I've admitted before and I'll admit again, I am absolutely powerless when we make this awesome chicken, potatoes, kale and onion meal with Israeli couscous on the side.

There were enough leftovers for two days worth of delicious lunches for myself. Sorry, Eddie, it's PB and J for you!

 

(We finally got a microwave at work and it took moving into a new office space to do it...)

 

Oops, you caught me sneaking another piece! Now you know why I always volunteer to do the dishes on the nights we make this.

 

Absolute.Heaven!!!

I went to Anthropologie yesterday to buy a coffee cup/tea cup for my desk at the office. I found this gem in the sale room, and love it for it's colors, inside design, and nifty thumb rest on the handle.

 

The dots on the exterior and interior of the cup (as well as on the thumb rest) are also raised and fun to run ones finger against....

 

While poking around the sale merch in the sale room, I suddenly spied this fabulous jacket with bees embroidered all over it. There was only one, and I wasn't sure if it would be too large or not. Fortunately, it fit P-E-R-F-E-C-T-L-Y and the sale price, was even better: $40.

It was from Spring 2012 and must have been bought by a real returning procrastionater. The inside is lined in mini-black dot and skinny striped fabric. Bonus, there is an inside lapel pocket with a button. [swoon!]

 

A win-win no matter how one looks at it, and a fabulous addition to my wardrobe for all four seasons!

I spied these sparkly beauties this weekend when picking up a few basics for the Bear at The Children's Place. I knew Bean would love them, and she does!

Heck, I LOVE them. Once again, I'm coveting my daughters shoes and wishing they came in my size...Fortunately for Bean, these were on sale so I bought a pair she can wear now, and a pair she can grow into.

 

I know, I rock...Yet, not as much as Bean is in these boots!

This dress used to be mine when I was little. My mom made it and did all the embroidery on it.  There is a portrait of me in this dress, still framed on the wall at my mom's. That faux flower is 100% bonafide vintage. I wore that in my picture many moons ago, too.

Yes, my mom did keep just about all my clothes from my childhood. We are lucky and fortunate to have daughters to pass them on to!

Bean started out the photography session doing her wacky faces, much to Grandma's chagrin. The photographer told her that ALL the kids this age do this in their photo shoots.

Grandma felt slightly better...

 

 

I've noticed for some time that Bean has the most unusual shaped tongue tip. It's actually double pointed, like a snake! Here she is showing it off. This is common for her to do with us, actually. She is always sticking her tongue out it seems...

 

 

 

This is my favorite of the many pictures taken during her sitting.

 

I really liked these, too!

 

 

 

 

Eddie loves this one, below. We both know this look, well!

Bean is such a HAPPY KID, and I think it really shows in her pictures, too!!!

I can't believe how big Lulu is. First grade! Where have I been?

Eddie got the honors of taking her to school for her first day and made sure to get the obligatory pictures under the dogwood tree.

 

 

She looks so grown up, here! And very confident, too.

 

A picture with our neighbor. I just love how Lulu is rocking the two-colored socks. This is a very "Lulu" thing to do, and I'm glad I can relax and go with it. Her socks do work well with the multi-colored sneakers, I've got to add!

 

 

Sitting in her new first grade classroom. This vest she is wearing used to be mine when I was her age. The dress that goes with it (my mom made and saved both, natch) is longed sleeved so it will get worn as the weather cools off. Lulu is suddenly very into vests. We got her a real doozy for once the weather gets cooler. It's shaggy, hot pink, faux-Mongolian lamb.

 

Neither will be hard to miss, at all, once it's put on.

I was fortunate enough to be taken out to lunch at Riffle last week and discovered they have some FUN wallpaper in their bathrooms.

They installed it horizonally across the walls, but you could also do it vertically, too.

I would love to have a fun wallpaper like this to be a wonderful and unexpected room discovery (like a closet or bathroom). Maybe that is why I love our kitchen monkeys so much. Folks don't do wallpaper much anymore these days and when they do, it can be a delightful surprise, like our whimsical kitchen friends.

We ventured off to Sellwood Park today to meet dear longtime friends, John and Axel for a shared picnic lunch in the park. The girls ran around on the playground equipment all afternoon next to our picnic table, we ate lots of good food, and nearly five hours later, said our farewells and headed off to our respective homes.

Bean crashed hard on the drive home and slept through a trip through the drive through carwash (my car was filthy from the squirrels and our walnut tree).