newbies

i have a couple of new items to show you...

one, i officially added the t-rex shirt to my shop. now your toddler can charm the masses, too!

two, i reincarnated the monkey to suit toddler boys...

fun, no?

and lastly, not to leave the little gals out, i present the flower sundress...

summer, summer, summer - i looove this cute little dress! it sports a racerback back that is oh, so cute, too! i love the shade of green - bright, fresh, fun! this dress could also be worn with leggings, or even over jeans. i could even see a black l/s shirt & black leggings for those cooler days of spring, or a little denim jacket, or, or, or...!

okay, so now you're caught up on alacrity happenings!

(they're all in the shop as of now...)

teeka teeka

things i want to remember about hudson @ this age (almost 2) - installment one = twinkle twinkle.


hud has loved music, rhythms, rhymes for a long time now but he's just in the past few weeks been able to sing a long with songs. so far, twinkle, twinkle seems to be his favorite. this is how he sings it...


teeka teeka leeya tahh

how i wona wahh haah hey

uca buva wahh haah hey

like a diamon wahh haah hey

teeka teeka leeya tahh

how i wona whahh haah hey



you probably noticed that he likes to finish most lines with "waah haah hey". it's hysterical! most of the time, i sing it this way too - with emphasis on the "waah haah hey"s!


here's a video of me trying to get him to sing for the camera. he doesn't exactly do it, but he sings a little & it's really funny...

the only thing funnier than watching this video is watching HIM watch this video! it's a riot - he mouths along with himself & is just thoroughly entertained!!!

oh, i also want to remember scenes like this...!!!

happy monday to all :)

assets in austin

i wore my assets to austin this week.

did i get a picture? oh, no. but i got a few of a certain cutie that accompanied mom & i on the trip...

hudson charmed the city while mom & i did a little alacritydesigns sales. we stayed at hotel san jose on south congress ("soco" if you're hip). it was a real treat - more $ than we'd normally spend, but totally worth it. we'd visited before b/c johnna (when are you going to move back??!) used to work there, in the coolio courtyard/bar area, but we had ever stayed. it's so fun & funky. the rooms are small (which doesn't make for the best of sleeping arrangements w/ a little one), but the ambiance is modern + old school (it's a renovated old, old motel), clean&neat meets austin hippie. plus they had a fish pond, which won hudson's heart.

and here we are eating at magnolia cafe. two words - AH MAZING. we ate there twice. (another fun thing about staying on south congress - you can walk to tons of shops & all of this good food.)

you may notice that hudson has the same outfit on in every picture (a new alacrity t-rex shirt). well, that's because he was such a good sales tool on the first day, that i decided just to put him back in it the next day, too! plus somehow he spent about 8 hrs wearing it the first day & didn't get it dirty, & i consider that a modern day miracle!!!

we went to austin initially to meet with lizelle @ parts & labour about carrying some alacrity stuff. they've moved a few blocks north on SoCo (oh, i'm soooo cool!) to a new & super spacious space, & fyi - they'll soon be carrying some alacrity gowns & t-rex shirts! in addition to kids' stuff, they have lots of super fun skirts, dresses, t's, accessories, & also men's stuff.

we also talked with will @ kid genius (also on soco) & hope to do some t-rex shirts there, too.

lastly, alacritydesigns proudly joins the lines @ picket fences in north austin! what a fabulous baby store! seriously, kathryn knows her stuff. it's a definite MUST STOP!

while in austin, we also were able to pop by & see brand new baby, stella marek! she's really one of the most gorgeous newborns i've ever seen, complete with the sweetest newborn scent! awwwwww! i can see "alacrity model" in her future for sure! congrats ry & suz :)

what a fun trip, though we weary travelers were quite happy to reunite with our beloved daddy :)

happy almost weekend!!

p.s. when in austin, i also recommend (all on soco)...

ten thousand villages - super cool ethnic artsy stuff from all around the world & all fair traded!

uncommon objects - antique-y items (furniture, china, quilts...), all organized by color groups

hey cupcake! - yummmmmm is all i have to say. oh, & order the vanilla dream.

guero's - i've eaten here several times now. love the tortilla soup & the chicken quesadillas are really, really great. i also recommend the strawberry margarita, while debs would recommend the sangria.

jo's - the coffee shop that connected with hotel san jose. just so darn austin-y. try the iced turbo.

aren't yellow tulips the happiest flower?

i absolutely love tulips.

meredith had some beautiful red ones on her table when we were there last week. they were so delicate & cheery, so when i went to the groc (pronounced "grosh" - i love you, darrah) yesterday, i had to get a little bundle. honestly it was an $8 i probably didn't need to spend, but flowers for $8 is pretty darn good!! (*side note - i also probably didn't need to spend $6 on the new realsimple mag, but i did that too. clint forgot to renew my subscription, so i blamed the extra money on him. why i think it's his job to renew my mag, i'm not sure, but i still consider it his fault.)

so the yellows called out my name. i love how sunny they are! first i put them in a carafe type vase, but they just didn't look right, so i went for the little glass bottles. these are actually the bottles hudson's formula came in. which leads me to another love of mine - repurposing glass bottles. this was an especially rewarding hobby when we were living in europe. everything seems to come in glass - lots of fun shapes & sizes. my favorites being the mini-yogurt bottles that were perfect for tea lights.

back to the tulips - here are some pictures...

*linen towel courtesy of my mom's estate sale habit

*pinecone courtesy of a certain little boy who considers them treasures

i've decided when i retire i'm going to spend my days making a "cutting garden" - growing flowers just to cut for vases inside. tulips, hydrangea, daffodils... i'm feeling a more confident gardener these days since debs helped me do a little gardening when she was here 2 wks ago. i'll have to take some pictures for you...

i heart march madness

really, i do.

why? because i was able to spend a friday night peacefully watching what not to wear & dateline without groans & eye rolls from clint AND he was able to watch all the bball his little heart desired on our computer without groans & eye rolls from me! all while sitting on the same couch & even snuggling a bit. marital bliss :)

this morning, i will say my love is beginning to wane a bit as i have had to spent it to the backdrop of cheers & bouncing balls & hudson mimicing his father with cries of "go bears!", which sounds more like "go burrrrs".

oh, it starts so early.

in other news, i had a super fun week this week in tyler. i declared it my "spring break"! spring break in tyler, tx - what could be better???! seriously, it was fun. hudson & i hung out with mere & samuel (aka sammy sosa), jen, ginger & caden. the festivities included lots of swinging, parks, raisins, & yogurt bites, but thanks to blair & kyle we were able to enjoy one night of don juan + marble slab love.
oh t-town, i do love thee :)

as usual, i was terrible @ taking pics, but here are a few...

hudson (no posing as usual), luke davis (hamming it up!!), & sammy (fresh haircut!)

getting ready for bed in coordinating pjs!

ging, caden, sammy, hud, mere, jen - enjoying sunshine + bubbles + sidewalk chalk + swing + coffee drinks + taking each other's toys

cutie little c! a perfect blend of ginger & blair

bubbles

scheming up mischief in the bathtub...

i also got to stop by snug as a bug to chat it up with melissa & connie, which was fun. if you're in tyler, stop by & see the newly renovated store. & if you wait a few days you'll get to see several of my new designs!

knot head

hudson has had many a tumble & many a knot on his head, but we have currently hit an all-time record...

poor little noodle.

he was just running around in the fabric store, tripped over his feet, & ended up flat on the floor! i didn't know it was this bad until 30 mins later when the huge knot started to form.

like he needed another reason to hate the fabric store...

another easy peasy dinner menu

so this one's a few months late (especially for houston!), but just in case the temps lower again, here's my favorite, easy chili "recipe". this is actually a shout out to the mama because it's what she used for chili when we were growing up.

you can buy these packets off the wick fowler website (what kind of name is "wick"???), but i've always just gotten it @ the grocery store. it's the best - you just brown your meat (i recommend ground turkey), add 1 8oz can of tomato sauce (so cheap - like 30cents or something) & i like to add a can of black beans. the little box has all of the spices that you add in little packets, so super easy & convenient. i will say WATCH OUT for the red pepper flakes - they are H O T like nobody's business, so just don't say i didn't warn you! i like things pretty spicy & last time i put 1/2 the packet in & thought it was a bit too spicy, still!
so it takes about 30 mins to simmer & that's it!

of course you gotta serve it with
+

sharp cheddar cheese

okay, i don't usually use tillamook, but my friend courtney swears by it! i DO use sharp cheddar cheese, though. i just like the way it tastes, but i did hear somewhere (Today's Show?) to use sharp b/c it has a stronger taste, so you don't need as much. not sure about that, but you can try it out! another thing we DO definitely do is shred our own cheese. it really does make a difference & funny enough it's often cheaper to buy it by the block. if you have a food processor (and it's not perpetually busy chopping up your child's food because he is almost 2 & still happens to have a problem with most solid foods...) it's super easy to shred.

+

sour cream & possibly avocado, if you're feeling it.

here's to hoping for a little chili weather!

easy dinner menu love

(lemon pepper is my favorite but i couldn't find a pic)

+

+

=

easy & yummilicous

this is one of our favorite "it's 6:00 & what the heck are we having for dinner??" meals. we just had it tonight - mmmm. sometimes when it's really late, they're out of the lemon pepper chickens, but today i got lucky :) i eat white & clint eats dark, which makes us a match made in chicken heaven.

white or dark, the chicken works so well with the mediterranean salad - all spinach + some kinda yummy dressing (which i'm sure is full of fat & weird preservatives, but it's just so darn good) + a ridiculously small amount of little cheese chunks & croutons. this part kind of makes me mad sometimes, but the dressing is just so good, so i just keep going back.

then we get some kind of vegetable to go with it. depending on your time sitch, you can always grab something from the premade counter (we used to get some couscous that was yum & not too $$), but lately we've been addicted to asparagus. are you like i used to be - scared of a veggie that sounded so gourmet to make? i'm here to put your worries to rest - asparagus is for the masses! especially now that it's aspargus season & fairly reasonably priced (i got it for $1.79 a pound).

easy peasy yummilicous asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus

evoo

sea salt (seriously, it's better & not very $$)

pepper

lemon

heat pan to mdH. add 2T evoo. let it warm up for a couple secs. add aspargus to pan. sprinkle w/ S&P. saute for 4-5 mins. turn as they cook. they should be tender. put on plate & squeeze 1/2 lemon over the top. ENJOY!

i promise, you will want to eat these like candy!! don't even bother with forks - we just use our hands!

***recipe courtesy of clint harp (though i have to say i think i'm the one who thought of the lemon, babe!!)

so there you go. i thought of another good, easy one i think i'll post tomorrow...

friday

i hate this blog background.

it seemed like such a good idea with the cute flowers, but something about the pinky-ish background + the mauve font color makes me nauseous. you, too?

speaking of, U2 does have a new album out, fyi. c burned it for me for the car, but i just can't remember to ever put in in the car w/ me. can't imagine why, it's not like i have a purse, a diaper bag, keys, whatever else, + a small boy to get to the car everytime anyway...!

can you tell i'm having a crappy day??!

went to bed late, woke up early. unfortunately so did hudson, which caused him to be less than cheerful this morning & also caused him to scream & cry for 30 minutes in the gym nursery. which caused his poor "just trying to get one freaking work out in this week" mother to have to quit her fun dance/sweat-your-hiney-off class & come get his pitiful crying butt.

not that i am bitter.

just that it was my ONE attempt at working out this week & you'd think he could remember the THREE times i took him to the park this week & just let me off the hook & color with the other kids for 50 minutes!!!

apparently not.

anyway, i've been a terrible blogger lately & i really do apologize. i'm not sure i would have even posted today, but i read my friend kelli's blog & felt both really honored & really guilty for being so negligent! thanks, kelli :)

thankfully the cranky monster that is my son (whom i do love, i promise) is now napping & i'm just praaaaaaaying that luis, our lawn man does not wake him with his supersonic leaf blowing skills. i have had to confess much angst towards luis in previous fridays @ the numerous times hudson has awoken screaming, until i re-realized that luis is only doing his job AND that by doing his job, hudson & are afforded more weekend time with our beloved daddy. it also helps that luis is extremely nice, and it's really hard to hold a grudge against someone so nice AND helpful.

okay, i'm about done here.
thank goodness mimi is on her way next week. & not a minute too soon.