11.29.2012

currently | v. 3 busy busy

Currently around the Muth house we have been...

Watching my kids grow faster than I can even keep up with. More and more each day Otto is looking like a handsome little man and less and less the chubby cheeked baby. I think toddler skinny pants are partly to blame for this!

Look at that treasure map up there that he and his dad worked on. First they made it, then tore up and hid the pieces, then hunted the pieces and put it together to find their treasure! Who does that? So rad.

My little future treasure hunter/librarian (like that Noah Wiley made for TV character - I hope I am not the only one who has the knowledge of this taking up space in their brain) spent all yesterday afternoon making paper bookmarks (scraps really) and then going through all of his grande book collection and marking his "favorite" page in each.

And Loretta, well she just continues to kick the world's ass while taking names. Baby's newest thing is climbing up whatever she can grab to work on her standing and walking. And while I'm really happy for her (ahem) as she masters this new skill I am a little miserable for us (yes I am) as we enter this upwardly mobile stage of babydom. She is a go go baby and I am kind of in the mood for a squishy cuddle baby sometimes, if I'm being honest. I adore her fierce spirit and tenacity but I am also old and tired and old and tired and old! Ha!

Wishing for more time in the day, what's new there? Nuthin!

Waiting for the holidays and then ::blink:: it looks like they are here! We watched Charlie Brown Christmas with Otto last night. We let him stay up AND watch a video so he was pretty thrilled. It was pretty magical to see him delight in this Christmas tradition that I delighted in so much as a child and still do. ps. I really love when Lucy asks Charlie Brown if he has fear of cats and he says, "well sort of, but I'm not sure."

Wondering when our holiday vacation will ever get here! We will be visiting our families in Arizona and I. CANNOT. WAIT.

Worrying similar to little Charlie Brown I seem to be worried about everything, always. I wonder if this will ever go away? Ugh! Rats!

Today I am linking up with the sweet ladies Randalin and Wendy for their weekly Currently post. I'm also linking up with the lovely Colleen this week because I have been wearing miss Loretta wherever we go and Colleen hosts a baby wearing link up that I think is pretty neat. We got our Ergo in late summer and have loved it from the very first try. We used a couple of sling carriers with Loretta at first and they were too tight on her sensitive skin and caused her to have little blood vessel bursts in her legs (scary right?!). Then we were carrying her in a Bjorn carrier that we'd used with Otto. We never loved that carrier and it was no different this time around; our backs hurt and Loretta seemed discontent. Anyways, if you are interested in my recommendation for a baby carrier it is ERGO ALL THE WAY. Not sponsored, we just love it, so easy to adjust, so cozy for baby, and so cozy for me. We are in a walking neighborhood, and even with the rain we wear Loretta to the bakery, grocery, or park several times a week.

And how about you? What are you up to these days? Did you win Powerball? We did! Eight dollars! That's gonna get us outta quite a few jams. If you did win, big congrats! I have always thought you were the nicest, pretty, awesomest person and please remember that we are long lost relatives.

11.27.2012

Best Friends


16 years ago today my English 101 teacher had decided to cancel class on the day before Thanksgiving. So this guy and I (we were kids!) decided we'd "hang out" at the park instead. We weren't dating. But we made each other laugh in class. And our one hour hang out turned into an epic day. Park for hours. Gluing things to my car (you're welcome, Dad!). Fountain rootbeer and pretzels. TV. More park. The po po. Dennys. So much talking. Before we knew it, it was after midnight and the stars were beautiful and we knew we were never going to not hang out ever again.

Back then he was addicted to Mountain Dew instead of Coke Zero. And although he will tell you I'm lying, his hair was bleached orange and IT WAS A BOWL CUT. Doesn't matter. 

Somehow this year. With a new baby. In a new house. In a new state. With a crazy exhausting beautiful family. And so much swirling around our heads. Somehow this year today feels extra special. It isn't our wedding anniversary. It's that first anniversary. Of the day I found my best friend and life partner and the person who makes me laugh more than anyone else. Happy November 27 Robbie! xo

11.25.2012

Life Style | Link Up | featuring a dapper young fellow

So much style happening over here I can hardly breath. Except no. I totally wore the same outfit from Wednesday night through to yesterday afternoon and that was a long tshirt, maternity sweatpants, and a striped sweater (the same one I was wearing in last week's Life Style post). Maternity sweats when you aren't pregnant ftw! So that was the outfit of steel, 3 days strong, including showers... I just switched knickers (points for making underwear sound charming?) but I never wanted to stop wearing those snugly clothes. Thanksgiving and its 4-day weekend has been just what the doctor ordered. Lots of mellowing out with the kids, eating leftovers, taking walks in the rain, and even grownups taking naps! Friday afternoon we decided to decorate for Christmas except this year we voted against a real tree because Loretta puts every little crumb, dirt clod, dust bunny, and anything else thank you, into her mouth so we figured pine needles were not something we wanted to introduce into our space. Our little $20 tree from Target is about the flimsiest thing that ever happened so between only hanging large ornaments that won't double as choking hazards and only hanging ultra-light ornaments that won't bend the tree we have about 8 ornaments on the tree. Plus the lights on the tree that seemed like such an amazing after-holiday deal last year we realized were super cheap because they are for a flocked tree, so the chord is white, which means it stands out like crazy on a green tree.

In other words our tree is a hot mess.


Highlights: Loretta's little pinafore is from the local shop Whispering Willows: they have a booth at our farmers market which is where Nana went shopping and also an Etsy shop. On the tree... Every year since 1998 we have picked out one new ornament and this year two (one for each kiddo). This tradition ensures that when I hang up ornaments each year I turn into a sobbing, blubbering pool of sappy nostalgia tears and Christmas memories. This year hers is the winter elephant and his is the sparkly penguin. I wrote the year on them in sharpie. Lastly, we added this string install just this week where we can hang up Otto's art from school to display. I'm sure I got this idea from Pinterest but I don't know where or how. It was probably done in a more fancy way but we just tied craft twine to a couple of nails and hung the pictures with white paperclips. Total cost $3 and all supplies from Target. 

Life Style is a weekly feature I started last week. Each week I will also feature one person who participated in the previous week's link-up as well, and that person will get to choose who will be featured the following week. Last week Annie and her beautiful boys bedrooms were featured. Annie chose this week's featured from everyone who linked up.

This week's featured lady is the lovely Randalin from Harvesting Kale (selected images via this post link). Hers is one of my favorite blogs to read and I highly suggest you check her out. She is a fellow working mama and her adorable son, Kale, attends a Montessori school (as does my Otto) so I relate to her in many ways. She also likes educational crafts and projects, but really likes the ones that require little artistic ability. It's like we were separated at birth. And she dresses her little man with alllllll kinds of charm.


Can we just take a moment to admire those elbow patches and then another moment for yellow pants. Kale, you are a doll. Thank you for being my feature this week, Randalin!

Ok guys... Now it's your turn! I hope you participate, hurray! You can link up below to your recent style-related posts or style-related instagram pics. Randalin will choose one person from this week's links to be next week's "life style" feature. Yip!

11.24.2012

Goose Grease giveaway! {CLOSED}





Congratulations Maria_D with comment #27 you are the winner of this giveaway! I will reach out to you via email with more info.

The mom and dad team behind the charming/witty/cool shop Goose Grease are giving one OT and ET reader a stinking cute kids tee plus a choice of DIY family OR DIY nativity kit. I can't even tell you how much I love Goose Grease's perfect mixing of stylish looks with learning fun. What a cool little Etsy shop!

Rob and I were just talking last night about how "freestyle playing" doesn't come super naturally to me, I am really not the zaniest, but I am ALL ABOUT THE PROJECTS. Where for him, he would never think up a project for the kids to do but can play pirates for hours. So between us we are one well-rounded parent (or at least we like to think so). Anyways, all of these DIY kits at Goose Grease are right up my alley. Fun. Teaching. Projects. Yes! And then once they're done, I can hand the dolls off to the kids (Rob included) and they can get rowdy while I go do the dishes. Perfect.

To enter to win, simply leave a comment below with which item(s) from Goose Grease you think are rad. For extra entries, just leave an additional comment for each, you can like Goose Grease on Facebook and follow Goose Grease on Twitter. Another entry each for following the OT and ET blog on GFC, Blog Lovin' and/or Networked Blogs (see sidebar). Just remember to leave a comment for each entry. I'll announce a winner around December 1. Good luck!

11.21.2012

Thankful

The amount of time that you will fit between the crook of my one arm and the palm of my other is really just a blink, isn't it? That I will be able to hold your whole being without thinking about gathering awkward limbs or my own muscles. That I will be able to smell your head and breathe your breath and close my eyes and melt into you in the silence. Hum to you in the silence. Know you in the silence. Bring you peace. Daughter.

With every day the bond between us grows closer and farther. The animal connection evolves. The communication changes and becomes less pure. See. He tells a joke. You nuzzle. He is braver than I am comfortable with. You suddenly sit, crawl, say "da". And then again "da". And he says "duh" and we laugh and cringe. Daughter and son.

And we know that another page has turned without asking our permission. And we cannot wait to see what is on the next. But we also cannot help but look back at that turned page, those turned pages, that are turned, now, forever.

11.20.2012

Vanilla Cinnamon Pear | Easy Ways to Spruce Up French Toast


Otto hates yummy food, especially french toast, and never food parties with his breakfast. He is an incredibly serious person who is also so so so very shy. We are all super boring and quiet at our house and our favorite pastime is to sit around staring at each other for hours with our hair in our eyes, while making frowny faces and whispering about rocks.

Lies! Anyways, here are some easy additions you can make to your favorite french toast recipe to really make that toast sing:

- cook in butter, no substitutes!
- sprinkle ground cinnamon or nutmeg or ginger or really any spice cake spice into the mix
- add a splash of vanilla extract, almond extract, or really any delicious extract into the mix
- dice up some fruit and sprinkle on top, then cook it right into the toast when you flip
- for a prettier version, cook the fruit up separately and ladle on top

There you have it. Simple food, made well, using really great ingredients. So delicious.

In recent news: I can't wait til Thanksgiving! This week is dragging already because IT ISN'T THURSDAY YET like every second until it is Thursday and then I will be happy. Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is on Wednesday night and I think that will officially kick off the holiday for me. We are making a Thanksgiving cake this year that I'm hoping is gloriously good looking. An ombre affair that I'm hoping is worth taking pictures of and sharing here.

What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish? Mine, by a mile, is green bean casserole. French's onions and me, we are life partners 

What's your favorite holiday movie? Mine, by a mile, is Love Actually. TNT needs to GET ON IT and start putting that shiz on heavy rotation already, yo!

xo, happy NOT THURSDAY YET.


11.18.2012

Life Style | featuring beautiful boys rooms

Hey guys ♥!♥!♥! I'm starting a weekly feature and it's all about real life style. I really hope to get to know you guys a little bit better and to share some of our family "life style" with you. I know I LOVE it whenever I get to see what you are wearing (like please make a line and hand over all of your infinity scarves), how you dress your kids (please hand over your childsized Boggs), or decorate your house, car, or whatever thing you've decorated you weirdo who decorates your car (I secretly think it's cool if you decorate your car). Anyways, this isn't about being ultra fashionistas, at least not for us, more like, "this week was all about my favorite shlubby tshirt that I wore, oh, 3 days in a row this week." And each week I will also feature one person who participated in the previous week's link-up as well, and that person will get to choose who will be featured the following week. It sounds complicated but it really isn't, and hopefully it will be a big circle of style inspiration for everyone involved.

So, at my house, this week was all about snuggly fall clothes... I've been told I keep my house too cold (heat is costy, yo) so we all wear sweaters. 




Highlights: Otto's sweet shoes are vintage GASS that we thrifted in a moment of pure thrifting awesomeness. Loretta's leggings are Broken Tricycle and her little hand-embroidered felt moccasins were a gift from Katherine's mom and every time I see them I die because they are THAT cute.

ps. Loretta has 3 teeth and sits now, so what the heck? What the heck?!

This week's featured lady is my great friend, Annie, who has put together two amazing boys rooms for her sons. I love Annie's style and her art (that you can see on the walls) and her heart which is pure gold. She has the double dream job of being a stay at home mom and a copywriter for Anthropologie and Bhldn. I have always loved her style because it has a touch of magic as you'll see. You can find her on instagram here.









So much greatness! Thank you for being my first feature, Annie! I love you. Seriously, ma'am. Love.

Ok guys... Now it's your turn! I hope you participate, hurray! You can link up below to your recent style-related posts or style-related instagram pics. Annie will choose one person from this week's links to be next week's "life style" feature. Yip!

11.15.2012

Ignore the Mess; Play Boardgames











I would direct your eye to a certain arm chubroll. This little ladybug is unreal with the squishiness already. She also noms boardgame pieces.

So this is a post mostly in pictures. About how chaotic our house is. Most of our rooms look about this tidy these days but it's even LESS cute in the rooms that aren't composed of bright colored toys.

There are dishes in the sink and dust bunnies on the floor and the counters are a mess and the dirty clothes have piled up already since the weekend. BUT I kind of don't care. I hold out hope that slowly but surely as these two kids of mine get older we will, as a family, get a handle on the chaos. We'll hang up the pictures and sweep more often and put things in order. But for now, during my 2-3 hours every weekday that I get to have dinner with and hang out with my kids and husband alltogether, I think it's important to ignore the mess a little bit and have some fun together. So even though we spent the whole game fending off Babyzilla who was pretty set on teething on the wooden snails, we played a little Snail's Pace Race and it was awesome.

11.10.2012

Etsy By Goodness!

I thought I'd share some of the Etsy shops we've found recently that have made their way into our home and/or hearts.

Craft Interrupted
Otto was the lucky winner of this awesome monster scribblet on the Little Big Blog via the Etsy shop Craft Interrupted . It has lots of pockets and places to tuck away crayons and pencils, oh and adorable! And will be just the thing to take with us on the airplane next month when we head to Arizona for the holidays. Otto loves it and is meticulous about putting all of the crayons back in their place after each use. I am enamored with the swirly multi-colored pencil. 
Halloween loot she be dwindling. And we just got that ragamuffin a haircut this morning. So these pictures feel like ancient history even though they're from just a few days ago. Time! I feel like at least once per blog post I need to give Time a stern cussing to. Time, bah! Anyways...

Thief And Bandit
Seriously and fo sho someone give me $38 like RIGHT NOW to buy my baby some leggings because seriously.

The Art of Chic
I will never buy frames anywhere else and I'm serious. Lifelong fan, right here! I have ordered custom sets of refinished frames more than once from Brandon at the Art of Chic for our family pictures and am madly in love with the beautiful bright work he does. So unique and friendly and he will work with you on custom color schemes, sizes, levels of ornateness, etc.

My best friend just had a (wonderful! perfect! beautiful!) baby girl and Brandon helped me put together some beautiful custom frames as part of the nursery gift.

Kindy Garden
For that nursery gift I also bought custom prints from this freaking adorable illustrator based in the UK, Megan at Kindy Garden. The prints we got spelled out baby's first name. Love love love!

GlassCast
I've been following Shannon (aka Kung Fu Feltus) on Instagram for a while. Who knows how I found her but I love this girl! We ended up talking at the recent PNW Blogger meetup, just about shoplifting, and snarky stuff, and were all kinds of staring into each other's eyes with love when I realized I already knew her. "You're Kung Fu Feltus?!" I swear I almost mouth kissed that girl right then and there. She's a rad one and a keeper! Also, her jewelry the she sells along with her sister at the Etsy shop GlassCast, is freaking gorgeous. Here, see...

Cucuco
I found out about this great little shop via my PNW Blogger goodie bag and a sweet little bunting gift that now hangs in Otto and Loretta's room.
make today great

How sweet is that? 

Hand-cut out of a novel, the letters are covered in type, and it's sewn right onto the thread I expect it to last a while and it's such an important message to see when you wake up in the morning! ps. Poor Loretta tucked away in the room's strange little peninsula. 

See all the Etsy lately?! Really a lot! And I'm in love with all of it so wanted to share these great shops that we've found with you all. Hope you're having a great weekend. I am toying with the idea of test-driving an ombre cake this weekend and if I can make it work we'll make a fancy version on Thanksgiving. It seems like it would be easy. But I always ruin these kinds of things. Otto confided to me yesterday that he doesn't want any pie for Thanksgiving, "just cake," and that seemed like an easy enough request, especially since Rob isn't a pie man. I am a huge pie woman! But I order pie when we go out to dinner pretty often so it's no huge loss to me to make a spicy (I'm thinking cinnamon) shades of brown ombre cake with a side of homemade cinnamon vanilla ice cream for Thanksgiving because hell yeah!

11.09.2012

Loretta at 8 Months

Dear baby girl, you are 8 months old today! You own my heart. I love you! And you are up to so so much.

Army Crawling like a little pro. You get where you want to go and you want to go everywhere, all the time! When I come to pick you up from the babysitter's house you look up from where you are crawling around the living room playspace and you smile so big, kick your legs in excitement, and scrounge your way right on over to me. It is the sweetest thing.

Babbling one of your go-to sounds has the ring of "ma" to it and I can't wait til you start talking (wait, yes I can). You babble and coo to yourself happily and your little voice is so sweet and soft and yet LOUD. You are not going to be a quiet child. This I know already. And I love it.

Sitting Up when we help you, you can stay seated for little periods of time. On your own, you get yourself up in these Cleopatra-slash-b-boy positions that are impressive and funny. One of your feet is pretty regularly either in the air or your mouth, all while half sitting on your side, haha.

Eating and eating and eating! You wear a size 12-18 months and you'll be popping those seams soon baby girl. You LOVE food. You love (mushed up, age appropriate, pureed) fruit, veggies, combinations, cereals, oatmeals, rice, and you really love those little organic puffs that your brother also loves and not to rat your brother out but he totally sneaks into the laundry room and sneak-eats your puffs.

Telling us everything you think/feel through your voice, expressions, and body language. You are so expressive and let's just say it, bossy! And as mentioned above, loud! You are a pistol, my dear, and a charmer. You're also just starting to try out some sign language, you smile so big when we sign "eat" and "more" and your arms/hands are working on signing "eat" as well as waving hello/bye.

Charming us. We just adore you. Eight months have flown by so fast. Soon you'll be creeping the furniture, getting into even more things, and growing even bigger still. I just want to snuggle you every second. Can we arrange this?

I am so ready for a lazy, cozy weekend at home with my family. It is definitely time to tidy, do a thousand loads of laundry, and get things in order. It's also chilly like a mo-fo and I look forward to nighttime coffee and to us teaching Otto how to play rummy. And maybe soup.