Just returned from S’mores Territory.
Three days filled with toasted marshmallows, Hershey’s, graham crackers and SO much more.
*****
It was so so great to get away for a few days, but it’s good to be back.
I’ve missed you all…
We’re on Fall Break over here so I’ll have a sweet treat and hopefully some Fall/Halloween decor to share with you this week!
The weather is FINALLY cooperating.
Yipee!
XOXO
Today I was able to already check off {Halloween costumes} on my October to-do list.
Thank goodness.
I always stress over this.
{via}
Surprise!
Elliott wanted to be a cheerleader.
AGAIN.
I suggested she be a {scary} cheerleader and she was all for it. Rah. Rah. I found a cheerleader costume in orange and black sequins with a skull and crossbones on the front at TJ Maxx ~ just $19.99 and it came with skeleton pom poms, black and orange striped knee highs and some little fingerless glove thingys. Score.
She already has silver sequined high tops so we’re all set.
So this year we have a little mummy and a spooky, sparkly spirit girl.
Awesome. Now I can breathe and enjoy the whole month of October.
Halloween decor coming out this week.
How is it possible that it’s already that time?
I don’t know, but I’m not complaining.
Enjoy the last hour and fifteen of September!
Night night.
XO
{via}
This past Sunday afternoon I attended Blog Sugar.
{I was lame and did not take any pictures….please click link above to see oodles from the amazing event}
Even though I went by myself, I wasn’t ALONE. I prayed on the drive down.
I just kept reminding myself, “All you have to do is BE YOURSELF, Amy!”
*****
I immediately met Kimmie while walking through the parking lot.
{Kimmie was so sweet to mention me in her post. I was so touched.}
It was a treat to meet Erin {who has been a faithful flopper for almost as long as I’ve been blogging}, Mel, Heather and Jessica!
I took a deep breath and introduced myself to Meg and Julie.
I was honored to share a table for the evening with Michele, Paula, one of the only gentlemen there and his wife and darling Andrea!
I got to sit in and listen to Lindsey, Julie & Jeannett and Jen during our three breakout sessions.
Lindsey taught me so much about {juggling} gracefully.
Julie taught me so much about putting YOURSELF out there for GOD’s good. Your {little} idea could snowball into so much more.
Jeannett taught me that my blog is not MY blog and to always “Bring it!”
Jen taught me more about the art of taking beautiful photos to tell my story.
I was humbled to learn more about LOVE146 and spoke to Danielle on the way out as I picked up a tee and made a donation to this worthy, worthy cause.
As I was going through my fun swag bag, I came across a printable from Red Letter Words that really resonated with me…
She knew that she was here for such a time as this
Even though I was nervous the entire time and just kept chatting to hide my nerves, {I knew that I was there because that is where I belong} ~ in the presence of dozens and dozens of other women who blog for the exact same reason that I do.
To share.
To inspire.
To encourage.
To grow.
To LOVE.
She knew that she was here for such a time as this
I love that. {thank you, Dee!}
Here is a fun {vlog} from the conference put together by Denise @ Victory Road…look for me, the girl in the hat, at about 1:40.
And if meeting all these vibrant, talented ladies and hearing their words was not enough, I also won the first giveaway of the evening ~ an adorable Gussy Sews tote and a gorgeous Lisa Leonard pinwheel necklace!
Thank you! Thank you!
Some other beautiful ladies I met were Aly, Crystal, Emily, Genn, Hannah, Heather, Jami, Kate, Kim, Leslie, Mindy, Nancy & Shauna.
*****
This post is merely a spoonful from the gorgeous, vintage bowl of sweetness that was Blog Sugar.
Above all, I learned that I have so much more to learn.
My eyes are open. My heart is open.
Thank you Rachel, Andrea & Jen!
It was so so great.
XOXO
This morning we visited The Gentle Barn.
It amazes me that these animals ALL have come from abuse, neglect, animal hoarding or slaughter and have been rehabilitated and regained their trust in humans.
{feeding carrots}
{petting Portia & Ellen DeGeneres’ cow, Holy}
{Yoda the emu}
The kids were a wee bit overdressed for such a place.
I had visions of a possible Christmas card photo shoot, but I think Jay’s mind was on getting home to watch the Chargers rather than snapping a bajillion photos in a petting zoo of sorts.
{on an old red tractor}
On Elliott:
Big Red Bow ~ Cheapy accessory store from a mall in Charlotte for $1
Ruched sleeve shrug ~ Belk via Lola
White tank ~ Target Disney line {D-signed}
Red rosette ~ made by Mama
Skinny jeans ~ Vigoss via Ross
Gray {fake suede} boots ~ Ross
On Holden:
Plaid dress shirt ~ Nordstrom
Graphic Tee ~ The Children’s Place
Jeans ~ Levi’s {slim straight} via Ross
Plaid tennies ~ Target for $3
Spikey hairs ~ Got2B “Glued” {yellow tube}
{Lloved this llama!}
I really enjoyed this place and would like to go back and spend more time.
Maybe a Sunday during football off season! 😉
Only open on Sundays between 10am and 2pm….
*****
It’s so wonderful to think what this couple and all the volunteers do. To know that these beautiful creatures have come from unthinkable situations and are now literally eating out of our hands makes my heart so happy.
An animal’s eyes have the power to speak a great language ~ Martin Buber
{this trip served as our [visit local animal shelter] task on our summer to-do list}
Last night five mamas packed up some appetizers & wine, headed up to our clubhouse, sat in the jacuzzi and chatted for over 3 hours.
It was delightful.
{our view}
We pulled over a chaise lounge and lined up our {dinner} ~ smoked salmon spread on Wasa crackers, spicy guac with tortilla chips, deviled eggs and shrimp cocktail.
We also sipped wine from red plastic SOLO cups {classy, huh, but at least we were trying to follow the [no glass] rule!} and nibbled on these.
Besides the odd security guard that passed through a couple times, there was a couple wanna-be spa-goers that came through the gate and quickly decided not to join us which we were completely OK with! About an hour went by and we heard the gate slam shut yet again…..a very young twentysomething {?} couple started walking up to the jacuzzi and climbed in. I kinda smiled and said, “Oh, don’t mind us!” We continued our mama conversations which included c-sections, infertility, migraines, the challenges of packing school lunches, how caffeine keeps some of us up all night and all that good stuff. Needless to say, the young’uns stepped out, wrapped their towels around them and bolted after about 1o minutes. We were dying laughing as they were walking away!
That’s what you get for trespassing in a spa full of mamas who don’t get out much ~ ha!
I rolled in at 12:15am!
This is certainly not something that can be done all the time, but it was fun and much needed after the last month of new school routines.
Happy Thursday!
My Mom/Gramma celebrated her 70th birthday over Labor Day weekend.
We knew all along, obviously, that we wanted to do something extra special to celebrate and toyed with the idea of a surprise party, a gathering at a fun Mexican restaurant overlooking Lake Hodges, a formal dinner party or appetizers at sunset. We decided {just 2 weeks before the party} that it would be a beachy brunch.
I sprung into action and set out to find all things turquoise, blue and green! I picked up these simple seashell notecards at Michael’s for just 75¢ a pack, quickly drafted up the inside, printed them and popped them in the mail.
The same day I found the invites, I also picked up four colored glass bottles at Ross on clearance for $2.49 each…
You can see a couple of them in the pic above ~ the other two were perched on the mantel and in the entry way. I also found a cute, beachy sign that said “Sands Of Time” that I leaned up again the bottle that greeted the guests at the front door {unfortunately no pic, but that was also just $2.49}. The turquoise branches were recycled from Elliott’s party in May.
The tablecloth was just a huge piece of burlap that I bought at Home Depot thanks to the idea from my good friend and fellow party planner, Lisa! It was less than $4 and fit the table perfectly. I liked the fact that it was rustic and wrinkled and gave the impression of sand on the beach.
I tried to keep the menu easy and delicious, of course. I chose to do a couple of the breakfast casseroles that can be prepared the night before and taken from the fridge to the oven the next morning for stress-free entertaining. I did one with sourdough, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and feta adapted from here. Then I did one with the hash browns, sausage, onions, red peppers and cheddar. {see how it comes together in the link above} They were both a huge hit. I named the menu items after San Diego beaches ~ Coronado Breakfast Casserole, Wind N Sea Breakfast Casserole, Fiesta Island Fruit Salad and Mission Beach Monkey Bread.
We sipped on champagne drinks ~ mimosas {OJ} and hibiscus {cranberry juice}
For desserts I made the cake batter blondies, picked up some mini cupcakes and a mini new york cheesecake…
I used some coordinating ribbon {75¢/roll} and made some little picks for the desserts.
It was great to see so many friends from throughout the years…
{Playing “Happy Birthday” on the maracas!}
Singing, making a wish and blowing out the candles…
*****
I really did enjoy throwing this together at the {last minute}. I did what I could here at home like make the paint chip buntings, plan the menu, make the blondies and shop for a few decorations. I made my grocery list, shopped in San Diego and knocked that out the afternoon before the party via Trader Joe’s and Albertson’s. What I love about brunch is that it is extremely affordable ~ all the groceries for about 40 people were approximately $75. I decorated and prepped the casseroles the night before so all I had to do before the party {started at 11am} was put together the fruit salad {bought pre-chopped melon and added grapes} in the glass jar, make the monkey bread and plate the desserts.
Invites, paper plates, napkins, utensils, cups and decor were about $30…everything else I already had or utilized from my mom’s already beachy house!
It was the easiest, breeziest {to-go} party and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
Mom/Gramma, we hope you enjoyed visiting with all your precious friends and neighbors. Here’s to a wonderful, fresh new year ahead for you! We love you very much and are fortunate to have you in our lives.
*****
I could never stay long enough on the shore, the tang of the untainted, fresh and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought. ~ Hellen Keller
The sea, once it casts it’s spell, holds one in it’s net of wonder forever. ~ Jacques Cousteau
Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
The majority of our holiday weekend was spent in San Diego.
We took the kids to their first MLB game at Petco Park ~ Padres vs. Colorado Rockies
Churros, nachos and draft beers were involved.
The Pads lost. Surprise.
But it was a good game for awhile….
We also celebrated a very special birthday ~ Gramma’s 70th!
More on that tomorrow.
Hope you had a nice relaxing Labor Day weekend. Summer’s over and Fall’s almost here.
Hoping the weather will follow suit. I’m ready for scarves and Uggs.
Looks like we’re already sliding right into September!
{thanks for the photo, Wendy}
Good bye, August.
Good bye sno-cones, slip-n-slides, concerts in the park and carefree summer days.
Hello homework, reading logs, collecting Box Tops and searching for items for {share day}!
September is full of all sorts of good stuff like play dates, dance classes, celebrating Gramma’s milestone 70th birthday, the kids’ first Padre game, picture day, the beginning of religious education classes, a visit from Popsi, more birthday parties and my first blog conference, Blog Sugar.
I’m sure the next 30 days will also be a blur, but trying my best to slow down and ENJOY each day.
Hope you’re doing the same!
XOXO
Well Hello and Happy Monday!
I just realized that I haven’t really been posting much on the weekends…not my intention, but I guess it’s OK because that means that we’ve been busy and still enjoying summer even though school is definitely in full swing again.
*****
Today marks day 28 of my 30 Day Shred.
I have to say that I have been MUCH better this time around. I did take a couple days off due to my knee bothering me, but I did something in lieu of the DVD those days ~ either biking or walking the big loop in our development at night. I love that the DVD is only 30 minutes and I really try to give it my all and make the most of the half hour with Jill and her girls. Also, I’ve been using 4 pound hand weights and I can probably go up to 5 pounders. Today the kids did it with me and used the Handy Manny plastic tools as their hand weights…yes, Squeeze, Pat, Felipe and Dusty joined in on today’s shred ~ WHATEVER works.
I feel great, though and can tell a difference, but I certainly need to tighten up the eating. I was doing great with that for the first two and a half weeks and then got a little lazy.
*****
Speaking of eating better, I have a couple healthy recipes to share since the last couple were far from it…
Spicy Honey Lime flank steak and this quinoa salad from Pinterest {thanks Erma for pinning it!}…
I marinated the flank steak in 1/4 cup honey, the juice of 3 limes, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 tbsp Sriracha for about an hour and a half, flipping from time to time. Jay grilled for about 6 minutes on each side. Will make great salads and sandwiches throughout the week.
I also made Giada’s gazpacho last week…
It’s verrry healthy if you don’t put anything on it! She topped it with some polenta croutons which looked amazing. I, however, threw on some cheese & garlic croutons from my pantry. Would also be nice with a little dollop of light sour cream and some crushed tortilla chips.
The perfect summer soup since it’s served cold and has a nice refreshing kick to it.
*****
LOVE this pic of Holden and me taken this weekend at the concert in the park…
{yes, I am fully clothed and no, Holdy is not drugged}
*****
This week is a jumble of the new school schedule, homework {already!}, pool time {if they behave!}, park play date, dance class and two birthday parties this weekend.
Never a dull moment.
Hope your week is off to a successful start!
