Lisa Leonard

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at the santa barbara zoo they have a hill they kids can slide down with cardboard.

daddy helped david get in on the action.

and he loved every minute of it! can’t you tell?

today is a all about relaxing and playing

winners for the ‘whoo do you love‘ necklace to be announce tomorrow.

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any fun weekend plans?

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happy pictures to celebrate friday!

i wasn’t such a happy mommy last night-two fussy boys were draining my patience.

guess that’s real life. sigh.

but it’s a new day with much to be happy about!

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a faded green door with red and white strips

and a beautiful lavender flower. so happy!

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looking through old pictures and remembering sweet times

and little boys who are getting bigger every day!

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colorful buttons.

are buttons lovely?

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date night this weekend is making me giddy!

we’re hoping to see alice in wonderland.

have you seen it?

and the brightest flowers from a sweet friend. love.

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david and i took a quick trip to the beach while matthias was in art class yesterday.

we didn’t actually find a heart shaped rock, i just arranged the little rocks to make it look like a heart.

it might be cheating, but it’s still fun!

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i can still taste the chocolate-peanut butter cupcakes erika brought to the workshop this week.

delicious.

and i know, enough with the desserts, right?

i have such a sweet tooth lately!

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matthias and max made masks for each other.

they’re power rangers, can’t you tell?

and shadows holding hands. so happy.

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what’s making you happy today?

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matthias had his first (new) art class last week.

we’re so excited because max signed up with him.

the boys had a blast, but mommy is waiting to see if this class is really worthwhile.

matthias has such a drive to create, and i want to make sure it’s nurtured.

we might look into private art lessons.

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here are some photos i haven’t shown you from our beach play last weekend.

i can’t get over how big david looks in that pic with daddy.

he has stretched about 4 inches this year.

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sand angels.

not as cold as snow angles, but a lot messier.

when you live in california, you do what you have to.

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this pic of david playing in the sand was my prize last friday.

love the smile.

love the sand slipping between his fingers.

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matthias has been so snuggly and all about mommy lately.

i’m eating it up.

he’s always been such a daddy’s boy-i’m happy to have a turn!

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these are some flowers and cactii that i snapped on a trip to the zoo last week.

really, cactii? that is such a strange word. i googled it just to make sure…

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and i say today, we don’t stay on the path.

i say we run on the grass.

and pick dandelions.

and eat dessert twice.

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matthias, david and i made cupcakes yesterday.

matthias likes to pour all the ingredients into the bowl.

david likes to help me hold the electric mixer.

i like to eat the finished product (a little too much).

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for the toppers, we melted starbursts in the microwave.

it only takes about 10 seconds to get them nice and soft.

i used ‘pam’ on the plate to keep them from sticking.

then we use tiny cookie cutters (mine are from sur la table) to cut out shapes.

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let the shapes sit for a few minutes and they firm up again.

try to restrain yourself from munching on the shapes

but feel free to munch on the leftover starbursts after the shapes are cut out.

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i have a feeling there could be some really creative things you could make with cut outs.

but the most fun part?

eating the cupcakes of course!!

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is your mouth watering?  mine is!

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this sweet owl sits quietly on a branch and reminds you of your those whooo hold your heart.

customize the necklace with names, words or a short phrase!

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so charming and whimsical.

i think it might be our sweetest piece, yet!

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my boys love seeing their names around my neck.

even my husband!!

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and three of you are going to WIN one!

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just leave a comment and share one bit of wisdom

from the wise {and whimsical} owl.

blog it, tweet it, and facebook it for extra entries

make sure to leave a comment for each entry!!

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check out the our new hand-stamped necklace here!

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today i’m gonna let some stuff go

i’m going to give up on trying to have it all together.

i’m going to admit i’m not perfect.

i mean, is it really THAT big of a deal if i

get the kids to school late-don’t return every email today-or-eat too much chocolate?

will the world end if i don’t

bathe the kids-cook dinner-or-have all the laundry folded?

and instead of feeling guilty

i’m going to feel victorious

because letting go of perfection means

i’m spending more time with my kids

keeping my sanity (and not losing my temper)

and finding freedom to breathe easier

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join me?

can you let go of trying to have it all together today?

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this kid and his sloppy kisses turn my heart to complete mush.

we’re relieved to get a good report on his little nose.

and it was so fun to see him play at the beach friday.

david’s grown up a lot since last summer.

if i didn’t catch him, he would have run straight into the waves to play

crazy kid!

enjoy your sunday-and grab as many kisses as you can today!

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signed up for our newsletter?? we’re about to send out a newsletter with a great coupon!!

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on our way back from LA, we spent some time at the beach.

matthias wrote a message for me in the sand.

of course, my heart melted.

i love you, too, matty.

happy saturday, friends!

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place any order today and get free earrings!

just make a note in the notes section ‘free earring friday’!

click here to shop our hand-stamped jewelry.

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ps matthias loved his art class. more pics soon

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pps we are driving down to LA for post-op check on david.

pray that there is no clotting in the sinuses (so we don’t have another surgery!)

thank you thank you!

UPDATED with GOOD news!! David’s sinuses look great-no clotting! YIPPPPEEE!!

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i’d like to take some classes.

the thing i most want to learn about is photography.

i need to understand my camera better and improve technically.

also, cooking, knitting, and sewing.

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we signed matthias up for an art class that starts today. he loves to draw.

if he’s not fighting imaginary bad guys then he’s drawing.

the class is printmaking-i’ll be sure to take pics.

i also want him to learn piano, soccer and maybe karate.

just not enough hours in a day, ya know?

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what kinds of activities are your kids in?

what would YOU like to learn more about?

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these are the shoes david wears every day.

and guess what? they’re worn out.

there’s a hole right through the bottom of the shoe.

and you know how he did it?

exploring, walking, running, and generally getting into trouble.

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and we couldn’t be happier.

i remember when david was born

and the doctor told us he would never walk, or talk

that he may not see or hear.

and we cried.

and we wondered and waited.

and one day, when he was five years old-he did it!

for months, he’d been pulling up, cruising, but finally, he walked.

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and now he’s wearing out his shoes.  love that.

here are some new kicks. get busy wearing them out, kid!

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and david we love you.

you are pure joy and silliness.

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loving all the flags in the urban outfitters window.

their clothes don’t fit me, but i love some of their housewares.

and any time the sun manages to peek it’s head out of the clouds, i’m happy.

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freshly potted flowers on our porch

and a quick trip to the zoo on sunday to visit the meerkats (matty’s fave).

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i’ve been complaining about the rain,

but i can’t say i mind the beautiful green hills, puffy clouds,

and even a little rainblow behind that windmill.

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two boys who are almost done with antibotics and feeling much much better.

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ferris bueller at the fremont. maybe a date night?

my fave movie from high school-he was just so cool.

other faves-uncle buck, and breakfast club.

what were some of your favorite movies from high school?

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a couple more pretty pics just for you.

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please share, what’s making you happy right now?

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did you know easter is april 4th this year?

insane! i don’t want it to sneak up on me.

(the way march did, hello march!)

so i’ve already been helping the easter bunny gather some items for baskets

(new crayons, bubbles, candy)

and i ordered these easter shirts for the boys.

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and while the boys were sick over the weekend we needed a quick project.

so i pulled out plastic eggs, white glue and tissue paper.

paper mache eggs. perfect!

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the eggs had holes in the top

so we strung fishing line through some of the eggs

and i hung them from the chandelier with some pompoms ribbon.

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hard to believe it’s already march and easter is right around the corner!

how do you celebrate easter?

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love this rainbow and the promise of hope after a rainy day.

we’re on the mend, but with rain and sick kiddos, we’ve been very mellow this weekend.

lots of time to be quiet, cuddle, relax. to literally be still.

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but i think there is a deeper meaning to ‘be still’.

to stop worrying, stop trying to control things. to wait.

to find contentment.

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we added a little tag to the back of the be still necklace.

love the simplicity of this necklace.

love the meaning behind it.

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with the busyness/crazyness of life,

how do you find time to be still?

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playing with picnik and various images

to create a collage around the idea of

‘i held the moment in my hand’

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i love layering the images

and using pictured with text to tell a story

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it really takes the pictures to a new level

when you add a few graphics, a little text and a little layering.

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i’ve never been much of a scrapbooker

but i can see how this would be addicting!

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our saturday is very mellow, rainy and quiet.

we ate clam chowder and ritz crackers for lunch.

perfect comfort food.

enjoy your saturday!