all for free

i stumbled upon these yesterday at smitten blog designs and they are all download able for free! yes, free! here's what i thought was super cute and downloaded for myself because they are free!

i thought this alphabet poster would look cute in my girls room or by one of our many bookshelves

i thought these tags were fun and i would certainly like to find a way to use them (hmmm... i am thinking of something great to do with them)

hello, owls! i just couldn't pass this one up.

and then i stumbled upon their free party packs. they have everything you could need. an invitation, a banner, cake toppers and/or party bag embellishments and they're pretty cute.

this is the le cirque party pack

this is the princess party pack that i think you could even use for a ballet party.

and these are just two i chose to put in this post. there are more from fairies to robots. go check it out, after all it's free!

how does your garden grow?

honestly folks, i am pretty surprised ours has grown. this is my first attempt at planting a garden. i did little research (hardly any at all), bought seeds and planted what i like to eat or what i wanted to try. i've learned since then that you don't really have to plant so many seeds. for example, my friend who has a full on awesome garden in her front yard (yes, her front yard. they ripped out all of their grass and put in garden beds) told me that i could've gotten away with planting one cucumber plant because one plant will give enough for the entire neighborhood. i planted like 6. so, apparently i have enough for the whole entire city. same with the cantaloupes. i planted like 8 of those. but, that's okay. that's how we learn right? hopefully my neighbors and friends will want some homegrown veggies. do you? because we will have enough. it's been a good experience. if you are thinking of planting a garden, do it. plant what you like and what you'll eat and you really can't go wrong. so far, we have harvested a crop of radishes, lots of spinach, some lettuce, a few strawberries, cilantro and things are still growing. take a look...

our carrots and onions are coming up. our tomato, cucumber, and cantaloupe plants have yellow flowers that will hopefully sprout some fruit

our corn is getting taller

and our chickens are growing up

i don't know if i could ever live on a real farm, but i do have to say i am liking this mini one we have created. speaking of farms and crops and what not, i just ordered this for our entire families viewing pleasure. but, i didn't pay as much as it's listed for. it went up in price in just 3 days. crazy! anyway, i can't wait until it gets here!

santa monica saturday

this past saturday we took a drive out to bergamot station in santa monica. one of the mister's teacher/mentor/friend is represented by a gallery out there and because we love his work so much we bought one of his paintings and we needed to pick it up. i decided to bring my camera along just in case there was anything photo worthy. i was super glad i did. i loved the rustic modernism of the buildings and the lettering. this wasn't my first trip out there, but it was my first with my camera. needless to say, i had fun. take a look...

i thought this sign would look cool

above my new bookcase

A is for avery

G is for garrett

and these are just some more of my favorites

ask and you shall receive

ask, hint, suggest, send an email, do whatever it takes and you shall receive gifts on mother's day or the day after. it worked friends. the email i sent to the mister about mother's day worked because today when i got home this was waiting for me...

it's fragile and from anthropologie, so this is a good sign

yes! i was really wanting this little guy. he's so cute and the earrings too. i was only expecting one gift, but the mister spoiled me with two. not to mention all the stuff he did for me yesterday. you can read about that here. hope you all enjoyed your mother's day.

happy day mama

thanks to these two little clowns for making me a mama. life is sometimes like a circus around here, but i wouldn't take it any other way...

happy mother's day friends!

our peeps

our peeps are growing up. remember when we first got them? it was only a month ago and they are already starting to look like big, grown-up chickens.

take a look at them...

this is when we first got peep,

this is her last week,

and this her today.

this is little, when we first got her,

this was her last week,

and here she is today. and she's a little pistol running and flying all over the place.

they are getting too big for the aquarium we've been keeping them in. so, we let them run around outside and peck around on the ground.

and because they are growing up so fast, well you know how it goes... yes, that's the mister working on yet another project... the chicken coop

the little miss designed the egg doors.

the little fella just enjoyed hanging out in the cage while the mister worked on it.

the chickens love it.

even when our little pooch bella stares them down while they eat. my chicken little isn't even afraid of her anymore, she just stands right up to her.

it's been a lot of fun raising chickens. they are not very high maintenance at all. we just make sure they have food and fresh water everyday, let them out for a little excercise and that's pretty much it. if you are thinking of getting chicks, do it. i don't think you will regret it. i haven't yet and the kiddo's love them!

for all you mama's - a mother's day tip

let me just start this post off by saying i have the absolute best husband ever. i love him very much. he's awesome. he's super-duper talented. he can and will make anything i ask him to. he puts up with me when i am not very pleasant and still loves me after. he loves and adores our two children more than anything and isn't afraid to take a day off to spend time with them. he's great. but, friends when it comes to holidays, birthdays and such, he's not that savvy. for example, my mother's day present last year... i got in july. yes, july. and that was after one of my not so very pleasant moments i mentioned above. so, my tip for you all this year is, if your husband is not very savvy like mine, don't be disappointed this sunday when mother's day rolls around, send your mister an email with all the goodies you've been looking at. who knows you might just get one. here's what i sent my mister...

i love this jar from anthropologie

and this timer too. it's magnetic, which is extra cool to me.

these are just so earthy and natural and i want them. also from anthropologie

this lamp i like, but the owl is a little too owlish (i made that word up). but, i might like it. it's from west elm.

if you haven't notice i am kinda into owls, like everybody else in the whole wide world. these cuties are from west elm too.

i need and want this book. we planted our garden and i think this would be an excellent guide to help us along on our gardening journey. it's from anthropologie as well.

that's it friends. there's something in every price range, so he doesn't have to feel like he has to break the bank with a diamond ring unless he wants too and he doesn't have to stress out about what he's gonna get me.

p.s. i really am not all crazy and materialistic about getting gifts on mother's day or any holiday really. i am happy with the pictures my kiddo's draw for me or the homemade bouquets they make for me. it's just the point of being notice every once in awhile, on any day. so with that friends, i hope you enjoy your monday.