Urban Livestock

J sent me this and now I totally want chickens. I wonder if they'd eat my gardens? I'll have to look into constructing a chicken wire fence around them...

Mid Project: Making Pillows

I loved these {now discontinued} pinecone patterned pillows in black and white from Pottery Barn. I didn't, however, love the price tag. So I decided to make my own. First, I purchased napkins on Ebay in the same patterned material. At just $28 for six, it was much more affordable. The napkins measure 20 x 20, so I then purchased these feather pillow forms from Ikea and a few black zippers. I'm still surrounded by thread, but will post pictures of the results soon. I'm hopeful! 

{Don't forget! You still have time to enter the Untamed Menagerie Giveaway!}

For The Record

The Biggest Loser aired last night, and I have been flooded with emails {do to this post} about the Marathon I ran in January. Consequently, I think it's time for some clarification. I do not like how nasty things are getting, especially on some of the boards where they are quoting my blog.

First, the last time I saw Dane and his wife running was mile 17. {My husband then saw them at a water station, filming several takes. He felt bad for them-- a marathon is hard enough without accommodating a film crew}. The next I knew, they were at the finish line before me without having run past. I mistakenly assumed that they were driven the remainder of the 10 or so miles, but Carli herself cleared that up when she said, 

"In this industry you are always on a time frame and sometimes it is out of your control. We had stopped along the way to film at a water station and to make up for lost time our producers drove us ONLY 3 miles up the road. I am sorry if this has offended you in any way, but we are still incredibly happy about the 23 miles we ran. We were not listed as completing the Marathon. Dane is an honest LDS Dad and I hope that they do say he completed this Marathon because had time allowed he would have!"

Second, apparently everyone is up in arms because Dane's finish time was reported by NBC as being 3:53 instead of 5:53. I believe this is just a typo on some poor editor's part. Mistakes happen, people. No need to attack a man and his family who have plenty to be proud of.

Bottom line: Dane and Carli Patterson are real people accomplishing wonderful things, and I believe them to be honest. Please take care with your comments, as I don't think there was ever any intentional deception going on. They deserve our warm support and congratulations. Thank you. 

{and please don't email me saying hateful things about them. I live in a glass house and do not care to throw stones.}

Who was that bearded man?

One of my favorite Oscar moments was Ben Stiller's impersonation of Joaquin Phoenix. Heaven knows, I'm a Joaquin fan, but honestly. What is up with him lately? Enjoy. {And congrats to my brother who predicted 20 of the 25 Oscar Winners! Jared is determined to take back the crown next year.}

Mid Project: Gardening

I perpetually seem to have far too much to do and far too little time {or far too little motivation} to accomplish it all. Today I'm tackling the garden. Last night we harvested the last of our snow peas and carrots, tilled the soil, and put in the tomato plants. Presently, I'm off to plant the bell peppers, bush beans, cantaloupe and zucchini. Perhaps then I'll get around to scrubbing the kitchen floor....

Untamed Menagerie Giveaway!

Take a gander at Untamed Menagerie's beautiful jewelry. It's unique. It's striking. It's quite melancholy. I love it.

They're made by a mother-daughter team, and almost every item comes in either black or white. {women after my own heart!}

I especially love the elaborate portrait silhouettes. Truly artistic.

Enamored yet? I hope so! Because this is less a giveaway and more of a bribe *wink*! All you have to do is commit to voting for my uncle's song from now until March 2nd. Leave a comment on this post with your solemn promise {honesty policy here} and I'll randomly choose a winner on March 3rd. The lucky reader will then get her choice of any necklace, ring, or pair of earrings from Untamed Menagerie's shop! Plenty of time to enter, people! Good luck!

Thursday doesn't even start....

I saw this {originally a t-shirt, which can be purchased here} on Wide Open Spaces and just had to forward it to J, who then transformed it into a video! It makes me smile. So does J's not-so-subtle hint that he'd like a free t-shirt for killing time at work all his efforts.

Illustration

I'm drawn to colorful and cleaver illustrations today. This Grammar Snobs one by Pascal Blanchet makes me giggle.

And I love these two by Andrew Bannecker. They're so warm and inviting. I adore any world where men wear hats and women have fabulous shoes.

{Don't forget to vote! Thanks Lisa!}

Vote for I'm A Celebrity!

My uncle has made it into the MormonTimes Showcase Showdown Semi Finals. In order to earn the chance to preform live for the finals, he needs your vote! Click here to listen to his song, "I'm a Celebrity" and then vote for him EVERY DAY until March 2nd! I love the simple message in his music, and feel he deserves this chance to share his talent with a larger audience. Thanks for your support! {As a side note, isn't that poster cool? His son, quite the artist, drew it!}

Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co

There is something inherently appealing about a tiny little store packed full of mysterious items. {Who hasn't wished they could explore Diagon Alley for just such a reason?} So when I saw this Superhero Supply storefront {designed by the talented Sam Potts, whom I know from this}, I couldn't help but think GENIUS. 

I want to go to there. I also want that can of x-ray vision.

Don't your fingers just itch to rummage around and find your own little treasures? It looks like I have yet another reason to visit New York. For now, I'll have to be content to visit them online. 

{edit: apparently, the store has a Secret Identity! Find out more here.}

Corn Is Everywhere

Yesterday, I listened to an interview with Michael Pollan about his letter to the President, Farmer In Chief, which appeared in the New York Times. I heartily agree with much of what he said-- in fact, many of his ideas are similar to things my dad has been saying for years. {Listen to the interview here.} 

I then spent the evening watching King Corn, a documentary following two college grads who decided to plant an acre of corn and trace it from seed to dinner plate. The results were a little sickening, and have left me eyeing the contents of my pantry suspiciously. {Watch a preview here.}  

Conclusion: I've got to overhaul my eating habits. The whole foods movement is sounding very appealing right about now.

{Image}

What now?

I woke up this morning feeling down, an experience that, thankfully, isn't as common as it once was. Finishing the marathon has left me with a strange sense of loss-- I find that I'm unsure of how to fill the hours that were previously spent training and anticipating. An easy solution would be to jump right into preparing for another marathon {St George?} but the very thought brings me dangerously close to burn out. I'm tucking that option away for a few more weeks.

In the meantime, I think I need to focus my energies elsewhere. One of my New Year's Resolutions is to fill the walls with art. Perhaps it's time to buy a few canvases and start painting. Channeling depression into artistic expression sounds pretty efficient to me. :)

{image via ffffound}

I've always had good taste

When I was 6 years old, I told my mom that I was going to marry Mister Rogers. To this day, I still have a soft place in my heart for that kind and gentle man, no matter the jokes that people make about his ponderous way of speaking or his limitless sweater collection. J just sent me this clip of Mr. Rogers defending funding for PBS in front of the US Senate. Watching it, I can't help but think I was a pretty smart 6 year old to choose a man like him to fall for. {and a pretty smart adult to fall for a man like J!}

Ahead of the Curve

Remember those wonderful numbered plates I wanted for New Years Eve? They made an appearance in the latest issue of Domino. See, I knew they were eye catching. :)

Stylish

I really like this little outfit from The Children's Place. Especially the hat. And the black & white checked shirt. I think baby L would cut quite the dapper figure in such dashing duds. Sorry, couldn't resist that sentence. Or posting another photo of my happy baby.

Global Warming

We had hail on Sunday. Hail! In the desert! Little Miss C thinks global warming is awesome. 

Black, White & Yellow Birthday

L had his first birthday on Sunday. I attempted to mitigate the pain of losing his babyhood by throwing a black, white and yellow party. After all, he's too young to request anything character themed. Silver lining!

We made icing with fresh lemons from J's parents. It was perfectly tart.

I'm supposed to be on a spending hiatus, but couldn't resist the tulips! I adore tulips. I carried yellow and white ones at my wedding, and my mother has always given me a fresh tulip bouquet after the birth of each of my children. If I ever move back to Seattle, I plan on growing my own.... The touch of spring was worth the $15 I spent.

Once again, balloons from the ceiling provided impact without the use of helium. The children helped make our own black and white confetti. We thought it looked quite festive for such a low key event. {We invited just grandparents over for cake and ice cream.}

Happy Birthday, L! I love you like crazy, you know that?

Lucky, Lucky!

And the winner of the lovely Kerry Beary Alphabet print {by random number selection} is..... #17!

That's you, Em! You said, "I really can't choose which letter I like best-- they're all so creatively done." Congratulations! Simply email me with your shipping address and I'll  slip your package into the post as soon as possible. 

To everyone else, let me say that I am continually touched by what a warm and supportive community this blogosphere has turned out to be. Thank you so much for participating, and be sure to check out Kerry Beary's marvelous Etsy shop. Have a delightful weekend!

{image via}

Illustory

When Little Miss C was 5 years old, we gave her an Illustory Kit for Christmas. With her artistic spirit and unbridaled imagination, we thought she might enjoy publishing her own story. We were not mistaken. She eagerly penned her first book, a wild adventure involving "Princess C" and "King Daddy". Since then, we have purchased a kit for her every Christmas. 

They are hilarious to read, with their fractured plots and raw emotion {she really loves her daddy!} but more than that, they serve as a wonderful journal of sorts. They perfectly encapsulate her interests for the year, her current level of artistic skill and reading/writing ability. As her homeschool assignment yesterday, she completed her third book. We can hardly wait for the finished version to arrive in the mail. 

{Don't forget! Today is the last day to enter the Kerry Beary Giveaway below!}

Chanel Spring '09

It's easy to look at runway fashion as bordering on the ridiculous, especially the Haute Couture collections, but I like to think of it as an artistic performance. With that in mind, I really love Chanel's spring show. I like cut paper sculpture, and those cut-paper headpieces are amazing. The stark black and white: stunning. And I would totally wear this look: 

{images via projectrungay}

Kerry Beary Giveaway!

I recently discovered Kerry Beary's Retro Modern art shop on Etsy and fell in love with the bold graphic lines and saturated colors. 

I could live in some of her prints, with their Eames chairs and cocktail hours and fashionable women. And Vespas. Can't forget the Vespas. 

One of my favorite pieces is her Alphabet Print. I've always had a penchant for alphabets, numbers and typography, and I think that this particular print would lend such a stylish element to any nursery or playroom. My daughter fell in love with the U for Unicorn, but I like the Cat and the Xtra Terrestrial the best. :)

I hope you love the Alphabet Print as much as I do, because one of you lovely ladies will be hanging it on your wall by the end of the week! Simply comment on this post by Thursday, Feb 5th and the winner will be announced Friday, Feb 6th. Thank you to Kerry Beary for generously providing the print, and thank you to all you supportive readers who helped me complete my first marathon. You deserve a giveaway! Good luck to you all. 

Don't forget your booties....

Phil the Groundhog saw his shadow this morning, which for us means 6 more weeks of lovely 70 degree weather! I love the desert, but I can't say I'm looking forward to summer with its months of triple digit temperatures, so more winter is great news. Time to celebrate. "Pastry, Larry?"

WE DID IT!

And I do mean we. Second only to natural childbirth, running the marathon was the most difficult thing-- both mentally and physically-- that I've ever done in my life. However, much like childbirth, I didn't do it alone. I couldn't have done it alone. I am overwhelmed with gratitude towards my family for the amazing support system that they were on Saturday.

Little Miss C, for example: best. cheerleader. ever. No surprise, I'm sure. The family met me every few miles to wave and pass me water. Little Miss C would often run a few meters with me. 

E waved from the car. All the children were surprisingly cheerful considering we dragged them out of bed at 4 a.m. in order to get to the race on time.

For the first 6-8 miles, I was full of adrenaline.  I could tell that the uphill climb was taxing my legs, but I was excited and had to keep admonishing myself to pace myself and conserve energy. Between mile 8 and 16, I was in a zone. It was work, but I could comfortably concentrate. I was optamistic, listening to music and popping Swedish Fish and sport jelly beans to refuel. 

Between miles 16 and 20, I hit the wall. I was in major pain, and while I'd been telling myself that the way home would be downhill, it didn't feel that way at all. I used some GU, but was worried that the caffeine it contained was the reason I couldn't feel my hands any longer. J and the family continued to meet me every couple of miles to give me water and urge me on. It was a long, difficult, and lonely run. I don't think I would've been able to bear it if they hadn't been there.

When I had 2.5 miles to go, one of the marathon vans stopped and a volunteer offered to keep me company for the last leg of the race. Although it doesn't show on the map, there is an absolutely evil hill right before the finish line. It prevents you from even seeing the finish line until you're almost on top of it, and when I saw it looming in front of me, I about cried. There was no way I could imagine myself running one more hill. She coached me every step of the way, telling me that "The finish line is there, even if you can't see it! Trust me, just a few more minutes and you will never have to do this again!" I can't even describe how wonderful it was to crest that hill and see J and the kids waiting for me. 

Yeah, I totally started to cry.

I was surprised to receive a finishers medal. To be honest, I was surprised that there was even a finishing line still set up! Back when I thought I would be running the PF Chang's race, I had hoped to have a finish time of about 4:30. But once I decided to run the {uphill both ways} Desert Classic course, all bets were off. By mile 13, I knew I'd be lucky to finish at all. In the end, my official time was 6:14:59. Not last, but pretty close. And you know what? I'm more than fine with that. 

We celebrated with a meal at IHOP, an ice water bath for me, and a day spent alternating between sleep and slow walking to loosen my stiff muscles. I'm not even going to think about whether I'll ever run another marathon for at least a month. I need time to forget how hard it was. Just like childbirth. :)

{Oh, and those cameras behind me? Those are for Dane Patterson, a contestant on The Biggest Loser. He was there with his wife, running the marathon, though J started calling him The Biggest Liar. He and his wife were several miles behind me throughout the entire race, but around mile 17 they got picked up by a van and driven to the end of the course, where they filmed the grand 'crossing the finish line' finale with all the family cheering. I'm hoping that they televise it as a half marathon, since I know he ran at least that far, which is truly a great accomplishment. It'd be a shame if he got coerced into being less than honest, poor guy, especially since he's LDS like us. We googled him and found his before photo, and he looks great right now. I hope he wins. :) }