Announcing...

Husband and Wife

congratulations Brother and sister in law

By brother got married a week ago and it was a beautiful day all around - from the ceremony to the party to the lovely couple themselves

Celebrations like this always make me think about my own marriage and family values, 

and when everyone is in "prep-mode" to make the day perfect i am reminded how blessed i am in both these departments.  

Family traveled in from Missouri and Minnesota for the occasion and it was sure nice to spend time together at the kitchen table and on the dance floor.

And these two!
Can you picture anything cuter???

And as a sister of the Groom,
i have to say i was quite impressed by my brother's own attention to the little things to make the day a special one.
He planned a few surprises over the course of the day including a little note and gift for the bride in the bridal suite ahead of bridal march and a song for the bride on the dance floor.

Made me realize my brother is all grown up and I couldn't be more proud of him.

Congratulations you two -- and welcome to the club.

You are gonna love it!

 

Leo Ladies.

Moms birthday was yesterday. 

I asked my mom what good advice she could share with me in her beepty-bleep years. 
Mom says, 

"Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches"

Words to live by for sure!

Leo ladies.

Especially for this Leo Child

Who has always admired Mom's ability to remain calm 

and inject a little humor while she is at it

Leo child (with Child) in Deutschland on  Saturday
going with the flow at 40 years old!! and 30 weeks pregnant

Love you Mom. happy birthday.

Here's to another year of 

floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee!

 

happy summer days

this past weekend i travelled to Pittsburgh to host a shower with the other "hays girls" for my brother and his fiancee. I was only in charge of the invites but the other ladies did an awesome job to pull it off without a hitch, from making all the food to caring for all planned games and every tied ribbon 

homemade punch

homemade jelly

homemade hugs

hot buns

long time friends

neighbors

hostesses with the mostesses

As usual, we didn't spend as much time visiting as i would have liked but we did manage to see a few good friends, hang in the pool and get in a little "pre-birthday" cake

learning to fly

pa takes care

making a splash

staying afloat

spin with honey on raft

good friends

more happy summer days please

next stop: deutschland

 

when parents come in for a visit

Me and Yahtzee have been in the thick of cleaning out our flat to do a bit of redecorating, and at same time trying to sneak in the "regular" errands and manage a heavier than normal workload for both of us. Making decisions like fabric and color for a loveseat have become trivial.

"tech-savvy" mama

Two weekends ago we got a rather spontaneous visit from my parents. It was only a few days but so helpful, what a difference it makes to have a helping hand from family to keep calm and scoot on!

Furniture - ordered!

Stella - registered!

Sink - fixed!

Cabinet - organized!

Winter Clothes - stored!

Unwanted clothes - consignment!

Wallpaper - picked!

Fun - loads!

thanks for the visit and the help mom & dad.

Swedish Crepes, turned out better than i thought

Bike Line-up in Red Hook

Ice Cream break

Mom liked the ice cream jerk

Making it through the Holland Tunnel…without getting lost!

 

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

sure appreciate everything you do

wish we could have also spent the day with you

looking forward to a tall glass of ice tea with you on the porch during the next visit in

Take me home, country roads...

well it wasn't our best driving time ever, but we made it to Pittsburgh for a day and a half of visiting with our family and it was quite relaxing. I still love it when we finally make it off the highway and get to roll down the windows and take in the fresher air and quietness. No beeping of horns, competing for greenlights and watching for bikers and boarders and joggers at every turn.  Just the rattle of the car, the wind blowing back my hair and the promise of a hug from mom in the very near future.

causing a few stares - strategy

Of course, we played things a little differently this time. First stop was the golf course where Yahtzee and my brother played a few holes with friends. Yahtz wore his lederhosen for good fun though i am sure that a few of those guys are under the impression all germans are running around like this 24/7.   Then I was off to the beauty salon - thanks to dad for the gift certificate at christmas.  I met my little sister there and together we got our locks done. I love it when they straighten my hair, but how come i have such a hard tie getting it so straight and smooth and shiny myself???  I have all the same tools and potions and lotions at home but no joy. My sister got a new look going on too with some highlights which i think look great.  She is still getting used to them 2 days on but i have a hunch she will go lighter still next time - and be a natural "dark blond" like me.

Once at the compound, the kids were already suited up and in the pool. i am not sure how they do it because the water is quite cold still, but they are certainly braver than me. I did not even manage to dangle my feet in the shallow end.

We somehow got quite a bit accomplished in the short time we were there, mainly because everyone was in one place for a change.  We talked through the invites for my brother's wedding and shower. My older sister is making the invites and i was reminded of how creative she has been since a little girl when my mom pulled out some of her earlier school projects later in the evening.  Her writing and artwork were well advanced from the get-go.  Lets see, i also got some interior decorating advice on what color to paint our cabinets that are currently being built.  I used to take a crack at Mom when she would have 30 carpet samples spread out and having a tough time making a decision, but this is exactly what i have been going through with my paint samples the past three weeks. We landed on After the Rain and was then rewarded with a tasty steak dinner.  I  also got to drive a "nice car" for a change and drove my sister's NEW Mazda over to my brother's NEW house.  didn't get to see the inside yet but I know he and his wife-to-be will quickly call it a home. Oh, and i sooo want a new car!

Mostly, we took special time today to remember those who fought for our freedoms and have sacrificed their lives in the process. There have been countless brave men and women who should be commemorated, and my Uncle Donny is among them.  We paid a silent tribute to our heroes.

Thanks again mom and dad, for making our trip so nice.  Wish we could stay longer and already looking forward to more homemade Jelly, warmer pool water, a bbq at bro's new place, morning talks over coffee and more shopping on the next trip!

And hopefully a record-time drive in with our own NEW car.    

I hope you all had a wonderful long holiday weekend.

                

Dancing on the Stage of Memory

Sister
Fleeting visits pass
Still they satisfy
Reminder of the next
Overshadow goodbye
- the Nixons

It wasn't so long ago that i had a nice visit here in NYC from my sister

Of all the fun things we did,
singing an acoustic duet together
to Sister
was by far my favorite

Sister, I miss you.

Sister, Happy Birthday

 

It's finally done!

I was inspired by a light box. An old massive light box that i found at a stoop sale on 14th street.
See, originally i was looking for a lit sign for our apartment, but upon seeing this, i knew it could be something even more more original. I had a few ideas all centered around our flat name, Urban Disco - and knew the style and message i wanted to convey.

So i met with this beautiful artist, also known as my sister - and it just took off from there.


Artist at Work from Stephanie Hays on Vimeo.

Several iterations and one year later, we arrived at this very awesome, very telling, every original Urban Disco sign.

i then worked with a local printer to get it scaled to light box size and transferred on transparent paper. It was a very exciting process and what made it even more special is that the Artist was visiting when i went to approve the proof. So here we are, stayin' alive at the Urban Disco with this very large, bright and PERFECT sign of which we are still deciding on where to hang (thinking now the foyer versus the "create room"!).

And we couldn't be happier with it.

 

Little Muenster doesn't hold a candle to Little Mama

We treated ourselves to a "super luxury" Grilled Cheese sandwich Monday night….I know, I know, only in New York.


But I was missing family and home and had a little craving for some home cooking.  This led to a late night Stella ride to Little Muensters in LES.


On a scale from 1-10, about a 5.


My Asiago and Muenster with sage brown butter on peasant bread didn't hold a candle to my Mama's Velveeta delight with a touch of Love on white bread and a cup of tomato soup - and it certainly didn't satisfy my homesickness.


Miss you little Mama!

 

Little victories

Do you remember this little cutie? 

Little Cutie

Here she is in the early days

Well she turned 3 months old last week and I couldn't believe how much growing she did in that time, my oh my.  First and foremost she is growing into one sweet thing - holding up her head a little better, smiling - oh boy the smiles!, and just staring at everything in grand wonder, especially her mama.

Makes me think about he importance of other milestones we celebrate in life - which tend to be mostly the big ones, like birthdays (dad just had a biggie!), new jobs or promotions, finishing something you really wanted to do, moving into a new space or a new place, getting married….and all these things that really begin to shape us somehow and define who we are.

But what about all those little ones, they count too don't they?  

Grasping things for the first time, learning to transition quickly from a F to Dm to G chords on the guitar, holding a yoga pose without blocks, drinking 10 shots of espresso, finishing a hard workout, making Sunday dinner, or packing for a trip in less than 2 hours (still working on this one…)

Whatever they are, 

I was reminded last week when visiting little cutie

to celebrate the little victories a little more too

what little milestones are you proud of?