Relaxation

Tonight after work, we’re heading for Ventura. Yeah for a weekend of rest and relaxation!!

Follow the Line _________

 

I’m a big fan of children’s books. I think I inherited this love from my mom who collects childrens books. I’m always excited when I discover new and innovative new books for kids. Recently I was introduced to Laura Ljungkvist’s Follow the Line books. So far there are three books in the series, Follow the Line, Follow the Line Through the House, and Follow the Line Around the World (coming soon, May 2008). The concept is very simple but very unique. The premise of the book is:

“Follow the line, indeed, as it loops, curves, and winds across cityscapes, landscapes, buildings, animals, trees, sky, and water from early-morning traffic to night. Each deep-hued page encourages a counting of images printed over a busy, endless black line as it outlines figures (and faces) in a succession of graphics imprinted with complementary color shadings. The line simply propels readers on to the next image, question, and page, e.g., How many striped shirts can you count? How many traffic cones can you count? How many cars have their headlights on? An entrancing counting game with a search through detailed art, this title doubles as a vocabulary builder for the youngest readers and includes shapes, colors, and patterns in the search. Following the creative loops and squiggles of the line is entertaining in itself. Ideal for one-on-one sharing.”     From School Library Journal, Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX 
                                                                                                                                      

“Open the front door and step inside a house exploding with patterns, colors, and Laura Ljungkvist’s signature line! Young children can follow the line through every room, discovering hidden surprises. From the kitchen with its stocked refrigerator, to the playroom brimming with toys, to the basement with its shiny toolbox, this house is filled with visual treasures.Questions prompt children to count, identify colors, and find matching elements. The deceptively simple geometric art invites hours of observation and helps build important pre-math skills.”    Book Description
 

I definitely need to add these to my collection. The graphics are wonderful!! Check out Laura’s website.

Egg Plant

Egg Plant is my new favorite vegetable. We had it in our spagetti sauce last night and last week I ordered it from Akbar in Pasadena. SO YUMMY!!!

Puffy Voile

The new Pottery Barn Catalogue came in the mail yesterday and so far I’m SUPER in love with these pillows. I think I might pick up a couple of the yellow ones for our bedroom. So pretty!! I would love the comforter that goes with it (the one peeking out from under the floral cover) but having a dog = duvet covers get dirty and ruined very quickly. The best part is the pillows are on sale for $19-29.

Puppy Love

These t-shirts and onesies from BellaBluDesigns are REALLY CUTE!! Especially since they have one that looks like Dottie (minus the corgi ears). I’m excited because Martha Stewart had Christy Hodgson from BellaBluDesigns on the show today and she demonstrated how to make these super cute shirts. The instructions are on Martha’s website along with a dog template. I wish they would have included the weiner dog template.

Butterfly Punch

I really want to try making this lovely butterfly piece shown on Black Eiffel. Here are the directions. So easy!!!

Squirrel Hunting

Who doesn’t love a good Dottie photo first thing Monday morning She’s hunting squirrel hunting.

Cozy Eggs

 

This weekend was really busy!!!! We went bowling, drank beer at Lucky Baldwin’s Belgium Beer Fest, helped my sister-in-law move, picked up my cousins from Disneyland, I got my hair cut, my husband went to photography show….wow, I’m exhausted just listing everything. Overall it was a VERY crammed two days. I did manage to have a few hours on Saturday morning/early afternoon to just sit around and veg. Along with my lovely outfit (below), I also received the cutest egg cozies from Germany. After my hair cut on Saturday, I stopped at Anthroplogie and picked up two egg holders so I could use my cozies. Fun times in our house!!!

Oscar Highlights

The Oscars were kind of a waste of time. They weren’t horrible, they were just kind of blah….like most of the major award shows. My favorite parts BY FAR were when Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova sang “Falling Slowly” from Once and then their acceptance speaches when they won for Best Original Song. I just liked how sincere and happy they were. Yeah Jon Stewart for letting Marketa Irglova come back out and finish her acceptance speech. I felt so bad for her when they cut her off. I’m also glad that Diablo Cody won for Juno.

Toys Galore

Someone in our house has too many toys!! I won’t mention names….