Fleurs!

We Like Flowers is getting stoked for Fall wedding season!! I'm going to do the bouquets and bouts for the wedding of dear friends of ours in September in the Bay Area, and then WLF is doing the whole wedding for more amazing friends in October! These are choice projects too. Super stylish couples, easy going, and lots of fun. I'm fist-pumping pumped.

So flowers are on my mind and I'm geeking out with preparations. I've made lots of notes and checklists, and even sewed this work apron to hold my scissors, clippers, and doo dads when arranging:

I also beefed up my tool kit, using some of the suggestion from this amazing book:

They had good suggestions on supplies and some really good tips, like burning the cut stems to seal in nutrients (especially works well with poppies) and dipping the cut stems of hydrangeas in alum powder to prevent them from wilting. The wedding we're doing in October is very hydrangea heavy so this will definitely come in handy!

Jamie!! Likey?? Succulents and billy balls! I love the grass and yarrow additions too, and the ribbon bow is pretty dang cute.

This was my favorite arrangement in the book. I love everything about it. The vessel, the flowers, the random heights, that Victoria... perfection. 

And one last floral excitement for now: Vintage seed packet forever stamps from USPS! Kind of my dream stamps. I bought 3 books, and if you ever receive a letter from us in the mail with one of these on it, know that you are VERY special to me.

Big girl!

34 inches!!! The height predictors (which are supposed to be pretty darn accurate at this age) are saying Elsa will be a 5'6" adult. She'll have two inches on me but I'll just wear heels to assert my maternal dominance.

A Reader Request

I often get blog post requests from my readers, just kidding I never do, so when one of my favorite blog enthusiasts- Brooke- sent me this sweet request/threat, I got right to work.

I'm not sure what kind of PC laptop (::shudder::) Nacoocheecoocheecoo is going to give you Brooke, but hopefully it's not a 15 lb monster that won't fit in any of these. If it is, these bags are cheap enough that with the money you're saving you can go out and buy yourself an awesome Apple, the way God intended us to compute. 

First up, the Apricot You Smiling Backpack. Totally a name that Ruben and Seth would appreciate and make Max fist shake at. You didn't specifically say that you were against backpacks Brooke, so I snuck this one in because it's crazy cute. And it has padded straps which is just so plush. Herschel Supply Co. makes great bags so I trust the quality even though it's $50 at ModCloth.

While you're at ModCloth, take a gander at this handsome fella. Look What the Cat Bagged In tote (I wonder if Ruben could get a part-time pun job here??). It's not my favorite shape for a laptop bag when riding a bike (lengthwise makes for an awkward carry because it would hit the seat or worse, the wheel) but come on. It's adorable. And only $40 and has a zipper closure. Hey kitty.

A kitty bag might be a little juvenile for a fancy pants Director of English Immersion, so this Camp Director Tote might be serious enough to make you presentable to the other faculty and impressionable young minds. Totally lame that they don't have a picture of the "silky, patterned lining of violet and lime" (!!) because that kind of sounds like the best part about this bag. It's business on the outside and party on the inside! $55 at ModCloth. Being serious costs extra. 

This next one is from Etsy, and is pretty functional, yet customizable which I appreciate (you can pay $2 extra and get a waterproof lining on the bag). They have a range of colors, this purple being my favorite, it has a ton of pockets (and a water bottle pocket on the side, very handy for those bike rides across campus in crazy humid Georgia weather to see your boyfriend), and it's on sale for $45 (plus $15 shipping from Thailand... boooo...). Another drawback- it's made to order so unless those Thai adults (wishful thinking?) are sewing fast, it might take awhile to get to you. 

Another Etsy bag I found is from RingoPie which is kind of similar to the one above. $42 with $15 shipping from Malaysia, but it's available now, and I'm digging the gray. Good pockets, but it might be a little big for riding with on a bike. Same with the one above actually. Still, I feel like I should present you with size options since you're a teacher and all teachers carry a ton of stuff. Fact. 

Oh my gosh! How did this $200 Orla Kiely bag get posted here?? That must have been an accident because that's pricey. But oh what a fortuitous accident, because this bag is AWESOME. Serious enough for a DoLI, yet fun and whimsical to tell all of Rabun Gap "I don't take myself too seriously, and I'm fun to be around." It's matte laminate for those wet Georgia days, has a padded laptop pocket inside to keep the technology safe, patch pockets, a key chain, a detachable cross-body strap, and it sort of goes with all outfits. Hey Perfect Bag, it's so nice to meet you. Buy this one Brooke.

THAT GREEN IS MY FAVORITE COLOR!!!! Okay, it's another pricey Orla Kiely bag, but it's GREEN! And this Sweetpea Print Handbag is on sale for $84 so it's not ridiculous. This one is kind of small though, so unless you're getting a mini laptop or tablet, I don't think it'll work out so well. AS A LAPTOP WORK BAG! I didn't say anything about it not being the perfect "All other times when not at work" bag. Buy this one too Brooke.

Sooooo? I did good, right?? Please post the bag you finally end up with using 6 words to tell us why it is amazing. Love you!

Elsie's birthday weekend

Elsa's grandparents love her SO much that they even came down south for her birthday! Jeff's sister Jen came too, and Jan came over so it was a good old family affair. Elsa was beyond excited to have all these people that were super interested in what she was doing and saying, hanging out with her all weekend. Elsa wasn't the only one psyched about the visit- Thor knows a sucker when he sees one, and he was on my mom's lap roughly 67% of the weekend.

A whole lot of lounging and baby hair sniffing went on too. In between lounging though, I have to admit the parents rolled up their sleeves and totally helped clean the house, fold laundry, do the dishes, and take care of the front and back yards. My mom even mopped the house about 10 minutes before leaving for the airport so I came home from work to shiny clean floors. Thanks Esmeralda!

Some of you loyal blog readers may remember this post about a certain play kitchen for Miss Elsa. Well, Nonnie came through and a few days before her birthday it arrived! I previously posted about wanting the white version of the KidKraft kitchen play set, but when it came time to order it, the white one jumped up about $50 in price! Whatevs. So we went with red and I'm SO happy we did. I'm normally not such a red fan, but it's super glossy and awesome and hides her hand guck smudges and it's sassy as all get out. And still gender-neutral unlike their pastel pink kitchen which Henry and the Rasmussen boys would probably shun. Maybe.

It took Jan and I three hours to assemble. Seriously. And we were on our game! We're good at stuff like this! I love IKEA and Jan is totally OCD too with these kinds of kits. He spent his childhood building models and RC cars so he kind of knows how to put stuff together. We had a system set up where I was in charge of hardware and instructions while Jan assembled and figured out hinges and we made very few mistakes, and it STILL took us three hours. Not to brag, but non-Trondsen kids would probably take like 5 hours to put it together. Jeff took fantastic pictures of our progress. I'm being sarcastic, they are terrible pictures and he shouldn't be allowed to document anything anymore. Ever. Karen has totally spoiled me.

Uncle Jan was a little beat and sweaty after the ordeal.

And here she was birthday morning! She was instantly into it. Definitely a recommended toy for a two-year-old.

She LOVES it. She says "I COOK! I COOK!" as she clangs her kitchen utensils on the pots and pans set that Grammie got her. It even has a little phone attached to the fridge cabinet which she uses to call her friends to chat while she makes her soup. It's kind of the cutest thing ever.

Mandy made her this adorable little matching apron which is just too much cuteness that she can't wear it all the time or I'll fall over and die. Speaking of cuteness-overload...

Holy crap!! This was the gift from Jodi and Ryan (no offense Ryan, but Jodi is totally getting all credit for this even though your name was on the card) and it was a mini shopping cart filled with felt food that came in PERSONLIZED "Miss Elsa Gourmet Grocer" muslin bags!!!!! I die. LOOK AT THE SHRIMP!! She wheels the cart everywhere in the house now taking all her dollies grocery shopping while wearing amazing outfits from Auntie Lynne and rad mint green lace up Vans from Heather and Andrew. Super stylish.

She got so many other amazing gifts (even though I swear I wrote NO GIFTS PLEASE on her birthday party invite) that I'm sure will be popping up on this blog quite a bit for the next year or more...

But one of the best gifts of all was time spent with Nonnie, Marmie, Grampa, Auntie Jen and Uncle Jan. She is one adored child.

Elsie's birthday party!

What was supposed to be a little family and close friends get together for Elsa's 2nd birthday party, morphed into a 33-adults-and-6-kids rager. It got a little out of control towards the end when 3 hours post-party end time according to the invite, the neighbor brings over Grey Goose and asks me for shot glasses. Um no. This is a child's party. You and your vodka go home. Aside from that though, it was such a fun party and was so nice to see our baby so happy and surrounded by a ton of people that love her.

All of these pictures are from our family photographer, Karen, who again killed it.

Elsa ran the loop in our house about 87 times that day, usually with at least one balloon in hand and Henry chasing her. She was WIRED. 

I got a bunch of these animal balloons with little feet that had leashes tied around their necks for the kids to drag around the party. They were a hit, but Elsa was a possessive little jerk over them. I got one of the helium tanks at Target that you can buy, use, and then turn the tank back in to re-use them and it was AWESOME. I'm never waiting at Albertson's again to get 30 balloons filled up and then smash them all into a car to take home, hoping you don't need to see behind your car. Super convenient and just as inexpensive (I paid $21 for the tank and it filled up about 30 balloons).

I made 47 orangsicle and funfetti cupcakes with a whipped cream frosting, and they were dusted. Elsa had at least 3, and my mom probably doubled that.

 She still didn't really understand the whole "Make a wish and blow out the candle!" directive so I helped.

And I may have shoved the cupcake into her face. I would like to note that I kept it classy at my wedding and did not shove the cake in Jeff's face, so this is how I get to make up for that.

She loved it. And got whipped cream up her nose and didn't realize that sticking both fingers in her nostrils wouldn't get it out. 

Awww... besties:

There were some cute kids at her party! Little Miss "Shoam" hamming it up for the camera.

And while we had Karen at our house, we took the opportunity to take a family photo which we so rarely get. We got a few snaps in and suddenly Jeff yelps like a kicked puppy and Elsa gives him this look:



Apparently my little snapping turtle bit Daddy. He may have been saying the "S" word here:



So it took a few takes, but we got a good one in!



Thank you SO much to all our friends and family that helped to celebrate our little Elsie's entry into toddlerhood! Next post will be on all the goodies she got spoiled with!!

Happy birthday babies!!

About two years and an hour ago, Elsa came into our world! Happy birthday you little munchkin. Mommy and Daddy (and about 182 other people) love you very much!

And even more exciting, Jerod and Karen's twins were born yesterday!!! Way to not trample on Elsa's birthday, guys. She appreciates getting to keep her special day to herself. Although Jerod and I want to throw joint birthday parties for them in the future, Medieval Knights themed!! Elsie will be the princess and the Rasmussen boys will be the knights fighting for her honor. Or vice versa. Who know how these kids will turn out.

Meet Anders Austen Rasmussen, 7lbs 2 oz, 20.5 inches:

AND Oliver Ayre Rasmussen, 6lbs 6 oz, 20 inches long:

Pretty freaking cute family they have. Look how amazing Karen looks just minutes after giving birth to twins!! I looked like a bloated Korean girl after 7 hours of labor with Elsa so I'm a little miffed she was Glamour Shot ready so quickly after. How!?

Congratulations friends!! Can't wait to meet the little rugrats!