Le Artiste

Might be time to start filing away some toddler art... Our little board is running out of room and every time I touch the clips to hang a new piece, three others fall to the floor.  This is absolutely one of my Pinterest stimulated, totally compulsive must-have-done-right-now projects, and I love it and feel happy every time I see it.  Good thing I have her little school organization bin all ready to go so that we can store these (also a total compulsive must have immediately like all the other good mommy's are doing Pinterest projects).

I Heart Kate Spade

Miss Spade and I have recently re-established our off again, on again relationship so imagine my delight to find out that a store was opening here... Not only do I love the brand, but it's also one of several of my favorite brands opening up stores here in Indy amidst a pretty nice mall overhaul which is generally just exciting.  I am loving the direction that Kate Spade has taken with their use of colors and whimsical girlyness, and I found myself wishing that I a) could buy everything in sight, and b) that maybe I missed my calling and I should be working for their brand.  Can you imagine being paid to be surrounded by that cuteness all the time?  Too bad I have no experience or training in fashion or business, and pretty sure the Christmas break at Abercrombie is not going to get me too far...

 

Cuteness in the Hotness

Yesterday was an unusually busy week day for my social calendar!  It was simultaneously the last day of school in Carmel, and so there was an End-of-Year party planned for the Village, as well as the launch party for the new Kate Spade store here (looove.)  I thought the Village party sounded like a fun thing to do with Harper (even though her "school" is technically year round), and had plans to meet our little friends over there so I packed her up early from work/school and headed up.  It seemed like a good excuse to throw on the Giraffe dress which I have been dying to get her in, but that was honestly the major highlight of the party.  It was super hot and somewhat overstimulating with tween karaoke in the background, and little Squeaky was pretty flushed and generally just out of sorts with the whole thing.  We stayed long enough for me to get a few cute pics of her and her "lellow" bow, pet a few BaBa's and then pretty much bailed.  Definitely one of those sounds really fun plans, that totally isn't as much so in reality.

My attempt at a photo op... That "glow" is me actively sweating.



Harper and Mia fully enamored with tween karaoke.



Photo attempt #2... not so much.



That look pretty much sums it up- way too hot for fun.  But that dress is just about my favorite!



Holiday Weekend Wrap-Up

After the zoo went over as such a big hit on Saturday, and being faced with yucky weather-- pretty much the coldest Memorial day weekend that I can remember-- it seemed only natural to head down to the Children's Museum on Sunday to get out of the house while Hunt tried to get some school work done.  It's nice being a member so that we can pop down there for just a little visit, burn some toddler energy, and then be home for lunch and nap time.

Tea party with the bears.  I tried not to completely freak out as she walked right over to the tea cup and drank from it, when who knows how many other children with goodness knows what germs have also sucked on it.  Instead I just mentally focused on how cute it was that she knew just what to do at a bear tea party!

Neon Squeaky... or Rave Squeaky according to Carson.

Cupcake and ice cream parlor... again, there was public toys straight to the mouth.  Ick.

In honor of the Indy 500.

Obsessed with all things water.

That afternoon was our barbecue at Mindy and Jim's house.  The weather didn't cooperate well, but it was a very fun small gathering, and Harper and I got a few cute pics together which is always a bonus!

Toddlers entertaining themselves.

Reading her fav "Shoe La La" while rocking some patriotic beads.  Toddler stall tactics in full effect to avoid going upstairs and begin the bedtime process.  Apparently someone has gotten the message that the cuter she is in the evening, the easier it is to push that bed time right on back...

And finally, the conclusion of a fun three days was capped off with celebrating America in true Mayo fashion-- letting our inner fat rednecks out to eat some excessive amounts of meat and Hunt enjoyed himself a Bud diesel, while Harper shoved a good bit of cornbread into her mouth interspersed with periodically stretching and talking/singing to herself.

Memorial Weekend Yummies

The holiday weekend proved an excellent excuse for trying out some new Pinterest recipes.  Saturday afternoon, I put together a Southwestern Chicken Cornbread Salad, compliments of Martha Stewart.  I usually think that I would find her recipes overly frou frou and complicated, but this one was easy and actually very good.  I made a few modifications- added some bacon and pico instead of tomatoes, and my own ratios... It is the kind of recipe that is amenable to a little of this, little of that concoction which works best for my less than precise nature.

Recipe link:  http://www.marthastewart.com/856896/southwestern-chicken-cornbread-salad




Little lounger in the kitchen.

The prospect of another neighborhood barbecue on Sunday gave me the much desired excuse for some baking.  The brownies I put together on Saturday evening, and they are ridiculously good and rich.  Eggless cookie dough is about the most delicious thing ever, and being able to make it with gluten free flour is such a bonus.

The cupcakes were created Sunday morning before anyone else in my house (besides Winnie) were awake.  Harper slept in until 9:15 am, which is unheard of, but clearly thanks to a busy day at the zoo.  The cupcakes turned out really pretty, but the cake part were kind-of doughy, maybe from the raspberries put into them?  And once again, the homemade icing is my nemesis.  Or maybe it is the icing gun, which requires it to be really thick in order to make the nice ribboning that I am now addicted to.  The recipe for this icing actually called for shortening, which sounded kind-of gross and I was having a hard time finding at the store, so I used cream cheese instead... but maybe the shortening would provide that extra thickening that I've been missing?? Hmmm.  This is probably way more brain cells than should be reasonably dedicated to cupcake icing.

Recipe link:  http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/05/raspberry-lemonade-cupcakes.html


O.M.G.  I literally had this post done twenty minutes ago... All I did was pull up Pinterest to find the recipe link, and that turned into opening up the Six Sisters site, which led to the discovery of something called M&M Monster Dip, which led to a link to M&M Monster Cookie Dough Cupcakes, which led to me drooling and then going back to my phone to pin all of these new discoveries on Pinterest!!  Seriously.

I Wrote To The Zoo To Send Me a Pet...

So starts one of Harper's favorite books currently... It occured to me that she is pretty in to animals and their sounds these days, so the zoo might be a fun outing.  We kicked off a super fun Memorial Day weekend with our first trip to the Indy Zoo with our friends Mindy, Miles and Harrison.  Hunt and I both agreed that we have been somewhat spoiled with the caliber of zoos that we have been exposed to over the years between DC and San Diego, so at first glance the Indy version was a bit more basic.  That being said, it was super manageable with a toddler, and the animals were actually close enough in the smaller landscapes that Harper and Harrison could get pretty close to them so all in all that certainly counts for something!  The toddlers, aka Mr. and Mrs. H or His and Hers H's, were totally adorable walking around together and managed to share the wagon, snacks, and some stuffed animals amazingly well. 

 

Hello Mr. Walrus.  Hope you don't mind me pounding on your house in total excitement!



Screeching with delight.



I believe there were some goldfish involved in this jockeying around the wagon.

Sweet, sweet little pair.



Checking out the Monkeys, with their own little Monkey faces.

Hi Kitty.  "Peeoow".

His and Hers H's checking out the elephants.

Miles gets a piggyback from his honorary big brother Mr. Hunt.

One small animal feeding another.