Harper Style {6.29.11}

Posted on | June 29, 2011 | 33 Comments

don’t you dare call these shoes. if you so much as try to call them shoes, you will corrected. they are TOMS, and she will let you know. they are NOT shoes. ::side eye::

other things this little lady has said lately:

as i opened up my new drivers license, “mommy, is that your mommy card?”

whenever she has her hair up in a little bun/top knot, “i’m a little baby mommy!” <—- kills me dead.

“I LOVE YOU NUTELLA”.

after i kissed the top of her head, “you kissed my hair? no, you kiss my mouf!”

“mommy, i got to change my batteries”.

we also made the mistake of telling her she’s going to be a flower girl, so every morning she thinks it’s the day she’s a flower girl and gets pretty upset she’s not a flower girl yet. Bree came over and measured her, then Harper measured us. she stretched out the tape and declared all of our parts were “eighty eight pounds!”. except for Bree’s foot, which was “BIG” (it’s so not, she wears like a 5).

thanks for all the kind words and “me too’s” yesterday! it seems the universe is messing with a lot of us, yes? i treated myself to a giant iced coffee, a thrift store run, and a nice long walk along the waterfront with my mom. i made a big to do list and crossed a few things off, which made me feel a lot better as opposed to overwhelmed when they were all floating around in my head. totally gonna show the out-of-nowhere blues who’s the boss. spoiler alert: it’s me!*

* well the jury is still out. i have tony, angela, mona and samantha/jonathan to contend with.

I just don’t know. You know?

Posted on | June 28, 2011 | 53 Comments

you know those days or weeks where you are just in a funk? the ones where you just feel a bit blue, or irritable, or lonely or just plain off? the ones where when someone asks you what’s wrong your only answer is “i don’t know”?

that.

i really don’t know. i’ve thought about it, lots. i’m just…blue. a light shade of blue, nothing life shattering. just off. i thought a week off the internet would clear it up but here i am still just…off. don’t get me wrong, the week away was glorious – maybe too glorious. who really knows the answer to such things? not me, that’s for sure. if i did, i sure as johnny depp wouldn’t be here blabbing to you about it.

any good tips out there for cheering up from an inexplicable shade of blue? i tried eating my feelings – they tasted amazing but i just feel bloated and tired now. do i need a special tea or supplement? a good old fashioned tire slashing? maybe a voodoo doll? but who would i poke? SIGH.

i’m thinking i just need to get back to basics. i need to get 100% back on the eating plan we were doing before. i felt my best both physically and mentally when i was drinking lots of water and eating fresh foods. i slept better, felt better, had more energy. we got a bit off track (like so far off track i can’t even see the damn thing) around my birthday (too much celebrating to do) but it’s time to get back to it. past time.

as far as blogging goes, the break was nice and i thought a lot about my space here and where i want it to go. also, back to basics. i started by removing the Haps from Top Baby Blogs. i don’t have a single bad word to say about TBB. the majority of my very best blog friends turned real life friends, i met because of that list. i know a LOT of you who follow this blog are here because of that list. i feel a huge reason my blog is what it is today is due to being part of TBB. but things change and well, i don’t have a baby anymore! this isn’t a baby blog – it just isn’t. it used to be. these days it’s a toddler-food-anderson cooper-fashion-lifestyle-phone pics-everything but the kitchen sink blog. i just don’t belong there anymore and every time the reset for votes happened, i felt positively icky asking for votes. in a “contest” no one ever wins. if i sounded conflicted every time i spoke about the list or asked for votes, it’s because i was. i hated the way that list made me feel, even though i do so appreciate all it gave me. most of all, i so appreciate you all for voting for me when i asked, and especially when i didn’t. it was good times! it’s just time for it to be over now.

as soon as i get out of this funk (seriously, vitamins? witch doctor?) things will be business as usual here. more style, more Harper, more random team haps goodness. for now though, i have some moping to do. maybe that’s it? i just need to give into the mope? for the love of michael c. hall, you guys.

so that you don’t leave me forever for someone much more upbeat and un-depressing, i’ll leave you with some pictures of our week. you know, fun happy stuff like playdates, kiddie pool action, and the cuteness that is the H-monster. who can be too mopey with this muffin basket full of rainbow kisses around?

i’m feeling better already.

Pic-pics!

Posted on | June 28, 2011 | 16 Comments

or you know, picnics as most people who aren’t Harper know them as. picnics have been our thing for some time now. the best part about picnics is they can be as simple or as complicated (read = fancy) as you want them to be. all you really need for a picnic is a blanket or two, some snacks and a place to sit. a shady spot under a big tree, a sandy spot on the beach, heck even the back of your SUV (our personal fave).

summers in the PNW just call for picnics, which is why since Harper came along we tend to use any excuse to eat outside. other times, eating on the run is just necessary, and calling it a picnic just sounds fancier. you know?

when she was a baby, eating outside was much easier. lay out blanket or towels, place gurgly baby in center, enjoy food product. these days it’s a bit different but still just as fun. we just have to choose our locations wisely – a playground or giant amounts of grass to run and play on is crucial.

Harper thinks having a picnic in the back of our durango is just the bees knees. it’s how our last food tour was born (food tour 2.0 is in the works and on our summer bucket list) and it’s awesome. drive around to various places (drive ins, food trucks, etc) and hop in the back to eat. child is contained but it’s something new and fun for them. plus – less chances of ants and buggy friends. we have napkins jammed in the glovebox just in case an impromptu picnic comes up.

when Scot and i had our first anniversary we went to the beach and stayed in a nice hotel. my mom packed us the best picnic basket full of cheeses, wine, crackers, fruit and lots of goodies. it was so sweet. when we got there, it was too cold to eat it on the beach so we had a full on picnic inside our room by the fireplace. i still remember it and how fun it was. we even spread a blanket on the carpet. and now that Harper is super into pretend-play (and the fact that the weather in the PNW is…temperamental), picnics on our own living room floor are constant.

have you gone on any good picnics lately? i want to hear about it! i’m always looking for good ideas and new tips for eating outside with friends and family. or you know, in the car.

this post was sponsored by Mott’s – i was compensated for my time spent writing because i’m a Mott’s Mom, but all opinions and ideas are my own. head over to the Mott’s Facebook page and “like” it to connect with me and other moms!

Eat this: Mediterranean Chick Pea Salad

Posted on | June 27, 2011 | 22 Comments

last friday we had a little BBQ at our place to celebrate Scot with one T’s birthday. we had burgers, brats, beans – all the good stuff. i wanted to make a summery salad that would be a nice side instead of the regular potato salad. one of my favorite salads is a chop salad at a local pizza place. it’s full of yummy flavors so i wanted to come up with something similar. by picking and choosing some of the elements and using chickpeas (garbanzo beans) instead of lettuce, this delicious salad was the outcome.

here is what you’ll need:

you’ll notice i don’t give amounts of each ingredient. that’s for a few reasons. firstly, i made this up as i went along. b) you can’t mess this up. put in as much or as little of each of these as you’d like! i made enough for 10 people with some left over by using three cans of chickpeas. the rest was just winging it.

i got my kalamata olives at the bulk olive bar at my grocery store. much cheaper than the jarred ones. i did slice them in half, as well as quartered the grape tomatoes. i left the artichoke hearts as is (they were quartered already) and chopped the basil up.

i tossed all the ingredients together, then whisked 1/4 cup of olive oil with a 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar. i added a bit of crushed garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. pour it over the salad, toss again and chill in the fridge for an hour or so. it was a big hit!

i’m already thinking about the next time i make this – you could add roasted red peppers, chopped salami or chicken,  feta, pepperoccinis, even use white beans instead of chickpeas. so yummy and fresh. and the best part? easy.

enjoy!