{ tara frey }:: typing out loud

We now pronounce ...

  

     Wow!  That last post was super fun, I loved reading all of your guesses about my name!  We do pronounce it "fray" rhyming with "grey", "pray" "tray", etc...  Now I wonder how many names of the blogs I read I'm pronouncing wrong in my head?  My Dad calls this thing here a "blob" instead of a blog.  No matter how many times I correct him, he'll still say something like "you should put that on your blob"  I just let it go at this point, because, well.. it's just too cute.

     I loved reading about the stories of your names.  I'm glad that I'm not alone in the "Blog Name Regret" boat.  My Typepad link will remain the same (bellapink), I will just be putting my own name on the banners instead.  No big deal.  I've been taking notice of the blogs I read and a lot of them have a different url from their banner name, so I will be in that boat club as well !  It's funny how I just recently started to notice this I guess since I was thinking of doing the same...sort of like when you find out you're pregnant and everywhere you go all you see and notice are pregnant women?

     Anyway, speaking of "fray", in the photo above you can see I started to knit in this light pink yarn (and it is a little frayed,, but you'll give me a pass, right?).  I'm trying to keep up with the new knitting queen my daughter.  Not sure what I'm going to make yet, but it's okay not to have a plan?  I think I'll play it safe and make a blanket for her doll.  Small and simple.  But remember this is the same little diva who required these in her lunch box, I may not get off that easy.  If anyone knows of some basic knitting patterns, let me know in the comments.  Or even great knitting books to brush up on my lack luster skills.  I'm rusty for sure, but I think it's like riding a bike, you never really forget how to do it.  If you have a knitting blog, or posted a knit project, please send me a link in the comments as well!  It's knitting fever over here at the Fry Frey house. 

     And not to be outdone, is our son who started to latch hook.  Do any of you remember doing this as a kid?  I would sit in my room for hours and latch hook. I bought him this skull latch hook kit and he has learned it quickly.  Latch hooking is super easy for kids of all ages and I think it's gratifying for them because they can almost see instant results. (of course he hides it when his friends come over to play video games, this new hobby just might ruin his image? But I'm sure he will proudly display the finished skull, because that's cool.)~xo

Naming your baby...

     "If I could turn back time"...like that Cher song, I would have been more careful of naming my blog here at Typepad.  Do any of you regret your name that you chose when first setting up your account?  I'm raising my hand right now!  Bella Pink just doesn't fit the direction of my blog anymore.  Like with anything, we grow, evolve. And I feel like I'm a different blogger than when I first started.  A very wise Typepad tech advised me not to change the name now or I will lose all the link backs for the past 4 -5 years and it could be a giant nightmare. I don't know anyone who likes nightmares {and I don't live on Elm Street} so I am taking their advice.

   

     and so... I decided to buy a domain name that points to my blog and it's a name I know I won't be changing anytime soon (unless I'm served with divorce papers)

     I think it's the most logical solution?  Would love to hear if any of you have regrets on your blog url name and if you could wave a wand and turn back time, would you change your name?

     People ask me all the time how to pronounce my name too!  They ask if it should sound like FRY as in french fry, try, cry.  OR is it FRAY that rhymes with gray, tray, spray, pray.  Which one do you think it is? I would love to see your responses. Why not have a little fun? I'll let you know the way we pronounce it here in the Frey house on the next post and thanks for playing the name game! ~xo

She's a fast learner...

     She picked up knitting like she's been doing it for years.  Her little fingers moving so fast.  She's a lefty and it was harder for me to teach her, I was fumbling with the needles, so I enlisted the help of some pros at our local knitting store.  We walked in together, me and my new super knitter, and the women just ate her up like candy.  They were all so generous with their time and their skills are incredible.  It was so much fun to watch them teach her, and it gave me a chance to brush up on this old hobby.  Knitting, how I've missed you, sore fingertips,cramped wrists and all ! Now I have a friend to knit with and she'll make sure I keep up. This is her first project, a cute fuzzy hot pink purse.  While knitting outside and I'm snapping away, she said "Mom, look!...my purse matches these flowers, take a picture!"  Such an observant creative little spirit, where did you come from super knitter girl?~xo

Mural Mural on the wall...

     When we were building the house I knew I wanted a "secret" door that led into the kids playroom.  I don't know why, I just thought it would be cool.  I found inspiration from an old article in Romantic Homes and kept in my overflowing inspiration binder pictured above.

     When the workers were buidling the house they referred to it as the "doggie door"  I guess they didn't see my vision?  Although they did have enough sense to tell me that the kids won't be small enough to fit through the tiny door forever and I should prepare myself.  I remember holding on to my giant belly at the time, since I was 9 months preggers, and thought to myself how could they be saying this to me?!  They went ahead and framed a normal size door around the "doggie door" so that it could easily be transformed.  Neither of the kids fit through that door now (and haven't for a while.)  Kids do grow up, I found out.  The builder was right.

     The little door leads into my son's bedroom.  He now has it barricaded with his bed in front of it blocking the little door from the inside and then tied with rope and a slingshot (like a soldier waiting for his enemy in battle.) No one can get in and if you do make it through, you'll get hit in the head with a rubber ball from the slingshot. The charm is lost.  But at least I have photos to reminisce?  It was featured in Romantic Homes magazine many moons ago (see here ) , which I'm grateful for since I can see a few years from now, the little door will be a big door, the mural will be gone and replaced with some sort of skateboarding posters, and stickers all over the walls from my daughters Miley Cirus collection...I'll walk past and see teenage boys hanging out playing video games, music blaring, and my daughter and her friends crank calling boys in their class...oh god.. the builder didn't prepare me for all of that.

 

Sort of a Hansel and Gretel house?

This photo is looking into our son's bedroom (before the preparations of enemy intruders):

This view is from our son's room looking back into the playroom:

Making Room...

    While me and my new part time personal assistant niece were cleaning up the studio, we found a lot of Wriskey™ goodies so we decided to have a Summer blowout to gear up for all the incredible things planned.  We've added the charms, tees and left over Wriskey collection.  Whatever is listed is all we have for now. (basically "what ya see is what we found") So get it while it's hot (since it's summer and all!) Go get Wriskey™ ~xo

Back n Unpackin...

     Back from the beach!  Relaxed and refreshed except for the exploding suitcases and bags of wet towels everywhere here.  Why is it so much easier leaving for a trip?  Everything is so perfectly packed and neatly in it's place.  Total opposite on the way home.  Everything becomes intertwined and nobody cares. (or is it just me?)  Also, do any of you have this problem when on vacation...the kids wake up and say "mommy when are we going to the beach?"  You look at the clock and it's only 8am... "in a few hours" you say back.  Then once you get to the beach after a few hours, the kids (who are now giant crusty sand crabs), say "mommy when are we going back to the house?"  They did this everyday for 8 days.   

    Regardless, our little family became a whole puzzle again, all the pieces put together for a week.  I loved every minute of it.  Even when the kids were fighting over boogie boards or the cries of "he got more ice cream on his cone then I did"  I think it's the salt air that makes me not care about the whining or petty fights.  I'm actually able to laugh about them. I'm definitely more tolerable on vacation.  Definitely.

So here is a summary of "WHAT I LEARNED ON MY SUMMER VACATION":

• Yes, I am more tolerable with the kids near the ocean, unless a sand fight starts, then all bets are off
• I am no longer a tan-aholic.  It is possible to sit on the beach covered in 45 SPF and hiding under an umbrella.  No one will look at you funny or laugh and point at you.  It's okay not to look like Magda from There's Something About Mary...but can someone tell that to my husband who lathered himself in baby oil?
• I actually can live without internet for 8 whole days without dying
• I can read a 500 page book in one day, who knew?  But it has to be about 15th century England or it won't keep my attention. Not sure of this new obsession, perhaps I'm having a Tudors withdraw? I read The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance and The Constant Princess, all by Philippa Gregory (who is a fantastic writer. )
• I'm not sure what I did before Bravo TV came along? I will sit and watch endless re-runs of Flipping Out.  Jeff Lewis is a total crack up.  But I think I'm more a fan of his maid, Zoila .  She is my favorite.  I'll also watch re-runs of  Project Runway, Shear Genius and My Life on the D List, even though I've seen them all at least 50 times.  I also can't wait for the Rachel Zoe Project, have any of you seen the previews? I firmly believe I'm attracted to anything that appears to be crazy chaos. Perhaps to validate my own reality show?
• Chicken salad sandwiches taste better on the beach
• My mom will eat paper.  Let me explain... we got ice cream cones on the boardwalk and the cone part was wrapped in paper.  Without knowing this, she ate right through the paper on the cone. All I could do was laugh uncontrollably.  My daughter said (in attempt to make her feel better I suppose) "it's okay Mom-Mom, one time at school I was soooooo hungry that I ate a piece of paper"  Mental note: pack more snacks in my daughter's lunchbox.
• You can stand in line for the log flume ride on the boardwalk for 45 minutes and finally get to the front of the line ready to get on the ride and be told it's shut down, no reason given and there is nothing you can do about it.  The log flume attendant is God.
• Sunsets are more beautiful when my kids are watching them with me
• A 7 year old little girl with cancer, whose dark black beautiful hair is finally growing back, going through her last round of chemo and has enough energy to come to the beach with her two friends for the day is not only a survivor and warrior but my hero... 

Peace out!

     Packing up and heading to the beach for a week, same place same house as last year .  I can't believe 365 days have passed!  It flew by in a blink, it seems, and here we are again.  Can't wait to put my toes in the sand once more and be with my family as a whole unit instead of bits and pieces, since someone is always off doing something somewhere and we pass each other like cars on a highway. No internet, no phones (will I survive?) Just some serious family fun, which I think I can handle!  Be back soon sweet friends (with pictures to boot) in case your toes can't make it to the sand this summer~xo