happy weekend

(image via the ballerina project)

While I'm a little disappointed our local weathermen are forecasting frigid temperatures and possibly snow, I'm still looking forward to this weekend. I'm getting a haircut first thing tomorrow morning - always a good start to the day - as long as it doesn't rain (and I think it's rained every day that I've gotten my hair cut for the past three years). Then Matt, Ezra, and I are actually having our pictures taken for a change. Our friend Karissa (who captured these images and Ezra's birth) offered to take family photos for us and we accepted. Then we have a delicious dinner to look forward to, and I'm bringing Paula Deen's red velvet cupcakes for dessert. In between church on Sunday we're going to indulge in Matt's mom's homemade pizza and chicken soup. This weekend is full of food that's perfect for chilly days. What's your favorite cold weather meal? Here are a few (probably the closest to 'few' that I've ever come) links to hold you over until Monday... 

- a grilled cheese is perfect for a lazy weekend lunch

- how many sizes should I make this notebook paper tee in for Ezra?

- I'm dreaming of this suspended trampoline turned teepee for our backyard someday

- spotted this party dress at anthropologie this week and I'm still thinking about it

- happy to report that I'm making progress on my list!

- not from this week, but here are some beginning quilting tips... I get a lot of requests and diary of a quilter tutorials are wonderful!

a quilt for Levi

I have a confession to make: this quilt is my most favorite quilt that I've ever made and I had trouble parting with it. I wanted to keep it for Ezra! My friend Ashley picked out some amazing Michael Miller fabric and then my mom let me go through her stash to pick out some coordinating solids and I decided to go with an easy strip quilt design. 

It really lets the guitars shine, I think... I couldn't bear to cut into them so the large strips work well.

For the back I used a large piece of Kona Ash and scraps of the fabric that I put together in an improv style.  Simple straight line quilting to border the guitar strips and down the center of some of the solids finished off the quilt sandwich. Here you can see that the quilt spent a bit too much time in the dryer after its run through the washer. Yes, I dry my quilts in a dryer and just pray that they make it out alive.

I had some scraps left over from trimming the strips and they turned out to be perfect for my first scrappy binding. There was hardly any waste with this quilt as I turned every little piece into something else for Levi...

a stack of burp cloths with the remaining tidbits of fabric and added some grosgrain ribbon for contrasting texture. Not that infants (especially male infants) are too concerned with contrasting texture on their burp cloths, but I thought it was a nice addition.

Rather than add a separate label to the quilt, I simply wrote a little note along the edge of one of the pieces of fabric that make up the patchwork backing. Levi finally made his debut on Sunday night (he had been threatening for three or four weeks!) so hopefully he's happily snuggling with his quilt now.

eleven months!

Eleven month photo shoot status: occurred approximately nine days late but successful! I'll take it. If we crop that first one I think it would be perfect for Ezra's RI license photo.

Ok, so the shoot was successful except that Ezra took his sticker off after the first snap of the shutter. I decided to be the bigger man and allow him to stick it on the gorilla (who was much more complacent), which he was very intent on doing.

Ez clearly didn't want anyone to feel left out so the aardvark had a turn with the sticker next.

Sticker-less and loving it!

Ezra taking a few tentative steps onto the pelt of a long dead baby polar bear. Just kidding - it's faux sheepskin from Ikea.

Ezra's to do list: demolish artfully arranged display of picture books in four seconds - check.

Ezra's first self portrait. I'm going to go set up his myspace account. 

[the aftermath, month eleven]

happy weekend

(image via Jordan's pin via The Telegraph)

Tonight is Fondue Friday at the Celeste house so I'm busy grating blocks of Emmentaler and chopping vegetables. I can't wait to have some crusty bread and teeny potatoes with all that melty cheesy goodness. Then tomorrow morning I'm getting a pedicure. It sounds like on heaven on earth to me. What are you up to this weekend? While I get back to the cutting board, here are some fun finds from around the web...
- random acts of kindness are nice, but random acts of cookies are even better!
- my obsession with bunk beds continues
- definitely adding this margherita tart to my menu for next week
- if I had a little girl I would make her a plush sewing machine
- I eat oatmeal almost every day... time to try some of these variations
- yet another fun way to decorate with balloons
- don't you agree that I need this t towel?
- tassel garlands are so pretty but they look like a lot of work and I'm feeling lazy... has anyone made one?
- this rustic Italian luncheon looks, well, perfectly rustic and so Italian and I love it

ten months!

So here we are back in time again, this time by about a month and a half. Ezra was uncooperative once again, which I guess is to be expected from a ten month old who doesn't exactly understand the concept of posing yet.

As much as I wanted to have 'professional' photos each month, I kind of like these funny face-blurry-too dark-or-too bright memories of Ezra, since that's what he and I were able to produce together...

... as I'm not anywhere near close to a professional photographer, although I would say Ezra is a professional baby, what with all the crawling, teething, and babbling he does.

My friend Kate gave me some tips for taking Ezra's one year photos to try to ensure a good result, so we'll see how that works in a couple of weeks. 

happy weekend

(image via yankee magazine by fellow Rhode Island blogger, christine chitnis)

It feels so good to writing about a weekend in the fall... there's so much to look forward to! Tonight I'm making sweet potato burritos and that's a good weekend kick-off in my book. Then tomorrow morning we have plans to check out the Broad Street market, and at night we're venturing out to Salisbury Farm with our youth group to make our way through the corn maze. Sunday we'll be at church in the morning and at night, but in between Matt is doing a shoot on Hope Street, so we'll grab a bite to eat at Seven Stars and have a mini picnic. While I prep for dinner, check out my favorite finds from this week...
- on my to bake list: pretzel tots 
- dyeing party streamers is genius
- now this is my kind of research
- ways to spice up your grilled cheese 
- these book book ends - so funny!
- mini anything is my favorite so of course I love these mini pinatas
- how would you spend $18?
- I spotted this cropped pea coat at anthro this week and I've been fantasizing ever since
- thinking of creating my own 12 by 2012 list... what would be on yours?
Have a great weekend and I'll see you back on Monday!

nine months!

These photos are a dead giveaway that I've been slacking in the blog department (note the 9 sticker on Ezra's onesie).  He already looks so much bigger to me, as he should - he's a little over eleven months old as I write this.  

take one: sans onesie

Ez & friends

complete fascination. and it wasn't even oscillating.

the view from above

and from the side

how I love those little fingers

and we're back to the fan

There are two more sessions of month photos that I need to post before we get to the big 0-1 in a few weeks, so please bear with me and the little guy in the white onesie. The sessions became increasingly unsuccessful (decreasingly successful?) with each passing month, but I hope to catch some good ones at the one year mark.