Funky Vintage Lovely Blog

Insta Dinner, Note, Dave, Blake, Baby Legs & Paint

2012-01-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

How about a little review of the week in iPhone Instagram Photos?!

Linking up with my friend, Jeannett at Life Rearranged.

So so excited to pick up the children's framed artwork tomorrow.

Can't wait to see it on the walls.

Finishing this project is part of our organize and simplify our lives.

Being able to cross things off lists helps clear up the mind!

Blake fell asleep one night.....deep in thought!

Little Mister is developing some chubby baby legs.

He is so ticklish there and we always get the biggest smiles from him lately.

Little Miss is ticklish under her chin and she always wants more tickles!

Dave and I had date night last weekend! Yippee.

We went to our high school's Crab Feed dinner.

WonderBread 5 performed and we danced most of the night.

It was the best Crab Feed to date!!

I made Dave's lunch one day. And, then on that same day I made dinner!

Shocker.

I might have earned 'Wife of the Year' that day!

After a particularly rough evening with Blake in our home....

he didn't like that dinner I made. It had corn in it.

{It escalated to a huge show-down and he ended up with cereal in his bedroom for dinner.}

Dave left a sweet note for him on his bathroom mirror the next morning.

It melted my heart.

Dave and I are in the works with a new fun paint company!

We attended a workshop yesterday and I went 'gaga' over the paint colors.

More details coming soon....keeping fingers crossed.

Happy Weekending, friends.

I ♥ Fossil

2012-01-25T22:53:00.000-08:00

I received the new Fossil catalog in the mail today

and I folded over a few pages.

Thought I'd share a few things that gave me butterflies.

But first, I've never shared my current Fossil winter purse that I am in love with.

Here it is....

I love that it incorporates all my favorite colors right now....

gray, navy, coral, burgundy and brass buttons.

Here is what I'm dreaming of for spring....

All available at Fossil.com!

I'm decorating my house in these same colors.

What are your favorite colors right now?

Dear Dave + April {A Tuesday Series....hard = easy}

2012-01-24T11:19:00.000-08:00

Dear Dave,

I've been staring at this picture since I first saw it a couple of days ago. I keep looking at you and think 'this picture of us captures the exact man I married.' It's almost as though your whole soul radiates through that relaxed, content, happy expression and I can see your heart.

We've had a rough go the last few months. It hasn't been bad, but I feel like we were slowly slipping back into bad habits and old patterns. Life got really busy and we forgot to take time for us.

I love this picture for different reasons than the first. I love how 'easy' this picture is. How it captures our light-hearted playful relationship. These pictures where taken at our friends, Brad & Caitlin's Wedding. The same afternoon we decided to go renew our vows at a Reno Wedding Chapel for fun later that evening!

What struck me most about these pictures is that our relationship did look so easy and it was. But that easy feeling came when we were working the hardest on our marriage. Enriching it. Making time to connect and talk at the end of each day. Putting each other first. And, I've realized that we have settled into complacency again. And what was so easy and good, now that we have stopped working on it, is slipping into difficult and feelings of not being connected.

When we first started dating after our divorces there were two things that we knew we needed most from each other. Two things that we felt we were most hurt from our other relationships. I asked that you talk to me kindly. That I not be sworn at or put down. I needed to be treated tenderly with words. You needed to know and be told that you were loved. That you were wanted and needed. That I would always be there for you with constant reassurances. We promised each other those two things 18 years ago. That we would never hurt each other in those two ways that other people who claimed to love us had hurt us.

You reminded me on Friday that I was failing when you said, 'you know a phone call that you miss me would be nice once in awhile...not just a when are you going to be home.' It reminded me of our promises and gave me something to work on....to help us get to 'easy' again.

I love that we have been challenged to pray together once a day by our Bishop. I love the idea of humbly getting on our knees together and asking Heavenly Father for direction, strength, peace and love in our home. I look forward to working hard again on our relationship so it comes easy and I think our Tuesday series needs to start back up for accountability. What do ya think? Are you on board?

Love, Ape

When It Rains....It Pours.

2012-01-23T12:58:00.000-08:00

When it rains....it pours.

Or...

Kick 'em while their down.

Or...

Why do bad things happen to good people?

These are just a few titles that this post could have!

If you follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram

then you know we had an accident on Friday with an employee and our company truck.

{that's the passenger side that you see....the driver's side took the brunt}

That's our bread and butter laying upside down.

Luckily, our dear friend and employee Joe, was completely uninjured.

The very most important detail of that scary afternoon.

Even with the tornado of 'stuff' flying around in the cab of the truck while he flipped and rolled
down that embankment.

It was pouring. Heavy heavy rain. He hit a pocket of water in a dip that sent that heavy truck

spinning and fishtailing all over the road.

We are so grateful he was not hurt.

The fire department said the heavy duty lumber rack kept the driver side cab from being crushed.

Now we are dealing with the financial end of things...never fun.

Especially during tough economical times in the construction world.

Our Bishop heard of the accident and then woke up at 4am 'thinking of us' on Saturday morning and asked to meet with us on Sunday just to chat and check in with us.

I am so thankful for a Bishop who listens to the promptings of the Spirit and follows through with them.

We needed that visit. We needed the counsel that came from him and that visit.

We needed the blessings he gave us during that visit.

And, we needed to be reminded that the Lord knows us and knows of our difficulties right now.

He scratched his head {for reals} while asking us why we were fostering during such tough times
while smiling and saying he thought it was the greatest thing...but really right now....
and after talking with us in detail agreed that it was the right thing for us to be doing right now.

But followed it with great counsel.
'SIMPLIFY the areas of your life that you can and turn to your Heavenly Father in prayer.'

He also counselled Dave and I to have couple prayer once a day and asked Dave to be responsible for initiating it. I loved not having that added to my plate.

I couldn't be more grateful for a wise and righteous Bishop who reminded me that I was married to a very good man. He also reminded Dave that he was married to a very energetic woman.

And we left with a spring in our step and a promise to Simplify our lives and pray more often.

I feel a 'Dear Dave + April' letter surfacing soon.
We need to get back on track.

Random Bit About Me: I love Butter

2012-01-20T11:03:00.000-08:00

Thought a random fact about me might be fun.

I love butter.

Not like most people like butter.

For me, it doesn't need to be baked in something or spread on something.

I like a lick of butter.

When I was a kid and would clear off the dinner table

I would always ask my mom for a taste of butter and she would let me.
At least I think she let me. If she didn't, I snuck one anyways.

{And, if one of my kids asked today, I would let them.}

I'd stick my finger in and savor the flavor.

And the crazy thing is...it can be real butter, margarine or my favorite right now....

Smart Balance!

I also remember one of my favorite snacks was a flour tortilla spread with butter and rolled.

If it had butter on it....I loved it.

Oh and those flaky pillsbury dinner rolls....why don't I make those more often.

I'd butter every layer.

When I go out to dinner...I butter both sides of the roll.

Never noticed? Well I try to do it without anyone catching me!

Today, I made waffles. I made sure that butter was in every square.

Then I licked the knife.

Yesterday, I had an english muffin and it wasn't complete until butter was in every nook and cranny.

Spilling over in melted goodness.

Then I licked the knife.

I like butter almost as much as I like whipped cream.

We have shots of whipped cream in our family!

Neither butter nor whipped cream are really considered a food item probably...

but they are some of my favorites in my book.

Do you have a favorite 'non-food' food?

Bachelor Re-Cap :: Episode 2 + 3

2012-01-18T23:23:00.000-08:00

Episode 2

Check out Ben with short hair in his childhood pictures.

WAY better than long-haired Ben.

Kasie B. is adorable.

We were just there on Sonoma Square where Ben drives Kasie up for their date.

I bought my diaper bag at Half Pint. Just a few shops down from the theater!

K...she is super adorbs!

And to re-cap the rest of the show:
Model Girl Courtney makes me want to scream.
Jenna needs to stick to blogging.
She has a had time speaking or maybe she just earned herself theme song...
'blame it on the a..a.a..a..a.a..alcohol'!
And Blakeley....you take the cake with your outfit.
What the hell was she wearing?
That seersucker striped romper was so 37 years ago...when I was 3 years old!

Loved that when the kids were interviewed about her...
the girl did NOT like her at all and the boy....he liked her!
haha

Eposide 3

It's so fun they are in our stomping ground....Sonoma, San Francisco!
I loved the recap of the girls with his sister, Julie. What a cutie she is.

Well Emily is cute. Loved their dinner time conversation.
So casual and easy.
And, I loved what he said about one of the reasons why his dad loved his mom.
awww.....

I'm pretty sure I would never feel comfortable in a bikini and ski boots.
Kasie B. had me laughing out loud.
She was hilarious skiing and hello...she has a rockin' body.

So my favorites so far...
Kasie B., Jennifer, Lyndzi and Emily

Am I forgetting anyone?!
Hmm...I'm pretty sure Blakeley is on this date...
but I haven't seen her yet.
Rachel has a fun deep voice.

Crazy that Brittani is leaving.
But kudos to her for being so mature about it.
I forgot that she was the 'grandma' girl!
Grandma is going to be so so sad.

Oh there's Blakeley. Feathers, boobs, feathers, corset...oh my.

I love that Lyndzi is being such a good sport about going on the date.
So impressed...because it could have gone the other way.
Lyndz is gorgeous.

They dance so cute together
Is Ben's longer hair growing on me?
I'm not sure.
I see him at times as so cute.
Maybe it is just him with Lyndzi.
They look perfect together.

Who is the stalker chick coming in to ruin the party?

And best kisser goes to: Jennifer!
And I love that she is so private about her interactions with him.
This is going to be a good season.
Ben is going to be in trouble.
He really is making some strong connections early on....
with multiple girls.

Oh sounds like there is history with Ben or he wouldn't have smiled and sworn when he saw Shawntel! And the girls' reactions....hilarious.
Wow....the jealousy.
She rocked those girls' world.
And their lack of confidence and security is shocking.

This should be the MOST shocking rose ceremony EVER.
{said in my best announcer voice}

Courtney for acting so mature...
you really are very immature....
your one on one time was silly in a childish way
and the 'what's her butt' comment was ridiculous.

And FYI girls....Shawntel is a brunette....she had him at hello!
This rose ceremony went all wrong.
It's a train wreck and Courtney...
you are so no classy....more like trashy.
And oh Shawntel....what a bummer.

On My Mind....

2012-01-17T15:00:00.000-08:00

This dining room set from World Market.

On My Mind: Fostering Love

My mind has been paralyzed since foster care started.

Well....not really my mind, but my ability to write.

As my heart becomes more and more attached, the

thought 'how do we NOT adopt' overruns every other thought I have.

But I always come back to the journey we started on....fostering.

And it resonates in me...to continue to foster not to adopt.

Loving these babies while they are in our home.

Oh so loving them. More than I thought possible.

If you saw them, held them, interacted with them....

you would understand the dilemma in my heart.

Plus I never imagined having a bio mom beg me to adopt her children

if they end up going up for adoption.

Heartbreaking.

On My Mind: Decorating

So instead of thinking about that....

my thoughts are about decorating my house.

That is my escape right now.

And my new white walls aren't helping the matter either.

It's like I want a new clean fresh start in our home.

So I am in the process of listing my current Pottery Barn

dining room table and chairs on Craigslist in order to purchase the new set!

On My Mind: Blake

Surgery update. Met with Shriner's doctor last week. He agreed to do a different type of surgery.

A less permanent bladder neck fix and no bladder augmentation (or largening) at this time.

So two surgeries....the ACE Malone and Bladder Neck Cuff placement.

Yippee!! I now feel comfortable with the surgeries planned.

Although they present some new risks, more care, upkeep and possible complications,

Dave and I are content and Blake is happy.

On the school front...Blake is not.

We have started back with defiancy in the morning.

He either doesn't get out of the car or goes and stands in front of the car so I can't leave.

Go ahead....you can laugh.

I'm sure it is a sight to see.

And, if I try to get out the car to move him, he runs from me,

then when I get back in the car, he goes and jumps in front of the car again.

A cat and mouse chase that really isn't funny with a 9 year old.

For the first time in my life, I am realizing that each child truly is different,

and maybe we might need to take a different approach to schooling for Blake.

With these thoughts have brought extreme peace in my heart and I know I am on the right track.

Right now my goal is to get him into the classroom this week while we work on some alternatives.

We failed today. He has been home.

In his room, with his backpack, snack and lunch and not to come out until 3:00 pm.

I made him read a short book and write a little book report.

"little" was the wrong word to use. He wrote one sentence.

But he wrote it!

On My Mind: Kaia

Raise your hand if you have a teenage girl in your house.

If you did raise your hand....I'm sorry.

Our sweet little girl, has become a sweet moody girl with attitude.

The sweetness is still there...but the moods and attitude overshadow it sometimes.

I know we are not alone. And this is totally normal.

I'm trying to enjoy every minute of it because I know she will be grown and gone before too long.

She has made such good friends at school.

Friends that respect what she believes in and what she stands for.

She made our local Club Volleyball Team and is loving it.

She also got a part in her high school musical play "Hairspray"

and we are all so excited to see it all come together, watch the performances

and then never hear another Hairspray song ever again!

Both kids are loving having the babies in our home.

Blake can often be found talking away with Little Mister

and Kaia regularly whisks Little Miss down to her room to do her hair

and have hang out time on her bed!

On My Mind: Dave

We have had a few setbacks with the new responsibilities with the added children.

A few letters have almost been written....but there hasn't been time.

A quick chat seems to do us good.

We are needing regular date nights again now that we have 'littles' in our home.

Anyone want to babysit?

The whole Kaia watching Blake thing isn't working out so well these days.

Remember....we have a teenager in our house!

I'm Fired:: This + That Friday.

2012-01-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

Dave fires me regularly...sometimes daily.
This week I didn't get anything done that I had planned.

I don't always get the construction business work done in a timely manner.

So he fires me...in the afternoon.

I always ask him to fire me around 10 am so I have the rest of the day off!

I'm so fired this week with regard to blogging.

I've missed it.

I go to bed each night wanting to post...but am so tired.

Didn't get pictures taken, didn't get projects completed, didn't have time to write
and express all my thoughts.

We've had three sick kids.

The littlest has me sleeping in a hospital bed by his side

as he gets help getting over a winter cold.

I keep calling the hospital a 'hotel'.

I am getting to order breakfast, lunch and dinner in bed!

But not staying in bed. That would drive me crazy.

Pretty much I've been cuddling a sick little guy

and loving the company of a few visitors.

My SMALL Spaces series needed to get pushed back a week.

I came up with a few more projects.

Now I'm trying to decide what the hospital would think if I brought my sewing machine in!
So let's keep our fingers crossed for that little series running next week.

I had a dream last night that we were saying good-bye to our sweet babies.

They were leaving our home.
I was crying in my dream and trying to blog my feelings.

It was impossible.

Our interior walls have been painted all white! I love it.

We were out of town last weekend for a volleyball tournament,

so I coordinated with our painters from our construction company

to come in and paint while we were gone.

That was the best money ever spent. Plus they gave us a smokin' deal.
House was pretty much done and put back together before we got home!

That just prompted more changes I want to make.

Mostly in curtains and furniture slipcovers.

Pictures coming next week.
With regular blogging.

Thanks for being patient with me!

My One Word....

2012-01-09T15:25:00.001-08:00

I have a confession. I'll admit it. I stretch myself too thin all the time. And, it's probably not going to change anytime soon. My family bought me a magazine for Christmas because one of the headers read....'Learn to Say NO!' It was funny. We all laughed.

I was beyond honored when Lara asked me if I would participate in her series. I've always read about others One Word...but have never really joined it. I was excited for this invitation...plus I absolutely adore Lara...her personality, her design skills, her confidence, her short hair, her spunkiness, her geniuness...I can't wait to spend a weekend with her at Snap Conference in a few months! I thought a lot about what my word would be. I knew life wasn't going to slow down anytime soon so I wanted a word that would help me feel like I was focusing on a few 'things' that have been nagging at me.

To read all about the WORD I chose to focus on for 2012 visit Lara's blog Less Cake More Frosting!

Instagram Friday: Our Christmas Break

2012-01-06T08:34:00.000-08:00

We have been ice-skating twice with the cousins at our local outdoor ice-skating rink!

This last time, I actually skated and had a blast asking each niece and nephew {even the 15 year old nephew} to take a spin around the rink hand-in-hand with me. It was a cat and mouse chase {literally} around the rink for awhile to win the 15 year old over. Actually, I think he was just tired of me chasing him and finally agreed to one lap hand-in-hand with his crazy Aunt. My sister took pictures...I'll have to get them from her. It was actually hilarious!

This is the only full-length picture I have of our tree this year!

Even with no ornaments I thought it was so pretty.
Maybe next year we will add white lights and handmade ornaments.

Kaia gave all of us a scare at the hospital on New Years Day while we were visiting Dave's mom. She had a heart valve replacement surgery and hopefully Grandma will be coming home from the hospital on Saturday. We were barely there 5 minutes to visit when Kaia went down. She collapsed falling into Dave's arm. While we all thought she probably just passed out, her actions looked more like a seizure {which she had regularly when she was little} so the nurses decided that she HAD to go the ER at Kaiser. We don't have Kaiser. She ended up fine. Hello New Year. Hello deductible met first day of the year....I'm sure. AWESOME.

Well the next day, Blake felt so bad for his sister, he and daddy whipped up breakfast in bed for her as a surprise. So SWEET.

I've joined the movement on Instagram #JanPhotoADay where you take a picture a day based off of the prompt for the day. This day was 'Something You Adore'.

Really there were so many people and things I adored around me...

but I am really smitten with my mason jar soap dispenser with the star in the middle!

And Day 4's prompt was: Your Letterbox.

Those of us in the US wondered what a letterbox might be. We guessed mailbox and I've decided I like letterbox better. I mean getting 'letters' is way better than getting regular 'mail' which usually includes bills. So please, Mr. Postman, only put letters in my letterbox from now on!

Thanks!

Linking up with my friend, Jeannett for InstaFriday!

* * * * * *

We have made changes to our home this past month to make room for babies.

I've decided next week to share those projects....

'MAKING ROOM FOR BABIES: SMALL SPACES'

It will be a three part series....starting Tuesday.

Because these babies are not permanent in our home...

each change has been planned out carefully so when there isn't a baby in our home

it doesn't make our heart break every time we turn around.

* * * * * *

Happy Weekend.

This weekend our walls are being painted WHITE.

I'm so excited.

Christmas Re-Cap in One Picture!

2012-01-04T22:21:00.000-08:00

It was a simpler Christmas.

And, it was perfect!

The Bachelor: Recap Episode 1

2012-01-03T22:25:00.000-08:00

I'll admit, I'm not excited about Ben.

I didn't think he was that great.
He was nice and all...but not too cute.

At least in my book.

Wow.....where did those muscles come from.

And all the different outfits just in the first 5 minutes.

Let's see all the different looks of Ben.

Casual, dressy, shorts and flip flops, plaid shirt and boots.

Maybe he will grow on me.

Amber aka Cow Balls girl....you just earned that nickname. Really?

Didn't your mom teach you about first impressions?

Hmmm... Courtney, Santa Monica girl, model and not worried about the other girls.

She is going to score big points with the girls right off the bat.

We shall see.

Lyndsie aka International girl...you are CRAZY.
Loved Jenna's ombre hair color. Go Blogger girl!

Dave thinks these girls are a train wreck all ready.
Dave isn't a fan of his hair. Glad I'm not alone.

Just fast forwarded thru Ben's interview....let's get to the goods.
Erika not only was your joke lame...but your gun click click with your hand was awkward.

Rose, Baconator...what other cheesiness is in store for Ben.
Elyse is hot...I'm pretty sure Ben is NOT her type and that was a fake 'so glad it's you.'
Jenna....stick to blogging. You are funny though...'I should just die.'
Disease girl.....strange approach to the first kiss. Made me laugh.
Pageant Girl...stop talking.
Cow Balls...that was a cute walk around with a second change at love at first sight!
I like that Ben has totally relaxed.
And loved his brunette comment.
He might be my most favorite so far at the introductions just because he is relaxed.
Oh NO....grandma!
Brittany....that was cute and Ben loves Grandmas!!

I guess his last name is why he is so relaxed.
He is from Sonoma...just 20 minutes from us.
His mom has been my children's substitute teacher and her little jig is
"Don't Panic....it's Mrs. Flanick!"

International Girl...pointing out your cute dimple...but referring to it as
Your Butt Chin Dimple...not so good.

Bold Move Girl...who just walked right past Ben.
Shawn's slug on the arm...that came out of left field.

Ben is really loving the brunettes. His face lights us each time one gets out of the limo.
Oh Courtney...I thought other girls didn't bother you...then you come out with...
"screw the girl who rode in on a horse" I sense jealousy.

I forgot how much fun these re-caps were to write...
even if it means setting down Little Mister during our nightly cuddle time
with his floppy sleepy body usually on my shoulder...cheek close to my lips
to watch and type while I watch the Bachelor!
and just so you know...I just glanced back at little mister and he is adorable.
Way cuter than Ben.
Oh and I'm sitting here eating Lemon Cookie ice cream while I type.
It's the best treat.
Ok...back to the re-cap.

Rachel 'Rose' left her job...no pressure Ben. That was funny.
Nicki...you have no idea...you are a brunette..he liked you from the start.
Wow...Grandma is honest. 'Yes you have competition.' Ouch.
Ok Brittany...time to drop Grandma...you missing out on your one-on-one time.
Now Grandma is stealing one-on-one time with asking Ben to walk her to the car!
The producers are playing Grandma getting into the car like the first girl he says good-bye to.
Too funny.

Hey...where did Bold Move Girl to. So far...Ben has sought after her.
Disease Girl...you are officially crazy. You are NOT gansta.
Ben you are really NOT gansta...with your impression of Emily.
OK...Ben is a cute dork.
He is definitely growing on me.

Jenna...Blogger girl...it is DAY ONE. She is there to meet Ben.
Not stalk him!
Oh no wait....
Monica...are you here for Ben or for other girls.
I'm confused.
I'm surprised Blakely isn't freaking out right now.
I'm confused right now.
Monica just went from cool and collected to weird.
And then the roles reversed and Jenna turned crazy too.
Jenna's just had a little too much to drink.
Jenna FYI...you are a HOT MESS.

And a dirty blond gets the first impression rose...
and not for the horse.
I love that he explained that.

I can't look at International Girl now without seeing a Butt Face.
Not just the dimple. Bummer.

And the roses go to:
Brunettes: 8
Blondes: 8
Red: 1

I'm pretty sure I just saw Monica's rose down her cleavage in her dress.
Who's not classy?!

New Year::New Start

2012-01-02T21:35:00.000-08:00

We are in the middle of a huge re-organizing project of our office.

I found this quote and thought it was perfect for the New Year....

'You can't go back and make a brand new start...

but you can start now to make a brand new end!'

Ardeth Kapp

I'm working on my Word of the Year.

I've been asked to share it on a friend's blog next week.

I can't wait to share it with you too.

In the meantime, we are working hard to get our office nook put back together

so we can share the progress in pictures!

{We painted it Navy and I'm loving it.}

Dear December....again.

2011-12-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

{this was the extent of our holiday decor inside...except for the white tree with no ornaments!}

On December 1st I posted this letter to my blog.

Oh I had big plans for you.
Most of which were materialistic in nature.

Being ready on time, wrapping presents early, enjoying cookie exchanges and carolling.

Then December 2nd happened and we picked up 'little mister' from the hospital.

Then our world was turned upside down with 'little missy' a spirited and active one year old on December 6th. And gift wrapping, decorating and baking for cookie exchanges went out the window.

What did happen....

well the carolling {and it was epic this year....think carolling thru shopping centers to last minute shoppers....so fun} and the cookie exchange happened, but I didn't make cookies.

I bought super delicious large Fluffer Nutters from Bouchon Bakery.

I figured if I brought store bought...they better be the best.

But want to know what happened without anyone knowing....

a sweet friend had been preparing for me for the cookie exchange without me knowing.

After the exchange was complete, she later leaned over and whispered to me that she had an additional 3 dozen cookies of a different kind in her bag to bring out just in case I hadn't had time to bake so that I could participate in the cookie exchange. I wanted to cry. She had baked 6 dozen cookies {two different varieties} to cover for me. I was so touched and so gently reminded of the real purpose and happenings that should take place in December.

Today is December 29th and, December, you are almost gone.
You didn't go as I planned for you to go. You went much better.

Faster than I could have hoped for or imagined, but this month you changed us in a way we could have never expected. Our whole family has been touched by these two very special gifts.

These children that have entered into our home and created a beautiful chaos.

On December 10th, I wanted to whisper into Little Mister's and Little Missy's ears...

"I Love You"

I withheld, not knowing if I should feel such feelings,
express such thoughts, or admit that I had fallen in love completely with two children that weren't my own.
It was a 'rule' I had set for myself. To not say those words.

On December 11th I broke that rule and have been telling them 'I love you' everyday since.

2012 I'm sure has big plans for us.I'm not going to write the letter telling 2012 what we have in store for her.

Instead I think we will let it play out exactly how our Heavenly Father has it planned for us.

I do know it will include a few major surgeries. One for Blake and one for Little Missy...

and probably a heartbreaking 'good-bye' to two sweet children we have welcomed into our home and are loving on every minute we can while they are here with us.

The rest...we will just have to wait and see.

Happy New Year friends.

Thank you so much for all your love and support!

What We Wore on Christmas Day!

2011-12-28T09:16:00.000-08:00

It's Wednesday!

Although while on vacation it really doesn't matter what day it is.

They all feel the same....and we are loving the laziness.

Dave and kids got me a new dress for one of my Christmas presents

and I promptly put it on and wore it to church on Sunday.

It's a tad shorter than I usually wear,

but thankfully Kaia knew to pick up some dark thick tights to go with it.

I love that it has sleeves!

Navy Blue dotted dress + charcoal tights - GAP Outlet

Brown cap sleeve cami - ModBod

Boots - Steven Madden Nordstrom

Belt - Thrifted

All Kaia wanted for Christmas was a denim jacket and black skinny jeans.

My mom and I had to search high and low for it in her size and she was giddy when she opened it up on Christmas Eve at my parent's house.

She's dressing a little edgy lately and I'm loving that she is showing confidence in her own style.

Denim Jacket - American Eagle

Coral Dotted Blouse - Studio 12 Boutique {local}

Skirt - Stacy Lynn

Tights - Forever 21

Steve Madden Booties - {mine} Nordstrom

I do love that we wear the same size shoes now....but on Christmas Eve her 'calling' boots and cream tights for Christmas Day....not so much. I guess I have to 'call' what I'm wearing now the next day in order to have first right to MY items!!

Linking up with Lindsey from The Pleated Poppy for accountability to get out of jammies each day and for fashion inspiration!

12 Days of WINNERS!!

2011-12-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

Here we go with the 12 winners!

Cross your fingers and look to see if you won....

Day 1: Down East Basics #106

tharker said...love the long lines dress! (and pretty much any of their cardigans ;)

Day 2: Stacy Lynn Skirt #9

Sarah @ Yes Teacher said...Her skirts are so pretty! I would choose the small eggplant jersey skirt. Lovely! sarah at yesteachercrafts dot com

Day 3: FVL Mustard Keep Calm Necklace #58

Life In The Thrifty Lane said...I follow your blog

Day 4: Oh Sweet Whimsy Ruffled Roses Necklace #19

stacey {maughan} said...Good for Carla! Love it! I love those necklaces. If O was smaller and not growing out of his car seat so fast I'd be tempted to get a car seat set. So cute!

Day 5: Little Penelope Lane Headbands #26

Mandy said...all 3 are super cute! i'm most excited about the hair wrap for me!

Day 6: Blue Corduroy Teal Scarf #39

The Blakes said...um... I LOVE the Crochet Newsboy Hat!! so fun! thanks marthablake3@gmail.com

Day 7: Blue Corduroy {my choice for winner} #51

Paige said...I love the simple gray scarf ( though all are awesome) and the HATS...oh those awesome hats!!!

Day 8: Making Chicken Salad Spool Garland #17

Eisley Rae Clothing said...Might sound boring, but I love red & green.. with some silver and other bright colors mixed in.

Day 9: LillyPie Accessories $40 Credit #20

Amanda @ The Little Giggler said...I'm loving the ruffle flower ribbon necklaces!

Day 10: FVL Purse Holder #1

Steph @ Crafting in the Rain said...I'm not ready for Christmas--have no idea what we'll be eating Christmas eve and Christmas--then I have to go grocery shopping for it all!

Day 11: Snazzy Rings & Things Bracelet #18

Emily {bremily} said...I love the OOAK shabby chic necklace- beautiful

Day 12: FVL Grab Bag

Kelly {degarmo} said...I had to wake kiddies up! It happens every year! I am more excited than they are. Merry Christmas Kennedys!

Congrats to everyone that won.

I wish I could have hand picked each winner based off the incredibily kind comments you all left,

but instead I let Random.org do the picking to keep it fair!

If you see your name as a winner...

please email at davenapril@aol.com

with the following info:

Name, Address and the item you won.

Please put 12 Days in the re: line of the email.

This years 12 Days of Giveaways were so much fun.

Thank you to all the sweet ladies that donated such fabulous items.

And, thank you Down East Basics for starting it off with a bang.

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: Merry Christmas Day 12 on Day 13!

2011-12-25T14:31:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

We did it.

We pulled off Christmas with 4 kids.

Santa left a special present for each child and no one was disappointed.

I have one last present up for grabs for all you dears.

Day 12 Giveaway is one of my GRAB BAGS!

Sorry it's a day late.

It is full of goodies worth $75!!

This is just a sampling of what could be included!

Simply leave a comment to be entered to win telling me what time your children woke you up this morning

or what time you woke up to start Christmas festivites!!

Ours woke us up at 6:00 am but waited until 6:45 to wake us up.

So sweet of them!

{open to US and Canadian residents}

All giveaways will close tomorrow {Monday} evening and winners will be announced on Tuesday morning!

Good luck. There are so many amazing things to win.

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: Day 11 Snazzy Rings & Things!1

2011-12-24T01:59:00.000-08:00

Snazzy Rings & Things is giving away a darling bracelet for Day 11!

{I'm a day behind....I'm sorry}

The owner, Jean, is a sweet woman from my church.

She hesitated about doing my Holiday Market but in the end had a successful day.

She shouldn't have hesitated.

I was in love with her key necklaces and bracelets and so were a lot of other women.

This bracelet says 'love' and is just darling up close!

Hop on over to Snazzy Rings & Things and check out Jean's shop!

Come back here and leave a comment telling me what you love about her shop.

I personally love, not only her items, but how she photographs them.

Merry Christmas Eve.

I stayed up extra late last night wrapping, so I don't have to tonight.

I'll post Day 12 Giveaway late tomorrow afternoon!

It's one you don't want to miss.

The Innkeeper's Wife: Story of Christ's Birth

2011-12-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

This little story of the Birth of Jesus, told by the Innkeeper's Wife was recently read in one of our Sunday meetings. I knew I wanted to share it....as my Christmas testimony of the Savior's Birth.

* * * * *

For generations, my husband's family have been keepers of an inn here in Bethlehem. And now, together, we do the same. Ours is a small inn, humble and unpretentious; nevertheless, it is as clean as we can make it. It is not a large town, this Bethlehem of Judea, endeared to Jewish hearts as the birthplace of David and that of the prospective Messiah.

When came the time of the tax rolls, the proclamation of Caesar Augustus that there shall be a taxing, sleepy Bethlehem was not itself. It's quiet streets were choked with dust and filled with the voices of tired, hurrying people. Though our inn was filled to the rafters, I escaped for a moment to my yard. I stood, gazing down the street, studying the faces. I saw a donkey being led by a strong young man. He was obviously fatigued and yet, different somehow. There was pride in that face. And dignity. He was a poor man and yet, I have seen passing my door great men of the world, with much less nobility. And then I saw the face of the young woman riding the donkey, exhausted and great with child. If the man leading the animal had about him an air of royalty, this surely was a queen. Her face was drawn with fatigue and her simple robes. powdered with a light fine dust, and yet there was no trace of discontent, no shadow of complaint, no faint inclination to murmur. Slowly they came closer and stopped before me. Quietly the young man asked for lodging and my heart fell. The couple drew from me a desire to comfort and serve. I knew that within that hot, crowded, noisy and odorous inn there was no room, no single corner fit for the birth of a child--any child--especially this child. My mind raced. My own room? Impossible. It was crowded already with my own children and members of my family that had come to pay that same tax. The sheds behind the inn? No. But, there was a stable, the shelter we kept for our animals in the recesses of the hills behind the inn. There would be clean sweet straw, open areas to admit freshness and light, but most of all, peace and privacy. And so it was to a humble stable I led them-these two extraordinary young people. I then left them to rest and returned to my work at the inn.

Evening came, and following it, the night. That night. The night foretold for centuries, hoped for. Prayed for. For on that night made glorious by a burning and brilliant star was born in my stable-the son of God, the redeemer of all mankind, the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. I saw him, lying still and small, in a common manger. I stood by while humble shepherds bore witness that it was indeed the Messiah. I stood in the shadows and gazed at the radiance of his person, the indescribable look of joy, peace, and love that transfigured the face if his mother and that of Joseph. I was there. I saw him.

{source unknown....but thank you whoever you are!}

* * * * * * *

I have been so missing in action with regard to social media.
I told someone today that I got nothing done this morning except feedings, bath time, diaper changes, cuddles and more feedings. And, she said....you got the important things done!

Thanks for the reminder.

Here is an update on Little Missy:
She is curious and crawling all over the place.
She thinks the word 'no-no' is funny.
I say no no to the dog food...she laughs.
I pull her away from my office printer and she giggles.

She is 'sugar and spice' all wrapped up in one beautiful package!

She is starting to settle in but screams whenever someone comes over to our house.

I think she fears that she is going to be taken again and it breaks my heart.

Little Mister is all about sleeping, eating and pooping. All.Day.Long.

True to form for a 9 week old.

He is chunking up.

His cheeks are delicious and his favorite place to sleep is on mine or Dave's chest.

When we first got him, he hated bath time....now he loves it!

* * * * * *

We hope you have a wonderful Christmas. That you take time to ponder Jesus Christ's birth.

It is our hope that we can remember Christ's perfect example and try just a bit to emulate it.

To have his countenance in our image as we strive to be like Him.

Merry Merry Christmas!

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: Day 10 FVL Purse Holder!

2011-12-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

On the 10th Day of Christmas Giveaways....

up for grabs is one of my very own Purse Holders...
in one of my favorite prints!!

Super easy to win....

just leave a comment here telling me, please, that you aren't ready for Christmas!

We still don't have a tree up.

But that is definitely happening this afternoon.

If you would like an extra entry or two...

you can tweet and/or post to Facebook.

Just come back and leave a separate comment.

{open to US and Canadian residents. winner announced after Christmas}

Also, I do have a very special Christmas message I will be posting later this afternoon plus a little update and maybe a few pictures of our babies!

Please stop back by as I share my thoughts about the real reason for this special season.

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: Day 9 Lillypie Accessories {Featured Sponsor}

2011-12-21T17:18:00.000-08:00

Hello Funky Vintage Lovely Readers!!

My name is Laura and I'm so excited to be hanging out with you and April

during her 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways.

I love a great giveaway and have entered myself in all of her previous giveaways!

Fingers crossed!

Anyway, I make jewelry and accessories for all types of beautiful women.

I run my shop Lillypie Accessories during my "ME Time".

I love to create and dream and my business allows me to do just that.

I'm a wife, mother to a rambunctious and spirited toddler, and a full time 2nd grade teacher.

I also love to talk.

I love making connections with others and I LOVEEEEE meeting new people--so I also blog!

When creating a product, designing an accessory, or getting ready for the day

I always ask myself the same question--

Would I feel confident and pretty wearing this?

If the answer is yes, I'm on my way.

For the giveaway I'd love to give away $40 credit for my shop.

I'd LOVE for you to pick out something that would make you or someone you love feel pretty.

Thanks so much for reading! Best of luck!

I look forward to working with the winner on a fun pretty package.

You're Adorable!

Laura

* * * * * *

Laura is one of my Featured Sponsors and I was so excited to be able to highlight her shop and have her tell you more about who she is and what she does.

She is a busy momma.

She has a gorgeous blog.
A gorgeous logo and gorgeous accessories.

So....what would you spend your $40 on.
Visit her shop and start dreaming!

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: Day 8 Making Chicken Salad!

2011-12-20T14:58:00.000-08:00

Day 8 of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways comes to you via

Making Chicken Salad!

I met Katherine at a mutual friend's crafty night a few years ago.
I adored her style, topics of conversation and we easily clicked.

Although we are very different, we also have so much in common!

She is earthy and organic.

She is urban and hip and edgy.

She has true vintage style.
She also has an adorable little boy

and a boyfriend my husband really likes too.

We keep saying we need to meet up for burgers for a date night.

Ummm...that NEEDS to happen in 2012!

Making Chicken Salad was part of my Handmade Holiday Boutique.

In fact, she designed our postcard!

Katherine is giving away one of my favorite items of hers at the market....

a darling garland of spools!

Katherine's favorite Christmas colors are lime green and pink.

What are your favorite Christmas colors to decorate with?

Leave a comment here for your first entry.

Follow Katherine's blog Making Chicken Salad through bloglovin' for a second entry!

She really has the best DIY projects and has been featured by BIG bloggers.

Thank you, Katherine, for your friendship, support and your generous giveaway!

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: Day 6 + Day 7 Blue Corduroy!!

2011-12-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

Day 6 + Day 7 is from Blue Corduroy.
One of mine and Dave's favorite people!!

We met Emily at The Queen Bee Market.

She sells the cutest crocheted items, vintage home decor and other pretties.

Kaia and I own quite a few of her items and get compliments on them all the time.

For Day 6 Giveaway, Emily is generously offering one of her chunky aqua scarves and a flower pin in your choice of color!!

For Day 7....I'm offering {and purchasing for the winner} a second scarf and flower combo....my choice of color combinations. It will be a surprise!!

Hop on over to Blue Corduroy and come back here and tell me your favorite item in her shop.

For a second chance to win....

Like her Facebook Page.
I promise you really will LIKE her!

Leave a second comment here letting me know.

So hurry and enter!! Two winners for this giveaway.
And, make sure you check out the Giveaways listed over the weekend.
They are very cute too.

{open to US and Canadian residents}

Winners will be announced after Christmas.

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: Day Five Little Penelope Lane

2011-12-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

Day Five here! And, with me is another favorite shop and friend.

Little Penelope Lane.

I met Sarah at The Queen Bee Market.
She is sweet, pretty, creative and calms me when I chat with her.
We share something more than handmade in common too...

We both have precious children with Spina Bifida.

Sarah has generously offered up three of her pretties to one winner...

A baby headband (um if you don't have a baby girl...I do right now and can help you out with that cutie), two felt flower clips and a really cute hair wrap!!

To enter...leave a sweet comment here on which one you are most excited for.

For extra entries:

Like Little Penelope Lane's Facebook Page

Follow along on Sarah's Blog!

Please leave separate comments for each entry.

Good Luck!!

{open to US and Canadian residents}

Winner will be announced after Christmas.

Make sure to check back then to see if you won!

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway: Day Four 'Oh Sweet Whimsy'

2011-12-16T23:38:00.000-08:00

On Day Four, I'd like to introduce you to a brand new Etsy shop.

One that I hold dear to my heart.

The owner is a very good friend, Carla....my craft/builder partner in crime!

{next to my hubby of course!}

Meet....

Carla is meticulous in her creations paying special attention to detail.

She is also one hip momma to three and has an eye for color and pattern combinations!

Carla is giving away one of her Ruffled Roses Necklace in Gray!

To enter this giveaway visit Oh Sweet Whimsy then come back here and leave a comment letting us know your favorite item in her shop and wishing her good luck!

I personally love that she has camera straps for GUYS

and I also have my eye on one of her car seat sets!!

Giveaway open to US and Canadian residents.

Winner will be announced after Christmas.

Good luck, Carla....

good luck to you!

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: Day Three

2011-12-16T11:52:00.000-08:00

I plan on sprinkling in a few FVL items into the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways.

For Day Three....I'm excited to giveaway a winter mustard Keep Calm Necklace.

This is a phrase I have been repeating in my head a few times a day since adding two babies to our family!

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways: Day Two + What I Wore

2011-12-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

and What I Wore Wednesday!

It's a two-fer.

And as always, linking up with the adorable Lindsey for even more fashion inspiration!

Everyone knows I love a Stacy Lynn skirt.

I purchase mine at The Queen Bee Market.

I own three. Kaia owns four.

This knit one is one of my favorites and I got brave this week and paired stripes with a pattern!

Blouse: Brass Plum Nordstrom

Cardigan: Hollister

Grey/White Stripe Knit Skirt: Stacy Lynn

Belt + Boots: Old

For Day Two....Stacy is kindly giving away a skirt from her shop?

Here are two more of my favorites:

Her yellow full skirt....

and her Navy Jersey Skirt!

Which one would you pick?

Hop on over to her shop and tell me in the comment section.

Winner will be announced at the end of the 12 Days of Giveaways!

Good Luck.

And, thank you Stacy.

I ♥ you even more than your skirts!

{Open to US + Canadian Residents}

12 Days of Christmas Giveaways.....Day One!

2011-12-13T23:04:00.000-08:00

It's back. The 3rd Annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways!

12 Days of fabulous giveaways of items I adore.

Each day I will list a new giveaway with a few options for earning a few entries.

The day after Christmas I will announce the winners for each day!

{except for day one...I will announce that winner on Friday.}

Wait until you see what I have in store for you this year.
I'm excited!

Down East Basics!

Remember this skirt from last week?

Every once in awhile I find a piece of clothing that screams my name.

That is what this skirt did to me. The color. The lace. The slight A-Line gathered skirt.

Everything about it was perfect. And so are so many other items in their online store right now.

This skirt was a tad big on me, but I decided I liked it better cinched at the waist and belted with a ruffle on top!

Hop on over to Down East Basics and tell me your favorite items in the comment section
for your chance to win any one item in their shop!

{Open to US residents only.}

I can't wait to see what you pick.

For an extra entry 'like' Down East Basics on their Facebook Page

and leave a separate comment here.

Good luck.

I'll announce this winner on Friday.

But come back everyday for a new giveaway!!

Hello, Handmade Holiday Market!

2011-12-09T00:47:00.000-08:00

A few of my friends are getting together at my house for our very first

'Handmade Holiday Market'

tomorrow, Saturday December 10th!

We'd love to see our local friends and customers stop by to shop

or visit and eat some yummy treats.
Here are the details!

{thank you katherine for making this cute flyer!}

Update on babies:

Today I wanted to cry.
Today I did cry.
And today I loved on both of them like nobodys business.

And in the middle of the night when I got up with the littlest one there was a note from him thanking me for taking care of him! Have I mentioned how sweet and supportive my husband is?

Well he has been absolutely amazing on this journey. We are definitely in it together!

Happy Friday.

Hello Down East Basics!

2011-12-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

Hello, Down East Basics Skirt!

Thank you for the darling skirt.

Watch for the giveaway next week!

Skirt: Down East Basics - Giveaway next week!

Blouse - Anthropologie already in my closet

Tights - Forever 21 in my closet

Boots - Steven Madden from Nordstrom

Uncle Buck Necklace from my shop.

Ice-Skating for Family Night with my side of the family!

Jacket - RipCurl in San Clemente

Sweater - Boutique in Huntington Beach

Jeggings - Standard + Practice Nordstrom

Boots - Old Nine West Outlet

Cute Cute Hat - Blue Corduroy

So better late than never huh?! Linking up with Lindsey from Pleated Poppy for inspiration.
And boy am I needing it more than ever right now. Getting dressed with two babies in our home is a chore right now....oh but they are both so sweet.

Our sweet 1 year old foster girl is adjusting. First day was tough, today was better. Sweet baby boy is still a dream baby. Both are getting tons of kisses and loves.

Hello Urban Barn!

2011-12-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking I'll just continue this whole week with Hello's.

While we were down south at The Queen Bee Market last month
we took a little trip to Escondido for a private shopping appointment at

URBAN BARN.

A couple different vendors at the market told Dave and I that we HAD to go.

They were closed, but I called the owner and she was at the 'barn' and told us to come shop!

I tweeted at one point that I thought I was surely in Heaven,.

The antiques, the creativity, the silverware chandelier!

The tree farm, the vintage Santa and creative advent calendar with burlap bags.

Urban Barn and their vendors were all decked out for Christmas!

Vintage lace ruffles and crinoline. So pretty!

There was even a little vintage surf corner for Dave.
We took home a few of those surf trophies for Blake's new room makeover.
I had been searching everywhere for them.

This big boy was calling my name. Seriously we hemmed and hawed for awhile over this one.
Instead I decided to take a picture so it wouldn't just be added to the side of our house!
You are welcome, hunny.

We sat and chatted with one of the owners, Linda, and seriously I feel like I could call her a friend.

I look forward to going again the next time we are there and hanging out for awhile.

What a sweet sweet lady with an amazing eye.
I like her.

I love Urban Barn!

Hello Baby.

2011-12-05T00:28:00.000-08:00

The official call came in Thursday.

We gathered supplies.
Sweet friends gathered supplies.

We prepared our home...

for a baby.

Our first foster baby.

As we walked down the hospital corridor to meet and pick up the little fella

{all of 8 pounds something}
the nurse turned to us and asked,

'have you seen him yet?'

We all replied anxiously, 'no!'

To which she responded, with a smile so big,

'well he is sooooo cute!'

And he was. Is.

And so good. And content.

We fed him in the hospital, asked a ton of questions from the nurse,

learned all we needed to know about him,

and then did what any other normal family
with a newborn would do....

we went to IKEA!

I wish I could tell you more about him.
That I could show you all the sweet pictures I have captured of him...

like the one of his sweet head cradled in his arms laying on Blake's chest, but I can't.

Trust me when I say that he has stolen our hearts already.
We are loving on him.

And on Tuesday, we will add one more baby.

His sibling, actually the first call that came in for the placement.

A one year old. A girl that we could NOT say no to.
She needs us. She needs our 'special needs' knowledge
and I'm pretty sure her and Blake are going to have a special connection.
They were born with the same diagnosis.
And with that call it was instantly confirmed that this journey to foster care
had a bigger purpose than we were planning.

It was God's hand directing us on this journey.

On Tuesday, we will have two sweet children that will be in our home for awhile,

but, I'm sure, in our hearts forever!

* * * * * *

And we want to share a special opportunity with you.

Want to help us help our foster babies and other foster babies in our community?

Do you have a handmade shop that sells baby items
or want to purchase something from a handmade shop for a baby/toddler?

It is our wish to give our babies something special from our home.

Something we can send off with them to remember their time here with us.

And we would love to help promote handmade shops supporting foster care and foster children.

In exchange for a donated handmade item for a foster baby/child,

we will offer your handmade shop or the handmade shop that you purchase from
some real estate {a logo and link to shop} on our sidebar we are calling....

We think this little 'partnership' is a wonderful opportunity.

An opportunity to provide these sweet foster children with handmade items
made with love and also help promote the handmade community

doing something good for a child in need.

If interested, please email davenapril(at)aol(dot)com

and please put 'fostering love' in the subject matter line.

Now I'm off to go empty our hall closet.
Part of it will be turned into a diaper changing table/station.
We've got to get creative in our small space.

I'll take before and after pictures.

Hello Baby/Babies this week.

On My Mind....{Fostering Love}

2011-12-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

{sources: Tilly Whistle, Eco Street, Ribbons Undone, The Wishing Elephant}

itty bitty newborn items for a baby boy.....

and cute girlie items for a 1 year old girl.

There is a chance our house could get crazy busy here in the next few days!

Dear December!

2011-12-01T07:05:00.000-08:00

Dear December!

I have big plans for you.

{my booth from Queen Bee Market}

Starting off with talking my family into using this white tree for our Christmas tree this year.

It is already purchased and I think it would look so pretty in our home!

{I will make you a bigger tree skirt though...I promise.}

We always buy a silver tip tree but this year I'd like to save the $100 and put that towards gifts instead.

The kids are getting bigger and so are the items on their wish list.

I think I have them all on board for fake and white!

* * * * * *

I also am planning a small handmade market/open house in my home on Dec. 9th & 10th.

If you are local {Napa Valley area}....mark your calendars.

If you are local and have handmade items to sell....contact me!

More details to come soon.

* * * * * *

I'd love to have all my shopping done AND gifts wrapped earlier in your month than later.

No wrapping on Christmas Eve for me this year!

* * * * * *

I plan on listening to this CD all month.

Actually we started earlier last week.

Mindy's voice is so soothing and sweet.

Plus we saw her in concert and actually our whole family got to meet her!

She purchased a few of my chalkboard tabletop frames to use when selling her CDs at her concerts.

She is as sweet as her voice is!

* * * * * *

And one more thing, December....

please don't go by too fast.

I want to enjoy all of you.

The cookie exchanges, the carolling, the gift giving and service giving,

the kids' musical performances, the candy, the lights

and the thoughts of our Savior and his birth.

Welcome, December.

Do you have big plans for December too?

What I Wore....Kaia too!

2011-11-29T22:44:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday!
Time to take a look at a few outfits that I managed to put together this week.
Putting an effort into getting dressed, documenting it and then hoping to not stand in the closet in a few weeks and think....'I have nothing to wear!' That is why I do this each Wednesday if you were wondering.

Also linking up with Lindsay at The Pleated Poppy for more inspiration!

I got a new pair of boots and it is safe to say they will become 'everydayers'....love them.

Love the shorter version. Love them with all types of outfits.
Loved the salesgirl, Ashley, that made me feel like a million bucks

while trying on a bunch of outfits with the boots on!

Blue Slub Cotton Shirt - Nordstrom {old}

Standard & Practice Jeggings - Brass Plum Nordstrom

Steve Madden Boots - Nordstrom

Kaia and I scored at Queen Bee Market with a few Stacy Lynn Skirts!

Coral Dot Blouse + Tights - Forever 21

Navy Blue Jersey Skirt - Stacy Lynn (I wear a medium)

Brown Belt - Vintage

Brown Boots - Steven Madden Nordstrom

Uncle Buck Necklace - Funky Vintage Lovely

Kaia is a huge fan of her skirts too!

Gray V-Neck Sweater - Target

Red Eyelet Skirt - Stacy Lynn

Brown Belt + Brown Boots - Old

Another score at The Queen Bee Market but not a full outfit.....

...darling chevron scarf and flower by Blue Corduroy!

A favorite around my neck right now. Love the pop of colors.

This scarf is my favorite in her shop right now.

And just for fun....I had a tea party baby shower to attend on Saturday.

The hostesses asked each attendee to done white gloves and a hat.

This is the outfit I came up with for a winter tea party.

I borrowed the gloves from my neighbor and found that little hair clip hat at Target.

Dear Dave + April.....our D+A Home booth!

2011-11-29T00:41:00.000-08:00

Dear Dave,
I love how yours/our booth turned out at Queen Bee Market. I loved that after set up you said 'BAM...how's that for fast?' I also love that then you sat and looked at it and said....'What if no one buys anything? What if no one likes my/our stuff?' I know that feeling. That vulnerable feeling of putting yourself out there. Making something you love and hoping somebody else loves it just as much. Well....you were a hit. I heard so many people say that your booth was their favorite. Even Kaia said, while we were pricing items, 'Mommy, I think I like Daddy's booth better.' To which I replied....'me too!' You were a hit. Our items were a hit. Now get busy making more so I can put them online for the rest of the world to purchase! Love you so much. Love working side-by-side. We've come a long way this past year.

♥, me

This is Marcie from Redstar Ink. She worked with us to design the D+A Home Logo!

Dave had come up with the idea of the heart and initial carving, but we needed Marcie to give it the edge Dave was looking for. We absolutely love it!

Finished booth.

That lantern lamp was our first sale. Followed by the lights, step stools, furniture, ornaments, pallet wall art, locker bins...well you get the picture. And Dave was worried no one would buy anything!

Collage wall art that was a combined effort. This one is still available and will be in the shop as soon as I figure out how to calculate shipping on this bad boy!

All items in this photo SOLD!

We came home with a few step stools and a couple of chalkboards.

This wall art would be perfect in a playroom or child's room....and it SOLD!

This little girl's version SOLD too! Yippee.
I think we were most excited to debut this type of wall art that was a true collaboration of both of our passions....

wood and color/pattern/texture combinations.

This one would also be perfect for a playroom or boy's room. It is still available!!

And, this vintage Santa wall art is available also. We had two and came home with one.

I'm tempted to keep it. So cute and so vintage.

Dave made the sweetest wood ornaments and I added a sweet message on them.

Two shops in San Diego are wanting to purchase them to sell in their stores.

Holla! We made 3 dozen yesterday for retail.

Slate chalkboards!

Just picked up more material yesterday for these beauties.

And a shot of both of our booths. I loved how cohesive they were...yet two separate spaces!

We are thinking Funky Vintage Lovely will be more of our gift boutique.

And, D+A Home more of the home accessories!

See anything you like?

Good Cyber'HANDMADE'Monday Morning!

2011-11-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have so many exciting things to share this week and not enough days!

I have pics from QBM still and a video I'm trying to put together.

Blake's room re-do is about finished.
Just waiting for good lighting to get some good pictures.

I have a few funny stories I want to share so we can remember them forever.
One is about some infertility testing we did in the Air Force and the other is about the Birds & the Bees.

Both too funny. Both have been on my 'to blog' list.

Remind me if I forget!

Also, I found a new amazing store while in Southern California and I snapped lots of pictures to share.

But first...today is a huge day for internet sales!

Today is Cyber Monday! While you all have been so good to me over the weekend with Black Friday sales {thank you xoxo}, I have another special for you today!

I have 5 of these grab bags for a ridiculous price of only $40 available today.

The first five lucky people will get $75 worth of product for $40!

All pretty items. And, you can give me a favorite color and I will do my best to include that color.

Use discount code GRABBAG at checkout once you add it to your cart. The discount will be applied at that time.

And, if you missed my Black Friday specials....check out the shop for a CyberMonday special!

Also be sure to check out Yellow Me Daisy!

They updated their shop this weekend and it is full of so many goodies for children.

Boys especially. Which always seem hard to come by.

And remember you can use discount code: FunkyVintageLovely to receive 20% of your order!

And another thing....check out the sponsors on my sidebar...all have really cute items for sale and most are handmade. I personally love the knitted scarves and hats from Blue Corduroy and the skirts and jersey scarves from Stacy Lynn! Kaia and I are both big fans. ♥

And one last special.....I'm offering my standard ad size space {200 x 100} for $15 for the month of December!

Email me if you are interested. I'd love to have you.

davenapril(at)aol(dot)com

So there is my passionate plug for handmade! Making items give me butterflies and so does buying handmade items from other sweet woman who get butterflies making cute things!

Shop Small Biz Saturday!

2011-11-26T10:06:00.000-08:00

Support Handmade and Small Businesses Today.

BLACKFRIDAYBLOG still gets you 20% off today in my shop!

But I also wanted to tell you about two other small handmade businesses that I love!

Yellow Me Daisy

Mollie & Holly are dolls.
I got to spend a weekend with them at Queen Bee Market.

They have the cutest accessories for children!

You can find their shop HERE.

Or contact them if you are interested in something you see here that you would like to purchase!

I fell in love with the little boy ties, the felt tool boxes and dress-up capes!

Contact: info@yellowmedaisy.com

Mollie and Holly are also offering my readers a 20% discount.

Enter discount code: funkyvintagelovely

And one other handmade shop over there on my sidebar.....

{feature and giveaway coming soon!}

Horse Feather Gifts has an amazing sale going on right now.

I love these wide leather cuffs!

Now lets go do the right thing....

We supported big box shops yesterday (at least I did), now let's go support the hardworking small stores!

Black Friday Savings + New Products!!

2011-11-25T11:33:00.000-08:00

I braved the early Black Friday sales last night. Sat in a Target line for 1 1/2 hours freezing.

Sat with friends waiting for that magical midnight opening.

It was crazy but it was worth it though...I got everything I needed at great prices.

And speaking of great prices....

I have a special deal today for you my friends.
Plus...I've loaded lots of new items at great prices in the shop!

Here are few of my absolute favorites...

Keep Calm Necklaces in new winter colors.

Statement Rose Rings in wonderful winter colors too.

There is one mason jar soap pump left for now. Hoping to make more soon!

Check out the 'Gifts Ready for Giving' Section.

This coffee cozy comes with a $10 Starbucks gift card.

I've done all the work for you!

I've been wearing this Dapper Deer and his brother Uncle Buck around my neck daily!

And...there are a few table top chalkboards available in the shop too!

Enter discount code BLACKFRIDAYBLOGand receive 20% off most items PLUS receive a FREE Gift with Purchase

when using this discount code!

Start Shopping Now...click HERE.

woot woot.

good through saturday night.

So Thankful + Do Something Good Challenge

2011-11-24T12:11:00.000-08:00

{wreath from Fairly Fabulous}

I have a favorite song.

It's called Because I Have Been Given Much.
Here is a sweet 2:48 second video to remind us all today how much we have to be thankful for
and what we can do to show that thankfulness.

Listen to the words carefully.

They make me cry every.single.time.
Because I am so thankful.

For so many things.

and a little challenge for tomorrow...

The last challenge we did something good for a loved one.
Tomorrow....'Do Something Good' for a shopper.

You all know how crazy it can get tomorrow.

Do something nice.
Be courteous.
Help someone open a door, carry out a bag, get in line before you.
Or just smile at someone who could use it!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I am thankful for you.

P.S. There will be a pretty big discount code offered here at midnight tonight for some fun shopping tomorrow!

What I Wore.....

2011-11-22T21:10:00.000-08:00

Three outfits....three different hairstyles!

{striped sweater - little boutique in huntington beach; mossimo jeggings - target; boots - steven madden;

hair - curled and necklace from my shop - FVL}

First Night at Queen Bee Market
{Black blouse - Forever 21; Jeggings - Brass Plum Nordstrom; Boots - Old Nine West Outlet;

Hair - Straight; Deer Antler Silhouette Necklace - Coming to Shop on Friday and were a huge hit at the market!}

Saturday at Queen Bee Market - Marcie from Redstar Ink came to visit.
She created our D+A Home logo and this shows the booth pretty empty that afternoon!

{Blouse - Forever 21; Vigoss Jeans - Nordstrom; Boots - Steven Madden; Hair - Ponytail}

Linking up with Lindsey from The Pleated Poppy...she was at QBM too and I snapped a picture of her adorable outfit she wore on day one. Go check it out and all the other fabulous outfit inspirations!!

Hoping to have booth pictures and re-cap of Queen Bee up on the blog soon!

Little Snippets of Life....

2011-11-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Thursday, while we were driving away from our home heading down to Queen Bee Market, I read out loud an email to Dave that I had received from a sweet reader. The kids were already busy in the back seat picking out and setting in order the movies they would watch for the 9 hour drive. I started to read the email to Dave....

'Also, wanted to say that you and your family are in my prayers as Blake undergoes all of his testing and possible surgeries. In regards to your post the other day, if he does have surgery, would there be a way to send him a card? I'm sure a lot of other readers would also like to do the same thing.'

I had a hard time reading this aloud to Dave. My throat tightened and my eyes filled but as I finished the first sentence Blake piped up from the back seat. In the happiest, sweetest, bubbliest voice, he said "Tell her thank you for praying please!" And then he went on to finish his movie prioritizing. When I looked back, his eyes were sparkling, his countenance lighter. He was so happy. I didn't even know he was listening. It made my heart happy to see him so excited. Beaming to know that he had support.

And, he would love cards when surgery time comes. We will continue to keep you all posted!

Now, I'm off to unpack the trailer, do laundry, take inventory, edit pictures, edit video, and put my house back in order. Queen Bee Market was a huge success. We got home late last night. Pictures coming soon. D+A Home has very little product left. It was awesome! Happy Tuesday....it feels more like a Monday to me.

D+A Home Sneak Peek of Product!

2011-11-16T09:13:00.000-08:00

We are barely breathing here trying to get ready for the market this weekend.

We do this to ourselves every time.
Each time gets better...but there just isn't ENOUGH time.

So it becomes CRUNCH time.

It's going to be a long day.
But on Friday when we are all set up....

It will be so WORTH it!

Keeping It Real:: with a photo!

2011-11-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

No better way to 'keep it real' than with a photo!

We are knee deep in too many projects for Queen Bee Market.
The kitchen has been turned into a paint studio.

The dining room table...my work space.
The only recognizable part of our great room is our family room
and that is only staying somewhat clutter free to keep my sanity.

I've hired my personal chef and friend to cook again for us for the next three days!

I'm jumping up and down on the inside. Seriously.

Especially after she sent me our menu.
I'm drooling.

Now before you think...wow they must be rolling in the dough.
We aren't.

She's a pro and can cook for us for less than what we would spend eating out
or at a trip to the grocery store for groceries

that would end up going bad because we would eat out due to lack of time.

Here's what we got last time I hired her!

Happy Monday.

Mine is happy because dinner is being delivered tonight.

Little Snippets of Life + A Blake Update

2011-11-13T14:48:00.000-08:00

I don't want to forget last night.

Last night Blake crawled into bed early with me. We cuddled close, facing each other, talking about life. He then told me that he was OK with whatever surgeries he was going to need. He hadn't been talking about them at all, but now he was. He wanted to make sure that I wouldn't leave him while he was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. He wanted to know if he would get cards and visitors. I assured him he would get both and that I wouldn't leave him. I told him I would probably crawl into his hospital bed and lay with him just like we were and cuddle the night away with him. He threw one of his arms around my neck, squeezed me tight, told me he loved me and that is how we fell asleep.

* * * * * *

I am so thankful for a blog reader, Leigh, who also has a little boy with Spina Bifida. She emailed me after reading our post about Blake's upcoming possible surgeries. She wrote me this....

'I was talking to another mom whose son was a senior in high school now. He had the surgeries done when he was 5 or 6 and she said that it was the best decision that she has ever made for him. The hardest, but the best. She said that the recovery was TOUGH, and that she doubted her decision at the time, but after a week or so he was doing much better and she knew that it was the best thing for him. He is totally accident free and completely independent (has been for a long time) when it comes to all of his "potty" issues. He is a tennis and hockey rockstar and is going to college this fall.'

I shared this story with Blake a few days ago. I think this is why he is comfortable with the surgeries now. He knows other boys are like him and he isn't alone. I wish I was so comfortable. I've been following another family who's little boy just had the surgeries 5 or so days ago and I'm scared to death of the recovery. It is a TOUGH recovery. Not anything I would ever wish to experience for our family or for Blake...but we can do hard things and this is just another hard thing that we will do.

We did our journaling last weekend. Boy was that tough. Setting a clock for every 15 minutes about killed us. It felt like a buzzer was going off every time I turned around! Saturday was a bust but Sunday we stayed home and got a really good record. It wasn't the results we were hoping for, but we got a good record. We will start a medication for a few weeks and then do another Sunday of journaling every 15 minutes. Then a 5 day clean out and another Sunday of 15 minute checking and journaling and then hopefully we will know if Blake needs all three surgeries...the ACE, the bladder augmentation and the bladder neck reconstruction with diversion.

We appreciate all of your prayers during these tougher times. We also recognize how fortunate we are with Blake's abilities. All the things he CAN do....even process what more abilities these surgeries will provide him. I'm so grateful for Leigh's email and that Blake could relate to another boy....who is just like him!

It's Business as Usual....

2011-11-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

It's business as usual for us in November.
Busy working on handmade items for the shop and for The Queen Bee Market.

A couple of weeks ago I posted that Grab Bags were available in the shop!

Lots of people jumped on them but some people were nervous.
They weren't sure what colors would be in there.
What product would be included.
I promised it would be cute.

I promised it would be a variety.
I promised there would be 6 items {gifts} in the bag.

Thought I'd share sample pic of one of the GRAB BAGs for anyone still sitting on the fence.

Each one will be different. But seriously that is $75 worth of CUTE product for $50.

There are a few more left. Hurry.

* * * * * * *

We will be leaving in a week for The Queen Bee Market!

We have been busy bees and will continue working through the weekend.

I have promised Dave to not have any last minute things to do.
Our goal this time is to be packed up on Tuesday. A full few days before we leave.
Hopefully with no arguing! Although, Dave has a wicked sinus cold/infection and is miserable
as he is working and painting right now.

If you live in the San Diego are....we would love to see you that weekend!

It is a handmade market not to be missed.

We will have new product, a new booth... D+A Home,
and I will have a few surprises in my FVL booth too.

Here are all the deets.

* * * * * * *

And just for fun I thought I'd tell you what I'm doing today.
I'm heading to my Chicks In Aprons meeting.

We are having a Thanksgiving Feast
where we all bring a favorite/traditional Thanksgiving dish.

I really want to go, but am short on time so.....
I'm bringing canned Cranberry Sauce!

It's my favorite part of the meal and I only eat it twice a year.

That's the way I roll sometimes.
I'm sure it will get a few good laughs and make us all remember this classic STORY!

What I'm Wearing Today....

2011-11-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

This is what I'm wearing today

because I deleted all my pictures from this past week without downloading them first.

Duh.

And this picture isn't even that great.
My shirt is caught up on my belly.

Lighting is bad.

But since we are so close to the Breaking Dawn movie coming out

I figured I'd post this pic and let you see how sparkly I can be!

Eat your heart out Edward.
Jacob is looking good these days!

Black/Grey striped Flutter Shirt - oops...Billabong from Ripcurl store

Jeggings - Nordstrom

Brown Belt - Old belt I wear every.single.day

Boots - Old Nine West Outlet

The only way I can keep the low rise jeans up is with a belt. I seriously wear this belt every time I wear a pair of jeans. Which is pretty much daily for me!

Also one of my biggest pet peeves with jeans tucked into boots is super baggy or loose knees.

My secret trick is to peg bottom of jeans {like we did in the 80s} and then tuck them into socks.

Oh it is super sexy when undressing.
My thoughts...do not wear to airport or doctor's office.

You will get caught looking funny with no shoes on!

Linking up with Lindsey for fashion inspiration and accountability!
Oh and I almost forgot to ask...
Are you an Edward or Jacob fan?

Dear Dave + April - Announcement....Fostering Love!

2011-11-08T07:19:00.000-08:00

Dear Dave,
We did it! We finished all our classes. We graduated last night. We have learned a lot. We get to embark on our journey now....Fostering Love! Wouldn't it be fun if it was an announcement that we were going to put on Marriage Strengthening Weekends? That would be fun...huh? But it is not. I just thought of that. The title could work. But that isn't what we have been working on. Actually what we have been working on excites me and scares me a bit. This new journey could cause a bit of stress in our marriage at times. But I also think that it will bring us all a little closer more than the stress. And my one regret in life....the regret I know that we will always have...not having more children...will be fulfilled in a very different way! And I believe we will feel very full...of love and contentment. So...why don't you go ahead and share the news.....because I can't talk about it without getting teary-eyed.

Love, Me

Dear April,
No. I don't want to do a marriage weekend. I like going to them but I don't want to have to talk at one but a weekend away sounds nice at the beach with my surfboard oops wife. I have liked our classes and am going to miss them. I am going to miss the things we were being taught each week. I felt that they made us better parents especially the discipline vs. punishment class and made us closer in our marriage. We have changed the way we parent in small ways to better disciple our children instead of punish with emotions and it has brought more love into our house. I also like that we learned not to be judgemental of others but to be supportive regardless of peoples situations. I get teary too when I think of it. So why don't you tell them and I don't think it will cause stress because we are good with babies.

Love, D

We are becoming foster parents {well a foster family} for infants. Our plan is to start as foster parents for infants who are in need of temporary placement while waiting for placement with a relative. With Blake's upcoming surgeries we are not sure that a permanent placement of an infant would be best for any of us this next year. But a temporary placement...a baby in our home for a few weeks....sounds wonderful. And trust me, we have been warned and taught of the trials of fostering children and we still want to sign up. We both sat in our classes with six other amazing couples blinking really fast sometimes to keep the tears away. It just feels like the right thing to do. We have been taking classes for the past two and half months, we have been trained and certified in CPR and First-Aid. We have our finger printing scheduled and are awaiting a home inspection and then we will be fully licensed and could have an infant (under 2) in our home at anytime. We will also be a respite care foster family for other foster parents who take infants...meaning that we will take an infant for a weekend or vacation when the permanent foster family needs a break or are going away.

Our hearts are full of love...and yes, we might get attached. In fact, we are planning on getting attached. But we also have been taught that we are just caretakers....a safe, loving environment for these babies and little children until they can hopefully be reunited with their own family. That is the goal in foster care and we are on board. Whole hearts. Whole family. Our children are crazy with excitement. Ready for sacrifices. Ready to love on and help a baby feel loved during an unsettling time. Just thinking about it really makes me teary-eyed. I feel this is the right journey for our family right now. It has been on my heart for a few years now and I couldn't ignore it any longer.

We will keep you all posted. We have some fun things planned in the future with Fostering Love...including a little sponsoring opportunity to donate a handmade item to a foster baby...hopefully the foster babies placed in our home or our new foster friends' homes! Only a few more weeks until we are fully licensed. Yippee!!

And, you are right Dave...we are good with babies. I'm just not sure about the sleep deprivation thing again!!

I've Got This Little Hammer....

2011-11-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

The organizing and remodeling bug has hit me. Again.
We really need to get the most bang for our buck out of our 1300 square foot home.
We built it ourselves and still love it, so moving isn't an option.

But rearranging to make better use of our space is!

Kaia had a custom closet package built by Dave and our friend Joe when we first moved in.
She was 3 years old. I designed it and it worked for a long time.
But lately Kaia's clothes were getting too big for the little cubbies.
I had an idea to get a new closet organizer from The Container Store
and not bother Dave at all with the work.
My friend Carla and I could tackle it...I was sure of it!

We started on the left side. The easy side. Not much demo.
Carla brought over her power tools and demo tools.
I used her power drill to screw in all the tracks and I was hooked.
I NEEDED my own set of tools!

Carla tackled the demo on the right side while I fed her kiddos some lunch
and we finished installing the closet organizer in just under 3 hours!

This boost of confidence gave me the bug to do more on my own and when Dave saw what Carla and I accomplished....he went out and bought me my very own cordless drill set, bits and electric staple gun!

Next up in Kaia's room was hanging curtains on her window.

I knew I could tackle that project on my own.

I armed myself with the necessary tools: a ladder, my cordless drill, a tape measure, the screws and my handy dandy little grandma hammer that Dave bought me years ago.

This was going to be my first project with a power tool completely on my own.

I climbed up the ladder. Dropped the screws 8 times. Swore 2 times.
Climbed down the ladder 8 times to pick up the screws.
Forgot to use the drill bits to pre-drill my sheet rock anchor holes

which had me swearing one more time and was the reason why I was dropping so many screws.

I finally finished though and was so proud of myself!

When I was finished, I posted this tweet on twitter....

"I just used my cordless drill for the first time and used my cleavage to hold my hammer! "

Oh I was a site to be seen up there on the ladder with my hammer sticking out of my boobs.

Hunny, I need a tool belt next!

This + That Friday!

2011-11-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

I tweeted last week that my coral nail polish was in need of change. Particularly to comply with the season! I went for THIS color. OPI Glitzerland. It is perfect for fall. Not too dark. I'll save dark for winter.

I finally got all the piles in my house cleaned up...for the most part from our office demo construction that has been taking place. THIS helps me feel more organized and in control....as long as I don't step into my garage...where I threw all the piles.

THIS weekend Dave + I will be tackling Queen Bee Market projects. The Queen Bee Market is coming up quickly...November 18 & 19th in Del Mar, CA. All the details are here. We are so excited about the Mindy Gledhill concert on Friday night. We've bought our ticket....have you?!

Have we told you THAT we are working on a second booth for the Queen Bee Market? D+A Home will be making it's debut at the market. THAT means we need another booth design. Awwk. We are thinking the simpler the better...but that is hard for us to do. We dream BIG. D+A Home will have recycled and 'made with love' home decor for sale. I'll be moving my lighting and large chalkboards over to that booth. We will also be selling refinished furniture pieces as well as new little furniture pieces that Dave will be creating. And some fun new wall art.

Dave + I were chatting on our way home from the post office last evening. We consider those trips mini dates. We escape without kids, because they hate the post office. We chat the whole time. We started chatting about a certain topic....our dating days and early marriage years and decided THAT we are going to try to do a VLOG for our next Dear Dave + April Tuesday post. Would you like that?

I have been working on a fun new project! THIS is a little picture of an almost finished decorating job that I had for a dear friend....Sarah Lane Studios. It was so fun picking out paint colors, fabric, making drapes and arranging furniture. It was so easy since I was working with a very stylish friend!!

THIS weekend we start a journal for Blake about his toileting needs. It's going to be a lot of work. Checking on him every 15 minutes and recording what we find. But it is necessary and Blake is on board to try to avoid a surgery that none of us hope will be needed. I didn't blog much about our Shriner's Spina Bifida clinic appointment just tweeted that I cried through the appt. Honestly, I couldn't talk about it for two days without crying...so instead I spent time processing the information we received and then called family to share when I felt comfortable talking about it. It still is scary for me but essentially what is probably going to need to happen is three surgeries. I'll explain as briefly as I can....

We went to get our results from the MRI. They look to be fine. It is tricky to determine if a spinal cord is tethered on children with Spina Bifida, but it was determined that while his cord does look tethered on the MRI, based on his lack of symptoms, he probably does not have a significant tether at this time. Phew. I was so relieved.

Then the urologist came in. I had forgotten that we were also getting results from his urodynamic test. That testing tells us how his bladder and bladder neck are functioning. It wasn't good news. I thought we were meeting with the urologist to move forward with one surgery....the ACE Malone, where the doctor re-routes Blake's appendix to an opening in his belly button and connects it to a part of his large intestines. It allows us to do a clean out every morning using a hanging IV bag connected to the opening in his belly button and cleaning him out bowel wise while he sits on the toilet. Usually about a 45 minute procedure everyday. That took some time for me to decide YES this is necessary. I mean who has an extra 45 minutes in the morning on a school day. But we were ready. What I wasn't ready for was the other two surgeries the doctor started to explain were needed.

The first was a bladder augmentation. Essentially the doctor uses other internal parts to form a larger bladder. This is major surgery with a 10-14 day hospital stay. The doctor would do the ACE Malone at the same time while everything is opened up. The second surgery had me crying. Blake leaks most of the day. His bladder neck fails with any pressure from the bladder and urine. Bladder neck reconstruction with diversion is the surgery that would help stop the bladder neck from failing and stop his leaking. It would also not allow us to catheterize Blake through his penis anymore. Forever. His urine output would be diverted to an opening in his lower left region of his body and we would cath through a hole there. Why did I start to cry? Blake is already different from other boys. This surgery would make him even more different. I don't want him to have to be anymore different than he already is...for his own sake. He absolutely doesn't want to change how he caths. It's not fair to him. He has adjusted to being different but at least still using the proper body part to pee from.

I asked the doctor a lot of questions. He completely agreed to my ideas for keeping a journal to really see how much he is leaking and at what point his bladder capacity is at. Which means we will be measuring a lot again. Did I ever tell you that my sweet friend got me a new measuring cup for my birthday after reading my first post about measuring Blake's urine with my kitchen meauring cup? It was funny, but meant so much to me. The doctor does not like doing the bladder neck reconstructions with diversions if he doesn't have to. He said that once Blake has all three of these surgeries he will be a mess in there and no doctor will ever want to go in there again. Boy that brings comfort. At the same time, we are working with the BEST pediatric urologist in the United States. For reals. I'm not just saying that. How lucky are we? LUCKY!

So while this weekend might be a busy one for us...there is one thing THAT really excites me about this weekend. Fall BACK. We get an extra hour of sleep. WOOT! WOOT! Seriously, one of my most favorite days of the whole year. I bet you can guess my least favorite day of the year?!

Something Pretty :: Spools of Ribbon

2011-11-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

I sat down yesterday evening with a stack of catalogs.

It had been a long time since I took some 'me' time.
The Sundance catalog was by far my favorite!

I marked this set of ribbons to purchase.

Not only is the ribbon pretty but so are the spools.

Packaging to me is as important as the gift inside!

What I Wore...82 degree weather.

2011-11-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall.

Go away 82 degree weather.

So I look pretty colorful.

I figured it would be the last opportunity to wear those colors.

And there is both green & coral stitching in that skirt....you just can't see it.

All items have been worn before.

Coral Cardigan - Hollister

Yellow Skirt - Stacy Lynn from Queen Bee Market

Brown Boots - Steven Madden Nordstrom

Necklace - Allora Handmade

New darker blond hair: Devyn!

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy and Real Momma, Real Style for wardrobe accountability and inspiration!

And P.S....for those of you that missed Dear Dave + April this week. Dave brought me home flowers and said to consider that my love letter this week. I approved! AND...thank you for all your kind words yesterday. Blake and I spent some time on the couch cuddling and he even apologized for 'not being able to pull it together'. It melted my heart even more.

One Hour Stand-Off.

2011-11-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

I just had a one hour stand-off with this cute boy while trying to drop him off at school. Yes, he's cute. Yes, he just got glasses for reading, classwork, TV and anywhere else he decides it makes his vision better. Yes, he melts my heart and actually we haven't had a morning like this is a long time.

I pulled up to school. We were running a bit late. I could feel from his temperament and knowing yesterday was a full day sensory wise for him, that our morning could not be rushed. He hesitantly jumped out of the car and when I started to pull away he ran back to my car and jumped back in before I had time to lock the doors! OK...I was kidding. I would never lock the doors...not when he is barely pulling it together. But we do lock Dave out of the car often, like at stores, and we howl inside the car with laughter thinking it is so funny, while he smirks and says 'Not funny.'

Blake this morning was barely keeping it together. I could tell that he wanted to go to school, but it was just one of those days that crying was easier than pulling it together. Heck, I feel that way sometimes. We chatted about choices and consequences. We chatted about CAN versus CAN'T. After 30 minutes of sitting in the car, he decided to go to class if I would walk him. I told him I wasn't playing any games. I know what he is capable of. Stalling. Having me walk him to class only to fall apart once we get to the door. We got to his classroom and the game playing started. Except, I wasn't in the mood to be played with. So I walked away. He followed and begged to go just sit in the office until he could pull himself together. I was at my breaking point. We walked into the office and I asked if Blake could sit here until he was ready to go into his classroom. He still had big red puffy eyes that had an occasional tear spilling over and was needing to blow his nose.

Our sweet secretary then said, "April, did you get my message? Terry, Blake's aid, is not here today." And then I burst into tears too. So there we were...both of us crying in the school office. I knew that one comment would set us back to uncontrollable crying on a day like today and actually blurted out...'I'll just take him home.' I didn't think he would be able to recover from that one.

But we did and in the end it was decided that I would come back to school twice today and do Blake's toilet needs. I still left him in the office trying to pull himself together to go to class. I'm not sure who won the 'game' today. I'm not sure it matters. It breaks my heart to see him trying so hard to do the right thing, when emotionally he is just spent.

While typing this post I just got a call from the school secretary. Blake is still sitting in the office an hour later. I'll be leaving now to pick him up. He won I guess.

But really does he win or does Spina Bifida win? Maybe when he gets home we will both just sit on the couch and have a good cry.

My Roaming Gnome!

2011-10-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

My Travelocity Roaming Gnome!

Our handmade costume...not because I am creative but because we waited until the last minute!

On Saturday we grabbed all of our supplies:

Blue Felt

Stiff Red Fabric

Batting

and Poster Board.

We cut a wrap around vest (new sewing involved...just strategic cutting) out of the blue felt and put it over a long sleeved blue shirt. Borrowed one of Kaia's belts and wrapped it around Blake's waist. Dave made a cone shaped hat out of the poster board and then last night we took spray adhesive and attached the fabric and batting to the hat to make the gnome beard and eyebrows. Blake is so proud.

But he is even prouder of what he and daddy created last night....

Isn't he cute with his puffy warty nose and face?

This is my first year without a picture of both my kids together. Kaia isn't dressing up for school...but hopefully tonight I can grab one of them together. She is being a school-girl wizard...Luna..something or other from Harry Potter.

Happy Halloween!

{Linking up to Skip to My Lou Made By You Monday...cuz I made that costume!}

Calling all Sponsors!

2011-10-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have exciting news!
My blog re-design made a space over there on the right hand-side of my blog for some sponsor love.

I'm really excited...did I mention that already?

All the info is on the sponsor page under the tab up there on the right.
Ads will start Nov. 1st and will run monthly.

First off I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate my blog friends and readers.

YOU! You are all so supportive and good to me.

I promise to bring you quality blogs and products over there to make it worth the click.

Second, to potential sponsors, did I tell you how wonderful and supportive my blog readers are?!
Well they are and I know they are going to love you.

With that said, I'd love to hear from you if you are interested in posting an ad on my sidebar.
There are two 'feature' spots that are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
They include a feature post and giveaway!

The rest of the spots will be included in a monthly feature 'sponsor love' post where I will highlight a favorite item or thing about your blog! If you have a shop, you will be able to provide a discount code for FVL readers if you would like.

I'm looking forward to this new journey and feeling a little bit more official in my job title as 'blogger!'

Oh and so important to know....
With part of my advertising money received,
I will be putting it back into my own advertising budget
so FVL will continue to grow and gain new friends!

Happy Friday lovelies.

Blog Sale!

2011-10-27T14:41:00.000-07:00

Here's a little peak of what is up for grabs over at my Blog Sale Blog!

ummm..ya...kind of cute stuff...huh?

After I list the items I always wonder why I haven't worn them in awhile!

Oh well...no looking back now. It's all up for grabs HERE.

Go start bidding now!

One of those purses has a starting bid of $1.

And the Heavens Parted....{for a Blog Sale}

2011-10-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

The Heavens parted and the angels sang...

Blog Sale starting at 1:00 pm {pacific time}
over on my Blog Sale Blog!

{there's a link up there on my navigation bar too}

My closet is spilling over onto my bed.
Pictures are being taken and items ready to list!

I'll make an announcement on Twitter when it starts.
I'll be adding items all thru the weekend.
They will include Kaia's closet and Blake's closet.

AND...yes, I will keep a box opened for you to keep adding to so that you can save on shipping costs!

What I Wore....

2011-10-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

Friday Night Football Game

Black + Cream Print Swing Tank - Huntington Beach Boutique

Gray + Coral Cardigan - New Forever 21

Jeggings - Nordstrom

Boots - Nordstrom Steven Madden

Vintage Stop Sign found at antique flea market

Junking + Ikea on Saturday

Navy + Gray Striped Shirt - Anthropologie {it has become holey....boo}

Cream Cardigan - Target last year

Skinny Jeans - Vigoss Nordstrom Brass Plum Section

Red Toms

Sunglasses - Surf Shop in Encinitas for Mother's Day

Kaia jumped in with me on Sunday after church!

Turquoise/Ivory Crocheted Top - Nordstrom BP

Ikat Print Skirt - Forever 21

Belt - Vintage Thrifted

Mustard Flats - Old Target

Feather Earrings - Forever 21

All old pieces from last year but first time wearing this season!

Gray + Ivory Ruffled Striped Tank - Anthro

Gray Juicy Couture Cardigan - Marshalls

Mustard + Ivory Belted Skirt - Antro

Gray Ruffled Heels - Target

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy and Real Momma, Real Style for accountability and fashion inspiration!

OH...I almost forgot.

Come back tomorrow for the start of my clothing blog sale!

Dear Dave + April.....A Tuesday Series.

2011-10-25T04:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Dave,

I love that we have been working for the past two weeks on disciplining our children together.....not punishing our children. I loved that we learned together the difference between discipline and punishment in our special classes. I think it hit the nail on the head and it is what causes heated arguments. Punishment. When we discipline we offer natural consequences to actions, when we punish we are really exerting our anger and using our emotion to try to punish the child. Discipline is done with little or no emotion. The consequence is simple. It fits the crime. Child tears room apart while mad, child cleans room and then helps clean another room in the house. Child tears room apart and punishment ensues when parent walks in screaming and yelling and telling the child they will not leave the room now as parent continues to yell and plops child on the floor to start cleaning room. The words are harsher with punishment than discipline. Punishment makes me cringe. Not only when I hear you exert your emotion, but also after I have exerted my emotion too.

I love that we have a little hand motion that we make to remind each other to go into 'zero emotion' mode when disciplining. I love the spirit that it has brought into our home with less yelling and losing our tempers with our children because of their actions. I love that there is little to no argument on our end with our children. We tell them once, give a second warning and that's it. No bargaining, no ultimatum, just discipline put into action if child does not listen. What a concept. Why did it take us so long to figure this out. I just love that we are on the same page and moving in a good direction and partnering in parenting and discipline. It makes such a big difference.

Love, April

P.S. I also love that we decide what the discipline will be together, not just a random discipline that might not fit into our schedule and cause more angst between me and you!

* * * * * * *

Dear Ape,

Ditto. Amazing concept huh? I love our classes that we are taking and will miss them when they are done. But looking forward to the journey we will start.

Love, Dave

Dave and I have been taking some serious classes that will start our family on a special journey. More about it next week!

Do Something Good....{a new series + a challenge}

2011-10-24T03:00:00.000-07:00

A new random series....about random acts of kindness!

This week 'do something good'.....

for your significant other or loved one.

Lately I have found myself feeling so happy as I perform random acts of kindness to others.

It helps me be present in my daily life.

I have found myself helping an older lady carry a heavy box.

Making up the difference for the girl in front of me in line that was short money for a gift she had picked out for her mother.

Smiling at someone who looked like they've had better days.

My heart swells when I perform a random acts of kindness.

And one act of kindness leads to another and before you know it your day is full of cheeriness.

Thinking of others instead of yourself.

So this week, I challenge us to first start at home.

Do something GOOD for your spouse, partner, boyfriend/girlfriend or closest loved one

that is unexpected, that will lighten their load, based on unconditional terms, and without fanfare.

Come back here and leave a comment on what you did and how you felt!

And feel free to share this challenge and invite others to join.

It will be good for all our souls.

Can't wait to read the comments this week!

Happy Monday!

{This sale is has been extended thru today in case you missed it this weekend.}

{Linking up with Life Made Lovely Monday too!}

Shop Sale | Happy Friday!

2011-10-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about my blog/shop re-design!
Have you seen my new landing page?
Here's a peek!

I'm kind of in love with those stripes!
The Life Made Lovely Design Team was absolutely joyful to work with.
I can't even say enough kind things about them...
except that I am thrilled and over the moon.
I think that says enough!

We re-designed my shop logo a bit too.
Freshened it up a bit.

And speaking of freshening it up....
I spent all last evening taking inventory.
Everything you see on the shop page is AVAILABLE!
{at least as of last night!}Lots of items are marked 'On Sale' with a lower price.
And, I have a few specials going on today thru Sunday.

Wanna hear the specials?!

First off...there are GRAB BAGS up for grab!

That's right $75 worth of FVL goodies hand-picked by me for only $50!
Start your holiday shopping early or keep the whole bag for yourself. I won't tell.

There is only a limited quantity available so grab yours now.
Check it out here.

And, another special:

Buy two pair of earrings + get a third pair free

{hand-picked by me as a surprise in your package}

Happy Shopping + Happy Friday!

Thanks for all your love and support.

From the Heart....

2011-10-20T08:15:00.000-07:00

There are two songs on the radio right now that touch me deeply.
For different reasons.

Adele's "Someone Like You"

When I sing Adele's song in my car, my heart races.
I realize how lucky I am.I'm with the man I dreamed of.
I'm with the "Someone Like You"
not dreaming of someone elses man.
Not left with heartache
but filled with my man's love that I cherish.

* * * * *

The other song is "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry.

This one I have a hard time singing but love.
My throat tightens and I think of my brother.

A life cut too short. The sharp knife of that pain for us.
But there is one line in this song that I wait for.
That brings me comfort and makes me smile...

"And, I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom."

I know Jason is wearing white.
He was ready and I'm sure is working hard up there for the Lord.
I have no doubt!

What I Wore....

2011-10-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Two outfits this week.
I stayed in jammies for four days in bed and on the couch.
It wasn't pretty. I'll spare you with no pics!

This is one of those outfits that feels so cute. Is so comfy. But so hard to photograph.

Black Satin Top - Forever 21
Jeggings - Stardards & Practices from Nordstrom

Silver Ballet Flats - J. Crew

{I have purchased two pair of ballet flats from J. Crew. They were expensive but worth every penny. Both pair are going on 5 years now and still look fabulous and never gave me a blister. The other pair are my furry leopard print ones. Time to break those out again this fall.}

pictures taken late last night before undressing and crawling into that cozy bed!

Striped Jersey Shirt - Anthropologie on Sale
Jeans - Vigoss from Nordstrom

Shoes - American Eagle

I'm planning on updating my shop this week and cleaning out my closets next week.

You know what that means.
A much needed and long awaited BLOG SALE of my clothes, Kaia's clothes and Blake's clothes.
I know I've said that before...but this time I mean it.
Regardless of how much stinkin' work it is.
You girls always make it worth it
plus it is so fun shipping off my clothes to blog friends.

Watch for details next week.
In the meantime, go check out Lindsey's blog for more outfit inspiration and accountability!

Set Thine House in Order.

2011-10-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

'Set Thine House in Order' is a scripture verse that I read this morning and it resonated deep within my soul.

I opened my scriptures somewhere randomly this morning and started reading and a prayer was answered. (starting my morning with prayer and scripture is part of my under construction post from last monday!)

A house of order means different things to me.

First I think of physcial order. And remember, my house is not physically in order.

Every room is unfinished in some way.

(Although we made great progress on our office nook this past week as noted in the progress picture above!)

When my house is out of physical order I feel out of order.
Maybe that is why I was so sick last week!

I'm working this week on getting the rooms that can be organized....organized.
And, I'm feeling better about it already.

After reading my scriptures, I wanted more on this topic.
I turned to the internet.

There was still a second part of 'House of Order' that was weighing on my heart.

It was the spiritual aspect of house of order.
I know I am not doing all I can do to 'organize' my children.
To care for them. To raise them.

Then I found this excerpt from a talk by Russell M. Nelson.
It was exactly what I needed to read.

"To set our house in an order pleasing to the Lord, we need to do it His way. We are to employ His attributes of “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, [and] meekness......Parents are to be living examples of “kindness, and pure knowledge, which … greatly enlarge the soul.” Each mother and father should lay aside selfish interests and avoid any thought of hypocrisy, physical force, or evil speaking. Parents soon learn that each child has an inborn yearning to be free. Each individual wants to make his or her own way. No one wants to be restrained, even by a well-intentioned parent. But all of us can cling to the Lord." Russell M. Nelson

I wish I could have a do-over some days in the parenting department.

This quote gives me guidelines that I want to live by.

I want to discipline with love.

I want to lead my children to the Lord, not restrain them by my words or actions.

I fall short so many days, but this gives me hope

and makes me want to put my house in order in every aspect.

Thank you to this sweet girl, who when I clicked over to read her blog this morning, her scripture quote reminded me to open up my own scriptures. Have I mentioned lately, how much I love this community. Oh yea...in my Blog Sugar post below!

oh sugar!

2011-10-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

I attended Blog Sugar a few weeks ago and I am still thinking of the sweetness that I experienced that evening.
I tweeted that it was definitely spiritually uplifting and a great 'fireside'.
The theme for Blog Sugar was faith-centered and in a nut-shell....
Doing good with your blog and glorifying God.

Remember that Dave drove down with me and was my roommate? We stayed in Huntington Beach!

Angry Julie texted me the afternoon of the event and asked if I wanted a ride!
I ♥ her. She is crazy and wild and it was great to start and end the evening with her.

The event was decorated beautifully with pinks and oranges.
And GIANT balloons and streamers and flowers.

I decided before the event to go out of my comfort zone a bit and not sit with a table full of friends.
As tempting as that is. I did sit with two friends from The Queen Bee Market, who I always wish I had more time with to sit and chat at the actual market, so that was a sweet treat. The rest of my table became new friends!

Back Row: Kristen , Lindsay, Casey, Monick, Me.
Front Row: Nicole, Ashley

Missing: Jules

I looked at Ashley from Little Miss Momma and knew I recognized her and her blog name....duh. She is the moustache necklace girl! And it was fun to meet Lindsay since we had just emailed the week before and I had sent out a necklace to her to giveaway on her blog! Actually, the whole table was fun and it was nice getting to know new bloggers!

What was extra sweet about this event down in Southern California was meeting up finally with some local Northern California girls!

From top left going clockwise: Kim & me, Jessica, me & Mel, me & Keri and Jacqui and me and what I wore. Ok so Jacqui is from southern california but it was so much fun meeting her too!

(And that what I wore picture is for Paige.)

It really was so much fun to squeeze these girls tight. Actually, on our way driving down I said to Dave that I really hoped Keri from Forever Folding Laundry was going to be there.
As I went to my first speaker I sat next to this cute blonde. We turned immediately to introduce ourselves to each other, because that is what you do at a blog conference, and guess who it was? Keri from Forever Folding Laundry. We both jumped up and hugged each other.

The speakers were amazing. I mean look at the list. I really wanted to go to all of them. And wish we had one more day and could make the whole round of speakers...not just choose 3. But I again went out of my comfort zone a bit and chose topics that I thought could help me grow as a person. I felt fulfilled at the end of the evening and was so glad I went.

One person that I made sure I had some one-on-one with was Heather from Life Made Lovely. She is the sweet girl heading up this beautiful blog re-design and it was so much fun to hug her, know her story, and feel of her heart and love. She is just a beautiful person on the inside and out. It's been a complete pleasure working with her and Molly!

I also met up with a lot of other blog friends I hadn't seen in awhile, but didn't get pictures with, and that is always sweet!

And, that is the end of my Blog Sugar Sweetness. But speaking of sweetness, thank you to all of you that wished me well while I was sick. It was the pits and I'm glad to be eating again and feeling well. And for the record, my husband rocks! He took such good care of me. Except when I was moaning loudly in pain. He doesn't like that.

How Ya Like Me Now?!

2011-10-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

This little blog re-design is still 'under construction' and I'm under the weather. Spent all day yesterday in bed. I was so sick at one point I seriously wanted to die than to suffer the pains that were attacking my stomach. Doctor this morning ordered up quite a bit of blood work, but I am feeling better than yesterday. Heck, today I can at least sit up. Still bad stomach pains, but I'm at least moving today. And feeling like I can type.

Yesterday was the biggest game of Kaia's volleyball season. Rival high schools hosted by us, Vintage High School. And I missed it because I couldn't sit up. But my sweetheart of a husband FaceTime'd it for me and then when that froze called me to give me play-by-play. Vintage won and Dave recorded the final point win. It was so sweet of him because I know he would have rather just sat and enjoyed the game. But it was killing me to be at home. We had just had the volleyball team in our home the night before for team bonding, making spray paint t-shirts and eating pizza. I wanted to be there to cheer them on. They are all such sweet girls.

And, speaking of killing me, what about that darling new header {that we are still working out of few bugs to get it centered}? Hopefully, I'm feeling well enough by next week to give you a formal tour since things moved around a bit. Until then, feel free to look around our new 'home' and let me know if you like it. Or have any suggestions! Happy Friday. I'm off to bed again.

Little Snippets of Life.

2011-10-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

'Just when I thought I wasn't doing enough to teach my children spiritually, I find out our 14 year old daughter has downloaded October's General Conference to her iPod and has been listening to all the inspired talks given by our sweet and humble church leaders instead of listening to music this week.'

{Every once in awhile I want to post a little snippet of life. It's too long for twitter and I want it to be part of our family record so Facebook isn't the best place to record it. I've decided with the new blog layout...coming so so soon... I'm going to go back to posting little snippets of life from time to time like I used to in my earlier blogging days before twitter. Which means....there might be a few doubling posting days!}

What I Wore....Maxi Skirt.

2011-10-11T22:08:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting a maxi skirt for awhile.
I found one.
And, I'm still loving brown with black!

Maxi Skirt: Anthropologie

Black Wrap Shirt: Nordstrom

Brown Wedge Shoes: Nordstrom

The shoes were a bit pricey but comfy right from the start.

Soft, supple leather.

Linking up with Lindsey from The Pleated Poppy for wardrobe inspiration!

Hoping for some pretty changes here on my blog in the next day or so.

So excited at the sneak peeks of the re-design.

Under Construction....

2011-10-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

HOME: This is right smack dab in the middle of my house right now. I feel like I AM under construction in every aspect of my life right now. I don't think there is one finished room in our home at this moment. Oh wait...there is. The front bathroom...but that toilet clogs on a regular basis so it doesn't count in my book.

I told Dave this weekend that I felt that we were always going to be THAT family with the messy garage. Always. I wish it would change, but after 17 years together, we can only keep it clean for a good two weeks. I blame our small house. 1300 square feet is comfortable but small. The garage is the gathering place for everything that doesn't fit! So home is under construction. Partly because of the 1300 square feet issue. We are always trying to change it up a bit to feel a little roomier. Like in the picture above. The office used to be a closed in space right in the middle of our home. Now we are opening it up to make two computer/homework spaces for better open living. I'll keep you posted.

BLOG: People that know me personally know that I change the decor in my home regularly. Just little things, but I constantly like to change with the seasons. Fortunately in CA we only have two seasons! Well my blog is like my home away from home. There will be some changes this week. Watch for them. I think it is exciting. But also please be patient this week as the Life Made Lovely design team tweak around with my layout and settings. I have a huge crush right now on the color Navy Blue! Watch for little snippets of that color making an appearance on my blog.

By far the blog under construction is the easiest in my life. The dreamiest actually. Partly because I hire help in this area. I share my dreams in my head and Heather and Mollie are doing all the hard work for a really affordable price. The house dreams/designs aren't so affordable!

PERSONAL: I sat in church yesterday and realized I am barely doing enough to get by. That is a crappy feeling. I'm barely teaching my children enough spiritually, we are barely praying enough, barely reading our scriptures enough. Just getting by isn't a great feeling spiritually. Not when you know the blessings of heaven can be opened up if we do our part. Not just barely. I need to work on that and make some changes.

Also under construction is my issue with PROCRASTINATION. I'm still working on that too. I have figured out what works for me to help beat procrastination. I love making lists of what needs to get done in a day. But my lists were always too long. So I'd ignore it because I knew I was just setting myself up for failure at the end of the day. Why not just start the day as a failure....OK kidding! So now, my list needs to fit on a Post-It Note for the day. I allow myself one item to transfer to the next day...the rest are non-negotiable. There are usually 4-5 important things on the list with my hardest 'to-do's' or least favorites at the top. With this shorter list I often times feel like I've succeeded at the end of each day...that is, as long as I don't add MAKE DINNER to that list!

Also personally, I need to clear my head a bit because I am finding myself completely blanking out on people I know. I look at them and can't for the life of me remember their name. It is scary. I have a friend that when she turned 30 felt like she was 'losing' it. She couldn't remember things, couldn't remember peoples names. I'm there right now. She went to the doctor and the doctor told her she is a busy mom. That was her diagnosis.

Well the other day...{and this is so embarrassing to admit, but I keep having nightmares about it} I was in my car with Blake. A friend pulled up next to me and waved. I didn't recognize her right off the bat with her glasses on and she knew it. She pulled her glasses off and then I really waved. We unrolled our windows, exchanged quick hellos and how are yous and then she told me she had just had surgery...had I heard? And with that...out went her name...who she was. I knew I knew her, but couldn't figure out her name when we drove away. Still can't for the life of me figure it out. It makes me so mad, but it also makes me realize that I need to simplify some things in my life to make room in my head for the important things...like my friends' names!

I joke that this might be early signs of dementia but it does scare me. I crawled into bed last night vowing and praying for some changes. Some construction in my own life this week. I also curled up next to Dave and said...."Hunny, if I ever forget who you are...will you just hold me and keep me safe until I remember you?" And, I was dead serious!

Please tell me I'm not alone......

Dreaming:: Re-Decorating

2011-10-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

We found a set of vintage lockers, much like the set pictured below, this past weekend at the Antique Faire.
Blake's been begging for a surf themed bedroom.
I had already done a surf theme when he was a baby and was over it.
But he has been begging.

I've spent too much time today surfing the web

and creating this pin board on Pinterest for Blake's new surf bedroom.

It's going to happen.

Do you know why?

Because when I was a young girl,

I dreamed of a room filled with rainbows and unicorns....
and my mom granted my wish!

Do you remember the theme of your childhood bedroom?

What I Wore....to the football game!

2011-10-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well my wish came true.
It turned a bit colder.

The rain came.
I got to wear boots.
And now I want it to stop raining!!

{bad bad picture...we were in a hurry!}

Sweater {Nordstrom - new}
Brown Cap Sleeve {Undertease - old}
Jeggings {Standard & Practice Nordstrom...found ANOTHER pair}

Boots {Steve Madden Nordstrom - new}

With fall approaching I am missing my brown hair.
The blond covers the grays so well though and is so fun.
But as my pale winter skin sets in...I think the blond will wash me out.

Do you change your hair color to match the seasons?

Devyn, help me put brown back in without going red!
I'm thinking something like this....

Linking up with Lindsay and the girls for WIWW!

Dear Dave + April....A Tuesday Series

2011-10-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

Dear April,

I was very happy to be your "roommate" for your last conference. I feel bad for your friend that was not able to make it, but pretty excited to tag along. I had a really great time. I'm thankful that we could share that time together. It's funny that no matter where we go or what we do together that we always have an experience that one of us say "I wish the kids could see this." It's funny, kids are the things that sometimes cause us to argue and those same kids are the things that bring us closest together most times. I remember when we used to laugh at the comments from friends about how fun their kids were. That was so foreign to us and we couldn't imagine life with kids. Now I can't imagine life without them. Long gone are the days of our Saturday mornings of getting up early for breakfast at 6:30 am then off to the beach for the day without a care in the world. Just a few towels, surfboard, and bottles of water. That's all we needed. Now if we don't pack the kitchen sink someone is going to need it. Things have really changed in 17 years but I honestly would not CHANGE a thing. I would love to say we never had harsh words for each other or have been selfish but I can't. The only thing I can do is work on being a good friend every day. I am thankful to have you as my best friend. I cannot see into the future but I think we are going to have a great time no matter what and I'd love to be your roommate again in the future!

Love, Dave

* * * * *

Dear Dave,

Not only do I love you, but I love your letters. Thank you.

Love, April

P.S. You are the best roommate ever. You warm up my cold feet in bed. Can't do that with girlfriends!

Hello Monday!

2011-10-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hello Monday :: I'm still here. Just slow on the blog. It's raining today. I'm wearing boots!

Hello Break :: Maybe if I announce that I'm taking a blogging break...I will have tons of things I want to blog about or the motivation to edit and upload all the pictures waiting patiently in my camera. It happens all the time. OK...no break. Dave owes me a letter tomorrow!

Hello Freshening Up :: I'm working on a little blog re-design this week. Possibly making room for some sponsors! Would you be interested in advertising on my blog?!

Hello Shop Update :: I really want to get my shop updated this week. Have a sale on some summer items and get some products loaded for purchase that aren't always available.

Hello Date Night :: I went out to dinner with a dear girlfriend on a whim Saturday night where we sat for two hours and talked all things creative!

Hello Antique Finds :: Dave and I hit the mother lode this weekend at the Alameda Antique Faire. Can you just say...oh my goodness. We had a large cart and even larger flat rolling cart full of treasures. Some for us. Some for a new little shop we are starting together. One thing that we did purchase at the end of the faire was a set of old lockers for Blake's room. I'm so excited. I'll snap a picture and share over on Twitter. Oh there are so many little surprises I want to share with you...but my mind is still a bit over-crowded working out all the details. It will come in time.

This & That Friday :: Instagram Style

2011-09-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

Do you Instagram?

I do.

{it's an app on the iPhone that turns reg photos into fun old-time looking photos}

THIS was the view from my bed on Saturday morning at our hotel.

Dave waxed his ~~baby~~ surfboard right there on our bed.

He then went and surfed right there out our window.

While I stayed in bed and watched The Pioneer Woman bake cookies barefoot!

We got Hula Pie wasted on THIS piece of macadamia ice cream cake at Dukes.

While at Blog Sugar I took a style and fashion class. Ascot Friday had us make a tear sheet of a person and clothing that inspires us or represents us. I can't stop dreaming of THAT navy blue leather bag in the top left corner.

THAT number 5 there...that is Kaia. She is loving Volleyball. She made the JV team for Vintage.

Tuesday was Big Game. We lost this time, but play them two more times this season and plan on showing them what we're made of next time. Oh, and guess what....last night we found Blake's medical bag at her home game. We left it in the gym last week. I had a feeling...so I had someone dig through the janitor's closet and voila!

My friend Jeannett loves Instagram so much...she hosts a little party on Fridays.
I'm joining in!

Checking In.

2011-09-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

Just checking in here on the blog before my mom calls and asks if everything is OK!

I'm choosing Productivity today over Procrastination.
Yesterday I threw myself a pity party.
I'm overwhelmed. Overcrowded in the brain. Overweight again which is causing a bigger roll than I want over my jeans but I just keep eating. Overcrowded in the house due to lack of organization right now.
I took a nap yesterday for 2 1/2 hours. Not sure it helped. The nap still fell under procrastination for me. And let me escape the overwhelming feeling of overcrowdedness in my brain.
I think I'm OVER all of it today.

I want to work today. To be productive.
And choose healthier snacks today.
And drink water all day.
And maybe go on a walk this evening with Dave.

Hmmm...I'm feeling better already.

How about you....how do you decide to make a day count and be productive. What's your trick?

Dear Dave + April....A Tuesday Series.

2011-09-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

Dear Dave,

I loved our little trip this weekend. I loved that you were my roommate when my original roommate couldn't come anymore. I loved that I slide into the center of the bench seat in the truck to sit right by your side for most of the way down to Southern California. It wasn't the most comfortable seat in the truck...but it was the BEST seat in the truck and sliding over next to you gave me butterflies. It made I-5 way more exciting. I loved that you lite up when we walked into our hotel and saw it lined with famous surf pictures and then lite up again when you walked into our room with views of the surf at Huntington Beach Pier and said I scored serious points with the hotel choice! I loved sitting in the large bean bag in our room and spied you walking across the sand to surf that same pier that you had seen in magazines for 25 years. It was a great weekend away for us. I want that to be OUR hotel and I was serious when I said if we won the lotto I would take up residency there!

Now we are home and reality smacks us right in the face. Why does that have to be? I'm not loving that we are facing a $10,000 medical bill for Blake's MRI. Seriously, $33,000 for a few hours as outpatient makes me sick. I'm sick over losing Blake's medical backpack that we have used for the last four years. I didn't sleep much last night trying to wrack my brain of all the places we went last week and where we might have left it. I know you keep telling me....it's just a backpack....but it is loaded with our 'things'. And while they are just 'things' the problem is I can't remember what 'things' are in there...so I'm feeling as lost as the backpack now that we are home. I'm not loving that laundry has to be done and lunches need to be made and the daily grind will be the norm until our next getaway. Although once back in the swing of things...our daily grind isn't too bad. But most of all what I'm not loving right this minute....was kissing you good-bye so you could go to work. The first day back from a mini getaway always makes me miss you so much when you have to walk out that door.

Love, April

P.S. I really NEED a letter from you. Pretty please. It's been a few weeks. And a big thank you to my parents and sister who helped watched our children this weekend. It was an eventful weekend including Blake's new bicycle being stolen then recovered!

Shop for Sharlie.

2011-09-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

We are driving home from Huntington Beach today.
We had a WONDERFUL weekend away.
The Shorebreak Hotel was swanky, hip and ultra surfer cool.

Blog Sugar was a blast.
Met so many new friends from my neck of the woods!!

Our Weekend Plans....

2011-09-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

Our weekend plans are exciting.
I wish I didn't feel like I have a double ear infection coming on.

I can't remember the last time I had an ear infection.

Dave and I both turned 40 this year.
We dreamed of a little surf and shop vacation on the coast.
Originally thinking Santa Barbara.

But it never happened.

Blog Sugar is happening this weekend.

A one day conference for Bloggers.
I registered early and had a roommate.

Then the roommate had to cancel.

So I asked Dave if he wanted to be my roommate.
And we could celebrate us turning 40 on the beach.
Away for the weekend.

I found this amazing hotel...Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach.

Surf City as they refer to it. We've never been there.
Maybe have driven through but never explored.

We are bringing the big truck.

In case we find any treasures for a new venture

Dave and I have been dreaming up for a year now.

Our big reveal will be at the next Queen Bee Market!

I'm not sure what I am more excited for....

Blog Sugar or the decor of the hotel.
Dave has no idea each room has a surfboard in it!

It's going to be a fun weekend...if an ear infection will stay away.

{The kids are staying home with grandparents and have a fun things planned too!}

Kindred Spirits.

2011-09-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

{blake learning to walk at 18 months-ish}

We exchange cautious smiles from across the room...often...sometimes offering a sweet but very short hello. But always cautious. I know I recognize her from somewhere but recognize in my heart I know her more than just from somewhere. And, I have a feeling she feels the same.

Lately it's been at Starbucks while standing in line. There are usually 5-6 people in between us. Keeping it safe so it doesn't become too awkward. But I also feel it would only be awkward for a moment. This has been going on for a few years. Before Starbucks it was at our local Mexican restaurant where she was a server. Same short sweet smiles exchanged but nothing more.

Today at Starbucks our paths cross again. I order my toffee nut laced hot chocolate {with extra whipped cream} and feel like we are kindred spirits, like we could sit and chat for hours, but really we aren't even friends. I keep trying to figure out if she was a friend of a friend. But today we are standing closer together and I sense neither of us can ignore the connection anymore. As I approach her, she approaches me. I start to say 'hello' and she responds with a hello and a question. "You have a little boy don't you?" And as the conversation begins I quickly know why my heart has always felt a pull towards her.

She recalled working at our local gym in the day care center. I would go in and work out handing over my sweet little baby boy to her. She told me how I told her everything that was wrong with his little body and how the doctors had told us that there was a chance that he would never walk. It was what came out of her mouth next that took everything in me from not bursting into a hot crying mess but also brought such peace. It was so sweet. So pure. And the connection was confirmed. She told me that while she would hold Blake in the day care, she would pray for him. Pray that he would walk one day.

She didn't know me. She didn't know my baby. But she knew the Lord. And, I was overcome with humility and unworthiness standing there in Starbucks. The lump in my throat made me think I will never be able to just smile at her again without feeling like my heart is going to explode in gratitude.

I filled her in on all the beautiful miracles we have experienced and that we have a little boy walking, jumping and running. She said, she knew, she had seen him with me and always wondered if we were the same family from the gym. It was then I tried to offer her the most heartfelt thank you I could. But I could never do it justice with words. I asked her name. Rachel. I will never forget it. She has a purity that radiates from her. She asked for Blake's name and then told me that she would continue to pray for him.

Thank you, Rachel. I had a feeling I knew you. We both know the Lord. I want you to know that I got down on my knees and said a prayer for you when I got home. A prayer that included thanksgiving.

I know that many of you offer prayers on our behalf too. You don't know us personally, but you also know the Lord. We are truly grateful.

What I Wore.....

2011-09-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

I joined in with the What I Wore craze hosted by The Pleated Poppy....
not so much for accountability but to document outfits
so I never would stand in my closet again and think....

'I have nothing to wear.'

Guess what?
I feel like I have nothing to wear!
I'm ready for fall for a clothing change up.
I'm sick of my cut-off jean shorts and flip flops.
I want boots and jeggings and cardigans!

But since it is still so warm here,

I decided to buy a summery dress for a wedding this past weekend.

I've been working with the bride and her mother for the past few months
coming up with every creative detail and decor.
It was a blast and came together so pretty.

Here is what I wore to the wedding
and a sneak peak via a little video I took of the decor!

{Dress: Shabby Apple, Silver Ballet Flats: J. Crew}

Now for the sweet little video!
Warning...there is a cute song with it.

kisses, april

{i accidently deleted my signature and am too lazy to go find it!}