then i will bake it myself.

for a very early birthday present, my mother-in-law took me to a bread making class. she also gave me a copy of the classic, the little red hen, an adorable apron, and a wheat grinder. one of the most thoughtful and unique gifts i've ever been given!

the class was awesome.

we got some yummy samples and we learned how to make the best bread in the universe. i know because it's the same recipe my mom uses.

i am determined to make my own bread. it's so much yummier + healthier than the store bought variety. hopefully sean likes whole wheat because i plan to grind my own!

on a side note, being in a store like that makes me almost want to be a health nut. eat nothing but quinoa, agave, flaxseed + whole grains. but then i remembered how much i like meat + refined sugar {like this recipe i made the other night}. so... not gonna happen.

from my phone.

wicked in denver.

our rental car gets hit.

heather + annette at rock on demand.

halloween wig. it was supposed to be a bob.

kelty + teagan in hawaii. the boys out in the water.

i love this mini glass bottle of diet coke.

blurry picture by a hotel pool in texas.

me + annette in texas.

our baby announcement pumpkins. dad in the window.

serena is born. still has puffy face :)

a yawn.

my gold speck.

tiny thing!

an evening drive. putting serena to sleep in her carseat.

mama + baby.

dad + serena at cherry hill.

smiley girl in her swimsuit.

tired girl.

the oil refinery explodes.

documenting the bump on her head.

awesomeness on maury.

shower decorations.

playing on the floor.

i wish.

i wish i had long hair so i could have a pretty side braid like these.

my hair doesn't grow long. it barely gets below my shoulders before getting stringy and thin and mousy.

photo from here via somewhere else :)

highlights.

1. cafe rio's monday special just surpassed the thursday special in my top 10 favorite foods. the tamales are amazing... but the chile rellenos are heaven.

2. serena has the craziest hair ever. i love it. her grandmas are always trying to comb it... but it just doesn't stay put! she always looks like a ragamuffin.

3. jaimie gave me a carton of strawberries that i have been enjoying every morning for breakfast with my eggo waffle. yummmmmm.

4. the jazz game was super fun last night, even though they lost.

5. i liked the canadian ice dancers and i'm glad that they won gold. she is pretty. she looks like amy adams + zooey deschanel + pam from the office.

6. oh, the bachelor. such goooood entertainment! rozlyn, rozlyn, rozlyn. we all know you're lying through your teeth. the truth would have been so much less embarrassing. michelle, you're as crazy as ever. ali, you are obviously the next bachelorette. the gag reel was my favorite.

7. this gal's bachelor recap every week cracks me up.

8. sean finally got rid of our old tv and put the twin bed from my parents into storage. we have a guest bedroom again!

9. heather brought these sweet pink seashells home from florida for me. she must know about my love of pink in decor :)

view from the backseat.

on our way to grandma's house.
it's a beautiful day.

sun is setting.
music is playing.
serena has crazy nap hair.
she holds her fish the whole way there.
she says "shhhh" when was say "fish". it's really cute, so i like to keep her fish nearby.

we ♥ sunday afternoons.

winners!

the SerenaBee giveaway winners are:
{drawn from a bowl by serena}

Tiff said...
I love the Marianne Headband- all black and the Ruby flower clip.. but everything is super cute.. I would be happy to win anything! :) love your blog!

and

Karen said...
I like (and have thought many time of ordering) the Julia headband and the Chloe flower clip...you are talented!! (PS...I "found" you off Nie food blog)

congrats, ladies!
email your shipping info to serenabee{at}live.com.

♥ ♥ ♥

things that must go.

canker sores.
chappy lips.
ear infections.
runny noses.
deceptively sunny days that are still bitter cold.

my lumpy old throw pillows.

half of the girls in american idol's top 24. {i'm not impressed.}
the fakeout act-sad-and-sorry-and-then-oh-wait-just-kidding-you-guys-made-it! seriously. it's so old. and so obvious. and kara is an especially bad actress.

too-tight uniforms on the not-so-fit bobsledders.
apolo's bandanas.
men's figure skating.
sister/brother teams in couples figure skating. {creepy!}

vienna.
and jake.

♥ ♥ ♥

SerenaBee updates + a giveaway. {closed}

my shop has been on the backburner for a while, but i've finally updated with some fun new flowers. it's time for SerenaBee's 2nd giveaway!

to enter:
comment with your two favorite items from SerenaBee.
two winners will receive their two favorites!

ends sunday, february 21st, at 12:00 noon.

{make sure to check my sold items for anything that is not currently listed. giveaway excludes baby tru gift set.}

i found you, rubine red!

and i bought 3 skeins of you so i won't have to worry for a very long time.

i've had a tiny ball of rubine red yarn for a few months that i have been using very cautiously. it's my favorite. and i couldn't find it in any stores. i tried looking it up online, but it's difficult to find a particular kind of yarn if you don't know the color name. after much searching, i found it. oh beautiful beautiful rubine red!

skein: a continuous strand of yarn arranged in a loose coil.
rubine: a pigment somewhat redder than true magenta.

{my mom told me that it's called a "skein" of yarn and i had never in my life heard the word. and i call myself a crocheter!}

too soon?

i found these vintage inspired embellished cards a month or so ago and i have been waiting patiently for valentines day to be over so i could get them out! now i just need to figure out how to display them. i was thinking about hanging them in a row on a ribbon. any better ideas?

i am a hoarder.

of jewelry.

i laid out all of my jewelry on my bed today with the intention of getting rid of a lot of it. i have a drawer, a jewelry box, a tree stand, and a row of hooks for necklaces... and it's junking up my room. {oh and a box or two in the top of my closet...}

i couldn't do it!!!!! what if when i'm old i want to make a jewel tree? what if serena wants to have some dress up jewelry? i just can't part with any of it, even though it's mostly junk. so my collection will continue to grow. i'll continue to hoard. my children will have boxes and boxes of it to sort through when i die, just like my grandma had.

or maybe i'll have to lay it all out and try again another day.

ear infections will be the death of me.

i think we finally went to sleep around 2:30 am this morning.

poor girl.

i always feel totally confident that she has an ear infection and then when i get in the room at the pediatrician's office, i start doubting myself and think i'm just a paranoid mom. but i am always right {unfortunately}.

on a side note:

my neighbors have been putting their dog in their master bathroom at night. it is adjacent to our master bathroom. all night long i could hear its scurrying little feet across the floor, and the constant picking up and dropping of some toy. and then they started vacuuming at 5:00 am. i was about ready to start banging on the walls.

{usually we don't hear our neighbors much, thank goodness. but at night when it's quiet, you can hear things like scurrying dog feet and vigorous vacuuming.}

looking forward to.

1. sean coming home so we can watch the bachelor.
2. new moon's dvd release. we have a date to watch {and mock} it with some friends.
3. visiting dc in august.
4. serena's doctor visit this week. i like getting her stats :)
5. summer + cherry hill.
6. hanging some family pictures in our house.
7. serena going to nursery {november is so very far away}.
8. having a frozen waffle for breakfast. seriously. i love them.
9. two new cousins for serena. a girl in june and a ? in september.
10. the release of mockingjay on august 24th!!!

vday at our house.

it's been a lovely day. now we plan to cuddle up by the fire and watch sleepless in seattle... if i can pry the remote away from sean. he is addicted to the olympics.