an advertisement?

Did you see..

over there waaaaayyy on the left?

the little ad for sequins and candy photography..

yup.
it's my ad. you click it and it takes you right over to my other blog..

 if you didn't know that about me...
i dabble in photography on the side..

a shameless plug..

i know..
 and because a post is not as fun without a pic..
here is a pic from my last session i just wrapped..

mini home tour.

i have had a couple people ask to see my painting that i conquered last week and in the past a lot of questions about my headboard...

i decided to just post a few photos since

i recently took some for the fabulous green your air gals of their plants in my house for their website so easy peeasy..
done and done..

enjoy..

gracelend.. creamsicles and a lilac rose..

i went to visit my grandparents this weekend..

i sat in the quiet and we chatted about life.. my wonderful husband and kids.. photography, the half marathon we just ran, cooking, i watched my grandpa cut a coupon.. he loves coupons and whenever you visit.. he always has a ton to give you..
"you eat turkey?.. here is a coupon for turkey.."
my grandma and i went for a stroll along my grandma's GORGEOUS rose garden..

for as long as i can remember, my grandma has had beautiful roses..

i remember her pruning them and speaking spanish to her gardner with detailed instructions..

she is part spanish.. i have always loved that about her too..

so these yellow beauties are called the graceland rose named after elvis..

i was reading they are no longer in production..

makes them even more special..

i am totally drawn to these gorgeous lilac colored roses..

you don't see this color very often..

it is so lovely..

and this pastel orange reminds me of creamsicles and sherbert ice cream..

isn't mother nature such a diva?

she creates some beautiful eye candy..

easter egg dying and a hunt.

gotcha! a photo of my little stinker who REFUSES to look at my camera..
{she is technically not looking i know, but it is a cute photo.. and i am happy}

she managed to not get any dye on her hands.. how? i have no idea..

we had our usual disaster of a spill but all in all..

it was
a.
o.
k.

how pretty are these colors? hmmm... i am inspired a wee bit..

monogrammed eggs..

don't worry..
the girls attacked the pretty eggs right after after this photo with stickers, markers and all the "cute" easter get up..

the hunt was hilarious..

makena left a note for the easter bunny to "hide them harder" this year..

the girls love pinwheels..

easter bunny put these in their baskets..

sugar cubes and art

i am so in love with hot pink right now.

i am trying to buy more color...

i now officially have each of the girls "first piece of art" framed..

i have waited patiently with both girls for that one picture that is handed to me for the first time that they are so proud of and you just know it is so special to them and me..

big salads.. {remember seinfeld?}

for earth day we walked to and from school, didn't drive all day and did "no cook" meals all day..

i took my time and made this salad with romaine lettuce, avocado, feta, grape tomatoes, onion and a raspberry vinagrette from trader joe's..
salads are so time consuming but when i am grazing after it is all said and done..
it is quite rewarding..

again.. our earth day dinner sandwich.. 

caprese! need i say more.. 

YUM!

ok.. totally random and a bit strange..
but there is something SO joyful about sugar cubes..

when i have the opportunity of saying "one lump or two?"

it makes me so happy..

 the other day i went to get a lump for my coffee and the sugar bowl was empty..

i have a feeling the girls may love these as much as i do..

top drawer..

my new and improved organization technique..
put it in a pretty bowl..

my jewelry collection is getting a bit crazy..

i love how you can just add a crazy necklace to your white {well with me most likely grey} tee and jeans and instantly feel a bit sassy..

image via simplygrove

meals the easy way..

i use to have the time to cook long.. elaborate.. sort of fancy meals..

but that is not at all an option these days so i have a few staples that we love and seriously take NO time..

trader joe's..

love trader joe's.

love. love.

{ok.. moving on}

i slice up a muti-grain loaf and toast it..

i spread on some cream cheese..

i slice up some juicy tomatoes and layer on top and finally my FAVORITE food on the planet..

add AVOCADO..

some sea salt and cracked pepper..

perfection.

this is a great dinner..

add 3 chicken breast to the crock pot on low with this salsa verde in the morning..

forget about it..

around dinner time take a peek..

voila'..

done-zo!

shred the chicken..

warm a tortilla on a flat pan..

add some shredded cheese..

then this corn salsa {that is seriously SO delicious}..

now your shredded chicken from the crock pot..

and of course avocado..

roll her up into a fat burrito..

sour cream is good inside too..

i am all about easy and clean food for our meals..

i can only try my best and certainly.. i am not perfect by any means..

i am also obsessed with diet coke and hazelnut coffee creamer..

not sure if i could live without those two..

i am such a hypocrite sometimes..

:)

randoms.

 the girls read in bed every night before bed..

they love it..

makena is on to chapter books now..

so crazy..

no pictures?

she reads more than i do..

 chloe reads anything with a tutu, princess or pink on the cover..

lots of pictures..

but last night she picked up a hannah montana chapter book and pretend read..

whatever works!

we ran the la jolla half marathon this weekend..

13.1 miles..

it was amazing and i can't wait to do another one!!

i will have a picture up soon..

i bought a bright turquoise tank for the picture..

err.. race..

makena makes wishes with each bubble she blows..

$1000 is my favorite one so far.

chloe loves to accessorize..

silly bands are the latest favorite..

can't blame a girl for wanting to add a splash of color to an outfit..

sunshine

 

we had a great spring break.

i can feel summer approaching..

i always get a bit stressed in the beginning of summer..

what am i going to do..

i have to keep the girls busy..

are they going to bicker non-stop?

are they going to be bored?

but once i felt the sunshine and got a pool day in..

i started to relax and become excited..

sunshine washes all the worries away.

out with the old..

chloe LOVES her Toms.

can't you tell?

we had to wait for these to become available to buy her a new pair..

the only way we could get her to wear another shoe was to tell her new ones were coming in the mail..

she made sure we checked the mail daily..

yesterday they arrived..

she said it was her lucky day and she couldn't believe it..

she put them on right away and only took them off only for bed..
and planted her little feet right back in them this morning..

with every pair of toms you buy, they donate a pair to a child in need..

over 1 million pairs of shoes has been given.

isn't that amazing?!

just beet it!

so i looooove beets.

beet salad with goat cheese is my FAVORITE..

i love beets with avocado, onion, and some basalmic vinegrette..

yum.

so my uber talented friend lara {she is an amazing cook} texted me the other morning a fabulous beet PESTO she made..

so sweet of her to think of me.

she too LOVES beets..

she forwarded me the recipe from good ol' design sponge..
here it is on pasta..

so i ran to henry's..
bought some beets..
made it and let me tell you...

SO

GOOD!

i now have beet pesto handy in a pretty jar in my fridge...

i also have a stash in my freezer..
look at the color..
i'd wear it as a top, lipstick, blush, nailpolish..
beets are so pretty.

 again.. i copied lara with this combo..
i am a copy cat and i am not afraid to admit it..
i do not have much creativity with food..
this will be a staple for me..

  couscous with beet pesto, orange bell pepper, cucumber, scallions. lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil and dash of sea salt..
i love sea salt too..
ecspecially on dark chocolate..
:)