Real Life: Pssst! Alix is in Prague!

Real Life, Real Life : Alix, ,

Greetings from Prague!!! Friends, this City is quite gorgeous, I can’t even tell you. For those of you who don’t know, I actually have a day job. I’m a workin’ mama writer/associate creative director at a schmancy advertising agency in San Francisco. My job is very creative and interesting, but also lots of hard work. This trip is an example of the glammy side of my work. We are here shooting five TV spots/web films for a client with a rather phenomenal director team. I love what I do and it’s a totally fascinating process, but we do work like crazy! Being in Prague has made for a bizarro trip….the moment I landed we were thrust into work mode with long meetings, brain stormings and castings. The home office back in California isn’t really mindful of the 9 hour time difference we have, so we have been working well into the midnight hours at times. We work work work, then pause for a break and look up and are met with the most spectacular scenery. It’s incredible.

The other fab thing about a work trip is the hotel….we always stay at really lovely places. This trip we are at the Mandarin Oriental. The hotel used to be a monastery and has all these wonky corridors and each room is slightly different. My room is a tad smaller than my co-workers but has two glorious big windows— I love to open them up and just listen to the city. Last Sunday I heard the peeling of church bells and it was pretty darn cool. This is the little alley view from my room:

Here’s our “mobile office”. We sit outside every morning for several hours with pots of coffee and work. I think the hotel staff things we are kind of crazy.

Every day we’ve managed to find a little time to wander the city….

I love seeing all the cool kiddos here. I’ve been trying to snap some photos for you (without freaking out the parents of course….). I’m hoping to do a fun kiddo-centric post next week! I love this “Children Crossing” sign. Check out the huge bow on that little girl’s head! So goooood.

As much as I’m loving my time here, it’s always hard to be away from my guys. We have done some video chats and I email them daily (Wolfie already has placed an order for a marionette! They are very popular here and I’ve been scouting the shops to find the perfect one….). Evening is when I miss them the most. I love our bed time rituals—story time and lots of cuddling. Hug are greatly missed. Like I told you, I like to end every night looking at pictures of my guys. It’s not the same as being with them, but it makes me feel a little more connected to home. Since it’s midnight here in Prague, I’m going to continue my ritual….

Ahhhh, I feel better already. Dobrý večer my friends! More updates to come! And big kisses to Miss Dottie for holdin’ down the fort while I’m away on my crazy adventure!!

Guest Post: Quick Cookin' Applesauce with Shutterbean

Kiddo Cooks


Hi Kiddos! It’s Tracy from Shutterbean here with another yummy-and-easy recipe for you. Apple season is coming up….and you know what that means??!!  Homemade applesauce!


I have warm fuzzy thoughts when I think of my mom’s homemade applesauce. My grandmother had several apple trees in her backyard that we would collect from and my mom would turn our loot into fresh applesauce. We would eat bowls of warm cinnamony applesauce and think it was pure alchemy!  Perhaps your children will think you’re a super hero too if you make some. I swear, you’ll never look at jarred applesauce the same way… Let’s get started!

Start out with a big bowl of apples. There’s about 12 in here. A mixture of varieties is kind of fun, but unnecessary.


Chop up your apples, removing the cores and throw them in a large pot.


Over medium heat, add some water OR unfiltered apple juice to the pot.  In the end, there should be about 2 1/2 cups of liquid added to your apples.  If you aren’t adding juice, this would be a perfect time to add a sweetening agent. Brown sugar, maple syrup or agave syrup will do the trick. Remember to go light and then add a little more if you feel it needs more sweetness.


Let the apples stew, until they break down. Stir every now and then and keep adding juice or water when the sauce seems too thick. Be careful not to burn the apples!


Add a tablespoon of cinnamon to the mix!  Too much cinnamon for your taste? Go easy on it! Wanna jazz it up even more? Add some chopped candied ginger to the apples when they’re stewing!  It makes it nice and spicy!


Don’t feel like taking out all the skins? Puree it! Think of all the fiber!


After all the apples have cooked down, stick an immersion blender in and puree it!

It makes the mixture smooth and delicious!  You’ll find that the skins help thicken up the sauce.


And now you have homemade apple sauce! Let cool and store in the fridge!

The process takes about 40 minutes and your house is going to smell AH-MAZING!!

Now that you have all this apple sauce what can you do with it? Well of course it’s super nom-worthy for the kiddos, but grownups can enjoy a tasty apple sauce too. Put some in your pancake batter!  Add a little to a brownie recipe!  Mix in a little with your yogurt and granola! Put some in your banana bread! But honestly…it’s heaven on its own.

Thanks for stopping by!! I’ll be back again soon more quick-n-easy recipes.

Cool Onesies for Twins: Snug Attack!

Widdle Wednesdays, , , , ,

I know it’s not Widdle Wednesday yet, but I couldn’t resist.  Think of this as Tiny Tuesday. Tee hee!

Twins run in my family.  Two of my cousins are blessed with twins. Double the fun, they say.  And double the opportunity for awesome clothes.

Like the above cuteness from the husband wife team behind Snug Attack who have charmed me with their bold san serif onesies design that prove that you gotta have a sense of humor when you have twins.

But don’t worry–single babies can wear some goodies from Snug Attack too.

These really are rather brilliant, aren’t they? I love good old fashion clean design.

The line is admittedly very small right now, but hey–but I have a feeling more good stuff will be coming down the pike from Snug Attack.

Stay tuned, my friends…

The Besty of Etsy: Soil

Etsy Love, , , , , , ,

That sweet crisp wind that is delighting us right now as we shake off the heat of summer has a habit of turning icy cold over the next few months.

Along with trying to find the perfect pair of boots (don’t even get me started…), I’ve now added to my list of Fall to-dos–trying to find the perfect hat for the Peach.

Oh. My word.  Would you look at that?  My search may be over.

Enter Etsy shop, Soil.

Who says you can’t have fun with you hat.  Take that bit of childhood pretend play into real life.

Like with this aviator hat.

Or the “Sooper hero” hat.

And check out the headphones hat. The wonderful wonderful headphones.

After all, isn’t that what childhood is all about.  Hurrah for fun clothes!  A good hat makes you and the people around you smile.  Thanks to these hats from Soil, I’m grinning from ear to ear.

Whoo Hoo! Vintage Kiddo Retro Round Up!

Kiddo Style: Vintage, , , , ,

Wow, I’m still amazed that it is September. We are still plugging along here at the ole MK.  Although I do miss my Alix something fierce,  I know she’s rocking it out in Prague. Go, Donna Draper go!  But wonderful weekends still happen. Between tending my sniffling little Peach and sick sweetie, I did manage to scoot out and fulfill a goal of mine. People, I hit the holy grail of garage sale finds and swooped up a vintage dress form from the fifties for a song. Yeehah!

But let’s find you all some vintage thrifting goodies. We’ve got a bang-up mix of stuff today, so let’s check it out!

Oh, the vest that launched a thousand crochet hooks! Who didn’t evny the little girl who came sashaying into class wearing the handiwork of her handy mom/aunt/grandma/misc. person who was tired of macrame? From Etsy seller, Teenah Time.

Miss Lish has done it again with this gem of a boy’s shirt. A great butterfly collar and a very wearable pattern that would dandy up a pair of jeans or cords quite easily!

Saddle shoes were at one time considered a standard in any child’s wardrobe.  I say let’s bring ’em back!  And thanks for 3 Ring Circus, we can with this great pair for toddlers.  I’d love to use some sassy polka dot ribbon in a fun color for laces. wouldn’t that be fun?

I love this little houndstooth jacket with matching coat.  It reminds me of the one Patrick Dennis wore when he first met Auntie Mame, yes?

Mame Dennis: Well, now, uh, read me all the words you don’t understand.
Patrick Dennis: Libido, inferiority complex, stinko, blotto, free love, bathtub gin, monkey glands, Karl Marx… is he one of the Marx Brothers?

From Etsy seller, RedEye Vintage. Oh and check out the “this coat grows” thread. Ummm… That fashion trend needs to return!

I’m simply crazy for this little pink twill 70s pink jacket with the sweet embroidery–check out those shingles on the rood. And then they added ric-rac edging?  Cuteness level at eleven.  From eBay seller Floozeesvintage.

Who doesn’t love a good pair of overalls?  And corduroy? And little singing doggies wearing sunglasses playing guitars.  Well, I have found the trifecta of this sublime trio in these overalls offered by eBay seller Kindness Mama.  And she must be the kindest mama to part with these gems.

What little girl wouldn’t love a sunny yellow jacket WITH matching headscarf? Now, if I could only find its adult doppelganger… From eBay seller, Zeke989.

Oh, but then I found this friends.  My sweetie was walking by my computer and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw these beauts.  Pure bicentennial 1976 U. S. of Yay awesomeness. Deadstock too.  I bow down to you eBay seller, DecoToDisco Vintage.

And I must bow down to you again, DecoToDisco Vintage for this HealthTex pint-size version of the leisure suit.  I need to shop where you shop DecoToDisco Vintage…

Oh, this sweet cotton dress from the fifties is so dear.  What with its little bunny foo foo hopping through the forest pockets.  From new favorite eBay seller Great Lakes Outfitters.

And hey, Frecklewonder is having a bang-up sale of vintage wooden puzzles.  Talk about bringing me BACK.  I had this one! I even remember that smell of the wood. These are such timeless and good looking toys!

Happy Monday, folks!