Lisa Leonard

i’m thankful for big things…like my 3 boys, a happy home, and a job that lets me be with my kids.

i’m thankful for little things…like cute, affordable clothes from Target and chocolate chip pancakes.

what big and little things are you thankful for??

A couple weeks ago i set David’s straw cup on the coffee table and went to grab something. He went over and started sipping on his own. When he accidentally knocked the cup over, he set it upright on.his.own!! It’s a small thing, but wherever he gains independence we see growth & spirit. I don’t hold David on my lap to drink any more. I just set the cup down for him and let him sip when ever he likes. Go David!!
And yes, that is dust on the table behind him…yikes!!

heaven (aka disneyland). so fun to see the boys enjoy the excitement. so good to catch up with cousins. off to bed, another big day tomorrow with mickey!!

a couple weeks ago we took the boys whale watching. what fun! i won’t mention that it was c-c-c-cold and that both steve and i got seasick. the boys had a blast and we saw risso dolphins and humpback whales. i was really hoping the humpback whales might show off and jump out of the water, but they just swam around the boat.

thanksgiving is just a few days away! we are so looking forward to time with family. what do you have planned??

there are sunflowers growing across the street. so while david was at school, matty and i went over to explore. in the first picture he is actually screaming ‘bee!’ and running away. in the last picture he is running toward me yelling ‘mommy help me!!’. little miss ladybug, on the other hand, sat very still while i took her photo.

oh, martha, you kill me! this ‘no-sew’ scarf is from the holiday martha that i have been drooling over. so, so many fun ideas (and no time to do them all!). but this was easy (took me about 1/2 hour) and affordable (cost about $4). i just bought yarn from michael’s, but wouldn’t THIS be yummy?? You can get her directions HERE.

one was crashed out at 7pm while the other was bursting with energy. *notice the cape!! are you a night owl or an early bird??

Thank you Random Integer for choosing our winners fair & square!!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

114
68

Timestamp: 2008-11-19 00:21:45 UTC

Winner #68 was….
# Allie on November 5th, 2008 6:38 pm
When we were dating in college, my now-husband waited for me outside my class one day with a beautiful red rose. Everyone filing out before me was waiting to see who the lucky girl was - and it was me! Four years and two kids later, I’m still the lucky girl.
Winner #114 was…
# Darcy on November 5th, 2008 9:33 pm
When my husband and I were dating we decided to go to the coast for the weekend. I left work early and met him at his apartment and we were going to leave from his place. I was standing in the middle of the living room looking around at what needed to be taken out to the car and he came up behind me, wrapped his arms around me and had the ring in his hand and proposed.
He had wanted to do it at the beach, but knew that the ring wasn’t going to fit without being re-sized and he wanted me to wear it that weekend so we packed the car, drove to the jeweler’s, had the ring sized. While we were waiting we called family and friends to tell them.
What was really sweet to me was that he had the ring in his pocket when he had stopped by my office earlier that morning and said it was all he could do not to propose right then and there.
Love this post!
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So romantic and so fun! We have been busy, busy around here and it’s not even Thanksgiving!! Thanks for all your early Christmas orders. To motivate more of you to order early I am giving you a code for 20% your order of $100 or more, good for the next two days!!!

the code is ‘lovebird20′. Let’s shop!

we had a great weekend full of play and making jewelry and refusing to give into sniffles. building puzzles and watching kung fu panda and playing the keyboard. and we even squeezed a date in there. which was awesome! thai food and the new james bond. which was full of action and not enough drama–but i’m not complaining.

and for your monday inspiration you MUST go check out this amazing new coloring book at flip flops and applesauce. love it!!

check back tomorrow for lovebird necklace winners!! happy monday!

thanksgiving definitely gets the short end of the stick. that said, i am ready to put up the christmas tree and cut out snowflakes for the windows. i love christmas! i designed this ornament that would make the perfect gift for a friend, co-worker, teacher or yourself! its reasonably priced at only $22. last day to order for christmas delivery is december 7th. you’ll find this little sweetie under ’something EXTRA’.

i have a construction paper christmas tree with a polariod picture of me from preschool. i have a special ornament from the year steve & i got married and ornaments from the year each boy was born. do you have any meaningful ornaments?

both of the boys have colds so we’ve been taking it easy. well they’ve been taking it easy and i’ve been working in my pajamas–which is a nice change of pace.

yesterday i had to run a few errands. and we had to get out of the house for a bit. (i didn’t wear pajamas out of the house, but i was tempted!) we stopped at a nearby park to play in all the fallen leaves. they don’t look sick, do they?!

on saturday, chrissie and i stumbled onto erika carter’s studio overlooking state street. it is amazing space where she paints and shows other artists’ work. i felt so inspired by her art and her workspace i was giddy. seriously, i was.

what stirs you up and makes you so giddy you have to CREATE something??

Chrissie and I met in Santa Barbara on Saturday for some solid sister time. It.was.wonderful. We always park in the same spot so we can meet up quickly, grab a bench and talk. Then we’ll walk around and shop, grab some lunch and maybe even creme brulee for dessert. It would be fine if there were no Santa Barbara halfway between us. I’d would willingly spread a blanket in an empty parking lot and pull out a picnic lunch just to be with her and talk. But I’m not complaining. Santa Barbara is great. And the creme brulee rocks.

Taking Pictures.
I use a Nikon D40. It was my mother’s day gift last year and I love it! I do most of my editing in iphoto (for Mac) and do a lot of playing on picnik.com (amazing and addictive site!). I always use a vintage tone for my photos and lighten them a bit. Cropping can take a ’so-so’ photo and make it amazing.

Hair Products.
I use the cheap stuff! ‘Totally twisted’ mousse by Herbal Essence and ‘ice shine’ hairspray by Pantene. I’m not afraid to use a lot of product LOL! And I use a diffuser to dry my hair.

How I Met My Sweetie.
Steve and I were both finished with our undergraduate degrees and living in Southern California. Our roommates were dating and we met thru them. They were taking a swing dance class and asked each of us to join–just for fun, not to set us up. Steve likes to say that he danced his way into my heart. Initially, I wasn’t attracted to him, but as I got to know him my feelings completely changed. My adivce is, if he’s a good man, give him a chance. I am so, so blessed to be married to Steve.

Shopping.
Most of my clothing comes from Target and Old Navy. I mean, they have GREAT stuff and it’s so reasonably priced. I buy more expensive pieces once in a while. I love Anthropology (I shop their sales) and we have a boutique near us called Poppy that is darling. Oh, and H&M rocks!!

Favorite Movies.
I like lighthearted movies. All the Jane Austen’s–new and old. Legally Blonde. Keeping the Faith (I love Ben Stiller, Andrew Norton & Jenna Elfman). Reality Bites. Can’t wait to see Twilight.

Where we Live.
I grew up in Southern California. We moved to San Luis Obispo for Steve’s job. We love it here and have no plans to leave soon. That said, I don’t know where life will take us!

Sharing the Journey.
i love it when you share your stories with me. I get emails and notes on orders all the time. It makes creating your jewelry so much more personal and fun. I made three necklaces for a young mom who was dying and wanted to leave a gift to each of her girls. That was very, very emotional for me.

My Faith.
The easy answer is I am a Christian. To elaborate a bit, I believe that I am broken and in need of fixing. It’s not something i can do myself. I need God. I need Jesus. When David was born I was completely devasted. I remember thinking there was no way I could pull myself up by my boot straps or have it all together. I couldn’t pretend to trust God. I had nothing. In that time I experience God’s grace and peace in a way I can’t explain. I believe my life is not about me–it’s about something much bigger.

Our Family.
We would love to have more kids and we’re trying! We’ve been trying for a while and so far, no luck. We are still hopeful and we’ll wait to see if we are blessed with more little ones.