sofa art.

Ahhhh yes. Ella surprised us Sunday morning with some of her creativity. This is what I woke up to...Neil lightly touching my shoulder, saying:

"Babes, Ella did something really naughty. She drew pictures on our sofa with Crayola markers."

SHE DID WHAT?!!

Needless to say, I was not a happy Mommy. Yes, they are washable. But I have not even attempted to remove it, yet. Won't that just create a HUGE BLOB? It'll bleed into a GI-NORMOUS BOO BOO on the arm of my sofa. Ugh.

I'm coming to terms with this new addition to our home ART COLLECTION. Until now, we've had some lovely masterpieces proudly displayed in our "gallery".



Now -- we can (ah-hem) proudly display our one-of-a-kind FURNITURE.

my country tis of thee.

What could be sweeter than a 4 year old toting around her country's flag ALL DAY on Memorial Day?!! Each morning, Ella almost always chooses a toy (or an object) which becomes her favorite item of the day. The item travels to and from errands with us and even sleeps along side her at bedtime.

Today is Memorial Day. Ella innocently picked up an American flag as her item of choice for the day. I thought this was amazing -- especially given that she had no idea the significance her choice held. As she was proudly waving her flag around this morning, I explained to her that today was a very special day. Today we honor our military and our veterans. We salute the men and women who have fought for our Country to defend Her freedom.

Ella has recently learned the Pledge of Allegiance and My Country Tis of Thee at her pre-school. She and I recited them together many, many times today. Here is a clip of Ella's tribute to our country...pajamas and all. :) {pardon the sideways shot -- oops!}

atonement.

FINALLY saw this.



Brilliant. Just brilliant. Cinematography and music were superb. Will see again. A new fave of mine!

need a smile? check out my song of the day.

Jen came to Austin yesterday to paint a mural for a gal here in town. (Can't wait to see your masterpiece, Jen!). She stayed with me last night. We had a great evening together. We even ate FireBowl on our back patio in the warm breeze. NICE!



Jen has a knack for discovering cool music. Check out the song I have posted on my blog today. I hope I don't offend anyone. But my sister and I have a quite a silly sense of humor. Love you, Jen!

horseshoe bay getaway.

The 3 of us escaped to Horseshoe Bay for a little 2-night vacation last weekend. Nothing but RELAXATION. It was divine. I even got some much needed spa pampering....manicure...pedicure...and facial. Sooooo awesome. Thank you, honey. :)

Ella was unsure at first what her feelings were about this place. After she settled-in to the routine of playing in the pool and getting to ride the elevator up and down to our hotel room -- she decided that it wasn't such a questionable deal after all. In fact, during breakfast on Sunday morning, as we sat on the outdoor patio, she said, "Mommy, I like this place."

The hotel concierge gave Ella a "Kid's Fun Package" when we checked-in -- including a disposable camera. This was a HUGE hit with my little photographer-in-training. She called them "photograss". Isn't that the cutest?!! Neil has already developed her 2 rolls of film. They didn't turn out half bad!


The Kid's Fun Package...


Ella's 1st disposable camera was a big hit.


Cute!


Trail of Ritas....a la Stacy.


Mexican style seafood cocktail. YUM.


Intrigued by the Palm Trees.


Sunset in paradise.


Our angel.


One last dip in the pool before we roll out.

there are no words.

Thank you, leigh anne -- for sharing this with me. I now feel compelled to share it also.

What am I speaking of, you ask? Take some time to visit this blog. It's the story of Matt, Liz and Madeline -- a young family rocked to the core by an unthinkable tragedy. Matt and Liz, a young couple in their early thirties, were expecting their 1st child this Spring. Little Madeline came early -- very premature, but healthy. Just 24 hours after baby Madeline's birth, Liz died unexpectedly of a pulmonary embolism, just as she was getting out of her hospital bed to go visit her baby girl in the NICU for the 1st time. Unthinkable and horrific.

Matt's blog is compelling, heart-wrenching and will make you think very hard about complaining of your life's little hardships. Take a moment and step into Matt and Madeline's world. Perspective is a powerful thing.

Succulent garden fit for a Queen.

...Queen Mom - that is! Jen and I gave this beautiful succulent collection to Mom for Mother's Day. Isn't it grand?!

For all my Austin pals, this was created at a wonderful garden store called PlantEscape Gardens on South 1st Street. Owned by a mother and son -- it is definitely a new favorite nursery of mine. I helped create this arrangement from scratch -- hand selected the pot, all the plants and even the recycled glass that is sprinkled on top of the soil for an added artistic touch. I received close to an hour of individual customer service from the owner herself. Super nice.

You can also purchase living compost tea by the gallon...organic ingredients brewed from fungus, molasses and bat guano will delight the roots of your plants!

Go visit them. Let's support local Austin small business!

Mother's Day = 3 gens.

We had the most wonderful Mother's Day in Kerrville this past weekend. Oh, how I love spending time there with my Mommy and Daddy. It's like a perfect resort vacation, just a leisurely 2 hour drive through glorious hill country -- away.


Delicious dinner on the back patio.




Saturday morning - story time!


I love me some cactus.


MY gorgeous Mom. Love you!


Off to the pool we go...


Ella and her precious Papa.

Jen, JK and Eliza - we missed you!!

.picasso in training.

My niece, Eliza Dawn (age 3), created this wonderful likeness of me on the white board in my office. She and her mommy, Jeni Lizi, popped in a few months back to hang with me for lunch.



Jen and I stood in amazement as Eliza whipped out this artistic rendition of her Auntie Stacy. I love it, 'lil Liza! I admire your work every day. :o)

Happy art on a rainy day.

Jen and I went to the neatest art festival in Austin several weekends ago. With the girls in tow, we explored the many creative booths set-up in downtown Austin that day. It was so fun!

Jen bought me a WONFERDUL iron flower for my birthday. How adorable is this?! I've now found a wonderful sunny spot in my backyard for this beauty. I will enjoy it over and over...even on gloomy, rainy days like today.

Thanks, Jen. You're the best. :-)