more elfin forest.

steve is training for a century bike ride, so while he went on a long (5 hour--i am such a nice wife!) ride, nana and i took the boys to the elfin forest and took in a BEAUTIFUL day. so clear and warm. we were sure the elves would be out, but we never spotted one!

good times...

Steve and I had so much fun in Cambria. The room was huge but not fancy. Our first comment when we saw it was, "this would be perfect for the boys!". It had two couches, a desk, and a table with chairs. There was a back door that opened up to the garden. I think we should definitely go back for a family getaway. That said, it was great to linger over dinner, watch too much TV and sleep in late. After we got back, he went for a long bike ride and then we took him out for dinner and had cupcakes. Fun and mellow! Happy birthday, Steve!

Shhh!

I told Steve to get home from work a little early today. His mom is coming into town to watch the boys and we are going up to Cambria for the night. I love a surprise--especially one that is so fun for me!! I'll post some pics later this weekend. Any fun plans in store for you this weekend?

to kristen, with love...

this is for a sweet friend who just had her third baby girl. she is an excellent business woman, a great mommy and a genuine friend.

i hammered the edges, stamped a dandelion and added the girls' names with tiny stamps. The rectangle is corner drilled and strung on 18" sterling ball chain. $44 I think maybe I need one...

my-famous-lose-weight-now-cookies!!

So I've made a couple more batches of whole wheat, low sugar, chocolate chip cookies. I think I've got a pretty good recipe now. Steve ate 6 or 7 cookies in a within a two day period and managed to somehow lose 2 pounds. So now I like to call them my famous-lose-weight-now-cookies. Funny, it doesn't seem to be working for me...

Here's the recipe.
2 Cups unsifted whole wheat flour
1/2 tea. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter
3/4 Cup Splenda (baking splenda)
3/4 Cup packed Brown Sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 T. Vegetable oil
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix flour, baking soda & salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, vanilla, Splenda & brown sugarin a large bowl until creamy. Mix eggs & oil in. Slowly add in other dry ingredients. Bake at 350 for 9 minutes.

Thanks for the tips, everyone! If you don't want to use Splenda, just sub out the same amount of white sugar. Eat these with a tall glass of cold milk and consider yourself a health nut!!

what's your word?

kristi from pink everything just did a great post on her 'word of the year'. the idea behind this, is to choose a meaningful word for yourself that will be your word for the next year. she had a necklace made so she can be reminded of her word everyday. i think my word for 2008 might be 'brave'. i want to push myself out of my comfort zone and do things that intimidate me. kristi and i have teamed up to do a giveaway, too! go check it out!

what could your word for 2008 be?

unexpected sunshine

we rolled out of bed this morning to rainy skies. but we decided to drive up to cambria and get some chocolate chip pancakes anyway. there is a great park up there and we hoped maybe it would stop raining long enough for the boys to play. well it was BEAUTIFUL there. breakfast was delicious, the boys had a blast and i got some fun photos.

brothers. right after this pic, matty tackled david to the ground. can't you see a mischevious gleem in his eye? trouble!

c'mon, give me a kiss!

big waves were crashing on the shore today. right after this pic the boys fell backwards off the log. they were both laughing--luckily!!

family photo

run, run, run!

a new batch of handmade brass

I got a package from one of my suppliers that totally inspired me! This is a smokey quartz pendant strung on large link handmade brass chain. The next pic gives you an idea of it's size and length. I'm going to make another one for myself! It would be perfect with jeans and a sweater or a black dress and boots. SOLD


These are so sweet. Vintage brass filigree with cream freshwater pearls. Basic and beautiful. Length measures about 11/2". SOLD

This charm bracelet is chunky and has spunk! The bracelet s a very sturdy handmade brass with a vintage heart locket, a mexican cross, a brass key and smokey quartz. It seriously looks like it came out of grandma's trasure box. SOLD

These two necklaces are sold as a set. One for you and one for that friend who always seems to understand your heart. The vintage lockets are strung on 18" gold filled chain with a freshwater pearl. Just perfect. SOLD

I know what David's getting for Christmas.

David has been wearing out the hallway on his borrowed scooter and having a blast. Thanks Silas for the loaner scooter. I think David might get one from Santa :)

i can't turn off my brain!

lately i have had so many new ideas popping into my head. maybe it's the sleep deprivation?! whatever it is, it's fun!
this piece is hammered around the edges. i added a cross charm and used my teeny tiny stamps.

a little jewelry and a little potty talk.

I am marking down a few pieces for my blogging friends. Thanks, those of you who are asking me to post pics of beaded jewelry. Sorry it's taken me so long!!

This necklace has a amazonite pendant and is strung with aquamarine and smokey glass. Length is about 17" I love the color combination. The earrings are fun and chunky and match perfectly. The set is $42

This necklace is stunning. A rectangular piece of olive jade is strung with bronze glass and bronze freshwater pearls. Length is 17" Comes with matching bronze freshwater pearl earrings. SOLD

Another fun piece! Two shells are layered together and strung with cream freshwater pearls. Length is about 17". Earrings are warm honey jade. SOLD

And last but not least...this necklace is amazonite strung with carnelian--a great combination with a little bit of an asian feel. Length is 17" Earrings are carnelian pebbles. SOLD
Email me if you are interested!
On to potty talk...Matty went peepee in the potty this morning, while I was in the shower.He totally did it on his own. THEN he went peepee in the potty at school. I think it's time for celebration. I told my sister that I was going to go out in the front yard and pick every dandelion (we've got a lot--grass needs a trim:) and make more wishes :) I'll keep you posted...

my silly boys...

this is the inspiration behind my 'wish' necklace. I told Matty to make a wish that he would be potty trained in a week! we'll see...

david was so silly and fun this weekend. he was being such a goofball in this pic. he had us all laughing!

just hanging out, watching a movie...dressed like a fireman :)

david's got a sniffle so I am PRAYING he can kick it quickly. happy monday!

random bits of information...

it's been so nice to be home for the weekend! matty got a haircut yesterday.

he didn't like it at all...


the house has been in need of some tidying and organzing

ahh, much better!

we bought bunkbeds for the boys yesterday. we are planning to separate them, so David will have the bed with the railing all the way around. I hope it works. The kid can't live in a crib forever. I can't believe both my boys will be in big beds!!

more hand-stamped designs

These are some of my more recent designs. Each piece is custom made--so feel free to replace the words with your kids' names or a special phrase! Email me if you'd like to place an order! Thanks for looking...

Stackable Rings. Lightweight, sterling rings available in sizes 6, 7 or 8. Choose up to 9 characters per ring. I feel comforatble stacking two, someone who wears a lot of jewelry could stack three. Featured design for January, $22.

Family Tree. The family tree necklace is a hammered circle (1 1/4") strung from 18" sterling ball chain with a freshwater pearl beside. A whimsical tree is hand-stamped in the middle and the names of each member of your sweet family are stamped around the edge. I can fit up to 36 characters and remember each space is also one character. $52

Little birdie. A new favorite. A 1" hammered square stung on 18" sterling ball chain with pearl accent. Choose your own phrase or your kids' names! $44

Faith. Hope. Love. A hammered rectangle is stamped at the bottom and strung with a cross. $54

Wish. A hammered square is hand-stamped with a sweet dandelion and your kids' names or a favorite phrase. Simply darling! $44

Sparkle. A hammered square with a sterling, handmade star is strung from 18" strling ball chain. So, so sweet. $54

My heart. Doesn't every mom feel this way?! A hammered heart with a handmade sterling charm is strung from 18" sterling ball chain. $54

Tag Keychain. Choose one word up to 11 characters. Slide keys on by unscrewing one ball. $32

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. One for $20 or 2 for $38

Wire charm bracelet with round tag & heart charm. So sweet and simple. Charms move & clink. $44, $10 for each additional round tag

Answering Questions...

-How do you give your photos that 'washed out' look?
I always edit my photos on my MAC in iphoto. Once the image is in the computer, I delete all the bad ones (lots of bad ones) and crop the photos. I try to think creatively about cropping, too. Then I play with the image by antiquing and lightening the photo. I really know nothing about photography--it's just fun to play.

-What does 'hand wrought' mean?
The sterling tags are hand wrought or hand-fashioned. This means I actually cut the tags, file them, drill the holes, etc.

-Why is David so small?
We do feed him! He has a rare syndrome called Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. It is a random genetic mutation that occurs in about 1 in 30-50,000 births. The syndrome manifests itself in many ways including, only two fingers on his left hand, small size overall, global delay (cognitive and physical), heart issues, hearing impairment and I could go on...

All this to say, although we didn't plan on having a child with a disability he has been such a blessing and has changed out lives for he better. Don't get me wrong, there are days that I cry and ache and I can't make it go away, but really, David is David and we love him completely.

Check out these posts to learn more about our story
Chapter 1, The First Signs of Trouble

Chapter Two-Labor and Delivery

Chapter 3, Time in the NICU

Chapter 4, Bringing David Home

Chapter 5, The Clouds Lift
-What does David's education look like?
This has been a big issue for us! I taught special education for five years before David was born, so I have some strong opinions on what it should look like. Two years ago, instead of preschool we did a home-school situtation and had a teacher come in a few times a week. That worked really well. Then last year we put David in a county preschool class with 3-5 year olds. His teachers are seriously amazing and he has made so much progress in this environment. I was sooo nervous to leave him, but it's been great for all of us! He is in a class with all special needs children but there is a headstart preschool class next door and they often do things together. At this point, we'll just take it year by year and see what's available. I am not opposed to having a teacher come into our home and work with him, although I think the socialization at school is great.

-Does David have OT/PT? Does he have any feeding issues?
Yes, yes and yes. He receives OT/PT once a week. They offered us more but we tried to evaluate the pros and cons between driving and making Matty wait around and giving David every opportunity to succeed. This seems to be a good balance for us. Of course we try to follow through on the therapists reccommendations at home.
He also has feeding issues, including severe reflux and only eating blended foods.

Thanks for the great questions and for reading about our little family. Happy Thursday!!

out and about around town...

we had a playdate with some friends today. anyone who is local (or willing to drive) should join us!! matty worked very hard piling wood chips on this curb and when he was finished he said, "I made it for you, mommy". I couldn't love any gift more!!


i think this photo should be called, 'we rule the playground'. don't they look intimidating! i think i'll go play on the swings...

then we picked david up from school and headed to firestone grill for some BBQ. yum. this picture is for susan and ellen, because david has a camo thermal tied around his waist and know they'll appreciate how CUTE he is!!

After that they boys and I dropped by one of my shops to deliver some orders. Then we walked through the mission plaza and played by the fountain. It was such a great, mellow day!!

tomorrow i am going to post answers to the questions you asked!

a fun surprise...

*edited*i added photos for those of you who asked!

while i was getting a pedicure today (it was wonderful!!) i was flipping through this issue of US magazine (i know, it's kinda trashy) and stumbled upon one of my necklaces being advertised by a store that carries my wares. i'm a dork, so i had to tell everyone in the salon that my necklace was pictured. they were saying, "oh, you have that necklace?" and i'm saying, "no, i designed that necklace!!". the ladies at the salon let me take the magazine home :) it was such a fun surprise!!i look a lot happier than kate & owen...
it's the open circle design

a walk in morro bay

always includes playing on the fire truck (usually the boys, not steve), looking for sea lions, getting wet from the water wheel, popping into the surf shop, and running around on the grass.

yes, that is my husband

david is thinking, why am i sitting on this giant cement whale?!

we got to see all kinds of sea lions!

It's been a while since I answered questions about David. Leave a comment if you have any questions about David, my jewelry or anything else and I will do a post soon. Happy Monday!!