Meghan, January 19th, 2012 
As I promised, a post on Anwyn’s bedroom makeover. If the room itself looks different- it is. We made some room changes so the kids could have a play room and what a great change that has been. All the toys in one room- phew.
Most of the pink is gone as promised, but touches remain. She is my only girl after all and I still love pink.
 I painted all the rooms in the house Brown Bag so I could change things up whenever I wanted without having to repaint every time. I move things around too often.  I made the "A" pillow using a template off the computer.  This cute little dresser was from Caitlin who didn't want it any more, if you can imagine. 
 I repainted the chair in gold.  And used Anna Maria Horner fabric. I love some of her fabric.  I just had to keep the pink flowers and the star we picked up in San Francisco.
Meghan, January 10th, 2012 
Of late Anwyn has loved designing and coloring clothes, shoes, hats, bags and everything in between. Watching a few Project Runways with me has definitely fueled this interest. This fabulous little book Eric and I picked up in San Francisco at Anthropologie has been perfect.
Meghan, January 5th, 2012  My little mouse has been running around on a book so I thought I might get a real mouse pad for it.
If you are at all like me, I come across fabric I just love all the time. I hold it and think long a hard about just what it is that I would do with it . And thinking of nothing because I already have plenty of pillows and really don’t enjoy sewing all that much, put it back. This is a little project just in case you should run across a smallish piece of cloth that is calling your name and you simply must have it. It need be no bigger than a mouse pad, in fact mouse pad size is perfect. With that bit of cloth and some Heat ‘n Bond you can make a perfectly adorable little pad for your mouse.
 One ugly little mouse pad and some Heat'n Bond is all you really need.
 Make sure to cut out a square slightly larger than the pad.
 Iron the Heat'n Bond to the fabric then peel off the backing and iron to the mouse pad.
 Voila! A cute little mouse pad.
And best of all you don’t have to sew one little bit.
Meghan, December 7th, 2011 
I thought you all might like these French bread bags and if you have the teensiest bit of sewing knowledge they will be a cinch to make. It is another way to make and and another use for the bread bag shown in the previous post. They are perfect hostess gifts to take to all your Christmas parties. I use mine to serve French bread on the table since we tear ours, but they would be just as lovely for a bottle of wine. Either way the process is the same but the measurements may be a bit different. The letters I used were from dfont, an amazing site if you have never checked it and have a total love of fonts like I do.
 I like to use a natural linen. It has a French look, but obviously you can use whatever cloth you would like. Cut out two rectangles 23x21 for the bread bag. This will also acommodate a baguette loaf. For wine the measurements would be smaller. I like to French seam mine to have a cleaner look. To do this simply put right sides facing the right way and sew a 1/4 in around the bad. Then turn so the right sides are facing in and sew about a 1/2 in seam around the bag again. Then hem the top.
 My favorite part is painting on the monogram. Using letters from dfont, I cut out and trace the letter on the bag.
 I like to use the metallic paints to paint on the monogram. I still love a bit of glitter. Just be sure to put a paper between the layers so as not to get paint on the other side.
 Voila! Beautiful!
 Here is a bit different monogram.  All ready for a party
Meghan, November 29th, 2011 
Well, now that the decorating is done Christmas can come. These are some snap shots from around the house. And now I can do the fun things like shopping for the last little bits of Christmas gifts, baking cookies, and shhh don’t tell the kids but we’re going to take them to the Nutcracker.
Meghan, November 28th, 2011
 I really just want this chair. I'm definitely taking inspiration from it. Well I have had fun with the pink. I needed to get the urge to paint Ralph Lauren’s Aruba pink out of my system and now I am ready to grow up and do something a tat more mature. Anwyn is going on 10 and she can’t have hot pink furniture her whole life, can she? Well, I guess she could but really if truth be told, I want to decorate something, or rather redecorate something. I’ll have to keep you posted on the changes. There will have to be plenty of gold and glitter. I’m sure Anwyn would agree.
I don’t want to spend lots but something like a new dresser is in order, lamps, frames, curtains. You understand. The problem is when I get the idea to redecorate I want to do it now. The timing is not perfect as I have not even decorated for Christmas. Eric groans as I try to do everything and then turn into a smoldering wreck. I’m not a patient person.
Meghan, October 31st, 2011  Their pictures became quite creative. Here we have a little witch under a full moon.
Because darkness can’t come soon enough at this house on Halloween day, I got together a little craft for the kids and think your kids might enjoy it too. For the project you just need graph paper and colored pencils. All that is required is that they make pictures using only squares. It ends up being like cross stitching on paper. And for as simple a project as it is, my kids have been at it for a couple of hours already. One of them said, Hey, I forgot tonight we get to trick-or-treat!” Success.
Should your kids need a bit of inspiration here you go.
 Canon made a pirate.
 Here are Athan's little dogs.
Meghan, October 10th, 2011  Found it on a door and thought, I heart this sticker. Well it came and went, hard to believe, and we had such a good time. Our tenth anniversary trip to San Francisco was wonderful. We went to the art museums, Eric gave me a ring, we window shopped late at night, the weather was perfect. I love the city. I think I looked over the photos and cried a little bit.
 This was at the top of my list of things I wanted to do in San Francisco. We spent the day at the Legion of Honor Art Museum in the presence of Rembrandt and equally famous Flemish painters. Pure bliss.
 China Town, as I knew it would, turned out to be a photographic feast.
 So many interesting people. Some were happy to let me take their picture, giving them money didn't hurt, some didn't know I was, and others were not so happy to have me take their photo.
 There were so many of these lanters and the one I happened to look up at had pigeons nesting in it.
 He was so charming. Please take as many photos as you would like, he told me. And I was happy to oblige. It was a completely quaint french cafe and half the patrons spoke French.
 Tomato soup
 I was really into the reflections on the buildings. It's kinda like getting two pictures in one. 
 Evening lights on a walk home from dinner.
 San Francisco sourdough
 Pier 39 and Alcatraz. I don't think we could say we visited San Francisco without at least setting our eyes on Alcatraz.
 The Birdman of Alcatraz
 A Picasso exhibit was the last thing we did before leaving the city. It was visiting from Paris. How could we not?  Getting a good shot of the cable car proved to be the most difficult. They are so photographed I wanted something different.
Meghan, September 12th, 2011 I’m afraid summer is coming to an end. It doesn’t feel like it’s quite gone yet because we are still experiencing temperatures in the 90s. But thanks to some friends we had one last summer party before the weather gets fallish.
 I just couldn't get enough of these white tents. They just photograph so well.
Meghan, September 6th, 2011 
For those of you who wanted the salad we ate with the lamb kebobs here it is. Eric thought he liked it even better than the kebobs. I don’t know though. While the salad was wonderful, I was kinda partial to the lamb.
Meghan, August 23rd, 2011  Painting by Van Gogh How I would love to take my kids to all the major art museums of the world. Ok so that’s a far fetched dream, but Google has created this amazing tool called The Art Project. This nifty little program allows you a virtual tour all the major art museums of the world. You can see the galleries where the art is hanging and then zoom into each painting allowing you to see the finest of details right down to the brush strokes. I’m pretty jazzed about this program and I think the kids are going to love going through the museums this year.
On another exciting note, in reading Stealing Rembrandts I just discovered that the de Young Museum is in San Francisco and has a wonderful Dutch and Flemish permanent collection and a visiting Picasso collection. We already have plans to visit when we are there.
Meghan, August 15th, 2011 In anticipation for my upcoming trip to San Francisco, I thought I’d put together some of the outfits I think I’ll be packing in my suitcase. I have my fingers crossed for good weather. Because San Francisco is on the bay they have a funny weather system and their nicest months are September, October, and November. So I hope, I hope, I hope.
 These shoes will be taking me all over San Francisco.
 They are super comfortable. I know I copied you, Erin. But I know they're good because Erin wore them all over Turkey.
 And we have been best friends! Ok, so I’m a bit late to post this. Our anniversary was July 28th but it took forever to get these pictures taken. I knew it would. Things happen and that always fell to the bottom of the proverbial totem pole. Anyway, yep, it’s been 10 years now and since it’s a bit of a big one, Eric promised me a trip to San Francisco! I’m so excited for the photographic feast that San Francisco will offer. I’m so hoping to visit Tail of the Yak. Looks like a super cool shop. And then there are the 11 places to eat in San Francisco. Eating my way though San Francisco! Does it get any better than that!
 Tail of the Yak 
 Happy 10th to us!
 Plenty of lobster plus...  plenty of brown paper plus...
 lots of seating for great friends...
 the wine cannot be forgotten either...
 all makes for a stupendous lobster feed.
 The kids are always enthralled with the lobster.
 As if lobster weren't enough, as it was getting to be dusk...
 we had an out door jam session. Really fun!
I just wanted to share some of the wedding photos that I took about a month ago. It was a low key affair but it was the first one I have ever done and that considered I was quite pleased with some of the shots. I love to take photos but I have to admit that I still get nervous when it’s time to do a shoot. Apparently I’m not the only one. It makes me feel better to know that even the best photographers feel some nervousness.
 I don't think Taite has had very good photos on here of late, especially the hospital ones, so here are some better ones of her.  This is my particular favorite. 
 She's doing quite...
 well!
 The backdrop was amazing! I thought I’d share some of the family photos I took of Zac and Caitlin when I was out there for the 4th of July.
 Here's what I came up with. I’m not really going profesh and all that but I have done enough photo shoots now that I needed a lovely way to package the CD’s that I burn. When I shipped off the wedding photos that I took in a jewel case (honestly the jewel cases are ugly) I thought I ought to be able to do better than that for packaging. Since I was going to be packaging them, I thought I might as well come up with a logo and you can’t have a logo without a name. I wanted something that sounded classy. My last name is not the easiest for people to pronounce when they see it nor is it particularly quaint sounding. I wracked my brains for days for names and how to package the CD’s. And then I had it.
I told Caitlin she couldn’t have her family photos until I could package them well. So now that I have it, Caitlin, you can expect your CD in the mail soon!
 I used one of those white CD sleeves as a pattern.  A little tie in the back...  and an iridescent seal, bingo, all done!
  Eric actually had the 4th off so we took a little jaunt over to my sister, Caitlin and Zac’s place in Wallowa, Oregon. If you have never been to Wallowa and if you should ever be on this side of the country, a stop in on Cait’s little B&B is a must. The weather was amazing, the mountains were clear, and the lake was freezing. Not that I would know. I never stepped a toe in it but I did shove someone in who told me it was cold.
 We had breakfast in the great outdoors with all- you- can -eat...  doughnuts. They were the most amazing doughnuts ever. I'm a bit picky about my doughnuts and I won't touch the jelly ones. But Caitlin insisted. It was homemade strawberry jam on the inside. If I had jelly doughnuts like that to eat, well, need I say more, they were amazing.  We went to an outdoor jazz concert with this...  for the back drop.  Al fresco dining with wine, cheese, hard salami.  and blackberry pie.  Eric couldn't decide if he should jump, so I helped him make up his mind. 
 Caitlin captured these little gems.
 - My in-laws are visiting and so we decided to take a little trip to Walla Walla.
 Walla Walla sweet onions  Olive turned out to be a great little place to have lunch with five little kids.  We had an upstairs room that looked down into the kitchen...  where we were able to watch them make...  our pizzas.  A stop at Bright's Candies finished the day.  And everyone got a nice big cone.  Some bigger than others. But the ice cream was all gone in the end.
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