three rivers

Wow, it's been a while!

2010-07-08T18:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the huge lapse in posts. As you can imagine, it has been a little crazy! We are totally moved and getting into a groove. And, Bubby's on Etsy has reopened! This is my little plug, the Bumble Bee Dress from Bubby's was just featured in an Etsy treasury.

Check it out: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c3666e8cc446d91fda38b5f/the-miraculous-bee#4c3666f7cc446d9188a58b5f

I promise that more posting will happen!

back in the ATL

2010-05-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

we've been back home for a week and it has been pretty great. we went to see old work friends and networked the first few days. riv is already booked up next week (yay!) my mom and I are working on the basement for us ( basement gives a bad connotation, it's really the first floor, windows and everything!) aiyden loves being with oma and opa every day. we have been going to the pool every afternoon. the pool here is great because it's a walk in. the first day was crying and yelling "huggie!" and by this afternoon he was floating in his blow up car like a champ! so, life is good here. i still think it was a good move to make. my bro and his wife are visiting next week, good times! riv and i will be driving to cooperstown, ny at the beginning of june for my oldest friend's wedding and hopefully Bubby's will be back up and running in a couple of weeks. here's a few pics and video for your viewing delight...

almost there...

2010-04-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

so much for blogging every night of our trip! i guess that was a little ambitious. the wireless hasn't been too reliable and getting aiyden to sleep without a crib can be a bit of a challenge. it's been a pretty good road trip. we are in jackson, tn tonight and should be in atlanta tomorrow night. aiyden and jasper have done really well, thank goodness for the car dvd player that oma sent aiyden! the grand canyon was cool, we went to the meteor crater outside of flagstaff. new mexico was not all that impressive, amarillo, tx smelled like poop, oklahoma has the nicest welcome center ever and was insanely windy, we will never go to arkansas again if at all possible (it was like stepping back in time and not in a good way), we stopped in downtown memphis and it is really nice, riv and i didn't remember memphis being so pretty...then we drove 2 miles down I-40 and saw the memphis we know (they've done a good job with downtown but might want to work on the rest of the city!) the southern accent is so amusing, i guess i haven't heard it in a while and i must say i didn't miss it!

i'm excited to go home. however, i'm glad to have the influence of the west coast that is a part of me now. i quickly forgot how different these two parts of the country are but driving across gives you such a visual transformation. from the bible thumping billboards that started in oklahoma and the dirty looks we got in the walmart in arkansas to the sweet lady at the old hickory inn saying to me "you's surely is a lowng way firm home" (my finest phonetic translation)...that being said, we truly believe there are good people everywhere; it's just a little harder to find them in some places.

living in california and making the friends we have, had such a strong impact on me and i hope to never lose that. i learned to love cooking healthy meals and going to farmer's markets, that riding a bike is so much better than driving, that it's not how much you have but that you have what you need (because let's face it, housing in the bay area is tiny and expensive!) that it's important to get to know your neighbors, because they can quickly become your family. and probably the greatest thing i experienced (i don't want to say 'learned' because i already knew this in theory but i don't think many people honestly experience this) is that at the core, we are all the same. no matter what our race or religion, gay or straight, big or small, young or old. we are all just trying to make a living, do right by our kids, and have a little fun along the way.

now, onto some pictures! i didn't mean for this to be such a long-winded post!

our friend gina took this pic of aiyden the day we left alameda and i love it!

and there she is...gina!! (and aiyden)

there have been some casualties along the way, how do these bugs even survive in the desert!?

for some reason the flash went off when we took this which is kind of appropriate because we where about to see the meteor crater and here is looks like we are about to be hit by a meteor!

the crater...

a fake astronaut

aiyden, so excited to be in the crater!

trying to climb out of the crater!

riv, posing in the crater!

jas, wondering how the hell he's supposed to go to the bathroom with no grass!

leaving cali and our roadtrip

2010-04-26T23:48:00.000-07:00

i really have so much to say about the last couple of weeks but i am crazy tired and don't have it in me but i really wanted to share some pictures.

leaving was hard, much harder than i thought it would be. we ended up leaving around 5 am sunday morning. i think it was best to sort of slip out early because if i had to say good bye one more time i wouldn't have been able to leave. i have never second guessed a decision like this one. we met some truly great people in alameda and each one holds a dear place in my heart.

the driving has gone well, getting out of california took a lifetime, i was ready to turn around by the time we got to modesto! the mojave was very deserted, we stopped in kingman, az the first might. went to the grand canyon today. only made it to flagstaff tonight but the detour was worth it!

these are pics of our great friends and the beginning of our next adventure.

ch-ch-ch-changes...

2010-03-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

as some of you may know, we have been thinking about moving back east. California is beautiful, great weather, good people but it's just too expensive! not to mention 2600 miles away from family and friends! so, after much deliberating we came to the conclusion that we will never be able to buy a house in alameda ( which is an awesome little beach town) and we can't make aiyden a big brother without living closer to oma & opa (no, i'm not pregnant, just trying to plan this one!) therefore, we are moving back to atlanta. don't know exactly what we are going to do yet, it's kind of scary and exciting and i think it is definitely the best thing for our family. and i can't wait to see everyone that we never see on our short trips out there! i'm so glad that aiyden will get to see his grandparents everyday, a two bedroom house won't cost $700,000, and i'll actually get to go to my 10 year college reunion!
and you know what else this means...roadtrip, baby! i'm already planning the route and possible stops. Grand Canyon is at the top of the list!! I'm in the process of getting moving quotes, it costs an insane amount to rent a uhaul and drive it across country so if we can find someone to do it for us for a reasonable price that will be great! not to mention driving two vehicles would just suck because i would be the one stuck with the two year old and the dog! so if anyone has any experience with moving companies or advice on driving 2000 miles with a two year old or job openings in atlanta...please let me know!

p.s. sorry for the lack of pictures lately. i do plan on blogging about our road trip as we go across so look for lots of posts in about a month!

check out this giveaway!

2010-03-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

there is an awesome giveaway going on at Tangled and True Check it out! She also has some great tutorials, I followed her tutorial for Aiyden's freezer paper stenciled shirt.

aiyden's 2nd birthday!

2010-03-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

aiyden's birthday was a huge hit! we could not have asked for more beautiful weather and everyone in our complex came out to celebrate. i have many more pictures to post but i thought i would get a few on here. he's a lucky little boy to have such a loving family and great friends and neighbors!

i set this up the night before so he would have a great surprise in the morning! the birthday banner was a great little project out of craft paper and letter stickers and i finally made the drawstring backpack out of a pair of riv's old pants (huge hit, he carries it everywhere!)

king for a day! the craft store had this foam crown and packages of stickers...

a picture of the three of us is rare, and of course aiyden had to pick his nose for this one!

about to blow out the candle...

i still have to load all of riv's pictures onto the computer. it was such an awesome day! i feel like i have been planning this day for months. i totally admit that i go way overboard for special occasions, completely aware that he will never be two again and it's going by so fast! today meant so much to me...and it was perfect, he had so much fun (and only one breakdown!) i am so blessed that sometimes it's overwhelming. i'm just lucky to be aiyden's mom!

Handmade Birthday Invitations

2010-02-23T13:09:00.001-08:00

I made some birthday invitations for aiyden's upcoming 2nd birthday. they were really easy and cute so i thought i would post a little tutorial.

Supplies needed are the invite printed on photo paper ( i made mine in photoshop), foam sticky dots, craft paper, ribbon, scissors, and a hole puncher.

i got double sided 12x12 craft paper and cut it into 6x12 strips. this one had a cute animal print on the outside and polka dots inside, usually about $.69 from the craft store. put four foam dots in each corner of the back of your photo

stick it fairly center on the craft paper ( the foam dots add a nice bit of dimension but photo squares would work just as well)

fold each side in, they should overlap. (my photo was 4.5in x5.5 in which works well)

punch a whole in the bottom and top of both flaps and tie together with ribbon

and that's it! a cute, inexpensive, and unique invite!!

Birthday Panning...

2010-02-21T08:23:00.000-08:00

so, aiyden's 2nd birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks, and of course, i want to make the best, most fun birthday possible. we ruled out doing the whole chuck e. cheese thing and are going to have a party in the courtyard with sidewalk chalk and bubbles... anyhow, below are the invites i created. they took a ridiculously long time but i think they are so cute!

i don't know what we're getting him yet (probably something thomas the train related) but i saw this awesome tutorial at Noodleheads for a kids drawstring backpack made from old khaki's. sooooo cute!

decal mania

2010-01-26T20:00:00.000-08:00

i got a roll of contact paper a while ago to make some wall decals for aiyden's room. it is so easy and instantly gratifying. they are also completely removable.

did a lovely little silverware set for the kitchen

and aiyden got some birds on a wire

the next one will be a shel silverstein quote for the long wall in his room. nothing better than cutting out letters! but i'm sure in the end it will be great.

some pics...

2010-01-26T19:34:00.001-08:00

sorry i haven't posted anything lately! time has flown by since christmas! it's been quite rainy in the bay area lately but aiyden and i were able to get out to the beach last week in between storms and took some pics. the light was awesome because the sun was shining over us but we could see the next storm rolling in...

aiyden waving to the airplanes...

he's very advanced with his handwriting! j/k...

christmas and a few crafts

2009-12-29T08:15:00.000-08:00

santa was good to us this year! i didn't get any pics of christmas morning (too wrapped up in the moment) but here is how it looked for aiyden's 2nd christmas...

along with christmas came more toys to store so i hung some floating shelves and fashioned pocket storage out of leftover felt to hold markers, puppets, etc...

the new bike trailer from oma and opa is a huge hit! i think we biked 20 miles over christmas weekend! and elmo goes everywhere with us!

aiyden experienced his first tummy slide with the help of a big kid who gave him a little shove!

some felted items from the holidays...

Felt Playhouse

2009-12-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

i've been wanting to make a felt playhouse slipcover for our kitchen table ever since I saw it on homemade by jill, one of my favorite blogs. so, today i was determined to get it done in time for christmas morning. it was actually much easier than i thought it would be. it's not as elaborate as some others that i've seen but it will do the job and how perfect for a two year old who loves to play under the table already!

it's all wool felt, which doesn't fray so no sewing required! (except to attach the panels). everything was adhered with wonder under, hot glue, and velcro!

the front door opens and has pipe cleaners inserted around the edge to keep it's shape

the apples are velco'd on so they can be picked.

and the flowers can be plucked from the window box. pipe cleaners help keep them standing.

i really think aiyden is going to love hiding out in his playhouse!

christmas stuff...

2009-12-15T08:44:00.000-08:00

i've been doing a lot of christmas crafting lately. last weekend we watched our neighbors 9 year old daughter so we made some salt dough ornaments, a really fun project for a 9 year old... and a 30 year old as well! i've had a lot of success with felting some knitted bowls but i can't post those pics yet because many are going to be christmas gifts.

needle felted mittens and aiyden's silhouette. the silhouette was really easy, a wooden disc, craft paper and print out of his profile, topped off with some modge podge...

salt dough cristmas tree...

salt dough snowman...

aiyden in front of the tree with his rudolph shirt that i made for him...

posing with mikey doll! aiyden picked out our tree. it's a 3.5 foot charlie brown tree which worked out perfect because the place didn't net it or have twine so we had to fit it in the back seat. i set it on top of a milk crate for some height and covered it with some extra material rather than buying a tree skirt.

we got a pub table for the kitchen which has been perfect for his high chair, now he can can play with his aqua doodle while i make dinner...

apartment is finally coming together! i love our new curtains from ikea. was going to make some but these are lined and buy the time i bought material, i figured it would cost just as much!

needle felting

2009-12-07T20:03:00.001-08:00

so, i discovered needle felting last night and tried it out today. i really thought it would be instant crafting gratification but of course, it proved to be more difficult than i thought. so i started with some felt mitten ornaments that i saw on another blog recently. white wool, and my felting needle and sponge

my first row ended up being way to thick ...

stab the crap out of it...

and that's how it's done. apparently i didn't take a pic of the finished product. they turned out alright for being the first project.

i've seen needle felted bowls that are awesome so i really wanted to try it. much harder than i thought! this bowl is tiny, i can't imagine making a bigger one. i think it would be much easier to knit a bowl and then felt it ad add embellishment with the needle. so i made sort of a circle for the base and started a long row for the sides of the bowl...

i used to different greens and wanted a swirlier effect but again...harder than it looks.

putting the base on was easier than i thought. the sides were the most difficult. i think i need a much larger sponge.

More family pictures...

2009-11-29T18:55:00.000-08:00

oma, opa, and aiyden at the playground...

latest knitting on the round loom. i think it's cute, riv said it looks like a blossom hat. if anything, it would be really cute if it were smaller for a little girl. maybe a new item in the etsy store.

great grandma berte reading a book to aiyden, and he was really liking it!

about to go down the slide like a big boy!

the next set is aiyden's first time playing in a pile of leaves. i never thought about before we got here but we don't really get piles of leaves where we live so they were a lot of fun for him!

Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T08:37:00.001-08:00

we had an awesome thanksgiving meal and tried many new recipes this year! martha stewart came thru with the spatchcocked turkey in the november issue. This is by far the best way to cook a turkey, i will never to it the old ay again! we cooked a 12 lb. turkey in 70 minutes and it was the juiciest turkey i've ever had!

following with martha's suggestions, i decided to make an apple pie and cut maple leaves out of the dough for the top crust. mom and i searched everywhere for a leaf cookie cutter but we couldn' find one so all the leaves were hand cut. it looked beautiful and was very delicious. i also made my first homemade cheesecake but i didn't get any pictures, it went fast!

luke-dog, just chillin...

great- grandma berte and aiyden playing patty cake...

family photo, it's been a while since everyone was together. we took like 10 pictures trying to get the perfect one but it was so cold and windy on the porch. this was to best one... perfectly imperfect.

sporting the sunglasses...

2009-11-20T21:21:00.000-08:00

aiyden really likes his jackie o's...

Fabric Mat Framing

2009-11-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

I got these prints from August Eve on Etsy. I love the earth tone colors paired with the imaginative, dreamlike images! Anyhow, I've been waiting to get frames for the prints and realized that i had two frames in the closet with no mats. I have a ton of scrap material so I covered the back board that comes with the frame with a navy/green plaid, laid the print on top, and no need to buy new frames! I like the muted fabric with these prints but I think a bolder fabric would be a great contrast with some black and white photos.

on a side note: the toddler bed lasted for two nights and the crib rail went back on. Not ready for that one yet!

PJ's and a Big Boy Bed...

2009-11-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

oma got these cool pj's for aiyden. he loves cars and walks around rubbing his belly saying "car car car"

we're going to try out the toddler bed! he sleeps much better in a real bed and wants a pillow so we'll see how it goes...

he got really excited when he saw it and climbed right in

next project, homemade wall decals. i think it's going to be a shel silverstein theme. any other ideas???

Milk Crate Toy Storage

2009-11-14T13:14:00.000-08:00

So, toys have become the bane of our existence! I think we've done good about not letting them take over but still, toy storage has become a much googled topic. It is insane how much you can pay for toy chests and bins and cubes... even ikea didn't come thru for me! So, we resorted to the ever popular (and free) milk crate. Spray painted them blue and brown and anchored them to the wall. Total cost: $5.07 for spray paint. And I think my client is happy with the results!

Pics from halloween

2009-11-12T06:24:00.000-08:00

I just realized that i didn't post pics from trick or treating yet, sorry! So, overall, I don't think aiyden was too traumatized by halloween. We were at oma and opa's house so we went around the cul de sac. it was rainy so i didn't get too many pics. The first house was decked out and had talking zombie thing that scared the crap out of aiyden! It took a couple more houses to recover from that one. He then realized that people were giving him candy so they would offer something for his bag and in return he would pull some candy out to give them! So cute!

Halloween

2009-10-27T07:04:00.001-07:00

Riv's hotel handed out carving pumpkins to each department. I think it's for a contest and if so, he is totally going to win! we did a grim reaper carving and I was quite pleased with the outcome! It was hard to get a good picture but you get the idea...

Chinatown

2009-10-26T07:28:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, we decided to go into to San Fran and check out Chinatown. The cool part is the ferry we can take from Alameda to the Embarcadero.

Riv and Aiyden, waiting for the ferry...

The Ferry Building in San Francisco...

Waiting for chinese food, we waited a long time!

That Pyramid building...

The kid can rock with those chop sticks!

Like father like son...

buildings...

going under the bay bridge...

a walk on the beach

2009-10-13T20:22:00.001-07:00

New Pictures

2009-10-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

I finally took some recent pictures of aiyden and our new place. We have moved from concord to alameda, about 20 miles closer to san francisco and only 3 miles from riv's work. we've gone back to apartment living which has been an adjustment but we really like our little community and have met more people in the last week than we did all of last year. the apartment is coming together, we still have some storage solutions to get but at least it is mostly unpacked! the area is why we moved to alameda! the beach is across the street, shopping center is 3 blocks away, and the cute downtown area is .5 mile away! we plan on getting a bike trailer for aiyden and bike riding everywhere, no car needed! we walked down to the classic car show yesterday and took some pics. cars are aiyden's favorite things right now! he points them out everywhere we go so the car show was a big hit! aiyden and i also walked along the beach the other morning and got a few shots, he is fascinated by the birds but doesn't like the sand...

a dancing video!

2009-09-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

so, our trip to atlanta and new york was awesome! we had such a great time and i have many pics to post but it's been a little crazy around here because we are moving next weekend. we decided to downsize for the next year so that we can save some money and found a great little apartment in Alameda across the street from the beach. it's also only 5 minutes from riv's work which will be great! anyhow, i had to post this video, i played the banana boat song from beetlejuice and aiyden went nuts!

new shirt

2009-08-11T22:52:00.001-07:00

so, i wanted to make aiyden a shirt for our upcoming travels and thought this would be funny! it's a heat transfer so it wasn't as in depth as the appliques and i think it will be a good ice breaker as we see the dread in people's eyes wondering if we are going to sit next to them!

haircut, crayons, and checkups...oh my!

2009-08-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

yesterday aiyden had his 15 month checkup. we were a couple months late but we've been a little busy. anyhow, he's right on track, loved the stethoscope, and had to get 4 vaccines (he handled it like a champ) it was also his doctor's first day back from maternity leave so we brought her a cute bubby's item for her little girl.

aiyden also had his second haircut over the weekend. this time we wised up and did it outside. he sat really well in his chair and let riv clip his hair. he just looks so grown up!

and this morning, we had our first crayon experience! i don't think he's quite ready for them but it was worth a try. i taped paper to his little table and let have at it. he wasn't too amused at the fact that they draw. but it was awesome to bang and throw them!

Storque Feature...Huge Success

2009-08-05T23:49:00.001-07:00

SO, yesterday Bubby's was featured in the Storque, Etsy's blog. You can check it out here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/etsy-finds-live-and-let-dye-4562/ (you'll see the picture of aiyden below ) They did an article on hand-dyed items and all the shirts in Bubby's are hand-dyed. It also was sent out to anyone registered to receive email updates from Etsy so thousands of folks got the email. Very exciting and unexpected publicity. So far, it has resulted in 22 sales, 1000 hits, and almost 100 people have marked me as a favorite! Three of the sales are international which really excites me for some reason. We have a lot of shirts to make, at first I freaked out a little but tonight I organized the craft room and made lists which always puts me at ease! So exciting, I'm still amazed everyday...

picnic in the park

2009-08-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

today aiyden and i had a picnic lunch at the park down the street. here are a few pics...

yelling at some kids running by

having some water

walking thru the field

lots of geece

ahhh...the end result of running around!

Life Lessons...

2009-08-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

lately i've been saying to myself "i just want a day off", when do i get to just relax?" lots of self pity and so on... and it's not because i'm doing everything. ever since the bubby store has started to pick up and i've gotten a few shifts with swank, riv has been doing so much around here: cleaning, dishes, cooking, laundry... he's become a regular mr. mom even though he works all day. and then again this morning when i didn't want to get up at 6:30 and aiyden was running around making a mess of what was a clean house for a record 2 hours and while i was trying to get a few shirts partially done...it hit me. i don't get a day off! and it's perfectly ok! how excellent is it that people are paying me to be creative and how blessed are we to have a child full of energy and exploring and learning every second! i may not get a day off like i used to but i get moments now. i get 10 minutes when aiyden sits calm and perfectly content in my lap, i get hugs and sloppy kisses, and i have a husband who sends me pictures of their activities through out the day while i'm at work. I have it pretty good and i wouldn't trade it for anything!

had to throw in a pic. this was one morning outside the library before storytime...

coyote sitings

2009-07-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

it must be skim pickin's out there. we knew there were coyote's in our area but we've never seen one until recently. last week there was one hanging out and we got pictures of him and just today i came outside cause jasper was barking and a coyote was sitting right on the trail 10 feet from the fence line. not to mention the raccoons. twice now we've woken up in the middle of the night to noises outside. if jas leaves even a morsel in his bowl like 5 raccoons come to feed. i never realized how huge they can be!

i know, i've been slacking...

2009-07-27T23:55:00.001-07:00

on the blogging. so i thought i'd give you all a recent pic of the cutest little boy in the world!

Lots of stuff!

2009-07-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

So in the past two weeks we had our dear friends, Matt and Nicky, visit from New York. We got the first half of the Hoboken order out (28 shirts), had a booth in a craft show, took aiyden to his first zoo visit,saw the golden gate bridge, had a day at the beach in Santa Cruz, saw a coyote on the hill behind the house, and had raccoons try to steal the dog food off the back patio! Below are pictures of everything (except the raccoons, it was 5am)

More to come. gonna have to do these in phases!

sorry, no posts lately

2009-07-08T23:15:00.000-07:00

i know i haven't been posting lately but it's been rather busy around here. but i have 27 of my 28 shirts ready to sew, they have to ship on tuesday so it's crunch time. even riv is working on them, he traces the designs and i cut...for hours each night! he even knows what wonder under is! (the fusible interfacing that hold the design to the shirt.) plus bubby's has been rather busy this week, yesterday i got 5 orders, the most i have ever had in one day! but here are a couple of pics. the first one are the shirts we've been working on and the second is the funniest pic of aiyden! we now have a naked run thru the house every night after bath time and his hand placement was just perfect!

Bubby's is being featured today!

2009-07-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

A shirt from Bubby's is being featured today as 'the awesome item of the day!' Always nice to wake up and have an email like that!

check it out:

http://awesomeasaone.wordpress.com

Exciting new development with Bubby's!

2009-06-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

so, three weeks ago riv asked me what i would do if i got an order for 100 shirts and i said i would do it and tell them it would take a month and laughed it off because of course, that was never going to happen...

yesterday i received an email from a woman asking me if i do wholesale, trying to sound as calm and professional as possible, i told her that i have not done wholesale but would love the opportunity, yada yada yada... I half expected her to reply with "oh, i don't wholesale. your stuff is cute and you should try it..."

anyhow, she didn't respond that why. she actually owns a children's boutique in hoboken, nj called Itty Bitties (http://www.ittybittiesboutique.com)and wants to add me to their list of designers. she is ordering seven different designs on eight sizes, 56 shirts in all for her first order! and if they sell well, who knows what will be next! so riv and i crunched numbers, i talked with dad and he sent me a document to figure out my GPM, and last night i sent her the price and timeline and she accepted.

now they just have to get made! i already have mom sewing her butt off. riv has become mr. mom when he is home so that i can get stuff done. it's all so exciting and daunting at the same time but i think we've done good considering bubby's one month anniversary is tomorrow.

p.s. if anyone out there reading this post lives in the bay area and owns a sewing machine, let me know. i can put ya to work!

Playing at the waterpark

2009-06-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Aiyden and I went to Brentwood to visit our neighbors who recently moved out there. They have a gorgeous new house with lots of space for their three kids to run around. Nicole took us to a waterpark near them and Aiyden had a blast! It was the first time he has ventures away from me. He saw water and was gone! And I must say, he held his own with eight year olds running past...

how cute is this!

2009-06-16T08:54:00.001-07:00

Finished a few more shirts last night but these are my favorites. How freakin cute is the panda! Check out more at jessierivers.etsy.com

Aiyden's first haircut

2009-06-14T11:36:00.001-07:00

Aiyden had his first haircut today! It had gotten to the point where it was taking 20 minutes to comb in the bath and leaves and food were being stored in his hair! So Riv got the clippers out and started cutting. He looks so grown up now!

Being a good boy and letting daddy cut...

Right afterwards..

had a bath and looking good...

my serious face...

smiling for the camera...

jasper gets a sniff in...

Etsy Success

2009-06-11T09:52:00.001-07:00

So, considering more store has only been up for a cpuple of weeks, it's had much success, and it's really fun. Aiyden, of course, is my best advertising! Here he is playing in his super cool peace sign onesie. My favorite. Check it out, a lot of new items listed: jessierivers.etsy.com

And please spread the word!

Store on Etsy

2009-05-31T08:59:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't heard of Etsy, it is a website dedicated to all things handmade and you can set up your own store and sell your items across the world. I highly recommend checking it out, there are some awesome stores, plus one new store...

Our nickname for Aiyden is bubby and so I thought it to be an appropriate name. So, tell your friends and anyone with children to check it out. I'm gradually loading pictures in and all items can be customized. Let me know what you think, the link is jessierivers.etsy.com

Berkeley Flea Market

2009-05-31T08:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the Berkeley Flea Market and I had a space so Friday night I sewed my heart out trying to get everything done and Riv painstakingly worked on the sign. We had to be there at 7am to get our spot. Some folks had quite an elaborate set up, I just had our three tables and the sandwich board. It was a slow start, weather was kind of dreary, but by the afternoon things picked up and the sun came out and it ended up being very successful. A lot of people loved the clothing, I got some feedback on some other festival to attend. I realized that I need to make more toddler sized things. All in all, it was a great experience, and there was some excellent people watching!

Website Up!!!

2009-05-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

check it out!! jriversphotography.com thank you soooo much to josh for creating it!

new projects

2009-05-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

my new craze is are the applique onesies. they are just so freakin cute and i really think i can sell them if i find the right place. i started a store on etsy.com it is a site dedicated to handmade items. really cool stuff, check it out if you haven't been there. i am also going to try and get a spot at the berkeley flea market next weekend. pics below are the latest ones. if you know anyone with babies or toddlers... give them my info. they range between $10- $15. soon to come... hand- dyed and organic!

Oma's Visit

2009-05-15T17:16:00.000-07:00

mom visited this week and we had so much fun! aiyden had a lot of fun playing with his oma and showed off his walking skills for her!

riv took us out for a delicious seafood dinner on mother's day. the restaurant was in berkeley and we got to do some window shopping at all the cute shops before we ate.

aiyden's great aunt, or rather, grand colleen sent aiyden a michael doll! it's the cutest little boy doll and it looks like him!! she saved the day with this one because our homemade rag doll didn't turn out so well, it's a lot harder than i thought.

while mom was here, i was able to get out all the crafty-ness i've been feeling. we made blankets and bibs and applique onesies! there are going to be some cute dressed newborns out there!

feeling crafty

2009-05-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

i have had an amazing urge to do projects. i think it's because mom is coming on friday and i know that i might be able to actually finish something without aiyden interrupting a bazillion times. that and my friends jeremy and melanie are having a baby next month and i've found some really cute patterns for applique onesies and homemade mobiles. on top of that i need to make a bath toy holder and some sort of rag doll for aiyden. i've become increasingly aware that any toy that he has that is a boy is white so i looked online but there really isn't much in the way of biracial dolls. and it can't be that hard to make, right? so the following pictures are the latest photoshop experiments. i found some new filters that are cool and riv found a template that will format your pics into a box. you just print, cut, and fold.

Walking boy!

2009-05-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

He's beginning to walk!!! and I caught it on video!!

standing and a little bit of walking

2009-04-30T08:09:00.001-07:00

Aiyden has gotten very good at cleaning out the cabinets for me. Don't worry, there are safety things on most of them but he's allowed to get into this one. It's the only thing that amuses him while I cook.

The next few pics are of Aiyden standing up and taking a few steps. I had it on video but the batteries dies and erased the video so this is the next best thing.

first photo shoot, success

2009-04-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

i had my first professional photo shoot on saturday and it was a huge success! we got over 100 images, the mom was beautiful and dad wasn't so keen on having his picture taken but he did awesome in his shots. i can't wait to photograph their baby girl in a month! here's a little sneak peak of what we got.

standing up

2009-04-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

aiyden has been walking on furniture and walls for a while now but he's really started to try standing up on his own. yesterday he did it while he was playing in his pool and today i built a little obstacle course in the living room and was able to get him on video trying to stand up over and over.

postcards for advertising

2009-04-17T21:55:00.001-07:00

instead of making business cards, i have designed business postcards. they will be at Jullian's, a shop in downtown concord and i was thinking about going around to local doula and midwife office's (very popular here) to see if they will hand out as well. the back of the card is also the feel of the website that is soon to come.

front of card

back of card

new discoveries

2009-04-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

this week was a good week in my photography world. i booked my first professional gig for next weekend (maternity shoot.) josh is designing a webpage for me, a local kids store agreed to display my postcards and have a display table at kidsfest in may (big festival on the square), and i learned about a whole part of photoshop i never knew about. i can't believe i thought of myself as a photoshop wiz before! so here are some of the effects i've discovered...

original

old timey look

the next two aren't so great for printing but they are just so cool!!

one picture on 20 pages

aiyden the puzzle!

dancing boy

2009-04-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

this boy is going to be a lady killer with these sweet moves! sorry about my finger in part of the shot but i have to hide the camera or else he stops dancing.

chicken noodle soup

2009-04-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

the other night i decided to try my hand at homemade soup. i've never had much luck with soup, it's always been ok but nothing special. well, this soup was by far the best non creamy soup we have ever had. I think all three of us had seconds! (the picture is of what was left. i didn't think of taking a picture while it was still pretty) so, if your interested, it's really easy to make. you basically throw a whole bunch of stuff in and let it cook.

in crock pot:

5 cups chicken broth

fresh basil to taste

2 cloves garlic

oregano, salt, pepper to taste

3 shakes of paprika

half a diced onion

2 stalks chopped celery

2 large carrots, chopped

2 handfuls, fozen peas

4 sliced mushrooms

let this cook in crockpot for a couple of hours til carrots start to soften

in the meantime:

marinade chicken breasts and thighs (no skin or bones) however you like. i always use injected soy sauce and toss with basil and garlic ( love the basil and garlic!)

cook chicken and some noodles right before you're ready to serve. throw it all in together and get ready for some goodness!

next time we will have it with mom's homemade english muffin recipe.

13 month photo shoot

2009-04-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

It has been raining the past couple of days so i tried to set up a little photo studio in the house. I used a white background and couldn't get the lighting quite right but we got a few shots. it is definitely a lot harder to get aiyden to sit still for a picture than it used to be!

experiments with photoshop

2009-04-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

i was playing around with photoshop and have decided that putting words over images is my new thing right now. these are two experiments.

where we live

2009-04-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

Last week Aiyden and I went for a walk. Anyone who has been here knows that there is a huge hill behind our house. At the top is a POW/MIA memorial. From there, you have an awesome view of the northern california landscape, so i tried to take a panoramic picture in 5 shots so that everyone can see where we live. It really is a beautiful place. On a side note, thousands of painted lady butterflies are migrating north for the summer and we are right in their flight path. We saw hundreds of butterflies around us and we waited patiently for just one to land so that I could get a picture. Unfortunately, that never happened, they just flew around us and that doesn't translate very well in a photo. But I'm sure you can google it.

gone fishing

2009-04-05T08:14:00.001-07:00

yesterday the three of us went fishing. riv's friend lent us some poles and told us the best place to go is in Tracy (about an hour away.) so we packed a cooler, chairs, and the pack'n'play and headed out. of course in my head we would be coming home with no less than two fish to eat for dinner. as it turns out, fishing can be a little more difficult than that... we ended up having pizza for dinner.

attempt at photo shoot

2009-03-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

i tried to get a good picture of aiyden and i. this is the best i could get. i now realize how hard it is to get aiyden to look at the camera when no one is behind it. not so easy!

the kiddie pool

2009-03-29T17:14:00.001-07:00

we had our first kiddie pool experience today and it was a big hit! it will definitely be a staple summer activity. as aiyden is so handsomely modeling, he put a swim diaper on and was ready to go! we took 145 pictures but these are a few that show how much fun he had and i couldn't pass up the nemo booty. the video is pretty cute too. i'll have to show the more arty pictures in another post.

the kiddie pool (cont'd.)

2009-03-29T17:10:00.001-07:00

sunday cookout

2009-03-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

today was a beautiful, sunny, california day so we had a little cookout for lunch. aiyden had his first taste of hot dog, another food i swore he wouldn't have until he was like 18...it was a 'nathan's' if that counts for anything. jasper posed for a very stoic picture. aiyden played nicely in his play pen for a solid hour, just popping up for a snack every now and then. riv tried a lovely dance move while grilling. all in all it was a great afternoon. and i haven't even gotten to the kiddie pool experience yet.

growing things

2009-03-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

in order to avoid missing mom and dad this week i've tried to keep busy and since the weather has been so great aiyden and i have spent a lot of time outside. we fixed up the patio and yard and yesterday the three of us went to get some veggie plants. we are now growing tomatoes, peppers, and various herbs. hopefully it will all grow!

Great Grandma Berte's Birthday

2009-03-28T20:59:00.001-07:00

aiyden and i traveled to fort lauderdale for berte's surprise 70th birthday pary. i find it amusing that we only throw surprise parties in our family if you are of a 'mature' age. luckily there have been no adverse side affects of these surprises! needless to say, berte was very happy to see her great grandson. we got some great pictures at the party. opa and i also took aiyden for his first venture in the atlantic ocean. sandy beaches and warm waters are much more fun than the rocky beaches and frigid waters of the pacific ocean. (more pics on the following post)

Great Grandma Berte's Birthday

2009-03-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

aiyden's first birthday

2009-03-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

so, aiyden turned one on march 7th. we ichat'd with oma and opa so they could experience his first taste of chocolate cake. the following are some video of the ocassion.

2009-03-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

this is the latest funny picture of aiyden. doing a pose in true keeping of his buddha baby-ness.