Soccer Sunday

The Barefoot Princess had her first soccer game yesterday. They definitely did not win, but they had fun!

BP has been talking about playing soccer since last fall. We signed her up this year thinking it would be a good team sport experience for her. Up until this point she has only done ballet + riding. We hoped she would learn the sport + have fun. Turns out BP is a die hard soccer player. Shocked us! Never would have expected it. Isn't that the cool thing about parenting? These little beings we created are always surprising us. Anyway, we were like whose kid is that? She is all over the ball, sprinting up + down the little field, + very aggressive. I wish I could get a picture of the determination on her face as she plays. Yesterday she took a fall (she said #3, a boy, pushed her, but we are not really sure). She cried for a few minutes, then got right back in the game.

Before + After BP's Room

Before

After

BP chose this color. I think it is Tutu by Benjamin Moore, but don't quote me on it. It has taken me awhile to get used to it. She loved it right away, of course. We are still hanging art, considering curtains, + searching for a little desk for her, but 2 years after moving in, her room is almost complete

A Preschooler + A Kindergartner

Back to School Design Style

A very nicely decorated dorm room. I saw this in New York Mag while waiting in a doctor's office a few weeks ago. It is the dorm room of a Drew University student who is also an aspiring interior designer. Love it! Just because you don't own your dorm room + it is only temporary doesn't mean you should not make it yours. I am guilty of having an oriental rug in my dorm room. Along with curtains, lamps, and real furniture. I even tried to slipcover the school given sofa my senior year. I never painted the walls, but I wanted to :)

Sisters

I don't have a sister (just one incredible brother :) So this is all new to me...but these three are tight already. Their bond amazes me everyday. It's not all harmonious 24/7, but their spats never last long + they always hug + move on.

Just one funny sister story from today...

BP comes crying to me (dramatically crying, not real crying) that BB took her little glass Flaps dog (Basset Hound figurine)

I ask BB to please give it back

BB turns to BP and tells her she cannot give it back because she sold it. (All with a very straight + very serious face)

BP freaks out.

I have a hard time not laughing at BB, but also consoling BP who is now really crying.

We leave to ride Nutmeg and the whole incident is soon forgotten

Tonight as I tuck BP into bed I look down and notice the little figurine back on her nightstand.

I smile and point it out to BP who says... they brought it back?

I say... no sweetie I think your sister knew how much it meant to you. She must have put it back without us knowing sometime today.

BP says with a smile...mommy what are we going to do with her?

I say... I don't know BP

She quickly responds... I will just have to give her a big hug in the morning!

(click on pics above to enlarge)

"Soccer Mom"

I am officially one of those "soccer moms"... Gasp! Scary, very scary!

BP is definitely our girliest of girls, but she proved to be a good little soccer player.

She is playing in our local town league. Practices Friday night at 5:30 + games Sundays at 1 (just in case anyone wants to come watch)

Toronto

Some random shots from our trip to Toronto. Such a cool city! Like a mini combo of NY + Boston. Very clean + green. Parks everywhere with splashpads for children to run through + cool off on hot summer days. We stayed in a beautiful hotel with a Whole Foods around the corner. Love Whole Foods! We enjoyed city life immensely for four days. We swam everyday. Sometimes multiple times a day. We walked a lot + enjoyed yummy food that we don't always find in the country. We visited with our dear friends. BP + her BFF held hands almost the entire time. Both learned to swim this summer so they spent whatever time they were not holding hands in the pool showing each other their new skill. We were chased around the Toronto Island by photographers trying to get pics of BP's BFF + her mom, but we tried not to let their invasiveness ruin our fun. Hence my lack of people pics to post, the photographers did a great job capturing our day. There was no need for me to even use my camera. Often we had absolutely no clue they were getting pictures. Luckily it was only the one day, and the rest were fun + completely unbothered. We had so much fun at a family style bluegrass brunch Sunday morning. We got to say good-bye on the shores of Lake Ontario while throwing rocks + collecting beach glass. It was a fun adventure! BB cried on the way to Niagara Falls because we were not going back to the hotel. She said she wanted to move to Toronto. BP was sad to say good-bye to her BFF, but happy for the visit.

John Derian + Target

I have long admired the work of John Derian, but could never justify the price or choose just one piece. Imagine my surprise when I read that he designed a line for Target ($25 and under) and it debuts September 5th. So exciting! First Liberty of London for Target, now this...Target gets 5 stars in my book. Looking forward to September 5th...

(Some of my favorites from the John Derian Target line pictured above)

ACK...

To a wonderful little island 30 miles out to sea,

We are coming + we cannot wait...it has been too long!

We cannot wait to see the fog roll in, drive on the beaches, walk through a sleepy fishing village unchanged by time, bike the never-ending bike paths, watch for harbor seals, step out our front door + onto the beach, eat takeout from Sale's Seafood, take an outdoor shower, collect shells + beach glass, feel the cobblestones under foot, taste a Turkey Terrific sandwich, watch the cranberrry harvest, stroll the docks, pick a dream sailboat (Barefoot Dad), sleep in the above bunk beds (Barefoot Girls), and so much more.

See you in a month!

Love,

The Barefoot Family

Baby C is on the move...watch out! She is starting to get into everything.

Oh and she now has 2 teeth!

Sorry for the long absence...we've been a little busy enjoying the end of summer + preparing for school. I promise to catch you up on our trip this week. Here is one of my favorite pictures from The Maid of the Mist. We were soaked! Some of us liked it, some did not...I will tell you who thought what tomorrow.

Road Trip

We're off to Niagara Falls and then Toronto. Never been to either place. The girls are all very excited. Visiting some dear friends. Be back next week...

Catskill Mt Views...

Remember when I mentioned the cool homes + abundance of farm chic interior design we have where we live? Well, here is yet another one. I opened Country Living this month and saw this gorgeous farmhouse that is about 5 minutes away. The before + after pictures are amazing. Love the decorating in this place! Enjoy and stay tuned for more interesting, beautiful, and blog worthy design right here in the Catskill Mountains.

(all photos from Country Living, you can see the whole story there also)

PS- We recently purchased a used wagon to spread all the miles I drive between two cars + for school carpooling purposes + a little because I have secretly always loved these particular wagons. Anyway, we purchased it from friends who had purchased it from another family nearby + I swear that black wagon in the picture is the same one that is sitting in our driveway. So funny!

Cow Seat #3

Baby C grew out of her little red infant carseat, which is sad, but also a good thing because it was SO heavy to lug around. So here she is in her new Britax cow seat. (Our third Britax cow seat.) The other two were quite worn out so we chucked them for the sake of safety. Oh, and also so Baby C doesn't have too many issues with getting all the "hand me downs". She was so excited to sit in it for the first time. Can u tell?

After taking Baby C's picture in her new seat I remembered I had a very similar one of BB when she was exactly the same age. Everyone keeps asking who Baby C looks like....right now I would have to say these two sisters look almost identical.

BB Rides too...

For once she does not have to sit back + watch her big sister have all the fun. BB is having a blast riding Nutmeg this Summer as well. She keeps asking to canter + jump at every lesson. Are you at all surprised?

Riding English

BP has been waiting over a year for this...Riding English was a very big deal to her. She has been posting in the Western saddle for a while now + her instructors finally took all her not so subtle hints So on Sunday with the teeniest English saddle I have ever seen she mounted Nutmeg, pink sparkly star crop in hand, and had her first English lesson. She was beaming!

Larry, Curly + Moe

Who's who? You decide.

6 Months

Baby C was 6 months last week. It cannot be...right?

She is so sweet + easy going.

Here she is sort of crawling. She is at that "so close to crawling stage" where she is able to go backwards and side to side, but still has not gone forward yet. It may happen anyday...I will be babyproofing soon I am sure :)

Catskills Summer Rental...

This grey beauty is a home we manage + rent also. If you could have seen this place 2 years ago...what a difference! It was for sale when we were house hunting. We saw the listing with pictures online and that was as far as we got. Never saw it in person because we were scared away by the interior shots. However, a very nice English couple from the city saw it too. They had major vision + turned it into what you see above. She is a furniture designer, he is a broker for Burgess yachts. What they created is amazing. The home has 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms + lots of great entertaining space. We arranged for photographer, Michael Bloom (http://www.michaelbloomphoto.com/) to take some pictures (his work above) of the home when the couple decided to rent it as a vacation home. So I am showing this country getaway for three reasons. It is very appealing from a design aspect. I love how they mixed antiques, IKEA furniture +designer pieces. #2 If you know anyone interested in renting, please let us know. Please leave a comment. I will get back to you ASAP, there is some availability in August + in the Fall too. #3 Isn't it amazing what a difference professional pictures + a little staging can do for a place? Barefoot Dad gets numerous inquiries daily on this house + I believe it is due to the eye-catching pictures.

For more info the rental listing can be viewed at www.homeaway.com

It is property #281219