meaningful details…

one of my favorite things about planning an event is that there are so many meaningful details that can be incorporated. i love the idea of guests writing some sweet advice on a post card and having them pop up in the mail every now and then {perhaps jotting down some baby advice!}. every single guest adds a special something to a party and i love the idea of having each and every one leaving their finder print on paper in lieu of a guest book. {click on photos to link to source}

one last note…

today i not only want to wish you all a happy new years eve + happy two-thousand-and-eleven but i also want to leave you with one last note. i want to encourage you today to take a moment or two and write someone a letter {or note} expressing something that you want to share with them {something you normally wouldn’t say or simply something you don’t put into writing often enough. some things are just easier written than spoken and some are simply just nice to see on paper}. it could be something as short as one word or it could be something a bit longer. your pick. i have written my own & am hoping you do too. xo. claudia +click on photos for links

now & then

the beach definitely makes the cut for one of my top three favorite things about coming back home to california. one of my first memories with my sweet hubby is sitting on the sand during the summer at seal beach and watching two of our friends having fun in the water {we met in june of 2004 on prom night so we had just known eachother a handful of months} i don’t quite remember why tommy wasn’t in the water but i remember enjoying just sitting on the beach chatting away. the beach {specifically seal beach} holds a special place in my heart because it is part of our story. a few days after we got married tommy and i took pictures on the sand {in s.b. of course!}. yesterday i revisited our newlywed spot. expect this time it was me and our sweet little baby boy {it’s still all sinking in!}. i cannot believe week twenty-two is already here. thank you so much to everyone for sharing in the excitement of our love.bump. we couldn’t be more thrilled to share such a special time for us. xo. tommy + claudia + love.bump

we love you…

…so much already, sweet little baby BOY!… {more updates & stories to come!}

setting the table…

…for nine. christmas eve has always been the night when my family gathers around the table to enjoy my moms home-made tamales {such a treat! his favorite: cheese & chili filling}. this year i asked my mom if i could be in charge of setting the table. she said yes. there is just something about setting a table that makes me happy. so tonight i will be setting the table for nine {my immediate family + some extended family}. in my heart though, i will be setting it for ten {nine + tommy. i miss you & love you tommy. i feel privileged & blessed to be your wife. i carry you in my heart everywhere i go}.

rain rain…

…go away. i have to admit that i’m still surprised that it’s been raining every day {what feels like all day} since friday. this morning it looks like it may be coming to a stop though. looks like the washington weather followed me to southern california. {p.s. it’s already the twenty-third!}

decked out

okay so maybe our home-sweet-home was not all decked out for the holidays this year. our stockings have actually been up since october. i really wanted tommy to see them up this year so that meant that cobwebs and stocking had to be up at the same time. the stocking were a find after the holidays last year {love target!}. gotta love a bit of sparkle in your pom-poms. i added a simple tag to each stocking: “tommy” “love.bump” & “claudia” {shhhh. don’t tell. i have two more matching stockings to add to the group at some point if they’re ever needed ^o^}. just a few more days until the love.bump gift!

holiday spirit

i must admit- i’ve been a bit of a grump the past two days {emily made me laugh when she told me, “okay. geez i was just asking. you don’t have to give me an attitude.” soon after i told her i was sorry. she forgave me and sympathetically told me, “it’s okay. i know pregnant ladies have mood swings.” i love how she always seems to make me laugh. after a bit of virtual holiday browsing, gift wrapping, and light stringing- i started to feel in the spirit again. have a lovely weekend! {less than ten days until christmas + finding out if our love.bump is blue or pink!} enjoy the oh-so-lovely holiday links!

dress your gifts with handmade gift toppers. {this beautiful california christmas party}. fabulous freebies from lovely bloggers: sweet tags for a cookie exchange. lovely vintage tags. and a collection of tag freebies all in one place. {my absolute favorite holiday card to date!}. and two great {and unique} holiday treats. + click on photos for links!

dear tommy

…the new letterpress cards by seesaw designs couldn’t have put it any better…

dear santa

meet my best friend katie. i walked half a block to middle school in red velvet overalls while katie drove past me with her mom {love you patty!} on her way to school. patty thought i looked like a nice girl for her daughter to become friends with in their new neighborhood {how could you miss me in red velvet overalls!}. i sat next to a girl in class that katie danced with. she introduced us. that’s where it all began. tuesday night at disneyland we met santa {and enjoyed a delicious hand dipped corndog!}. at twenty weeks the love.bump has already been to disneyland twice.