in 2 weeks...

...i'll be in Paris!!

holy crapola! so much to do before then!!!

the little a's

yesterday we had a quesadilla cookout during the very few hours of sunlight we had...and look who came to hang out, aston & alexander, yay!

Alexander, his new buddy Michael, and his 'pack-pack'

gardener in training - gotta start 'em young

so cute!

he stayed awake long enough for lots of pics :)

found his thumb!

not sure why i didn't take pictures of the massive amounts of delicious food we made yesterday, guess the kiddos were too cute (more pics here)!

but for the record, grilled quesadillas should be on your list of things to make this summer...so easy and who doesn't love mexican?!  don't know how/why/when we decided to do it but here's a little run down...get some large tortillas (burrito size), put it on the grill,  sprinkle lots of shredded cheese all over the circle (i use a mexican blend), put meat (optional) on just one side.   grill until melted then fold in half.  easy peasy.  mz grilled up scrumptious pork in a spice rub, then kicked up some of it with chili in adobo glaze.  we also made some bbq chicken quesadillas too, you could really use anything you like - even leftovers.  served it with fresh guac, sour cream, fresh pico and grilled corn off the cob....and now i'm drooling, time for dinner!

apron obsession: keeping it clean & cute!

it seems i've inadvertently started an apron 'collection' of sorts.  i'm not typically a very vintagey styled person, but there's just something about old school aprons that i can't resist.  really any cute apron actually...seasonal, souvenir, you name it i'll probably buy it.  which is why i was pretty jazzed to stumble across this website, House 8810, (featured on stylemepretty.com) with a slew of beautiful, classic items to pick from - aprons included.  think i need to add the birthday apron skirt to my wish list!

guess i need to start baking more so i have a reason to wear all of my lovely aprons (chef's jacket is for cooking, aprons are for baking/hostessing, duh.)

belated birthday love!

sorry bro, blogger has not been cooperating, so this is a tad bit late, but wanted to post it just to let you know i'm thinking about you!  and plus, we all know birthday celebrations are supposed to last for at LEAST a week...maybe a month if you're lucky :).

through the years, tears, laughs and many different haircuts, i love knowing that i have a little brother to rely on.  watching you grow up has been crazy - from the days of 'surfing in the hills', building forts, boating, teaching me to wakeboard, to the days you changed from a skiier to a snowboarder, a dog guy to a cat guy, a little pipsqueak to someone who towers over me.  you've changed so much and matured in ways that still surprise me sometimes ;-) but that smile where your eyes disappear still remains and i'm so happy to see it come out more and more these days.  i hope you're loving life today and every day because you deserve it!!  happy birthday!! xoxo!

newest tv obsession: human planet

i caught this show the other night and was in absolute AWE!  i loved the planet earth series but this new series blew me away...set your DVR since i can't find them on demand yet.  it's truly spectacular, so don't miss it!