On Kindness...

Image via http://quote-book.tumblr.com

I've always considered myself to be a generally kind person and I certainly value kindness enough to try to make it a central theme of my parenting strategy. Kindness, empathy, and compassion - these three things alone have the capacity to make all relationships thrive- whether they be family, friends or total strangers.

Just when I thought I'd gotten all that loveliness figured out, I got great lesson recently and thought it worth sharing.

Brandon's group of friends are notorious for "Friday e-mails" where they basically send something funny (a video, a joke, ect.) around and everyone comments back and forth. Basically its like passing notes in Jr. High- actually now that I think about it, it's exactly like passing notes in Jr. High.

Anyway, one of the recent Friday e-mails was a video of a guy recording himself giving a sales pep-talk to himself with a cheesy radio sound track in the back ground. The guy is being so over-the-top-enthusiastic about his ability to sell that when you first see the video, you can't help but laugh. The guy really believes he is awesome!

Now, my brother-in-law is in sales and I thought he'd get a kick out of the video so I passed it along to him. And guess what he does? He CALLS the guy. Yep - just looks him up on the internet and calls him. He says he just wanted to figure out what made this guy tick and he wanted to reach out to him. WOW. I was dying to hear the result of the phone call; what DID make this guy tick? Why was he so confident? But once my brother-in-law reached out to him, the guy admits (through tears) that he is actually going through a really tough time financially and personally, and his wife of 14 years just left him, and on and on.

Here's the cool part. My brother in law spends the next hour consoling this guy - a total stranger- and providing whatever bit of hope and compassion he can give. What began as a punch-line to a joke, ended in a demonstration of human kindness.

It's so, so true that everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. With the internet and Facebook and video uploads its so easy just to laugh along with everyone else. But I hope that I can remember this little life lesson more frequently and take my own compassion to a deeper level.

The art of the friendship bracelet...

Image via thxthxthx.com

About a jillion years ago I remember making dozens of friendship bracelets over the summer at camp and trading with fellow campers. Did you partake in this all-American past-time as a tween? I still remember the feeling of letting go of a bracelet when I exchanged with a friend. It felt like so much time and effort had gone into the creation, so it was really an act of love to give it up. I love the purity of that - and since the friendship bracelet is totally back in style I'm planning to crank some out and give them away again-- think how fun it would be to open the mail and receive a package with one of these cuties from your grown-up friend!

Image via Honestly WTF

Image via Honestly, WTF

Image via http://oraclefox.blogspot.com/

Thanks to the internet, I don't have to track down our babysitter to give me the scoop on how to make these. Here are some online DIY tutorials I dug up...

Classic Chevron Pattern

The Diagonal Stripe

A Modern Twist

Cord and Chain

Happy Creating!

Color Crush: Coral

Image via dovecote

I'm loving the above room for the infusion of coral and the way it plays against the blue/grey walls. Also, can we talk about that chandelier? Gorgeous - and a cool contrast to the casual slip covered sofa & rustic wood door frame.

Image via tumblr

 I would wear this insanely beautiful necklace all the time. It would make a white T-shirt look so chic, no?

 

Image via Savedbythesouthernbell

 Behold the power of the bud vase- such a simple, but beautiful addition to any type of table.

Image via http://apothica.com

Sometimes you just crave a little coral on your nails. My fingers are wearing this as I type.

Image via http://isabellaandmaxrooms.blogspot.com/

 Aren't these cuffs so ladylike? I love the elegance of wearing just one piece of fancy jewelry.

Image via http://www.productappeal.com

 I have a pair of shoes this exact color, and have been surprised with just how much I wear them - I like how these have a slight heal.

Image via http://naturalsciences.org

 So beautiful! I am so ready for the beach I can hardly bear to look at pictures of the ocean... only 2.5 more weeks until we're there.

Image via http://www.thecoveteur.com

A forever dress. Seriously gorgeous at any age.

Image via theweightofperfection.com

In college, my girl-gang and I took a trip down to one of our boyfriend's ranch and spent a great amount of time floating in a river, eating copious amounts of chips and salsa and visiting with the parents of said boyfriend. I don't remember all the details from the visit (did I mention there were also lots of margaritas involved?) but I do remember the gorgeous mother that was hosting us looked so young. After a few drinks, us girls got the nerve up to ask her how it was that she looked so fabulous? Had she had work done? What was her skincare routine? We wanted to know!

I'll never forget the twinkle in her eye when she told us, "Girls, there's only one trick to looking young- exercise every.single.day." Damn it if she wasn't right.  

Over the years I've tried out lots of methods to keep in shape but nowadays, the only exercise I really crave is Bikram yoga. I love it for so many reasons - but mostly for the way it calms your mind - Oh, yeah, and the way it kicks your butt into shape no matter how many baskets of chips and salsa you indulge in on the weekends.

With the temps soaring, and both kids home with me, I've found more and more reasons to not make it into the yoga studio this summer. I've been trying to get creative with getting in a workout, but I still find it super challenging this time of year. What kind of things do you do to stay active?

Have a fun-filled weekend

Friends, we are back from San Antonio and I'm happy to report that I was right about my friend Claire's baby being a boy! What fun it was to watch them cut open that cake to find out -- the entire restaurant was on pins and needles and though we knew they would be thrilled with either gender, that daddy Peter lit up when the cake turned out to be blue. Having a boy is a totally different ball game from having a girl, don't you think? I have one of each, and can say with all certainty that even though their personalities are very similar - the differences in gender are amazing.

This weekend we have our dear Aunt Honey (Brandon's sister) visiting us and can't wait to spend time twisting her arm to move to Austin - she's considering the move anyway, but we'll turn on the charm just to be sure!

Meanwhile here are some finds from around the web this week...

Some dangerous things you should let your kids do.

Austin is getting a zero-packaging grocery store - sweet!

Fun summer-time meal in a cup.

I want to take a nap here.

What a fun idea for a play-date activity.

If I ever decided to spend crazy amounts on kids pj's here is where I'd buy them from.

A low-commitment alternative to feather extensions.

I'd wear this with everything.

Enjoy your weekend!

Pink or Blue?

Today we are heading down to San Antonio for a fun dinner party in honor of my dear friend Claire's new baby, which is due in October. This is Claire's second pregnancy - she and hubby Peter have a precious almost three year old little girl, Julianne. So here's what's happening at the party: we are finding out if baby number two is a boy or a girl when Claire and Peter cut open the cake for dessert. If the cake is tinted blue it's a boy and if it's pink its another girl! Have you heard about this fun new trend? I think it's going to be an exciting night to be sure! For the record, I'm thinking it will be blue -- but I will let you know for sure when we get back in town...

EmmersonMade Clutch

You know about EmersonMade, right? It's an amazing little husband and wife duo who live on the sweetest little farm where they churn out insanely gorgeous clothes (and gifts, and accessories and table linens). From the description I just wrote, are you thinking this stuff is going to be homely, in a craft-show inspired way? No. That's not it at all. They're originally from New York City, and have a ridic. great eye for fashion and design. Everything is really, really fine. If I could throw each item hanging in my closet away and replace it with clothes from the EmersonMade collection, I'd be ecstatic.

Right now we are really focusing on saving for our vacation in July, and then all of our August spending will be going to get the kids ready for back to school, so I'm not really in the market to be shopping for myself. However, I do really need a new wallet (mine is literally falling apart). Couldn't I use one of these little clutches as a wallet and then pull it out for date night to wear it on its on?

The only trouble now is choosing which one to get...

Sweet, Sweet Coffee

 Image via Coffee 417

As any parent of small kids can tell you, coffee is pretty much essential to making it though the day. Now I know I eagerly await my first cup in the morning, but it takes actually running out every now and then to remind me how seriously and hopelessly addicted to the stuff I've become. It happened just this morning, and I'm still not fully recovered from the trauma of it all. Let's just say, hauling both kids to central market as soon as possible was the first item of business for today.

Image via I think in Images

In Austin, we have this majorly hip local coffee guy who roasts the beans in his garage and then delivers your stash via scooter to your front door each Friday (!) His name is Robby, and his (organic, free-trade) blends are delish - plus did I mention he delivers them to your front door? I'm serious -- I  wrote about this guy over at Austin Kidbits a while back and was super excited for him when his business took off soon after that. Long live local business!

Image via Pilot House Coffee

I also usually keep a secret stash of this stuff on hand, just in case I don't make it to the next delivery. It's so affordable for the quality - and it's a strong cup that packs a great punch.

Are you a coffee drinker? What's your favorite brew?

Have a celebratory weekend!

Our Big Daddy

It's Father's Day weekend and that means grilling out, staying cool (hopefully tons of time in the water) and letting our big daddy sleep in on Sunday. Also, we'll check in with our own Fathers and let them know how much we love them. I'll be back next week with updates.

Meanwhile, here are some fun finds from around the web...

Dying laughing at these crappy illustrations. Can you identify?

This is Like Groupon for Etsy (Thanks Faye)!

Our dear friends (look for our kids!) featured on Style Me Pretty.

Enter to win a free trip for two to Paris!

How awesome is this Dear photograph site?

So Hilarious. You've seen this book, right?

Hippie/Chic - I totally need these shoes.

Enjoy your weekend!

Inspiring Work Spaces

Totally perfect, gorgeous-- and that birdcage chair-wow! Image via Delight by Design

What's your dream work space? Is it light and airy? Or dark and cozy? Do you work better with windows to look out of, or do you prefer to not be distracted?

Most of the time I spend working in our little home office is at night after the kids are asleep or on Sunday afternoon when I can steal a few hours of catch-up time. A few months ago we re-did the work space a bit with this long open desk --our computer was previously in a little cabinet that could be closed up -- I have to say the change was awesome. I like how more than one person can sit at the desk and work and how it still tucks into the hallway without being too obtrusive.

That's the new work space, tucked into the hallway behind the banquet. 

Now that I've got the space more functional, I'd love to brighten it up with a few colorful details (maybe some wall-paper?). Below, are some images for inspiration.

Love the black & gold -- & warehouse feel. Image via The Best of Rue

The rug, The pillow, The light, pretty much love it all. Image via Unplggd

Joslyn, from a-mazing Simple Lovely's work space- The killim run, wallpaper & lucite chair (Ikea!) 

Now back to work!

Rickshaw Design

As if you needed further proof for my love of all things inspired from India - check out the newest additions to the Rickshaw Design collection. Have you heard of them before, friends? It's just the most gorgeous bohemian line of clothing and bedding made from super-soft block printed fabrics.

Sweetness!

Owner Catherine Fitzsimmons describes her inspiration for the line like this:

"Watching the Indian artisans create gorgeous block printed textiles in person left me mesmerized. I fell in love with the imperfections of a block print, the saturated colors, and the true artistry and dedication that it takes to finish just one meter of fabric. I instantly knew that I wanted to incorporate those techniques with my design sensibility for pattern and color, to create a line that would be loved both by the child as well as the parent. While our customers might first be drawn in by the prints and color palette, they are won over by our quality- each piece is soft, comfortable, and truly get better with age."

Easy-breezy

Loving how all the prints mix & match together

I just ordered a few Kurtas and can't wait for them to arrive. They'll be wearable almost year-round in Texas. I'm also digging the bedding below for Harper's room. - Would. Be. So. Perfect!

Born to be wild

Image via www.naturepictures.org

One great thing about living so close to downtown is that you can go from drinking coffee in your p.j.'s at 10:30 a.m. (see, I told you we were having a lazy summer) to sitting at the IMAX theatre at 11:15 a.m. ready to watch a show you only learned about moments ago on your computer.

Today we watched a little documentary called "Born to Wild" at the Bob Bullock IMAX and save for the first 10 minutes where Morgan Freeman tells us the animals are orphaned because their mothers were killed and both kids gasped in horror asking me "Why? Why were the killed!" at the top of their lungs -- it was an all together lovely film.

In the movie, which tells the parallel stories of primatologist Birute Galdikas, who rescues orphaned orangutans in Borneo, and Daphne Sheldrick, savior of Kenya’s motherless elephant calves, we learn about how some amazing people have dedicated their life's work to taking in endangered animals with the intention of later releasing them back into the wild. It's a story about compassion, but also about patience and acceptance for what the animals have been through and where they are going.

Image via Red Bubble

In an especially sweet part of the movie, Galdikas talks about how she feels like the rain forest is a parallel to the garden of Eden and the orangutans represent that part of ourselves which we've lost - and by just observing them and just letting them be who they are, we can find a bit of our own inner joy. Watching them, you can see how much happiness they derive from just being, moving and doing. Life, to them, is one big adventure. 

I tried to incorporate this little nugget of wisdom into the rest of our day as I observed my own little animals doing things that they found joy in (i.e, flinging applesauce onto the big impossible-to-keep-clean mirror in the kitchen, breaking extra eggs on the counter while we were making cookies, peeing behind the sofa instead of the potty) and the result was that I may have an wee bit more patience, myself (or perhaps I just knew our housekeeper was coming in the morning anyway).

Did I mention the animals in the film were ridiculously adorable?

Dad's Day Gift Guide

Oh what a fabulous weekend we had, friends. We spent the better part of five hours playing in the river on Saturday with lots of family and friends -- and with narry a toy or gadget to entertain the seven kids that were there. It's amazing how the sheer joy of chasing tiny minnows, building rock dams and splashing dragonflies can occupy so much time -- it was truly magical I tell you, truly.

On another note, I absolutely love watching my hubby play in the river with the kids. Since he grew up with hours upon hours of time spent on summer-time river trips, he's quite the expert in all things fly-fishing, rock skipping and river floating and his love of the water is a legacy he's happily passing along to our wee ones. He's a world-class Dad, and I often feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be married to him.

In honor of all the amazing Dad's out there, here's a little Father's Day gift guide:

Hands On craft project, Tutorial here.

TOMS, in classic burlap.

For the iphone lover! Giant Magnet. 

WWWD?

Criquet players shirt in classic white

Because he needs a little luxury, too.

 For the rock star Dad.

This could come in handy!

Have a fantastic weekend

On the banks of the Guadalupe river

We've officially hit the lets-live-in-the-water-to-survive-the-heat stage of the year in Texas so our weekend plans involve slathering on the sunscreen and heading to the river. On Saturday we plan to make a day trip over to Greune, - a quintessentially laid-back small town next to the Guadalupe and meet up with some family to play. Brandon's folks are building a house there and we're beyond thrilled that they are moving closer to us and to such a cool spot, to boot. Updates to follow next week.

In the meantime, here are some interesting finds from around the web this week...

Did you know you can  mail a ball?

Such a handy guide to tying a bow tie.

Love these Spanish wine glasses from ah-mazing shop, Spartan.

Great perspective.

Ridiculously soft cotton T's for $30 from Mk & A Olsen at Stylemint.

Awesome summer basic from Zara.

Just when I didn't think I could possibly like Gwyneth any more: Bravo.

Enjoy your weekend!

Letting Go

Image via Madame Cupcake

The past few weeks have brought with them some pretty big goodbyes for our family. Transitions can be exciting, but also difficult, as we cope with all that change underfoot. In some ways life marches on just the same - but different never the less.

First, there was the last day of preschool for Grant which turned out to be unexpectedly emotional for me. It might have been the sweet scrapbook Grant's teacher put together for each child documenting the year, or the fondness and ease I have in his own security in the little program there, but leaving the school grounds was so tough for me that last day -- Grant on the other hand was nonplussed, cheerfully calling out "Goodbye old school! Goodbye old playground! See ya!" The kid is ready for kindergarten, even if his tearful momma isn't (quite yet).   

Next, Harper said Goodbye to nursing last week. Which, after two and a half years, was a milestone at our house. She is so ready to be a big girl that she eagerly faces growing up with a tenacity that I find astonishing and admirable. At the same time, though, she's my baby- so the change is bittersweet. Don't get me wrong after over six and a half years of being pregnant or nursing without one day's break, I am ready for a little repose from devoting my body to the task of nurturing my children - it's just a bit awkward to adapt to the new ex-nursing-mother role.   

Perhaps the hardest goodbye, however, is the moving away of our dearest friends in Austin, The Browns. When I first met Amanda at our preschool's 'meet the teacher' day I knew in an instant we'd be friends. We had kids the same age, but more then that - she was such a genuinely easy person to be talk with and she spoke like a writer - where even the simplest remark rang so true that you'd think about it for days later, a wonderful talent to be sure. Maybe our kids became best friends because we orchestrated it a bit, but that's just the luxury of having small kids and getting to coordinate meet-ups for them. Over the few short years we've known each other, our friendship has turned into such a powerful one and she has taught me so much - like how to boil a lobster and how to justify spending more than I should on myself, but also why it's important to grasp for the ever-allusive ideal of balance and how to be present with 'what is' in our children. Our friendship is one where we each say to each other: "You are amazing! You can do it!" and also, "Me too?"  

Amanda, dear: I will miss you so very, very much and I vow that I will fiercely guard our friendship for my whole live long life. Hug those babies often for me -- and always remember that you are amazing, truly.

Wide-Leg Wonders

Image via Two Scoopz

At a girls dinner out last night, the talk turned to denim and we all lamented how it used to be that when you dropped big bucks on a pair of designer jeans, at least you knew the style (boot-cut) would be great for a few years -- sure there would be slight variations, but a classically boot-cut pair was really all you needed - maybe in a couple of washes.

A few years ago we fully embraced the skinny and the straight, this past year we hopped on the jegging train and now it looks like we're about to be bucking up for the widelegger. Something interesting about all this variety is that it complicated other aspects about getting dressed as well -- like finding the right footwear and appropriately fitting top for each style. Is it just me or are we all having to get much savvier to get dressed each day?

Brand New Madewell Widelegger

Citizens Faye Wide Leg

Gap's New Wide Leg Trouser Jean

Emerson Made Lowrider Bluebells