Summer Love

I wanted to share a few of my favorite things... (at least currently speaking).

First, since it is Summer, I will start with this adorable swimsuit I bought for Mazzy:

Go to Rey Swimwear and check out their very cute, vintage inspired collection.



Last Summer I left one of my pairs of glasses in my hot car for too long and the lenses warped. Super sad about that! I have yet to replace the lenses but plan to. In the mean time, I found these:

I already own a pair of the same brand and absolutely love them! And dealing with Coastal has been nothing but great! We ordered a pair for my son and they didn't fit quite right, so we ordered a new pair, get free shipping to return the ones we don't want and I will get refunded in a couple of weeks. It was a very easy and stress free process! And by the way- your first pair is free! Just type in the code: FIRSTPAIRFREE at checkout. You pay shipping and handling but that's it!


Wild Poppy Juice is something new I discovered at one of our local health food stores. I've only tried the Peppermint Lemonade and Blood Orange Chili, but they have a couple of other flavors that sound equally tasty! A definite new favorite beverage!

And since we are talking about beverages and things that are good in the Summer, I can't forget to mention the ice cream maker I bought.

It is my first and after only using it once, I am officially hooked on homemade ice cream! I bought my ice cream maker on Amazon. The brand is Nostalgia Electrics. 

And this is what bliss in a bowl looks like:

Last but not least, I have been very pleased with the dresses and skirts I have ordered through Eshakti. They can even make their clothing to your custom measurements for a small fee, as well as change sleeve style and skirt length and my favorite thing is that the dresses (and skirts) come with pockets!

I don't have a picture to share just yet but I have ordered from them three times now. I am very happy with everything I have ordered and will definitely order again in the future. Check out their site and see all of the vintage inspired dresses, skirts and tops for yourself.


Well, there is my little list of Summer favorites! I'd love to hear and see what some of your favorite things are!

The inevitable Santa question...

A few nights ago the unthinkable happened. My daughter and I were driving to her play rehearsal, when she calmly asked me if Santa Claus was a real person.

I died right there.

I knew it was time to spill the beans and it honestly made me sad. When you are old enough to know the truth about Santa, you pretty much start the crazy decent into adulthood right then and there. Okay, not really, I'm being dramatic. But still, knowing takes some of the fun out of the Holidays and I am not ready for that!

I should have seen this coming when she asked me a few months ago if the tooth fairy was real. She laughed when I told her and she thought it was awfully kind of us to give her money for losing her teeth. She also understands the importance of not ruining it for other children. She insists on helping me with the Elf on the Shelf next Christmas. She does not want Remy to know Santa isn't real.

I don't think I'll ever stop giving Santa the credit for all of those wonderful presents, because the magic is the best part.

Time Machine

I don't know why I'm pulling out the old photos today but I am, and I am probably going to have this nostalgic feeling hanging around me all day, but I can't help it. 

I don't have babies anymore and I am starting to feel incredibly sad again. 

I think looking at the old photos helps more than hurts. They serve as a reminder of how truly blessed I have been and am. These three little people (not so little anymore), will forever belong to me and hold special territory in my heart. 

 Before the littlest brother came along...

 Phoenix enjoys the oldest kid gig, and he does a swell job at it.

 These two will always have a special love/hate relationship. At nearly 2 years apart, they are basically attached at the hip. 

 To my friends with babies: you already know this but...enjoy every second.

 At least he still snuggles with me. At 7, He still willingly gives hugs and kisses. 

 My favorite Christmas card photo to this day. No smiles. :)

...And I had to throw in one of my man and I. 

Every day is better because he is in it.

I feel so blessed to belong to these people.

What the hell happened to shorts?

This is a legitimate question. I always forget why I hate shopping for clothes in the Summer and then I try on a few things in the dressing room and immediately remember.

Clothing designers are doing a disservice to a majority of women by making pants and shorts low waisted and designing them so that if you drop something, you better have on some fancy underwear because the whole world will see it. I just don't remember having these issues in my youth. Pants were not at hip level and I could never tell who was wearing a thong because bending over in normal pants and shorts wasn't the equivalent of a strip tease. And yes, I am pretty modest when it comes to clothing, but I'm not a prude. I don't mind shorts that are above the knees, or a little crop in the top, but when I can't even find shorts for my 9 year old daughter that don't nearly show her crotch, you know something is wrong with the world!

This rant is brought to you by this morning's shopping adventure. I tried on a pair of shorts today that were a little shorter than I usually wear but lo and behold, the back was so low, I would never have been able to wear them in public without worrying I'd be mistaken for a plumber. So, I am now faced with the burden of driving all over town to hunt down shorts that will actually fit me. I tried to do the same thing last year but I guess there is a reason I only own two pairs of shorts...


Ugh.

Summer (not quite) Break...

It is officially our first day of Summer break. That first Monday of doing absolutely nothing and enjoying every minute of freedom we have longed for has arrived! Although I find it funny that anytime I have a break or vacation, my children think it is perfectly acceptable to wake up well before 6:30 am. And for us, vacation usually means big brother has the opportunity to work (for his grandpa), so we are up early driving him where he needs to be. In this case, big brother has Summer School, and it starts at 7:30 am every day but Friday. As you can imagine, sleeping in is not something I'll be doing much of. But it will help me get some things done early out in my garden before it gets too hot, so that is a plus.

I also have glorious plans to exercise approximately 3-4 times a week. This really needs to happen as my thyroid is a big jerk, and refuses to do much of anything. I am hoping to do a spin class once a week (or yoga) or rotate both and add in some running two mornings a week. It all sounds fun, but in order to do these things I must:

a) get out of bed.

b) go to bed at a decent hour.

If I can do those two things, then I got this exercise thing in the bag!

Other fun things I am looking forward to on our Summer break involve a road trip. We are planning a vacation to see family and a friend up in the Pacific Northwest. I have not been to Oregon since I was about three and I love me some trees, so I know I will adore every minute of our trip! We are hoping to make our way up to Seattle to sightsee as well. It will be so much fun! And I am quite sure I will never want to leave once I get there...


In the meantime, M has art camp and a play. My schedule as taxi driver will be full no doubt and somewhere in the midst of it all I must find time for photo sessions, band rehearsals and repainting a bedroom... It'll all get done though. Just hand me a few gallons of espresso (kidding) and put me to work!

I hope you have a great Summer too, filled with adventures and sweet moments galore.