I love school!

The anti-boring antipasta!

I hope everyone else is having as great of day as we are! 

The boy is back and has proclaimed his love for the 1st grade!

& googly eyed eggs!

First day of school

Today is a very special day! Today is not only the First day of school but it is also Mason's 3rd Birthday!

I'm so excited for both of my little gentlemen! I hope everyone else is enjoying their first few weeks of school!

&  Cupcakey kisses!

A Grand Vacation and a busy weekend

I'm Baaaack! We are finally home from our 2 week vacation to Arizona! To make the most of the last of our summer vacation, my mom, the boys, and I packed our bags and headed to my Aunt & Uncle's sunny home in Williams, AZ. We got to see the Grand Canyon, a cowboy gunfight,   live black bears up close and so much more! I'm so happy to be back! There is nothing like a trip to hot and dry climate to really make you appreciate living on the foggy coast of California!  Plus being in the desert with no internet and even worse cell phone reception does a lot to break one of their media addiction.

the cowboy and the train conductor! waiting for our bus ride into the park

bear wrassiling!

I take them all the way to the grand canyon and their favorite part is the bus rides around the park!

Go figure!

Cutest engineer ever!

Taking in the early morning view at the Grand Canyon!

And what did my dreamboat husband do with all that time to himself...?

Install my solartube skylights of course! thanks honey for crossing almost everything off your honey-do list!
With both Mason's 3rd Birthday and  School starting on Monday we certainly cut it close and have a very busy weekend ahead of us but we sure had a blast! Orion will be starting 1st grade at the brand new charter school in town and we are both very excited to see what's in store for the coming school year. Be back soon with some back to school fun!
& happy road trips!

Shut the front door...

Last week while driving up to my house I decided I'd had enough. My deep red door was bringing me down and had to go. Now, don't get me wrong, I love a classic red door, but I was just tired of seeing red everytime I walked through my door.

The door had been painted by the previous owners and could have used a few more coats when they did it. Combine that with the fact that it was dingy and scratched up it was neigh time for a fresh coat. So out came the swatches and the strange looks from the neighbors as I sat on the curb staring at my front door covered in little squares of color.

 In the end I went with  Bennie Moore's Mountain Laurel.

Here's my handy tip for keeping the rim of your paint can tidy while you paint

Then you can just dip and wipe on the band instead of the edge!

2 coats later I had a fresh and fun new door. I need to do a bit of plant trimming/re-arranging out here, but the color sure is fun!

I love the way the color goes with the greige walls and charcoal trim, plus it really makes the hardware pop. 

Honestly the color did look a bit darker on the paint chip and I would have liked to have it be a bit darker but      

I am really happy with the color as it is. I was a bit worried what my older neighbors would say, but just a few days ago I got a phone call from one of them just to tell me how much they loved the new color! You know you live in a boring quiet neighborhood when your door is the topic of neighborly conversation!

& Picky Neighbors!

Wow, it's been a busy few weeks! I apologize for not being around much but first grade is looming just around the corner and I have been trying to pack in as much fun as possible before school starts. When last we left off this momma was checking activities off our summer bucket list like crazy. we have just a few left and after we go camping this weekend will be almost done, and with almost a month to spare! here's a few things that have been going on the last few weeks...

I finally got around to putting chicken wire into this old window frame so the boys have there own place to hang their treasures. There room is slowly coming along, now I'm just looking for dresser.

We need a new dresser because this guy is officially potty trained! I cannnot get over how much easier it is the 2nd time! We no longer need the giant dresser/changing table so I'm looking for something that will fit better. please ignore the slipcoverless sofa and toy strewn living space in the background :)

I have been on a "make it myself " kick and have been making all my own jam, cottage cheese, butter, bread, root beer and so on. I usually prefer to make rather than buy but I've recently attempted things I've never tried before, like butter!

I found this blog called The Italian Dish, where the author has an amazing recipe for really fast, really delicious bread dough with out kneading!  Although skeptical, I decided to give it a chance and can honestly say that it will forever change the way I make my dough. You seriously mix up the dough and put it in the fridge, then just take it out and bake it when you want fresh bread. I have now made everything from beautiful crusty loaves, to pizza, to cinnamon rolls and not one of them took longer than a few minutes! Honestly it almost makes me angry when I think of tall the time I've spent kneading and trying to make a perfect dough when this is sooo easy!

Farmer's market pizza, recipe to follow in a few days

Cranberry pecan cinnamon rolls

Well, I'm off to pack up for our camping trip. 4 days of  tubing, s'mores, swimming, and sleeping under the stars with our very best friends! Hopefully I'll be able to get some good family portraits while we are on the river, fingers crossed!

& Smokey campfires!