sunday
brats on the grill with roasted potatoes & grilled corn
monday
mexican lasagna paired with a green salad
recipe by mexican made easy - pasta azteca (zucchini&tortilla casserole)
tuesday
lettuce wraps with grilled chicken & edamame
wednesday
spicy shrimp tacos with rice & black beans
thursday
cheese ravioli with roasted butternut squash & spinach salad
friday
naan pizza night
saturday
my birthday! so we're heading out for dinner.
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tate. age eleven.
1. LOVES soccer 2. diligent worker 3. awesome student (straight A's) 4. fun loving 5. conscientious 6. competitive 7. amazingly neat 8. craves order 9. prompt 10. driven 11. favorite color right now - turquoise 12. favorite drink - water or gatorade 13. favorite snack item - granny smith apple or popcorn 14. loves to read
tate is our second child. she's so amazingly driven, fun loving and caring. i love her initiative especially for her age. she is brilliant with her academics. she studies hard and her hard work pays off with straight A's and the principal's honor roll. her teachers and coaches kindly compliment her work ethic and integrity.
she is growing into her own little fashionista. she loves skinny jeans, graphic tees and funky jewelry. she's a little tomboy with a little spicy fashionista rolled into one. i love that she will skin her knees up diving for the ball then... she'll ask me to take her thrifting or to the mall for some fashion shopping.
i know tate will succeed in life for she has this innate ability to grab life, to dream BIG and she just goes for it full throttle. watching her unfold her destiny will be a true gift.
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roan recently turned thirteen and i'm confronted with reality... she is growing up incredibly fast. this truth pulls at my heart. my little girl is no longer just my little girl. she has dreams. inspirations. and her own ideas. she is blossoming into a fine young lady. academically she is brilliant. she's an independent thinker. i love this the most though at times i'm finding it challenging. she is artsy and crafty - this makes my heart sing. she is kind. she is thoughtful. she loves God and her faith.
she loves fashion as much as me... no even more than me. lol. she is conscious of prices and being thrifty... something mama has passed down to her. she loves vintage.
she sings beautifully. loves music. we share a playlist and i love that her taste in music is eclectic.
before heading to her school dance, i captured these photographs. the dress is from urban outfitters (a birthday gift from daddy and mama). the white denim jacket is from old navy (borrowed from her sister tate). shoes are from target. purse is chinese laundry (borrowed from me). horse pendant (purchased from etsy). bracelet and earrings (village house in okinawa, japan).
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sunday
supper - pan seared salmon, baked sweet potato with asparagus
dessert - grilled pound cake topped with fresh berries and whipped cream
we had a dinner guest so we served a yummy dessert!
monday
BBQ chicken sandwiches with slaw and sweet potato fries
trying a new recipe by the pioneer woman.
tuesday
grilled flank steak, roasted yukon golds with grilled corn
wednesday
chicken cacciatore over whole wheat linguini paired with spinach salad
i use emeril's recipe and alter it a bit.
thursday
pulled pork tacos, black beans with homemade salsa and guacamole
friday
homemade naan pizzas
create your own pizza with an array of toppings. a friday tradition that the kiddos so look forward too.
saturday
grilled chicken wrapped in prosciutto stuffed with feta served with summer squash and zucchini
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sunday 05.13.12
sunday. on mother's day, we headed to the countryside for roan's photography assignment.
roan capturing carys. love that roan is curious to learn photography.
monday 05.14.12
time for a cut and a few copper highlights. perfect timing. the day began crazy and i needed a little *me* time.
monday evening. riding lessons for my girls.
tuesday 05.15.12
tuesday... working and enjoying a snack. checking items off may's goal list. that's a great feeling.
waiting at school to pick-up the kiddos, i enjoy a pick-me-up from starbucks and inspiration from country living magazine.
one of roan's birthday gifts... teen vogue. i surprised her at school pickup with the may issue. *happy girl*
wednesday 05.16.12
30 day shred workout with jillian michaels continues with success. * i workout *
hubby pulls into driveway with this. someone backed into him at work. ouch.
thursday 05.17.12
breakfast and emails.
part of the afternoon routine. ice and water for soccer practice.
friday 05.18.12
enjoying our new deck with a cup of coffee. love.
workout done. shower done. self-portrait done. ready for errands.
rummaging through food network magazine for new recipes and fell in love with this sherwin williams ad. color inspiration.
painted my nails this amazing turquoise hue which ironically matches my shirt.
taking roan to her school dance. she's growing up so fast!
fresh flowers.
saturday. 05.19.12
old lucketts store *spring market*
thrifting with my daughter roan. love sharing my joys with her.
new find from marshalls... striped maxi skirt.
the finds. lovely yellow chair. milk crates. random drawers. turquoise-green metal chair. *happy girl*
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since moving into our new home, we have lots of projects and honey to do lists. thus far, our attention has been focused on the inside of our home. with the warm weather enticing us to be outside and the new deck being built, we finally planted a few herbs and hostas. i'm anxious to add more shrubs and plants but i'm waiting until the deck is complete. hopefully by this weekend! here's a peek at what we're growing right now.
basil. we love basil to cook with and to add to fresh green salads.
rosemary. love love love rosemary and it grows abundantly. the clay pot was a gift from elizabeth and jason for my 40th birthday last year in okinawa. so... i have a little of okinawa in my garden.
tate wanted to grow strawberries. for now, they are in a pot. we're planning to move them soon to the backyard so they'll have more room.
i love hostas. they also grow abundantly. yay. i need all the green thumb help i can get for gardening is not my strength.
lavender. i've had great luck with lavender in the past. it grows pretty easily and i love the fragrance.
my little pagoda from the marine gift shop in okinawa. i bought this for chip last year for father's day so it's actually his little pagoda.
are you gardening? what are you planting? any tips or suggestions? i'm looking at azaleas, boxwoods or hydrangeas for the front flowerbeds. i'd love to add a tree to our frontyard as well; and i'm thinking a dogwood would be pretty.
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chalk art by connor and carys. chip was away on business to okinawa for the last week and a half. the kiddos missed him so much. we have been spoiled. we have not endured a deployment for some time but chip is traveling a lot lately and the kiddos miss him ever so much. on sunday afternoon, connor and carys decided to create some welcome home daddy artwork on the driveway. fun.
construction. i'm anxious to be rid of the construction that surrounds us right now. large equipment. empty lots. nasty dumpster. hoping for a quick buildout.
good news. our neighborhood is growing. we'll have new neighbors beside us in a few weeks. they have three kiddos themselves... more playmates so the kiddos are super excited. three more homes opposite of us are ready to move in as well. and new homes are in the process of being built. excitement everywhere.
adding on. we're adding another living space by building a deck off the back of the house. i cannot wait until it's complete. the new deck overlooks a conservation area. we've spotted a bald eagle, deer, a fox, a few groundhogs and unfortunately a few snakes. for those who do not know me well... very scared of snakes. we have these lovely wood chip trails throughout the community great for nature walks and runs; but after running into two snakes back to back, i'm done with the trails for now. i'm hoping that once the digging and moving of earth is complete then the snakes will settle down. one can only hope.
the positive. i'm looking forward to enjoying our new living space. coffee in the morning. dinner with the family in the evenings. happy hours with friends. basking in the sun (with sunscreen!). creating art. happy times lie ahead.
what's going on in your neck of the woods?
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tate's birthday celebration with a few friends. april was busy for us. we had many birthday celebrations and easter. we finally had a chance to celebrate tate's birthday this past weekend with a few of her friends. she wanted to see mirror, mirror with a few gals. before the movie, we celebrated with some cupcakes, a surprise visit from the ice cream truck (how convenient!) and of course what party isn't complete without some silly string. btw... mirror, mirror was super cute! happy birthday tee. xoxoxoxo
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all images were captured with my iphone 4 and instagram. my goal is to capture our sweet everyday life. which may or may not include... horseback riding lessons. soccer practice. soccer games. food. routine. shopping. wardrobe. thrifting. being silly.
our life through the lens.
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1. spring break is over. back to the normal schedule this week. monday was tough for us all. no one wanted to get up and get moving but we managed.
2. soccer practices - two kiddos on the same day at two different fields. riding lessons - two kiddos. thank goodness they are on the same day and at the same location. whew.
3. reading. are you on goodreads? if not, join me here. i'm anxious to read a few books especially a few new releases. like ascend (apr 24). and insurgent (may 1). and deadlocked (may 1).
4. editing senior photos. i'm having a blast. i love working with someone who is not afraid of being themselves in public. fun session! i can't wait to share some sneak peeks.
5. rearranging my approach to my photography business. i finally joined PPA and OMG i already feel like a grownup. lol. no seriously, they have some great info and i've learned a ton already.
6. watching photovision dvds. i was unable to attend a few photography trade shows so instead i ordered some photovision dvds. totally love them and recommend them to those who need inspiration, marketing ideas, etc, etc, etc.
7. finished our taxes yesterday. nothing like waiting until the very last hour.
8. doing the happy dance. my mother finally qualified for financial assistance. she is struggling finanacially with all the medical bills since her stroke. let me hear a hallelujah! we only had to jump through hoops. hoops of burning fire. her health status is about the same. not the best. she does not equate carbohydrates convert to glucose so her sugar is still high. ugh!
9. as always, i'm planning and making goals. i have a ton of fresh ideas and i'm anxious to finally see those ideas become a reality.
10. planning summer vacation. chip began a new job and he is traveling a lot. with the community in the beginning phase we are short neighbors and friends for the kiddos to play with and we're minus a pool. the pool and community clubhouse are due to be complete next summer. of course. anyhoo... the kiddos and i are skipping town as soon as school lets out and we're heading south to my father's. i'm planning destination stops along the way. chip will hopefully fly down for our july baby birthdays (carys and connor). and he and i are planning to take a vacation somewhere together sans the kiddos (first ever!). we're thinking cancun or the bahamas. we're still undecided. any suggestions??? we will be celebrating our 20 (YES TWENTY) year anninversay this july.
so that's the top ten of what's going on around here. how about you?
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