Costly slipper...

I finally broke out my sewing machine... and produced a tiny Soleful Slipper for Izzy.

Will I attempt to complete the pair? Maybe after both kids are attending preschool...

Before slipper:

After slipper:

(Yep, that's the same room in both shots.)

Cold Feet

Now that it finally feels like winter, the hardwood floors throughout our house make for icy feet in the mornings and evenings. Slippers don't stay on my kids' feet for long, but these cozy moccasin-style socks outlast many laps around the bedrooms and kitchen. (Plus, there are a lot of different colors and patterns to choose from.)

photo credit: http://www.nowali.com/default.asp

Valentine's Day Fun

We had an adventurous Valentine's Day lunch at the Torrey Pines Glider Port. The wind was perfect, the sandwiches were delicious, and the hike down to the beach was...well, lets just say there's a great view.



P.S. Since we couldn't find the sign alerting beachgoers to the following detail, let us fill you in just in case: there are a lot of nudists on the beach below the glider port... common knowledge to everyone but us.

One of these days...

...I'd really love to learn how to make something like this.

(It would be just another excuse to check out Glass Beach in Fort Bragg.)

Photo credit: http://accentyourself.blogspot.com/

Fun @ the New Children's Museum

There's a lot of family friendly hang-outs in San Diego... here's one of them:

Life-long friendship

Will they outgrow holding eachother's hands? Probably--at least during school years. Yet, I hope that despite their age and differences, Rigel and Izzy will always be there for each other, supporting and loving each other even through adult-hood. Best friends for life.

I dream of libraries...

I've always loved my grandmother's (I know I mention her a lot) floor-to-ceiling library in her dining room...One of these days, I'd love to have a wall lined with bookshelves, complete with shelves protruding out from over and around door frames and such. Space is limited for us right now, so why not wall paper? Though we could recreate the visual, it just wouldn't be the same without that "old book" smell.

If we ever get around to installing real shelves, it'll be time to make things official: emboss all the "keeper" books (you know, the ones you want to re-read or pass on to your kids) with a subtle, yet permanent, inkless stamp. And, what would our stamp say? ..."from the library of The Fox Den," of course.

Photo credits: Expressionary.com and Deborahbowness.com

Great novel.

I loved this novel. The author, David Wroblewski, is an excellent story-teller. This novel stayed with me a while after I had completed it, and I still find myself thinking about it from time to time. Though it is a bit difficult to get into at first, it's worth the initial struggle. I won't be surprised if this novel goes to the big screen.

Chula Vista Nature Center

This is one of those places that provides a new and unexpected experience each time we visit... lets hope it stays open for another 25+ years (it has been recommended for complete closure by the Chula Vista City Council due to lack of community funding... Click here for info on the center's uncertain future...)

We've experienced everything from close encounters with raptors (as seen above) to discovering a hummingbird nest in the brush surrounding the building:

We love Sea World on a school day...

...especially when we get summer weather in the winter! (Not to say we don't miss sweater weather.)