i'm hoping to get a started on painting our kitchen. it's long overdue. when we moved into our house, it was painted a dark red. i have never liked it. it's so not me. and, i am really, really ready for change. i am thinking white. i've been dreaming of an all white kitchen for some time now.
so, while i am (hopefully) painting my kitchen, please enjoy these things from around the web:
this inexpensive teacher appreciation gift i gave to the teachers last may is being featured here. how cool is that? tip junkie, a site dedicated to DIY projects, crafts, tutorials and tips, featured it as an idea for a "meet the teacher" gift.
me and my little elle belle. both at the age of five proudly showing the cakes we baked in our easy baked ovens. amazing that the easy bake is still around today.
i loved my easy bake oven! i thought it was the greatest toy ever. i think it's where my love for baking and cooking began. this picture of me was taken in 1977 with one of the many two-tier cakes i baked. i swore it would be my wedding cake someday. and don't you just love the blue and white gingham apron? i know did!
33 years later.... my little girl loves her easy bake oven too. just yesterday she baked a yellow cake with vanilla frosting and added floral sprinkles on top. look how happy and proud she is. i still remember those feelings. i wanted to share my little cakes with everyone. just like my little girl, just yesterday.
this morning i dropped sia off at school. today was the very first day of preschool for my youngest of three. as i drove away, i looked in my rear view mirror and this was all i could see.
three empty car seats. none of my children were in the back. there was no chit chatting or singing or laughing or even arguing... it was just me.
wow...really? it's just me. although, i am feeling a bit lonely and somewhat odd without at least one in tow. i am enjoying a few moments to revel in the silence, to rejuvenate myself and to just be.
children inspire design continues with a year of giving. these posters and wall cards from their global child collection is the giveaway for august. and if you are the winner, you get to pick your language (english, spanish, italian, german, french or swedish), how cool is that? it would be french for me since my little elle belle wants to go to paris with her mom someday.
simply click here to enter or follow their blog. wouldn't it be nice to win some global compassion?
a sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.
-- Isadora James
together they like to laugh, sing, dance and imagine a grown up world. they take turns being the mother or the baby or the teacher or the doctor. they love to play together. silliness. sharing. love. protecting one another. holding hands when crossing the street or in an unfamiliar place. they are by one another's side. for comfort. and support. helping to button a dress or find a shoe. they will always have one another. side by side. a forever friend.
this weekend, i so much enjoyed and watched the true gift of sisterhood among my two little girls. a beautiful bond created and never to be broken. they will always be sisters forever.
do you have any weekend plans? we will be recouping (and resting) from a crazy first week of school. however, i hope we'll enjoy some pool-time too, especially since it is still so, so hot! on sunday we will be celebrating the baptism of a dear friend's baby. i can't wait to hold the little one. hope you have a nice weekend.
all my attention has been focused on the beginning of school and schedules that i haven't had the chance to post how wonderful our weekend was. since i'm scanning over some of the pictures we took, i thought i would share it with you now.
the weather proved to be extremely hot, so we enjoyed lots of time swimming and splashing around in our pool. and then, found other ways to have some fun too.
after not riding their bikes all summer because we were away, slade, elle and sia finally took them out and raced around the cul-de-sac showing daddy all of their new tricks. and yes... that is a bikini elle is wearing. i guess she thought that was the perfect outfit for riding her bicycle on a hot day!
the kids played in the sprinklers and with the hose
and all of us washed the car together (my little elle worked really hard)
on saturday morning, we took a trip to the farmers market, which is really a huge world market
and bought these...
our summer really isn't complete without at least one crab feast. and, it ended up being kind of a date night for jeff and i. only we were at home. it wasn't until after the kids were in bed that we decided to cook the crabs. and then, we must've sat for a couple of hours just talking, picking and eating crabs. i know it doesn't seem very romantic, but was totally enjoyable for us both. it is something we missed doing together while vacationing by the jersey shore this summer.
we also enjoyed a family dinner out at our favorite local mexican restaurant. the girls and jeff sat on one side of the booth and slade and i sat on the other. so much fun!!
and then, before we knew it, it was time to get ready for the first day of school and begin a whole new routine.
it really was a nothing-in-particular kind of weekend. but a weekend, so enjoyable for us as a family. it was absolutely the perfect ending to (what seemed to be) a quick summer break.
today marks the beginning of a brand new school year.
with tanned smiley faces, two of my three children got on the bus this morning and went off to school. slade was a genuine big brother and held elle's hand as she got on the bus for the very first time. she was so excited- a little nervous but such a big girl. i stood there with tears in my eyes holding onto my little sia and waved as the bus pull away. so happy for my little ones and the year that's ahead of them. the fun. the learning. the friends they will meet. and the many ways they will grow and thrive. yet i am sad. they are growing right before my eyes. they are becoming so independent. so big. they aren't so little any more. it's hard for a me as a mom. it's hard for me to just let go and send them off to school. it was hard to watch that bus pull away. no car seats. no seat belts. just like that, they are gone.
however, i know it won't be long. it won't be long before we are back at the bus stop this afternoon. with sia and jeff by my side, we will be waiting to see those same smiling faces as they come off that same bus. and, i'll be so anxious to ask all those questions a mother wants to know about their first day and their time away from home. for me as a mom, it will get easier i know.
elle smiling so big as she is headed to the bus stop
slade and elle, hand in hand, getting on the bus together
we will be enjoying one last summer weekend of fun before the school year begins on monday. yes, monday! can you believe the kids are going back to school already? today, we plan on playing outside and enjoying the pool... all day long! and then saturday plans will begin with a morning trip to the farmers market, more pool time and dinner in the backyard.
simply enjoyable family time shared together in one last summer weekend. hope your weekend is happy and fun too. see you back here on monday after the kids are off to school for their very first day!!
we are very happy to be together once again. it's been more than three months since our home has been complete with family. since we have been all here together at home. it was so nice to hear laughter and excitement this morning. finally, all sitting down to breakfast and then playing games down in the basement. the kids are more than happy. and as for me... calmness, contentment, and absolute joy now that my husband has arrived home.
yes.. those are squeezed lemon halves thrown in my kitchen sink.
as i was dusting and cleaning and organizing upstairs this weekend, slade decided he would make fresh lemonade for himself and his sisters. so... there i found the three of them- sitting on the kitchen island around a pitcher filled with squeezed lemon juice, water and sugar. it wasn't quite the right proportions, as it tasted more like lemon water with some sugar, but i absolutely love slade's ambition and confidence to try his hand at anything. not to mention, his ability to organize and corral his siblings to work on any project with him.
slade stirring his concoction and making sure there are no seeds
sia was very happy to assist with the mixing and stirring
one of my favorite summer desserts is strawberry cake. i found the recipe in the june 2005 issue of Martha Stewart Living and has been one of my favorites ever since. it is extremely easy to make and can be ready from start to finish in 90 minutes time. i think it's the perfect dessert to serve after any summer meal. serve it room temperature with a little sweetened whipped cream or serve it warm with vanilla ice cream. leftovers are especially delicious in the morning with a good cup of coffee.
i'm making a strawberry cake today to enjoy after our friday night meal of antipasta and pizza. i'm so looking forward to getting back to making pizzas on fridays. i've missed it while we were away this summer. so, it will feel great to be back in my kitchen this weekend doing what i usually do.
how about you? what are your weekend plans? will you be cooking or baking or enjoying anything sweet? whatever it is... hope your weekend is wonderful.
my little boy has such a sweet little heart. he is a worker, a planner, an organizer and likes things to be just so. he is wonderfully creative, loves surprises and hates goodbyes. he is not afraid to play house with his sisters, yet loves spending time with the boys riding scooters and bikes and playing sports and video games. he enjoys helping me cook and bake, yet when daddy is home he is always right by his side. he assists him with the yard work and household chores. loves tools, going to home depot and anything with speed. he is a rough little boy with so much energy, yet his heart is so gentle.
this morning he woke up and went down to the kitchen before the girls and i. from the upstairs i could hear dishes and silverware and the microwave running. he yelled up to us to stay upstairs because he had a surprise. of course, the girls ran down anyway, and he begged them not to look in the kitchen until it was time. he had the breakfast table set for all of us with plates and forks and napkins and juice glasses and maple syrup. he had warmed up the leftover waffles from yesterday. on each plate was either a half or a whole waffle and he told us where to sit. he was so proud of his surprise. proud he prepared breakfast this morning for us to enjoy.
this is not the first time my 6-year old boy has prepared us a meal. we've had lunches of crackers and cheese and fruit and snacks delivered in small little bowls.
i love my little boy for a million reasons and more. when i look at him, i know i am seeing his daddy all over again. i know his daddy was this same little boy. the same little boy i am watching grow each and every day. and someday, like his daddy, my little boy with such a sweet heart is going to make some girl so wonderfully happy. just like his mommy is today.
i'm the stay-at-home mother of 3 and the wife of an amazingly wonderful husband. i am inspired by the simple everyday joy of being at home. i truly love being in my kitchen and find happiness in all things creative. i am often at home crafting, baking, working on a home project or planning a party. it's my life... a place called joy.
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