35 Weeks of Love

I Just Can't Get Enough!!!

I can not get over how much Liv has changed. Tonight we were trying to convince her to not eat her shoes and she is actually giving us attitude!! She screams *in a bratty wince* when we take her shoes from her!!
It sucks because she is so darn cute when she does it, it's difficult to actually consider disciplining her. You can see a bit of the teeth since she never lets me take a photo of them.




So, she is on her road to toddlerville and I couldn't be more sad. I miss my little quiet, sleep all day, totally dependant on me bebe!!



In case you didn't catch that, here they are week by week

Olivia Lily June 2, 2010

Mommy & Daddy Love you tremendously!!

The Dub-ya

As I have mentioned about 400 times, I would like to stay at all 50+ W Hotels around the world *#18*. This is quite the accomplishment because I somehow continue staying at the same W, multiple times. In this case, it's the W San Diego.

We stayed there in April 2008 to see a Lily Allen concert *which was fantastic*

I am close to booking again for Liv's 1st birthday yet I hit a snag when I was informed that my preferred membership wasn't being applied to my online booking. Gah, I had to call customer service and am I glad I did. I was originally going to pay $339 per night for 3 nights with the 4th night free *the benefits of preferred membership* but the agent told me I can get the same room for $191 per night with the 4th night free. Bollocks!! why am I always getting the shitty deals? Well, as much as I wanted to go ahead and book over the phone, I have to wait until Friday when we have our tax appt. so I know with 100% certainty we are going to San Diego. The rate is prepaid and non refundable so I have to proceed with caution. I was also trying to see how much the rates would be if we booked a room during Comic Con *I'm attending this year with Antz as his guest* so I expected the rates to be sky high being that it's the biggest convention and it's in July but she told me nothing was available at all! Sheesh, the tickets just went on sale last week. Boo! I thought being a preferred member would have gotten me a little bit of clout but all she had was a nearby Sheraton for $399 per night. Well, maybe we'll book it or maybe we'll just do one day at the show and drive home that night. Either way it's still not adding to my list of W's!! Maybe we could go to San Francisco for Liv's birthday. We did stay at the W Silicon Valley but I haven't stayed at the Dub in SF and the San Francisco zoo is pretty rad *we went in 2005*.

I really miss SF, when I worked at JetBlue we would go all the time. However, that would bump up the birthday budget because we would have to fly and rent a car, sigh! What really inspired me was this post of Maggie's sponsored trip to Restaurant Week in New York with the Travelocity Roaming Gnome

Our gnome, Henry is quite jealous!!

I have been so indecisive lately. I am second guessing everything because I want to stay true to my Scarlett O'Hara pact "As God as my witness, I'll buy a house in Atwater Village before Liv starts kindergarden." so I'm trying my hardest to chill on the expenditures. I already want to spend a fortune on presents...

So many awesome options! That's not including her convertible car seat *which I'm sure we'll have to get in the next few months* and new clothes. Whatever W we end up at, I'll thank my lucky stars, it's been 2 years since we took a real vacay and I am itching to get out of town. I am still mourning our trip to London but I keep reminding myself it's for the greater good. Well, keep your fingers crossed I will have a prosperous appt with Gail and snag the cheaper rate. I'll have to order her Radio Flyer wagon before June so she can use it at the zoo and Sea World. Tonight, we went to the mall to pick up an outfit for Liv for D-land. I really wanted these shorts from BabyGap

But sadly they didn't get the spring line in store yet *the salesperson told us to come back tomorrow* but we got a cute outfit and a pair of shoes that will be terrific for the photo shoot *Antz made me promise to stay mum until the photos are done* so of course I'm itching to blab! He took me to the children's stores he has been getting really cute stuff from lately but I didn't see much I liked. Well, I started this post at 10pm and it's already past midnight so I'm ready to hit the sack.

Nighty Night Lovelies!!

Lame-o Stupidbowl!!

Allow me to express my complete and utter annoyance with football *or any other professional sports* particularly the lame fanatics. I could care less about over paid neanderthals stuck in PE class. I might have more respect for the athletes of America if they weren't constantly getting caught doing the dumbest things *dog murder, maid rape, driving drunk with guns in the car*, just another reason why I despise sports. Also, I think the halftime show and commercials are overrated and unless you are flashing a boob, I'm unimpressed. Okay, I have completed my rant.

Now it's shame on me time, I have been really lazing on posting. Last week was pretty hectic but that's no excuse. 

*Bad Lizzie!*

Wednesday night Antz came home early enough to take a sunset walk through Atwater. It was like we were in the Twilight Zone because we were shocked to discover the children's shop we always drool at their windows was actually open. Turns out they have very sporatic business hours but we met the owner's husband and he was super nice. We bought a skirt and he threw in some free barrettes for Liv. Now another reason for me to heart Atwater Village! We randomly ended the evening having steaks at Applebee's in Alhambra *I know, Applebees makes a pretty decent steak for under $20!* It was Liv's 8 month birthday so we had to celebrate. The hostess gave Liv a balloon and she ate veggies/fruit from our plates. She was giving Antz's steak a look straight from Tom & Jerry with cartoon eyes. I think we may start bigger meals since she's always wanting more food.

So Thursday Aimee, Liv and I went to a cosignment shop in Silverlake

I was all excited to sell Liv's 0-3 clothes and my preggo books but after the owner evaluated my stuff she offered me a store credit of $19.50 for my $70 Stella McCartney set, Janie & Jack tutu bathing suit, 5 of my preggo books and several BabyGap onesies. I was dumbfounded. I wasn't expecting more than $50 but she definitely got over $200 worth of stuff. I texted Antz to see if he thought I should keep the stuff and try another store but he said just get rid of it *since we are already keeping more of her newborn stuff than we should*. The store was pretty sweet, there was tons of adorable vintage clothes although they were too big for her *like 4 years and up* but Aimee and I picked out a few cute dresses and a handmade diaper cover.

Aimee loves the green dress but I would have to add some thick striped thighs, cream thermal or turtleneck and a these Mary Janes by Livie & Luca to complete the style I'm going for.

Very Brady Bunch, I know but that dress totes reminds me of my Girl Scout days and she needs a little kookiness in her wardrobe. The red dress *that looks like a dolls dress* will make it's debut next weekend at Leslie & Stephen's 2nd Annual Valentines Day Brunch *last year was fantastic*

We had our regular Target shopping spree but I had the bright idea to take a shirt Antz bought Liv and have her name embroidered on the collar *I am an embroidery-holic* So we went to the mall but the guy at the cart couldn't fit his machine on the collar so I had to settle for this

The embroidery came out rad but I would have much rather had her collar monogrammed. Friday I was running around all day with my Mommy and her BFF. My Mom's style and mine are like oil and vinegar, we never like the same stuff BUT...for some reason her BFF, Debbie mentioned to my Mommy that I was looking for baby Uggs and she found a substitute until I could find them. She told my Mom to buy these Zutano Cozie Booties. Adorable right? Say whaaa... Okay, score one for Mommy!! So we went to the store that was advertising them only to find out they didn't have the color I wanted *turquoise* so the saleperson said she would have them transferred from another store and I could pick them up when they call me *still waiting as of today* but I think they are sweet, they are adjustable and will keep her tootsies warm *hopefully she won't try to eat them like she does with all her shoes*. I took them to lunch at Afloat Sushi but Debbie doesn't eat sushi and we went around 4pm so there wasn't much selection on the boats.

3 generations of ONLY CHILDREN!!

*Debbie is always a joy to be around*

I seem to have bad luck with that place whenever I take someone and tell them how fabulous it is. I drove them home and by the time I got home it was close the 10pm *hence Friday's lame post*!

Saturday was just as busy. We met Antz Mommy, his sister and his nephew at the cemetery his Dad is buried at and we hung out together *it was Liv's first time going to visit her Granddad's grave* afterwards, we went to the East LA farmers market since we were nearby and we totes lucked out on some perfect pears, yams and peanuts for myself *which I thought it would be funny to spill the entire bag in my car, lame!* We feed the ducks and ate paletas *that's Mexican frozen fruit bars for you pale faces* and when we got home I vegged out on the couch  catching up with my DVR *An Idiot Abroad is my fave at the moment* I also finally watched A Single Man *after it was on my Netflix queue forever* which I LOVED not just for Colin Firth and Julianne Moore's brilliance but Tom Ford's impeccable taste for 60's fashion, music and architecture *what I would give to have a time machine and be able to experience that decade sans the civil rights crap*. It's pretty much the 60's equivalent of Revolutionary Road another film I really adore.

And now that brings us up to date for today. We had to go to the Happiest place on Earth to pick up a ticket for Sarah *our amazing photographer* since this Thursday is our photoshoot and I need to drop it off at her sister's house tomorrow. One the drive to Anaheim we noticed there was an open house around the corner from our house so we checked it out. When we saw the house, our jaws hit the ground! I am shocked there is a house this cool in Highland Park.

As you can see this house is a diamond in the rough, check out the neighbors dump...I mean apartments?

Mid Century Modern style among all these icky stucco traditional ranch houses.

Antz was sold the minute he saw this kitchen, everything was brand new, clean and tastefully designed.

This is the identical tile I want to put in our bathroom

2 bathrooms, I'm super jealous!

I am definitely inspired to renovate our bathroom and kitchen

The 3 bedrooms were modestly sized but ample closet space.

The backyard was the dealbreaker for me. The stairs may be a problem for when Liv gets older but we have stairs in our backyard so we'll have to address the safety soon. Zero privacy from the 3 surrounding neighbors and the only view was of the noisy street below. There was 3 seperate terraces with enough space for a pool at the top but no way would I put a pool in a space with people gawking at us.

I had to get my car washed since it reeked of peanuts *I am such a clutz* and away we went to buy the Disneyland tix. We walked through Downtown Disney and checked out the Disney Store since Antz needs some new ears *his old ones won't work for our photoshoot because they light up at night so you won't really see them*

He tried a bunch on

Retro ears are too generic, yawn!

This one screams Dorky Dad!

*I am thinking it getting this for Antz as a Valentines Day gift but his desk is pretty crowded and I am worried Lola may knock it over, as she's done with his figurines in the past*

We picked up a new pair of ears for Liv *in case we want to change hers during the shoot* but no luck for Papa, hopefully we'll find some cute ones next Thursday. We went to Target to get the dog food *I forgot to buy on Thursday* and on a whim, we stopped at Old Navy to take a look at their spring line. I was hoping to score some shorts and a yellow cardigan but didn't find any I liked. I did get an adorable dress *that I will be wearing to Disneyland* that is a total knock off of this Katie-Bot Holmes Celine dress

Antz bought some shirts and we looked at the bebe clothes but nothing really wowed me. So that was my week, I will try break my lazy habit and get back into daily posts. As a treat, here is our lovely's latest weeklies but first, please check out my fierce Lola's PETicure *soft paws are the best, since she's always sneaking into the nursery against our wishes*

I crack up whenever I see her strutting around with her hot pink nails!!

This sweet girl has my heart, I cherish every hair on her head!

Antz made fun of my style choice this shoot but I love the stripes *and she is trying to eat her shoe as always*

*this is the new skirt we bought at Milas Boutique*

She'll be a year before we know it. Stay little sweet baby, don't grow up!!

I promise to blog when I'm in the mood

Do I dare...?

Everyone seems to be blogging these days. Some do it for therapeutic reasons *to vent, mostly* others share their love of music, film, food, home design, vampires, porn, whatever you fancy and keep it impersonal. My blog is sort of stuck in between the two. After spending the last 2 years in bebe fever mode, I'm wondering if I can evolve my blog into a full-time *ahem, money maker* job rather than a I went to Target today...pasttime. Antz often asks me "why do you need to blog about everything?" Thats a good question, I mean my life isn't that exceptional and I have enough tweets and facebook updates to keep my friends informed of my daily grind. So why do I feel the need to share the color nail polish I'm wearing or the socks I buy Olivia? Well, I think it's mostly because I read about nail polish and bebe socks on other blogs and I feel a weird connection to the blogasphere when I share a common interest, sense of style or even good taste with a stranger across the country. Dork, I admit it, but the difference is these folks are professional writers/bloggers and therefore can finance their life list as Mighty Maggie does, their new basement remodel, like Nicole's from Making it Lovely or partake in weekly giveaways from incredible sponsors as John & Sherry from Young House Love do.

The point I'm trying to make is, I would love to learn more about the professional side of blogging and find a blend of my personal life with my Violently Happy life. I would love to reach more people and be able to devote more time and projects to this blog. I feel like I am the only one among my friends that has a passion for blogs and Antz can only take so much of "isn't this cute?" in one evening. I am constantly comparing my blog to the famous ones. What I lack is knowledge of basic web design, traffic and sponsorship *my paltry Google ads aren't bringing home the bacon* So, what needs to happen next? I think I should take a basic html class *no more wonky photos* do further research and I would love to attend the Altitude Design Summit next January. All my blog celebs are on the panels and it has invaluable info, networking and it's a sponsor rich event *Kate Spade, dreamy*. This year it was held in Salt Lake City which I hear is beautiful this time of year.



I wish I could find someone to go with me but I don't know anyone who is willing to commit to it *looks around to see if anyone raises their hand* I think I could turn my hobby into a business venture but I need a solid plan and continue to find an audience *my lovelies*

Later Skaters!!