In the Denver Aquarium.
Most of the photos did not turn out very well inside, but I really like this one.
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family. Show all posts
Sunday Drive
What an amazing and unexpected day!
We had no real plans for the day so when Jeff suggested we take a
drive Lola and I were totally on board. We packed a picnic and headed
out to see where the day would take us. Isn't it nice to have no plan at all
sometimes, and just let the day happen?
Bonus, I got to take all these beautiful photos.
Mushroom Hunting
This has been an incredibly rainy summer, the perfect conditions
for beloved fungi to flourish in the high alpine forests.
We spent the day mushroom hunting for porcinis, an earthy rich tasting wild mushroom.
Disclaimer: only hunt for mushrooms that you are certain
you know what they are as some are highly poisonous!!
Look forward to Jeff's Wild Porcini Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil recipe, YUM!!
Happy New Year
Happy New Year!
Wishing you all a safe and happy New Year.
I wish for each of you that the year to come is filled with peace, love,
kindness, smiles, creativity, health, and laughter.
As a side note, I have not neglected posting about our amazing Christmas Day, I have been quite busy this past week, and promise to post about our Christmas and all the incredibly amazing and thoughtful gifts Lola received this coming week.
Then, hopefully the following week, I will finally get to post her Birthday Party which was back in October. I have a bunch of fantastic tutorials, recipes, and party ideas for you.
Ode to Jet
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| Jet singing along |
Mary had a Little Lamb rewritten
for my daughter Lola, and our dog Jet.
for my daughter Lola, and our dog Jet.
Lola has a furry dog,
Furry dog, furry dog,
Lola has a furry dog,
His fur is black as coal
Everywhere that Lola goes,
Lola goes, Lola goes,
Everywhere that Lola goes
Her dog is sure to go
He followed her to school one day
School one day, school one day
He followed her to school one day
Trudging through the snow
It made the children laugh and play,
Laugh and play, laugh and play,
It made the children laugh and play
To see a dog they know
And so the teacher turned him out,
Turned him out, turned him out,
And so the teacher turned him out,
But still he lingered near
And waited patiently about,
Patiently about, patiently about,
And waited patiently about
Till Lola did appear
"Why does the dog love Lola so?"
Love Lola so? Love Lola so?
"Why does the dog love Lola so?"
The children want to know
"Why, Lola loves the dog, you know"
Loves the dog, you know, loves the dog, you know
"Why, Lola loves her Jet, you know"
The teacher said it so
Pumpking Picking
We had been looking forward to taking Lola pumpkin picking since last year, this
past weekend we finally got our chance. It was the most perfect day, best weather
all season, tons of pumpkins to choose from, and a hay ride to boot.
past weekend we finally got our chance. It was the most perfect day, best weather
all season, tons of pumpkins to choose from, and a hay ride to boot.
Jeff tried to suggest a smaller pumpkin, but Lola was determined!
Eventually she decided to look for one she could pick up herself.
Lola had a great time, and so did Jeff and I.
It was the perfect autumn outing.
It was the perfect autumn outing.
Having a Ball
We never use Lola's pack and play anymore (unless we are staying the night somewhere)
so I decided to re-purpose it into the perfect ball pit! It's the perfect size, and the sides are high enough that the balls don't spill out all over the place the way that they did with the tent they came with. (I'll show you what I did with the tent in another post).
so I decided to re-purpose it into the perfect ball pit! It's the perfect size, and the sides are high enough that the balls don't spill out all over the place the way that they did with the tent they came with. (I'll show you what I did with the tent in another post).
Family Photo Contest Winner
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| Winner Sent in by Kristen The photo is of herself and her baby boy Logun. |
Congratulations Kristen, I am so please to announce that you are
the winner of the Family Photo Contest!
the winner of the Family Photo Contest!
You can see Kristen's beautiful photo along with the finalists,
as well as the photos that Katie, Damaris, and I promised to show you here.
Family Photo Contest
As promised here is a photo that Katie took for the Family Photo Contest.
The photo is of one of her friends and her young son days before her second child was born.
It's beautiful isn't it? Don't worry, she is a judge and is not eligible to enter.
There is still plenty of time for you though.
You may submit a photo a day until the contest closes on Friday August 5th by clicking here.
Coffee Break
Jeff has today off from work and this morning he expressed wanting
a special father daughter day with Lola. Just the two of them for a couple of hours.
I'd be lying if I told you my feelings weren't hurt a little when I first heard this, but after a second or two it sunk in. If they are bonding on their own, that means I get the day to myself. I haven't had one of those in well, 9.5 months. I could certainly use this time to cross off a few things on my "To Do" lists like laundry, banking, or crafts that I have been wanting to get to (Jeff is always laughing at my daily lists saying that I put more on them than I could ever possibly accomplish in five days). Instead, I think that today I'm going to curl up with a great book, and just be in the moment. Not look ahead, not multitask, just allow myself to get lost in the story, not a parenting book, not a design book, not even a blog, a real novel.
Today I'm going to revisit an old favorite, sip coffee from my favorite mug,
and not feel guilty about it one bit. Oh, and tell Jeff how much a truly
appreciate everything he does!
Photo Contest: Family
I absolutely LOVE this photograph!
When I came across it I knew I had to feature it on Simply Living.
I love the freshness, the unique point of view, and wow...the color! I knew it would inspire
a zillion ideas, and then I thought .....I know.....let's use it as inspiration for a contest.
be inspired by more of Liz LaBianca's photography here
Photo Contest Theme: Family
Which seems to to me to be the most fitting theme for Simply Living's very first contest. So, what constitutes a family?
Be creative...this could be a photograph of you and your own parents, of your children,
of you, your significant other, and your furkids... decide who is family to you,
and and then submit your best photograph here.
The Rules
Then simply submit a photo (one per day please) of your family here.
It's that simple.
The contest will open today (Friday) and will be open
for two weeks, closing Friday August 5th.
Winner and Finalists
Winners will be announced on Monday August 8th.
The top 6 photos will be displayed on a new Contest Winner Page
that will appear at the top of the blog and remain up for a period of one month.
for two weeks, closing Friday August 5th.
Winners will be announced on Monday August 8th.
The top 6 photos will be displayed on a new Contest Winner Page
that will appear at the top of the blog and remain up for a period of one month.
We will be looking for photographs that are
creative, have good composition, and tell a story.
creative, have good composition, and tell a story.
Judging will be by a panel of three (to avoid ties) consisting of
myself, my sister Katie (who is a photographer), and Damaris (who has impeccable taste).
I am so excited to see the amazing moments you capture, and to get shooting myself.
I will show you what Katie, Damaris, and I shoot as well...just for fun!
Good luck!
Magnificently Magnified
I first saw these plush toys in a shop in Telluride a while back, and thought that
they were absolutely hilarious. They are viruses, cells, microorganisms and germs
magnified thousands of times and made into plush dolls...pure genius.
they were absolutely hilarious. They are viruses, cells, microorganisms and germs
magnified thousands of times and made into plush dolls...pure genius.
They are absolutely clever, positively gross, and just the perfect amount of wildly
disturbing that makes them actually cute, and just the sort of thing I love. I looked up
their site and it turns out that they have hundreds of dolls to choose from including
E.coli, red blood cell (shown), and algae.
disturbing that makes them actually cute, and just the sort of thing I love. I looked up
their site and it turns out that they have hundreds of dolls to choose from including
E.coli, red blood cell (shown), and algae.
And while I could never bring myself to allow Lola to play with a black mold (left),
MRSA (center), or chlamydia (right), doll...
I have no problem with her playing with the brain cell (left)!
Heck, they are so cheap ($8.95)....Maybe I'll get her the water bear (middle),
and the stem cell (right) too, just because I love them so much.
Squigglers
I believe that it's important to let little ones create and experiment. So, I went
on a search to find some crayons that Lola could use and was shocked that I could
not find anything even close to being age appropriate. The best I could find was a pack
of fat crayons at a toy store, so I started brainstorming. I thought about the size of
her tiny hands, and how she would best be able to grasp and manipulate the crayons.
So I did some experimenting with different molds, and I'm please to say that
we had success!
on a search to find some crayons that Lola could use and was shocked that I could
not find anything even close to being age appropriate. The best I could find was a pack
of fat crayons at a toy store, so I started brainstorming. I thought about the size of
her tiny hands, and how she would best be able to grasp and manipulate the crayons.
So I did some experimenting with different molds, and I'm please to say that
we had success!
In these pictures, Lola is only six months old (they were taken in March) and
with her very first try she was able to pick up the crayons, and push them around the
page "coloring" all by herself. She was so little at the time, that my mom had to hold
her on her lap so that Lola could color. Now that she is bigger, I set her up on the floor
(taping the paper at the corners) and Lola is able to create her art work.
We do have to monitor her very closely because she does try to put the crayons in
her mouth. But, that is what babies do...and monitoring them, is what moms and dads
do, so it's not a big deal at all!
with her very first try she was able to pick up the crayons, and push them around the
page "coloring" all by herself. She was so little at the time, that my mom had to hold
her on her lap so that Lola could color. Now that she is bigger, I set her up on the floor
(taping the paper at the corners) and Lola is able to create her art work.
We do have to monitor her very closely because she does try to put the crayons in
her mouth. But, that is what babies do...and monitoring them, is what moms and dads
do, so it's not a big deal at all!
Lola's very first masterpiece.
Crayon on Paper
Age 6 months
I have had quite a bit of interest in these crayons from other moms that have little
ones, so I decided that I'm going to set up an etsy shop. You will be able to find the link
on this post as well as in the boutique section of this blog in a day or two.
Skyr Delight
Its official, I'm in love with Skyr!
When I was grocery shopping the other day, I was looking to pick up some
Greek yogurt, and could not take my eyes off of siggi's beautiful packaging, so naturally
I had to add a couple of flavors (orange ginger, and pomegranate passion fruit) to my
cart to try out. Today at lunch Lola and I had the orange ginger, and I have to admit it was the best yogurt I have ever had. So me being me...had to know everything there is to know about siggi's and skyr, and started researching once Lola was snoozing. As it turns out skyr (pronounced skeer) an Icelandic tradition is actually a cheese, super healthy...high
Greek yogurt, and could not take my eyes off of siggi's beautiful packaging, so naturally
I had to add a couple of flavors (orange ginger, and pomegranate passion fruit) to my
cart to try out. Today at lunch Lola and I had the orange ginger, and I have to admit it was the best yogurt I have ever had. So me being me...had to know everything there is to know about siggi's and skyr, and started researching once Lola was snoozing. As it turns out skyr (pronounced skeer) an Icelandic tradition is actually a cheese, super healthy...high
in protein, low in fat, and absolutely delicious!
siggi's rich and creamy 6oz container fed both me and Lola, and we were both
stuffed, (well I was...and she seemed to be) and the best part...it was only 100 calories!
OK, maybe that was the best part for my diet that I'm not as committed to as I should be.
The REAL best part about siggi's is that it's made from skim milk that comes from
grass fed cows who are not injected with hormones, and is packaged in "a cup
design that uses 40 to 50% less plastic than a regular yogurt cup and is supported
by a recyclable cardboard sleeve."
stuffed, (well I was...and she seemed to be) and the best part...it was only 100 calories!
OK, maybe that was the best part for my diet that I'm not as committed to as I should be.
The REAL best part about siggi's is that it's made from skim milk that comes from
grass fed cows who are not injected with hormones, and is packaged in "a cup
design that uses 40 to 50% less plastic than a regular yogurt cup and is supported
by a recyclable cardboard sleeve."
For the Dogs
I absolutely LOVE these one of a kind designer dog collars and leashes
I found at Snow Studio's shop on Etsy. They are made from durable fabric and have
metal fasteners, which anyone with an active dog like Jet knows is key since
those plastic fasteners are always cracking.
I found at Snow Studio's shop on Etsy. They are made from durable fabric and have
metal fasteners, which anyone with an active dog like Jet knows is key since
those plastic fasteners are always cracking.
Snow Studio has something for everyone from my friend Damaris's chihuahua Kiki,
to my 70lb boarder collie mix Jet, she even has some other little extras for the humans,
like a pretty camera strap, but I especially love the wrist leash!
to my 70lb boarder collie mix Jet, she even has some other little extras for the humans,
like a pretty camera strap, but I especially love the wrist leash!
The best part is that they are SO AFFORDABLE!
I honestly checked several times to make sure that I was looking
in the right place for the price and to my delight...I was!
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