Worth the mess

July 7, 2012
Good grief!

Does anyone else's kitchen look like this after they fix dinner? I think I used almost every single appliance, bowl, spatula, and spoon we have! I seriously wonder if all those amazing food bloggers have secret maids or house elves who do nothing but clean up as they cook away. It took almost as long to clean up as it did to cook!

But it was oh, so worth it.

Brazillian lemonade (make sure you have the sugar water very cold and then, yum)
Black Beans and Rice with Chicken and Apple Salsa (one of our favorite dinners)

Hen and chicks

July 6, 2012 
From the all-knowing Wikipedia: Hen and chicks (Latin name Sempervivum tectorum) is a common name for a group of small succulents belonging to the flowering plant family Crassulaceae, native to Europe and northern Africa. They grow close to the ground with leaves formed around each other in a rosette, and propagating by offsets. The "hen" is the main plant, and the "chicks" are the offspring, which start as tiny buds on the main plant and soon sprout their own roots, taking up residence close to the mother plant. 

My grandma always had hen and chicks growing in her rock garden. They're drought-tolerant, super easy care plants perfect for xeriscape gardens or between pavers on patios or walkways. I can't help but smile and feel happy when I see them.

On the bright side, we have a clean floor now

July 5, 2012
Thanks to a little boy who found a black marker while his mom was cooking dinner, our floor is now Pine-sol clean.

Just don't tell his Dad what he did.... I'd rather have him believe I'm just that good of a wife.

Pop-Its

July 4, 2012
Introduced my kids to one of my 4th of July childhood favorites today.

They loved 'em.

Summer pasta

July 3, 2012
If anyone complains about dinner tonight, I just might completely lose it!!!!!

(Thank you Our Best Bites for a delicious breadstick - with my touch of herbs and cheeses added - and Lemon-herb Zucchini Fettuccine recipes)

Red, white, and blue

July 2, 2012
We've have a lot of laughs the past few days watching cars drive by then turn around to see our "Ditto" sign with an arrow pointing to house next door. Then they pull out their cameras or phones and take a picture all while pointing and laughing. It's funny.

Our neighbors are sort of holiday nuts, especially with the 4th of July. We, on the other hand, are somewhat lacking in the decor department. Well, today I finally got out some red, white, and blue. Ironically, some red, white, and blue that our neighbor gave me last year.

Better late than never, right?

Blue toes

July 1, 2012
Since we've been wearing flippy-flops as Cole calls them, for months now, I should have busted out the fingernail polish long ago. I know my feet could use a cute distraction from the gross, dry cracks all over my heels.

I just wish my "blue" toes as Cole says (the color is really turquoise) looked as cute as his and Pearl's piggy toes.

(You don't think I'll traumatize the kid by painting his toes, right? He really wanted blue toes too and by golly, they look so cute painted!)