the jersey shore.

 

we just returned home from our annual summer visit to new jersey and spending some of our days by the shore. it is definitely a place i love and a time i look forward to every year. although i have lived many places in my life, somehow the jersey shore always feels like home. and i couldn't be happier to share time together there as a family.

the evening hours, when mostly everyone has gone home for the day are definitely the best

 slade sporting a summer mohawk and relaxing with jeff while the girls enjoy treats from the ice cream man- chipwiches, screwballs and choco tacos are their favorites.

countless hours spent digging holes and building sand castles

 

until next year, i will so miss these simple days of summertime that i love so much and bring me joy. 

 we'll see you again next year!!!!!

happy september.

although it is only the first of september and my children have been back in school for a month now, i am already missing summer. actually, i am missing the jersey shore and i wish we could sneak back before fall truly arrives.


maybe it's the fact that our temperatures here are still in the 90's each day. and maybe because labor day weekend is upon us. i am just feeling like we should be at the shore celebrating with family and friends and enjoying the last big weekend of summer.


being at the shore is one of my favorite places to be during the summer. it always has been since i was a little girl and i think it will always will be. thankfully, my children enjoy it as much as i do and together we love to spend countless summer hours there.


how about you, does it feel like it is fall where you are at? and where is your favorite place to be during the summer?

happy september!
(even though i am still dreaming about summer!!)

goodbyes + a week at the shore.

this past week we said goodbye again after spending a whole week together as a family, including a few days by the shore. jeff boarded a plane last wednesday and headed back to work and the kids and i stayed behind in new jersey. we spent the rest of the week at my sister's beach house on the shore in sea isle.

we truly spent the entire week on the beach. jeff and i indulged in long walks alone, hand in hand, we talked about our hopes and dreams and what we think our future holds. i actually sat down and was able to read while jeff played ball with the kids. slade, elle and sia found a love for boogie boarding and enjoyed playing for hours in the surf. we were lucky to have both of our parents join us for a relaxing day on the beach too.

and, after long days on the beach, we had dinners of clams, shrimp, ceviche and even rolled out the brown paper one night for a crab feast on the porch. yum! our vacation at the shore couldn't be any more wonderful!

a big thank you to my twin sister lisa for welcoming us to her beach house for the week. we hope it wasn't our last goodbye to the jersey shore for the summer. hopefully we'll be back soon!!

enjoy the weekend + some things.

do you have any plans for the weekend? we plan on heading down to the shore to enjoy some time on the beach before jeff heads back to work on wednesday. i am looking forward to long lazy days in the warm sun, walks along the shore and playing in the sand and surf with jeff and the kids. i can hardly wait. being on the beach brings me such peace and contentment and just makes me happy.

whatever your plans... i hope you enjoy your weekend and some of these things too!!

perfect DIY for those empty wine bottles
reminder to play everyday
sweet gift for father's day
painted votives
i'll be doing this soon
love the new issue of sweet paul magazine
a backyard office

spring break.

excuse my lack in posting... again! however, last friday, i decided to pack up the kids and head down south to santa rosa beach. the kids are on spring break this week and i thought we could use some care-free days playing in the surf and sand. i've been craving the beach lately as i do whenever the weather starts to warm up. i just couldn't hold out until summer.

and, i didn't think my children would mind spending their break from school jumping waves, digging giant holes in the sugar-white sand...

building sand castles, enjoying picnic lunches and searching for treasures along the shore....

luckily, the weather so far has been sunny and beautiful. this is definitely the break i needed from our life back at home.

dreaming.

again, school was canceled today. so while my children are enjoying yet another day off by playing games all day long at home, i am (finally) packing up all of the basement christmas decorations, while seriously dreaming about being somewhere warm and beautiful with my husband.


i hope you are having a good day... and staying warm, if is anywhere as cold as it is here!

back from the beach.

although we really didn't want to leave, it was time to go.

we packed up and arrived back home last night. back from santa rosa beach. back with sun-kissed faces and a little more rested and rejuvenated from our little family getaway along at the shore.

lucky for us, we had absolutely beautiful weather all week long, allowing us to spend most of our time on the beach...

which is exactly what our family enjoys.

together, we dug giant holes and built sand castles in the sugar-white sand. we swam and played in the water, sometimes along with the fish. we took long walks along the shore, enjoyed picnic lunches, played ball in the surf and...

jumped the waves as they came crashing along the shore.
(which i might add is one of sia's favorite things to do-)

we also had fun swimming in my sister's mermaid pool, attending a nearby seafood festival and even riding go karts one night.

and... on our last evening, we enjoyed dinner a local waterfront restaurant and bar spending one last evening with my sister and her husband- laughing, talking, soaking in the smell of salt-air and truly being thankful for our little vacation by the shore.

and so... we are back from the beach. back to life here at home. we will be spending the weekend unpacking and settling in before the kids go back to school on monday.

i hope you have a happy weekend whatever your plans are. i'll see you back here on monday, perhaps with some more pictures of the fun that we had.

happy, happy weekend!