But for now, i’m adoring these items i found via the loveliness featured on Modern Kiddo. Goodness, something feels just plain wrong with such small darling versions of fantasticness.

And stay tuned for a special little surprise at the bottom!

J.Crew’s kids line Crew Cuts

Not for play when the little ones are at their littlest. But always good for decoration.  Let Maya Made teach you how to make these Stone Dolls

Oh just Shut the Heck Up Already!!!!  midstate vintage

Seriously! I said Shut Up!

download this royal print, frame it or tack it up to encourage humble, sophisticated approach for your own sweet princess

Do i even need to say anything?  I think these Donna Wilson whimsical goodies speak for themselves.

And now for that special little surprise…  well, it’s more like a revealing cliffhanger i suppose….  are you hating me for getting your hopes up?  Well, don’t let them fall because very soon they will be met with our very first MonkeySaidBear Giveaway!!!  yahoo!!  We have now officially been posting for over a year and we are so thankful for each and every one of you readers.  So to reward you, we will have our first (hopefully of many) fun giveaway in which one of you will receive a very lovely and unique prize straight from us…. your favorite blog (right?).  Details forthcoming.  And if anyone is an artist or maker or creator of any sort, let us know if you’d like to contribute to future give-aways.  It’s a great way to get your goods out there… to our readers and for the enjoyment of big mouths who are certain to share their delight.

That’s right.  Baby Bea is a Bea…. meaning, a girl.  Which means that the MSB gals will soon have two sweet lil’ msb (lower-case) gals runnin’ about & causin’ glorious trouble!

So Exciting.  Thank God for these most perfect of Gifts!

images via the lovely eye and family of  Nectar & Light

Starling’s Picks:

For the dad who likes to cook:
The BBQ Sword

For the music lovin’ dad:
Giant earbud iPod speakers

For the dad who like to try new things:
Beer of the Month Club membership

For the dad seeking wisdom from more experienced fathers:
Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

And finally, for the dad who’s a total bada$$ and needs a place to keep his ax, and by ax, I don’t mean guitar:
Ax Sling

Wren’s Picks:

For the hip modern city-dweller who needs something to allow him to use his cool new bbq sword

FRYKAT Picnic Charcoal Grill

For the Hipster whose gal pleads for more unique and romantic date ideas (and for something to sit on after spearing veggie burgers with your bbq sword on your picnic grill)

Buffalo Plaid Picnic Blanket

For “the man’s man” who just might give up his favorite recliner for a chance to see it live

Sports tickets

For the stylishly preppy man who values good quality (and a good quality woman)

j.crew leather messenger bag

Bea and I were fortunate enough to hit Florida before the oil spill, so we had a wonderful week of sun, sand, food, and Veronica Mars Season One in Port St. Joe.

We stayed in a gorgeously decorated condo at Windmark Beach. Seriously, I wanted to take home everything in that condo.

(Condo and resort pictures from here and here.)

We ate a lot of great food that week at Joe Mama’s, The Dockside Cafe, Firefly, and our own kitchen, but the culinary highlight of the trip for me was lunch at Killer Seafood in Mexico Beach.

There was only one hog outside when we visited. I had the Killer Fish Tacos. AMAZING!!!

Bea saved me, Mr. Starling and Mr. Bea from being eaten by a giant relative of this guy:

And of course, I was finally able to introduce Bea and her husband to my hero:

All this is to say we had a wonderful time, and I highly recommend the Port St. Joe area for vacationing. So, once the threat of oily water and beaches subsides, you should do your part to help the people of Florida recover from the economic impact, and plan your vacation there.

I love sleeping. See you next week.

And the reason for all the sleepiness?  A very very cute baby that will be here in about 7 months! Hunky J and I got to see the baby do a series of punches and karate kicks on a recent ultrasound. It’s going to be a pretty tough baby.


With all that being said, here are the things that I’m loving this week!


The Rifle Paper Company has amazing customized illustrated notes and cards. Why wouldn’t you want your face on your stationary?

Bugs freak me out.  A lot. So why not have some plants in the yard that naturally repel them?  GENIUS. Ecosalon has a list of 12 pesticidal plants that keep the creepy crawlers away.

Homemade pop tarts from Smitten Kitchen. Major noms.

I consistently daydream about 2 things: building furniture and living on a farm (which Wren and I have already discussed how she will have a carriage house and horse on said farm). So to get my woodworking fix, I often find myself browsing This Old House’s site looking for projects. You need to see this gem – how to make a headboard from bifold doors.  AMAZING!

You need to check out Josh Ritter’s song Change of Time.  You can play the song using the control below so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t listen to it right now!

Apartment Therapy’s tutorial on how to turn a bookcase into a bar.

I’ve been listening to Andew Bird’s 2005 album The Mysterious Production of Eggs a lot recently. If you haven’t heard this album, start with Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left, and then just go ahead and buy the album because it’s amazing.

DIY reclaimed wood bench (via designmom)

West Elm’s Patch NYC framed wall art (via designsponge)

And because I am a 7 year old girl at heart, I was very happy when I saw this picture on Martha Stewart’s website. How can you not love a cat in a sweater? It’s impossible!

What were your favorite things this week?

According to the linked article “By switching away from boxes, Puma is saving 8,500 tons of paper, a million litres of water and a million litres of fuel. The system will reduce paper used for shoeboxes by 65% and carbon emissions by 10 tons per year.” And, the Clever Little Bag is sure to draw a customer’s eye in any shoe store already crowded with cardboard boxes. I like the idea of reusing the bag when packing a suitcase, to keep dirty shoe soles from touching your clothes.

Behar is something of a star in the industrial design world, and he has a slew of interesting products to his credit. Check out some of them here.

I haven’t had a pair of Puma’s since the 8th grade, but this new packaging system makes me want to revisit the brand.

DIY trumeau from Susie Harris

I found out this week that Damien Jurado is coming to Louisville, KY in June.

Smoky sweet jalapeno pork recipe (page 20)  from Nesting Newbies online magazine.  Check out all the crockpot recipes in the Winter issue.  They look amazing!

Check out Sam Reynold’s song on the All Songs Considered blog (which you can download the featured songs for free!).  This is the perfect chilling-at-home-with-no-lights-on-and-there-is-a-soft-spring-breeze-coming-in-through-the-open-window-song.

Last but certainly not least, I would like to wish our dear friend Wren a very happy birthday! I love you so much, and I hope you have an amazing day!

What were your favorite things this week? Let us know and wish Wren a happy birthday!

Although, I appreciate everything you have done for me over the years, I feel like it is time to move on. It’s not you, it’s me. I will always remember the good times we have had. Nothing will ever take that away, but I have finally realized that there are other breakfast pastries that are as good if not better than you.

Love,
Bea

PS – Can I get my CDs back? Just give them to Starling. She’ll get them to me.

I’m in charge of making a breakfast birthday treat for a coworker tomorrow, and I automatically defaulted to the breakfast pastry staple: the cinnamon roll.  I can’t deny the tastiness of a well-made cinnamon roll, but they are just so boring and completely uninspiring.  So, I resolved to find a replacement – something bigger, better, and tastier.  I trolled the internet for a few hours, and then I found it on www.thekitchn.com (I really love that site. A lot.).

Cinnamon Roll, I’d like you to meet your replacement, Sticky Lemon Roll with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze.

A sweet yet tart glaze on top of a buttery yeast roll? YES PLEASE.

I can’t wait to make these tonight, and I will give you a full report of how they turn out and coworker reviews as soon as I can!