Monthly Archives: August 2013

Celebrating a couple of anniversaries on vacation

Posted on by

0

Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

We’re back from vacation again.  This time around we invited our family members to join us for a week at a Massanutten resort http://www.massresort.com/v.php?pg=2 in McGaheysville, VA.  The place was lovely and the condo we stayed in was spectacular, but your wallet takes a beating if you want to do several of their activities.  We mainly stuck to the playgrounds and the pool, which were free.  The one activity we decided to pay for was going on a pony/horse ride along with petting and feeding the farm animals.

My daughters and I rode on a horse for the first time ever.  This was pretty exciting and the smiles on their faces filled my heart with sheer joy, especially my youngest who we thought was going to bail, but instead her grin extended from one ear to the other and it stayed put from the moment she got on the horse until we said goodbye to “the horsie”.  I was very proud of them because when you’re far away from the horse and just looking at them, it seems like it’s not such a big deal, but once you’re up close and about to get on, it’s a different story.  The ride wasn’t long, but it was definitely a great introduction and there are a couple of riding schools where we live that I’m going to be looking into.  Hey, you never know and the more experiences they get out of life, the better.

IMG_5775text

   IMG_5783text

 My cowgirls!

We also had fun at the feeding/petting farm.  I was definitely hovering over my youngest because she was getting a little bit too close to the animals and I was afraid of them biting her.  There were ducks, a turkey (who looked pretty mean so we stayed away from its cage), goats, donkeys, a camel, alpacas (my youngest, Sophia, couldn’t stop feeding these guys and she giggled the whole time with them), pigs, rabbits, and a zebra.  Yes, a zebra.

IMG_5773text      IMG_5765text    IMG_5756text          IMG_5761text

Olivia was fortunate to be able to feed a baby camel named Clyde.  She also had a lot of fun feeding the donkey who was eating up a storm.  Sophia’s faved animal was the alpaca and she also enjoyed feeding the zebra.

During our vacation I celebrated my blog’s first year anniversary.  It sort of crept up on me and I was shocked that a year had gone by even though it’s around the same time as my wedding anniversary, which I also celebrated.  My sweetheart husband and I have been happily married for twelve years now.  Our family members made a special dinner and we enjoyed it together.  We didn’t need to go out by ourselves because we wanted to be with our family and to make things less stressful we decided to not give gifts, just celebrate together and enjoy being on vacation.  By the end of the week, Olivia desperately wanted us to stay for another day and my four-year old nephew was not happy that we were leaving.  In fact, he was down right mad and didn’t want to say goodbye, but I still kissed him on the forehead real fast.  🙂  The kids not wanting to leave just showed me that they had a wonderful time together and we will definitely be doing this again come next year.  I told my sister-in-law, “Let’s make this family vacation a tradition because we all had a great time.”  I just need a calendar for 2014 so I can jot it down asap.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Obsessing over my visual board online

Posted on by

0

Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

I’ve been spending a lot of time over at Pinterest browsing and creating boards for myself since I’m in a writer’s rut at the moment.  I’ve mentioned before that we’re house hunting so browsing through pins on home decor is immensely inspiring.  Putting together a visual board online allows me to see what I want for my future.  I try my best not to pin things that are out of my league, financially speaking, but if it’s an idea that can be done another way that fits my budget then it gets pinned onto my board.  So far I’m obsessed with the chevron pattern, which is weird, because I have nothing in my current dwelling with that pattern, but after seeing it as a design on a single wall complimenting a room or even on the floor as a design, I was hooked and can’t wait to try my hand at it.  Hopefully, it doesn’t turn out to be a disaster or a “nailed it” picture (type in “nailed it” in Pinterest and you’ll see what I’m talking about.)  Check out some of the pins that I’ve been currently obsessing over:

0de0cfdca2e198e44c2d6b8220afe4aa

paint colors

http://pinterest.com/pin/459578336945243811/

http://fabuloushomeblog.com/2013/01/20/colours-ive-heard-that-hawthorne-yellow-and-revere-pewter-were-the-best-colors-in-the-paint-world-good-yellows-are-very-hard-to-find-so-im-remembering-this-one/

5c78bbd3e83541a0186645bbd33522f9

chevron wall

http://pinterest.com/pin/459578336945124253/

http://www.ruthiehart.com/2012/05/diy-chevron-wall_09.html

chevron floors

chevron floor

http://pinterest.com/pin/459578336944920275/

http://pinyourhome.com/

laundry room

small laundry room makeover

http://pinterest.com/pin/459578336944725069/

http://www.viewalongtheway.com/housetour/

There are so many talented people in this world and I’m so happy they want to share their ideas and creativity.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

DIY Moving Announcement

Posted on by

2

Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

I’m currently hooked on the HGTV channel and learning a lot about homes, renovations, design and concept.  I’ve been watching shows like Property Brothers, Love It or List It, House Hunters, and My First Place.  It’s great to see homes that need some TLC or more come to life with the right renovations and design touches.  I also like the advice and tips that are given, for example, in kitchens today the soft closing feature on drawers and cabinets enable you to close them without a loud banging sound or pinched fingers.  When you have kids this is definitely a feature you want in your home.

We are currently house hunting and all this newfound information (open concept, travertine floors, neutral colors, etc.) is going to come in handy once we find and settle into our new home.  When that happens I thought of a crafty way to announce our new address.  Here’s a DIY moving announcement that you can make and it’ll be a nice keepsake for yourself, your family and friends:

IMG_5547text

I found this cute, little house cut out made out of wood at AC Moore craft store.  It’s less than a dollar and weighs less than an ounce so mailing it won’t be a problem.  I also bought a couple of Martha Stewart acrylic paint and I already had a booklet of rub on letters, which is going to make the wording on the house a whole lot easier if you’re not comfortable with your hand writing skills.  If you are, then you can always use a fine point sharpie marker.  The sand paper came in handy to make the house a little smoother around the edges.

IMG_5554text

I gave the house two coats of this great color, front and back.

IMG_5555text  IMG_5557text

I used the second color on the edges of the house, which made it look like snow.

IMG_5558text

Using painter’s tape I painted a door.

IMG_5560text2

I outlined the door with black paint using painter’s tape as well and with a red pen, drew a heart for the door knob.  Of course, if you’re more artistic than I am you can add more details to your house.  Just leave enough space for your new address.

IMG_5560text  IMG_5560text3

Using my computer, here are two examples of wording for your moving announcement.  Again you can write it in yourself with a fine point sharpie marker or use rub on letters.

I think this is a unique and fun way to tell your family and friends about your new address.  You can also drill a hole at the top, add a ribbon and make this an ornament or hang it on your wall.

I can’t wait to make some more of these moving announcements once we close on a house, fingers tightly crossed.

Take good care all.

Until next time…

Celebrating 20 years together!

Posted on by

0

Hello everybody!

I hope you guys are well.

I haven’t posted anything for a while because well, I’m blocked.  My brain hasn’t been able to produce any new words or ideas.  It’s so frustrating and when I try to create something new, there’s two little, beautiful girls screaming their heads off right behind me so needless to say, I can’t concentrate on my writing.  In my house there’s no room where I can lock myself in and write, with the exception of the bathroom, but they still find me in there and literally sit outside the door and wait for me to come out.  Precious, I know.

Anyway, a milestone was celebrated yesterday and I wanted to share it with you.  My husband and I still celebrate our dating anniversary.  We don’t do gifts, just basked in the day, each other, and the knowledge of how long we’ve been together.  20 years ago, my husband came over to my parents house and presented me with a red rose.  The previous day, over the phone, he had asked me to go out with him and I had replied yes.  We decided to make the fourth of August our anniversary because it was the day when we saw each other and the rose sealed our commitment as newly boyfriend and girlfriend.  Yesterday, we spent the mid-morning into early afternoon at the beach, on a beautiful day, celebrating with our two little girls.

IMG_5520text     IMG_5524text

IMG_5540text

Don’t you just love the way I shield my bathing suit body with my daughters.  🙂  Works every time!

We like going to the beaches at Far Rockaway, specifically Beach 59.  We’ve never had a problem there and afterwards we decided that a good pizza pie was in order.  We finished the day at home relaxing.

I hope to celebrate many more years with my high school sweetheart and I hope I can inspire you all to simply LOVE.

Take good care all.

Until next time…