Lake Calavera Hike

Beautiful flowers greeting you at the start of the trail...
 

The trail was marked as moderate to difficult, but I thought a good portion of it was pretty tough!  The trek up to over look the lake was very steep, which did end up being a good workout.  I didn't love, however, walking back down the trail, with nothing really to hold on to.  We encountered a few mountain bikers and people walking their dogs, but mostly the trail wasn't busy at all.

 

 

Awesome panoramic pic of the lake & surrounding area

 



Bridge through the creek crossing - very peaceful with trees all arounnd

 Have a sunny day!!

 

Fun Stuff Friday!

Hello and happy Friday to you! I am super glad it's the weekend (of course)!

Does anyone have a fun activity or trip that you're getting ready for?

Our weekend weather should be sunny skies with temps in the 70s, so my husband and I plan to be outdoors! We're taking a hike and exploring a new trail system close by. We'd also like to go for a bike ride, but that probably depends on the distance of our hike! Reading a good book down by the beach is just about one of the most relaxing things to do, so I'd love to squeeze that in, too. I wouldn't complain, either, if I happened to have a lazy nap, letting the sound of the waves lull me to sleep!

Here are a few fun Friday things, that I am totally loving!



Ampersand art (handmade by me)



Colorful cacti



Fossil's Blog






Madewell Transport Tote

 

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Hello Again!

It’s been almost three years since my last post! Wow, how the time has flown by! I was looking back through some of my posts and thought, why did I ever stop blogging?!  I'm excited to get back into the groove - a lot has changed for me, with the most recent being a new address in a new state.  I'm super happy to be living close to family now, and within a five minute walk to the beach.  There are so many new, fun things to see, experience and appreciate, and I hope you'll enjoy sharing in my journey!!

Have a sunny day!!

Sisters!

I adore my lovely sisters and their extremely cute and squeezeable kids!  I have a sister visit coming up this month, and I'm so excited to spend time with two of my three sisters.  We usually stay up way too late talking, doing crafting projects, eating (too much junk food!), and just generally being silly.  I'm sad that our oldest sister won't be able to join us, but we'll be thinking of and missing her, for sure!  I am so blessed to have wonderful siblings that I am close to and view as my best friends.  Please take the time to tell your sisters and brothers how much they're appreciated and loved! 



Dishes & Verrines

Yesterday I went to one of my favorite craft supply stores, Archivers, and was feeling very creative.

If your household is anything like mine, we always have dishes in some state of either washed or not, in our dishwasher.  I decided to make it easy and fun for us (okay, really me!), by creating a little magnet with arrows to point to either Clean or Dirty.  Here's what I made:

  



Here it is on the dishwasher

 

Dishes are clean!  I guess I better unload the dishwasher...


Do you know what a Verrine is?  I heard of it for the first time on our PBS station on TV, the other evening. 

"A verrine is an appetizer or dessert that consists of a number of components layered artfully in a small glass. (The word verrine refers to the glass itself; literally it means "protective glass.") Intriguingly composed, they're a study in textures, flavors, colors and temperatures. A beautiful glass might be filled with a layer of mushroom flan, sautéed wild mushrooms, a julienne of prosciutto, parsley gelée, wild mushroom emulsion and topped with a potato and prosciutto galette. Another will have clementine and mint syrup, fresh clementines and a gingerbread "crumble." American chefs are just starting to catch on to the verrine. But in France it's a culinary trend that's captured just about everyone's imagination — including home cooks."  *Taken from Serious Eats

 



Don't these look yummy?!  I am going to try the one that the chef, Hubert Keller, made.  It was a dessert version that he created in one huge glass.  It was beautiful to look at and I'm sure tasted just as wonderful!  His website doesn't have the recipe yet (sorry!), but here's what I remember him using for the layers, starting from the bottom up -

pecans
shortbread round (soaked in coffee)
chocolate mousse
raspherries
whipped cream
small pieces of chopped chocolate
strawberries
and then he continued to layer, ending with whipped cream on the top, more raspberries and a drizzle of chocolate syrup

Can you say stomach ache?!  In the best kind of way, though, of course!

I think it'll be fun to make cute servings in the individual glasses, true to the verrine!

Here are some other ideas:  http://www.easy-french-food.com/verrines.html

Have a happy, sunny day!

Mid-week Montage

Hi everyone - I hope your 4th of July holiday was as enjoyable as mine!  We ended up grilling out and having friends over on Monday.  We made too much food (I think that always happens, though!), but one of my favorite things that my husband makes is with fresh pineapple.  He puts a glaze of agave nectar and cinnamon on them and then warms them on the bbq for a bit - they are so super yummy!  It was crazy hot outside, but a few of us braved the sun, to play washers.  Most of all, I was just happy to be able to spend time with friends and was thankful for the freedoms we enjoy.  Here are some pictures from the last week and what's been going on with me...



On a walk with Chris



Not ready to use it yet, but my new tote for fall



A card I made for a friend



Cute little lakeside bistro set from World Market



Feeding the ducks down by the lake



Have you had a "WOW!" moment lately?

There is a great article in Experience Life magazine, entitled Don't Miss Your Life.  I find that I can easily get caught up in the day-to-day routine and hectic, stressful pace of daily life.  This article is a wonderful reminder to "stop and smell the roses". 
The writer, Joe Robinson, suggests creating a "To-Live" list, that gives you a set of fun things that you'd like to do or experience (sooner rather than later!).  I think it's an even better idea than a Bucket list.  He asks a few questions and gives examples to help jumpstart your fun list, like what places would you like to visit or what activities would you like to try? 
I never thought I would even attempt to run a marathon, but Chris and I did it.  That's one thing from my list!  What would be first on yours?

Lovin' Life

Today's list is all about the fun, little everyday things.  Here's just a few that make me love life and feel so blessed!

My husband’s kisses

Sunny days

Feeding the friendly ducks, down by the lake

My house – after I've just cleaned

Chats with my sisters

A good yoga workout

Curling up with a book and cup of coffee

What small things bring a smile to your face?

I hope everyone has a super wonderful day!

What I Wore Wednesday - Blues & Whites

In honor of Flag Day yesterday, I decided to go with blues and whites for today's WIWW.  I'll have to work in the red next time!

Outfit 1 - The dress has adjustable spaghetti straps and if you don't want to wear it with a sweater, like I did, then a camisole works well underneath, too - both pieces are Old Navy.

Outfit 2 - I love this blue and white striped boyfriend cardigan!  I'm going to be wearing it with a lot of different outfits; it's super versatile.  The skirt actually has small vertical white stripes running down it, and both it and the sweater are from Target.  The white camisole is New York & Co.

Fashion Friday -Getaway Outfits

PiperLime

Summer is all about fun travel to warm, sunny beach locations and The Getaway Essentials on the Piperlime website just really make me want to pack a weekender bag with a couple of those outfits, and get out of town. So very cute! What’s your favorite?

Piperlime

Piperlime

Fashion Fridays @ Blonde Episodes

 
Fashion Friday

Fun Stuff Friday - Books!

    

     Ah, the joy of reading!  My love of books was passed down to me from my mom at a very young age, when during summer vacation, we would walk to the library and spend an afternoon deciding which books to check out.  Nate the Great was always a favorite (maybe that's because I, too, adore pancakes!) and the Choose your Own Adventure books couldn't be beat.  What a great concept for young minds - letting them decide how their story ends.  I moved on to the Nancy Drew series, and loved tagging along with her and her gal pals, Bess and George, as they solved mysteries.
     My love of books still continues to this day.  I admit, I am one of those people that judges a book by it's cover.  Sorry to say!  I will almost always pick up a book if the cover looks fun.  Target usually has interesting choices in their Club Picks section, and of course, Barnes and Noble displays all their new fiction (I'm a fan of paperback), to grab my attention as soon as I walk in!   For me, books not only provide a relaxing pasttime, but they also do double duty as decor pieces. 

GoodReads is a fun website for fellow readers - http://www.goodreads.com.

Here are some of the books on my next to read stack:

Salting Roses, by Lorelle Marinello
Table Manners, by Mia King
There's Cake in my Future, by Kim Gruenenfelder

How about you? What are you reading these days?

Gray & Black

I am a huge fan of color, but I also love neutrals - especially blacks (who wouldn't want to wear something slimming?!) and grays.  I really love this dress - it fits me so well and it's a simple choice when I want a more sophisticated look.  The capris and ruffled top combo are super comfy, so they are perfect for me at work or on the weekend.  I can always change out the wedge sandals for flats or flipflops.

#1 Dress - BCBG, Shoes - Adrienne Vittadini
# 2 Top & Capris - Elle, at Kohls

Designed Interiors

Better Homes & Gardens

My dad was a home builder when I was younger, and I loved using his house plan books to draw furniture in the various rooms.  I remember at some point wanting to become an interior decorator (either that or a gymnast!).  Though I didn’t end up doing it professionally, I still love all things interior decorating.  We’ve owned our home for a few years now and it’s already gone through multiple “looks”.  I like to think of them as household wardrobe changes.  It’s so much fun to move furniture from room to room and change out pillows and decorative accessories.  I tend to get a little obsessed, but really just genuinely enjoy creating “new to me” spaces.  I love browsing through magazines like Better Homes & Gardens, Country Living and House Beautiful, for ideas and inspiration.  BH&G has a couple of special interest publications that are my favorite – 100 Ideas Flea Market Style and 100 Decorating Ideas Big Style for Small Rooms.  I really love this dining room - it looks so cozy and I could definitely see myself enjoying coffee or reading a good book while curled up on the banquette.

Fun home décor blog to check out – http://www.sohautestyle.com.

Which decor blogs or magazines inspire you?

Fun in the Sun Fashion Set

Fun in the Sun by made4sunnydays 

Roman Holiday by made4sunnydays
  

I just discovered what you can do on Polyvore! I had seen the fashion sets on other blogs, but I didn't realize that you could design your own...this is a super fun site. Check it out if you haven't yet!

Creating Creativity

With me being quite new to the blogging world, it can be a tad bit overwhelming to think of material for future posts.  I think I can understand an author's frustration when they've hit a writing block.  During a normal day, there seems to be plenty of things that I'll think, "oh, that would be fun to post about", or I'll have read an article in a book or magazine, or maybe just something I've seen, that inspires an idea.  The time comes to sit in front of the computer and get started, though, and all my great thoughts just seem to disappear!  So instead of automatically jumping to the "I'm not creative" conclusion, I thought it would be good to look for ways to unlock my creativity. I found a few great tips from an issue of last year's Whole Living magazine, that I really enjoyed reading again; it mentions keeping good company, getting out and enjoying events and cultural spots near you, being refreshed by nature, and spending time alone.  What inspires you?
Have a happy and creative day!

Stacy's Love-It List for May 31

Piperlime

I am in search of a great jean jacket, like the one in the picture above. A jean jacket can look great with almost any outfit and wears well because it doesn’t wrinkle easily. It might be difficult to find at the start of summer, but I’ve accepted my mission and won’t quit until I’ve succeeded!

BCBG

This white dress is so very cute! It is definitely a comfortable classic that can be dressed up or worn more casually, depending on the jewelry you choose and the occasion.

White House, Black Market

I absolutely love this skirt! I know horizontal stripes aren’t always easy to wear, but this just seems so versatile – a sophisticated and charming piece that is sure to get compliments.

DSW

I’m a huge fan of wedges and these look completely comfortable! I’m on the shorter side, so I definitely love wearing a heel, especially in tan, to make my legs look longer.

Ebay

This is my most recent purchase and I’m so excited for it to be delivered. I found more expensive versions of this – mostly initial disc necklaces – but thought that this was such a great find! I’m really into gold necklaces lately and I think I’ll be able to wear this quite frequently.

Fossil Finds

I don’t have any plans to buy anything from this Fossil Finds website, but really love some of the unique vintage items that they have here. Some of them could make really great gifts!

Have you discovered any great finds lately?
Linked up to Giggles, Glitz, and Glam.
and...Yes, Teacher! Tickle Me Tuesdays

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Happy Friday and Memorial Day weekend! I like to think of Memorial

Day as the official start to summer...

sparkling lights and sweet flowers on an evening patio....

fun times with family and friends...

tasty, hot buttery grilled corn...

strawberries served up every different way...

and cool, creamy desserts...

Visit Taste of Home's page for the recipe to this easy to make and sure to please dessert!

Taste of Home's Lemon Pudding Dessert

Have a terrific weekend!