Dani's room.

Dani's awesome, and she turns twelve next month. This combination of coolness means two things...I'm old, and she deserves a monumental celebration! because she's awesome.

Since this is the Year of the House (and the Year of Good Health, and the Year of the Good Read, and the Perfect Sunday Roast, and Cheeescake) we decided to put our generous give-backs from the United States government (aka tax return) towards a new bed room for Dani.

It's needed. She deserves a cool place, to be cool.

I tried to come up with a plan for Dani's room by myself but soon realized I needed help to reach the level of greatness we were trying to achieve, so I asked Autumn, because she is awesome too, and she has been a huge part of our Year of the House so far. I knew she'd make it great. And she so totally did.

Here is what I sent her as our inspiration:

{Premier Prints via fabric.com}

{target.com}

{Beauty Will Save the World by Raceytay

found via Creature Comforts}

Dani loves giraffes, and the owl lamp, and purple - and I loved this color inspiration - and Autumn turned it into pure awesomeness.

Dani is very crafty and has needed TONS more storage space, and Autumn gave her that with all the shelves and bookcases. And all these pieces are grown up enough that Dani can take it all with her when she leaves home {I'm told that happens. they leave. eventually. sniff}.

So we're painting today, and buying a bed tomorrow, and waiting for Uncle Sam to deliver the rest.

I'm super excited. I mean, Dani's excited. It's all for Dani. My addiction to beautiful design and my desire to change everything this year has nothing to do with it. It's not about me. It's about the children.

We're both pretty excited.

i love it when I find great pictures on my camera.

Coco Moke City.

Dani and I designed this lion for my nephew, Jaden, for Christmas. Dani wanted him to be a flying lion, but he ended up looking like a dead angel lion with the wings, so she left them off and he became just a normal lion without any superhero quirks. Jaden named him Coco Moke. but he already has a monkey named Coco Moke, so my brother suggested he pick another name so as to not confuse the two. Jaden agreed, and changed the lion's name to Coco Moke City. perfect.

I think this year I'd link to pretend "launch" a Coco Moke City line of animals in that Etsy shop I opened. But, you know, it's the year of little commitment. So who knows. But it's also the year of following through. And the year of simple projects. And the year of the cheesecake. Which has nothing to do with Coco Moke City, but I'm hungry.

oh the conflicts of a good craft!

Wouldn't it be great to have a cow, and a pig, and a hedgehog, and a flamingo (just kidding. tricky.) made with soft, washable, recycled, sentimental tee-shirts? My head is full of ideas.

hmm. I wanna.

don't let me forget.

because I'll get busy and I will.

you know it.

January makes you think. and buy cute workout clothes.

{Joey and Andy in Orlando this summer}

I've been absent. I know. I blinked, and the holidays were over. Andy went to college. And the kids need new shoes.

I miss DisneyWorld.

I remember doing an assignment in Elementary School, watching my hand write the year 1987 in the top right corner of the page, and thinking...whoa. I'm getting old. We wrote about what life would be like in 20 years. I wrote we'd be able to plug cars in, have little tv's you could carry in your hand, and you could push a button on the side of your head and talk to whoever you want.

visionary.

I think I also invented the chocolate fountain that day.

Then I went home and listened to Pop Goes the World on my walkman.

Time is moving. fast. And sometimes I forget I need to go with it.

And sometimes I forget to blog. because I'm busy trying to slow down so I won't forget to watch time move.

I'm trying not to blink again. I want to live this year slowly.

and do a few other things.