Welcome Baby Leila Mae Wolf!

Leila Mae Wolf

Born 2:18am July, 30th 2013 

6lbs 14oz

My sister called me Monday morning and said "this is happening Christine". I rushed to the airport and got the last seat on the last flight out to Nashville that night. When I got to the hospital, Kate had just started what they call 'hard labor', and began pushing about an hour after that. I made it! I feel so grateful that I was able to share such beautiful, amazing, personal experience. It is something I will never forget. Kate was so brave throughout the whole thing and stuck to her goal of having a natural birth! Woot woot! We all overjoyed right now and just can't get enough of this gorgeous baby! I'll report back soon with more pictures-- I have so many more to share. Thanks for all the love and support friends! xo.

deep thought thursday...

(via)

Wandering Wednesday: the weekend rundown aka UMS 2013.

^^ the first night, looking all fresh and clean

^^ my babes. love these ladies

^^ party, party party all weekend long!!!

^^ we were crammed in shoulder to shoulder to hear Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, but nobody cared. They killed it! I loved the horns playing on the rooftop and the amazing energy at this show. To see video footage I took take a look at my Instagram!

^^ I like this guy a little ;)

It was all that I'd hoped for. Until next year, Denver.

it's the {best} weekend! + a UMS music sampling.

I've been bad about posting on Fridays for a while, but this weekend is a very important one here in Denver. In fact, it's one that I look forward to all summer. The Underground Music Showcase (UMS) started last night and if the crowds are any sort of an indication of what's to come, things are going to get a little wild! This is going to be a crazy, sweaty mess of a time, and I am ready to embrace it all the way :) I wanted to share a few of my favorite picks. It's actually really hard to narrow it down to this many, but I didn't want to overload you guys. I am sure there will be even more to report once the weekend is all said and done. For a full list of the weekend lineup click here.

Here are a few national acts I'm looking forward to in no particular order:

PHOX- "Slow Motion" these guys actually played last night. I had never heard them before and loved them. Isn't she such a babe? They also seemed like they'd be really nice people and I liked that. 

Small Black- "No Stranger"

The Fresh & Onlys- "Long Slow Dance"

Cults- "Go Outside"

And these are some local bands I'm excited to see:

In the Whale- "Heels"

Bad Weather California- "Keep It Together" (note: these guys aren't on the official program but play a house show on Saturday. Check out fb for more info )

Kitty Crimes- "Find a Penny"

Princess Music- "Wounded Walrus"

{photos by me, from UMS 2011 & 2012}

Wandering Wednesday: playing catch-up. in pictures.

I already feel like this summer is going way too fast. Like I'm living it daily, but I keep thinking to myself "hold on, wait up!" So here is a little run down, in pictures, of what I've been up to. 

Basically it's this...

+ being outside as much as possible and going on little day adventures here and there

+ watching my Piper grow up into a big kitten, which is breaking my heart and thrilling at the same time (p.s. another kitten update with many more pictures is coming your way soon)

+ lots of coffee, beautiful sunsets, and rooftops to watch them on

+ spur-of-the-moment theme parties that are so fun they leave you wondering why they don't happen more often. I need more costumes in my life!

+ community pool hopping i.e. the search for the cheapest, least crowded pool in the Denver area

+ and Gay Pride, a celebration that means a little more this year and is always one of my favs

(photos from my Instagram, mainly. Follow me @ bits_n_bobs!)

4th of July.

I'm a pretty big fan of this holiday. I mean how can you go wrong with fireworks, friends, grilling out and generally just celebrating for an entire long weekend? Also I am a total dork and love all the color coordinating stuff...I own a surprising amount of red, white and blue. The main firework event for me was actually on the 3rd at Denver's capitol building. We watched them shoot up in the air, as the Colorado Symphony played in the background. It was pretty magical. The next day was spent poolside having a blast with friends, followed by more food, drink, and fireworks. Happy Independence Day America-- I do feel blessed to live in this very beautiful place! 

MAKE: Coconut Banana Tropical Pops.

Hey guys, I know it's been quiet around here. All I can really say is summer kicked it up a notch last week and it got hot finally. real hot. We bought a third a.c. unit for our apartment (mind you, the first two came with the place, but 3 seems like a lot!) and I'm still sweating as I write this. Honestly all I want to do when I get home from work is crack a beer, make dinner, watch about 30 min of tv, and go to bed. am i right?

now onto the good stuff...

Okay speaking of summer...let's talk popsicles-- the perfect icy, cold, beat-the heat snack. Popsicles are pretty great because the possibilities are endless. I recommend avoiding the computer, Pinterest, or any cookbook and trusting your gut. It is a lot more fun that way. 

The inspiration for this pop is a little bit Pina Colada, a little bit Horchata. 

The secret ingredient: cinnamon. 

It's creamy, tropical goodness, I'm telling you.

Ingredients:

1 can of light coconut milk

1/2 a pineapple, cored and cut into pieces

1 banana, chopped

1 tbsp. cinnamon 

agave or honey for sweetness (optional)

MAKE:

Pour 1 can of coconut milk into a bowl, add the banana and cinnamon

Mix with a hand mixer (or mix all ingredients in a blender) until smooth

Add the pineapple and blend again until fully incorporated.

Add additional sweetness if desired.

pour into your popsicle molds or popsicle making device.

Let freeze for appropriate amount of time.

Enjoy!

Note: I used my Zoku Quick Pop maker for these pops, but you can use any popsicle mold you may have at home. Since mine only makes 3 pops at a time, I saved the leftover mixture in the fridge for up to two days and made new ones whenever I craved another sweet treat! The recipe made around 10 total pops for me, but this may vary depending on the size and shape of your molds!