Best summer ever..!

And, it's not even summer yet..! The weather has finally been WARMER than usual and we have been loving every minute..! We have a bunch of fun outdoor toys, as well as the kiddie pool and the sprinkler. We slather on lots of sunscreen, and play all morning.. Sometimes we'll have our breakfast out on our umbrella table and listen to the birds. :)

Of course, Vivian prefers just the plain old hose most of the time..! She goes around and "helps" mommy water all the gardens...

OMG can you. just. even. with the cuteness...?!?!?! Oh yeah..! and, we got our first haircut..!

She had bangs all down in her eyes so it was time.. And, she loves it..!

Such a big girl :) And so so smart..! She knows all her colors, can count to ten, speaks in full sentences, says please, thank you, and sorry, plays nice with other kids, always goes down for nap & bedtime with no trouble, eats every fruit or vegetable I put in front of her, let's see, what else.. Oh gosh I could just go on & on..! LOL :) 

So sweet this little sunshine of mine.. In a few months we'll be having her 2nd birthday party here at the house and I can't wait..! Big surprises in store for her, she is going to be so excited.. :) 

Anyways. Speaking of the garden... I'm having an issue with PEST CONTROL... Anyone got any tips..? 

Happy Mother's Day...!

My beautiful mom..

Her red hair was SO pretty that the Clairol company paid her for samples so they could create hair dye of her own hair color..! I don't think they ever truly were able to make a red that was as pretty and natural as hers.. But it's a fun family story and we always love to laugh about it...

It's incredible being a mom and having my beautiful family all here in my beautiful home.. I have been so blessed with these amazing gifts. I truly believe the universe gave back to me the beauty and inspiration that I put out to it every day... A lovely life, a reflection of the loveliness that comes from within...

This morning I woke up as I do everyday, next to my smiling pretty princess.. She always gives me a "good morning" kiss right on the lips, and we snuggle and cuddle a bit before we get out of bed. Today's cuddles seemed a little extra special though.. Her affinity for affection seems to be growing more and more every day... At nights when we all sit and relax after dinner, she'll go up to daddy and give him a big hug... Then over to me for another hug... Then back to daddy... Then back to me...! This has been known to go on for over 5 minutes, LOL..! 

So today, celebrating my "special day", here's to love.. The pure love and joy that comes from moments like morning cuddles.. And the true love of a mother and daughter; the most powerful bond in the universe.

<3

And the beautiful flowers for my garden and a lovely card.. 

Weekends.... Ahhhhhh..... :)

We love our weekends around here..! Mornings we do family breakfast AND yoga...
Then usually to a playdate or other type of thing. Today we checked out this amazing kids consignment shop, "Chic 2 Chic".. They have so many cute things and all really fair prices..!
I brought in a bag of Vivian's old stuff and got $200 credit to spend..! I didn't even spend it all today, so now I have some on credit for next time we go...

Now we just finished up making mother's day crafts (painted a frame for Nana..!), and me and Vivian made brioche..
Now we're starting on dinner. I'm making Shrimp Saganaki, should be quite excellent..!

Enjoy the weekend!

<3

Our amazing home

We love our beautiful home... !

So far, we have redone the kitchen floor, replaced the tub & shower, installed A/C... Prepared a 5'x15' vegetable garden... Painted the main areas, foyer, dining room, and office...  Much more to go..
This place is going to go up $100,000 in value just on improvements we are doing ourselves..! And, it's going to look like a MILLION dollar home. Inside and out. We can't wait.

The backyard is HUGE! Doing improvements here too. Going to get some hardscaping... A little fire pit area, and a custom built outdoor stove/pizza oven..!
There will also be, of course, a little swingset / play house / sandbox for BooBoo...!

The garden is all dug up / tilled / fertilized and nearly ready to go..!
I've worked in a few bags of organic chicken fertilizer, and I also have earthworm casings I'll be working in as I add the individual plants.

Which are all going great..! I put a ladder in front of my big window in my sunroom.. A few pieces of extra lumber laid across, and BOOM! I have a mini greenhouse area now. :)

So far, I have started from seed: heirloom cherry tomatoes, heirloom rainbow colored carrots (purple! yay!), watermelon radishes, an heirloom variety of beets, some arugula, basil, tarragon, purple thyme, cilantro, italian parsley, and chives. The plants LOVE this sunny window..!

My little terrarium with the succulents loves it too! 

Isn't it cute..?

Anyways.. So there is all the good stuff happening around here..!

Here's me, taking an incredible bubble bath, in my new amazing bathtub, glass of wine & candlelight... 

I call this one, "Zero Fucks Given".....

MSM Monitor: Rockland Bank Robber

MSM Monitor: Rockland Bank Robber

Joey's drawings

I haven't gotten a chance to update in soooo long! We've been having such a great summer... beaches and nature and love and fun... truly enjoying every minute and we couldn't be happier. my favorite thing this summer has been cooking amazing dinners with stuff from the garden. SO awesome to have so many fresh herbs, fresh tomatoes... nothing better than a fat juicy steak and a gorgeous garden salad.

this weekend we're going up to New Hampshire, hopefully some good pics catching fish :D





we saw 2 baby deer and a mama today!