Trunk Shows. Dance Shows. Mermaid Shows.

Ok, there's no actual mermaid show, but there might as well be! Is it just me or do you also have a million things going on? Well, on top of my full-time job, Ivy's 4th birthday earlier this month, ampersand dance company's 2nd concert series, and Halloween tomorrow, I've been gearing up for my first trunk show! My sister-in-law is hosting it over on Kauai so the whole family will be flying over for the weekend. If you're on Kauai, here are the details. Please stop by and say hi! I'll have bunting, headbands and kids aprons. 

I've been loving getting my branding together since switching from "Jed & Ivy" to "Ivy &Co." (Btw- Jed's mom will be selling cupcakes at the trunk show!)

As soon as I get back, we will be putting the finishing touches on inside ampersand, the dance concert I'm directing which opens Nov. 15. If you're on Maui, I hope you can check out this show. It tends to sell out, so get your tix early. 

And since I don't know when I'll get to post about Ivy's mermaid costume, here's a sneak peek. 

And, like clockwork, as I sit here writing this blog post from the chair at the hair salon, the opening song from ampersand's debut concert back in January has begun playing on the radio. How do I tell my hair dresser that I'm compelled to get up and dance? :) 

Aloha, Becca

Do you meal-plan?

Every wife/mother/eat-at-home-adult has their go-to meals. But when it is 5:00pm (or worse, 7:15pm, when I usually get home from work) and you haven't even thought about dinner, most likely it's not going to turn out very pretty. And 9 times out of 10 will probably just get take-out, which is usually not budget or diet-friendly, is it now? 

Do you plan out your meals each week? We started doing it this summer, and boy, has it helped immensely! I'll be honest, I resisted the meal-plan. I really did. I felt like it was way too "mother-of-the-year/martha-stewart." I thought it was going to drive me insane, and make me feel like a slave to grocery shopping and cooking. But, it's actually had the reverse effect! My grocery lists are more accurate, and I go to the store once a week, rather than a couple times each week, because I no longer forget to buy stuff the first time around. 

When I finally caved in to the meal-plan, I asked Kit to sit down with me and tell me what he would like to have each week. We came up with "theme-nights" more or less, to help us. Here's what's posted on our fridge:

MONDAY: BBQ

TUESDAY: Mexican, a.k.a. "Taco Tuesday" (tacos, burritos, enchiladas)

WEDNESDAY: Asian (stir-fry or ginger-sesame chicken over rice)

THURSDAY: Left-overs

FRIDAY: Take-Out

SATURDAY: Crock-pot (chili, beef stew, shoyu chicken)

SUNDAY: Italian (spaghetti, pesto, alfredo)

Under each meal, I list which ingredients we will need to have in our fridge and pantry to make these meals happen, which is what makes my shopping list so much more efficient. 

We've actually already revised the meal plan once since summer time, since my schedule is way different in the summer versus the school year. Thursday and Friday are busier days for me at work, so those are the best days to have leftovers and take-out and not have to worry about cooking. I'll be honest, I've gotten a little bored some weeks eating the same thing, but it's way easier to throw some variety into an existing meal structure, than it is to just dream up an entire meal every night, on the spot.  

Though it probably works well for some, I think the idea that women around the world were planning their meals on the following apparatus' was overwhelming me from even getting started on meal-planning:

from allparenting.com

from momsbyheart.net

from reasonstoskipthehousework.com

As you can see, my meal plan is on simple To-Do list paper written with a basic ball-point pen. I like it that way. It works for me. Maybe one day I'll graduate to DIY frames, clothespins or binders.

If you're nervous to get started, I encourage you to just give in and try it out! I'm so glad we did.

Aloha,

Becca

Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice

I’ve been hearing about it for a while. A good long while. I don’t know why I haven’t tried it by now. But last Saturday, I finally gave in to Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice. I really had no excuse: there is one right down the road from my house! 

I think the last straw was seeing a photo series by Pixie Bug Studio (a.k.a. June Harper Photography) about Ululani’s. It featured her adorable boys, their cousins and friends, all enjoying Ululani’s Shave Ice. (Her photo gallery is now displayed in Ululani's bakery area, which is set to open later this month. You can also check it out on her facebook page: click here). So on a lazy Saturday afternoon, I told Ivy, “Let’s go get shave ice!” 

The facility was SUPER clean. 

The workers were SUPER friendly. 

The wait time was SUPER quick. 

(I’ve been to shave ice places where you had to wait 20 minutes, with only 2 people in front of you. It really tests my patience!!) 

Their future bakery area was really cute. Maybe in the future they’ll commission me to paint some furniture pieces for them? :)

I also loved their eating area. Again, pretty clean, but also had these convenient holes in the tables so you didn't have to worry about your shave ice tipping over. Can you say kid-friendly?!

We got some good ole' Vanilla, Banana and Tiger’s Blood with Mochi and Snow Cap add-on’s. It was super yummy. Here’s what really got me: look below at their ingredients description, straight from their website. It makes me feel a lot better about eating “sugar-water.”

One little sentimental aspect of this trip to Ululani's was their location. You see, when I was Ivy's age, and even younger, there used to be a store in this same spot called "Suda's Store." It was across the street from Kihei Canoe Club, where I spent many a weekend watching my family paddle in regatta's. It was always so special when my mom would give me $2.50 to walk over and get shave ice. I wish Suda's still existed, but since it doesn't, I think Ululani's is a great replacement. 

One thing I liked on their website was their description of how they serve with the Aloha Spirit:

• A - Akahai – meaning kindness to be expressed with tenderness
• L - Lokahi – meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony
• O - `Olu`olu – meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness
• H - Ha`aha`a – meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty
• A - Ahonui – meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance

www.ululanisshaveice.com

Lahaina: 819 Front St. & 790 Front St.

Kihei: 61 S. Kihei Rd.

Kahului: 333 Dairy Rd.

(808) 877-3700

And according to their website, they do catering! 

So, tell me about your visit to Ululani’s!

Aloha, 

Rebecca

This post is not a paid advertisement. No money was involved in the writing of this post. It is completely voluntary. I don’t even know who the owners of Ululani’s are, nor have they contacted me to write this. I just like to get the word out about great Local Spots!

In Hawaii, we Upcycle Ukuleles

Ok. Honestly, I'm the only one that I know of who has upcycled an ukulele in Hawaii. 

Or anywhere, for that matter. 

You see, one day Kit came home with a  a really nice ukulele. 

That's great and all, but Ivy is 3 and just wanted to bang that thing!

She really needed a junk ukulele that she could go to town on.

 I found this gem at a garage sale. The ukulele, not Ivy.

 Yes, that's a Super Why sticker on it. It's covering a hole. These things are a dime a dozen at every ABC Store.

Don't forget the Thomas the Train sticker on the back.

I covered the knobs in tape, and kilzed it. (See the hole?)

A little paint, modge podge and some fabric, and oila!

It sounds terrible, but she can drop it, bang it, or pretend to be a Hawaiian pop star and no one can scold her. :)

Aloha, Rebecca

4f47350a395f4500d88cd78228b4dc305eb787cbe241a2e2f3

"Jed & Ivy" is now "Ivy & Co"... Facebook and Twitter are live!

I've made the switch from www.jedandivy.blogspot.com to www.ivy-and-co.com!

In just 15 hours of having my facebook page live, I'm already at over 200 likes! 

It was so fun to post ALL my projects over there. It was a trip down memory lane, for sure, and I can't believe all the projects I've done in the past 21 months of blogging. 

Head on over to facebook if you want to 'like' Ivy and Co... click here.

I'm brand new to twitter... uh oh. If you'd like to follow me there, click here. 

And maybe you can give me some tips while you're at it. I have no clue what I'm doing.

Thanks for being on this blogging journey with me!

Aloha,

Rebecca