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Feathered Nest

Beach Cottagification

The front porch needed a little summer color.

Many flowers or plants don’t make it because of the heat here in the SCV.

At first I thought a few cactus plants would work, but they’re not very colorful and not to mention kid-friendly!

The guy at Home Depot said these would survive the summer outside as long as they had shade.

I just replanted them in a couple old bowls with a little organic potting soil…

I envisioned different heights of pails, but these were literally the last two at Dollar Tree.

Maybe a couple more shorter ones along with some different varieties of drought resistant plants?

And maybe some little white lights threaded through the wrought iron to brighten it up in the evenings?

For now, it’s simple, colorful and semi-beachy!

Along with our dirty surfboard doormat from 2-3 summers ago…

…and a little sign hanging from the arbor:

Welcoming July and longing for a couple REAL beach days soon!

Turning The Corner

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This week is off to a MUCH better start.

Thank goodness.

If things didn’t change from last week, it was going to be a LONG, and not in a good way, summer!

Today we packed a quick picnic of ‘wiches, cantaloupe and graham crackers and headed to the pool.

The 1.5 foot deep baby pool was wide open and we staked our claim.

Heaven.

I pulled my lounge chair into partial shade, kicked my feet up and chatted with Hollie while the kiddos splashed, dove and played with the noodle.

It was perfect.

They were safe & happy.

I was relaxed & happy.

A wonderful combination for both parties I must say.

We’ve GOT to do that more often.

I’ve always been nervous to take two non-swimmers to the pool, but if we stay in the kiddie pool, it’s all good in the ‘hood.

They get worn out and I get a break along with a little color.

Hollie kept an eye on Holden while I took the girls into the big pool. Elliott and I practiced her swimming and I am so pleased that she is becoming stronger and stronger and will be on her own by summer’s end, I’m sure.

The icing on the cake was that they exited the pool, dried off, changed and walked to the car without fuss.

Shangri-La, I tell you.

The rest of this week and next week is full so I am certain that we are truly turning the corner and on our way to a HAPPY summer.

Just the way it should be.

{Pooped after the pool}

*****

Speaking of HAPPY, check out this sweet, vintage PANCAKE wedding reception!

Such an inexpensive & creative idea…especially since they shared their first date over a stack of pancakes!

So sweet and dripping with maple syrupy goodness.

Love it. Breakfast At Sunset.

Thinking outside the box.

Pure genius.

I want to recreate this oasis in my back patio and eat all our summer meals there! I love the whole “bringing the inside out” look. May just look for an old kitchen table and mismatched chairs at the next community garage sale!

And that old, shabby chic bench…………..

*****

I was going to have Taco Tuesday tonight with some homemade Taco Bell inspired tacos with seasoned ground beef and crispy corn shells……but, I didn’t feel like running to the store and chancing taking the wind out of my Tuesday sails, so we had hamburger hot dogs and cantaloupe instead.

I just took about a pound of ground beef, mixed it with half a grated red onion, an egg white and this seasoning mix.

We had one hamburger bun and 4 hot dog buns, so I formed the “patties” accordingly:

{I know…this pic is a little disturbing. No jokes, please!}

Just fire up your barbie or pull out your grill pan and cook these babies up. Place on the corresponding bun and garnish with your favorite hot dog/burger toppings. We used ketchup, mustard, minced onion and jalapeños. They would be delish as chili cheese hot dog burgers, as well!

Anyway, it’s fun to switch it up a bit and save yourself a trip to the store at the same time!

Plus, there are plenty more summer Tuesdays for tacos.

*****

Flip Flop Fitness Update ~ 2.22.10

2 cups coffee with 4 tbsp. creamer: 4 points

3/4 cup Kashi cereal with 1/2 cup organic lowfat milk: 3.5 points

2 cups cantaloupe: 2 pts.

turkey and light cheddar with mustard on sandwich thin: 4 points

1 small bag mini Oreos: 3 points

2 graham crackers: 3 points {Snacky Snackerson today! ;-( }

1/4 lb. hamburger & bun: 6 points

Total points: 25.5

Workout: Zilch, Zip, Nada

{Shame on me!}

DIY(ish) Book/Mag Rack

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I bought this black plate rack forever and a day ago at Home Goods.

It never made it onto the wall for whatever reason.

One can of red spray paint later and you have a cute, curly crimson book rack for your new reading nook!

I’ll look for some more substantial pillows, but these will do for now:

And a little added self-portrait artwork from school:

The perfect little summer reading spot.

I think it’ll also make a fun place to display cards during the holidays!

*****

Flip Flop Fitness Update ~ 6.14.10

2 cups coffee w/ 4 total tbsp. FF Hazelnut Creamer: 2 points

1 Slimfast shake: 3 points

Ham & cheese on Multi-grain sandwich thin w/ mustard: 5 points

2 cups cantaloupe: 2 points

1/2 cup canned FF refried beans: 2 points (random snack)

Safeway “Eating Right” Sesame Chicken frozen meal: 7 points (dinner)

1 Tootsie Roll: 1 point??

Total points: 22

Workout:

Walked to gym (2.0 round trip)

45+ minutes on elliptical @ 10 resistance (4.25 miles, 500 cals)

Simple Spring Spruce Up

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I wanted to do a little something to make our room “POP!” for Spring. A couple months ago I found a bed-in-a-bag deal at Target for next to nothing. Check it out here.

This is our room “before”:

Here is the “after”:

I switched out the little mirrored pieces above our bed with something that had a bit more color. Elliott came home with some sweet, bright & cheery artwork, and once again, I thought that would be the perfect punch for Spring.

I love these mirrored frames by Addison Ross:

I figured I could pick up something similar for far less. I found some small lightweight 4X6 mirrored frames at the 99¢ store of all places. I thought that since they were hung high up framing her darling pieces that would take away the dollar store feel….they don’t look too bad from far away!

My favorite is the yellow in the middle:

Just some simple yellow circles that she cut out and arranged with glue ~ nothing fancy!

And I don’t know who I’m kidding having a WHITE dust ruffle with 2 dogs, but it adds a nice crisp feel.

Also, the vase of daffodils is a joke….those’ll be spilled in 2.5 seconds one night when I’m at the gym, but you get the gist!

I wanted to call this a makeover, but it’s hardly that…just a couple little changes from swapping out the over 3 year old comforter to adding a splash of color. Trying to stay with my new “keep it simple” attitde.

All for about $25.

The cost of ONE Addison Ross 4X6 mirrored frame!

Pizzazz In The Bedroom

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I made a little purchase awhile ago and am getting ready to reveal it…

I’m a little nervous because I don’t know if Jay will be on board…it’s bright!

BUT, I fell in love not only with the merchandise, but the little reddish-orange sticker that was affixed to it.

(That’s $79.99 marked down to $19.98!!!)

I thought it was perfect for Spring.

A mini makeover for our bedroom.

Coming soon!

Basket Case

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I l.o.v.e. baskets.

They are the perfect catch-all for small things that need to be out of sight. Baskets help me with my “5-minute clean up”.

There’s always a point in the day where the toy covered floors push me over the edge and I need a quick resolution. This is usually right before naps – I like to relax and look at a straightened up house while they are down.
We just toss everything in it’s assigned basket and in a few minutes, the place looks presentable again!

This is our puzzle basket:

This is our little container for small odds and ends:


This is our shoe basket at the foot of the stairs:


Baskets full of little clothes:


…and a basket full of little books:

Stuffed toys:

and unstuffed toys!:

Yes, we have a basket for everything!

Now, looks like I need a 5-minute clean up on the bookshelf:

It was one of those days when I would get one area straightened up and another would spontaneously combust!

Oh wait…..isn’t that everyday?

This Little House

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March ’03 was a big month for Jay and me…

We made an offer on our first house.

It was a darling mid-30s Craftsman in an old neighborhood of San Diego called Talmadge. This little, almost 1500 square foot house was full of character & charm and had LOTS of potential…Jay and I were both working full-time and all we had time to do was some interior painting and tile the entry way. We lived here for 2.5 years before Jay took a job in the Bay Area and we put it on the market.

This little house is still very special, though….it was our first place together, we got engaged in it, celebrated many holidays in it, and brought our first born daughter home here.

This little house enabled us to get into a brand new, upgraded home in the Bay Area.

This little house holds a lot of memories.

We figured we’d get more “lookers” (and more offers!) if we painted it a more neutral color on the outside. Whoever bought it must’ve not been afraid of a little color on the inside!

Our time on 46th Street was short lived, but the memories are fOrEvEr happy in this quirky little “turquoise” house!

Back To Earth

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After an “out of this world” weekend celebrating Holden’s Happy Day, it’s Monday again and we’re back down to reality!

A to-do list awaits me (and it’s a cUtE to-do list, I might add):

There are thank you notes to be written for all of Holden’s fabulous gifts…

Birth certificates to order and appointments to be made:

Laundry to be done…

And laundry to be folded:

Floors to be vacuumed:

And groceries to be fetched:

Just when all the excitement is over from one celebration, there are a hundred more filling up the calendar ~ Art Night @ E’s preschool, Popsi visiting, Holden’s actual birthday on Thursday, Baby Shower, St. Patty’s Day, Lolo & Lola visiting, Easter, Spring Break, E’s 5th birthday, E’s preschool graduation and her very first official dance recital!

So much to look forward to over the next few months.

Never a dull moment.

LiFe keeping us on our toes.

The good. The bad.

It’s LIFE and eVeRyDaY is special…

…so I will get to it and start checking off my to do list for today.

Hope your Monday is also filled with one check mark after another!

100 & 3

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Today is special for a couple of reasons…

We celebrated Holden’s 3rd birthday.

This is my 100th post.

I’ve been at this blog thing for almost 4 months now and already at 100 entries. Wow! I didn’t think I had that much to say!

I’m having a lot of fun with it and am looking forward to the next 100! If I stay at this rate, we will be at 200 around the first day of Summer. Another reason to celebrate.

Speaking of celebrations, today we had a houseful of astronauts, robots, martians and aliens. Hard to believe my little space cadet is already THREE.

This was Holden when the guests started arriving:

Oops!

It was a BLAST! (pun intended)

Thanks again to all our little astronaut friends for coming to our planet for an afternoon of fun!

Below are a few recipes and links to the extra terrestrial eats:

For the “taco bar” I just browned up a couple packages of ground turkey and chopped onion and added 2 envelopes taco seasoning and a little water. I set out crunchy shells and small flour tortillas with all sorts of toppings lined up ~ shredded lettuce, cheese, sour cream, mango peach salsa, sour cream, jalapeño rings, cilantro lime corn salsa & guacamole. Everyone created their own taco masterpieces ~ super easy!

Battlestar Bean Dip

2 cans Campbell’s Bean soup with bacon

1 pint sour cream

1 package taco seasoning mix

1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and then transfer to an oven safe dish. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with Fritos Scoops or your fave tortilla chips. (Another yummy recipe from Melanie Corona!)

Pineapple Limeade (AKA Solar System Citrus Punch)

Midori Martian Margaritas

Cosmic Cake

Layered Cupcakes

Alien/Martian Sugar Cookies

1 package Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix

McCormick NEON food coloring

1 small container (12 oz.) white/vanilla prepared frosting

Gingerbread man cookie cutter

“Red Hots” candies

Prepare cookies as directed on package for “cutout cookies”. Roll out dough, as directed, and cut out with cookie cutter. Place only about 8 cookies at a time on cookie sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes @ 350. Let cool and then frost with lime green frosting.

Lime green frosting:

I used about 25-30 drops of the green in one small (12 oz.) container of frosting. Frost cookies and then add Red Hots candies for the eyes!

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