Hello?

As I am sitting here writing this post from the recumbent bicycle in the gym, I can't deny that productivity in the turquoise violets household has been at an all time high.

Here's the problem... The more I am getting done the less I am writing about it. Sorry to neglect my wonderful friends and followers.

So let's discuss... What exactly have I been up to? Well as you may have picked up on already I finally got that gym membership that I have been wanting for so long, and have since rediscovered how good spending an hour and a half sweating my brains out is for me. Not just physically, but more importantly mentally.

The boy and I have been spending an awful lot of time exploring the wonders of boyhood. Digging in the dirt, exploring new paths, and just learning all about the world around us. I have discovered that when he's bored he's bad. I know that this is not really any new news but we get so comfortable in our routines that I forget... He's only 2 1/2 for so long. Not forever.

I have been sewing like a crazy person! I have tons of pictures to share with you. Everything from baby shoes to up-cycled dresses. Pictures soon I promise. I have really been doing a lot of crafting. Decided to actually make some of these things I drool over on pinterest!

I promise that we will get back on track and catch up with some of our normal stuff. I have really been missing my inspiration look books and thankful Thursday's!

In the mean time... Raise you hand if you have checked out stolyn.com? You really should. The hubs has been doing some amazing writing. While some of the topics and content may be a bit controversial there is no denying the fact that it's sure honest and all the hubs. You should also like his Facebook page and vote for him in the all city sketch contest. Love that man.

Ok. Back to the sweat. Love and miss you all. Promise more soon!

DIY: up-cycled convertible sandals

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after ooh-ing and ahh-ing for quite some time over these adorable sandals from papé of brazil i realized....duh erin....you can totally make these.  and it just so happened that i already had a pair of cheap sandals that i hated ready for deconstruction.  i just love the idea of convertible anything! one item of clothing that can be worn in many different ways....genius! the perfect summer sandal that can have many different fabric straps that are easily switched to go with any outfit....i mean seriously, who wouldn't want that!?!? so here is what i did:

step 1:

first i removed the old, unwanted straps from my sandals. 

 this left me with the three leather loops.  

if you don't have sandals to deconstruct you could add loops to a cheap pair for flops.

step 2:

using some old scraps of fabric (that you may recognize from this project),

i cut 2 strips that where approximately 3 inches wide by 2 feet. 

*note: the next pair of straps i may make a little shorter.

fold each strip in half and sew right sides together,

 leaving a gap in the end to turn right side out.

tuck the open end into its self and top stitch shut.

step 3:

play with your new laces. 

there is no wrong or right way to lace them up, so get creative!

the papé website offers great tutorials on how to lace them if you are feeling uninspired.

housewife problems: tips and tricks

i love wine. don't really drink it much, but i do love it.  here is my problem.  i have followed in my great grandmothers foot steps in liking ice in my whites.  this lady had no shame....she would ask for a cup of ice at a restaurant to chill her glass of wine, and i am pretty sure that she used the fact that it would quickly become diluted as an excuse to drink more. haha.  the solution? frozen grapes.  keeps your wine cold with out watering it down, and in the end... who doesn't love alcohol soaked fruit? 

best date night ever

thought i would share some quick photos from our best date night ever! saturday we attended the dropkick murphy's show in pompano beach and our lovely friend tara and kelly were able to get us in back stage.  we were going out in style! 

inspiration lookbook

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10 things i couldn't live without this week

1. this week i marched my butt into a gym and signed up for a membership.  i have been feeling fat and tired lately and there is not point in just sitting around in my misery.  gyms are really intimidating to me and especially now that i am older.  it seems that the older i get the more insecure about myself i am becoming.  walking into a gym to me is like that classic movies where girls are being hazed by their sorority sisters and they are circling all the fat on their bodies with markers. ugh.  all the hard bodied girls who wear makeup to exercise and have a more fashionable gym attire than my normal everyday wear. yikes. well i decided that i wasn't going to let any of it get to me. i was going to face my fears and insecurities and i was going to exercise. in a gym. with other people.
2. one of the best things about being a gym member is having access to group fitness classes! and i took the best yoga class this week.  i can't wait until wednesday so i can go back for more.
3. my crafting productivity has been at an all time high lately.  the hubs and i have been powering through some projects. keep your eyes peeled this week for my new jewelry hanger, magnetic make up frame, and next week i will share some goodies that i made for a friends baby.
4. i have been trying to cut back on my diet coke consumption. and surprisingly i am doing very well. i am down to one a day and killing it! and best thing about it....i am substituting all that diet coke with about 64 extra oz of water a day.
5. we have been having some crazy weather lately. i am not going to lie... i really love it. we went for a hand full of days with constant rain, then a few days of 90° blue skies and today we woke up to some very chilly 40°.  mother nature is keeping us on our toes down here in south florida.
6. we had a super family fun day saturday. we woke up early and headed to the city diner for breakfast, scooted over to bed bath and beyond, then decided that it was the perfect day for the beach.  we got home threw together a picnic and cruised down to the ocean.  this was the first time this year that the beach was genuinely packed with people. holes were dug, waves were rode, sandy sandwiches devoured.  a great day was had by all.
7. the hubs and i went on the best date night ever saturday! i think that we agreed that it really was the best date ever. we met up with some friends for dinner at an awesome burger joint, burgerfi. then we went to see the dropkick murphy's at the pompano beach amphitheater.  this was the first show the hubs had been to since before the boy was born. and boy we were going out in style.  my girlfriends, who are long time friends with the band, got us all access backstage passes. we were on stage, in the green room, and post show hanging out at the busses drinking the band beer. it was all a dream come true for the hubs and i was so happy that i could make it all happen for him! best date night ever!
8. oh and where was the boy this whole entire date night? at his first ever slumber party. my fantastic friend christine offered to take the boy. he proclaimed her little girl to be his girl friend. so cute! he spent the night with their family, partied it up, and from what i am told was an angle! he was so tuckered out the next day that he actually passed out on the sofa....so cute.
9. the boy and i had some serious luck garage sale-ing this weekend. he scooped up a hand full of matchbox helicopters and airplanes, and i found an adorable mid-century side table....for only $1. it needs some serious work, but for a dollar....i'll buy that project!
10. my friend christine passed me on some seriously amazing vintage fabric for my birthday! i am so excited of it's possibilities! and there is a lot of it too so i am thinking that there may be some larger projects in my future! can't wait to share them with you!
9.

let's talk tomatoes

we all know that i love tomatoes! i love eating them. i love growing them. i love the way the plants smell. i love it all. last season i had quite a bit of success with my outdoor tomato plant, that is until the pests took over. so this year i thought i would try an indoor 'patio' plant. 

let me just say...i am not so thrilled. i have yet to taste the fruit of my labors.  i have two tomatoes on the plant that are almost ripe and ready to picked.  but these two little guys (and i mean mean little) have been growing for what feels like months now. last year i was picking tomatoes on the regular.  

these better be the best tomatoes i have every grown! why can't i just have beautiful raised beds like these?

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some day. ah some day!

thankful thursday

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"life is full of little pleasures", and playing in the rain is one of my new favorites.

i was so excited for our zoo playdate that i decided that some rain clouds were not going to stop me from attempting a super fun day with the boy and the burton girls. we got to the zoo and within the first few moments of being there the sky opened up and really gave it to us! i mean we didn't even make it in the front entry way...soaked.

mind you we were meeting up with brenda and her three girls.  this thankful thursday is truly dedicated to her.  let me just give you a mental image here... twin 3 year olds, an increasingly independent 16 month old, brenda - hair done and looking adorable as usual...oh and did i that she's 31 weeks pregnant?  anyone else would have bowed out from this playdate as soon as the rain started falling. but nope, not this woman. we ran for cover and the kids splash and ran in the rain until they were covered in goose bumps and shivering.  she so effortlessly and gracefully stuck it out to ensure that her kids were having an amazing time. (i think she had fun too!)

when there was a break in the rain we made a dash for the covered picnic area and changed into dry-ish clothes and ate some lunch.  all in all the day was full of laughs, purple lipped toddlers, and hot chocolate.

so what is it that i am thankful for here? simple. i am so thankful that i have friends in my life that are so willing to roll with the punches.  there are great moments in the day that can unfold if you are willing to stick it out through the rain.