Hawaii time

It's been a busy year so far, as is clearly evidenced by our loooooong lapse in posting. I hope you can forgive us. We are pleased to report however that we managed to fit in a real vacation (first "real" one in five years!). We went to Maui and it was absolute bliss. We hope to be better at more regular posting and thanks for hanging in there! For now, here is a quick look at our trip.

There was some ukulele playing...

and boogie board prepping...

Lots of yummy lunch and dinner outings!

Lei-making...

 Glass-bottom boat adventures (#1 reason our son wants to go back).

And toes in the ocean time (little man was a bit unnerved by a few huge crashing waves!).

Oregon Coast

 

It was a busy summer and we realized late we didn't have much time left to get out and do something - "vacation" I think is the term :) So an impromptu trip along the Oregon Coast was our answer. It was beautiful - sunny and crisp, not too hot. Great seafood, quaint fishing towns, and lots and lots of ice cream (little guy is a bit obsessed).

We even made it to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, which was seriously one of the coolest and most kid-friendly aquariums I've been to. 

Manzanita was a fun stop with the most delicious locally-made Tillamook ice cream chock full of fresh strawberries. Always a bonus to find a combination espresso-slash-ice cream cafe and they had a great one here. The beach was absolutely gorgeous and we admired many shingled, coastal homes.

It's been a beautiful summer, and while we are not looking forward to the onset of grey skies and perpetual drizzle, we are looking forward to fall time, our favorite season. The transition of summer to fall in the Pacific Northwest is positively magical.

Saturday adventure

 Oooookay...I see it's been a while since we posted. Sorry for that. We've actually been tackling some smaller projects at our own house on top of the regular work load, all while in the nearly constant company of a very curious and enthusiastic 2 1/2 year old (this kid doesn't stop moving). Hopefully we'll have some progress photos to share soon, but for now here are just a few photos from the day's "adventure". It's not as often as we'd like, but every once in a while we try to carve out time for family adventures. Last time we took a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island (a big hit with the little guy) and on Saturday we visited the Seattle Aquarium.

The seals were super friendly and put on quite the show, swimming right up to the glass before twisting and diving below the surface (we called them sea lions a la Pete and Larry). In the underwater dome we watched a woman diver swim about feeding the fish. This may have been the highlight - our little guy called her "Sea Captain" (again, from Pete and Larry :) and waved excitedly. He hasn't been able to stop talking about it since.

Afterwards, we walked down to Pier 54, the original Ivar's. Little guy had his first fried food (their breaded, fried cod is amazing).  

And we couldn't resist a quick pit stop on the way home to see the Hammering Man outside the Seattle Art Museum. 

Hope your St. Patrick's Day weekend was great!

Endless Possibilities

 

Welcome, 2014! Here's to a fresh new canvas; a brand new year to fill with fun new adventures, gratifying design, and an unwavering focus what matter most to you.

(image from Tumbler, credit unknown)

Tiny Snowman

 

We got just enough snow for this miniature snowman ... a baby carrot for the nose, and a couple of rocks for eyes. Our little guy was way excited.

Shoveling was a big highlight as well :)

Hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Ice Cream Party

Yup, the little guy is already TWO (!!) and we celebrated earlier this month with a party at the beach including a special guest: the Ice Cream Man! Ok, so it was really just his grandpa donning an ice cream man hat, bow-tie, and mustache but I think that made it even more special than having the actual ice cream man. Little guy's auntie volunteered use of her white Jeep so it was a really legit affair. It just seemed appropriate given his current fixation on the ice cream man (and mailman, etc. - really anyone in a truck) and constant humming of the ice cream truck melody.

My trusty food tents were back, this time covering the most delicious egg sandwiches from the local bagel shop. And of course we had yogurt-covered pretzels and jeally beans to hold the little ones over till it was time for ice cream. 

 Then we cranked the ice cream truck tunes and the kids flocked to the jeep.

 A homemade menu gave them something to think about. Decisions, decisions!

 It was a gorgeous day and so nice to be right down by the water.

Here the little guy and his grandma watch with great interest to see if the strapping lifegaurd (on summer break from Stanford if you must know) can fetch the balloons that were joyfully released into a tree branch moments earlier. (He did eventually nab them).

Happy Birthday, little one!!

Welcome, spring

Apologies for the lapse, March was a busy month. We expect to have word back from the City this week on our plans, so hopefully we'll have progress updates on the farmhouse reno/addition very soon! Hope you had a wonderful Easter holiday. It felt like summer here (a very welcome surprise!) and the little guy got to take in a couple innings at the local ball field where his dad used to play. Sweetest.

Calm before the chaos

Have I mentioned I love this time of year? Especially now, before the frenzy of the holidays kicks in. The colors outside are beautiful, things just feel relaxed and peaceful, and we've got the giddy anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the bend. I captured this moment the other day and it just makes me melt every time I see it.

We're also starting on a new project, which is always a lot of fun with ideas swirling as the final vision starts to come together. A renovation and addition to what was once an old fishing cabin (built in 1900!). We'll post more as we get underway.

Hope you enjoy these next couple of weeks! I'm thinking leisurely strolls, salted carmel lattes (yes I've got  my own recipe down, and thankfully Starbucks is always happy to oblige), and crisp fall air. Oh, and being able to complete pretty much any task or outing crowd-free :)

Modern Cottage birthday

Over the Labor Day weekend, the little guy turned one so we threw him a bash in the front yard. Fortunately lots of his friends were in town for the holiday so it was a great crowd up on the porch and spilling into the lawn. We kept things simple and pretty with the only real 'theme' being about those relaxing final days of summer...

The food was simple: Fresh squeezed lemonade, delicious turkey sandwiches made by a local shop,  fruit skewers, peanut butter sandwiches (no crusts, of course), and a quinoa salad with tomato and cucumber. Oh, and for dessert: cupcakes!

And we couldn't resist these when we noticed them in the beer aisle... the light blue label was perfect. Good thing they tasted good, too.

Party favors included adorable handmade paper pinwheels found on Etsy, balloons tied with cotton cording, and white beach balls. We figured the little ones would need something to entertain themselves during the party, and thought the beach balls would fit the venue perfectly. It was hilarious to watch the kiddos walk up the front steps, immediately catch sight of the balls scattered across the lawn, and make a beeline toward them to begin gleefully kicking them around the yard.

All in all it was a fantastic party and the little man had a blast!

(Lovely photography by Kristine)

Vintage summer



I am totally obsessed with the camera on my new phone and all the filters that come with it. Particularly the vintage filter. There actually three versions: vintage, vintage warm, and vintage cold. I'm in heaven. Which ever I use (I think my fave is the regular "vintage") produces really beautiful, artistic, and almost magical photos. This past Friday was the first day in many, many days (weeks? months?) we were able to take some time to hit the park with the little guy and just be (we also had him in swim lessons last month - the best!). Here's hoping you're enjoying many magical moments this summer!

Treasure hunting

We finally made it out to our favorite antiques gallery with baby...and it only took nine months! Nonetheless, we made it- that's what counts, right? We had some specific items in mind for an upcoming project, but it's always fun to browse, too. Here are some of the things that caught our eye (brace yourselves for a lot of galvi! :)

First up (above) is this vintage nesting box displayed as functional wall storage. Love for a  mudroom or entry. Totally unique piece.

Also this great old olive bucket. Love the shape of the holes and as well as the handles which provide a little contrast.

Rustic pendant lights. Lots of possibilities...

This made us smile: A lamp made from an old water tank. The price tag made us smile, too: $878!!

Set of four cool white retro chairs. Love these as dining chairs or even just one as a casual desk chair. Great for outside, too.

I was instantly drawn to this tote of vintage bulbs. The display felt beautiful and scupltural to me. And interesting!

Giant 3x5 galvi panel. We'd use it like a piece of art. Though it weighs about 60 pounds!

Rad old windmill tail. Really wanted to grab this but just don't have a place for it.  Probably gone by now, but at least I have this picture...

After lots of perusing, our little guy fell asleep on Dad, while the gallery staff oohed and ahhed over the darling sleeping baby (he is pretty darling, sleeping or awake :) Afterwards we stopped by the waterfront near the Space Needle to soak up some sun and enjoy the fountain. It was a fun day - and definitely a milestone for us as parents since it wasn't so many months ago in our newborn fog that we were entirely convinced we'd never make it back to this place again.