Sometimes I forget to just enjoy the day. I’m always thinking about all the things I need to get done… when I need to get it done by… but not today. It’s not too often you get a 65 degree November day in Oregon. * Close that computer * Put on some “real” clothes * Brush my hair * Sit and slow down *

Ruari spent the afternoon inspecting her toes and shooting stink eyes to our table neighbors. I entertained myself with taking too many photos and sipping my iced green tea. This gave my mind time to wander….

Then, I found one of Ruari’s favorite toys to chew on. It was hidden in the bottom of her stroller. I don’t know for how long. So, of course, Ruari needed to have a little conversation with this monkey. She hadn’t seen him in SO long.

Babbling and chewing, they were the best of friends again! Well, until she was tired of sitting in one spot for too long.

I kept trying to get a lovely, flattering, nice photo of Ruari and I. It just wasn’t happening today. So, I took a photo of my foot in my old dirty shoe and a sliver of my face below.

Then I received an email from BlogHer this morning… Own Your Beauty Flickr group. Ok fine. I’ll own my own beauty, but not when the angle looks all wonky and I have 5 chins. Will you own your beauty with BlogHer?

Day 16: Someone or something you definitely could live without.
I keep trying to think of something I could live without, but I can’t. I love my baby, my hubby, my electronics ;D….. I could live without angry people. Anyone that brings you down whenever you’re around them. That’s sad. Anyone that’s so angry and hates life. I could live without that.

I’m going blog hopping today: Mama to 4 Blessings, My life as a New Mom, Toddler Awesome, Design it Chic, Thanks Mail Carrier, and The Life of a Sippy Cup Mom.

-Chelsey

This is the coolest photo of my Grammy, back when she lived in Alaska. She’s 19 here, which means this was taken in 1949 (Shhhhh… don’t tell her I told you that). My grandma and her friend Lois are wearing fur coats, I believe she said it was mink? (sorry). BUT, I can tell you she does not wear fur anymore (except when her cat lays in her lap).

Such a neat photo.

{Lois and Grammy 1948}

Who are you?

What is your name and age? Mandy, 29 (for the first of many times).
Where are you located? Western Washington state.
Where can we find you (on the web): www.harpershappenings.com and www.kidletblog.com!
What is the name and age of your child? Harper, 2 (on Halloween).

Why did you start a blog? I started blogging to keep the family up to date on Harper. But now it’s so much more and very…therapeutic.
Any blogging tips to share? Blog for you. Not for anyone else.
What do you think of Vlogging? Vlogging is cool, but I fail at it. The one time I tried, this happened. So I leave the vlogging to Harper now (see below).

Any advice for a new mom? Don’t be so hard on yourself.

Would you like to have another baby sometime in the future? Yes! But not for a while.

Is there anything you could live your whole life not having to deal with? Oh, lots of things. Judgey moms, people who aren’t aware of where their blinkers are located, people who stand to close to you in lines (if I can feel you breathing, you need to back up. Now.). I could make a list, but seriously, we’d be here all day.

Any hobbies that you just LOVE and want to share? Well, I’m obsessed with thrifting, but most of my readers know that. But seriously, I wish I could make it my job. My day dream is to own a tiny shop full of things I’ve found at Goodwill. I love picking through all the junk to find the special pieces, it’s like drugs. No really, I have a problem.

List a couple things on your mommy wish list…This will sound ridiculous (maybe), but someday I want to have a fancy washer and dryer. With a real laundry room to put them in. We have a small stackable pair right now and omg, I would just kill for a shiny pair that is so huge it can wash and dry 67 towels at a time or whatever. I suppose this is more of a “family” wish, but I do a lot of laundry, so I dream of it.

Can we get a couple links to a few of your FAVORITE blog posts you’ve done?
When a bug tried to kill me: http://www.harpershappenings.com/2010/07/08/in-which-i-almost-died/, My road rage problem: http://www.harpershappenings.com/2010/06/30/issues-i-haz-them/,
My insomnia: http://www.harpershappenings.com/2010/10/08/is-this-what-greenday-was-talking-about/,
and my breastfeeding/formula post: http://www.harpershappenings.com/2010/04/05/lets-just-feed-them-shall-we/

Is there anything you don’t like to write about? I don’t usually get too personal – I mean sure I’m writing about my family and myself and what is going on in our lives, but I don’t touch too much on really personal issues. There are times when I wish I could pour my heart out, but I really don’t think my blog is the place for it, nor do I think my readers would want to hear about it. Of course if something were to come along in my life that I wanted to share, I would because I know my readers are the best (hi friends!) and would be supportive.

If you could move any where in the world, where would you go? If I were to move somewhere, it would probably be NYC. I went this past summer and completely fell in love. I wish I had lived there before I got married and had a baby, just for fun, but I would still totally consider moving there if it weren’t SO expensive! I can’t imagine how much it would cost our family just to live there.

If you could choose a career in anything, what would it be? Something with animals, for sure.

Do you plan to return to work? When? In what career? Maybe someday. But I’m going to stay a SAHM for as long as we can make it work (for the record, it’s not always easy!).

What’s your favorite color? Yellow.

Is there something you are afraid of? Just about everything. No, seriously.

I am curious when her and Scot plan on having baby number two? Could you imagine? Two baby Harper’s!? Ha. Probably in the next year or two, but definitely not anytime soon. Next year is my 30th birthday, BlogHer ’11 and we are going to Mexico for our 5 year anniversary – none of which I want to be pregnant for. So next fall at the EARLIEST. Even then – who knows? We are having a blast with Harper right now.

What kind of camera do you have? Olympus Pen. It completely and totally rocks my face off.

Any particular tricks on picnik? I don’t love Picnik as much as I used to. I use Lightroom 3 and basically want to marry it.

What tips do you have for a beginning photgrapher? Especially one like me, who only has a basic, point-n-shoot, digital camera. My advice would be to never take advice from moi. I’m like, below a beginning photographer. I really just take pictures for hobby and I have no idea what I’m doing.

What kind of activities does Mandy plan for Harper on a regular basis? Or is playtime not structured? We have our daily schedule, but nothing is set in stone. We love to color, play kitchen and she is starting to help me make lunch and stuff. We go to the local parks as she is getting more and more into playing on the toys, and we have a few friends with kiddos we get together with for playdates.

Where does Mandy shop for Harper’s clothes? They are always adorable! Remember my love for thrifting? Yeah. There is a local consignment shop that I get the majority of her clothes at. And Target is a big one, too. I love clothes but hate spending a lot of money. Consignment is great because they grow out of things so quickly, and many times the clothes have never been worn!

Where do you get the gorgeous hair clips for Harper? (the round-ish ones, I think she’s wearing one in the little film from the fair. “a moo! a moo!” too cute!) That one in particular is from my friend Emily’s Etsy shop, Uff Da Designs! link – http://www.etsy.com/shop/uffdadesigns) Sometimes I make hairclips for Harper when I’m bored, so many others you see are probably ones that I made when I was drinking wine, after the kiddo was in bed.

Do you have a censored curse word you like to use? The F word is my favorite. I never use it around Harper (obviously), but it’s good for all occasions, isn’t it?
Where is your favorite place in your home to get away from it all? It’s more like a time. After Harper has gone to bed, I like to just sit on the couch and do whatever I want. Blog, watch reality television, drink tea, craft, whatever. It’s so relaxing and quiet.
What is your favorite parent related word? Mommy is the best thing I think I’ve ever heard.
What is you least favorite parent related word? Potty kinda bugs. But I’d better get used to it.

-Chelsey

No ponytail for me today! Yay! Are you proud of me? Yeah, me too.

{Ruari 10.5 months}

Three on Thursday: Sharing some sponsor love.

1) Pink Lemonade:

{Pink Lemonade}

{Pink Lemonade}

2) Heart Escapes:

{Heart Escapes}

{Heart Escapes}

3) Yours Truly Dear: Baby

{Yours Truly Dear: Baby}

{Yours Truly Dear: Baby}

And, how about one more!

4) Simplicity Photography Classes

Here you can find the perfect photography classes!

AND, I know I’m probably like a broken record now, but could ya give me a vote? Thanks!

It’s time for the 2010 Holiday Card Challenge! Yay! I can’t even tell you how excited I am for this! Ok, I’ll tell you: I’m VERY excited! I get on average about 80 people a week entering my photo challenges. All of you are SO talented and creative, I know I can expect to see some wonderful creations from this challenge!

Before I get into all the details and rules… I want to share some inspiration with all of you!

For the card below I just used the Paint program that comes with every PC! So simple.This was before I knew how to do too much in Photoshop.

{Our card from 2007}

{Our card from 2008}

{Our card from 2009}

And, our card for this year:

{This year’s card!}

You don’t have to be a photography pro, or a photoshop pro to create your own sweet Holiday Card. Get creative! My first personalized card I sent out (in 2004) was of my cat, Princess, and I. I put a Santa hat on her head and snapped a photo. I printed the pictures out on my own printer (in black and white) and colored in her hat with a red marker (I was a very poor college student :D). I even made gift tags out of that photo.

More inspiration:

{Have a Fairy Merry Christmas}

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

{via}

I’d also encourage you all to check out this website: Ho Hum Cards. Karen, of Ho Hum Cards, has a book: Merry Christmas From… (on Amazon). I found this book in 2008 at a local bookstore… I had no idea there were other crazy creative people out there, like me, that weren’t satisfied with the generic store bought Christmas cards (not to say that I don’t love them, cause I do).

{Merry Christmas From… on Amazon}

I love making my own cards. It’s so much more fun than just buying them from a store. Hopefully the recipients enjoy them more too. 😀

So, onto the details…

Rules:

• The card must include a photo (it does not have to be taken by you, but you need to have permission to use it). It can be edited to your hearts desire… but, there MUST be a photo.
• BUT, the photo does not have to be a card. You can just enter a holiday photo if you’d like.
• You need to be the creator! I’m sorry: you can’t have someone else create it for you. Your design.
• This card can be digitally made, or handcrafted. Whichever. Don’t forget to include a photo in your creation!
• A blog post (with a photo of your holiday card) will need to be linked to the linky when it’s up to be entered into the challenge.
• One entry per person.
• PG please. 
• I do have the right to delete or disqualify any entrant if I feel it doesn’t follow the rules.
• Again, don’t forget it must have a photo!
• You can link up your photo through December 3rd, 2010 11:59 PM Pacific Time. 
• Top 20 winners will be chosen by a panel of judges, and then voted on by all of you.
• All blog post entries should link back to this Holiday Card post. You can grab a button below. Thanks! 

We (Ruari and I) have some prizes to share with you too! I’ll go into more details about what the top 3 winners will get, but for now I’ll just let you know the sponsors we have as of today:

SeamsMod
Pink Lemonade
Navy Blue Notes
Eclectic Whatnot
Circles Are Forever
Pear Tree Greetings
Big Heart Baby
Mama with Love

If you’d like your Etsy shop or business to be featured on my blog through December, drop me an email! I’d love to have you! (By the way, if you want to donate a prize AND still enter, go ahead!).

Ok, that’s it! I’ll have a wee bit more for you later in the week. I just wanted to get this up and running so all of you can get started! Yay! I can’t wait to see what you all create!

If you think this holiday card challenge is awesome, could you vote for me? I’d love it.

*Is anyone else having blogger issues? I always schedule my posts to post early mornings, but it hasn’t been working. AND, now my blog is looking all weird. Does it look weird to you guys?*

{47/365}

{I Heart Faces and Simplicity Photo Challenge photo: This is Fall in the Northwest.}

{ABC Challenge: Hat}

{Scavenger Hunt item: Something Vintage (the costume is last years vintage ;D)}

We did an early trick or treat here in our town. Our little neighborhood has a Halloween event where all the businesses hand out candy. Ruari was only mildly impressed. ;D

The thing is, it’s getting HUGE. It’s pretty obvious that more than just our neighborhood is participating now. Which is fine, except…. there aren’t that many stores and you have to wait in a LONG line for the treats. I don’t know what they’ll do next year. They are probably going to need to close down the street. Clear up some of that sidewalk space.

{Scavenger Hunt item: My town}

{Such a cute costume.}

{Some witchy’s}

{Scavenger Hunt item: Tilt Shift}

The only time we got a smile from Ruari: when she realized we had Angus (our dog) with us!

{Shutter Love Tuesday and Scavenger Hunt item: Dress up}

By the way, I picked up the cake mix for Ruari’s rainbow cake. I know, I know… It’s a little early! But, really: the box would probably sit on the shelf just as long as I will be holding onto it. 😀 Great price. I got two boxes for $6.

{Scavenger Hunt item: Chocolate}

Day 13: A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days.

Hmmm…. I can’t think of a specific band… But, lately I’m loving a lot of Band of Horses and Fleet Foxes.

OH, and one more thing: My Pick for Monday:

My new diaper/camera bag from Barely Measured! I can’t wait to receive it! Here’s a little sneak peak below. Yay! If you want to see more photos of the bag, you can see them on her blog here.

OR, you can get your own custom bag made by clicking the button below!

If you have a teeny bit of time, I’d REALLY love a couple votes. Thank you all SO much! Oh, and I should have the Holiday Card contest up in a day or two! I’m excited!