party planning - 4th of july

I love how this holiday has become an excuse for an

all out b.b.q @ our house

looking forward to fun times with friends again this year

but for now - it's craft time.
oh, and this year, cupcakes get a sweet new twist
pretty excited to try something new
(and no, it is not a homemade recipe, that would make me domestic)

date day

Sunday we decided to have an antique date day (surprise, surprise).  The husband found a travel bar set, which I did not even know existed, and I got my shiny red train case!  We also found our Texas Ware set.  We have been half searching for some awesome Texas Ware because we knew that one day we would need some plastic goodness for when we start having babies.  Well, we found it, and it was half off, so why wait?  I love the brown and cream confetti pattern, and double bonus, it is WAY smaller than our fiesta dishes, so less running the dishwasher!

My favorite part of our date day was when the husband said he was so glad we had something like this we both love to do together.  Perfection.

local lovin' - sarah maren photography

Well, my next local lovin' is slightly different.  It's not a shop, but definitely a person you should meet.  About four years ago I was in the market for a wedding photographer.  I will never know how I found her on the world wide web, I simply did, and that was when all the magic started happening.  The husband & I met with her and right away I knew we found our photographer.  She was amazing to talk to, her weddings were breath taking, and the cherry on top, the husband was talking with her.  Now, for those of you who know him, you know that he is a man of few words.  And no, he won't talk to you unless he wants to.  So here they are, chatting it up like they have known each other for years.  Sold.

Since then, we have had Sarah & her husband, Dustin, around for pretty much all of our "big events" to date.  Below are just a few (I could literally show you thousands) of my favorite images.  They span from our engagement session, wedding,  and a first anniversary session the husband surprised me with!

So here's just a glimpse of Sarah Maren Photography

the facts:
Sarah Maren Photography - best of her weddings
Her Website & Blog (two for one goodness)
And want to know about her & her husband - see their video
           (double bonus - the husband & I are featured in the video!!!)
Want to see our wedding - here you go!
and what about our wedding album - right here

So, you should check her out, because we LOVE her!

happy birthday dad

we miss you everyday

today you would be 58

I know that you are in a more peaceful place

and today - I antique for you.

for my dad:

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Post Secret

To Write Love on Her Arms

The Trevor Project

local lovin' - scout living

Recently I have been spending a lot of time just enjoying my town.

We have had some new, pretty exciting places that have opened up recently

the next spot I just fell in LOVE with is Scout Living

this store is dedicated to all things mid-century

everything from beautiful credenzas all the way down to a simple trivet

if you love twentieth century furniture at it's best

you must visit this spot

two more reasons why I am smitten by this place

well, check out the photos I took

found the word mae spelled out on a table - which, if you know me well

is only my favorite band of all time

and yes, those are my tea cups as well

thankfully I already have a complete set

because hard to find = pricey

(I got mine for a steal!)

the facts:

address: 1215 18th Street, Sacramento, CA 95811

telephone: 916) 594-7971

you can find them here @ their website & here on facebook

making the most of all this car time

I am loving all my summer adventures

I am not loving how much time I have spent in a car lately

so, when in doubt

or feeling restless - take pictures

and that's just what I did

on our way home I see this amazing looking church off the freeway

of course I tell the husband just a tad too late

so we take the next exit, only to find that on-ramp is closed
(for no apparent reason - we almost blew through some cones)

after driving a ways we get back going the direction we want

only to find that this church is actually a school for boys

and the signs at the end of the driveway made me stay away
well, the husband had the sense to stay away
I wanted to just drive a ways & play dumb if necessary
or, could have said I was a teacher in need of work?!?
well, instead, we drove home.

I love...the giants

I love baseball, always have

I love the giants, always have

I love when my team wins the world series

because that's what happened last year

I love going to games

I love sitting in the very top row

I love being too cheap to pay for parking

I love that my husband loves all these things too.

Oh, and wait, one more

I love when they win when I'm there

because that FINALLY happened yesterday!

scenic route to cloverdale

husband had the great idea to go & visit my best friend

I love when last minute plans just work out

in fact, they seem to work out better for me!

we had all day to burn before our friends were off work

(because it was a wednesday after all)

so we stopped @ an antique mall that simply looks like trains

off the side of the freeway

passed 'em a million times, finally stopped

not bad but not the best - did find a couple of goodies

then we browsed downtown petaluma for a while

LOTS of antiques, not much mid century

in fact the local thrift store was the best - thrifty hippy

then if was time to keep heading up 101 to our friend's house

enjoyed some b.b.q & rainbow cupcakes

and called it a very good nite.

santa rosa bound

 

stopped in petaluma for some antiquing & thrifting

and a few photos while I finished my starbucks

now time to visit with some old friends.

local lovin' - ladybug ladybug

I decided that since the teaching posts will be a tad light for the next few months, I can focus on some other favorite things.  I am born and raised in the surrounding Sacramento suburbs, but find that our downtown is the BEST part of this city, and that is where the husband & I choose to reside currently.  So, this summer I'm going to start highlighting some of my spots I can't live without.

First off, Ladybug Ladybug.  Yes, I have already linked this place on the blog, but why not show you more?

This adorable store has my name written all over it.  This shop is filled with an array of cards & gift items, many which are from local artists and dealers!  Who doesn't love that?

I've already had several successful shops here and plan to visit again soon.  Not to mention, the owner, who also has a second location in Noe Valley (San Francisco), is pretty fun to talk with as well.

So, if you are in the downtown area, check this little gem out.  I'm sure you will find something you just can't live without.

the facts:
location: 2512 J St. Sacramento, CA
hours: Monday through Saturday 10:30 - 6:30 and Sunday 10:30 - 4:30
you can find them here @ their website & here @ facebook.


photos from here

just wanted to say...

chalkboard image here

stay at home wife?

hmmm.  I just realized that this is my first summer off since I was 16.

and even then, I was most likely playing mad amounts of softball

so, not really a summer off

people ask me how I got through school so fast and I tell them

lots of units per semester

and a religious dedication to summer school

and sure it paid off, because, even though

technically I'm an unemployed teacher

I pretty sure I'll get rehired in August (fingers crossed)

as soon as I was credentialed I started teaching summer school

something that is disappearing due to budget cuts

therefore, no more of that business for me

last summer should have been my first summer as a stay at home wife

but then my civic duty called and I was placed on a jury

which actually totally rocked

and that brings us to this summer, and today

last week was too crazy & hectic for me to notice the time

but this week, my domestic duties have been calling my name

all day

I have no idea how laundry and dishes and such get done during the school year

because I feel that has been pretty constant for me so far

and yes, then I realize that my husband does maybe a tad more than I realize

but now he is working full time, and I'm working a whopping zero hours per week

so I guess it's my turn

let us start with lunch.  I'm trying to get my health game back on.  And quite frankly,

I eat much better than when I'm packing a lunch @ 7:00 a.m.

I am currently enjoying the outside, while it is still bearable to do so

and not to mention, this is not the only table we have in our flat

the real kitchen table has been packed away to make room

for our danish modern obsession
but that's alright with me, because if I was inside
I wouldn't have this view...

so now, maybe some meal planning is in store for me
so to all you regular stay at home wives & mamas
you have a ton of credibility in my book
this summer, I will try to pretend to be one of you.


oh, and happy first day of summer.
I promise to enjoy you!

just a few more...

sunday in san francisco

twin peaks - s.f.

our father's day is a little different now

so I spent the day with mom & meg

and spent a little time in our dad's favorite city

this year's last "so they said" on sunday

Ooops - missed last week because I was Out & About!  And well, the year is done, and I will leave you with just one more "so they said".  This one actually comes from a conversation I was having with a few of my parents that were with me on the last day of school.  Most of the kids were outside enjoying a perfect 80 degree June day, eating pizza and signing yearbooks, but a few of us were in the classroom opening some gifts.

One of my mom's told me that she asked her daughter if she wanted to start a countdown to summer chain, something they have always done, and her daughter said she didn't want to this year because summer meant I would not be her teacher anymore.  Another mom chimed in saying it was the first year her son wasn't looking forward to summer.  Seriously, tears!

These comments of course made me sad that this system is causing these kids so much pain, but when you step back you realize how awesome these comments were, you can't help but smile.  Not to mention, my class learned a life lesson that life isn't always fair, but that things will continue on, and everything will be ok!

So now I will leave you with my last picture from my classroom this year (well, unless I find another one I just can't help but share).

Our growth chart.  Just some bulletin board paper that was stuffed in the back cabinet until the last week of school.  The black ink is from the first week of school, and red from the last.  My babies grew SO much this year, and I'm pretty sure it was in more ways than just inches!

  It is amazing how you may not realize the changes when you are with them everyday.  

Thanks 5th grade - you rocked my world this year!

And where to now you may ask - well the only place my district hasn't placed me...middle school?!?

first summer project!

and a sneak peek of our new addition -

so I finally turned in my keys

well, it just seems like yesterday that I first walked in this room

I was SO overwhelmed by the amount of "going through" that needed to be done

this room belonged to a teacher for over 20 years

he was a beloved institution at this school, and now I was supposed to fill in after his untimely passing

I remember talking on the phone with a fellow teacher, crying, not knowing where to start

one year later it is time for me to say goodbye to this room

a room I came to love, a room I thought I could stay in for another year

the room became mine, but I also came to love all the things I saved from the teacher before me

there was an awesome balance of new and old

it took me a week to do my final pack-up, I was not looking forward to it

but now it is done, and now it is time to look forward

yes, turning in my keys was emotional, and a tad embarrassing

but, like I told my kids

"every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end"

just trying to cross the river

Well I was mid furniture face lift project when I decided I did not like the color of paint I picked out earlier today. So why not just run out real quick and get another color? Not so simple. My bridge decided to do a full 360 in front of me. Silly big boats.

thrifting in the mission

yesterday I took miss meg back to san francisco

after she was off to work

I was off to the mission district for some thrifting

it was a success

a camping cook stove 

a ridiculously cute button whole machine

which no, probably won't get used anytime soon

and finally a mid century small dresser

it just needs a little loving

never got to my classroom yesterday

I guess that will have to happen tomorrow

because today, back to Tahoe

to pick up something amazing

photos to come soon!

big (early) birthday celebration - day one

this past weekend the husband & I 

and a few friends

went camping to Lake Tahoe

to celebrate the husband's upcoming

30th birthday

our first night included an amazing walk to the lake

a very painful hike back to camp

a friend's first smore

and a pretty awesome campfire

more posting soon - but for now

a quick day trip to San Francisco

and a final breakdown of my classroom 

are in order

Tahoe=big bikes everywhere

Loving Lake Tahoe right about now. Just what I needed. And thrifting while out of town camping means I will be coming back soon to pick up the credenza I just purchased. No room with people and camping gear! Happy early birthday husband!

just me & the husband

first summer monday morning

Evening finds

for me this is heaven

out and about.

just about to head off for a couple of days

time to start celebrating the husband's birthday

I will try to do some mobile blogging

so excuse any funky formatting issues that may occur!

and now I leave you with my tree o' thanks!

I think these will be up all summer :)

whiteboard artists

       

well, the last week of school

my whiteboards in the back of the room 

became quite the work of art

here's a quick glimpse

I still haven't erased it, I think it will be the last thing I do

if I was spiteful

or if I thought the janitors wouldn't get to it first

I would leave if for the man who surplussed into my position

but I'm not, so I won't

they know me SO well

        everything from owls to nothing but green tissue paper

my favorite candy bars & method soap

to an adorable etsy bracelet

and a coffee mug that's phrase just fits our whole situation just 

a tad too well

love them, love how much thought

went into their gifts

oh, and they LOVED their cards I made them

which made the almost 4 hours worth every minute!

time to say goodbye

I don't think I will ever like this part of my job.
I get so attached to my kids,
saying goodbye is something I dread.
I know that it will get easier
one day my kids will know where to come back to see me
but the past four years, I just kind of disappear from my classroom
I know that some of my kids will find me
they will keep in touch
however, for some I know it is goodbye
they are ready to move on,
and I am proud of them
but I also know, I need to bring some makeup to school
for a little touch up before our staff lunch
waterproof mascara will not be enough

above is just ONE of the many gifts my kids have given me over the last week
they are the epitome of awesome.

thursday thank you's

well, what can I say

I was blessed with some AW-esome help this year

something I was a little scared of at first

yes, I am a bit of a control freak

but that goes without saying

my "thursday moms" were given some less than amazing jobs

and they completed them with no complaints

our silhouette project would have never been completed

without them

so, thank you - hope they enjoyed a little sweetness

and thank you eighteen 25 for the inspiration!

I love stumbling on good ideas.

so lately, well since last Wednesday to be exact

I've been trying to come up with a good 

"remember me"

gift for my kids

however, with everything going on, I was drawing a blank

thankfully, I found some awesomeness 

over at eighteen 25

which was actually featured on ohdeedoh, 

a severe guilty pleasure of mine

so after a good amount of printing and paper cutting

I'm ready to start turning these into something

wish me luck, I'm pretty tired

my goal - 10 done tonight, 23 tomorrow!

oh, and relax & read rocked today

so did my surprise party thrown by my kids

but more on that later.

today - relax & read

I'm pretty excited

books & blankets are ready to go!

image here

love, love, love, this

my new favorite - eighteen 25

sushi date saturday

husband and I are real big into our sushi

we also eat WAY more than we should

we heard the couple behind us discussing how many rolls they were going to purchase

they decided THREE

they figured that way they would have leftovers

husband and I looked down at our plates

and yes, we have FIVE rolls, and no leftovers 

date night was at Kamon

and yes, we had a groupon