Saturday is a Special Day

When you are a stay at home mommy and have a hubby that is off work 4 days out of the week, every day is a Saturday! However, in the summertime, this day is a tad bit more precious and we find ourselves doing Saturday things on actual Saturdays. It is on the dark and cold days of winter that I long for the SLC Farmer's and Craft Market. I dream about lemonade, fruit tarts, jars of fresh honey and herbs. I long for the sound of the music being played by the street performers, the smell of the roasted almonds and the sights of all the people from all walks of life. Attending this weekly and culture ridden event keeps me sane in the "square" state of Utah.

Making a stop at Bruges Waffles just across the street. I cannot even begin to tell you how delicious this place is! These waffles are obviously from a place far beyond this world. Angels just may have made these.

*****

Aside from all fresh fruits and veggies, there are a lot of art and craft vendors. You know how I am a sucker for the crafts!

Easy Keeper is a one gal, one letter press operation. I am in love with Whitney Shaw's seed packets and recipe cards. I have them on my list of must have's for my next market visit! Her vintage/Victorian inspired images are right up my alley! Also, for all the animal lovers out there, she offers "canine and feline announcements" instead of baby's birth announcements! How clever is that, I ask you? I love talented crafters and I especially love local talented crafters!

V. Lou has a great booth where you can spoil your little one's rotten while making them look good at the same time. Yep, I gotta pick me up one of these shirts and totes for my Mr. Little Jeans! The brains behind it all is Kristin Cranmer. She also sold me the GREATEST shirt ever for only $20 because it was a prototype. She is my new Saturday hero.

Don't miss Ryan Perkins! I'm not sure if he will be there every week, but his work is charming and delightful! I absolutely love his colorful notebooks! His pocket-sized one will be perfect to carry around in a purse (or diaper bag!) to jot down any thoughts, ideas and inspirations. Or to just write down how much you love Ryan Perkins! (Sorry, he doesn't have a website or blog to link to but you can reach him at: ryan.d.perkins@utah.edu)

This may be my new fave pic of all time! This photo makes me happy on so many levels! I love Mom. I love lemonade. I love summer. I love Farmer's Market.

After was all said and done and walking away with just one bottle of honey and a new shirt, it was time for a much needed break. It gets pretty crowded and very toasty by noon so it's always nice to find a spot in the shade and just rest. There is a great playground in the park for the little ones. Since the park is a home to transients and meth-heads the other 6 days of the week, it never hurts to watch where you step and to always check for syringes laying on the ground before letting your child play!

I am a winner!

You like me, you really like me! I received this award by the lovely Colett Yarro (my big sister) at Yarroville! Oh how flattering it is! 

Thank you!

To pass on the loveliness, here are the rules:

* Accept the award, and post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

* Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you have discovered and love.

*Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

(***don't feel the need to write a novel like I did!****)

1. Road Side Projects. I don't even know Jayme McGowan, but I think her mind is incredible! Her tiny shadow box creations are to die for and her blog is not only inspirational but educational. She has a lot of links to fellow bloggers and Etsy shop owners with fabulous minds, as well.  

2. Miniature Rhino. Jessica's blog is eye candy, so feast on it! Just like her website says, she is a visual artist, photographer, crafter and nice girl! Her embroidery is impeccable and I want one of everything! Her blog clearly represents her passion for beautiful things...and I heart it! She was also one of the many talented vendors in the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn which automatically gives her bragging rights!

3. Thompson Family. The blogging world is vast yet ever so small. I came across this blog last Christmas. When I saw it, I felt a large sum of drool spill from my mouth. Then one day my neighbor and friend, April, told me that she was a good friend of Daniel Thompson, the writer of this blog. What are the odds? I just want to leap into each of her photos and live in it!

4. Down East Lythgoes.  Yes, I do know her! She was one of the first people I met after moving to SLC. Now, 13 years, a husband, 3 kids and a move across the country later, I can see that her talents and spirituality play such a huge role in making her home one of love and inspiration. Her posts are written in prose like form and it's fun to see what great activity she has done with her family that looks like it was ripped from the pages of a magazine!

5. April Oaks. April is not only my neighbor, but also a dear friend. This amazing gal is an entrepreneur in every way! She comes up with the BEST ideas on activities to do with your kids and does a really great job at helping them become well-rounded and providing them with amazing opportunities. Not only is she inspiring as a mother, but she owns her own company and is a fantastic photographer! I wish I had her energy level!

6. Making it lovely. If I had to only read 1 blog for the rest of my life, I might just choose this one. Nicole Balch has a design sense that speaks straight to my heart! I could move into her house and not change 1 darn thing! Her blog talks a lot about her home remodeling and updating projects but she also likes to focus on fashion, crafts and landscaping. Her blog says it all: "Making  It Lovely"! 

7. The 10 Cent Designer. I think if I were to ever meet this girl in person, we could be good friends! I absolutely love her quirky sense of humor and the whole theme of this blog. Her photos are entertaining and I really like her sense of fashion and interior design. She takes her photos in the most random of places so each post is always a great surprise!  I don't feel the need to see her head because I trust that it is a good one if she can come up with this fun blog!

8. The O's Have It. Yes. This is my mommy! She is one of the most inspiring people I know. I just love her blog posts because you can see how easy it is for her to find the beauty all around her. She and my dad are simple people and her posts are not of their travels across the globe nor are they about material possessions, but rather what makes her heart sing and what she finds to make life enjoyable! She inspires me to see the world through rose colored glasses! 

9. Some Kind of Wonderful. This is my friend Amanda's blog. Our family's are great friends and we too go way back!  I want to take this opportunity to let her know how inspiring her and her family are to me. Last year (I hope she doesn't mind me sharing?) Amanda gave birth to a still born baby. I remember my mother giving me the news and I just wept for her. I constantly thought of her and her family and the incredible trial they were going through and my heart ached for them. I just could not imagine what they were going through and then one day she wrote this post. I wept again but for a different reason. I knew they were going to get through such a difficult event because of her incredible faith in God. I think about this post a lot and it has helped me press forward in my own trials. 

10. Free People. Exactly like the clothing company, but different! The blog is written by the folks at Free People clothing, but rather it being about the fashions they design, the blog is about what inspires them as people and as a company. The blog explores the world of art, design, photography, and of course some fashion! Reading just one post pretty much fills my weekly quota of needing fabulous things flood my mind. 

11. Bloesem. I just found this blog the other day. I am so glad I did! I love design blogs and this has it all! I am amazed at how creative people are where on earth they come up with such great ideas! If they could just go ahead and sign me up for 1 of everything on the blog, I would appreciate it greatly! They give great references on where to find unique and hard to find furnishings, art and fashions. I will definitely be stalking this blog on a regular basis!

12. bpd studios. This is not a blog, but still well worth mentioning. I found this site through my friend's blog. I am not a photographer by any means but it is one thing that I wish I was better at and a hobby I hope to pursue someday. The photography in the portfolio on this site is so amazing! The pictures (I think!) are flawless and the colors and lighting are so beautiful! They take pretty and make it even prettier! 

13.Nicolette Camille.  Again, not a blog but who doesn't love floral arrangements! I think there is something so therapeutic and heavenly about flowers. They are always beautiful on their own, but when placed in a bouquet or arrangement, the world suddenly just became a better place! I love non-traditional arrangements and I adore and admire Nicoletts eye for color combinations and floral placement!

14. Imprintables. Who doesn't love a good party? Well, this blog shows you how to throw the most elaborate and fabulous parties you have ever seen! I have never in my life attended a part like any of these, so when I look at each post, I live vicariously through the individuals who do! This girl gives ol' Martha Stewart a run for her money! It's a good thing the author of this blog lives in Australia because I may just find myself crashing one of these events! 

15. Surprises and Sanctuary. Lisa is one of my dearest friends! She was my roommate, travel companion and my bridesmaid. Why do I heart her so much? Because she is one of the funniest, most down to earth and generous people I know! Every time I see that she has updated her blog, I get so very excited because I know that I am about ready to laugh my butt off! Her posts are genuine and entertaining. Even my sister stalks her blog because it is so funny! There are only 2 things wrong with Lisa: She lives to far away from me now and she doesn't post enough entries! I love ya girl!

San Diego, We Will Miss You!

*Who's in charge of the murals at the San Diego Zoo?*

I am wiped out! Why can't I get back into the groove of things? We have been back for nearly a week and I still just want to play and neglect real life! We had such a great time on our vacation and we packed more things into 6 days than I could have ever imagined possible! We saw so much of the city and got to know our way around pretty quickly. We discovered a lot of new things (good and bad!) about this city. As nice as it is to go on vacation, it is always nice to come home! 

______________________________

Here is a brief recap of our trip:

sites and scenes of Coronado - the most amazing little island ever, toured the very "Little Italy" district, Sea World (where we got our camera stolen), shopped in La Jolla and visited Seal Beach,  a must stop at Costco to buy a new camera, Wild Animal Park, toured the Maritime Museum along with 2 ships and 1 submarine, walked the Gaslamp District, visited Seaport Village, Shopped Fashion Valley Mall (I wish we had a Bloomingdale's!), Back to Sea World to take pictures, laid on the beach, San Diego Zoo, back to Coronado because we love it so much, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and La Jolla. 

P.S. When someone calls it "Sunny San Diego", they are a big fat liar pants. 

Yes, we were busy and with a new fancy camera, I took several pictures so please bare with me as I know blogs with a million personal pictures are nothing but a huge bore-a-thon! (these are in no particular order as that takes way to much time and thought!)

This is the balcony of the condo we stayed at! It was so nice! We were able to save a lot of money (and fat grams!) by buying groceries and making a lot of our meals at the condo rather than eating out everyday. Too bad is was so stinking cold everyday that we never really got to spend much time on it.

San Diego Zoo. The line to see the Pandas was HUGE but so well worth it! They are amazing animals!

Wes is the new San Diego Zoo "over hunting theorist", whatever that is!

My fave! The dolphins at Sea World!

Cirque De La Mer. So incredible!

Taking Emerson on the kiddie rides at Sea World.

We had to take this picture in front of the flamingos! Why? Because I really do stand like this. I'm not even joking. I stand this way when talking to people, when I do dishes, craft, bake, iron my clothes, etc....and when I do, Wes tells me I look like a flamingo! 

The only day we were able to lay on the beach. The sun came out for 20 minutes in 6 days!

E loved playing in the sand but hated the waves

Beluga whale (look closely!) at Sea World. I want one of these!

Wes getting a good look at Shamu and pretending to speak "whale".

Overlook at the Wild Animal Park. I really wanted to ride the hot air balloon but didn't want to fork out the cash for it.

If we ever go back, we are hitting this place again like crazy! Not good shopping, but REALLY great eating! 

Here I am getting an earache on the beach. Literally! The wind was blowing so hard and it was freezing!

We drove past some orange groves on the way to the Wild Animal Park and Wes got out and stole some oranges! Oops! They weren't ripe yet and were really sour and hard! Serves us right.

Wes is wiped out at the Merritime Museum and takes a break. 

Great sculpture at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla.