red rock

Not so long ago, we headed south for some much needed down~time. A change of scenery always does us some good, especially when that scenery involves red rock.

My heart belongs to red~rock country...

Ry~bug showing off her new toothless grin~

We lounged, munched, and watched movies. I sat by the pool and dug into a new read, and then me and my 'big ideas' started hand~stitching a tree skirt:) I do it every time. Then wonder why I feel overwhelmed? Ha! There is a method to my madness, and it is all self~inflicted;)

My only request was a trip to my most favorite cupcake spot, 25 Main.

I dream of these coconut cupcakes~

Silly boys~

Not to mention, the atmosphere is right up my ally...

A little hot tub action. Nic and the kids were having contests to see who was the craziest! Jumping back and forth from the freezing pool, to the warm hot tub. I was not having that business. The hot tub suits me just fine;)

Then the kiddos all snuggled into bed...

The next morning was more swimming action, and notice Nic in the background chipping onto the green:)

Can you believe the tooth fairy found us, all the way down there;) Pretty special business.

It was short and sweet, but some quality good times.

Love my family, and those little opportunities to strengthen 'us'

And that red rock is already calling my name...

~xo

For the Love of Pinterest

For those of you who have not yet discovered Pinterest, I highly recommend that you do. There are inspirations galore, but be warned: countless hours may be wasted:)

A few of my latest finds~

that little camera charm necklace is pretty adorable, not to mention those pink flats~

you can follow my pins here

and have a happy monday!

New York

I just love New York~ everything about it. It is such a melting pot of so many different cultures, and walks of life. Definitely some awesome people watching, and one of our favorite spots to visit...

We stayed at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, that place is always hoppin'~

We woke to a beautiful spring morning, full of fresh blossoms and buzz over 'The Royal Wedding.' Nic had a meeting, and I joined the girls for a fabulous run through Central Park.

And then we spent the rest of the day exploring the city...

I could soooo live there...

We went down to ground zero, where they are fervently working on a memorial. Almost 10 years later, I still get chills when I think of that day.

The day after we returned home, they announced that Bin Laden had been killed. The news reporters were interviewing people celebrating, and I could see these huge cranes in the background. It was so weird to think we were just there.

For lunch one day I snuck into this little joint, and had me some serious good food...

We had some delicious authentic Italian food down on Mulberry Street...

Me and my baby~

I finally got to see Wicked~ and it did not disappoint. It was brilliant~ and I'm gonna say it is my favorite Broadway musical thus far.

The Bruse's were too cute~ and so much fun to hang out with!

Ha ha! Funny story (just ask me:) We were stopped at a light and I saw this Statue of Liberty standing there. Of course, me and my craziness had to jump in for a pic. Next thing I knew she was wrapping me in the American flag, adorning my noggin' with a crown, putting a torch in my one hand, placing my other hand on my hip (awesome), and telling me "That'll be 3 dollars." Man, I love NY!!

Rockefeller Center~

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say this was the best chips & guac I've ever tasted~ Fish tacos, plantains, oh my...

Isn't this cathedral gorgeous? I am such a sucker for architecture and history, and it was lurking around every corner.

And then we were headed home with new memories, and sore legs! As we flew out, we could see Lady Liberty out there in the harbor. I was wishing we had had more time to get a bit closer. So much to do... so little time... one day.

Such a fun get~away, but we are definitely ready to be home with the kiddos for a while:)

Until next time New York~

~xo

Pink!

Somewhere deep down in me there is a girl who absolutely loves to run. Let me rephrase~ I absolutely need to run. It is part of me. My happy place, of sorts. I decided to take this winter off to give my body a rest, and eat way too many cupcakes~ yikes. With promises of sunshine ahead, i've really been gettin' itchy to get back out there and pound the pavement again. It is definitely time. Thought I would throw a shout out to the Pink half marathon in Park City.

I love to celebrate a good cause...

Wanna join in the fun? You have all summer to train girls~ and I hear they have excellent swag. Click here for more details.

Park City, running, shopping, eating, all girly's~ I'm in!!

~xo

For the Love~

A few things I am swooning over~

The pink ruffle cake. It couldn't be prettier~ I'm contemplating giving it a whirl this weekend as we are entertaining a friend of Nic's from the Philippines. Mine definitely will not look like this...

{image via}

These Easter bags are on the to-do list. Wool felt and Ric~Rac, what's not to love?

tutorial here.

This is the sweetest little kitchen~ I fell head over heals when I saw it.

{image via}

Happy Friday!

The weather is fine, and I plan to get my hands dirty~

Spring~y Inspirations

My kids have been in love with the idea of hopscotch~ and so am I. It takes me back to my days of endless hours throwing the hoppy~taw. Oh, and remember the Chinese jump rope? Isn't it silly that I want my kids to experience all of the things that were so memorable to me as a child, I might need a large horny toad next:) I stumbled across this adorable mat on Etsy and thought it was perfect for Easter!

{available here.}

With my kitchen table getting a make~over I've been on the lookout for some inspirations. How fun is this tablescape...

{image via}

And the yarn spring wreath is still on the to~do list...

{image via}

I can't think of a better way to serve milk~ this is a must try!
{image via}
And of course...
{image via}
Have a happy day~

Nothin' Quite Like...

A good ol' farmer's market!! When we heard the local farmer's market had some of the best Filipino food around we were all over it! Nicholas served his mission over in the Philippines, and looks for any opportunity to enjoy some of the wonderful food he loved there. It is tricky to find! Before we could even get to Nic's food, we spotted the snow cones and just had to have one...

That's the way. Lots of syrup buddy...

Finally we made it to this little joint...

There it is... in all it's glory. Nic was very impressed, and was in heaven as he scarfed down his entire plate.

Me on the other hand could not resist my beloved asiago cheese bread. I get it every time! I think I had devoured at least half of the loaf before we even hit the road. Mmm... I could go for some right now.

Obviously there were loads of fresh produce. Rylie was loving it! Ironically, we ended up buying some fresh corn from a farm that is located right down the street from us. Hmm, I guess we could have saved ourselves a trip to the market, but it wouldn't have been near as much fun!

Parker's highlight of the day (besides the snow cone) was watching these bees hard at work. He thought it was about the coolest thing ever, and I don't disagree. Nothin' quite like fresh honey right off the comb either! We returned home with some fresh corn, bread, raspberries, full tummies, smiles on our faces, and a bar of organic handmade carrot spice soap (I am addicted to organic soap right now-it's our fav). Very fallish! I smelled it all the way home!!