Happy Halloween

Today we reached another milestone with Willa's first Halloween. I've been planning her costume for a couple of months now, and it turned out even better than I had imagined it. She was a Matryoshka Doll, or Russian Nesting Doll. An odd choice? Well, I wanted something unique and quirky, sweet and girly, homemade and a little kitschy. The doll idea met all of those requirements and even upped the cuteness ante with it's necessary babushka and rosy pink cheeks. My brainchild was brought to fruition by two very crafty grandmas, Sandy (pattern design and sewing) and my mom (painting.) I was so smitten with the finished product, I am determined to make this homemade costume thing a Heep tradition. My head is already spinning with ideas for next year.

We made the rounds, starting off with Omie and Opie Kaiser's house...

Then to Oma Heep's...

Then Grandma Sandy's...

And finally, we ended up at Chris and Wanda's for a little gathering for the small folks...

Grammy Pat was there...doling out kisses...

Willa got friendly with a Texas Tech Red Raider...

Jordan, who was expected to welcome a baby boy today, wore a patient smile and a cow costume. And Ashley was a witch...

(Another) Ashley and Gage visited from Dallas...

And some very muscular superheroes (Luke, Mark, and Blake) kept us all safe...and entertained...

Market Trip - Spring '09

I spent last weekend in Dallas for market, along with my mom and Willa. Believe it or not, this was Willa's 5th market, (and she's only 10 months old.) She is likely forming some opinions on fashion, perhaps even her own impeccable sense of style. In fact, before I know it, she'll be helping me around the shop and weighing in on buying decisions, if not taking it over completely. She has certainly left an impression on all of our Dallas and L.A. market friends. Its kind of like traveling with a celebrity, everybody seems to know her and remember her from the last show. They want to hold her while I peruse the racks; they know her by name, even if they don't know mine. It made me a little sad to think that this will probably be her last market until she is quite a bit older, like a teen. She won't need to stay close for the sake of nourishment for very much longer, and she is quickly becoming too active to just hang out in my arms as I conduct business. But I sure have enjoyed her company on these past trips. And I am quite the proud mama, as you would expect.

So this was a market for Spring '09, which is kind of hard to get excited about, since we've hardly moved on from the warm weather months of '08. But that's just the way it goes, and if I don't get my orders in now, I will miss out on the season. This market was especially difficult because of the current economic uncertainty. I needed to be extra cautious of price points and more discriminating with the trends. (Cautious + Discriminating = Bo-ring) But I did okay. I thought I would pass along some of my favorites as a kind of preview for Spring. Here's what you need to know: Skinny jeans are still big, but the washes are getting softer, lighter, more distressed and broken-in. The Boyfriend Jean is probably the biggest new trend in denim. This one is low-slung, cut slightly fuller through the hips and thighs, and rolled at the hem. (Uh huh, like Katie Holmes has been wearing.) Bootcuts, flares, and trousers, are old news, but still good. I also spotted a new wide-leg with a shorter inseam, perfect for pairing with flip-flops and your new Boyfriend Tee, which is the other noteworthy trend from my trip. Like it's jean counterpart, this tee is also slightly oversized, but so thin and soft that it skims the body. Its all about looking like you just threw it on, but still look natural, effortless, and chic. (It worked for Katie.) V-necks and exaggerated pockets are an added bonus here. (By the way, I LOVE this look!) Skirts are finally back and will come in many forms, from high-waisted pencils, to knee-length circles, to a-line maxis. Dresses run the gamut from so-short-its-really-a-tunic minis to ultra-feminine, nipped-in frocks, to floor-length boho halters. Shorts are still a big deal and are either high-waisted, full and short, or cut-off denim. Tops (other than tees) are delicate and girly, lots of silks and chiffons, floral prints or pretty solids in the most gorgeous colors - canary, coral, aqua, periwinkle, and lilac, to name a few. Another look worth mentioning is a full, billowy, button-front tunic paired with cropped leggings and a pair of wedge sandals. Belts are still in. Big leather bags, still in. Delicate, organic-themed jewelry in mixed metals, still in. Chunky cocktail rings in wood or matte finishes with rough-cut semiprecious stones, still in. Simple ballet flats, brightly-hued thongs and metallic gladiator sandals, yes, yes, and yes.

Baby's First Picnic

Its finally beginning to feel like Fall around here. The weather has been just beautiful. I'm trying to take advantage of it while it lasts, so on Saturday, I treated Willa to her first picnic in the back yard. We dined on cold pasta and watermelon (and Willa sampled a little dirt.) As you can see, I let her get real good and filthy. My mom always says that the harder babies play, and the dirtier they get, the better they'll sleep at night. (After a bath, of course.) I wish I could say it worked like a charm. Nights are still a little challenging, but it was a great day!

A Glimpse of My Sunday

Make sure your volume is up before you play the video. Turns out, she's ticklish!

Baby Plans in the Making

I came across these photos of a nursery designed for a Cookie Magazine Exhibit. I do love the room, but I am obsessed with the hanging bassinet. It is vintage, of course, which means that I will have to figure out a way to recreate it. If all goes according to plan, I guess I have about a year and a half to work on that. However, having Jordan and Rebekah around, flaunting their adorable, expanding bellies, is truly testing my patience. I loved being pregnant. From the "good news" to the final push, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I am certain that there were some uncomfortable and unpleasant moments during those 40 weeks, but I can't really remember them. What I do recall are the instantaneous sense of responsibility and pride, and the nervous excitement of the upcoming, life-altering event, the subtle movements of the precious being forming within, and the sweet anticipation of meeting the newest love of my life. I look forward to going through it all over again, but with less fear of the unknown and more confidence in my motherly abilities. For now, I am living vicariously through my friends, Jordan, Rebekah, Sondra, Amy, Kelly, and Heidi, who are all currently with bun!

Mommy and Me (Guest Post by Willa B. with a little help from Daddy)

Me, Mommy & my Puppies

That's us at the beach. Aren't we cute?


Mommy sure is pretty.

Mommies are special. I was taught not to brag, but I think my Mommy is the best one. Just by looking at her blog, you already know that she is creative and talented but you don't know the half of it. Our days are filled with so much fun and excitement I do not know what's going to happen next. From the moment I wake up at 7:30 to when I finally hit the sack at 8:00, she is always there. She feeds me; takes me on walks; we play all the time; she even lets me take naps (but for some reason I don't think she thinks I sleep long enough.) Of course Daddy tries to help sometimes, but he is nowhere near as good as Mommy. She juggles her time running two businesses, our household, and still has time to take care of me (and Daddy of course.) I do not know where she gets the energy, but I sure do admire her. I want to be just like her when I grow up. I sure love Mommy.

One of the main reasons she started this blog was for me to have a recorded memory of my childhood. If you didn't already know, everything she writes/posts can be made into a book made especially for me. If you read my Mommy's blog, please, please, respond to the posts. That way I will have a personalized, "frozen in time" memento I will cherish forever.

Next time you see my Mommy, let her know how good a job she is doing raising me and tell her I love her (and Daddy too.) I gotta go, my puppies just walked in and they want me to pull on their ears. I'll see you guys later.

Willa-Wednesdays

There's this fabulous thing we do around here, called "Willa-Wednesdays." It's the one afternoon a week that Sandy, my mother-in-law, babysits. The benefits of Willa-Wednesdays are two-fold. First, Sandy gets plenty of quality one-on-one bonding time with her grandchild. She loves her to pieces, and it shows. Second, I get a regular and much needed solo (that means productive) afternoon for running errands, shopping for groceries, and tending to any necessary business at Root. It started, I believe, as a generous effort to provide me, the frazzled new mom, with some relief and assistance, as well as to delay our commitment to hired child care. But it has become so much more than that. Each week, Sandy comes straight over after work, and has lunch while we catch up on Willa's most recent developments and any family business (or gossip) that has occurred in the previous week. On many a Willa-Wednesday, I probe Sandy with baby-related questions, having complete confidence that she has experienced it herself, at least once between her 14 children and grandchildren. And in her pleasantly nonchalant way, she delivers the most reassuring advice. I so appreciate her easygoing way and like to think it is starting to rub off on me. Anyway, back to the advice...Sometimes, Sandy even offers a story to go along with it, which is always entertaining and helpful. I usually linger a while and watch the two of them interact. Sandy certainly has a way with her. And if anybody has ever had a doubt, she loves this grandbaby every bit as much as she does her previous 8. That's a lot of love. Impressive. Eventually, she encourages me (drags me kicking and screaming) out of the house and assures me that all is well on the Willa-front. And it always is. But I still have a hard time leaving the baby for even a few measly hours. There's just this insuppressible (and quite ridiculous) fear that I might miss something - a first step, a word, a great milestone. In fact, last Willa-Wednesday, I was so gloomy, in my Willa-less state, that the girls at the shop tried to send me back home. Eventually (gulp) I do plan to enroll her in some type of regular, non-family care which will boost her social development and independence, as well as ease our transition into (gulp) Kindergarten. But for now, I am content with our arrangement, and ever so grateful for our Willa-Wednesdays. And for Sandy, of course.

A Deck of My Dreams

Here is another one of my Polyvore compilations. These are objects of inspiration for my nearly-complete back deck. The fabric swatches represent some of the cushions I am having made for my outdoor furniture. (By the way, Reprodepot fabrics are looking great these days, and they still have really reasonable prices.) I LOVE this table from CB2, but these times call for fiscal responsibility, so I am going to have somebody copy it. (Actually, my dad offered to weld the base for me, so I'll just need to have a teak top made. Oh, and a couple of matching benches. You still in, Dad?) I may eventually splurge on the orange Air Chairs. I have wanted these for several years. Really, years. I remember the first time I set my eyes on them, I was browsing the Internet in my old office in the original store. Of course, now they come with arms, which proves that good things come to those who wait. Sean mentioned that he would like a smaller grill, and this one's a classic. The pretty decanter and glasses are another thing I think I could recreate with some thrift-store glassware, a ball of jute, a hot glue gun, and Sandy's crafting expertise. The deer is actually called a Bambisitter and it is intended to be a seat for a youngster. I know it's impractical and assume it's very uncomfortable, but it looks good with the rest of my picks. So if Sean wanted to try out his new workshop, he could certainly whittle it. Well, this was fun, and it is always helpful to have a plan before starting to decorate. And if ever I am tempted to settle for mediocre outdoor decor, I have this image to remind me of the things I am holding out for.

My Favorite Age

I have heard so many mothers say that every age is their favorite age. I finally get it. Willa has gotten so playful and interactive in the last couple of weeks. She's getting around and exploring, learning things and retaining them, making new sounds and showing all sorts of different emotions. I have a feeling I will be repeating this phrase over and over again throughout the course of raising Willa... but THIS is my favorite age.

The Teaser...Before the Big Reveal

I am loving our new addition and fresh paint job. After all those years of lackluster white on white, our home's exterior has finally gotten a personality boost. When we bought the house in 2002, we did a complete renovation. But by the time we got around to spiffing up the outside, my creativity had just about run out. I couldn't decide on a color scheme and was tired of buying sample quart after sample quart of the wrong ones. When the painters put up a coat of white primer, I decided that (safe) white would be "good enough." It might not have been right, but white can never really be wrong. However, after living with my drab selection and zero curb appeal for the past 5+ years, it was time to make a change, a color choice, one that would make a statement. The colors we chose do just that. They are inviting and cheerful, subtly modern, and (my favorite part) they perfectly teeter on the edge of Historic Review Board denial. The project is not quite complete, but I will post photos of its entirety soon. In the meantime, I have been sprucing up everywhere I can, endlessly cleaning and organizing, rearranging artwork, changing out pillowcases, donating, simplifying, purging clutter...In this new phase of infant domination, LESS (of everything else) is definitely MORE.

Where Money is No Object

Dressing Willa has proven to be endless fun. But it's almost better to play dress-up, and not have to spend a dime. Polyvore.com is quite possibly the best online invention ever - at least where fashion is concerned. It enables even the most technically-challenged shoppers (or lookers) like me, to pull individual items from all over the web and group them together for viewing. Here is a collection of some of my favorite pieces for the season. They are so Willa, don't you think? Stay tuned for more of my Polyvore creations.

Happy Birthday, Melissa!

I wish we were there (or you were here) so we could share the day with you. Hope it was a great one! We sure miss you.

The Hot Rod

For the past 8 years, my dad has been diligently working on rebuilding a 1932 Ford Coupe. It has been in a hundred pieces in his workshop for so long, I had forgotten what it was supposed to look like. But this past weekend, he took his prized hot rod for a test drive. It still needs a flashy paint job, but we're just so glad to see it back in one piece. And for Dad, so deservingly, to enjoy the fruit of his labor. Judging from the look on his face, the coupe seems to be running beautifully. A coat of paint and a toddler seat, and he'll be set!

Daddy's Fraulein

Last year, Sean went with Jeff Jeffers, Rudy Pesek, and Chris on a European vacation. During their time in Austria, Sean found an authentic German dirndl for his (yet-to-be-born) daughter. The plan was for her to wear it to her first Oktoberfest here at home. And the plan came to fruition last Saturday night. Sean, looking dapper in suede lederhosen and a felt hat, proudly paraded his little fraulein around Marktplatz. We ate sausage and sauerkraut (Sean, NOT me) for dinner, and I upheld tradition and treated my sweet tooth with a delicious deep-fried funnel cake. No Fredericksburg Fest would be complete without one. We kept Willa up well past her bedtime, but for good reason. There are too few opportunities for us to celebrate our awesome German heritage. So we soaked up as much as we could in the short time we were there. Then we took our sleepy girl back home, enjoying the oompahs over our 4 block walk. We had a great time. And Sean and Willa both looked so cute! I might even get a pretty dirndl for myself next year. But don't hold your breath.

Little Big Girl

We went out to Crabapple Church this evening for a delicious picnic and photo shoot for Rebecca Rather's new cookbook. I don't know if we were actually in any shots for the book, but we made use of the scenic backdrop and took some pictures of our own:

It's hard to believe how the time has blown by. Willa is now 9 months old. As my friend (and doula,) Vanya, said, "That's a milestone - she's been out as long as she was inside your tummy!"

Her personality is really starting to come through. Willa is friendly and outgoing, and not at all shy like I had predicted. She is extremely alert and inquisitive - a real thinker. And always on the move. I have been noticing lately, that she doesn't cuddle with me as much as I would like. I think she's just too busy. But she makes up for it in smiles. She looks right at me with her big, bright, olive-colored eyes and flashes me a gummy grin...and everything else melts away. She loves to play peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake, and wave to her friends (and to strangers.) She crawls from room to room in a flash, and pulls herself up to stand with ease. Up and down, up and down. Sean and I still wait, intently, to hear her first "da-da" and "ma-ma." But we delight in every "ba-ba-ba." Willa loves to experiment with her own pitch and volume. Like I said, she's not shy.

Over the last couple of months, we have made great strides in the sleep department. After a nighttime routine of nursing, dinner, a bath, and some rocking, my little big girl goes to sleep in her crib at 8:00. Like clockwork, she stirs and fusses at around 11:30, but usually goes back to sleep on her own. At about 3:30, she wakes for a feeding, then goes right back to sleep until morning, at 7:30. Some might wonder why I haven't worked harder to drop the middle-of-the-night feeding. Well, I'm holding onto it a little bit longer because it is such a precious and peaceful few minutes of cuddle time.

My sweet little miracle is growing up too fast. As they say, I'm going to have to put a brick on her head!

A Letter to the Editor

My uncle, Jimmy, wrote a letter which was published in the local paper last week. I was impressed by the thoughtfulness and sincerity of his gesture, and never want to forget it. How better to remember, than to blog it!