fancy nancy.

to all you lovely people out there who have little boys ... this post is probably not for you. well, maybe it is! who's to say!? i apologize, and will follow up later this week with a super-fun post for little boys (or girls!)—it'll be a good one, trust me!


this particular post, however, is about fancy nancy. for those of you that have not yet experienced the wonder that is, fancy nancy ... RUN to your nearest library and see for yourself! she's super-fun, funny, and loves EVERYTHING fancy, including her vocabulary!

author, jane o'connor does an awesome job incorporating fun, fancy vocab words and their definitions throughout each book. as well as foreign languages! there's even some science and exploring going on! not to mention, there's a moral of every story, and they're cram-packed full of exciting, funny, and fun adventures.


my favorite part about nancy, though? here's her number one way of 'being fancy:'

'it is always fancy to be yourself! be exactly who you want to be. your thoughts and opinions are très important! after all, what makes you unique is also what makes you extremely fancy. always be true to yourself and you will always be fancy.'

splendiferous stories, offered in hardback, paperback, and even in beginning readers! check out her awesome website!

and, if you're in spokane, they're having a fancy nancy tea party at several library locations ... check here for details!

rechenka's eggs.

four times a month, i burst through the doors of south pines elementary's library and spend my afternoon reading, shelving, and repairing children's books; helping students find what they're looking for, sharing my own favorites, and doing whatever else mrs. Anderson, the lovely librarian, may need ... she even lets me do lessons and storytime!

yesterday was one of my 'library' days, and with inventory coming up next week, i was tasked with going through each shelf in picture books to make sure they were: a) in alpha order, b) in good shape, and c) in the right section. i also happened to read pretty much every other book i came across ... talk about a great afternoon!


i don't know if i was just emotional, or what, but i read rechenka's eggs, by patricia polacco and turned into a total bawl-baby! good thing i was by myself! we're talking about getting chickens this spring at home, and i started thinking about the kids learning about taking care of them, getting fresh eggs, and having little chickens running around my yard ... apparently that's all it took!
anyway, here's the jist of the story ... the illustrations are beautiful, and polacco is amazing, as usual. babushka, known for her exquisite hand-painted eggs, finds rechenka, a wounded goose, and takes her home. when she's ready to try her wings again, rechenka accidentally breaks all of babushka's lovingly crafted eggs. but, the next morning babushka awakens to a miraculous surprise—a baby goose!


a classic, for sure, and with easter coming up around the corner ... go find it at your library!

caution before reading. pity party alert.

pity party for me today. don't read if you don't want to hear me whine ... kind of a lot.

for all you mamas out there that get to stay home with your kiddos, i'm extremely envious of you. enjoy it and don't take it for granted.

not all of us are so lucky. not everyone has the option or the choice ... and it sucks.

i miss my kids. a lot.

i hate that i have to wait until after work to spend time with them.

i severely dislike the fact that 'cranky time' also happens to be the exact moment when everyone walks in the front door, is hungry, tired, tired, and hungry.

i do not like that i am stuck in my job when i should be home with them.

it saddens me greatly that by the time everyone gets home, the excitement of the day is over.

I want to be the one spending the days with them. EVERY day.

end of rant ... at least out loud, for now.

don't get me wrong, i spend a LOT of time with my kids. when i walk in that door, it is officially family time. i, however, don't like the fact that my family time is about 1/16th of what i would like it to be.

hard row to hoe.

for my birthday this year, the husband planned a trip for two to lake chelan, wa. being in wine country, of course, we toured several wineries ... hard row to hoe being our favorite, by far.


what this place lacked in size, they made up for with awesome marketing, great customer service, attention to every minor detail, and lovely wine.

here's the story behind the name:

"It is not unusual in remote mining areas to find a story about a local brothel, and Lake Chelan had its stories also.

Edgemont Lodge was built about 1924 a few miles uplake from Lucerne at Lightning Creek in an area called Point Lovely.

During the late 1930's construction was winding down at Grand Coulee Dam and a few of the Coulee Dam 'professional' ladies moved to Edgemont Lodge to 'serve' the miners from the newly operational Howe Sound Mine.

One story has it that a long-time Manson resident ran a rowboat taxi service from Lucerne to Point Lovely in support of the thriving enterprise. Hence the name ... Hard Row to Hoe."

here's the owner, he was way nice. he and his wife run the winery together.


even the way they displayed the wine bottles was pretty.


vintage 'ladies of the night' photos were an added touch.


along with all kinds of other fun, era-appropriate decor.


a key for each of the 'ladies.'


haha, photo complete with the owner in the mirror trying to figure out the camera.


bathroom decor.


wallpaper in the bathroom ... yeah, take a closer look.


their designer imported this wallpaper from belgium. who knew!


cute little porch to enjoy the vineyard—although, i'm sure this aspect is much more appealing in the spring and summer. this place was great. if you're ever in the area, check it out!

spring fever.

my favorite time of year (other than fall, of course) is mid-summer when the vegetable garden is in full-force, canning on the weekends, the apple trees are forming teeny baby apples, bbq's, late-evenings outside, and warm SUN! but, to get to that point, we have to plant the garden in the spring, and clean up the giant mess from the winter! luckily, this year is dryer, and warmer than others ... but i still just want someone to do the un-fun part for me!

i love starting seeds ... not so much the preparation. taylor has promised to help me this year ... "mommy, i WON'T be afraid of bugs this year, and i will help you with ALL of the garden." so, in an effort to prepare my mini green-thumb, i've gathered a collection of kids gardening/spring books! i know i'm inspired already! maybe it's warm enough to get out there and weed today ... or maybe that just sounds better in theory ...

Compost, By Gosh! By Michelle Eva Portman


Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, by Sharon Lovejoy


The Curious Garden, by Peter Brown


The Gardener, by Sarah Stewart

The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle

voila! spring fever officially ensues ...

turning 27.

27 things to do before i hit the big 3-0.

1. stay home with my kids full-time.
2. learn to surf.
3. have another bundle of diapers, formula, and fun (last one)!
4. visit norway, or some other super-nifty place far away ... like tahiti ... hint, hint, honey.
5. graduate with a masters (or at least be close to finished).
6. kick the last remnants of my sugar addiction to the curb.
7. get better health insurance ... one with vision coverage!
8. floss every day.
9. finally send out my manuscript to every publisher i can find.
10. teach both kids to floss every day.
11. buy aveda's comfort tea ... it's amazing. spendy, but worth every sip.
12. complete a 200-hour yoga teacher training course.
13. grow amazing freaking cucumbers!
14. learn to hunt with the husband.
15. teach taylor to not be afraid of bugs.
16. teach brennan not to eat bugs.
17. talk the husband into helping build a tree fort in the backyard for the kiddos.
18. bake tiramisu, the old-fashioned way, from scratch.
19. dig up all the bulbs in my yard and replace them with pretty, pretty tulips.
20. plant a dahlia garden out back.
21. spend more time letting taylor pick what she helps me cook/bake.
22. spend more time telling the husband how awesome he is.
23. quit worrying about stupid things that don't matter.
24. continue focusing on things that DO matter.
25. raise egg-laying chickens.
26. get a dairy cow (more so, convince the husband to LET me get a dairy cow ... maybe we'll shoot for 40 on that one).
27. continue being thankful for everyone i have in my life ... EVERY day (that's the easy one)!

shabby apple dress.

plain and simple ... i LOVE this dress. hence the reason I entered a giveaway for it over at one of my favorite blogs ... grosgrain!

i'm picturing strolling for flowers on a vintage bicycle at the local market.