tiny dancer takes albuquerque by wind storm

our first new mexico ballet recital is in the books. our sweet dancing girl was enamored with the whole to-do and told her grandparents over the phone, "i have been on stage twice before, so i was not frightened." no she was not. a bit distracted perhaps, but it added to her charm. and what relief that i shellacked her hair with enough freezing spray that not a single strand came loose from the bun during the wind storm with 60mph gusts.  

little brother spent the entire recital asking, "ia's turn? ia's turn?" sadly, he couldn't pick her out on stage when it was her turn. big brother was super excited to hand her those flowers after the show and tell her brava! she had some proud fans. plus one 3yo mad that she never danced for him.

we love this studio and miss gia now moves up to ballet 2.

brava, our tiny dancer.

papi's girl

our sweet gia is just loving all things papi these days.  i remember being completely smitten with my daddy as a little girl and this bit of her childhood makes me nostalgic.  oh to be convinced that there is nobody more special!  (she even wears a picture of him in that locket.)

jesse has been taking the kiddos on weekend dates lately and this papi's girl picked out an extra special outfit for her turn.  this thrift store jumper only set me back $2!  she adores it.  just the thing to wear when your best guy takes you to the botanical gardens and a donut shop.

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i didn't mean to be absent so long from here.  thanks for the sweet messages and emails checking in.  i was so so sick (with a nasty case of bronchitis) and have been a busy busy bee with my new job.  here's to feeling healthy and catching up!

 xoxo,

annalea

gia's grotto

welcome to our first fully finished space in the new casita!
not that we won't make changes here and there (of course we will), but there is no pending to-do list left for gia's room. oh does that make me happy! there is something settling to my spirit by making this rental house our for-now home. we might be here for several more years still and i want the kiddos to feel settled. i want to feel settled.

we call this space gia's grotto. she is a collector.  you never know where you will find a stash of treasured items. i am charmed by this tendency even when i want to pull out my hair at uncovering yet another grouping of random what-nots and whose-its. i tried to include empty spots for her to fill - baskets, drawers, and shelves - to keep the place from becoming ridiculously overcrowded.

the bird theme was surprisingly unintentional.  not until the final hours did i see it repeated in every corner. maybe i should also call this room her magpie nest.

now for those interested in the 411...

the daybed, dresser, rocking chair, bird mirror, foot stool, and side table are hand-me-downs.

the color on the daybed and book cradle is gypsy teal by benjamin moore.

the book cradle and bed canopy were thrifted.

the window and closet curtains are made from vintage thrifted sheets.

the wall color came with the rental - not sure of the color.
the area rug is ikea circa 2006.

the with brave wings she flies printable found here

the slipcovered lampshade story is here.

i made gia the ribbon and bells mobile while she was still in mah belly.

the polka dot bedsheet and pillowcases were walmart clearance and i made the other bed pillows.

the berry botanicals came from a vintage book.

the winter birds printables are found here.

the doll house was a major labor of love and gia's 5th birthday present.

the nan lawson girl and bird printable found here.

the doll bed story is here.

the gypsy girl print is one of my favorite renoir paintings.

the stamped doily hoop story is here.

the tree growth chart is pottery barn circa 2007.

learn more about the rapunzel papercut here.

the sing your own song printable found here.

the embroidered calender is anthropologie circa 2006ish.
the buon giorno principessa story is here.

the feather wreath was pottery barn clearance several years ago.

the pink and purple hot air balloon is from a local albuquerque store.

the spool birds were originally perched on a dining room wall, but i strung them together for a door hanging.

okay, i think that covers it.

xoxo,

annalea

my new mexican ballerina

 the girlie has started a ballet class and we snapped some quick backyard pics with jesse's iphone so she could show off her new look.  i think she may be the cutest thing ever in those boots and that jacket.  gia's only request about moving here was to get a new pair of cowboy boots.  her pink ones were the most well worn footwear a couple years back and i was happy to oblige this small request.  i have to say her motivation was to avoid scorpions and snakes, which is a valid concern in new mexico.  maybe not in our backyard though.

true story: the jacket is a 3T that she is now wearing for her 4th fall.  the sleeves are way too short, but nothing a few rolls can't fix.

and can we talk about that topknot?  it is seriously the envy of all messy buns.

 here are a few things j'adore about my gia-bee right now. . .

the way she says "oh dear" every time she is concerned or upset.  simply adorable.

her desire to make new friends everywhere we go and her complete forgetfulness when it comes to their names.

how she holds the door open for each girl in ballet class because it is the "kind thing" to do.

her impromptu concerts and the fantastic songs she can make up on the spot.

 how she wears her shirts backwards so they look good when she pretends she is puppy.

her tea party invitations that surprise me throughout the day so i can join her for a cuppa.  lemon and honey is always provided.

her love of praying for our meals and her joy of family time.

oh these days pass so quickly. . .

don't forget to enter the shabby apple giveaway, friends.

more yeses

my girl loves to paint.

L O V ES it.

she asks for it every morning.

and more often than not, i tell her no.

it is messy and her little brother is crazy and her mama is so tired and it just seems too much.

but i feel my chest tighten with every no.

how much do i really care about the cleanliness of the floors and walls and ceiling?

i know it can't always be yes.

but sometimes. . . more times. . . it can be.

do you have more yeses to give?

pi day

maybe because i am surrounded by engineers.  or maybe because i am surrounded by homeschoolers.

regardless, who can say no to eating a little pie on pi day?

miss gia made a mostly-by-herself-with-a-little-help-from-mama pie for us to enjoy.  she has dubbed it "yummy nummy chocolate cream."  sounds delish to me.  and it tasted that way too.

tell me, did you eat a slice of pie today?