beer & doughnuts

 i just discovered this dangerous/exciting/slightly nauseating collab by two of my favorite local purveyors of fattening delicacies. 
as if a maple bacon doughnut wasn't enough, now there is voodoo doughnut maple bacon ale...

rothko in portland

yesterday i snuck away all by myself and went to see the mark rothko show at the portland art museum.  it was so amazing!  it isn't a huge show, but it was so interesting to see the progression from how he painted in his twenties to the very iconic mark rothko of the 50s and 60s.  there was some nice biographical stuff incorporated into the exhibit (portland is very proud that rothko grew up here after he moved from russia as a child), and i loved how the show was curated- the back part of the room is all paintings in pinks and oranges and i just wanted to move in!
if you haven't ever seen rothko's huge, rich paintings in person, than you should definitely try to- standing in front of one of his original pieces invokes an emotion unlike any other.  i could practically feel the color.  it was divine!

seeing stars

the latest kiddo-themed project around here is a trail of stars across my son's bedroom wall.  i cut a stencil out of a piece of scrap cardboard and used some of the pale blue paint that was leftover from the laundry room project.  i ended up making one more little star stencil so that i could fill in and make the stars a bit more irregular.  i love the orange walls (his choice) and the blue stars.  dreamy, right?

fab stands

i have a love/hate relationship with my ipad, but perhaps one of these gorgeous sculptures stands would improve my feelings.

spotted them on this amazing site

sans retouch

i admit that i am always fascinated to see celebrity photos that haven't been "retouched in photoshop."  this is partly because i like to look at beautiful people, and also because i know how touched-up professional photos are... and it is interesting to see what people really look like.
cate blanchett is stunning, obvs, and here she is as a covergirl with no retouching.  even though you can see a few wrinkles, she looks gorgeous.  i love that this 42-year old mama of three is owning it!
nice work, intelligent life- i'll be back to check out your next issue!

drinking top chef

like i said, we are big fans...

trish grantham

i love art, and i want my house to be full of it.  i think that for me, collecting artwork will be a lifelong project, and i aspire to have my walls adorned with original works that are beautiful, interesting and engaging.  after all, the things on your walls should make you happy, right?
two things that make me happy every single day are the pieces of toast above my dresser.  they are by portland artist trish grantham, and i love her sweet, whimsical work.  her work features cartoon like renderings of birds, bunnies, panda bears, deer and other adorable things, but there is a slight dark edge that creeps in to her work that balances it all out.   love her!

my pieces of toast

 

this piece of toast wasn't as lucky...

we are lovely

i started reading birth stories years ago, and i love how each woman's experience is so unique and personal.  when i was pregnant with my twins, i especially wanted to hear from mothers of multiples, but i continued to devour any and every birth story i could get my eyes on. 
after my babies were born, i knew that  it was important for me to jot down the details from their birth-day, before the specifics of the day turned fuzzy.  when i was pregnant with my third baby, i started reading other women's birth stories again.  i was hoping to labor and deliver drug-free, and i felt calmed and encouraged by the tales of so many women who had done the same before me. 
even now when i probably won't ever be pregnant or give birth again, i still like to read birth stories.  no matter how the story unfolds, they are always so beautiful and so heroic.  bringing a child into the world is an amazing feat!
a little while back i submitted the story of my first birth experience to a new blog called we are lovely,  and today it appeared on their site.  it is really just the same story that i posted on my baby blog a few days after my twins were born, but it was fun for me to think that a few people might enjoy reading it again.

happy mail

look what i got in the mail today!  my first issue of the schmancy decorating mag that i got myself for my birthday!

do you pouf?

i am always thinking/scheming about what's next for my home, and lately, i have poufs on the brain. i enjoyed the better living through design pouf compilation- there are so many great ones out there to choose from- but i think these from west elm are my faves:

i also like the knit variety.  lots of stores have something like it, but cost plus world market's is the low-cost winner:

to pouf, or not to pouf?

nopo bar rally

 

my parents graciously babysat all three wee ones so that gk and i could have a much needed date night on saturday.  we began the evening with our first visit to NE alberta's aviary, and judging by the cocktails we had at the bar, i definitely want to go back for more.  (and i know the whole bird phenomenon/"put a bird on it"  is kinda played, but i still loved the three little birds that adorned aviary's menus and windows!)

next was a quick stop at the bye and bye, just down the street.  i like this place, and always have.  it has lots of distinct seating areas, and just feels good.  after a beer (anchor steam on tap!), we were off again.

we left alberta and northeast portland behind, and cruised to one of our favorite nopo spots- interurban. once again, it was amazing.  the place was packed, so we sat at the bar.  the service was top notch, and the food was even better.    we split the chuck roast sandwich, which is now my favorite meaty sandwich ever.  in the world.  it was soooo good!

a quick nightcap at the florida room (aka our bar, or the bar down the street) and it was time to go home and thank my parents. 
viva la date night!

they have the best marquee messages!

naptime passtime

i usually try to get a million things done during my 90-minute kid-break, but today i just sat and drank a hot chocolate, and painted my nails sparkly pink. 
so there.