we survived

the first year with twins!! even though there have been a lot of ups and downs, i would have to say it has been the most fullfilling year of my life.

got me in stitches

via nesting. love these graphic baby quilts. designed by adam young and michael alvarado of got me in stitches. they are sold at fawn and forest. great gift because babes can't grow out of them and they would make a perfect piece of art for a modern nursery.

margaritas, fish tacos, and homemade ice cream

it wouldn't be summer without freshly squeezed lime juice for margaritas, fish tacos and homemade ice cream. my brother and his girlfriend came over for dinner last week and that's what we had. wish i would have taken pictures, but sometimes it's more fun to live in the moment instead of worrying about getting just the right shot. here are the recipes we used.

1. jamie oliver's margaritas
2. bobby flay's fish tacos. the salsa smelled so good with the fresh cilantro.
3. homemade ice cream in a bag. we made vanilla ice cream and served it with coconut flakes and coconut milk on top.
picture from marthastewart.

hambone designs

read this article in the new york times titled, on to plan b:starting a business. lisa marie grillos and her brother, hernan barangan were victims of the recession and have used their creative juices to start a company that produces bags for bikes. hambone is the name of the company. their etsy shop is here. their website is here. love the buffalo plaid pattern shown above to keep keys, wallet and essentials handy when biking.

go to's for a mom of twins

could not have survived this first year of mommahood without these aesthetically pleasing to the eye baby things. if you look hard enough you can find baby gear with a design edge. large retail stores tend to carry the plastic, pink, bells and whistles gear, but i'm drawn to wooden modern gear that blends in seamlessly to the things we already have. i have spent many hours on the internet when the girls were catching some zzzzz's searching for the following things. thought i would try to save you some time by posting them here.

1. baby bjorn babysitter balance in white air
2. sophie the giraffe natural teether
3. stokke tripp trapp chair in natural
4. ikea leka baby gym
5. larry the lobster pull toy
6. charley harper's wooden peg puzzle
7. flensted swallow mobile
8. jack johnson sing-a-longs and lullabies for the film curious george cd

pack your bags

jet blue is offering an all-you-can-jet pass for just $599. the offer is good from september 8-october 8. see details here. there are 50 cities to choose from. i would love to hear where you would you travel if you could use this deal...

photo from here.

sick swedish styling

via emmas designblogg. LOVE the white painted floors and neutral color palette. everything stands out more on white painted floors. and if i'm not mistaken, those black kiddie chairs are from IKEA too.

emersonmade

cuteness! how adorable is this line of fabric flowers by emersonmade. she does all her own styling and i would love to step into her farmhouse world with ducks, large garden, front porch and have a glass of wine. fun, fun fun! find the emersonmade shop here and blog here.

via simplesong.

i.klee design

just ordered these lovely postcards for summer notes at i.klee designs on etsy. it makes me want to gather up tiny things and line them up based on color and take pictures.

back next week

we're packing our bags today and traveling to see family for the rest of the week. be back next week. hope you all are having a lovely summer filled with lots of lemonade, skinny dips, sand in your toes, late night talks on porches, exploring places you have never been, strawberry shortcake, dancing, reading a good book and spending time with the ones you love.

love this photo above. feels like summer to me!
via oh joy. photo by sara morishige williams of an exhibit at the asian art museum of sf.

tea to go

via katy elliot. mallard tearooms in the UK have these adorable to go tea cups. designed by designer sarah walsh. this logo is such a breath of fresh air! so sweet! the English have such a great design sense.

felt numbers

found these felt numbers on line and liv blog. you can buy the felt numbers and letters here. michima on etsy as an adorable shop. it makes learning about numbers and letters fun for your kiddies with these cute tactile sets.

cool architecture

spotted 2 houses in rockport, ma that inspired me. way too big for what we would ever want or could afford, but lalaloved the 2 over 2 square windows and cedar shingle siding.

martha's vineyard

josh surprised me for my b-day last month with a day trip to martha's vineyard with the entire family + my bro. i have never been and was so excited to take in all the sites. we took the ferry from wood's hole in cape cod over to the island. josh had researched it and found that it would be easier to take our car over so that's what we did. he packed a huge cooler with all of our favorite things: izze, dancing deer sugar cane lime cookies, macaroni salad, strawberries, starbucks doubleshot in cans, baguette of french bread, shaved ham, and swiss cheese. the ferry let us off at oak bluffs. my brother had been there before so he helped us navigate. we drove around the island to get a feel of what it was like. we took lots of pictures when we got out and walked around in edgartown, menemsha, and gay head. the gingerbread cottages in oak bluffs, the clay cliffs in gay head, and the buzz from the starbucks doubleshot stick out in my memory.