Checking In

I hope y'all all had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying your time between Christmas and the New Year. I am back at work, but I had a lot of great time off with my husband and kids. Aside from HB, I have hardly seen the other Three Rights and a Left Girls over the holiday, so I am looking forward to catching up with them sometime soon.

Our Christmas was great! One highlight -- my girls got guitars from Santa. Neither one knows how to play, but that doesn't stop them from strumming them constantly while singing whatever Taylor Swift song comes to mind at the moment. It is really cute but really loud and not necessarily pleasant-sounding.

I am hoping that they will soon learn to actually play something that sounds nice. And then maybe they will turn into little Taylor Swifts and become rich and famous and take good care of me.

Or something like that.

And The Farmer isn't any better. He seems to think that he is some great guitar hero, but he also knows not a lick of guitar. He just holds it and strums really fast like he is Charlie Daniels on the fiddle.

It isn't quite as cute as when the girls do it.

I hope y'all are having a much quieter time than I am! How were your Christmases?

Trixie

Etsy is my new obsession!

Well hello friends!

I hope the start to your Christmas week has been going well. Mine has been lovely. We drove home to New Orleans and arrived on Saturday, and we have been enjoying spending time in the city with my family and our friends. Not being at work has given me some time to think about my Etsy post! I have to admit, that I am an Etsy newbie, so please forgive me for not having more Etsy knowledge than the other girls.

I too absolutely LOVE LiliBugBoutique. This shop has the cutest bows I have ever seen. What will I do if we don't have a little girl!?!?!?! I could look through the selection of bows at this shop for hours! They are just too cute for words. So here's a picture of one of my favorites!

I found this cute little seller, Ninu, who makes handbags and other apparel. I really love the Piccola Ninfea Pouch in Toasted Brown. I think this bag would add such a cute little something special to any outfit, and the craftsmanship is amazing!!

One of my favorite shops has to be Single Stone Studios. They sell vinyl wall graphics in absolutely AMAZING patterns and colors. I love the sleek, contemporary styling of their work. We will likely be renting a condo when we move home, and I am almost certain that the landlord will not want us painting the walls there. They are currently fourteen feet of white space, and I think these graphics would be the perfect way to add life, color, and character into the space. This one featured with the cherry blossoms and birds is my favorite!

Finally, the shop I am most excited about introducing to you is Lauren Alsop Custom Papers. Lauren is a good friend of my sister's who graciously donated her time and amazing talent to creating a logo for a new business venture my sister is taking on (more about that soon. I can't wait to tell you about it!!!). Lauren has recently opened her shop which features beautifully designed custom papers. From wedding invitations, save the dates, baby announcements, and personal stationery, she can create absolutely anything. Having spent one evening with Lauren working on Sissy's logo, I was so incredibly impressed with the knowledge, creativity, and care she puts into her work. While I loved everything in her shop, I thought these thank you notes were especially fabulous!! And what I really can't wait to do is show you the stationery, logos, business cards, and menus she has created for Sissy. You have never seen anything quite so cute, I promise!!!

I still do find Etsy a little overwhelming! We'd love to hear about your favorite must stop shops!! Please share...

LOLA

MIA

some Christmas cuties (don't know why Sassy

had to pull out the crazy eyes...)

Hello! It's Trixie...

I am sorry to say that I don't have an Etsy post in store for you yet. I am just getting into all of the wonderfulness that is Etsy, so I will have a post for you later...

I just wanted to drop in for a minute to wish y'all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you are all getting to sit back and enjoy this wonderful season a little more than I am. I am running around like a crazy person trying to get all sorts of last minute things done, going from one child's performance/celebration to another, and redecorating my tree every 10 minutes because Bubba likes to undecorate the tree. And there has been plenty of eating and celebrating in between.

I have enough done, though, that I get to spend most of tomorrow baking, watching movies, and snuggling with my chillens. And that will be the best day, if you ask me!

I am going to go ahead and guess that we will pretty much be MIA around here for the next several days -- as I am sure y'all will be, too. So, if I don't check back in before, have a wonderful Christmas!

I heart Etsy!

I'm so glad that Angela requested a post about Etsy, because Etsy is one of my specialties---shopping specialties, that is! I love Etsy so much, and can honestly say that almost everything I buy online is from either Etsy or Ebay. I was showing a friend my baby's nursery today and didn't realize how much had come from Etsy or Ebay until I started looking around---the bedding, three pictures, the fabric for the pillows, the changing pad cover, the wall letters, and even the sound machine all came from Etsy or Ebay. I love finding a good bargain, and love when I can buy handmade even more.

Here are some of my favorite Etsy sellers---all are kid/baby related, but since I'm a full time mama that's pretty much what my world revolves around!

1. The Polka Dot Tot Spot has the cutest stuff, but the cloth play blocks and jingle balls are my favorites. They make great baby gifts and the prices can't be beat! I like the fact that you can throw these into the washing machine and you know they aren't going to have any crazy chemicals/lead/toxic paint that so many of us worry about being in our children's toys.
2. The Sassy Stork makes the best car seat covers. When I ordered mine, she was making custom covers for only $50---I just had to send her two yards of coordinating fabric and she created the most adorable car seat cover for my little one (not the one pictured below, but it's just as cute). I don't see that she's doing custom orders right now, but you it couldn't hurt to ask if you're interested!
3. Bits for Baby is one of my all-time favorite Etsy sellers. I've bought pretty much every onesie that she has made for baby boys, and at only $8 each, they're a steal! She's on hiatus until after the holidays but this is one shop you must bookmark and check back after the new year. You won't be disappointed!
4. I had Little Cupcakes make the green outfit on the left for my 2 year old and it's one of my favorite outfits she has ever worn. Little Cupcakes also has a website that has a more extensive list of products. LOVE this!
5. My daughter was born with more hair than a lot of toddlers have, so she's been wearing hair bows since she was just a couple of weeks old. Through the years I've bought many a bow, but LiliBug Boutique might just have the cutest and biggest array of bows I've ever seen. This pumpkin bow is in our collection, along with many other LiliBug bows.

6. Itzhero is also on break until January 8th, but it's one of my favorite shops for toddler gifts. Every child loves a super hero cape, and these can be customized with the child's name and any assortment of colors you'd like. I've given this as a gift a few times and it's always a hit.

That's all for now, but I'll be back soon!

Love, Muffie :)

Etsy Weekly

HoneyBun here. One of our readers asked us to feature some of our favorite Etsy finds on our blog. I'll start. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one around this weekend so I have some extra time on my hands.

1) Tiny Victorian Key Necklace: I love tiny silver necklaces and this one is even BETTER because it has a few little sparkles.
2) Quirky Animal Prints: I have always loved these prints by Sharon Montrose. She takes animals and puts them in a minimalist setting. They are odd and interesting. A modern twist on the animal print idea.



3) This Laura Gunn hoodie: This is a splurge but I am obsessed with all Laura Gunn fabrics...especially when used on this doll baby.


4) Last but not least, do you have something that you plan to use as an heirloom? CommonThreadCottage hand embroidered Duck's Christening gown. This seller was a breeze to work with and we'll definitely use her again.

Wedded Bliss

Today Doc and I are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary. I can hardly believe it has been that long! Seriously where does the time go?

Marriage is an amazing thing when you think about it, isn't it? Two people choose to walk the journey of their lives together not knowing where it might take them but knowing that together it will be better than it could ever be alone. I am thankful everyday that Doc chose me as the person he wanted to walk through life with. From the very day I met him, he has made me strive to be the best version of myself. Admittedly, I often fall short of this goal, but he never stops seeing me for my best self which make me want to continue to be better.

I have always been in love with weddings. When I was in 8th grade, I asked for a subscription to Bride's magazine for Christmas because I wanted to be a dress designer. I would spend hours reading the magazine and tracing all of the dresses in it. At the time, my fascination with weddings had less to do with marriage itself than it did with dresses, flowers, and dancing. And even as we were planning my wedding it was difficult to put this aspect of the wedding on hold to focus on the most important part of the celebration - the joining of two lives.

The moment of our wedding I will never forget was when they opened the door to the church. It was as though my whole life was sitting there in that room. My parents, my sister, my childhood friends, my college roommates, and the friends I had just made. It was like a map of my entire life up to this point with people marking all of my life experiences. They are the people who bandaged my first scraped knee, held my hand on the first day of school, giggled with me at my first sleepover, cried with me over my first heartbreak, helped me get ready for my first date with Doc. They are the people who have helped weave the fabric of who I am. As I walked in, pew by pew, I realized that they represented every stage of my past. And when I got to the alter and I really saw Doc for the first time, it was like seeing my future. Standing there holding his hand I saw all of the memories ahead us. And the people of my past were bearing witness to our future. That evening at 7:30 pm, if only just for a moment, all was right in the world.

LOLA

Desperately seeking...

Hello again! This is HoneyBun. I may have mentioned in another post that I would really like the Barbour International Jacket for Christmas. Well there is a problem: there aren't ANY available in my size IN THIS COUNTRY! Sad. I mean, it is technically a biker jacket, and I can't imagine there are that many bikers (or in my case, biker wannabes) out there in desperate search of this jacket this season. I have underestimated the popularity of this find.

If you have friends in English places...let me know!

Let me elaborate...

Tonight one of the rights received a threatening call from a reader saying all we write about are things like boots, Paris, etc. "Want want want" I believe was the quote. While that wasn't an entirely wrong synopsis, let's be honest, that's sketchy and a bold move for a blog with a mere 28 posts!

We don't live in New York City...in fact, the nearest mall is actually in another state. We live normal, busy lives like most women in their twenty and thirty somethings (and beyond). If we want to take a few minutes every few nights and write about something mindless, spoiled, ridiculous, silly or high maintenance with some of our friends, will you please placate us? This blog is all in good fun. We don't mean to hurt feelings or make anyone feel bad. Hey, and if there is an issue that you'd like for us to tackle, we'll give it our best!

Friendly reminder

Just a friendly reminder that this is a blog of random thoughts by us. If you don't like what we have to say, please don't read it. There are millions of other things out there on the internet that you can find to read if anything we say offends you. Okay? Thanks!

Inspiration!

Hello to our fifteen readers (well, okay...ten if you don't include us and my husband). This is HoneyBun. You may have noticed that I haven't posted since November. Truth be told, there is nothing that seemed compelling enough to write about until tonight. Have you seen the movie Julie & Julia? I know, cliche since it is a movie ABOUT blogging, and becoming famous via blogging (which who doesn't want to become famous if you have a blog, right?), but this movie is inspirational. If you haven't seen it, I won't give it away, but it is about someone who is basically unnoticed, inspired, and then finds the person she is supposed to be.

Some days, most days, it feels like I am barely staying afloat. Not specifically financially, though I might be hurting a little more in that department after my shopping trip with Trixie on Saturday. In general I am two parts complete disaster and one part normal functioning human being. For example, on any given day one of the following completed by the time I walk out the door: 1) my hair 2) an outfit on vs. something thrown together 3) makeup on face.

All this to say that my hope is that we all find that "moment." The moment where we are called to do something great and out of the ordinary and tough but wonderful at the same time. I'm not sure what mine is yet, but I spend a lot of time thinking about it. Actually, I may be closer than I let on because there is an idea in my head that one in every three women cannot live without but I need someone to help me actually MAKE my idea. I believe that is called a prototype so if you know of anyone who does that sort of thing please let me know!

Thank you, ten readers, for spending a little second of your day reading our thoughts.

Merry Christmas to me!

Lola, our local fashion expert, along with Trixie and HB, helped me pick out these boots as a Christmas gift from my hubby. He had the greatest of intentions and wanted to pick out boots for me, but I picked the perfect time (after several drinks at a dinner party) to convince him that it would be better for my friends to find them instead. They are from Piperlime and I am so excited for them to get here so I can try them on before wrapping them and putting them under the tree! Now I'm on the hunt for a pair of skinny jeans that will go well with them but not accentuate this post-baby-belly that I'm still dealing with (okay, who am I kidding, I had a post-baby-belly before even having children, but it's a good excuse!).

Love, Muffie :)

Nu Joisey

Oh, MTV, how I do love thee. Throughout the years, you have given me (in no particular order other than how they popped into my head) Real World, Road Rules, Laguna Beach, The Hills, Spring Break, 16 and Pregnant, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, True Life, and Engaged and Underage. I didn't think it could get any better until now. Jersey Shore is officially my newest reality addiction. I'll admit, I had to google the meaning of "guido": A guido is typically and Italian male who is damn proud of it. Normally has a fake tan and gelled up spikey hair, which is the opposite of his arms because he shaves those. He normally asks ya "How you doin" FOR REAL not for fake. They go to clubs with dance music and try and get as many girls as possible... as we say in NJ: "We don't pump our gas but we pump our fists", but I was hooked in the first five minutes of watching the show. It really doesn't get much better than fake tans, fist pumping, big muscles, provocative clothing, dancing, hot tubbing, screaming, drinking, and fighting. Love. It.

Not exactly appropriate to watch when the monkeys are awake, though. Thank goodness for DVR!

This review was brought to you by yours truly, Muffie. :)

Us

Muffie, HoneyBun, Trixie, and Lola

Now you can put our names with our faces! Thanks for reading our blog!

Diamonds (and Other Jewels) Are A Girl's Best Friend

Like most girly girls out there, I love jewelry. I don't always get jewelry when The Farmer gives me gifts, but I always have some on my list just in case he's feeling generous. Here are a couple of baubles that I have on my list this year:

Every girl needs some diamond earrings, and I think the bigger they are, the better! For now I am wearing my $15 fake ones from Target.

I think this ring is just gorgeous:

I love a big cuff bracelet, and this one is so pretty:

I have the ring to match these earrings, so I think I need these for my collection:

I do have some much less expensive things on my wish list, and those are the things that I will probably get. However, The Farmer can keep these in his file for a special occasion...

Do y'all have any big ticket items on your wish list this year?

Trixie

Three wolves and a moon

So amazon.com sells this amazing t-shirt:

Beautiful, isn't it? Don't you just want to run order one right now? No???? Well, check out some of the 1,500+ reviews, and you just might change your mind:

Dual Function Design, November 10, 2008
By B. Govern "Bee-Dot-Govern" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

This item has wolves on it which makes it intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I tried it on, that's when the magic happened. After checking to ensure that the shirt would properly cover my girth, I walked from my trailer to Wal-mart with the shirt on and was immediately approached by women. The women knew from the wolves on my shirt that I, like a wolf, am a mysterious loner who knows how to 'howl at the moon' from time to time (if you catch my drift!). The women that approached me wanted to know if I would be their boyfriend and/or give them money for something they called mehth. I told them no, because they didn't have enough teeth, and frankly a man with a wolf-shirt shouldn't settle for the first thing that comes to him.

I arrived at Wal-mart, mounted my courtesy-scooter (walking is such a drag!) sitting side saddle so that my wolves would show. While I was browsing tube socks, I could hear aroused asthmatic breathing behind me. I turned around to see a slightly sweaty dream in sweatpants and flip-flops standing there. She told me she liked the wolves on my shirt, I told her I wanted to howl at her moon. She offered me a swig from her mountain dew, and I drove my scooter, with her shuffling along side out the door and into the rest of our lives. Thank you wolf shirt.

Pros: Fits my girthy frame, has wolves on it, attracts women
Cons: Only 3 wolves (could probably use a few more on the 'guns'), cannot see wolves when sitting with arms crossed, wolves would have been better if they glowed in the dark.

And another one:

Great compliment for my skin art, May 19, 2009
By overlook1977 (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews

Unfortunately I already had this exact picture tattooed on my chest, but this shirt is very useful in colder weather.

One more...

Three wolves is just two wolves plus another wolf, May 19, 2009
By Seth G. Macy "friendship alliance" (Maine) - See all my reviews

I had a two-wolf shirt for a while and I didn't think life could get any better. I was wrong. Life got 50% better, no lie.

Okay, now go get you a wolf shirt!! With this many good reviews, there's no reason not to!!! :)

Love,

Muffie

**I totally stole this idea from my friend Katie's blog, but it was too good not to post here!**

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

I uploaded and posted our NYC photos on my blog. http://imanolagirl.blogspot.com/2009/12/nyc-recap-in-pictures.html

It's a quicker way to learn about our NYC trip than my ridiculously long post about it. And the pictures just make the whole thing come to life!

Speaking of pictures, I have asked my parents for a camera for Christmas, and I am so excited because I am pretty sure this wishlist item will be sitting under the tree come Christmas morning. I call it "the mom camera" but the real name is the Canon EOS Rebel XSi. All of our friends with little ones have them, and their pictures are always beautiful! I love that it captures moments as they happen. With the camera we have right now, you have to wait several seconds before the camera self-adjusts in order to take the shot. We miss a good deal of the real life moments waiting for our camera to "think."

For some reason, I think just by having this camera I will become a really artistic photographer who sees these magical things through the lens of my Rebel. I have a feeling there's a little more to it than that though. I would love to take photography lessons at some point so that I can understand angles and shadows and lighting, but until then I'll have to just cross my fingers and shoot from the hip.

Have you ever taken a photography class?? Or do you have any good photography tips that a novice might be able to use??

Aunt Trix

Aunt Trixie and Baby C

My brother and his wife had their baby today! She was born four weeks early, but she weighed in at 6 pounds 6 ounces and 18 3/4 inches.

And she is just precious.

Don't you just love babies?!?!?!

I Heart N.Y.

Ahhh... I'm daydreaming about our amazing trip to NYC and wondering how a week has passed since the Macy's Parade. I feel like we were just there standing in a sea of people on the corner of 68th and Central Park West squealing with excitement as Santa's sleigh turned the corner. I realized I haven't been back to post anything since then so I thought I'd do a quick little recap of our trip. For those who read my blog, you already know that I am a Type A trip planner whose itineraries are drawn up in excel and are usually focused around our meals. I wish I could say I was kidding about the excel thing, but it's no lie. I have a little spreadsheet that has columns for day, time, activity, location, address, cross street, and phone number. I swear I don't schedule nap times!!!

Anyway - here's a little daily recap that covers the highlights of our trip!

Tuesday night

• We met two of Docs brother and our sis-in-laws for a 10:45 dinner reservation at Anthony Bourdain's old stomping ground Les Halles - amazing pommes frites and Bearnaise

Wednesday

• Doc and sis-in-laws spent the morning walking through Bloomies, Prada, Gucci, Fendi, Chanel, LV. I am always reminded of Becky Bloomwood in the Shopaholic books when I walk down 5th Ave. when she recalls being a little girl watching the fancy ladies using their "magic cards." If only they didn't come with 20% APRs.
• Doc, Liss, and I wondered through the Village looking for the perfect hot cocoa and happened in on the best grilled cheese of ALL time at Hundred Acres (recommended by Gweneth Paltrow on http://www.goop.com/). Seriously it was to die for.
• Had our celeb spottings at Hundred Acres. We saw the unethical reporter from the 5th season of The Wire (best show ever on tv). And (said in the saddest voice ever) Doc, Liss, and Barn (BIL) saw the little blonde actress from 30 Rock. I was in the potty. Apparently she saw them too - they were high fiving each other over their celeb spotting and she caught them and laughed!!
• More walking through the Village until we arrived at Mariebelle for the world's tiniest cup of hot cocoa. Seriously - it was the size of a shot glass. But it was so rich that was all you could ever want. Mmmmm....
• Doc, me, Liss, and Barn walked over to my favorite bar in the entire world - McSorley's. it must be everybody's favorite b/c it was so crowded in there we thought we'd never get in, but we actually wound up with the best table in the place. They only serve their own brew and it comes in light and dark - your choice. You must order in sets of two, and you must keep drinking or they will boot you from your table. Needless to say, it is always a bit rowdy in there, but it is never fails to produce good times and great memories.
• After a bit of a nap, the whole family met up for dinner at Eatery NYC and drinks - awesome!!!

Thursday

• I have already mentioned that we went to the Macy's parade, but I had to again since it was the highlight of my trip!!!
• We watched football, and of course Home Alone
• The whole family met up for Thanksgiving Dinner at Atlantic Grill. It was wonderful.

Friday

• At this point we had moved from the East Side to the Upper West Side to stay with my wonderful friend Marie in her AMAZING apartment. We spent the morning catching up and it was wonderful.
• We started our day of at the David Yurman store on Madison where I picked out my birthday treasure. I got a ring that matched an earring and necklace set I have, and I haven't stopped staring at since we got it!!
• Mark and I walked from the Midtown to Times Square where we had lunch at Daniel Boulud's Bistro Moderne. I felt so special and fancy dining at one of his restaurants. I had the lobster bisque and it was to die for. It was rich, but not overly creamy. Perfection.
• After walking off a little of our lunch, Doc and I joined his parents and his aunt at Bye Bye Birdie!!!!! It was so good. I thought John Stamos was very charming as Albert, and it made me miss my community theatre days. I played Kim MacAfee the summer after my senior year, and seeing the show brought back such great memories.
• Mark and I managed to squeeze in a quick carriage ride through Central Park - one of our NYC traditions.
• Friday night we met back up with the whole gang at this adorable little Italian place in Nolita called Emilio's Ballato. It is Kelly Ripa's favorite date place. For good reason - they serve housemade pasta cooked to order!

Saturday

• I am a big believer in walking food tours. I think they are a great way to see a city like a local would. My favorite tours are offered by http://www.foodsofny.com/. We chose to do the Central Village/Soho tour, which I did back in April on a girls trip, and it was spectacular yet again. It is a three and a half hour walking tour of the area where you learn about the culture and history of the area all while sampling the most delicious bites of food. Highly recommended!!!
• After the tour, Liss and I did a little West Broadway shopping while the others got some rest in a cozy little SOHO bar. It was then that I discovered the wonders of Uni-Qlo. It is a Japanese clothing line that makes great casual pieces (many in cashmere) for very reasonable prices. I got a plaid tunic, cashmere scarf, beret, and black skirt for under $100. And it is amazing quality!!
• Saturday was our designated NYC friends dinner. Marie was kind enough to organize a reservation for all of us at Salumeria Rossi, a very fancy meat market and cheese shop on one side and a tapas restaurant on the other. It was delish and the company was fantastic.
• Saturday night family and friends all met up for some drinks before we wrapped up another version of the Doc family Thanksgiving!

Sunday

• Doc and I took a long walk through Central Park and took in all that is New York. It is hard to ever really find peace in the city, but the park is like a huge oasis in the middle of it all.
• We joined some family for a quick brunch at Citrus before we packed up, said good-bye to our UWS home away from home, and headed to Newark.

And so there you have it. All you ever wanted to know about out trip to NYC. After writing this, I am finding it hard to imagine how I will ever be able to put on my skinny jeans again!!!

Lola

A Must Have

I mentioned in an earlier post that I have a love for all office supplies, and I also added that my planner is one of my top three office supplies. I was browsing through Blue Eyed Bride (great blog, btw, if you haven't read it...although I don't agree with her choice of football teams...) earlier this evening, and she mentioned my favorite planner as a great gift idea. I totally agree with her, so I thought I would post it on here for any of you who may be searching for the perfect planner.

It is the momAgenda!

I have been using a momAgenda for about four years now. I started out with the spiral bound refillable planner, but last year I bought this one:

It is the momAgenda Personal Portfolio. I had wondered why momAgenda didn't have a three-ring binder type agenda, and they finally came out with one. This agenda is great because you can buy refills for the different tabs -- calendar, notes, to do, etc. -- rather than buying one prepackaged refill for the entire year. It is rather expensive, so you may not want to buy it for someone else (unless it is someone that you really love..), but it is a great investment for your personal agenda -- or at least I think so!

Here are some pictures of the inside:

If you would like to get the momAgenda as a gift, I recommend this one (stupid Blogger...why are my words blue?!?!):

This is the momAgenda Desktop. It has plenty of room to keep all of your appointments plus all of the goings-on of up to 4 kids. If you don't have kids, you can get the myAgenda, which is just as good as the momAgenda. Seriously, this thing has kept me in line for about four years now, so it has to be awesome!

I know I sound like a total saleslady, which I am not. I just really have a love for my planner and think that you would love it, too!

And, yes, I know I'm a dork...

xoxoxo, Trix