Disney

We went to Disney.

It was awesome.

Back!

Buh! I haven't been able to upload from firefox for some reason. 

I thought it was my laptop.

But then I downloaded Safari and BOOM!

Back in business!

hodge podge of happenings:

Happy Birthday

to me.

Here is a link to celebrities born in 1974.

I think I hold up pretty well to my peers. 

Considering they can afford "work" and fancy face cream!

 

First person to (finally) get me that pony I always wanted, WINS!

Make Up

madee (4): i want to wear make up. when can i wear make up?
me: in high school
madee: REALLY? WHEN IS HIGH SCHOOL? ::eyes glitter::
me: ::eyes tear up::
madee: like, 10 years?

me: :: yes. about 10 years
madee:: how about 10 WEEKS.
me: ::starts digging basement::

Spice Girls

Super easy and fun craft for the kids.
Here's what you need:

Glue
Spices
Paper
(Boom!)

I made an outline of a flower, piece by piece.
The girls sprinkled all sorts of items from the spice cabinet.

 

We smelled and tasted all of the spices.

We talked about the kinds of foods you add them to.

 

 

And then we made a big stinky beautiful mess.

We keep art on a line in the kids' room.
So now that room smells like old Indian food.

Bonus!

Birthday Celebrations

Charlz's birthday.
He had help blowing out candles.
But he still made his own wish.

I forgot candles for the cake.
The closest I could get to 40 was 32.
But he's so hot nobody will even second guess it.

And the birthdays roll on....

Monday!

Monday is Uncle Jack day!
This is what we did with Jack last week.
And this week he is bringing his mom!

( I apologize NOW if that means karaoke, Jan!)

Birthday Boy

A year in the life of Charlie Van Derven...

Happy Birthday, buddy.
You sure are loved.

Cupcakes

Chances are we are making cupcakes today.
Because somebody has a special birthday tomorrow.
And we are going to celebrate.
HARD.

Beach Stuff: Paddleboarding

Low tide is my favorite.
You find good stuff.
And if it is sunset?
Beautiful.

Perfect time to tease the sharks.
These girls love the surf!

 

I love exploring the spoils of the sea with my girls.

It's the little things.

They add up to alot.

St. Augustine: Day Trip

It's finally September!

We get pretty excited over here for September, because the weather starts cooling off.

The tourists start waning.

And it is our birthdays!

This past weekend Charlz and I sneaked a 24 hour overnight date to St. Augustine in between surfing and football. 

It's only an hour and a half up the coast and it is so cool. 

It's the oldest city in the country!

Everything looks so old!

Even the old people look older!

Old dude with an old dog on an old bike; Old alley

And there are so many cool old doors.

I am working on a series of doors for a wall in our house.

I think this is a good start.

Doors. Printing these out for my house.

 This set is stunning.

My favorites.

We had a delicious dinner at Harry's Seafood, and then walked around the city in the dark.
We decided NOT to take a ghost tour, but we did poach a couple who were wandering in our vicinity as we saw the sights. It was spooky. My phone camera refused to work at one of the locations until the tour group left. We said "OOOooooOOoooOooOoOOOOoo" after every sentence the tour guide said as we wiggled our fingers.

It would have freaked you out.

Haunted tour guide; Cue XFiles Music; Graveyard at night

Anyway, it rained all morning and we decided on a leisurely drive down the A1A with stopping along the way for little explorer walks.

I love time away.
We should have stayed longer.
But we were home by 12:30.

Because we missed the kids.

(And Lola. I really missed Lola. And apparently she missed me more then the kids even know how to.)

Seeds

We love gardening!
This season, we planted (so far) carrots, cukes, heirloom tomatoes, swiss chard and spring mix lettuce.
They are already getting transplanted, but this is the day we sowed the seeds.

Excited to eat a whole salad from our garden!

Lola

So you may remember, we had adopted a dog and I don't remember if I told you, but she actually moved on to a different home (of her choosing) after running away from ours.

Seriously, she would NOT stick around.
And also? We got her hooked up with an ideal situation for her.
After getting to know her, it was easy to know what kind of home she really needed.

Anyhoo, that time when I got Daisy, this dog (Jasmine) was at the shelter I went to, like, 3 times a week. She was rescued from lock up in Putnam County in April, and she had 9 beautiful babies. The girls and I would visit her and her puppies, and I really liked her.

And somehow ended up with Daisy. Cute, but so. much. trouble.

Fast forward a few months.
Daisy moves in, Daisy moves out, we stop looking for a while, no one adopts Jasmine.
4 months she was at the shelter.
In this time, she is a perfect dog in every way to the staff and volunteers at the shelter.
Loved kids.
Good to every dog that came in.
Good to every dog that got adopted to someone else instead of her.
Ideal roommate for any dog that came through there.
Patient. Playful. Pensive.
Always in a good mood.
Always ready to be loved.

Through the whole Daisy situation I stopped dropping by the shelter.
I didn't even know Jasmine was still there.

And then one day, I decide to take a look at their facebook page.
And I saw her.
And I knew I'd be going back down there.

I took the kids last Friday.
And we came back with her for a trial adoption over the Labor Day weekend.
We knew immediately that she wasn't going back.

She has a heart of gold, this kid, and is so very smart and responsive.
She LOVES the kids.
She is well behaved and Ono doesn't hate her.

We call her Lola.
Welcome to the good life, kid.

Fish in Parchment

I am not a big fish eater.
I am trying to eat more fish.
And this is how...

1. parchment paper cut into a heart.
2. veggie layer - I chose potatoes
3. slather on oil and garlic
4. veggie layer - I picked zucchini
5. be generous with the butter and salt and pepper
6. fish layer - I picked tilapia
7. butter

8. citrus layer - mix it up! the hubs loves it orange
9. herb layer - it's what i had in my garden
    -tarragon
    -oregano
    -rosemary
    -more salt and pepper

10. wrap it up - fold the edges tight.
11. bake at 400 for 20 minutes or til fish is done (in this case flaky)
12. enjoy!

Biker Girls

 Little Easy Riders...

Have a great weekend!

Somewhere

The storms here are fantastic.
The other day I looked out of our back sliding door and saw this.
So of course I had to run across the street...

The top right photo isn't in black and white.

The storms suck all the color from the horizon sometimes.

Leaving everything shades of sun bleached grey.

My friend's backyard as a storm rolls in.

Just another reason why we love it here.

The Table

Last time my mom came to town, I sold our dining table to raise some funds to redo my bedroom. 

It was big and bulky and not my style, so I was happy to see it go for exactly what I paid for it, $150.

Interestingly enough, the lady that bought the table from me gave me her existing dining table for free.

So, I guess I really made out on that deal.

It was basic, and boring, and coated in some kind of nasty varnish, topped with what I am guessing was a layer of exhaled nicotine and tar.

It looks pretty in this picture, but it was gross, and stuff STUCK TO IT.

Bleh.

Anyhoo, Charlz sanded it for me, and we banged it up a little, slapped some layers of paint on it, sanded it, and stained the top.

And now it's my FAVORITE!

So perfect (and beachy) for it's little space!

1st Day of School

 Here they are last year on Madee's 1st day.
They were happier than they looked.
They weren't used to getting up early and out of the house yet.

And this year.
Madee's 1st day of VPK.
Which she loves.
And I think Eden likes having her mornings alone as well.

My girls.
Grown up.
::wipes tear::

Beach Beauties

 These kids are the firecrackers to my 4th of July.

I can't believe how fast their little lives are progressing.
The things they say.
Their beautiful hearts.
::sigh::

 

I love them.
This has been the summer that they became best friends.

 

They love each other so much.

Consider the other when she is absent.

Console each other.

Work things out.

I  love to watch them together.

I love being their mom.

Extra Crayon Day

 We got lots of brand spanky new sharp perfect crayons for BAck to School, so I corralled all the old ones and we are re purposing them.

This was so easy and so much fun for the kids...

Just sharpen crayons ...

... and gather all the shavings in separate piles.

we just clumped it  between 2 pieces of wax paper, covered with parchment paper, and ran a low iron over it to make some pretty little stained glassed windows.

This is just the beginning. I have started pinning gorgeous examples to inspire us on pinterest!
Show us YOURS!

Random Stuff

A pretty bouquet from my flower/herb garden.

Madee wearing my old glasses.

Love, peace and butterflies.

We went to see Cyndy at the salon for family haircuts and Jack came too!

Gotta wind him up before you shave his head!

Playing HAIRCUTS

Wash the hair.

Eden's an architect.
No, seriously.

My luggage for a night away.

Things I do on a night away...

Happy Anniversary!

A bowl full of starfish
I want one!