I'm back :)

Hi peeps

I've been gone for a few months. Not really "gone" -- as in traveling the world or doing anything fun and wonderful like that. Just WORKING. :) I want to get back to bloggin' again. It feels good - ya know?! But first...I must take down my very dilapidated, dead Christmas tree tonight. I hope to post some Christmas pics from our lovely Holiday soon. Stay tuned. 

Cousins are great.

Just going through some photos taken earlier this summer and came across this one of Ella and Eliza at their great-grandmother Nan's 80th Birthday Party. Aren't they a hoot?

Martha, Martha, Martha!

Isn't this a cute idea for a child's jewelry, barrettes and pony tail holders?! That Martha - she's a genius, I tell ya! It's made with a wooden frame, spools and ribbons.

Me...Simpsonized.

I'm not a huge fan of the Simpsons, but I thought this was pretty funny anyway. If an illustrator were to cast a likeness of me on the show....here is my character in all her glory.

My new wheels.

I bought a new car last night. :)
Love it!

Sooooo proud of myself. I did ALL the research and negotiating MYSELF and ended up with an awesome deal....even better than I had hoped. So good in fact, that I paid UNDER invoice. Damn, I'm good. :)

Interested in a Honda? I recommend buying from Chris Dugas at First Texas Honda. Tell him I sent ya!

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. :-)

Springtime fun in A-town.

Last weekend -- my lil' sister, Jen, and niece, Eliza, were in town to play. Everything about the weekend was PERFECT. The weather was divine. Crystal blue skies...cool breezes in the morning... perfect for sipping coffee and walking along Lady Bird Lake. Warm afternoons...in fact weather sooooo gorgeous, one just could NOT find ANY good reason to be indoors. :)

Here are a few snapshots...glimpses of our Springtime fun in A-town.








Freddie's Place - a new fave of mine and Ella's.

i need these.

I'm really diggin' these shoes...as soon as Zappos gets my size - they're mine. :o)

Perfect Easter.

We had a wonderful time spending time with my family for the Easter holiday. Visiting Kerrville is always so calming for me. And Ella loves spending time with Mimi, Papa, Eliza, Aunt Jeni and Uncle Jeremy. Even doggies - Alli, the Golden and Cohen the yellow lab - get to tag along. :)

Arlo update = in temporary foster home

My efforts last week to try and save lil' Arlo paid off. R.O.A.R.S. Rescue group agreed to pull him from death row literally hours before his time was up. He's currently in a foster home. Over the next few weeks and months, Arlo will receive medical treatment for heartworms and will spend some time with special dog trainers to address his fear of new situations.

http://townlakedogs.phanfare.com/album/582586#imageID=38321736

Arlo...woof woof!

Going to meet this little guy at the Town Lake Animal Center today...a perfect playmate for Alli - our Golden Retriever. Stay tuned for details on how the meet-up goes! :)

Viva Terra

My Mom and I talk frequently during my 1 hour commute home from work. It's the perfect slot of time to catch up! On Friday, she was telling me about this new catalogue she received in the mail -- junk mail, you say? Not hardly! It's one of her favorites now!

It's called, "Viva Terra - Eco Living with Style". How perfect. This goes right along with the Ulitmate Green Home that I'm going to win. ;) Now I know just where I'll purchase some of my favorite home furnishings.

Ahhhhh. Love it!

http://www.vivaterra.com/pls/enetrixp/!stmenu_template.main

daily thought = st. paddy style

"Never iron a four-leaf clover, because you don't want to press your luck."

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

hipples.

Ella said the funniest thing tonight when I was putting her to bed. She was snuggling with me - as she always does when 'lay down with her for 5 min'. She had her arm around me and rubbed her hand across my chest and said, "Are those your hipples?"

I said, "Yes honey, those are Mommy's nipples", trying not to laugh. Ella followed by saying, "Yeah, those are Mommy's nickles."

I couldn't help but giggle silently to myself. :o)

Ahhh...the innocence of childhood.

front row to hipster scene = SxSW 2008.

I stepped outside my office door at 4:30 pm this afternoon and snapped a few pics of the SxSW characters that had been strolling past my window all week long...

gonna win this.

So HGTV is giving away the Ultimate Green Home. The pictures are beautiful. I'm in love. It's just perfect...and it's gonna be MINE! :o)

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/green_home/

The natural feel is so comfortable - yet sophisticated. Oh, how it inspires me to upgrade things in my own home. I feel like re-decorating! Uh oh...I've got the bug.

.daily.thought.

I get a "Daily Thought" e-mailed to me everyday from my favorite magazine, Real Simple.

This one is especially nice.

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

bestest bd ever.

So...I had a birthday last Friday. And I have to say - my family, friends and co-workers made it uber uber special. Hubby showered me with gifts every day for 4 days leading up to the big day. The best part about that...it was TOTALLY his idea! And it was adorable to see how much he enjoyed doing that for me. Too, too cute for words.

My 'lil sis "birthday-ed" up my office at work on Wednesday. Complete with colorful polka dot confetti, bubbles and play dough. I loved it! She even brought me the hippest cupcakes in town...sold directly from an airstream camper on South Congress Avenue. Right on. And waaaay yummy! After she decorated my office, we went to have a drink on the patio at Hotel San Jose. We tried their famous "Michelada"...a mixed drink of Mexican beer and Bloody Mary-esque spices. Slurp, slurp. YUM.

On Thursday, my girl pals - Katie and Jami - took me for lunch at Ranch 616. I had their fried oyster sandwhich on foccacia bread. The oysters were soooo good. Then creme brulee for dessert. Thanks gals...y'all are the BEST!

Thursday evening when I arrived home from work, I had a special package on my front porch from my Mom and Dad. It was full of wonderful surprises. A really fun dress and cool sweater bought from a boutique in Aspen and an awesome silver cuff bracelet and earrings from a artisan store in Breckenridge, CO. I love my stuff, Mommy and Daddy! Muah!

On the morning of my birthday, I arrived at work to find a GORGEOUS flower arrangement created and arranged for me by my co-workers. It was super sweet! Katie gave me bag full of chocolate kisses and old fashioned candied necklaces and candy dots. :) How fun! And Ella thinks the idea of a necklace made of candy is about the coolest thing she's EVER seen. Ahhhh to be young.

Later in the day, Tiff's Treats were delivered to the office, courtesy of FG SQUARED in honor of my b-day. Double yum. As if that were not ENOUGH already...my co-workers then called a meeting in the conference room at 4pm to give me ANOTHER gift. OMG! Inside the adorably-wrapped box was a gift card to my absolute favorite store...Anthropologie. I still can't believe they did that!

The cherry on top was dinner that night with Neil and Ella at the Cheesecake Factory - complete with singing waiters.

I mean this, everybody...thank you thank you thank you for making this the bestest bd ever. It's one that I will never forget.

.beautiful day.

Oh how I love a spring day. It's March 11 here in Austin, TX...the Red Bud trees are in FULL, glorious bloom. It's almost as if the landscape has become an impressionist painting - with bright pink brush strokes almost everywhere you look. I love it.

The sky is the most perfect shade of blue imaginable...and the birds are singing their best ensembles outside my office window. The anticipation of the SXSW Music Festival is high!

Oh SPRINGTIME...how I love thee.