Easter Treats

Martha Stewart has really good holiday gift ideas. These didn't turn out exactly how I had pictured but everyone seemed to like them. But you never know what you're going to get if you don't try :)

Date Night

Ahhhh, another date night! Tonight we had alligator tacos and shrimp quesadillas. I was so proud of Ryan for trying (and liking) the quesadillas b/c they had shrimp, avocado, goat cheese and pineapple. Sounds weird but the flavors all worked well together.

Post It

There's still so much I want to do with the house. Sometimes I walk into the room and I forget which project I want to start. So I decided to make sticky notes in each room. I've placed them on the light switch so I see them all the time. I'm a big list maker and this system will help keep me on track.

LuLu

Harrison has renamed Lucy to LuLu. When she hears him yell it, she dashes off in the opposite direction.

Book Exchange

Awhile back, Harrison received a chain-type letter in the mail about a child's book exchange. You purchase one book for the next child on the list then mail out the same letter to six people and you end up with 36 books if everyone does their part. I didn't mind buying a book for some tot I've never meant because I think reading is extremely important especially for a child. I really wasn't expecting to get any in the mail for Harrison but he's collected 4 new books! And we didn't have any of them!

I found this chicken egg basket a couple of weeks ago at a flea market. It's perfect for storing books and keeping on the floor in our living room.

City Walk

This is the reason why Ryan isn't in the NBA.

Almost home buddy.

Day Two

The boys hung out at the Lego Store again today while we were at the conference. Can you believe this scene is made from Legos!

Lotta Fun

Kelly and I had the pleasure of attending the Photoshop World Conference today. It's an awesome experience even if you're not a Photoshop nerd.

While we we're in class all day, R & H ventured over to Sea World for some new sights and sounds we don't get back home.

Orlando is home of stroller world. It's great the restaurants have reserved areas for parking your stroller.
Hmmm, which one should I get . . . "Dada buy all."

Here's a picture of Ryan drooling over all the Lego options. Okay, it's not Ryan but it might as well have been.

Heading to FL

We're on a flight heading to Orlando and keeping our fingers crossed that there will not be a angry toddler aboard. We lucked out and had an extra empty seat next to us.

Tonight at dinner, Harrison tried baby corn (bebe's corn) for the first time and loved it. I asked the waiter for a little bit more and here's what we received. Lotta corn.

Another self portrait of the little man.

Playing It Cool

Cool Dude.

Still A Cool Dude.

Daffodil Festival

It was a nice, cool spring day for a drive to the Daffodil Festival. We had to keep reminding Harrison not to pick these flowers.

Come sail away, come sail way.

I think there were seven acres of daffodils.

Come on Mama.

Such a dada's boy.

March Madness

Every year Ryan and I fill out a bracket and every year I lose. Maybe this is my year! I have to buy him a Venti Java Chip and I want 5 lbs. of crawfish. I told him he can't have any of my crawfish and he said it wasn't a fair bet :)

Happy Birthday Nana!

Happy 86th Birthday NANA! My SIL came up this great idea to show Nana how much we all care for her. She designed 86 different (yes, different) birthday postcards and gave some to everyone in the family. It was up to us to find people to sign the cards for her. Laura pre-addressed and stamped them so the person just had to write a message and send it in the mail. I think it was a fabulous idea. Hopefully someone will do that for me when I'm 86.

Garden Club

Tonight I was invited to attend The Garden Club with my mom. The speaker owns a little shop downtown with items right up my alley. She spoke about her inspiration for decorating a table and using items through several seasons. She recently designed with a bridal shower using vintage cookbooks. They added height to the table not to mention they are pretty cool looking.

In this image, she talked about buying candle stick holders and putting anything but candles on it. Birds and nests for spring, glass rose bowls with fresh cut flowers for summer, pumpkins for autumn. Also, she buys fabric to dress up a table for different occasions. I noticed burlap is really in right now and I found it for $1.99 per yard at Hobby Lobby.

St. Patty's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Today was my lucky day because I was able to finally meet lil' Westin. He was a perfect little angel for letting me hold him so long. You can't help but love this cutie pie.

Life of an Almost Two Year Old

Days like this make me want to put on my train pjs and cookie monster socks. Everyone desires a day off.

Slow Down

Next time you're driving down the road (especially highways), slow down and take a look around. I could have easily missed this guy but my camera managed to catch him. The second pic is Mr. Turkey asking Miss Turkey for her digits. I foresee babies in the future.

Self Portrait

Sometimes when no one else is around, you must be the model to improve your photography skills. He's getting better everyday.

State Side

Ryan and I have a goal to visit each state together. We don't have to stay overnight but we must spend some time there. Airports don't count. We have the west pretty much covered except for Idaho. I have outlined the visited states in black. I still need to add Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Almost half way there.

Ain't No Tiger

Have you heard the story about Tiger Woods, when he was two his dad gave him a club and he was putting right away. Well, Harrison pulled out two clubs and used them as crutches. But then he figured out what this object was and used it to vacuum the dining room. I don't see golfing in the near future.

Cat Fight

The kids were fighting again so I had to put them in separate windows. This lasted for about one minute.

Red Dress

Here's my bargain red dress from H&M . . . $9.95 regular price! I've read ruffles are really in this season. Now I just need a hot date :)

Table Scapes

Pottery Barn has the best spring table scapes right now. I love all the bird decorations and moss. Unfortunately, if this was my table half the pieces would be broken by now. I'm predicting the next big trend will be butterflies.

Meet The Neighbors

Here's my view from the front porch of House A (left) and House B (right). About a month or two ago, House B was complaining to us about House A's dog. Side note, this is the first time she's talked to us and we were getting into the car at the time. Apparently, every morning the dog comes over and poops in House B's yard. She said her husband purchased some treatment for the grass to prevent this. So for that week the dog used their sidewalk instead. It wouldn't be an issue if the pet owner picked up the droppings but she doesn't so I see the husband and wife of House B cleaning up after it. I told her to say something to the neighbor.

I think she believes the neighbor will realize and it will stop but it's been going on for months now. I was tempted to go over there and tell House A but Ryan thought I should stay out of it. What do you think? Would you say something?

Awnings

The west side of our house has five awnings. We're debating whether to take them down or not. They are really old and in need of a little TLC. If we take them down, it will brighten up our kitchen, my office and the dining room which is a good thing. I'm wondering how much added heat we'll have in the summer with them gone . . .

Hiking is Hard Work

We climbed Pinnacle Mountain today and boy was it exhausting (mainly for Ryan). Harrison managed about a tenth of a mile and insisted on being carried the rest of the time. My legs were so sore that night. But the day was beautiful and definitely worth it.

Heading Home

Warmer weather here we come. This shot kinda reminds me of the moon.
I had to snap this picture. This guys were playing right next to the baggage claim. Welcome Home!

Modes of Transportation

I started off early this morning and made my way to the bus station. It took about 15 minutes to find the right bus to Newport. I sent R a text saying I hope it was the right bus but the state is small so I couldn't get too lost. As a designer, I noticed these three graphics. The first is a No Smoking symbol, the last one looks like a radio from the 80's. Not sure about the middle one.

After I arrived at Newport, I found the local trolley and hopped on for a little sight seeing. The driver was extremely nice and dropped me off in front of the Breaker's Mansion. It was unbelievable, talk about curb appeal! The mansion was used as a summer "cottage" for the Vanderbilt Family in the early 1900's. The architect Richard Morris Hunt was inspired by 16th century palaces in Genoa and Turin and it includes 70 rooms. My favorite part was the bathtub that had 4 knobs (hot and cold water and hot and cold sea water).

I would definitely visit Newport again. There are 10 different mansions to tour but during the winter season only a few are open.

My date met me at the train station for travel to Boston. The train information board caught my attention because it makes a ticking noise everytime the status flips over. I'm used to the airport signs were everything is electronic, it was nice to see a good old fashion flip of status.

We stopped in this little hide-away for a cup of tea. The waitress said it would be ready in two turns of the timer. I love the small touches.