ando and friends

Have you ever met someone and thought damn, we should have been friends years ago?

We hung out with the Davis family yesterday. Lucky us. They have an amazing beach house with an ocean view. When we walked up to their home all the doors were wide open and the ocean breeze was billowing the cotton drapes. We knocked on the door frame.

Their son, Noah, is about the same age as Thom. The boys spent the afternoon battling the plants in the yard with light sabers and giggling in the playroom. Thom asked me twenty times last night if I would please call Noah's mom and see when he can play again.

Ashley is a tiny little elf of a girl, but evidently she can really shred the waves. (I don't really speak surfer lingo so don't try that phrase out on your friends.) She also sews up a storm in her studio up stairs. She is reusing old clothing items to make funky handbags and pillows. She also has a passion for building furniture. I have been coveting the low red bench she made for her front porch ever since I laid eyes on it.

Andy is the fine artist of the family. He has worked for Toes on the Nose, Roxy and most recently, Patagonia. His style is free and hip and everything I want my art to be. He is modest and understated and a real family man at heart. Andy owns a clothing company called Ando and Friends. They have a slew of rockin' t-shirts and other sundries.

If only I was as cool as Andy and Ashley.

Does being friends with them kind of make me cool by association?

I was allowed to wander around their amazing home, snapping photos at will. Here's the result of yesterday's camera fun.

And you gotta check out Ando and Friends.

I am waiting with baited breath for their children's line to come out. My kids will be sporting some Ando attire.

"My kids". Plural. I like the sound of that don't you?

my green girl

Jo is opening her own online shop. She asked me to come and take some photos that she can use to build her site. Our little model, Sam, was very cheerful and accommodating and didn't make any outrageous demands or throw any tantrums. It could be because he actually eats. In fact, he tried to eat every prop in site.


Jo, who is my go to green girl for all things eco-friendly, will be selling biodegradable diapers and organic baby items. I will be sure to let you know when her shop is up and running. She has sold me on the idea of using biodegradable diapers. I hope they don't leak. I can't hang with that. I will be her first discerning customer.

After our amateur photo shoot, we ate tuna fish sandwiches and grapes on a blanket under a shady tree. Our five-year-olds graced us with a acrobatics display which included many daring tricks, much showmanship and one hurt ankle.

I would also like to tell everyone withing the reach of my blog that Sam, who really doesn't like anyone but his parents and his nanny, loves me. We are snuggle buddies.

I wonder if Amelie will like him as much as I do.

sea fairing

The day started as most wonderful days start. We slept in.

A quick trip to Trader Joe's produced a package of havarti, spicy salami, a baguette, soda water and two blue balloons. We made sure to procure a menagerie of the world's best cupcakes from Elizabethan Desserts the night before, so we were ready to roll.

Or row, as it were.

We set sail at half past eleven.

The peanut gallery waved bon voyage.



We nagged the first and second mate to please stay away from the edge over and over, then we gave up. After all, a boy has never died from a little chilly salt water. Live and learn.


Besides, we had cupcakes to eat.



The wind gently coaxed our little vessel through the lapping waves. The sails snapped like sheets on the line. We talked and laughed and licked the frosting from our fingers.

Every once in a long while, a day will come along. The perfect day, spent with just the right people, breathing just the right air, eating just the right things.

A person might only get a handful of these days in their life. Surely they are divvied out sparingly.

Yesterday was one of those days.

I'm thankful for it.

I'll pick a winner for Friday's post tomorrow. Just leave a comment.

cronies

companion; partner; comrade; crony; confidant; ally;compeer; peep; playmate; chum; cobber; buddy; associate; colleague; confrere; compatriot; consociate; cohort; mate; friend

I asked Jenny what she thought of a baby name I like. She said it sounded like a hillbilly name, but it didn't matter because any name I choose she would eventually love.

We were on a run. We have great talks when we run together. We once ran a half marathon together. Jenny wanted to stop running at mile eleven. I told her no, just keep running. When the finish line came into view, she sprinted ahead and crossed before me.

I forgave her for that. Mostly.

Another time we went on vacation and she took care of the cat while we were away. He pooped and peed all over the place and Jenny had to deal with it. I should just mention that she DOES NOT like animals.

She forgave me. Kind of.

There was also the time I didn't make it to her daughter's baptism.

Still paying for that one.

The very best time spent with Jenny is when we say nothing at all. Every year we while away our summers at the beach. We arrange our chairs arm to arm and stretch out our legs. We read fashion magazines and eat snacks. And if something interesting happens to walk by, we don't speak. We just tilt our sunglasses and give the "look".

With us, words are superfluous.

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Here's a little peek at what I have been working on at my bench. I have been thinking about adding to my adoption line for some time now. I finally came up with the perfect piece.

Inscribed in Latin: "Auxilio Ab Alto" (with help from on high)

It's very simple and very wearable. Of all the pieces I have created, this one most closely reflects the feelings in my heart regarding adoption. I hope other people feel the same.

It will be part of the adoption line, however, I think most of my adoption piece can be used in other ways. For example, this ring could be given as a good luck gift to anyone starting a new endeavour.

I'm not sure when the spring collection will be available. Hopefully by the first part of April.

attitude gratitude

There is nothing like spending a Thursday with the Mundays. I am thankful for a good friends.

No giveaways this week dear readers. A girl needs a break every now and again. See you next week!

we went sailing darling, then had a spot of lunch

We had a great little escape yesterday. We decided it was high time that Thom learned how to sail. And Ben too, for that matter. A survivorman needs to know these things.

So, when our good friends called with the idea of a day at sea, we were ready with bells on.


It sounds very glamorous to be sailing, but in fact, it was not. Our little boat only held four people. There wasn't even a table to set a glass of champagne or a round of brie. So I stayed ashore with Jo and we took a walk while the boys slowly tottered out of the harbor.

Jo is British and I love to listen to her talk. She makes everything sound civilized and polite. I feel fancy when I'm with her. Even when we are just drinking hot cocoa and watching people work on their boats. It feels very posh.

After their big adventure on the high (ahem, low) seas, the boys came in for some fish and chips.

After lunch, we said good-bye with kisses all around, British style. I won't have to wait long to feel fancy again. We will be spending Thanksgiving with this wonderful family. I'm planning a very proper meal with a English flare.

Cheerio for now, but don't forget to enter Friday's giveaway!

and so it begins

Some years ago, before the rodent came along, I worked in a bookstore. At the time, it was my fantasy job. I had worked in the dental field (a.k.a. the depths of hell) while Ben was in school. It paid well, but left me with a deep wrinkle between my eyebrows and the bad habit of judging people by the state of their teeth. So when Ben FINALLY graduated, I got a job at a little independently owned bookstore.

It was a lovely little shop with dark wood and a fireplace. We were allowed to take home any book we liked and read it, as long as it came back in mint condition. I read like a mad women during those years.

When I read Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, I distinctly remember thinking, I really wish I had a group of good friends like that. The kind that you can poor out your sorrows to over a Diet Coke. The kind of friends you see so often, they notice if your blouse is new or you changed your eyeshadow. The Ya Ya's spent long summer days at the beach. Their children played and they chatted. In essence, their families grew up together. It's a good book, pick it up.

Funny thing, my life is turning out a little like the Ya Ya's. I have a great group of friends who I see all the time. Our children have formed their own gang with a structure of command so complex, it rivals Microsoft. Now that Summer vacation is in full swing, we go to the beach every Thursday, and some Mondays. We sit, we eat, we complain, we compare, we honestly tell each other that, yes, that makes you look fat, give it away. We are growing up together.

If you live in the area, and feel so inclined, stop by some Thursday. Grab a Diet Coke, slather the kids with SPF, sit back and tell us your woes. We are always interested in fresh problems to mule over.