Park & "Beach" adventures.

After our ice cream date, we took the kiddos to the park, to burn off some energy.

Zac & I had my niece & nephew for the whole weekend, so we had plenty of ideas up our sleeve to keep them busy, since our house isn’t very kid friendly.

Elena says to me, “So, KK (they call me "Kay-Kay") – do you have any like, kid toys?" "Like a ball, or bubbles, or Barbies?”

Sorry hun, I don’t…

I do however have an antique rotary phone, an antique typewriter, & a tv remote control -- their top three favorite “toys” at auntie’s house.

So thank goodness for parks & play grounds – they provide endless amounts of entertainment & smiles.

This park is right next to the water, so before we left, we searched for shells.  Elena found a few, which she wouldn’t let go of -- all night -- but mostly we just got an overabundance of zebra mussel shells stuck in our shoes.

Crunch, crunch, crunch – the sound of walking on the shells; “where’s the sand, KK?!”

 Oh, we did find a couple dead fish too.  Bonus points on the cool meter for uncle Zac.

They thought it was way cool watching uncle Zac skip rocks in the water, “do it again!”  “Do it again!!”

With the sun setting on the horizon, it was time to empty our shoes & head back home.

We ended the evening with baths and a brief showing of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, all snuggled in our bed.

What a perfect Friday night.  Did I mention being an auntie is the best? 

Current Happenings.

Post idea inspired by Emily's 'Five Things' posts, at Cupcakes & Cashmere.

(a great way to stay active behind the camera, to document the little things)

Bella, my puppy niece. 

Mini chocolate chip zucchini bread.

Beach views.

Running through the sprinkler -- pure joy on a hot & humid summer day.

Farmer's market blooms.

Happy Sunday.

The secret-ingredient that will make your lemonade over-the-top yummy.

Have you tried sulfate-free shampoo?  I think I'm making the switch to see if it yields any results.

These office makeovers have me itching to do finish mine.

Recipes to help you eat up that entire watermelon.

Tips on creating beautiful chalk calligraphy -- so wish I had this talent.

Make: Pizza Loaf.

In addition to this baked chicken fajita, another staple in our weeknight dinner rotation is Pizza loaf.

Of course, the recipe comes from my favorite cookbook, Taste of Homes Most Requested Recipes, and the recipe can also be found here.

What I love about this, is that you can customize it to your liking, adding whatever toppings you desire, & the left-overs are just as good as the first time around.

And, it's kinda fun to make :)






























Buon Appetito!

Ice Cream Date

The best summer treat, in my book, is ice cream.

We are fortunate (or maybe not so fortunate for our bellies & wallets) to live exactly 2 miles from a local walk-up ice cream shop that is open seasonally May through September, and I’d say that Zac & I account for roughly 45% of their sales.

Sadly, I’m not kidding.  We typically visit at least twice a week.  Good thing we’re still working hard on that couch to 5k app, right?   Rightttt.

Anyways, its yummy soft-serve ice cream & their peanut butter cup flurries are my weakness.

To kick off the weekend, we took my niece & nephew there for a Friday night cool down.

I think Elena ate more of Zac's ice cream than her own…

They enjoyed the ice cream, but honestly, I think they had more fun making a jungle gym out of the picnic table...

It was hot, the ice cream melted quickly, & we made a mess on their picnic tables.  We were all a sweaty, sticky mess by the time we left, but it was perfect.

Ice cream date nights are my jam, especially with these little love bugs!