The Wild Three

Last week I spent a couple afternoons finding new items for my shop with these three in tow. I often wonder what I look like to the casual observer. Do I look like the exhausted mother trying reign everyone in? Do I look like the calm and collected mom with obedient children nicely following along? I know I've been both but last week I felt like the former.

Were the kids well behaved? For the most part, no. But it's a new week, a fresh start and I did find some really awesome stuff so it was worth it.


Come check out some of the new listings here. And let's keep our fingers crossed that this week runs a little smoother :)

♥ anne

Outfit post?

Earlier this week I stopped by a new thrift store in the area. I was feeling like it had a gem waiting for me and I was right! I found this beautiful vintage gauze dress in mint condition. It's a dream dress for sure! It has long sleeves which make it a bit hot for summer but I couldn't resist wearing it anyway.

I was out at the golden hour while Marianne had some pictures taken of her in some handmade bonnets and figured I might as well get a few pictures of myself in the dress.

I had to get pictures of Maggie and Alex as well. Alex takes all the pictures of me for my blog. She is a huge help to me in so many ways!



Have you had any recent scores at the thrift stores?

♥ anne

maternity style

I thrifted this dress last month and kept trying it on but never got around to wearing it. It is a wee bit too baggy, even for me and I figured I'd just sell it. I tried it on yet again this morning and decided to tie a little belt above my belly and viola! it is now wearable. Someone even complimented it today :)

Then this afternoon I dropped some stuff off at the Goodwill and just had to go inside, you know, in case there was something awesome waiting for me. Turns out there was something quite amazing...a practically new Ergo baby carrier! It looks just like this and was only $6.99! Man, I am STOKED because I've been wanting one for years but never have the spare $100+ to spend on it. Yay for going down an aisle you usually don't go down!

That was my exciting day. Did anything awesome happen to you today?

♥ anne

p.s.-excuse my odd face, I think I was mid sentence when Shane took the pic.

vintage scores

yesterday everyone seemed to have a case of cabin fever. so, we got out and took a short walk or in shane's case a short run. it was warm and breezy and beautiful. just what the doctor ordered!



i have been on the hunt for months for a low table to go out on our patio and yesterday i found one that is perfect!

i really couldn't have hoped to find a better one! look at her! isn't she cute?! i still need some pillows for our pallet seating area but i'm thinking the patio is pretty near finished. it's almost ready for a little party with friends don't you think?

ok, there's more...and this could be dangerous for me. our local library has a used book store which has not only a large 25 cent section BUT a recycling section as well where all the books are FREE! check out what i picked up yesterday.


the expressionism book is really cool. i plan on framing a couple of the fold out prints. and love is an attitude is pretty darn awesome! it was printed in 1970 and has great photos and poems which i'll share in an upcoming post.

i am also going to be updating my etsy shop this week with some really great pieces so make sure to check them out! 

♥anne

thrifty sundays

i haven't been out thrifting much in the last several months but the couple times i have gone i have found some cool stuff. a beautiful woven basket, some fun pottery and an amazing irish knit sweater. i also bought yet another plant. i just can't help myself! plus it was only $5...who could pass up a deal like that?!
















i also had to include a couple baby/kitty pictures. i wonderful combination if i do say so myself!

happy sunday!
♥ anne

tea, jazz and a kitchen tour

hi there! won't you come into my kitchen and have a cup of tea with me? you will? oh goody!

i spend most of my time at home in the kitchen. whether i'm cooking, doing the never ending dishes, preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, the kitchen is where i can be found. i have tried to make it a pleasant and cozy space so that i enjoy my time there.

my two orchids are doing so well and are getting ready to bloom for the third time! this is very exciting to me because in the past i could not keep one alive. i also have other plants and succulents and knick knacks. my friend rita just gave the adorable st. bernadette statue. her face is so sweet! behind her is a st. therese icon. they are good reminders of the importance of trying to do my daily duties with love.

cute owl pottery, vase and succulent from missa.

i've tried to make my kitchen as efficient as i can. i keep things next to they're area of usage that way i don't have to move around as much. i really enjoy cooking which is wonderful since i do so much of it and since eating out is a rarity. lately i have been making lots of soups, my favorite! i'm convinced i could eat soup every day of my life and never tire of it. in the last few weeks i've made a bean and turkey soup with my turkey bones and leftovers from thanksgiving, a yummy butternut squash potato soup, chicken and rice soup (here's the fun song (missa and mary) by carole king to go along with maurice sendak's book chicken soup with rice. my kids loved this song when they were little. listen to it with your little ones!) and split pea soup.

and while i'm on the subject of cooking, i have been dying to put together a cooking class of sorts. it would be a small group and at each meeting one person would demonstrate some of their favorite dishes. there would be wine and hors d'oeuvres...i think it would be a blast! and those they don't cook/want to learn to cook would be more than welcome too. i truly believe everyone is capable of making a delicious meal even if they don't think they can!

i found this awesome beaded curtain last month at the goodwill. i was so happy because i'd been searching for one for years! behind it is my laundry room/pantry.

i'm keeping my christmas decorations very simple this year. i typically have my advent wreath and candles on the table but i've yet to find my circular candle holder. many things go missing when you move as many times as we have in the couple of years.

now for the tea portion of this post. i am not a tea expert by any means but i do enjoy it quite a bit. above are the teas i have been drinking lately. the three in the glass jars were made by friend emily. i'll be sad when they're gone :(  i know i have tea drinker readers, so please tell me your favorite teas and any tips you may have. what methods do you use to make yours? 

last but not least jazz. it is by far some of my favorite music! i've been listening to bix beiderbecke lately and i just get transported back in time. i also love billy holiday, django reinhardt, jelly roll morton and more. the mills brothers and ink spots are two other faves but they're not jazz. take a listen to them if your interested :D 

bye for now!

anne 

sister sweaters

hi there, oh you've been wondering what i have been wearing for the last 2 1/2 weeks straight? go ahead and scroll down to see my current uniform.

sweater, silk top, backpack-thrifted

jeans-forever 21 (they were $10. you can't really beat that price!)

clogs-gift from mary

scarf-gift from my mom from a recent trip to paris

and as if one perfect sweater isn't enough, i found her twin on wednesday while thrifting for my etsy shop! it's exactly the same except it's grey. and yes, i am going to be a greedy goose and keep them both.

have you had any super scores thrifting lately?

♥anne

mary's birthday weekend

last friday marianne and i found ourselves heading off to san francisco to celebrate mary's 40th birthday with her. it was babe's first trip on an airplane and i'm glad to report that she did great! it didn't hurt that we sat next a very nice couple who were more than happy to have a baby sitting near them. we had an early flight so i was fortunate to see the sun rising over the mountains. it was a beautiful beginning to a super fun weekend!

mary and fern greeted us at the airport with smiles and hugs. i had an immediate sense of calm being with mary and after spending a few hours together i felt right at home. mary and jeff are wonderful hosts and really make you feel part of their family when you are with them. their home is amazing and i had to stop myself from photographing ever single nook and cranny! fern's play/sun room is very ideal for a little person. a wide selection of books, toys and crafts are at her disposal. perfect for a growing mind and imagination!

fern is as adorable in person as she is through photos. she has a wonderful imagination, talks in cute voices, sings clever made up songs, is a master at puzzles and is overall a very creative little girl. she did good dealing with a baby in her home which was a new experience for her.  she was understandably pretty uncertain about it all but i think she got use to marianne by the time we left.

mary's room/closet (above) is a bohemian dream! we stayed in a housemates room, who was kind enough to offer it to us since she was out of town, at the front of the house. it was peaceful perfection!

mary made one delicious meal after another the whole time i was there. i am definitely inspired to make more vegetarian dishes after spending time with her in the kitchen. i also want to add that she does a very good job of representing her true self on her blog. i chalk that up to her wonderful writing skills and incredible talent of being able to express her thoughts and feelings so perfectly in word. so, while she was surprised by my sassiness ;D i found her to be pretty much how i had imagined her to be. and that's a good thing!

 friday afternoon brought the lovely missa and clover and the dia de los muertos festivities. it was joy to spend time with missa again and get to know her a wee bit better. i wish i had gotten more pictures of this night but sometimes i have a hard time carrying babies, taking pictures and socializing. oh the hard life of a blogger! hahaha!

mary's outfit was adorable! i wish i had a better picture but she wore a gunne, a red velvet cape, an amazing pair of boots and marigolds behind her ears. hello beautiful!

the next morning brought gifts, yummy coffee (mary got a taste of my love for coffee and beer! this may have been another aspect of me that surprised her!) and tasty berry muffins that our three cute little ladies were ready to fight over.

milla, our gal from the north country, who was with us in spirit (as was elizabeth who was unable to make it after all), sent us each a sweet package! below are a few of the goodies i recieved. thank you so much milla! i already wore and started using everything you sent and have the charm hanging on my neck as we speak/type.

mary knew i was in the market for some clogs and she sneakily bought these for me while we were thrifting! thank you SO MUCH, i've worn them everyday since i got home :D

sunday brought brunch and fresh veggie pickin' at bloomfield farms in petaluma.

jeff and mary are wonderfully attentive, caring and understanding parents. leo and fern are two lucky children indeed! and i can't fail to mention how enjoyable jeff is to be around. he's very easy going and i got a kick out of his honesty when we were discussing this terrifying occurance. you got yourself a winner mary! thank you both for a beautiful visit and if you ever find yourselves in the orange county area our home is open to your family!

♥anne