emerald city diaries – Page 46 – family + adventures + the emerald city

my weekend in pictures.

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{I took the car in for service on Friday morning & the only loaner available was a Beetle. I was dying because the Beetle is basically my dream car, but so, so impractical, especially with a little. Thank goodness it was a convertible so I could put the top down to install the car seat! The seat actually fit, although no one would have really been able to sit in the front seat. And in order to get Eloise out of her seat, I had to go in thru the driver’s side, into the back seat, & take her out (or put the top down!). We didn’t drive with the top down since it was pretty cold & I feel like it’s not very safe to drive with the top down & have a car seat in the car? Needless to say, we didn’t run too many errands on Friday!}

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{My naptime project on Friday was to start a refresh project on some of Eloise’s cloth diapers. The diapers are all in really good shape, but the elastic on the legs has stretched & is causing some leaking. BumGenius makes these refresher kits & it was a pretty easy process, just a little time consuming. Hopefully I can get into a rhythm & get them all done soon!}

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{Last week I started painting our entryway & stairwell, & it is an on-going project. I have been trying to squeeze it in anytime that I can to ensure I will get it done by the end of this week – eek! It looks SO good & I can’t wait to show you the finished project.}

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{On Saturday morning we hosted a little playdate with these lovely ladies. They are daughters of two ladies I went to law school with & it was so fun to catch up & see the babies together!}

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{Sunday morning we hit the store for some gameday food supplies & stopped at Einstein Brothers for a bagel breakfast. The chocolate chip bagel is SO delicious! And, today I solved the riddle & won a free bagel!}

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{Aaron made a super easy & yummy tomato, cheese, & bacon bake for us to nosh on during the game. It was super yummy & we had blue corn & sweet potato tortilla chips to root on the Broncos!}

It was a fun weekend, but geez it flew by! I feel like I had a lot to do with the painting project so having the SuperBowl this afternoon helped balance that out since I actually watched the game (well, as much as you can watch while having a toddler around). We had friends come over for the game that have a son that is the same age as Eloise, so it was fun for her to have another playmate around (she was super social this weekend!). And we are gearing up for another week (the last one of my thirtieth year!) & I am keeping my fingers crossed that the sun will stay out! How was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

Welcome back Friday!

{one} Madewell Skinny Skinny jeans.

{via Madewell}

So I talked about these jeans in my weekend post {see here} & I have to confess I am totally in LOVE. I am ready to get rid of all of my other skinny jeans (well, all of my jeans since they are all skinny…)! My old beloved Paige jeans (Skyline Skinny) were good, but stretched out within an hour of wearing them, but these Madewell ones don’t stretch & keep their shape! If you need a new pair of jeans, I highly recommend these ones!

{two} teeny tiny bikini.

{via Janie & Jack}

We are headed to the beach in a few months for a family vacation & I am super excited! It means that I will need to get Eloise some summer essentials a few months early which includes a new swimsuit. And after perusing the Janie & Jack site, I am thinking it may include this insanely adorable pineapple bikini!

{three} vintage doorbell.

{via House of Antique Hardware}

When we remodeled the house one of things that was replaced was the doorbell. It was one of those details that we didn’t even bother thinking about & our GC installed a simple plastic doorbell button. Nothing great, but it works. However, when I saw this antique doorbell I knew we were missing out! And even though I hate when the doorbell rings (always when Eloise is sleeping which wakes her up about half the time!) it is still worth the improvement (especially for $12!).

{four} toddler antics.

{Cheers! Yep, that’s a beer cozie on her sippy cup.}

{Just kicking back & reading a magazine.}

Toddlerhood is such a riot & Eloise has been so much fun recently! I don’t want to spoil all of the updates since her monthly update is coming up in just a few days, but I did want to share a little bit (for those of you who need an Eloise fix!).

What are you loving this week?

Remember the Friday Linky Party is up all month, so be sure to add your own Friday favorites in February!

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Here are the instructions if you are a new to linky-party:
•click on the blue button at the bottom of this post – the one with the frog
•add a link to your Friday I’m in Love blog post in the URL field (please do not link to your home page but the specific post page)
•for “name” write a short descriptive name for your post
•if you would like to put the Friday I’m in Love button on the bottom of your post, we would love to see it there!

This post contains affiliate links.

my weekend in pictures.

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{I picked up Aaron from work on Friday afternoon, we grabbed lunch, & headed east for a night away together. We stayed at Salish Lodge up at Snoqualmie Falls & it was so gorgeous! That is the lodge to the left of the falls.}

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{Meanwhile, Eloise was at home with Grammie having SO much fun. And apparently making a mess!}

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{Eloise & Grammie do lots of fun arts & crafts including coloring & clay.}

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{Back at the Lodge, Aaron & I enjoyed a couple’s massage – the best! – & this awesome sundae after dinner.}

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{I decided since it was date night that I should class it up with my fancy pants (which are old J.Crew to those who have asked) & heels. It was my attempt at pattern-mixing & I think it was a success!}

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{Our view from lunch on Saturday before we headed back to town. This is downriver from the falls & you can see three little waterfalls splashing down.}

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{Eloise is loving coloring these days!}

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{After brunch with a few girlfriends, my mom & I headed to U Village for some retail therapy, & Madewell was having a sale. Score! I have been eyeing these Skinny Skinny jeans for a while – to replace my beloved Paige jeans that just stretch out too much during wears! – & they were marked down, plus an additional sale. Basically it was meant to be! I have a good feeling these are going to be my new favs!}

We had such a fun weekend, thanks to my Mama who flew into town so that Aaron & I could spend a night away. It was my first night away from Eloise & there were only a few tears when I left (mine, of course!). The Lodge & the Falls were so gorgeous & even though it was a little cold & I didn’t bring the warmest clothes, we had the best time together & even got in a quick hike on Saturday afternoon. This morning started with brunch with one of my best & oldest girlfriends who was in from Boise at, of course, Portage Bay. Pretty much any meal spent there is a good one! And the rest of the day has been just hanging out which is much-needed going into the new week.

How was your weekend? Also, how is it already February tomorrow?

This post contains affiliate links.

friday i’m in love.

Welcome back Friday!

{one} faux fur stools.

Faux Fur Vanity Stool Makeover for $35 - I love this!:

{via Less Than Perfect blog}

I am dreaming & scheming about what we can put at the foot of our bed, & I think two faux fur stools may be the winner. BUT they are SO expensive! I think a DIY is in order, like the one linked above – super easy!

{two} kitchen tools for toddlers.

{via Crib to Table blog}

As Eloise is becoming more & more of a toddler (sob!) she is interested in more of what I do, especially in the kitchen. We already have an IKEA-hack learning tower & I think she is ready to really start doing things in the kitchen to help! (She already wipes up spills, mostly hers, with a wet rag.) Denaye just put out this great list of kitchen essentials for toddlers & it is fantastic! Did/do you have kitchen utensils for your toddlers? (Sidenote: knives scare me a bit so I think we will start with plastic ones first, but the other tools seem great!)

{three} papier mache cakes.

{via Oh Happy Day blog}

Someone’s birthday is just around the corner (I will give you one guess!) & I LOVE birthdays! These papier mache cakes are so much fun, & of course, are by the one & only Jordan over at Oh Happy Day – she is so creative it’s crazy! I really want to make a whole bunch of these little cakes to bring out for every family birthday. Wouldn’t that be so much fun? Yep, in all of my extra time…

You guys, how is it the end of January? It seems like it’s been a blur. Just super busy, even though I didn’t want to be super busy. I am attempting a lot of projects around the house, big ones, including painting all of the walls I have been wanting to paint since we finished the remodel, & getting rid of stuff (I am in total purge mode!). Plus, I have some grand plans that I am hoping to really get going on in the coming months & will definitely share once things really get rolling. It is exciting & I hope you will love it! So happy first 1/12th of 2016!

what are you loving this week?

Remember the Friday Linky Party is up all month, so be sure to add your own Friday favorites this week!

my weekend in pictures.

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{We had a morning playdate with Amanda & Elliott on Friday which pretty much wiped Eloise out after lunch!}

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{After having some leaking issues with diapers, I finally bit the bullet & ordered some extras for the stash, along with some refresher kits (to replace the old elastic & Velcro tabs). I am loving these bright, bold colors!}

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{We had dinner at Gorgeous George’s in Greenwood with Uncle Ben & Aunt Sarah on Friday, & Uncle Ben & Eloise were having fun playing with her long bangs!}

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{After picking up my friend Ash at the airport, we stopped in Capital Hill to venture around & to have lunch. It just so happened that the new Starbuck’s Roastery is in the same neighborhood, so we stopped in for a cup of coffee & to catch up. It is pretty tourist-y but pretty cool too!}

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{Eloise made her Auntie Ashley read SO many books. Luckily, Ash was such a good sport. Those two hit if off immediately!}

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{When out-of-town guests mention a craving for dim sum, we are always happy to nosh at Din Tai Fung. The food is awesome & it was pretty early, so the wait wasn’t horrific!}

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{Lately Eloise has liked to join me right at the table after she finishes her breakfast. Apparently it is easier to then mooch off of my breakfast if she is sitting at the table! Sidenote: when did she get so big?}

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{A local Seattle blogger & her husband recently started a kombucha business – which is a drink if you aren’t in the know. I had never tried it before, so when I saw it at Whole Foods, I thought I would give it a try, plus Earl Grey is my jam. Most people I know who drink it are really “crunchy” if you know what I mean, so I was a little scared, not going to lie. It is definitely sour, but I liked the lightness of it (since it is carbonated) & it went down pretty easy once I put ice cubes in it. Not my very favorite drink, but not awful!}

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{Eloise is so sweet with Sadie. She loves to help me let her in thru the back door & wipe off her feet.}

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{Aaron taught Eloise how to give Sadie treats today (even if she doesn’t obey the command, apparently!) & it is pretty darn cute!}

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{So after the Cardinals loss – seriously, what happened? – was the first episode of new X Files series. I, surprisingly, really liked the show as a kid & would watch it with my mom, so I had to watch. Anyone else?}

We had such a wonderful weekend seeing family & lots of friends! On Saturday (which was, of course, super rainy & grey) one of my best girlfriends came into town for a really short trip & it was so lovely to see her (it’s been probably four years!) & have her meet Eloise! We got hardly any pictures, but that speaks to what a fun time we had being totally engaged in conversation & disconnected from the rest of the world (our phones!). Today the sun came back out & it was so lovely, even though it felt like I didn’t get a single thing done. Well, laundry, I got laundry done. And Aaron let me sleep in, despite having to get up super early to take Ash to the airport – thanks love!

How was your weekend?

friday i’m in love.

Welcome back Friday!

{one} Valentine’s Day feature!

{via parents.com}

Remember two years ago when we made this Valentine’s Day announcement?! Crazy how much has happened since then! If you missed it on Instagram, this announcement is being featured over on Parents.com as part of a Valentine’s Day pregnancy announcement round-up (who knew there were such a thing?), so go check it out here!

{two} The Newsroom.

{via HBO}

Per usual, we are late to the game on a TV show… not because of Aaron, but because I protest watching too many shows all at once (any one else?). But with most of our regularly scheduled shows on winter hiatus (& football finally winding down), we started watching The Newsroom & are totally hooked! We flew thru the first season & just started the second. It is a little crazy to see the news headlines from 2011 & 2012 (since the show features real news stories) but it is strangely similar as the show is featuring Presidential campaigns just as we are gearing up for “Who’s Going to Win 2016” in our own lives. If you need a good show to watch (or binge on) I highly, highly recommend this one!

{three} Swankaroo mini backpacks.

{via Swankaroo}

I think I mentioned in her last monthly post, Eloise LOVES bags. And she doesn’t discriminate; plastic bags, laundry baskets, my handbag, our reusable store bags, as long as it has a handle (preferably) & it can hold something inside, she is into it! So, of course, I have been eyeing Eloise-sized bags & am loving these mini backpacks from Swankaroo! I am planning on getting her some type of backpack before our next family trip, but think it would be useful to have one for every day, like returning library books or carrying her own snacks, etc. Any backpacks you Mamas really like for your kiddos?

{I would get a bag for Eloise for Valentine’s Day, but I picked up this adorable wooden camera that was on Brickyard Buffalo last week for a steal! But don’t tell Eloise!}

what are you loving this week?

Remember the Friday Linky Party is up all month, so be sure to add your own Friday favorites this week & next!

FridayImInLove_Graphic

DIY IKEA kitchen hack.

As many of you know from my Christmas post, Santa brought Eloise a kitchen for Christmas. Specifically, an IKEA kitchen. And more specifically, a hacked IKEA kitchen, by yours truly. There has been lots & lots of interest in this hack, so I thought I would share!

To start, here is the original kitchen. It isn’t awful, but it’s a little plain & boring (in my opinion!). We opted to get the top section as well, but you can get just the bottom here if you want something more compact.

DUKTIG Play kitchen IKEA Encourages role play which helps children to develop social skills by imitating grown-ups and inventing their own roles.

{via IKEA DUKTIG Play Kitchen}

For the holiday season, IKEA ran an IKEA Family special where you got both pieces for $79 (normally it is $99) which is a GREAT deal for a play kitchen (considering most are over $100 & some are over $500, what?!).

So, in full disclosure, I am not the first one (& won’t be the last either) to hack this kitchen. I perused this Apartment Therapy post to get some ideas. I wanted to give Eloise a kitchen that was really similar to ours, or what I want our kitchen to look like (a lot of my sake since it will be in our house/living room for years likely!) so I decided to give her a two-color cabinet (white on top & grey on bottom), marble countertop& a white subway tile backsplash. Traditional with a modern twist – pretty much my style, right?

I don’t have really any “during” photos since I didn’t plan on doing a tutorial, but this is what I basically did:

assembled the top piece (without the microwave door)
assembled the bottom cabinet (without the stove or cabinet doors)
primed the top, cabinet, & doors
painted the stove & microwave doors (using this silver spray paint)
painted the top piece white (using Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover)
painted the bottom cabinet (using Benjamin Moore Cinder)
replaced all of the handles (using these IKEA TAG ones)
added marble contact paper to the countertop
added backsplash (I drew grey “grout lines” with Crayola marker on a white foam core poster board)

And for those of you who are more visual, here is a picture:

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Finally, I made Eloise a tiny little oven mitt (using this tutorial as a guide) & appliqued hand towel (this was my first time & doing non-straight edges was tough!) using this Dwell Studio fabric I have had around for years (which I first used to make these IKEA upholstered stools). Santa also brought her these IKEA utensils & veggie basket, & Aunt Anya (Yaya) brought her these adorable green dishes.

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At some point, I hope to “style” her kitchen a little more & add some cute decorations, but honestly, she is at the point where everything is thrown on the floor, & I don’t keep extra décor in my kitchen, so I don’t even really know what to add. A faux plant or flowers maybe? For the sake of the photos, I used the little hooks on the backsplash (there is a little rail there if you can’t tell) to hang her utensils & oven mitt, but in real life, she is still too little to reach those hooks & just pulls really hard on whatever is hung on them, & the hook pops off!

Also, one thing of note: there are removable plastic legs that you can add for height which we left off (for now) since the kitchen is a good height as is (she can barely open the microwave, for reference). But it is nice to know we can add height as she gets bigger.

Does your little have a play kitchen? Did you add any personal touches?

This post contains affiliate links.

my weekend in pictures.

{another day, another project. and one that involves painting things.}

{a much-needed manicure & latte on Friday!}
{and another project. picture ledges in our hallway for a family picture gallery. so, so excited! oh, and I just finished painting those walls!}

{Aaron has a James Bond-themed work party & I learned how to play Black Jack!}

{we paid a babysitter, I rented a dress, Aaron borrowed a tux from a friend, and we hit the town all dressed up and it was so fun!}

{Aaron comparing his wingspan at the Seahawks exhibit!}

{my store list. one guess which person in our house made the list!}

We had a fun weekend getting a few projects done around the house & having a much-needed date night! And we watched a crazy football game where the Seahawks didn’t show up until after halftime… Eloise came down with a cold (after a week of a stuffy nose) on Saturday morning and we are trying to get thru it without too many casualties (no sick parents please!). How was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

Welcome back Friday!

{Just a quick note that we have left the Linky Party open all month, so be sure to add your Friday favorites!}

{one} Emily Henderson’s Design Mistakes post.

{via Style by Emily Henderson}

I have stated my love for interior stylist Emily Henderson on at least one occasion, probably more. Last week she posted about design mistakes, specifically about things that are “antiqued” or “faux old” & it was amazing! I lean towards mid-century modern (if I had to categorize myself), so many, many trends these days (like country chic) just don’t fit in with my personal design aesthetic. And it’s not to say that having rustic looking furniture or hand-scraped floors is bad, it just isn’t everyone’s style. Emily was definitely speaking to me with her post & I am happy I am not the only one that isn’t feeling the need to have antiqued everything (ahem, Pinterest or even Joanna Gaines, whom I still LOVE & adore even though our styles are so different!).

{two} S’more Rice Krispy Treats.

{via Cupcakes and Cashmere}

Yep, it’s January & I should be getting my work out on (since I haven’t done a single workout this year… ) but I made these S’more Rice Krispy treats this week instead & I am not mad about it. They are awesome, easy, & I would highly recommend you do the same! We don’t have a kitchen torch, so I broiled them & our kitchen smelled like a campfire for a few minutes. It was lovely.

{three} PEPS Luncheon.

{via PEPS Annual Benefit Luncheon page}

That’s me & Eloise on the PEPS Luncheon page! One of my very photos of us taken last year at the event. (Look how tiny she was!) So, if you are a local Seattle mama & are looking for some fun in early March (the 8th), join me & Amanda (we are co-hosting a table this year) for the PEPS Luncheon. I promise, you won’t be disappointed! PEPS is an organization that has been more than beneficial to me & Aaron as parents, & we just can’t get enough! Please consider joining me for lunch or making a donation to this crazy-awesome organization!

What are you loving this week?

my weekend in pictures.

{Eloise, Sadie, and I headed to the park on Friday afternoon to enjoy the sun! Eloise did not want to leave once she found out there was a slide.}
{I missed T.Swift in concert but Aaron indulged me & we watched the 1989 World Tour video!}
   {Eloise turned 17 months today!}

{Eloise in her learning tower – thanks Aaron and Dad! – & her piggies!}

This weekend was gloriously sunny & I enjoyed it so much that I took almost no pictures… Last week was tough coming off the holidays & being spoiled with Aaron being home for two weeks! How was your weekend?