Yesterday we had the pleasure of celebrating my nephew Connor's second birthday at SuperFranks (the absolute perfect place for both kids and parents--wish we had one). Since Connor already has a ton of toys, in part thanks to us and a ton of hand me downs, we went handmade with his gift. I spruced up a couple shirts from Target with appliqués and threw in a cute matching pair of shorts. My sister-in-law Rachel is a big SF Giants fan, so it only seemed fitting to add a baseball appliqué to Connor's orange t-shirt. And Rachel is also a huge Dave Matthews Band fan (just like me!) so I had fun making a DMB shirt. I know it sounds more like I made shirts for Rachel, but I still love how the shirts turned out. In fact, I had so much fun that I whipped up some party shirts for the girls (a heart-shaped balloon for Katherine and a cupcake for Rebecca). I definitely see more appliqués in my future. Too cute and so much fun!

Today's Inspiration Workshop theme is Spending the Day Playing Recently we spent the day "playing" with our waffle iron. This past Father's Day my husband decided to take us on a culinary adventure (I'm so lucky that my guy loves the kitchen). He was inspired to try some recipes from Rachel Ray's waffle week , a reminder that waffles aren't just for breakfast and our waffle iron isn't just for waffles. So we started the day with biscuits and gravy (I must admit we doctored her gravy recipe). We had ham and cheese wa-ninis for lunch (using the waffle iron as a panini press--my idea after reading different ideas). For dinner we had Wa-zones (waffle calzones). And for dessert we had brownies . What a fun and yummy day! Now the brownies still need work (they ended up over done), but everything else was a big hit. If anything, it has inspired us to try making other stuff using the waffle iron. A very useful idea with the hot summer weather (no need to t...

This past weekend, in the middle of finishing father's day gifts (including these fun neck coolers ), I managed to sneak some girlie sewing projects in. I shortened a few pillow case dresses I made a couple weeks back and, with some ruffles, I transformed a couple pairs of worn out jeans. I've still got a few more projects in the works this week, like going through a pile of library books on sewing, making a few birthday gifts and trying this adorable tunic/dress tutorial . Can I just tell you how nice it is to have a good sewing machine and cute little girls! Fun, fun, fun!

Lucky in Love by Kenna Elizabeth Life has been a bit of a roller coaster this week, which I'm not quite ready to get into here. So it seemed fitting to look at roller coaster images when it came to this week's Inspiration Workshop theme--Green. I searched and searched, but never found an image that I liked. Although I did run into the odd concept of "green" pedal-powered roller coasters--both interesting and frightening (take a look here and here ). So I changed gears with the green theme and decided to share a favorite photo of mine, Lucky in Love , by my friend Kenna . This photo has made it onto my blog before, but it seemed too perfect not to share it again today.  From time to time I may run into troubles that stress me out, but at least I always have the love of my husband and my daughters, and my family and friends. I am truly lucky in love.

Photo from Teahouse Studio website Yesterday I had the chance to visit the new Teahouse Studio in Berkeley. They were holding open studios this past weekend, so my family and I took advantage of a free Sunday and made a day of it. It was great seeing the studio in person. It's very open and full of light, perfect for creating. The studio is the creative dream and collaboration of Stefanie Reneé , Mati Rose McDonough , and Tiffany Moore (aka Crafty Fanny ). They just barely opened the studio in February, yet their line up of workshops is simply inspiring. How lucky am I to live fairly close to this special studio! The inspiration didn't stop at just seeing the studio. I also was lucky enough to meet both Tiffany Moore and Mati Rose McDonough. It was wonderful to meet them and have the chance to talk with them. They were both really friendly and easy to talk to. It's sometimes easy to forget that there are real people behind the art, the blogs, the websites, etc.. Th...

After the fun I had last week while participating in the Gussy Sews Inspiration Workshop , I knew I wanted to do it again. So this week's inspiration prompt was "kitchens." This immediately inspired me to want to try a few sewing projects, like personalizing some kitchen towels and making some coasters. But life got away from me (as usual) and I didn't find the time. I did manage to make one happy little coaster which I then used as inspiration for this happy little etsy treasury (I still need to figure out Pinterest ). Enjoy!

I have a bit of a one track mind sometimes and right now I'm on the sewing track. So I thought I'd share some of my projects. The mannequin pictured above was the first project I made with my new sewing machine. She came out of the Tone Finnanger book I mentioned last month , Sew Sunny Homestyle . She is the perfect tree topper for my year round, white Christmas tree (that I'm filling with angels and flowers and hearts....oh my). And then yesterday, my mom, my girls, and I went to an art show in town. On top of seeing beautiful art and my talented nature photographer friend Kenna , we also learned about a brand new quilt shop, Fabric Garden , only open 1 month. The shop was filled with gorgeous quilts, beautiful fabric, and tons of inspiration. As a thank you for coming in to the shop, we were given a strip of fabric with instructions to make these cute tissue holders. So quick and simple to make. And then I tried my hand at some pillow case dresses for the girls. I've...

Print from Lillebarn, too Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon This past Thursday, I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed. I know...crazy, huh? It has been something I've needed to do for years, but I was avoiding it. I was scared. I was scared of the anesthesia, the recovery, the pain...... But it needed to be done and now it is! I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am. How proud I am. I faced my fears and I did it! I feel so strong and courageous! You'd think I had just done something exciting like bungee jump off a building (now there's a fear I don't plan on conquering). Nonetheless, it feels so good to know that I faced my fears. I am making things happen, getting things done that need to be done, and it feels great!

With the arrival of my newest "baby," my new sewing machine, has come a renewed interest in all things sewing. I've been pouring over sewing books and magazines. In fact I've requested just about every sewing book I could find from the library. Who knows when I'll have the time to go through all these books.....but that's not the point. I've also visited dozens of websites and blogs which brings me to  Gussy Sews . I've had this adorable blog on google reader for what seems like forever. But I had lost track of it, which is bound to happen when you subscribe to a million blogs (okay, this might be an exaggeration, but only slight). Well, revisiting Gussy Sews has inspired me. So today I am joining in her very first  Inspiration Workshop  to share some inspiration. In a weekly newsletter, Gussy will provide an inspiration prompt to share on Thursdays and this week's prompt is all things handmade. Now this made my head spin at first because I love...

Can you believe it? It's June. It's kind of crazy to think we're through another month. Time sure does fly when you're having fun. Time has been flying so much that I find myself participating in Margie 's wonderful One Little Word blog hop, yet still behind with my OLW album . This month's theme of documentation has always been easy and difficult for me all at the same time. I have definitely written list after list of goals, objectives, thoughts, etc.. many of which are inspired by my word, Clear. But it's hard for me to organize my written lists, just as it is difficult to organize my thoughts. I guess I still need to work on my mental clarity. I'm doing my best to get through my lists, even if it is a slow process. One of my goals had been to catch up with Ali Edward's class. I might not have caught up with the album, but I did make some progress with the exercises. I wasn't satisfied with the action I took in March, so I made sure to take ...

As I mentioned in my last post , I have a new toy--a new sewing machine! I got it last weekend and I've done something with it everyday since then, including some beginner classes yesterday. If you've looked around my site before you might have stumbled across past sewing projects, including tons of bears , and you might be asking "beginner classes?" But truly I am a beginner. I may have been sewing for years, but I don't really know how. I never took home-ec class. I took drafting and was a band nerd, leaving no time in the schedule for something useful like home-ec. My mom sewed a little, but I really only saw her mending stuff and that didn't grab my interest (mending just wasn't my thing). My grandma was a great seamstress. She sewed amazing things, including clothes for my mom's Barbie doll, but we didn't live close enough to see her in action. I've dabbled and faked it, but now that I have a new, nice machine, I wanted to learn more...

Today I want to take the time to join in with A Heartfelt Thank You To Art ( a wonderful idea put by Stephey at Marked by the Muse ) Thank you for giving me gifts              love inspiration       community connection to other artistic souls a reminder to take time for myself excitement for trying new things the ability to express myself a way to share my heart a happy heart passion beauty life I am also "sew" grateful today because I got a new sewing machine this weekend which means more fun and adventure!

Does anyone remember reading, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day ? It used to be a favorite of mine. Yesterday, Rebecca was reading it at school while I seemed to be living it. It was just one of those days. I woke up to a dreary, rainy day, not your typical California spring day. I had stayed up too late the night before enjoying the quiet of a sleeping house, so I was now exhausted. My mind was also distracted because we were awaiting medical test results for a loved one. Ultimately, the day turned out fine. Good news came back from the doctor. But for the majority of the day, it was terrible, horrible, no good, and very bad. This seemed to be even more exaggerated when I got to work. With my sour mood came sour patients. Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't taking my mood out on my patients (nobody got an eye poked out, remember I am an eye doctor). It just seemed like my bad day was bringing in the crankier and more demanding patients. My negative mo...

For the past couple weeks my thoughts have been haunted by something I read. I've been yearning for a happier and simpler existence (I imagine I'm not alone in this wish). So I was reading a post from Zen Habits (a blog I learned of from Ali Edward's blog) about the 38 life lessons he's learned in his 38 years. I must admit I didn't get through the entire list because the first several gave me so much to think about. There were quite a few that spoke to me, but #13 really got stuck. It kept playing over and over in my head: "13. You will miss a ton, but that’s OK. We’re so caught up in trying to do everything, experience all the essential things, not miss out on anything important … that we forget the simple fact that we cannot experience everything. That physical reality dictates we’ll miss most things. We can’t read all the good books, watch all the good films, go to all the best cities in the world, try all the best restaurants, meet all the great people....

"Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present, which very few of us do." ~Jean de la Bruyere I've been meaning to share an experience I had several weeks ago so I thought today is as good as any to share. It all started with what I felt was an unfortunate event--a loose temporary crown that needed fixing. Long story short, the newly scheduled dental appointment left me with a few hours to kill away from home (so as not to waste gas) with Katherine, my three year old. Luckily the weather was beautiful (we had just come off a week filled with rain), so I took Katherine to an outdoor shopping center with fountains, play areas, and a train. As I enjoyed my time with Katherine, away from my chores and household duties, I realized several things. I don't spend nearly enough time enjoying Katherine. I'm fortunate to work only four days a week and Rebecca goes to school, so I'm blessed with several mornings of just me and Kat. And what do I do...

"Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall at last unveil." ~John Ruskin Last night I had the pleasure of attending a lecture at the Crocker Art Museum . Now this wasn't your standard art lecture, it was about "sculpting" a career in the arts (a lofty dream of mine, I suppose). It was presented by local artist, Gayle Rappoport Weiland . She had tons of useful information and inspiration to share. I had been feeling a bit stressed by life, and this class was just right to lift me back up. Gayle was really good about reminding us that anything is possible. We just have to to put our minds to it and take action--a common theme in my life lately. So here's to believing in ourselves, dreaming, and taking action. Happy Wednesday!

Be Happy , originally uploaded by byjen . I'm having a little trouble focusing on the good stuff right now. Thought I could use a little reminder to appreciate the beauty of life.....and Be Happy!

"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." ~Lin Yutang "There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one." ~Jill Churchill "A mother may only hold her children's hands for a while, but she holds their hearts forever." ~ unknown "Cleaning up with children around is like shoveling during a blizzard." ~unknown "I want my children to have all the things I couldn't afford. Then I want to move in with them." ~Phyllis Diller

Dream by Priscilla Ahn I was a little girl alone in my little world who dreamed of a little home for me. I played pretend between the trees, and fed my house guests bark and leaves, and laughed in my pretty bed of green. I had a dream That I could fly from the highest swing. I had a dream. Long walks in the dark through woods grown behind the park, I asked God who I'm supposed to be. The stars smiled down on me, God answered in silent reverie. I said a prayer and fell asleep. I had a dream That I could fly from the highest tree. I had a dream. Now I'm old and feeling grey. I don't know what's left to say about this life I'm willing to leave. I lived it full and I lived it well, there's many tales I've lived to tell. I'm ready now, I'm ready now, I'm ready now to fly from the highest wing. I had a dream.......

After my epiphany/pep talk the other day, I finally got myself going. I started working towards my good health goals again. I worked out on our ellipse Saturday and started the Couch to 5K program yesterday (and ran today!). I even ate all the healthy things my husband lovingly packed in my lunch on Saturday, which in itself is a small victory. I'm notorious for leaving the carrot and celery sticks uneaten, simply carrying the same baggie back and forth in my lunch for days. There have been studies showing how sugar-addicted mice would rather starve than switch from their sugary, junk food diet to a healthy diet. Unfortunately, I sometimes feel like one of those mice, even though my diet is not really that full of junk. I just don't seem to crave that bag of carrots and celery. So I'm working on other easy alternatives to get in my rainbow of healthy food. I have already begun to enjoy the quiet time that walking/running gives me to think. You could say I came to anoth...