Memorial Day

Remembering.  Creating memories.  Jump starting the season!  Cooking out - hamburgers, hot dogs and ea tin some Cole slaw that looks orange.  Some potato salad that is too mus tardy.  Spending time with family.  Relaxing.  Getting caught up on chores.  Loving!  Teaching a little one to use a power tool for the first time.  Have a Nice Day Camp!!!  Where your children make a camp for adults and make all the yummy food you could ever enjoy!  Enjoying the FIRSTS of the season...such as jumping in the refreshing pool for the first time........

Giselle learning how to use to power drill to create a trellis!

The FIRST time in the POOL for the Season.....I think we need another GIANT raft to keep them SMILING!

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!

What's COOKIN good LOOKIN?!

In January, Isabella mentioned to me that she wanted to take a cooking class, so I looked into it and we were able to find one that was local and manageable with our schedules.  Let's Get Cooking!  Isabella participated in the healthy hands 8 hour core cooking program (2 hours each over the course of 4 months), where she learned how to prepare and cook healthy snacks, breakfasts, lunches and dinners. 

I have to tell you, I marveled each and every time she came home with something for us to try.  Who doesn't like to try new dishes?   She put her heart and soul in each and every dish for us to try:  Mari pesto Veggie Pasta, Organic Dark Chocolate Fondue, A Blueberry Smoothie, Chocolate No Bake Drop Cookies, Italian Grilled Chicken, Chickpea Tabbouleh, Ranch Dressing Rainbow Cups with Fresh Veggies, Hard Boiled Eggs, Lettuce Wraps, Fried Eggs and Red Pepper Egg and Cheese.  ALL were super YUMMY!

Will she be the next Rachel Ray or Martha Stewart?  Or Bobby Flay?  Time will tell......  This girl loves to chop, cook and prepare dishes in the kitchen (Betty would LOVE her!).  Isabella has surpassed me in the kitchen, as she is not afraid of knives like I am!  She makes a mean fruit salad, chopped finely.  AND anytime I am making chili or need anything chopped up finely - she is right there to help!  And desserts.....I think that is her favorite thing to make.  Maybe she will be a baker?  KEEP ON COO KIN good LOO KIN, we are proud of your achievements!  P.S.S.  Mommy, Daddy and Giselle love your kitchen surprises on movie nights! 

Mother's Day

Sometimes Mothers Day is hard for people....for Mother's who have lost their children, those who have lost Mother's, or those yearning to be Mother's or even Mother's with strained child relationships.

I am thankful I got to spend Mother's Day with my mother!  I also reminisce on this day back to beautifully created memories with the other Mother like figures that were once in my life, like Nanny and Grandma Betty.  All three of these special women have made and continue to make an influential impact on the mother and woman I am today.  And I am thankful.  Beyond gratification or words.

Some women like to celebrate Mother's Day by dressing up in a fancy outfit and going to brunch, along with the other 1,000 people who are out celebrating.

You won't find me in a fancy outfit at a stuffy, over priced brunch with bland food.  Instead, you will find me, in comfy clothes, spending quality time with my mother.  And you will also find me and my girls in a field filled with colorful yellow weeds, planting our feet firmly on the ground as we take nature in and breathe.  And sneezing!  You will find me SMILING as I watch Giselle and Isabella play hide and go seek.  I smile at their innocence of running and laughing through a field of weeds, while all at the same time I capture that memory, and store it away.  I realize that they will not be this carefree and innocent forever.   And you will also find me relaxing.  It's the one day of the year to relax and DO it, feeling guilt free.

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day!!  XOXOXO

My beautiful mother.

Sisterly LOVE

One, Two, Three......

READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!!

LOVE these GIRLS with all my HEART!