haiku friday - goodbye july

warmer than last year

chasing a toddler around

summer is slipping...

bath punk

her hair's actually getting long enough for a fauxhawk!  at first i thought these photos would make awesome blackmail material for future embarrassment but upon closer inspection, there's no reason for embarrassment; she's just too cute!

what's cookin' wednesday - surprising appetizer

so i mentioned that we picked up a tomato and vanilla bean jam from lemonbird handmade jams at the renegade handmade craft fair a couple of weekends ago. i decided to experiment with a little appetizer creation...

mini toasts, goat brie and the amazing jam

i don't really need to post instructions for this "recipe."  basically, smear some of your favorite cheese on some mini toast or crackers and top with this incredible jam.

and hopefully, it comes out looking this good (and tasting even better!)  does anyone have a name recommendation for this recipe?!

tuesday's treasury - desire in blue

pinterest

pinterest is kind of like my tuesday's treasury but bigger and better.  i love looking at other people's boards and getting feedback on stuff i like...  it's kind of addicting!

here's a link to one of my first boards.  and i added a link on the left side of the blog for anyone to pin things they find worth sharing.  enjoy!

waterbaby

she may have not had a water birth but this little girl sure does love her pool and beach time!

she never wants to get out of the water!  at least it gives me a chance to show off all of her cute bathing suits...

haiku friday - first steps

hesitant at first

excited at the prospect

stumble happily

saraya's first scrapbook

i love scrapbooking but without a dedicated space to work, it's happening less often.  pulling everything out and setup just takes so long that by the time i'm ready to start, pandi's waking up from her nap or i'm ready to take one!  i really wanted to have her first book done in time for her birthday party though so i managed to deal with the inconvenience (as well as a little wine spill from the mr.) and finished her first (of hopefully many) scrapbooks.

i took it to the birthday party so that everyone could see it and then asked all the guests to write a message on some colorful paper for me to include in her next book.  our family and friends are so talented and we felt very blessed that she'll be able to look at these special wishes one day and know how loved she is!  here's just a sampling...

it's not as cool as seeing it in person but here are the pages for those who haven't had a chance to check it out...

what's cookin' wednesday - creole fare

i spent last week in shreveport, louisiana for a conference.  although i could have done without the heat and humidity, i am happy to report that i ate very well while i was there.  and by very well, i do not mean healthy.  if you've never tried creole food, you are missing out.  i was also happy to hit up one of my favorite breakfast chains not available on the west coast.

here are some highlights from the week...

alligator poboy @ shane's

mussels diablo

quail fajitas

crawfish etouffee w/ dirty rice

cracker barrel

and this has nothing to do with food but i wanted to share a side story about a little shopping trip.  we were at the mall (just hiding out in some air conditioning!) one evening when we happened upon a store selling crazy kiddie tutus and outfits like you see on toddlers in tiaras.  true to southern redneck style though there was a section of "hunting" outfits for little ones.  i didn't end up getting it for pandi.

"daddy's little deer"

renegade handmade part 2 - she walks among us

in continuation from yesterday's post, here are some more photos from the craft fair and another walking video.  this was actually her first time walking.  we were so excited that she waited for both mama and daddy to be home for the special occasion!

she wanted to pose with this guy

picking flowers with daddy

here mama!

this "video" is actually a collection of photos i took.  it's kind of like the old flip-book comic strips.  my favorite parts are when she realizes she's walking on her own, when justin breaks out in a huge grin, and when she throws up her arms and says "pillows!"  ok, she didn't really say pillows but it sure does look like it...

tuesday's treasury - christmas in july

5K #11

yesterday, the pandi and i completed our 11th of 12 5Ks!  it was a beautiful morning in oceanside.  this event was the RSP3 - a run, swim, paddle competition.  we only participated in the run portion (somehow i don't think she quite ready for a swim race) and i was really surprised to find we were the ONLY ones with a stroller!  needless to say, she got lots of cheers and was so happy for all the positive attention.  they even announced my name as we crossed the finish line!  i was pretty proud to say that we ran almost the entire time and it was our fastest race yet.

next month is the last 5K for my goal.  it will be my 2nd race without the baby and the first one i plan on setting an actual time goal for.  more on that to come!

and she's off!

touch - kiwano

haiku friday - louisiana

crawfish or crawdad?

southern hospitality

on the other side*

*the other side is what they call the side of louisiana that new orleans is not on...

tuesday's treasury - louisiana

i'm in creole country for the week!  so here's an etsy treasury inspired by louisiana...

my little sunflower

touch - reflection

35. eat camel hump

it's been awhile since i've written about something on my big list so i thought i'd get back to it!  eating camel hump specifically was not necessarily on my wish list but i am a big fan of trying local delicacies when i'm traveling.  during my one year deployment in qatar i had the opportunity to visit the summer home of a qatari general (their military leaders are royalty).  it was amazing!  it sat right on the beach and as guests we were invited to go fishing, ride ATVs, hold falcons, and smoke hookahs.  at the end of the evening we enjoyed a huge feast.  i was all about trying the baby camel hump!  undeterred by the thick layer of fat, i gladly accepted the tender pieces of meat.  surprisingly, i thought it tasted like turkey!  and i would eat it again...

view from the roof

haiku friday - humidity

breathing in moisture

and trying to tame the frizz

makes me miss tradewinds

the winnebago diaries - candle giveaway

you all know i love etsy and the wonderful things i discover there and share on a weekly basis.  recently there was a featured seller interview for a shop called pollen arts that makes honeybee wax candles.  juwels and peter are a husband and wife team that are about as inspiring as they come.  they travel, write best-selling books, create, live and love.  one of their biggest projects was the complete overhaul of the winnebago that they live and work out of.  i've been following their blog, again inspired by their creativity and lifestyle.  check out the winnebago diaries for yourself and enter for a chance to win some of their awesome candles!

book review - Full Dark, No Stars

Stephen King is hands down my favorite author.  There's something about his characters, his style, and the way his stories can simultaneously be utterly unbelievable yet scarily possible that just gets me every time.  I read my first King book when I was 13.  It was Pet Semetary.  I recall devouring it in just 2 days.  Next was Christine, followed by It.  I was totally hooked.  Over the years, I discovered that he wrote more than just horror.  A lot of people don't know that he wrote the stories that some beloved movies came from, movies like Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and Green Mile.  King is a master storyteller, whether he's spinning tales of killer cars or proms gone wrong (Carrie).  His newest collection of stories is no exception.

Full Dark, No Stars has 4 tales with one thing in common.  Each story deals with the idea that there is a stranger in all of us.  Sometimes it's a stranger that gets pushed too far by an overbearing wife.  Or it's the stranger that fights not only for survival but for revenge.  Perhaps you've found yourself jealous of what someone else has while you suffer and wishing the tables were turned.  What if the stranger was your spouse of many years hiding deep dark secrets?  And what if you accidentally discovered those secrets and there was no turning back?

Each of these stories has an element of the fantastic yet they all possess very realistic aspects that make us question ourselves and our beliefs.  And that is why King will continue to succeed.  He has found the formula for keeping us on the edge of our seats and on the edge of our subconscious.

baby fashionista - patriotic pandi

pandi had quite a busy holiday!  we spent the day at our friends' house inland.  it was a good 15 degrees hotter at their place than ours but luckily, bob and betty have a great pool.  i couldn't get her out of the water!  saraya loves swimming.  she also loved the corgis and the cat.  the feeling was mutual (at least they loved her for the food she dropped) and she yelled "doggie" every time one would come into sight.  saraya also stuffed herself silly with all of the great food.

since it doesn't get dark until later, i was concerned that she wouldn't be awake for the fireworks.  she made it for the first few street (read - illegal) fireworks but they were really loud.  she seemed to love the lights but the noise upset her so we left shortly after they started and she passed out for the night.

ohdeardrea giveaway

drea is a super cute mama to marlowe, an adorable nine month old girl.  she blogs about life as a single mom, vegan, crafter and more in sunny florida.  we may have a lot of differences in our lives but we share a few commonalities to include a fierce motherly love for our little ones.  part of how we express that love is in the products that we prefer to use.  drea is proudly recommending mild by nature, a line of all natural, earth-friendly, vegan skin care for babies.  even better than a recommendation is that she's hosting a giveaway of the entire line!  so run over to her blog to enter the giveaway and stay awhile to check out some more fun pics of her sweet marlowe.

tuesday's treasury - india inspired

happy independence day!

pandi and i decided to avoid the beach crowds and head inland this year.  i'll try to have pics from today's festivities up in the next day or two.  in the meantime, enjoy this oldie from '09.  i took this picture of the LA skyline just before the fireworks started.