Tuesday, March 20, 2012

always adoring: pretty polka dots

happy spring! 

i'm so excited for spring! spring is such a great time of year, with all the beautiful flowers blooming and color entering back into the world. i always get a tad depressed come winter because everything dies and turns all gray. i love color.. and when color goes away a little piece of me goes with it. spring is like my heart waking up again!

another reason i love spring is because it ushers in summer. i love summer. more than spring. i'm looking forward to summer break with my son after his first year of school. i can't wait to spend all day everyday with him! no school to dictate our routine, just having fun swimming, camping, beaching...but lets not get ahead of ourselves. 

back to spring. i know i should be posting an inspiration board about all the ways you can decorate an egg for Easter, or my favorite floral prints - and maybe i will later - but honestly, right now, i'm LOVING polka dots. 

i.just.can't.get.enough.

here are a few that are inspiring me now.


No.1} i know this isn't EXACTLY a polka dot pattern, but its circular and fabulous. get it on my finger. 
No.2} this dress is adorable for little a. it would be a great Easter dress, and i would love one for myself... twinners? 
No.3} classy and fun tumblers, right here
No.4} orrrrrr.... i could wear THIS for Easter. or everyday. even when i'm sleeping. mkay. 
No.5} these little bobby pins are perfect for growing out bangs. 
No.6} if the idea of scalding my mouth weren't an issue, i would drink tea straight from this tea pot. that's how much i love it. 
No.7} i have this mug and i drink all liquids from it. all day. it's heavy, feels wonderful texturally in my hand, and makes my eyes happy. i should probably have more than one.
No.8} how am i living without this sweater?
No.9} i'd love to see this wallpaper in my bedroom, or wrap myself in it like a blanket. 

ok. so i'm seeing a lot of gold. and i'm feeling a little weird about it because i can vividly remember the day (back in the late 80's early 90's) when white gold was all the rage and i decided as a young girl NEVER to love gold. and it's creeping in on me. why do i want it in my house? where i can see it all day? because i like it now. maybe love. not sure. 

what about you, do you prefer silver to gold or vise versa? 

anyway, random tangent. 

i hope you have a great first day of spring!

love,
tara

Thursday, March 8, 2012

i like to share. sometimes.

i mean, i USUALLY share... but not when it comes to my food. i never share my food. not even with my kids. its like i grew up with 12 siblings and had to fight them off or something, but i totally didn't. weird. 

anyway. i want to share something, but i'm feeling a bit strange about it. a couple days ago, or maybe weeks (can't remember) i instagramed and facebooked these cute little chore charts i printed out for my littles. a bunch of people wanted to know where they were from and i was happy to oblige. until just now. when i was looking the link up.

you see, i didn't make them. a little website called modecokids.com did, but they no longer exist. i have the PDF file because i saved it onto my computer. 


so... i don't know what to do. i don't want ANYONE TO THINK I'M STEALING THIS because i'm not. I DID NOT MAKE THIS. i just want to share because it's so genius. right? so don't tell on me. and if you did make this and you want me to remove it i totally will. but you should start your little site back up because there is demand for this stuff. 

anyway, here it is. 

MODECOKIDS CHORE CHART, not mine. theirs. 

side story: be careful what kind of chores you assign your preschool aged children. like, taking their plates to the sink when they're done with their food. especially when you have glass plates. because this might happen. 


and then 5 days later it might happen again. 


just saying. 

my cautionary tale is now over. 

peace and i'm out.
t

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

what we wore wednesday + giveaway winner

ok, let's get down to business. time to announce the winner of the giveaway!


lisa, i'm so excited! contact me via email at taranuncio@gmail.com to claim your prize! i can't wait to customize a mini-poster for you. 

this was such a fun giveaway because i got a little insight into people's baby naming process and the meaning behind some great names. loved it. 

now for some clothes.


{ME}
shirt Marshalls / jeans Marshalls / heels Ann Taylor / necklace Buffalo Exchange / cuff thrifted / what i did a quick little library run


here we are attempting to get some new scenery. i was thinking the brick wall and fence would be a nice background... but with my littles as the photographers we got all the yucky spike balls and dirt. i need to start rethinking my photo backgrounds. anyone in Fresno know of good places? i think i'll also start taking pics in the afternoon since this morning light is so harsh. thanks for bearing with me as i figure out how to use a real camera vs. instagram! haha


i am currently growing out my bangs and, oh man, it is tough. all i want to do is cut them again! this in between phase is killing me. have you ever had bangs? did you resort to headbands for 6 months, like i want to... or do you have a magic tip you can share!?!



{Big A}
shirt gifted / jeans Cherokee from Target / shoes Old Navy / what he did reserved his right not to wear a jacket in the chilly morning air 



{little a} 
dress gifted / jacket Target / shoes Target / tulle hair bow made by me / puppy gifted / what she did singing... always singing, and working the patterns



UPDATE: i know last week my what we wore wednesday post was a little heavy and i wanted to give a little update. i am currently reading a book called "Parenting with Love & Logic" by Foster Cline & Jim Fay. the main principal behind it is to stop taking unnecessary control over your kids life and allow them to learn responsibility through natural consequences. being the natural control freak that i am, i really feel like this book is giving me some great practical tips on giving up control and giving them choices so they feel more in control. 

anyway, things are getting better. slowly. but definitely better. i feel more patient, my heart is more calm. and i've seen both my kids work out problems for themselves and ask me for help with it's beyond them. its great to see them figure it out without me having to lecture them. 

have you read it? did it work for you? i'm not done and still trying to decide whats best for our family, but so far i like it. 

happy wednesday!

love, 
tara

Friday, March 2, 2012

font love friday + giveaway

i've stumbled upon some typography that just made me gasp! this is my favorite font of the week.


the last two namesake posters i did were for the girlies so i figured i better make one for the boys. let's hear it for the boys! (yes, old '80's songs pop into my head all the live long day, and i sing them). the font i'm using today is not only elegant, but super manly. perfect for a little man's room.


now it's stuck in your head. you're welcome.



this poster is for my sweet little guy. naming him was almost as hard as naming my daughter. it took us 3 days. i think we thought we would know just by looking at him, like he would come out saying his name or have a tag tied to his toe letting us know who he would be. we also wanted to make sure his name had meaning, that it would truly be his namesake. right now it's pretty true, that he's a happy kid... as i'm sure you've noticed from posts. he brings us crazy joy. and he is developing a love for Jesus, even now. the other day he told my husband that he wanted to be a pastor when he grows up. man, we have lots to pray about for him! that is not an easy calling. but if it is what he is truly called to do we will support him no matter what. 


do you remember when i did a tour of his room? i finally got around to printing a little poster for the super hero theme. little by little we are getting it together. my next HUGE project is to make those stinking quilts. poor guy has never had proper bedding. not that he cares. he loves one blanket and wants to only sleep with that. he gets that from his dad. 


anyshways. 

and now for an awkward segway into an opportunity for you lovely readers to win a mini namesake poster of your own. heh. i'm doing a giveaway of a namesake poster, customized (obvi) to your child's name and the colors you'd like. i'd love to work with you, making it special for the little person in your life. the posters are 8x10 and are printed on 110lb. (super thick) archival quality (long lasting) textured paper. 

do you want one? 

To enter, become a follower and leave a comment here with your email address and let me know what your child's name means and why you chose that name? For an extra entry tweet this giveaway mentioning@taranuncio and link back to this giveaway post. Remember to leave a comment for each entry. The giveaway closes on Tuesday, March 6th and the winner will be announced the following day, by using random.org. GOOD LUCK!

Thursday, March 1, 2012

make it paleo: "peanut butter" cookies

lets get one thing straight right from the get go... peanuts are not paleo friendly. they are a legume. and you should avoid legumes in the paleo lifestyle.

another thing to get straight is that these cookies did not turn out good, so you shouldn't make them. but i like how the pictures turned out and maybe someone can tell me how to make them better and still be paleo

i used this peanut butter and jelly cookie recipe  and made a few alterations in an attempt to recreate a peanut butter-less peanut butter cookie. 


{PALEO PEANUT BUTTER-LESS COOKIES}
  • ½ cup creamy sunflower butter
  • ¼ cup vegan palm oil shortening
  • ½ cup coconut palm sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 ¼ cups blanched almond flour
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • trader joe's 73% dark chocolate, cut into big chunks



1. In a large bowl, cream peanut butter, shortening, palm sugar and egg with a mixer



2. Blend until smooth then stir in almond flour and salt


3. Scoop dough 1 tablespoon at a time onto a parchment
 lined baking sheet
4. S
quish chocolate chunk down into center of cookie


Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes



i served these bad billies at life group Monday night... and the kids didn't even want them. 

i never said i was a good cook. but i try.

xoxo,
tara