I love Aran Goyoga and Amy Atlas

Whew! We're back from our trip - D.C. was amazing with so many things to see and do. I'm exhausted and I haven't done anything but sit around for days in my home that I missed so much!!! Doing nothing is FABULOUS!

OKAY, so I stumbled upon two incredible women and had to share. Is it possible to be this amazing?! I honestly think it's superhuman. BUT I'VE NOW DISCOVERED MY DREAM JOB!!! You know how some of us non-academic people are like, "If I could go back to school, I'd do..." ?? You know what I'm talking about? Well I've FOUND my THING!! FOOD STYLING!! You get to set up and style gorgeous food, photograph it, and get paid for it! Could there be anything better???? {okay, a food-styler-picture-taker-taster would be even better} What a dream job, eh?!

Now....if there was only more of a demand for it...and if I had some serious training and lived in New York or L.A....and if I knew Martha Stewart personally...this just might work out for me.

Just look at the amazingness and beauty of it...HERE at Aran Goyoga Food Styling. Isn't it the most beautiful food you've ever seen?! HERE is her blog, too. She's my Idol.

The other Superhuman Creative Goddess is Amy Atlas. She plans events and sets up the most AMAZING table displays!!! HERE is her design site - {warning}: you might freak out from awesomeness - and develop a sudden craving for sugar. love her!!!

THEN I found yet another smattering of eye candy...I'm DYING here!!! Check out this cool event planning site - Lollipop Events and Design I've got eyeball cavities, if there is such a thing. Their blog here is full of all kinds of party ideas.

Some fun D.C. Stuff

Went to the Zoo - SO much fun - lots of walking. I took so many pictures, but I particularly love this one because this new mama gorilla was so sweet and beautiful. You can see her baby in her lap - and she's wondering why in the @*#$ she's being stared at. She was very good natured, however, unlike I would be - especially whilst in dire need of a good bra. I guess it's reassuring that even in the animal kingdom, gravity takes it's toll.

I also took the kiddies out on an Antique Shopping Adventure! With all kinds of the enthusiasm and excitement, I told them how much *FUN* it is to look at old crap, not touch anything EVER, not speak loudly, and not buy anything because it's so expensive! {whee!!!}




I'm in love with this lamp - it came in a pair and if only I had an extra $800, I could have walked home with them...












This chair, too - for whatever reason, I wanted to fall into this chair, curl up, and take a long nap. The fabric was delicious and it was SO inviting. I should have bought it, huh? DANG IT.



And then below - the GORGEOUS fruit brooches! Can you believe how adorable?! Read the price tag, though. $165 each. EEK. Guess I just have to admire them behind glass...

This is my kind of fun...

Any D.C. Girls Out There?!

We're going to the National Zoo tomorrow - anybody wanna come along?! And does anyone want to go have cheesecake with me at the Cheesecake Factory?! {! loud scream !} - My hubby could care less about it {weird-o} and I haven't felt like dragging all three kiddies by myself in there to indulge myself. Any indulgent takers?!

...um...no Crazies allowed, kay? I don't do well with crazy people who want to steal or eat my children. They're too creepy. Thanx!

A Little Something for ME!

Hey from D.C.! We're vacationing here in the nation's capital and though I'd much prefer a beach location or somewhere that someone ELSE cleans up after us and cooks our food, this will have to suffice since we have no other choice. My {adorable} hubby has to do some training here for the entire month and we came along because, well - we could and we wanted to. (don't worry, my darling Kristine is house-sitting for us...so all is well on the home front.)

So we're making the most of things, renting a house, and trying to survive in someone else's world. We've done a lot of sight-seeing already and although it's August here, the weather hasn't been that bad. I must say that groceries over here are expensive. How do people survive?! BUT...the best part is...the Cheesecake Factory is right down the road from me - in this really cool mall! {aaahhh!} So I think I can survive this ordeal.

So now I'm bored because...honestly...you can't go sight-seeing EVERY DAY and we've got a lot of time here. I had to go find a craft store and get myself some yarn. Exciting, huh? Yarn. However, it seems to be the only mess-and-machine-free outlet to my creative juices. I decided that since I'm hard at work gestating a human life, raising children, working on my vacation, and living away from home, there's no reason I can't make myself a little somethin', right?! I've always wanted to make myself my own crochet afghan but there is always something else to do, you know? So this is it - this one is for ME!

The colors are SO yummy - it's going to be adult-sized in stripes of berry, melon, and cream! You can't really see well in this photo, but I'll take better pics when it's done - a long time from now. (Honestly, the yarn selection here was pathetic and this is the best I could find...and I love it so it works for me!)

I hope you're all having a great summer! I'll post more pics of our fun time here when I get home to my own computer.