the Art Barn gets a bed

The one thing lacking in the Art Barn is a place for Ross. I want him to come hang out when I am sewing but the floor is very hard and he usually ends up reading or playing the ukulele on a chair outside. In the same weekend I sold the doll house, we found a "FREE" bed frame in someone's yard {Yes I take "FREE" things out of people's yards}. So now we have a little place for someone to stay or a place to play the ukulele.

I hung up some of the letters I found in France and I finally have a place for my Hudson Bay Blanket that I got a couple years ago at the Irvine flea market. Oh and not sure if you can see but on the right of the bed is my Samantha French print that I must put in a frame... immediately.

PS. Bianca you are funny, love you!

lazy Labor Day

A few rented movies, park with cousins, lots of laundry, a few Brig fish tacos, beers with friends, a hug from Vanessa, the new Arcade Fire on repeat, breakfast with GiGi and a date to the flea market. Just a simple, quiet weekend at home. I wish I could say that we moved into the 'new' house... maybe next weekend.

Went to the flea market for bedside tables and a mail box. Came home with; a chair for Henry, 2 turtle shells, a book of Dairy coupons, a quilt top and a roll of wallpaper... that is what I call a successful flea market mission.

Oh one more thing... follow me over to My Pretty Mommy for my 'Fall Must Have'.

avocado, tomato & mozzarella

I feel like I could eat this salad for all three meals. I had it for the first time a couple weeks ago and I can not get enough {I know it seems really obvious but it was the secret ingredient that did it for me}.
For 2 people {as a meal}:
3 medium size tomatoes
2 avocados
2 big balls of fresh mozzeralla
a little bit of olive oil
salt & pepper
Here is the secret ingredient Bragg Liquid Aminos

or you can always do Balsamic {Ross was not crazy about the Bragg... I love it and love that it is so healthy... it is so yummy on some good short grain brown rice too.... mmm!}

happy 3 day weekend... yeah. ox, Alexis

felt wall

Felt has got to be one of the most underrated textiles that there is. Almost every time I look over at the wall of felt at Yardage Town I think... what the heck? who buys that? Now I know... ME! So there was a huge wall of felt at the the New Children's Museum in San Diego. It is so cute. There is a basket with scissors and pieces of felt to make your own objects to stick on the wall. Rather than giving Henry scissors to make his own {which will eventually come down the road} I have been obsessed with making them for him. I haven't gotten the board done yet {our house is busting at the seams as we wait to move our rooms around} but my idea is to staple gun a large strip of blue felt on top and green on the bottom of a piece of plywood. I am going to screw that on to the wall and let Henry have fun with all the pieces that I have made.
What else should I make?

happy weekend.

I feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel.

This week is paint, tile, and flooring. If all goes as planned I think we could actually sleep in our new room this weekend. I am so excited. I feel like we are getting a new house! Plus this weekend has been so nice with my guys. A couple bar-b-ques {why do I feel like summer has just started?}, the farmer's market and the New Children's Museum. Plus I am feeling inspired to blog a bit more this week.

The New Children's Museum downtown {San Diego} is hands down the cutest place for kids in San Diego {just my opinion}. It is three levels of bouncing, dress up, painting, clay, riding, watching, building, and exploring. We bought a pass and I can not wait to go again. Henry could have spent 2 more hours running around. With the remodel Henry will be moving into our room and I am going to make it a bedroom/playroom, I got tons of ideas from the museum. First I love the idea of changing around his train table.... maybe one week it is trains and the next week it is blocks. Also I fell in love with their wall of felt and I am working on my own right now {I will post more this week on the subject}.
Here's to the start of a great week... ox, Alexis

PS. I am so excited for Mad Men tomorrow night {I know we are a day behind with Apple TV}. I feel like it is getting so much better {I have been so depressed over the big divorce and feel like Don has just been nose diving... until last week!... he's back!} and I am finally starting to get over the loss of Betty. Did she basically get written out, or what!? BTW I hate that her husband's name is Henry. Does Joan look way hotter this season?... she is still my fav.

I interrupt this short blog break to...

...brag about my sister.
Here is her first video to recieve Executive Producer Credit for the Masses! Vanessa you are amazing! I am so proud of you.

And speaking of fabulous women my mom told me today that my grandmother was voted "most likely to fight for equal rights for woman", in her senior yearbook, 1948!! I love that little Larita tidbit. I miss her.

Now I must go back to cleaning dust... ;).

PS. more blog foder on Vanessa here

day forty two

It has been 42 days of construction: lots of dust, meetings at 7am {with no bra and un-brushed teeth} and all day evacuations with Henry ... BUT... there is an end insight. We have the worlds best contractor, he has managed to be on budget and a month early {which is a much appreciated blessing from above}. We are planning to be done in 3 weeks which is so hard to believe and so amazingly exciting. I am thrilled to get our 'new & improved' nest back... here are some snaps over the last 43 days.

day 6

day 28

day 36

PS. go here for day one

PPS. Thank you so much for all of your kind words and prayers the last couple weeks... you are all so good to me... oxo

11.20.31 - 8.14.10

Hopefully these two photos tell you all how amazing my grandma was {typing the word 'was' instantly brings me to tears}. The first photo on the left is her with her boyfriend at the time, "Mr. Universe." I am not kidding... look him up Roy Hillagen. She was really into weight lifting {last week her brothers told me that she was trying to be 'in the movies'}. Her and her friends would spend hours lifting weights in their little bikini's that they sewed {she taught me to sew on a napkin when I was 5 and on a machine at 12}... any way she was the "West Coast Weight Lifting Champion" no joke, there is a huge trophy to prove it. The other photo is of her in Yosemite... her favorite place on Earth. She would sew her own tents and sleeping bags. And on top of her sense of adventure she was the most beautiful lady. Even moments before she passed away she was still radiant.

I miss her so much and am so so sad that she isn't here any more. She was 79 and I thought that I would have had many more years of her smell, her stories and her country music. I miss you so much Grandma... I hope you are showing everyone in Heaven your moves {she was an amazing dancer}.

Grandma I know you always said the best thing a woman could wear on her face was a smile... I am trying so hard but I miss you so much.

my sweet sweet Grandma

A week ago today my sweet sweet Grandma had a stroke, she has been rapidly declining since and is now resting at my mom's house with the care of hospice. Although I am filled with sorrow and miss her dearly I have been overwhelmed by all of the little miracles that she keeps showing me as she rests peacefully in here final days. She has brought my entire family together and she continues to show us love. One of my favorite little miracles has been this poem that she wrote. I have read it to her a dozen times.

Grandma you are a fairy and it is okay to fly away. We will miss you dearly but your memory will live forever. I love you with all my heart.
- Punkin

forced temporary {blog} retirement

When I got back from France I knew that there would be a lot going on with the house and a big install that I have for a client BUT I had no idea that it would force me to take a break from blogging. I have so much to say!! I still have to tell you about my new friends and the hat mill that I raided and give you all a little show & tell but they are breaking through the walls of my house which means I am loosing my desk. Yesterday while I was on my computer a clock fell on my head. I am taking it as a sign. At first I thought I could just blog a few times a week and now I know I need to blog when I can find a place to plug in my computer {and it's not a lap top ;)}... I will be back and will have lots and lots to share. In the meantime my newest sweet friend Jeanne at a Bushel and a Peck has been blogging daily about our trip to France, go check her out!
Sending lots of love and light... ox, Alexis

Lizzie's art studio

The owner of the Chateau, Lizzie, is an artist and extremely talented. Many of the groups that come spend hours crafting in her studio. We actually didn't see it until the 3rd day and I still can not get the experience out of my head. It is two stories and on the bottom floor there is a beautiful little sitting area, with hats, books and other such notions. When you walk up the painted stairs you still have no idea what awaits you and then there it is... the most beautiful crafting room I had ever seen. I could not stop saying {out loud} OMG! OMG!! In the hallway there was stacks of fabric, ribbon, hats, and every supply that one would ever need. It was paradise. There were nights that we would finish dinner and all of us would decide to go back to the studio to do more crafts. Most nights we didn't go to bed until 1am. If someone was in the craft room I would stop what I was doing just to go play {I didn't want to miss a thing}.

there's no place like home.

I loved every second of my French General trip but so happy to be home. Here are a couple snap shots and more trip photos to come this week... if you can't wait a few of my trip mates have posted... here & here.

Lunch in our new room ;). The foundation was poured on Friday!

It has been rainy, cold and grey all summer but this weekend the sun decided to show and we enjoyed every bit of it.

the food.

So did I mention that the food was amazing?! The first few days I was being really good and just eating what was on my plate, by the end of the trip I was getting seconds and even eating off my new friends plates. Needless to say if I was there one more day I would have had to purchase another seat on the flight home ;). Feast your eyes...

Chateau Dumas {part two}