About Amy

mother's day

if you don't know, i have two completely amazing kids.  they are unbelievably confident, silly, and smart.  i wish i could be more like them.

sophia is eight and oliver is 6.  

they treated me to an amazing day.  coffee in bed (i don't care for breakfast in bed), we walked to brunch, lots of time to work on a sewing project, an incredible puppet show on the hill, and a quick walk through my favorite exhibits at the art gallery.

i didn't have to cook dinner, there was little to no arguing, and the weather was beautiful.  it really was a perfect day.

here's the cute tablecloth bag i made.  keith and the kids gave me so much time i was able to finish the whole thing.  when was the last time you were able to finish a diy project in one sitting?!  i found this great tutorial on cakies.  i already love this bag!

thank you keith, sophia and oliver!  i love you like crazy!

amy

riding along

today instead of hitting the y for bootcamp or yoga, i decided to take my bike for a spin.  it was absolutely beautiful, more zen than yoga, and it left me feeling recharged rather than spent.

i meandered my way to our gorgeous art gallery and back again.  i wish that every bit of exercise could be this satisfying.

how do you like to get moving?

amy

my gardening adventures

i love trees.  i can't imagine living in a neighborhood that isn't filled with mature trees.  it's as non-negotiable as hardwood floors and more than one bathroom. but as much as i love the thick umbrella of leaves that covers our yard, sometimes i dream of full sun and all the vegetables i could grow.  

our deck has a few spots that receive a couple hours of sun a day and that's what i decided to go with.  armed with my "urban gardening" bibles and an inspired tutorial from life on the balcony, i set to work on my little farmstead.

i purchased a $5 pallet from our local nursery once i had given up hope on finding one curbside.  i figured that $5 was a small price to pay for a planter.

with a few modifications made by my live-in handyman and a heavy duty wrap of landscaping fabric, it was ready to plant.

i stuffed it with soil, seedlings, and starter herbs.  it would have been much more cost-effective to go with seeds but i was feeling a bit impatient.

and look at it now!

the slats are just bursting with herbs!  some are definitely better suited for this type of planting than others but you live and learn.  i still haven't planted the top but am searching for the perfect specimens.

i also broke down and bought planting bags for root vegetables.  i am so happy with how they're all growing!

i bought veggie seeds that are ideal for small container plants.  in this bag we've planted radishes, carrots, climbing cucumbers, and beets.  

we also started seed potatoes in a bag.  i can't wait to dig them up.  keith has affectionately dubbed my farm our "trash bag garden".  and you know what?  i'm okay with that.  this is the best i've ever done with gardening so i'm running with it.  

i certainly won't have a bumper crop but the kids and i are enjoying our gardening adventures.  

amy

sick days

i've always prided myself on being a hardy person.  my immune system is strong and can hold up to most everything.  well, not this time.  i've been laid up the last couple of days with some evil cocktail including strep.  as expected, oliver has fallen victim as well.  normally when the kids are sick at home we read and snuggle, and read some more.  poor oliver.  the tv has been his only entertainment.  guess that's what happens when mama's under the weather too.

last week pink eye swept through our house.  keith was stricken with two awful crimson eyes and sophia followed suit.  but pink eye doesn't take you out.  it just takes you out of school.  unlike oliver, sophia had a lovely day with mom including lunch, books, lots of fresh air, and journaling.

i haven't filled all my squares yet.  it's almost as if by filling them i am committing to those places.  that wouldn't be too bad though.  sophia was able to just tear through, filling her spaces with every exotic location she's ever read about.  and you know what, i believe she'll visit every one of them.

here's to dreaming.  and being healthy.

amy

birds of a feather

tomorrow is mardi gras!  i will be spending my wild and crazy day making lunches, teaching preschool, shuttling kids, preparing dinner, and taking a class on children's literature.  watch out wednesday!

no, tomorrow will just be a regular ole tuesday.  my fun was last saturday.  our big, beautiful krewe of ladies got together for some painted up, dance-filled debauchery.  

our coups des dames got all gussied up in our flashy bijoux and masques.  

and after all that revelry...let's just say thank goodness for mountains of tots and greasy burgers.

laissez bons temps rouler!

amy

paper me, paper you

when i was little i had this really cool, gilda radner paper doll book.  i could dress gilda in her most popular costumes from saturday night live and other silly get-ups.  of course somewhere along the way, i lost it. bummer.

i never actually played with the dolls but i loved how detailed and vibrant they were.  i also wasn't too keen on cutting up my pretty book.

fast forward thirty years.  sophia's had her fair share of paper dolls...mostly of the disney variety.  but after she was gifted the black apple paper doll primer, an obsession was born.  her obsession.  my obsession. oliver's obsession.  we carefully color copy each character and it's clothing and painstakingly snip them out. we've also delighted in creating little paper me's.  

paper me likes to get all dolled up (pun intended).

i also broke down and finally ordered a couple prints to liven up our abode.  like my friend sarah says, "it's just magical."  i just want to live in their world.

in case you don't already take regular trips into emily martin's curious world, here's the link to the black apple.

amy

five years

where were you five years ago? five years ago, i had a sweet, three year old girl in preschool, a bouncing, nine month old baby, a house we had moved into just three months before, and everything figured out.  you know, kind of.

but where will i be in five years?  how will i be spending my days?  where will i have traveled?  keith received the book, 5: where will you be five years from today? , for christmas.  after flipping through it over and over again, it really got me thinking.  so here i am, attempting to blog again, armed with a journal, a camera, and the red velvet art journaling class, ready to reflect and to look ahead. 

in a little over five years i'll be 41.  a lot of people i know are so sensitive about their age.  they don't want to celebrate birthdays (craziness!), they feel aged at 30 (even more craziness!).  well i'm not one of them.  as long as i am filling up my years with wonderful, enriching experiences, i don't care how old i am.  so how will i fill the next five?

france for sure...just have to find someone to go with me.  dinner parties.  lots of books.  maybe some classes. i'd love to learn how to knit.  i'll still be living in kansas city, surrounded by friends and family.  i don't need to run a marathon or hike to the bottom of the grand canyon or bungee jump or make my millions.  i just want to have fun and think "those were the best five years!"  want to join me?

amy

p.s.  i'd love some fun ideas.  share one thing you just have to do in the next five years.  go on.  leave a comment.  i dare you.

The Day After

Every year the day after Thanksgiving is reserved for our little family of four. We stay close to home and spend our day decking the halls. We kept things simple this year (or at least tried to), leaving a few surfaces clear for a bit of a visual breather. Here are some snippets from around our Christmas wonderland.

A little bit of thanksgiving

1. The most delicious cheesecake EVER! Bourbon pumpkin cheesecake. Yum!
2. "horsing" around with cousin Hudson.
3. More fun in the barn.
4. Post-feast time with my sweetie.
5. Oh that silly Snoopy!

A few pictures and a few thoughts

As much as I hate seeing people on their phones, I fully admit that i would have to completely abandon picture taking and blogging without my iPhone. Blech. I like it that I don't have to edit photos or look for cords stuffed in the back of a drawer.

And on another note...does anyone else think that the blogging world could use a big jolt of reality? I mean I am sitting here at my daughter's Tuesday appointment, covered in dog hair, makeup long melted from my face, wondering what on earth I can put together for dinner, and thanking my lucky stars there's a cold bottle of wine waiting for me in the fridge. I cannot imagine going home to craft or turning the camera on myself. I cannot stand Mad Men, I have a plain old fake green (gasp!) Christmas tree, dust balls the size of my dogs, and dishes from last night's dinner sitting on the counter.
Whew. How about you?