happy thoughts

Tags

downtown, dreams, inspiration, little birds, mondrian, motherhood, paris

my little birds are always a source of laughter as well as inspiration. they come up with amazingly detailed and wild stories. this is my current favorite from izzi- during a car ride, after picking me up from work in the city…

‘mama, can I tell you something? well….when I grow up and before babies come out of my belly, I’m going to live in paris. yeah that’s right. evan can live with me, but sorry not emmett. you and daddy will live in the downtown (chicago) but you will come visit me and I will make you homemade ice cream and sandwiches. would that be ok?’

we told her that sounded great and to remember that she can do anything in the whole world that she put her mind to. I just need to remind myself too.

xoxo s

ps dont you love my mini fashionista’s mondrian artwork?!

makeup monday- mac attack

Tags

anti aging, dermatologist, macro exfoliator, rodan + fields, skin care

 

as I mentioned last week, rodan + fields has this amazing at home microderm machine called the macro exfoliator. basically what they anticipated being a three month supply, sold out in 19 days flat! I am so happy to report, it is back in stock and ready for the full attack against aging. let me quickly explain the who, what, where, when, why and hows of the macro e:

who- you are your own esthetician
what- the macro e is a handheld personal exfoliation tool that provides professional level benefits
where- your own bathroom turned medical spa
when- once a week, five minutes
why- the macro exfoliator takes those dreadful, dead, dulling skin cells and sweeps them away, leaving smoother, healthier, glowing skin
how- a patent pending doc-smart technology, developed and programmed by dr rodan & dr fields, varies the degree and duration of macro-exfoliation based on the facial area, just like they use in their offices. and with the diamond tip…a girls new best friend.

did you know we even have a nurse on duty for all your medical questions, comments and concerns?! nurse mary has a delightful you tube video demo- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Hyp6xAaGQ

and since mondays are already reserved for makeup….it only seems appropriate to make it a macro monday. you can download an app that includes before and after photo uploads and also sets reminders for your weekly at home appointment, at your convenience and no cancellation fee! what dermatologist besides our doctors can offer that?! let’s get you started saraamendola@myrandf.com

happy exfoliating!
xoxo
s

cocktail time

Tags

camarena tequila, celebrate, cocktails, ginger beer, goose island, reeds ginger brew, tequila

while I am a girl beholden to baked goods, nothing beats some imbibement after a long day. like when your daughter splits her ear open on the way out the door to school, or perhaps your two-year old mortifyingly makes himself at home by drawing all over your friends wall on a playdate. and since we dont really have ‘weekends’ per say around here with my retail career, its even more fun to declare ‘cocktail time’ on a random tuesday or thursday night after the little birds are dreaming away.

I’d like to kick off ‘cocktail time’ the series with what has become our house signature drink. it comes from our dearest friends eric & michael aka ‘the colts’. we will bid a bittersweet adieu  to the beautiful couple next week, when they start an exciting new chapter in new york city! they simply call it ‘tequila ginger beer’. fill a tall glass with ice. add one shot (or two) of a good reposado tequila- we love camarena. pour 6 fl oz of your favorite ginger beer* -we recommend all natural goose island spicy ginger if we can find it or reed’s premium ginger brew, the colts prefer blenheims. top off with a twist of lime. toast with a perfectly smooth, spicy spirit to celebrate or medicate, as I will be doing both upon their departure into the sunset on tuesday.

cheers!

xoxo
s

*ginger beer is a more concentrated flavor than regular ginger ale and is not actually a beer. one night while we were out at our local watering hole, ed ‘tried’ to order one and the poor waitress had thought he wanted ginger ale + beer + tequila. after much explaination and still not quite grasping the concept,  she admitted that they didnt have actual ginger ale, but sprite and coke mixed together was the same thing. oh suburbia, how we love your $5 drinks, it’s just not  quite the same.

makeup monday- rodan + fields= prescription for change

Tags

beauty, bobbi brown, dermatologist, macro exfoliator, proactiv, rodan + fields, skincare

I am so thrilled to share another amazing adventure in beautifying…I have joined the rodan + fields family as an independent consultant. I think you may know these ladies, they are just a little famous…the fabulous dermatologists behind the cult followed proactiv line. their namesake line of prescription based skin care focuses on anti aging, sensitive skin issues, adult acne and sun damage reversal. rodan + fields was formerly sold in major department stores like macys and nordstrom. but they have recently relaunched and it is available exclusively through consultants like me. not only am I proud to represent a company which creates products that are clinically tested, fda approved, award-winning, acclaimed by mass media, AND made in the good ol usa, it truly is a family of people who are empowering and inspiring. my personal prescription, the redefine regimen, is an arsenal against aging. and the macro exfoliator (think at home microdermabrasion for a fraction of the cost) has an amusement park line worthy wait.

I will still be spreading beauty with my beloved bobbi brown but now I am able to reach out to even more people… at home, at my own pace. I always explain that while being in this industry may seem superficial, there is something so powerful way beyond makeup or moisturizers. beauty is skin deep, but helping match the inside to the out, that’s good stuff not many can say they do. (the extra mama money is pretty sweet too.) please let me know if you would like to join in this journey as a consultant or a client, I dont want anyone to miss out on this opportunity for change.

xoxo s

a big announcement

Tags

etsy, hautehouse farm, vintage

image via http://www.mrspal.org

happy monday! hope you had a lovely easter weekend, as we certainly did.  I’m so excited to share some big news with you…we are planning a new baby! amidst all the madness lately, we realized life is too short and we are going for the gusto! april fools….it’s not actually a baby per say, but it’s a labor of love we’ve had in the works for quite some time. we are in the process of organizing all of the vintage pieces I’ve collected over the past twenty plus years and putting them into a curated collection on etsy called ‘hautehouse farm’. it’s our greenhouse of gorgeous heirlooms that we hope blooms to buy a fabulous little farm in the country.  I will keep you posted on when we will officially open for business. as for a fourth little bird, well we havent officially ruled that out yet, wink wink.

xoxo s

happy thoughts

Tags

awakening, bapuji, buddhism, healing, radical acceptance, therapy

lotus flower photo via sundayinbed.tumblr.com

happy spring! aside from the chilly temperature, its exciting to begin a new season and announce a new series on the blog called happy thoughts. i want to share quotes, pictures, poems, stories, etc that i hope will bestow some midweek motivation. my journey of self discovery is so early but already enlightening. much of the focus is on a buddhist philosophy of healing the soul. i dont plan on shaving my head or becoming a monk, but i really am embracing its ideas of awakening and acceptance. this week my therapist presented a quote he felt appropriate from the contemporary indian master bapuji. it reads…

my beloved child,
break your heart no longer.
each time you judge yourself you break your own heart.
you stop feeding on the love which is the wellspring of your vitality.
the time has come, your time
to live, to celebrate and to see the goodness that you are…
let no one, no thing, no idea or ideal obstruct you
if one comes, even in the name of ‘truth,’ forgive it for its unknowing
do not fight.
let go.
and breathe- into the goodness that you are.

it left me speechless. i believe its called a breakthrough. thank you to richard. may this help you all see your own goodness too.

xoxo s

making over me

Tags

bobbi brown shimmer brick, family, makeover, mental health, motherhood, stigma

 

photo via http://turningpoint2.tumblr.com

 

hi! I know it’s been quite awhile. but consider me one of those friends who you can always catch up with like no time has passed. so… where to begin? well, let’s just say I’m in the process of a total makeover of me. head to toe, inside and out. I’ve decided to focus on me. not me the mother, me the wife, me the makeup artist, me the friend, me the listener. just me. and by no means am I claiming to be mother teresa, expect martyrdom, or ruling out early onset of a mid life crisis, but somewhere along the way I lost who I am, who I was or even who I wanted to be. just kind of empty. I could become blonde (yes, that has been fun), tell stories of how emmett was eating the little twinkle lights on izzi’s bed (yes, that is true) or show all my favorite new products (my clarisonic IS lifechanging) but still I didn’t feel like writing. I am so grateful for all that I have. but I felt guilty to feel sadness when others suffer from incredible misfortune. I put so much pressure on myself to find perfect balance, it was self sabbotage. here I was at this complete crossroads. I could keep going on a road to nowhere but chose to take a new path to true happiness. I got a therapist to help me in this journey. it’s so early to say I’m ‘cured’ as I like to unrealistically call it. but I know it’s a huge step forward. I had my own stigma on mental illness. if I did this, it was admitting I was weak, I failed, or even I was just plain crazy. all I can say is I am so glad my husband and my best friend eric encouraged and supported my decision. I found someone who will listen to anything and everything, unbiased and unconditional. it will be a long road, but I know there is a bright rainbow waiting at the end. and I hope by sharing this new chapter, it can truly make life pretty.

xoxo s

ps…I just adore this picture, not only does she look like the new me as mini, but she has a bobbi brown shimmer brick!

makeup monday- little bird love, laughter & lipgloss

Tags

family, little birds, tragedy

we had a somber weekend. all five of us sick with the stomach flu. but we were all together, warm in our jammies, with lots of naps and snuggles, extra hugs and kisses. away from everything in our safe little bubble, if not just for a weekend. so much reflection after the tragic events at sandy hook school on friday.  such profound loss really puts life in perspective. they say time heals all wounds and life goes back to normal. but there is no normal anymore. I suppose you can only take each day at a time. do your very best. love without boundaries. teach your children to be kind and giving people. make a difference no matter how small, even if it’s helping someone find a new lipgloss that brings a smile to their face. and always believe there is still good in the world.

these pretty little birds are my whole heart and it pours with love for the families in connecticut.

xoxo s

a heavy heart

Tags

aeschylus, elementary school tragedy, little birds, mlk assassination, robert f kennedy, sandy hook elementary

photo via http://factorydirectcraft.com/factorydirectcraft_blog/handprint-heart/

today, I write with a heavy heart for the tragedy at the sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut.  words cannot express the emotions I have for these children, their beloved teachers and staff that were senselessly taken or the unimaginable agony of loss for the victims family and friends.  our izzi is in kindergarten. she was home sick today. I laid with her in bed as she fell asleep for a nap. tears streaming down, I held her tight and thought about how much she loves school. how she dreams of her holiday program next week. how she makes crafts and pictures and treats for her teacher.  how she cannot wait to play princesses or ride the bus with her classmates. and how much I love 3:15pm, when that yellow bus turns the corner of our street and with her smiling face she skips off, telling me all about her day. but I can only think that tonight, the twenty parents who said goodbye to their own little birds this morning, where they were to be safe at school, will not get to tuck them in to bed. I tip toe through the house, table still covered in frosting from the gingerbread house, tripping on cars, passing a pile of laundry, to peak in one more time at my precious angels as they sleep. I am so incredibly grateful for the humble life and love we have.

I wont watch any more news, nor do I want any more details. I dont have the answers but I recall the words of the ancient greek playwright aeschylus, that the late robert f kennedy spoke to a crowd following the assassination of martin luther king, jr, ‘even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.’ he then ‘encouraged the country to “dedicate ourselves to what the greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and to make gentle the life of this world.”

peace, prayers and love to all.

xoxo s

dining room…done

Tags

design sponge, diy, fabrics.com, home decor, how to reupholster a dining room chair, ikea, kid friendly design

dining room done

the tools- fabric, scissors, screwdriver, staple gun, staples

the old + new fabrics, minus original red velvet

finished chair

it started as a walnut stained, red velvet covered heirloom that my husband distressed and painted. but after three upholstery attempts at our more than a century old dining room set, I think we finally nailed it, well technically, stapled it! aside from the charming squeekiness, I am madly in love with our anthropologie inspired accomplishment. once again, thanks to another fabulous find from fabric.com, the calypso floral print is kid/cat proof, indoor/outdoor material and the cost was less than a meal out for the five of us!

the most time-consuming part, was actually finding the time late at night to take on the fairly easy project. (I am always willing to admit my procrastinating tendencies, as well as once I’ve hit the bed & bravo tv, it’s signoff mama.) to begin- we, well I should say he, (lol) took off the two former layers of fabric, then used one as a template. I cut out the squares, then as a team, we ‘gift wrapped’ the seat cushions. yes, like six little presents, we stapled each side down, then folded the tops and bottoms at angles and secured them down. just like santa’s elves working through the night we managed not to wake one little bird, booming staple gun and all.  I found wine and this tutorial from designsponge.com to be very helpful. we also replaced the crystal chandelier, which the little birds slowly plucked apart, with the ikea maskros light fixture. slowly but surely, we’re getting things done. happy decorating!

xoxo s

* fyi, the maskros light is now on sale for even less than we paid!