elle turns seven.

  

my sweet elle belle turned seven over the weekend. it still is very hard for me to grasp the idea that she is really seven. how is she growing up so fast?

this year, at her request we celebrated her birthday here at home. in recent years, we have been in new jersey and by the shore. but, she really insisted on being at home this year.

and so, we celebrated on our back deck with some singing and dancing and a simple family dinner. country music is their favorite right now and jeff and i took lots of pleasure in watching them sing and dance and giggle together.

and then, we invited some friends to stop by for cupcakes. also at her request this year- vanilla vanilla cupcakes and cupcakes with an espresso buttercream (one of my very favorites too).

happy, happy birthday my sweet elle belle!! 

 i hope you enjoyed celebrating your birthday here at home!!

celebrating, thank you's and goodbyes.

life has been anything but quiet and calm. i knew the month of may would prove to be busy and hectic. but, when i look back at what we have been doing lately, it's been a lot of celebrating, giving thanks and goodbyes.

during the first week of may, we showed teachers our appreciation with a whole week of thank you's and gifts. followed by preparation for slade's first holy communion, which occurred during mother's day weekend. we celebrated here at home with a big party of family and friends. we were very thankful that so many of our family members traveled to share such a special day with us. and lucky for us, timing proved perfect, as it allowed us to celebrate both of our mom's for mother's day and with all of our siblings and children too.

then came sia's preschool graduation and a week of end of the year festivities. for me,  it was a very emotional week. we said goodbye to a school that we have been a part of for seven years.  i can hardly believe my baby is all done with preschool, but so proud and happy of the little girl she is growing up to be.  she is so ready for kindergarten.

the baseball season also came to an end. slade is loving baseball these days and i love to see his passion and ambition for the sport. we celebrated last week with an end of the season team party and came home with an awesome trophy. and so, we said goodbye to a great team of boys and coaches.

and, then this week. it has been a week of elementary school award ceremonies, parties and saying thank you (and goodbyes) to all of the teachers we love. elle earned the young artist award and wrote an award winning autobiography. her sense of creativity makes me smile with joy and i couldn't be more proud. and slade earned an award for outstanding excellence. it brings me such happiness to see how much they enjoy school and strive to excel.

and so, during our very busy month of may, i am a very, very proud mother, who has much to celebrate. i have so much gratitude for the family, friends and people that surround our lives. and although we have said many goodbyes, memories of the people and places will never be forgotten but a part of us forever.

teacher gift + printable tag.

 

originally i posted this "mint to teach" teacher appreciation idea here and it was also featured on tip junkie right here. but in honor of national teacher appreciation week, i thought i would share it again today. 

and because i have had so many requests for a printable of the tags, this time i've included one here too.

  

"mint to teach" printable tag

happy weekend.

what are you doing this weekend? our family has been invited to a low country boil party this evening that we are planning on attending after slade's baseball game. i made my favorite cookies and cream cupcakes to share with all of the kids. other than those events, i plan on savoring the very last weekend of april. i can hardly believe that the month of may is upon us, which according to our calendar is already a busy, busy month.

whatever your plans, i hope you enjoy the last weekend of april too! here are some things you might also like-

simply made from paper towels + food coloring

our next project made from pallets

made these artichoke toasties for the first time this week
(and loved them!)

sweet video - birth to 12 years in minutes

this printable i need!!! -especially for the month of may

make your own marbled glassware

happy weekend!!

p.s. i made these flowers for a luau-themed event at the elementary school and i love the way they turned out!! who knew paper towels could be so pretty!!

stella & dot.

today i am getting ready for a last minute stella & dot trunk show i am hosting tonight. if you have not seen their jewelry before, i highly suggest you take a look at their new 2012 summer collection. i am totally crushing over these three rings and thinking i may just have to add them to my collection tonight.

{images via stella & dot}

inspired: wooden doormat

 {image via martha stewart}

when i saw this colorful wooden doormat here and here, i immediately pinned it as an upcoming project of mine. and so, over the weekend, i decided it was time to spruce up the entrance of our home and make my own wooden doormat.

my wooden slats were slightly longer than the directions called for so i asked jeff to drill 3 holes instead of just two into each piece. and, because i love white, i decided to paint mine white.  however, after painting it white, i did distress it a little with a darker glaze and some sandpaper.  from start to finish it only took me a few hours to complete and i absolutely love the way it turned out.

you can find the complete directions here if you'd like to make one too!

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!!

what are you up to this weekend?? for us, it seems like it's going to be a baseball kind of weekend.  we will be enjoying some sunshine while cheering on slade and his little league team.

however, on saturday night, we've been invited to have dinner under the stars with a group of friends. i am really looking forward to sitting outdoors, eating well and catching up with friends we haven't seen in awhile. i think the evening weather will be just perfect for a warm pear crisp with vanilla ice cream and is what we'll be bringing to share for dessert.

whatever your plans... have a happy weekend. i hope it's a good one! here are some things to enjoy too-

spring appetizer i have to try

i am so doing this for a special couple i know

gosh, i love target... have your heard?

celebrate earth day

great update for my ikea couch

{image via my baking addiction}

yes... sure i can.

in the beginning of the week, i gladly obliged when i was asked to prepare an appreciation breakfast for about fifty people for friday!! of course, i said "yes, sure i can." but... friday has come so fast! so, i have spent all morning and afternoon in the kitchen- baking, cooking and prepping!!

however, i did take a little break and enjoyed an ice cream social on the playground with my sweet sia marie. oh, i am really going to miss these preschool days.....

 

 

i will see you back here tomorrow... after breakfast!!

a happy easter.

i hope you had a wonderful easter weekend. 

our weekend was filled with family and friends.  

i so enjoyed all the cooking and baking. 

catching up with friends we don't see nearly enough.

spending an entire weekend together as a family.

 and, there was plenty of laughter and lots of fun.

 in my heart, i am truly blessed and joyful. 

it was a very happy easter.

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 weekend.

now that saturday is already here, what are you doing this weekend? jeff and i had an impromptu date last night. we stayed local and went out for a quick bite of sushi, which always reminds us of our earlier dating days. my mom picked up the kids late in the afternoon and wanted to keep them for the night. i loved taking my time to get dressed and i was ready to go before jeff even arrived home from work. it just started the evening out right.  it kind of reminded me this relationship tip to keep the sparks flying. thanks mom!

this weekend is also the beginning of spring break for us and this year, we've decided to simply stay at home. maybe, i am being a little selfish, but i am really, really happy to have a whole week off at home! we haven't made any true plans so i am happy that our whole week is open.

whatever plans you have for the weekend, i hope you are having a good one. here are some things i've seen that i thought you might enjoy too.-

i would love to have these french alphabet stamps in my collection

great idea: diy leftover bag

love these eggs

twelve pages of free easter printables

a must-try this week while the kids are off

a very charming pocket full of posies party

hope you are having a happy weekend!!!!!

{image via paloma's nest}

sweet & tart.

i know it's finally springtime, but no matter what season it is, i never tire of cranberries and oranges together. and this morning, i had a craving for the combination of the two.  there is something about the tartness of cranberries and the sweetness of an orange that tastes so good to me.  so luckily this morning, i had a bag of cranberries in the freezer and oranges in the refrigerator to mix up and bake a batch of cranberry-orange muffins for breakfast.

cranberry-orange muffins

2 cups of flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)

1 egg

3/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon orange zest

coarse sugar for topping

combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

stir in cranberries and orange zest.

next, in a small bowl, beat egg, orange juice and oil together. add to dry ingredients. stir until just moistened. spoon into muffin cups and fill 3/4 full.  i like to use a ice cream scoop. it seems to be just the right amount and all cups are filled equally. sprinkle each with coarse sugar.

bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes til lightly browned. 

and, enjoy!! yum... they are so, so good!!

happy spring.

i love the brightness that emerges with spring. 

it's time to celebrate!

enjoy the first day of spring and be happy!!

{image via marthastewart}

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!

happy weekend. and some things.

do you have any fun plans for the weekend? for us, it's baseball season again, so we will be on the bleachers both today and tomorrow cheering on slade. i'm looking foward to spending some time in the sunshine! it seems like spring is just around the corner now and i am anxious for the warmer weather to arrive! i think i will find some time this weekend to push spring along by cutting some branches and forcing them to bloom inside. have you ever tried it? i love idea of having a burst of spring in our home before it even emerges outside!

whatever your plans, have a happy weekend. here are some things you might enjoy too-

perfect way to hurry spring along

love, love, love this dress

i don't think i would rest easily in this paris hotel room

i'll never tire of these

mint + chocolate

or, raspberry + oatmeal 

printable wine glass tags

three extra minutes, what would you do?

hope your weekend is happy!

{image via holiday with matthew mead}

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!!

a little secret.

 wanna know a little secret??

someday, i'd like to be a professional baker. although, i love to bake and do it whenever i can, i really would love to go back to school to learn all about baking and making sweets.  i know i am thinking BIG, but baking and being in my kitchen makes me happy. (and, so does pretty packaging too!)

this morning i came across these pictures of some items i baked and packaged for the preschool bake sale a couple of weeks ago. and, then i found this new online baking supply store, bake it pretty, and was even more inspired to dream and think BIG!

how about you ? is there anything you are dreaming BIG about these days??

happy weekend. some things.

what are your plans for the weekend? i am so excited that jeff and i have decided that 'this is the weekend' we will begin to work on my office. it has been an empty room with just a desk for so long and i've been very anxious to make it my place of comfort to work in. so, very happily, i will be painting this weekend with jeff by my side. i love when we can work on projects together.

whatever your plans, i hope you have a happy weekend too! here are some things you might enjoy-

thinking one office wall should be painted like this
could you wear it?
dear photograph (love this!!)
diy simple spring throw 
another project for me

happy weekend!!

valentine fiesta - the day after.

last night, we had a valentine fiesta for some of our closest friends. although, i really wish i had taken pictures, sadly i did  not.  however, i did take a few pictures this morning as i was cleaning up and taking down decorations-

we served fruity sangria and coronas with limes. i made salsa in my molcajete (a tool that i love). for dinner we set up a taco bar with choices of shrimp, fish and carne asada. and also served spanish rice and tamales with portabellas and polenta. dessert included- chocolate pots de creme, creme brulee and cookies. and we sent the couples home with large boxes of candy hot tamales as a thank you for all the sweetness and spice they have added to our lives.

it was truly a fun, fun night with a whole lot of laughing.  and, it was the perfect celebration for the friends that we love.

post valentine's day.

i love valentine's day. it seems like such a happy day and a great reason to let those know that you either love or really like them. over the weekend, we completed all of our valentines for classmates and teachers. and yesterday, slade and elle went to school with these valentines in hand-

the tag for the u rock valentine is printable here. we found the packs of pop rocks at our local drugstore. and, this year elle wanted to make the same valentine we made for sia last year. it is such a cute idea and so simple to make.

and my poor sia- she missed her valentine party and handing out valentines to her class as she was at home sick. but, we made these sippy valentines to give to all her preschool friends. and, all of the teachers received these chocolate coin valentines.

i hope that you had a very sweet and happy valentines day.