little bug

happy 5th birthday buggie. 

these five years have been the most amazing years of my life.  never would i have imagined how much a heart could be filled up with one little girl’s love.  your spirit is a gift.  since you were a tiny baby, you have made even the grumpiest of people smile.  lately you have befriended a woman who walks past the shop everyday a couple of times.  she has always seemed sad and i have often wondered her story.  i have smiled at her before, but have never said hello or asked her how she was.  you gave her candy on halloween and now whenever you see her, you run up to her and say hello with a huge smile and without hesitation. i have noticed she now has a slight bounce in her step and holds her head a bit higher when she walks past.  you have also begun carrying around a brite orange paper bag for the past two weeks that is filled with shells we have collected over the years.  you give one to everyone you come across, you call them your friends and they now are.  you are the epitome of unconditional love.  you seem to see through the exterior and look straight through to the heart and soul of people.  what a blessing.  thank you for being an example to me.  and oh my goodness, do you make me laugh.  your vocabulary has been amazing since you were 1 year old. . . always shocking us with the words that come out of your mouth and your seeming ability to know exactly the proper time to use them.   your sensitivity is a beautiful gift, as well. . . i love that i will hear a whimper in the back seat of the car and when i ask what is wrong, you tell me that the song that is on is so beautiful that it is making you cry. or when i look in the mirror and see a reflection of you with your eyes closed just listening. and when you dance, you dance from your spirit. . .i LOVE the mad face  you make when you dance hip hop.  you are filled with grace, emotion, joy and beauty that just is.  you don’t even have to try to be.  i hope and pray that your strength and confidence in the way you know yourself never leaves you because you touch people’s lives just by being you.  you have changed me forever and i will eternally be grateful to the Father for giving me the opportunity to be your mama.  happy birthday to my baby girl.

love always, mommy

dancing queen, young & sweet

what little girl doesn’t love to dance on her daddy’s toes. . .these are too sweet for words. i can just see a pair sticking out of madeira & sam’s stockings on christmas morning.

 

found on design mom via kirtsy via handmade charlotte

give at company

jana alayra concert

on friday, november 13th, madeira's lifelong dream is going to be made reality. THE jana alayra is going to be appear live in concert at her school. she is SO excited. our red ipod has been bumping the jana beats for months and she is ready-with every word, key change, volume change for emphasis memorized. . . it is going to be a very fun concert, hopefully i can take my eyes of madeira and watch. probably not. please join us if you have any jana fans in your family, or if you want to make some.

info about jana and source for photo

trinity preschool
1002 cieneguitas road, santa barbara, ca 93105
friday, november 13th at 6.oopm
dinner by spencer mackenzie's fish co. prior to show at 5.oo

for tickets contact brittney at 805.687.4988 or brittney@trinity-preschool.org

the pumpkins are back!

the lynne bonnell pumpkins are back for fall again this year. . .and she added burlap!!  LOVE.  you can see the glitter and black pumpkins that madeira and i made in the back too.  i am obsessed with fall.  made caramel apples last nite too.  just ignoring the 80 degree weather and the sweat dripping down my head while i sip hot cider in my uggs. ;) 

call the shop if you see a pumpkin you like, we ship! 

santa barbara gift baskets @ 805.965.1245

off to paris

  

kind of. . . sam and i would LOVE to travel to paris, italy, spain, portugal etc etc, but for now and for various reasons, it is not the right time. . .  this weekend we are up in the sonoma/napa area for a wedding.  such a beautiful part of california.  for some reason, sam and i have dubbed it our french trip (i think a lot of it has to do with my new hair do, i think it looks french. . .), so we have been speaking with a french accent (although mine tends to go between persian and spanish more than french), we have been trying to find patisseries & boulangeries, enjoyed the amazing movie, chocolat with a bottle of cotes du i forget where, but it was good and had an adorable hen on the label, visited a gorgeous sidewalk flower stand and enjoyed a leisurely lunch at k&l bistro today.  it has been so much fun to have our own little secret theme, and seriously, hearing sam say patisserie in a cute accent with his sweater vest is just too much.  

 

the meadows flower market in oakland on college avenue

la farine bakery in oakland (try the morning buns or the ham and cheese pastry, OMG)

k & l bistro (amazing lamb and favra bean pot pie was the lunchtime special of the day, YUM)

more to come. . .

project pumpkin

 

 

i have come across some super cute pumpkin crafts the last couple of weeks. . .wanted to share.  i am feeling a craft nite coming on, who is with me?

 

glitter  and black pumpkins how to here thanks to frenchie and flea

gourd garland how to thanks to martha

jack o lantern towers thanks to martha

loving the vintage packaging

look at this pudding. do you die? i do. i don't even like pudding, but i bought two packs. that is some good packaging. i want to do a retro gift basket with stuff like this. . .i would buy that. (but you probably have gotten the idea that i would buy most anything)

image taken by me and retrofied with the iphone app camera bag
pudding available at trader joes