Remember when…

we went to LA? No? Why not? It’s only been several months since our trip. What’s that, you say? You never saw pictures. Well, who would be so lazy as to never post pictures of their trip? Me? Noooooo. You must be thinking of someone else… someone who’s less organized, who always posts about the boring mundaneness of life, and forgets to document exciting life happenings. Oh, wait a minute…

Well, it’s better late then never, right? Right?

Our trip was lightening fast, and given Audrie’s rehearsal and contest schedule, we didn’t have much time for sightseeing. For a quick trip, though, we sure packed as much as we possibly could do without missing the contest altogether. The first night we went to the observatory up in Hollywood Hills. It was amazing to see LA lit up. There wasn’t one spot on all of the horizon that was not saturated with light. I might have had some fantastic pictures, but I forgot the camera. [GASP!]

The next day after Audrie’s rehearsal, we went to Malibu to get in some beach time. I didn’t make the mistake of forgetting my camera this time. At this point, I will cease with the words and let you enjoy all that the pictures have to say…

After the beach, it was time for some good eats at Malibu Seafood. Yum!

Then a quick trip to the J. Paul Getty Museum, where we only had an hour to peruse the many halls of ancient artifacts, sculptures and paintings.

The next morning, we took a quick trip to the Walt Disney Concert Hall…something I wanted to see while we were there. We almost didn’t go because LA traffic had lived up to its name the night before, and the fears were that we might miss Audrie’s piano contest altogether. Thanks to the coaxing of one determined husband, though, we made our way downtown, and I’m so glad we did. Despite the fact that it was cold and rainy, I think we all thought that the place was worth the visit.

 

I won’t tell you exactly what was going on here, but it might have involved some singing…

We made it back in plenty of time to get ready and catch the bus to the piano festival.

The next morning we flew back to Texas, and that was the end of our trip.

Fast and furious, but exciting nonetheless.

xo

nessa dee

Glimpse

Since we’re recovering from a wedding, weekend in Houston, and a large lunch, our Monday’s been pretty uneventful [pretty much like every other Monday in our lives]. The only thing going on right now that’s even worth mentioning is the progress on our new banquette. Here’s a peak of what’s happening:

Isn’t it cute?

And here’s a view with the baskets that are eagerly waiting to make this banquette their new home:

Aren’t they cute?

And here’s a little kid that can’t wait to put the new banquette to good use:

Isn’t he cute?

The next few things on my agenda are to find fabric for the banquette cushion, find coordinating fabric for pillows and dining chairs, learn how to sew, make a banquette cushion, paint and recover dining chairs, refinish the table, and finally, find a seamstress who can fix my botched sewing job before I can call this project done.

I’m off to peruse the internet for fabric ideas.

Happy Monday!

xo

nessa dee

Pizza, Pizza!

The kids and I tried our hand at making pizza from scratch. I’ve tried this before with disappointing results, but I felt a little more confident this time, because I had this woman on my side:

and her recipe for pizza crust:

Armed with plenty of cheese, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, and two eager helpers, we were able to produce this:

It looked like a real pizza, but it still needed to go through the baking process. Tensions were high, I tell ya, and those 15 minutes were not stress free. But, much to my relief, I didn’t burn the thing, and the crust didn’t expand to great proportions, or shrink down to nothing. It was beautiful, picture perfect:

Golden crust, bubbly cheese, crisp Canadian bacon, dirty stove, it had all the makings of a good pizza. And the best part? It actually tasted like pizza! Success! The recipe made enough dough for two pizzas, so, guess what we’re having for dinner tonight? That’s right, pizza dough.

xo

nessa dee

IF: Twirl

xo

nessa dee

Hello, Monday!

Today…

:: We are learning about states!

and I’m learning lots of patience.

:: My studio’s coming right along…it’s much brighter than it used to be.

All it needs now is new flooring, a new light fixture, a peg board, desks, a revamped closet, plus a few special touches, and all of the junk that’s currently staying in my guest room.

:: I’m getting a banquette in the breakfast room!

:: Who wants to play Sam vs. Ninja?

:: I’m eagerly awaiting a new rug for my bedroom. No more stepping off onto a cold floor in the morning. Click on the rug to find out more.

:: I found this guy in my studio courtesy of Finn:

Squirrel Watching

That’s what one member of our family spends most of her time doing.

The other two like to spend a lot of their time teasing that one member into thinking they’ve spotted those furry-tailed creatures.

xo

nessa dee

Hello, Monday!

Today…

:: We are reading about an important historical figure.

::I’m once again looking at different floor samples. It’s funny, I don’t remember them looking so blurry.

:: We’ve been playing Bananagrams, though not as it was intended.

:: I’m searching for inspiration on how to address my almost empty studio’s storage needs.

:: I’m searching for the gumption to weed out the unnecessary craft stuff that won’t be going back into my studio. [But I might use that one day!]

:: I’m hoping to list a few things in my shop.

:: I finally framed some watercolors we bought in the Cayman Islands. Here’s what Audrie looked like when we bought them:

Hopefully it won’t take me 8 years to find a place to hang them. But when I do, I’ll be sure to take a picture of Audrie to document her age at the time.

xo

nessa dee