummer at the store for incentive. i didn't want him to think it was a 'peepee toy' so i explained that this was a 'poopy toy' and he could earn it if he went 'poopy in the potty'. he proceeds to scream that, 'it's not a poopy toy, it's a peepee toy'. and i reiterated that it was definitely a 'poopy toy'. of course this conversation seemed completely rational to me but when i looked up there were quite a few people staring at us. well the joke is on them, because it worked! matty went 'poopy in the potty'!! of course once he earned it, steve was having so much fun playing with it that i had to remind him it was matty's. gotta love it!!