Sending Hugs and Kisses

I'm late in posting this due to lots of progress with our bathrooms! I can't wait for everything to be finished so I can show you the before and after photos! In the meantime I'll post this yummy recipe for you to enjoy! Tomato & Mozzarella Tart - recipe courtesy of the American's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed 1 large egg, beaten 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 2 medium plum tomatoes sliced 3/4" thick 1/2 tsp of salt 1 cup of low moisture mozzarella, shredded 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced 2 tbs fresh basil, minced Move your oven rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425degrees (f). Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper. Combine olive oil and garlic in a small bowl and set aside. Place your pastry sheet in the middle of the sheet pan and brush with the beaten egg. Now begin to form the tart shell by folding over the long edges by 1/2 in, brush with egg and repeat with the shorter edg...

Well, nothing much is happening here as far as construction goes. The downstairs bath is still torn apart and the upstairs isn't much better. We've been getting bids to re-do the beautiful pink one on our main floor but they are much higher than we expected. If you see me asking for drywall advice you'll know that we have decided to do it ourselves. In the meanitime I though I would show you a few of the items we are thinking of using in the main bathroom... I can't decide which one of these I like better... What do you have in your bathroom that you love?

Sadly we lost a Studio Calico friend, Alisa, last month. Emily came up with the idea of making ATC cards out of her message board posts, that will be made into a ATC Spinner filled with love and advice for the two young daughters, step-sons and husband she leaves behind. These are the cards I've made using her goals for the year... Alisa's passing has made me remember to be grateful for each day and to be more present in the moment. Treasure today, Houston

We had the best time on our horseback ride in Yosemite and it's been fun to hear Coley describe it to his grandparent's on the phone! I wanted to capture his version of the trip so I had him tell me about it and used his words as the journaling. It reads: "We went on a really fun horseback ride in Yosemite to Mirror Lake. Edith was my mule and she was very well behaved, sometimes she tried to eat but not all the time. My Mom's mule, Oliver, thought it was an all you can eat buffet. My Dad's mule was named Twitch. The Corral Boss, Katie, said that Edith could probably do the trail with her eyes shut,. Edith was very tall and I was nervous at first but I felt better after the Katie took me walking around the corral on Edith. We saw a rattlesnake, that was in a swampy part, just laying there, and luckily he didn't rattle with his tail... it was sort of scary and when we came across it I patted Edith softly on the neck so she wouldn't look at it. There w...

Just a picture post today, I wanted to share with you the magic of Yosemite Valley waking up! Have a great weekend.

Taking a break from our trip to just rant... seriously I just need to RANT... Before you go any farther, please know that this is not aimed at anyone in particular, this is a sore spot for me and comes at me from all directions. Don't feel like you need to comment, you don't have to, I just really needed to get this off my chest and out of my heart before the anger becomes too much. I have one child, that's a huge blessing, HE is a huge blessing. I know that it looks like smooth sailing with just one... only one to load into the car, only one kiddo's schedule to look after, only one to get bathed... but guess what it's not always easy... When you only have one you get the brunt of what a sibling would get, more arguments, more questions, more need to be entertained. You also have to detox them when they come home from Grandma's because she's let him do whatever he wanted, because he is the only one... know what that also means?... it means that HE doesn'...

TEN THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LAS VEGAS BEFORE YOU GO 10. Smoking is allowed everywhere, even in the ELEVATOR!!! * Personal Experience * The Venetian is the only hotel we encountered where they pump some type of air freshener through the vents to cover the odor of smoke. Oh and those people hacking in the casinos, don't worry they don't have TB, it's just that they've been smoking while gambling away their children's inheritance! 9. The four acre pool at the hotel will be filled within half an hour of opening, if you want a free chair, get in line early. * Lounge Chair Tip * The chairs that do not cost $100 - $800 a pop are filled immediately... cop a squat in the sand and then start scanning the ten rows around you, wait until you see someone who is putting on their shoes and then pounce! This can take a bit but the relief your rear will feel when it's out of the scorching sand is worth it! * Pool Time Tip #2 * You can book an $800 cabana online, with a special po...