First thing is first, I want to talk about how Bams and I matched for Christmas this year.  I made these skirts.  I always thought (way before i had children) it was sooooo lame to match your kids.  Well, color me lame because I thought we were adorbs!!

We had such a special Christmas this year.  It makes me tear up just thinking about it.  I keep thinking back over the years of when I was a child, and then when I was a very young adult trying to find my way in life, and then when I met Stacey, and how every year has just gotten better and better.  Some years have been harder than others, but the clarity, and all the feels, have gotten so much better.  This year we enjoyed the morning as a small family at home.  We opened presents, took a million pictures, and drank our much needed parents-of-a-teething-toddler coffees and hung out, basking in the warmth (I am in So-Cal, ok?) of Christmas.  Later that day, we headed over to my parents' house for more presents, and Christmas dinner.  We had a great time.  The lights are starting to come on in Alabama's eyes and she is able to appreciate the world around her.  Watching that happen is such a gift.

So, (SPOILER ALERT:  TEARS)  my mom gave Alabama this "It's a Small World" musical jewelry box.  What is so sweet about this box is that it was a gift to me about 28 years ago.  My mom kept it all these years to gift to my daughter some day.










So, happy holidays from my family, to yours.

xoBree,
I remember meeting this particular friend I had in 7th grade.  I was super awkward and didn't make friends easily, and I remember being over the moon when she wanted to be my friend.  We palled around for a few years and then the unit dissolved, as many young friendships do.  The one thing I always think about when I feel nostalgia kick in are the pickles her mom used to make.  I had never heard of anyone making pickles before, and up until that point, I thought they grew out of the ground that way.

These pickles were special.  They had this very distinct flavor that stuck with me for years.  I vowed to learn how to make them myself one day, and almost 15 years later, I finally did.

I have had insomnia on and off for years.  I can't quite explain it.  Maybe I had too much caffeine throughout that day, maybe its some weird hidden ailment, who knows, but sometimes I just can't sleep.  I have learned to do things to occupy my time during those nights.  I usually sew, but sometimes I'll invent some strange, off the wall task like making hair extensions (ex hairstylist, hello), and sometimes I will make pickles.

I really like this recipe for easy garlic pickles. I like my pickles super spicy and super sour, so I add jalapeƱos to this recipe. You can tweak it to your liking, though, that's what's so cool about pickling.

Pickle,

Pickle.

Insomnia Pickles.

Ok I am done now.  Bye.



 

 


I remember being very young, about when my younger brother (being 4 years younger than me was probably around 4 or 5 then) and I believed in the Santa Claus.  We believed in that very sweet, doe eyed, innocent way any child that age would.  I remember every Christmas Eve, my dad would be going on talking about something at dinner, stop suddenly, look up at the ceiling and whisper "Did you hear that?  Oh!  There it is again!  I think its Santa!"  and we would giggle and wonder if it was true, and run off to bed quickly because we actually did believe it was true.  Then my brother and I would sneak downstairs and hide under these big arm chairs my parents had (its hard to think of myself as ever that small) and try to see Santa.  We would never make it, and always end up falling asleep.  But oh how exciting it was.  It's one of my most favourite memories I have of my childhood.  

When I look at Bam, I often wonder what her favourite memories will be.  How exciting to watch that unfold.  

In other news, I have been too tired to live my life.  I don't know why.  I am so exhausted. BUT- I managed to create some fun shoes for Bam this last weekend, and this week sometime I will be headed downtown to score some leather scraps to turn into shoes for a quick tutorial.  (AND Christmas presents for Bam, but don't tell her I told you).

xB<3






I have been sick the last few days, and yesterday I decided to take Bams out for a nice walk on Main Street in Santa Monica.  It may have been a mistake since today I feel a lot worse, but it was well worth it.  :)  We met a video game creator who gave her a cool sticker, and she got to show off her cuteness.

I can't wait to debut some of these tutorials I am working on come January. I hope you enjoy them, and I hope they are helpful.

Here, she is wearing some moccs I made from a piece of scrap leather I found for $5 in Downtown Los Angeles.  From the piece, I was able to make 8 pairs of shoes for Bam.  I can't do the math right now, but you can already guess that I saved a ton of money making them myself.  <3  Just to give you an idea!

The sweater dress is from Target.  I couldn't find the exact one that she is wearing in these photos, but this cute mint one is just as adorable.  :)

<<3Bx
I don't want to turn this into a food blog, because I do not consider myself an advanced cook or baker by any means (although, my food is a huge hit at my house, which makes me feel like I am a famous chef) but I stumbled upon an AMAZING pumpkin pie recipe and I have a giant need to share this with the world.

I feel like the world needs more good pumpkin pie. I have had my share of awful pies.  Ones that I have made, and others (I won't name any names), and this recipe takes the cake! (see what I did there?)

You can find the recipe here.

I made 4 of these pies.  All I am going to say is that I will need to go on a diet after the holidays.

Boom.