monday + the weekend.

hello to a very chilly monday! i can hardly believe how cool our weather is for springtime. what happened? i was absolutely freezing at the bus stop this morning!! the weekend weather was so sunny and beautiful, which we enjoyed outside. besides a baseball game for slade, we had a quiet weekend and I enjoyed being at home cooking and working on projects around the house.

here is one of my favorite pictures from the weekend. sia was quite proud of her brother and his team for their win on saturday! she gave him a big hug after his game.

hope your monday is happy. 

and... stay warm if it is cool where you are at too!!

good morning monday.

good morning sunshine and summer-like day again today. the weather was absolutely beautiful all weekend long and my kids spent the entire weekend outside! luckily, they are on spring break this week and will enjoy another day of outdoor fun today.

hope your monday is sunshine-y bright and happy too!

happy monday + our weekend.

how was your weekend? i can hardly believe how warm it is here. i totally did not expect the warmer weather that has quickly come upon us. my kids were very excited to be wearing shorts, summer dresses and flipflops. and they spent the entire weekend outside. riding scooters and roller blading have been their favorite outdoor activities lately.

jeff went away for the weekend and i was reminded of the weeks at a time he was once away from us for three years. needless to say i was very happy to have him back at home today helping me with my monday chores and starting a few new projects around the house. having him home was almost like an unexpected surprise and a great way to start my week. i hope your week has started out happy and it's a fabulous one too!!  happy monday!

a happy monday.

how was your weekend? i was very excited to have my cousins here with us for the weekend.  they arrived late thursday night and it was a weekend of catching up and visiting with family we don't get to see that often.  it definitely was a treat to have them here and we wished the weekend didn't have to end.  but, they left very early this morning, before the kids even headed off to school.

so, i'm enjoying a quiet monday at home, catching up on housework, laundry and getting organized for the rest of the week ahead.

p.s. - the picture above are the first marks on the new chalkboard wall in my freshly painted office. when i walked in here this morning, it made me instantly happy!! hope your monday is a happy one too!!

hello monday.

today i'm just thinking, how much i love us...

and... how lucky i am to be so loved by an amazing husband and three sweet children. hope you are having a happy monday and perhaps are feeling very loved too.

pictures are from our front foyer. the i love us downloadable print can be found here.

hello monday.

how was your weekend? our weekend highlight was a friday night dinner we shared among friends. i made four different pizzas and an antipasta salad and served an apple cake for dessert. (i found the recipe here). the weather was cooler and it was the  perfect night to have the fireplace burning. i am loving this cooler weather and the way we seem to be surrounded by vibrant hues of red and gold everywhere we go. it seems to make the days a little bit brighter even when it's totally gray outside like today.  

hello monday.  hello wonderful brightness of fall.

already monday?

how quickly our weekend went by. or should i say the days since last wednesday? with internet issues and having my husband at home, i pretty much stayed out of my office and away from the computer. it wasn't until late on friday (after the fourth technician arrived) that the problem with our cable and internet was resolved. so maybe it was a blessing. i wanted to enjoy as much family time together as possible anyway.

the weather friday and saturday was absolutely beautiful. over the weekend, we enjoyed watching slade play two baseball games, a fabulous pizza night, playing outdoors and even got away for a late saturday afternoon date without kids. we actually hired a babysitter and jeff and i took a few hours to sit rooftop at a local taqueria listening to happy music, talking about our life and soaking up the warm sun.... it was wonderful!

and now, it's monday. goodbyes were said and the house is quiet again. it's back to life as we know it. back to the one that has become normal for us. however, in reality, it really isn't normal at all, yet it's how we live. it's what we have to do. we know these quick monthly weekend visits won't last forever. we are positive of that. and until then, i will hold onto the happiness of amazing long weekends together wondering how it is already monday?

{image via hooraydesigns}

good morning monday.

good morning bright sky and cold morning air.

good morning back to school.
good morning hot coffee and breakfast with sia.

good morning monday. it's been a long weekend indoors.
good morning to this brand new week of mine.

what are you saying good morning monday to??

not so much fun.

remember i said i would let you know on monday how we would be spending a fun week off from school?? well, elle came down with a stomach virus thursday night and my poor little girl is still not feeling well today. and then this evening, the virus took over slade. so, two of my three children are feeling quite badly. lucky though, they are out of school this week, not missing much and can just relax at home. so, that's we are on this monday... not so much fun, but just happy to be at home.


p.s.- a few weeks ago, i bought each of my children these small chalkboards at the dollar store. however, i have been having fun using them to leave messages around our home.

good morning monday (and love).

how was your weekend? mostly, we stayed at home. and, i happily worked on a few (crafty) projects that have been on mind. sometimes, i see something i really, really like and i say "i can do that." and so, i do. usually incorporating some of my ideas and a little of me too.

like the paper wreath i saw on willows home and garden blog. loved it. and, had to do it. so, i tore out pages from an old paperback book and created my own version. slade and i crumpled the pages first and with glue, i attached them on a metal ring, which i had on hand from an old lamp shade. (i knew it would have a use someday!) after the ring was completely filled with pages, i hand-stamped a tag and then tied it to the wreath with twine. simple as that.

i hung it in my foyer among meaningful things i love. like the pictures of our little girls. or my longtime dream of going to paris someday. the first letter of our last name- my love for typography. and especially, a watercolor of the very first home jeff and i purchased together. it was the house we brought all three of our babies home to. thoughtfully painted and given to us by jeff's uncle who was the reason for our very first dance and meeting almost 11 years ago.


so much meaning (and love) on this foyer wall. it was the perfect place to hang my love wreath. just in time for valentines day.

p.s. the house number pillow on our bench reads "endroit de la joie", which means "place of the joy" in french. so perfect, since my home is my place of joy, a place i love.

monday + countdown til christmas.

happy monday. how was your weekend after thanksgiving? hard to believe but i actually began some holiday decorating on sunday. all of my children's rooms are now decked for the holidays. i love that they wake up every morning and go to bed at night with adornments of brightness and cheer and reminders of the celebration and hope of christmas. in addition, they each have a small christmas tree in their rooms. every night up until christmas, i place a very small gift or note under their trees while they are sleeping. i guess it is sort of like our advent calendar and their countdown to christmas day.

how about you? do you decorate your child's room? or, do you have a special advent calendar or way that you countdown to christmas each year? i'd love to know.

(small advent buckets found at garnethill)

it's monday again.

photo by honeyandjam found here

i hope you had a great week (and weekend too). i didn't mean to ignore you for a whole week, and honestly cannot believe a week has already gone by. wow!!

last week, i was consumed with several thanksgiving crafts and treats, a special holiday project and one sick little boy. but, i am here now and it's monday again. my children have the entire week off from school and i am thankful to have to have them at home as we prepare and celebrate thanksgiving. i am really looking forward to the week ahead. i am hoping to make it a week i am conscious of the thankfulness and gratitude in my heart. also this week, i plan on slowing myself down a bit and taking the time to enjoy the simplest moments with my family. too often, i find myself busily going through each day.

and so, this morning the kids and i are headed to the airport to pick up my mom. i am thankful she is able to share and celebrate thanksgiving with us this year. i am thankful she will be here to help with the many thanksgiving preparations. i am thankful for the excitement in my chidren's eyes knowing grandma is coming to stay. and, i am thankful for family living miles apart coming together to celebrate gratitude.

happy monday. what are you thankful for today?

organized, simple living.

i've been in such a cleaning and organizing mood lately. almost feels like it should be spring. i spent most of the weekend cleaning and organizing cabinets and drawers and shelves. it feels so good to be organized, yet i am amazed when i see what i have let accumulate over the years.

maybe it's this time of year. being thankful. again realizing to live simply. wanting less not more. feeling the need to get rid of so many things not used. giving to those who do need. and just living with a lot less.

i'm thankful for organized, simple living.

good morning monday.

how was your weekend?

i'll sum up my weekend by one word: accomplishment. all of our bedrooms were cleaned from top to bottom. all closets and drawers were cleaned and organized. clothes that no longer fit were bagged up and are now ready for goodwill. i am completely amazed how it can all accumulate. and i often wonder how?

p.s.- i love this sassy pillow by alexandra ferguson. i think i might have to purchase one for each of my children to serve as a little reminder to keep their room clean!

happy monday.

happy monday.

how was your weekend? finally, i feel like fall has arrived.
it was the perfect weather for playing baseball and being outside.

how did you spend your weekend?

(photograph taken by my dear friend Simone)

monday morning sweetness.

wishing i woke up this morning to the sweetness of these pumpkin cinnamon rolls... they look absolutely delicious and the perfect treat with my morning latte.

i just had to share...
i will be making these very soon!

happy monday.

i hope you had a wonderful weekend. we absolutely did. jeff arrived home at 4am on saturday morning. each child woke up and was greeted with an awesome surprise... daddy!! there were lots of hugs and many smiles too! and then, we made a breakfast of 4-grain pancakes and eggs... all together. it was extremely nice. the kitchen was full of excitement.

and that was just the beginning of a very busy weekend of baseball games, birthday parties and catching up with friends. i was very thankful to have my husband by my side through it all. we also were able to enjoy a quiet night together, just the two of us, making a dinner of gnocchis with crab after the kids were in bed for the night. i loved the conversation. and i loved that jeff was sitting next to me... finally. (and dinner was really, really good too!)

so, now it's monday. he is here to stay, hopefully for awhile at least. today, we will be busy catching up on household chores and errands while two of our three children are in school. then it's homework and a quick dinner of fish cakes & homemade fries before baseball practice tonight.

as busy as i am... it's a very, very happy monday to have my husband home again. hope your monday is happy too!

p.s. the kids made this banner for their dad with the hopes that he would be coming home soon. i hung it upstairs in the foyer after the kids went to bed so that it wouldn't ruin the homecoming surprise!! i think they did a wonderful job taking turns painting the letters.

happy monday.

it's the beginning of a great week!
something wonderful is going to happen.

just wait and see...

p.s. this is the fourth week of school and it's still so hot, it feels like we should be at the shore!! it's hard to even think that fall is just around the corner. does anyone else feel the same?