fashion friday - cut it out 2

cut it out 2 by alohaneener 

Rare London sequin cut out dress, $30 / Topshop , $120 / Faux leather skirt / Hervé Léger bikini swimsuit, $550 / Oscar de la Renta leather sandals / Topshop high heel pumps, $130 / Nancy Gonzalez , $3,355 / Forever 21 cuff jewelry / Forever 21 filigree jewelry / Purple belt / PAMELA LOVE Brass Cutout Collar

swim lessons

 a little turtle talk in the pool

i'm not afraid of the water but i am by no means the waterman that justin is.  he envisions dawn patrols and surf trips to exotic locales with saraya (i'm invited to take pics) in the near future.  i think it's a fantastic idea but i realize that if it's going to happen, she'll need to learn how to swim long before i did.

she's been taking swim lessons for about a year now.  she goes once a week with a formal lesson lasting about 20 min and plenty of play time in the water before and/or after the lesson.  it is amazing to see the progress she's made!  i love how comfortable she is in the water yet she's very safety conscious.  at this stage she has started semi-private lessons.  instead of 'parent and me' classes with anywhere from 3 to 5 pairs in the pool at a time, she now has just one other student in class with her and the instructor.  they take turns with one student hanging on to the instructor's back like a monkey and the other getting the lesson.

last week i went to her first class since the winter break and i expected her to be a little rusty.  she needed memory refreshers for her "big arms" and back float but then she turned around and shocked us all by doing her first jump off of the diving platform.  the instructor said most kids are pretty wary their first attempt and usually hesitant to even climb up.  not this waterbaby... she climbed right up, put her toes on the edge and jumped right in!  as soon as she surfaced she was laughing so loudly that everyone in the pool turned to see what was happening. "again, again!" she shouts.

i wasn't prepared for her to actually jump the first time so i missed catching it on video but once i realized that she loved it and was planning a repeat performance, i rushed to catch it on film.  so please enjoy this quick clip of one of her first jumps into the pool.  she doesn't laugh as loudly as the first time but you can definitely still hear her chuckle.  i think she's well on her way to a surf trip with daddy.

resolutions, shmesolutions

how many people make new year resolutions only to fail or forget them before january is over?  i used to make them.  they used to be things like stop biting my nails (i have), learn to play the guitar (i haven't), or write more letters (i do).  i made some resolutions for 2011 (here) and for the most part they were successful but i pretty much decided that self-improvement should be something i strive for constantly and consistently, not just because it's a "new year".

so i will go ahead and set goals.  i will talk about a lot of them here on the blog and/or on facebook because it can help keep me accountable.  but i won't state any resolution because it just kind of seems like setting yourself up to break them.

one of my goals for the past couple of years has been to "do more handmade".   i've done the handmade challenge where i promise to make something for 5 people who in turn promise to make something for 5 people and so on.  it can be anything from a simple cup of coffee to a work of art.  the first year i only had 3 people rise to the challenge.  last year that number jumped to 7.  it's so rewarding to be creative and to be able to share that creativity with others. this year i won't formally do the challenge but i think two consecutive years of success means i can count on myself to continue the creative handmade habit.

how about you?  have you made or are you going to make any goals or resolutions this year?  if so, feel free to share if you think it might help hold you accountable!
 

2012 in review

2012 was a busy busy year (what year isn't?!) and looking back on these pictures/video makes me a bit tired though they bring a smile to my face as well.  2013 is shaping up to be an even busier year thanks to our new arrival expected around the 4th of july.  but for now, i intend to keep on blogging, documenting, and archiving... hope everyone had a blessed 2012 and that your 2013 is even better!

january: 30 for 30 challenge

february: museum month

march: good-bye winter trip to big bear

april: our new home

may: a 2 yr old

june: "where daddy is?"

july: reptile supershow

august: orphanage volunteering on my annual korea trip

september: scavenger hunt

october: queen bee

november: hawaii surf

december: a new pup, a big announcement and lots of family visiting for the holiday!

fashion friday - ugly sweaters

ugly sweaters by alohaneener featuring christmas tees

Christmas tee / Ugly Christmas Sweater / Ugly Christmas Sweater Reindeer Threesome Sweater featuring Rudolph by...

salt dough ornaments

smelling that cinnamon goodness!

here's a quick and easy DIY for the holiday.  whether you still need ornaments for your tree or a gift from your little to someone special, these are a sweet, handmade idea.  we used cinnamon in ours to make them smell nice and colored sharpies to decorate.

a couple of my ornaments...

SALT DOUGH ORNAMENTS

2 cups of flour

1 cup of salt

1 cup of water

optional: 5 TBS of cinnamon or whatever spice you like for pretty scent

Directions:

Mix together the ingredients and knead for a few minutes until you’re working with dough. Use a rolling pin and roll out your dough, cut out your ornaments with cookie cutters, punch a hole in your ornament with a straw or pencil and bake at 325 degrees for an hour. Let your ornaments cool before decorating. 

tuesday's treasury - ornamental

     

'ornamental' by whimspirationphoto

there's nothing wrong with traditional but it's also fun to mix things up a bit!

Live Plant Cork Ornamen... GemsOfTheSoil $9.00	CUSTOM map ornament cha... LocationInspi... $12.95	Cat Christmas Tree Orna... oldworldprimi... $12.00	Our First Christmas Tog... TheCreativeLa... $9.00
Seaglass Angel Christma... ShatteredSmoo... $15.00	Paper Ornament Kit - Th... PaperArtbyCNM $5.00	Custom Wooden Baby'... UrbanTimberWo... $14.00	Leopard Print Christmas... BeNsTyle $8.00
Our First Christmas Orn... EndGrainWoodS... $20.00	Hootie Who Owl Ornament... CrochetEverAf... $1.99	Hogwarts Acceptance Let... SwishandFlick... $10.00	Dichroic Fused Glass Ho... snowflakeglas... $14.00
Mini Wooden Snowflake O... TimberGreenWo... $27.95	Christmas Ornament - Ha... visionaryglas... $20.00	Video Game Controller o... useyourdigits $30.00	Custom Christmas Super ... IttyBittyWood... $19.00

Treasury tool by StylishHome.