Archive for December, 2009

{Festive}

My dear Rebecca has a knack for bringing people together…and that girl can whip up a mean soup! Tonight we all gathered at their house for a little party and enjoyed each other’s company while the kiddos played. We had yummy soups, salad, homemade bread, quinoa and veggies,  and gingerbread cookies (made by the kids!).

There are a few more photos at the end of the set here. And I know you probably love this banner as much as I do…you can find them here.

{Fresh}

Rebecca and I went on a mama date today…to our favorite Thai restaurant. We had our favorite spring rolls and our favorite curries. It was a favorite day.

More photos from our time in Iowa here.

{Sweet}

I went to Starbucks today to edit a photo session. Ordered my favorite drink, popped in the earphones, and enjoyed every minute.

{Looker}

Today we went to Ames to have lunch with my brothers. It’s so fun to watch them with Lucy…she loves their antics

I’ve always been SO fascinated with other cultures…especially in how they live out their daily lives. I can’t wait to see this movie. Awesome. I wish it was out now, but we’ll have to wait until April 2010 to see the rest of this loveliness.

Yippee! We’ve come to the last giveaway of my “Magical Month of Giveways!”. Although…I do have several others up my sleeve for January, so the fun isn’t over quite yet

I’m so excited about this one. This week is a DOUBLE giveaway featuring clothing designed by Bethany at One Love Creations and Gillian at Indigo Inspired. We spent several weeks in Eugene getting our new RV converted to run on veggie oil, and while we were there, I had the blessing of spending lots of time with the mamas that run these stores. They each have their own Etsy stores and their own unique lines of clothing, but they work together to dye them. When Bethany gave me one of her pieces for my birthday, I just knew I had to ask if they would do a giveaway because I fell IN LOVE with the clothes and I knew you would too!

All of their beautiful pieces are:

• Certified Organic Hemp + Cotton blend…with the perfect stretch!
• Dyed by hand with environmentally friendly dyes
• Custom designed
• Handmade with love

If you’ve never had any hemp clothing before…now is your chance to try it out. I LOVE how hemp wears…so soft and cozy (and yet sturdy too!). I also thought it would be fun for you to get to know Bethany and Gillian better…so I asked them to introduce themselves to you and say a little about their clothing.

Bethany / One Love Creations:

“I grew up in a very large, very crafty family. My mother sewed and although I didn’t exactly take lessons from her, I learned a great deal from watching her for all those years. I have always greatly valued handmade goods. About two years ago, I started working with organic and sustainable materials.  I wanted to offer people the choice to buy clothing that would support a small family, have minimal impact on the earth, and have clothes made with care. I  choose my designs based off natural fashion and cute styles that i believe are versatile for all ages. I enjoy sewing because I get to spend more time with my children and husband at home and I get a sense of fulfillment when others find joy in my efforts.”

Gillian / Indigo Inspired:

“I am an integrity minded single mama…stitching away every chance I get. Consistently devoted to creating beautiful and flattering clothing made with sustainable fabrics. I have been divinely inspired to create clothing for the last twelve years. Every seam is a focus of perfection.  I strive to live sustainably with my every action. Working with organic and hemp fibers helps reduce the pollution of our earth. Supporting small businesses is yet another step to debunking the mass culture craze of cheap slave labor produced products. It’s the little spurts of kindness we show in this world that can make the biggest difference. My work is inspired by my beautiful son, Indigo Leonel, and the sacred light within us all.”

So…now you’re just dying to know what the giveaway is for, right? Drum roll please…

Bethany will be giving away one “Bella Top“, and Gillian will be giving away one “Winter Sol Sistre Sweatshirt” (both pictured above). Wooo! These are such beautiful shirts…in fact, I have the Bella and I’m waiting for my Sol Sistre right now (along with several other pieces that I traded photography sessions for…can’t wait!).

On top of that, they are offering a discount to my blog readers. The discount is 18% off any purchases, and it expires on December 24. They will refund the discount difference to your Paypal account after you pay. Just enter the code “WSLW” in the comment section along with your size and color choices.

I will be choosing 2 winners at random…one for each piece. The drawing will take place on Monday, December 21. To enter in this drawing:

• Leave a comment below with the name of your favorite piece from each of their stores.
• For an extra entry, put a link back to this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter (and then do a second comment here that says “FB/Twitter”)
• You will get yet ANOTHER entry for posting about this giveaway on your own blog (add another comment here that says “blogged here” with a link).

Have fun!

*COMMENTS CLOSED…WINNERS CHOSEN!*

{Circle}

My dear midwife friend, Cosette, holds a monthly “birth circle”  and I was blessed to be a part of it tonight. The topic was “Conscious Birth Midwifery: Why We Do What We Do”.  See another photo here.

{Fellowship}

We had a beautiful first weekend back in Des Moines…full of family and friends, food and drink, laughter and memories. We watched movies, sang together, sifted through old photographs and greatly enjoyed each others company. It’s good to be back.

{Helper}

Bella helped Nana put up the Christmas tree today…making memories she will have for a lifetime!

{Surprise}

This morning we woke up in L.A. and tonight we will be going to sleep in Des Moines! We flew back to Iowa for the holidays…but of course, we had to surprise my mom in the process. Our entire family was in on it…everyone drove down from Minneapolis and Ames and we surprised her at P.F. Changs. What fun! We will be back for exactly a month…spending time in Iowa and in Minnesota with Matt’s family and then back to California to continue our travels!