Peck Life

Recent Randomness

Life has been a jumble of events and activities lately. Most notably, we’ve had some highly irritating computer issues and I’m surprised I’m actually writing this post…at 11:15 p.m. on a Sunday night. Must….blog….

Here is a little peek into life lately:

Sky got a new wheelbarrow and he loves it. We’ve had a few summer-like days around here so it’s been a good distraction in the yard and something he can manage on his own without our help {unlike the full sized wheelbarrow he pushed previously…}.

The perfect $5 toy: a bag of fuzz balls from the craft store and some tongs. I read somewhere that tools like tongs help strengthen hand coordination and aid in writing. Sky’s hand coordination is pretty good already but it’s been fun to see how bad he was at the tongs when we started….and how good he is now.

{Afternoon sun playing}

{A new train table thanks to our friends who scored a super deal}

This is the face Sky makes when he has a bag of chips and you even contemplate going near him. Back away from the chips and no one gets hurt! These are actually veggie chips from Costco, which he LOVES.

{First BBQ of the season!}

{My new favorite summer seasonal brew}

{Best buds – from left to right: Gage, Aiden, Sky, Cody, and Payton - go Sounders!}

On Saturday, we got together with our close group of friends {and all our kids} to celebrate a housewarming for our friends, Rachel and Adam. Sky has finally come out of his shell at parties and gatherings so the picture above is seriously a GEM. Five happy boys….all smiling?! They played so well together and Sky was doing such a great job at sharing his toys and learning how to play with others. Maybe my kid won’t always be a shy whiny boy after all!

Sunday was the best day ever and the one I have absolutely no pictures for because I forgot my camera. The kids stayed at home and us girls went to brunch and the spa for pedicures. HEAVEN. I love girl time.

I’m sorry this post is so random, that’s just how things have been lately. A picture here, a picture there. It doesn’t look like we’ll be slowing down anytime soon. In the coming weeks, we’ve got birthday parties galore, bloggers for babies, mother’s day….oh my! Happy Monday everyone!

Backyard Summer Wish List

 

Summer is upon us my friends! I anticipate many weekend days at home, lounging in the yard….soakin’ up some sun and working in the garden. Josh usually works on weekends so a lot of the time, it’s just me and Sky and when we are too lazy to go anywhere, I need to come up with stuff to keep us entertained. I think croquet, popsicles, and chalk just might fill up the entire day! Wanna come over?

{from left to right, top to bottom: sidewalk chalk, salties for me, sun tea pitcher, popsicle molds, croquet for Sky, striped beach hat}

Sweet Finds: Lovely Lady Music

I know I don’t typically talk about music here on the blog {other than my undying love for Hanson} but today, I wanted to share two of my favorite artists who are currently in heavy rotation on my iPod. I love talented real musicians who have a passion for playing, singing, and writing their own music and these two are no exception.

Let’s say hello: 

Meiko: Josh and I have been long-time fans of Meiko. We’ve seen her live a few times and my mind was officially blown when she toured with Hanson this past fall. A paring made in heaven! She has the most amazing, calming voice….all her songs are wonderful…and she’s fun to be around on Facebook and Twitter. Plus, we are the exact same age (10 days apart) so sometimes I feel like we are on the same wavelength. Do you ever sense when people are the same zodiac sign as you?! I feel like I always gravitate toward my fellow aquarians even before I know their birthday. I digress… Meiko’s newest album will be released on May 15 so make sure to check it out! I have the EP with some of the songs on it and they are all my favorite!

Rachel Goodrich: Rachel is a newer discovery for us after we stumbled upon this video – the winner in her year long contest to come up with the best user generated video for her song “lightbulb” {warning: the video is a little risqué}. Sky loves listening to her music so it’s on a lot. Her latest album is full of up-beat songs that are just perfect for our long commute. Her style is so unique. In most reviews, it’s been coined “shake-a-billy”; which is defined as “an eclectic blend of vaudeville-inspired indie-pop, swing-jazz, and country-folk”. That’s a lot of styles and I LIKE IT!

I’d love to know what you think, if you are already a fan, or if you’ve discovered any new music lately. My ears are wide open!

{Disclaimer – I give my husband full credit for introducing me to BOTH of these artists}

Love My Boys…

There really isn’t anything that stops my heart more than watching these two be adorable. I'm feeling lucky and thankful today. Josh is the best dad and our little boy is thriving - everything we had hoped for and more.

Craft Project: Fabric Covered Thumbtacks

Last weekend I had plans to attend a crafting afternoon with some local blog friends but sadly, had to cancel at the last minute due to an unexpected trip to Utah. Through my travels of trying to find a fun “group” craft, I came across this tutorial from how about orange {one of my favorite blogs}, and since I had already purchased all of the supplies, I was anxious to try these out. I’ve been doing a little “here and there” over the past few days. This is a project that can be started and stopped easily and quickly – perfect for those constantly interrupted by their kiddo. For full details, Jessica’s tutorial linked above is the best source {why mess with a good thing?} but I’m happy to answer any questions. The button supplies were found at Pacific Fabrics and the fabric is a mix of vintage scraps from Etsy and random fat quarters from the craft store. Now to complete a full dozen and pair with a framed cork board {Mother’s Day gift idea?}. Happy Crafting!

Friday Favorites

1. I’ll be at Target on May 20.

2. I want to live here forever.

3. These origami swans are amazing {found via ebabee likes}.

4. Get in my mouth now.

5. I really really love these {found via creature comforts}

6. Pinterest watch 24/7.

7. New Caspar Babypants album is out! Make sure to check out the rest and also his talented wife.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend! xo!

April Garden

{This is Magnolia x loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ – it’s my favorite Magnolia of all time}

{This is an Osmanthus. I love this plant because it’s evergreen, blooms early, the flowers smell HEAVENLY, and if you want to get crazy, you can plant and entire row and shear them into hedges}

{My big helper planting seeds…}

{One day so far this month, I was able to get 1/4 of the yard fully weeded and re-barked. Only 3/4 more to go!}

FINALLY, we have reached a turning point. More than any other month so far this year, the garden is truly alive. Things are growing, the sun is shining just a little bit longer, bugs and birds are out, pollen is a flurry, and we mowed the grass for the first time! Sky helped me plant a few flower seeds and instead of neatly distributing the seeds, entire packets were dumped in the same seed pot. I suppose that’s gardening with a 2 year old. It’s been so nice to be outside, pulling weeds and smelling fresh air, even if it’s only for a few minutes longer than last month. Come on summer….I’m ready!

{Today I am linking up with Spring Pickin’s over at Dearest Nature. Be sure to head over and read all about other fun “nature” related posts for the month of April – it’s virtual vitamin D!}

Bangs

A few weeks ago, after wavering back and fourth for a very long time and being so inspired by this and this, I finally took the plunge and got bangs – something I haven’t had in over 10 years. It was one of those things I needed to get out of my system…knowing I would continue to regret not doing it if I didn’t do it. The grow out will one day be very painful, I know. But, I’m so happy I did it. I feel much more like “myself” now. Weird how a haircut can do that!

{Yes, I take pictures in our laundry room. The lighting is good!}

{This picture is funny, I feel like it doesn’t really look like me}

{The problem with wind…}

Pin it....pin it good.

Did anyone get my Salt n’ Peppa reference? I hope so.

It’s no secret Pinterest might just be my favorite web “invention” EVER. So, imagine my excitement when I realized that last Friday, I was featured on the HUFFINGTON POST’S {I KNOW!!!!} Stylelist as one of the five “pinners of the week”. To be totally fair and honest, I did submit my link for consideration but didn’t think it would actually get picked! What a wonderful surprise!

Speaking of Pinterest, has everyone heard of Pinerly? It’s the latest and one of the first “pinalytics” tools developed to track repins, response, and click-through rates on your pins. I applied to “join” yesterday {waiting list….waiting list} but was happy to receive an acceptance only a few hours later.

It seems pretty cool but the three things that are throwing me off at the moment are:

• I can’t use the “pin it” bookmarklet button within my browser. I have to the copy the URL and paste it into Pinerly, give it a description, add the URL again, and THEN post it to Pinterest. Everything has to flow through the site in order to be tracked, making it seem a bit manual.
• All pins created via Pinerly list “Pinerly” as the source. Of course, when you click on the image, it will take you to the true URL but on the surface, it looks a bit deceiving and I’m wondering if it might throw off the references within Pinterest, like when you see the list of “other pins from X site…”. Yet another good reason to always credit sources with names/links in the description of the pin.
• There doesn’t seem to be an easy way to re-pin something and get stats on it unless you go to the original source, grab the URL, and create it yourself via Pinerly. Then, it just seems like a lot of single, duplicative posts on Pinterest? Maybe the point is to keep it limited to original content…?

You can read a couple of reviews on this service here and here. Overall, it seems like a neat concept and I’m all for getting more insights into our pins. BUT, it still needs a bit of work. The integration with the existing Pinterest framework should be seamless. They are still working on a lot of things so I’m sure it will improve as it ages – just like Pinterest has done. If you are using it, I’d love to know what you think!

PS – I promised myself that when I hit 100 Facebook and Twitter followers, I would put together a fun giveaway of some of my favorite goodies. We are almost there!

A Utah kind of weekend

We are home from our whirlwind trip to Salt Lake! My brain and body are tired so I’ll keep it short and sweet. First of all? Sky was a trooper on the airplane; he LOVED IT! We came armed with cartoons on the iPod, lots of snacks, a few new toys, and of course, his binky and blankie. He never freaked out and seemed pretty happy to hear the plane rumble rumble. It was such a huge relief. He also loved carrying his Toy Story suitcase and going up and down escalators….a lot. Such a little man he is turning into!

Our rental car turned out to be a black 2012 Chevy Tahoe which we guiltily fell in love with. Too bad it’s a huge gas guzzler or I’d go buy one tomorrow. The funeral was beautiful, and sad…BUT, it was so wonderful to have our entire family together to visit. Our family is so awesome– we like to eat, and drink, and hang out. I never gain weight and I’m pretty sure I might be five pounds heaver than before I left. Pancakes? Enchiladas? Sushi and Chinese food? 2 margaritas? Chicken Salad Sandwiches? Wine? Lemon bars? Mint Brownies? Crepes? SURE!!!!!

The rest of the trip was spent visiting, exploring a nearby park with Sky, more eating, and visiting the new City Creek Center in downtown Salt Lake that just opened. All in all, a quick trip…but a good trip.

{The entire immediate family, minus Sky (who was napping), my brother, 2 more cousins, and one aunt – photo courtesy of my cousin, Erica}

{First trip to the airport!}

{My uncle Joel, cousin Britney….Jade….and sometimeinthefuture-to-be cousin in-law Dennis}

{We had mostly cold weather, a little rain, and some hail….but, there were sunbreaks too!}

{Sky’s favorite activity, driving}

{We found a nearby park that was AWESOME – it was the perfect “size” for Sky and there was no one there!}

{Me and my grandma}

{Linking up with Amy at a good life blog, and Jeannett at life rearranged}

Thank you to everyone who made such sweet comments here and on Facebook about my Grandpa’s passing. It really means a lot. <3