The last bit of summer fun

We just returned from a wonderful trip to Long Beach with our friends. They have a great place on the Beach. It is always so much fun to go down there. My entire family looks forward to it. We always have all the kids sit on the porch for a photo. My two are the first two boys on the left of the pic.

Here I am with my dear friend Steph. Not pictured is Mare...she was at the beach house with her family too. She however, was afraid to get on one of the Vespa scooters. She rode a bike instead. Steph's husband bought her the pink Vespa for their anniversary...I am on his...the more masculine version of a Vespa...we took these to get a pedicure. What fun!

A night out for sushi...the kid's table, they are the best

Here are Mare and Steph. They have been best friends since the 3rd grade. I absolutely love them both. We have a great time together. We are raising our families together. My kids call them their Aunt Mare and Aunt Stephie. They are a blessing and have taught me the true meaning of friendship. They are there for the long haul, through thick and thin. Thanks you two!

This is my best friend and husband Lar. He is an amazing man. I am very blessed to get to share my life with him. Although I don't think HE always feels lucky...let us just say he's one wise man..and rarely lets on that I am driving him crazy...he is as loyal as they come and I am so very thankful for him.

Our hostess and her sweet brother Stephen. I didn't get a picture of her husband, but he is a great guy too. Thank you Mr. Steph for a wonderful stay. You are always such a great Uncle to our kids

Here is Steph and Stephen with their sweet father. He has the most amazing Irish accent and beautiful stories about his life. We truly enjoyed talking to him.

It was super crowded, but we were all so happy to be together that we didn't even care where we slept. The kids just piled onto the couches, pull out beds and air mattresses. There were 12 of us all together.

Then there were the beach activities....

Full of fun in the sun

for a mother of two boys, I absolutely love getting my girl time with Steph and Mare's girls (of course I adore Mare's son too...he truly is the perfect mentor for my guys!)

Paddle boarding is very popular now

and super fun when you try to knock each other off

Thank you to our dear friends for hosting a wonderful
"Beach house" stay!!!! it was relaxing, full of yummy food and more laughs than one can hope for. Not to mention, adventure and a little Hollywood suspense....We love you all and can't think of a better way to say goodbye to another summer.

"homestead" sweet "homestead"

here are a few photos from around my house that I thought I would share

I absolutely love to mix colors,patterns and textures

Like this chair...nothing really matches

this is a picture of what you see as you walk toward my master, can you tell I love boots?

this is the cute little chandelier in my powder

this is the powder bath. the vanity, chandelier and fabric for the window are all from the Rose Bowl. the mirror is from a favorite antique store in augora, ca

this is my mantel in the family room. my father painted the zebra when i was a child. i have always loved it and he let me have it recently. it brings back so many memories. we haven't really done much here. still need to decide what we want to hang over the mantel. on our big rv trip this summer we purchased a large American flag at an antique store that we are going to try hanging over the mantel. when we do i will show you and see what you think.

and this my dear friends is my kitchen with a clear view to my little computer desk, and messy laundry room....can you see the washer door is open??? this photo shows the reality around here...two boys, a bunch of friends, two dogs, and a cat live here, our chicken would love to live in the house with us if we allowed her. i would like to say that it usually looks picture perfect, but... you would know i was not telling the truth....ta for now...and i have to say...i am loving this blogging thing. you have all inspired me beyond words. thank you so much for the inspiration.

Our "Baby" turned "12" today!

our baby turned "12" today. I can't believe it has been 12 years. This is a picture of Jackson when he was "8". (I don't know how to scan and post, this is the oldest photo I could find on my computer of Jackson, maybe next year I can post one of his baby photos. He was an adorable baby.)
This is Jackson and his buddy having birthday sushi and eating some yummy brownie mix.
Smile boys:)
Show everyone what you are eating. Good healthy meal, don't ya think?
Happy 12th Birthday Jackson

Jackson, we love you so much, thank you for all the laughter you bring into our lives. You have been a blessing from God. Even when you run through the house in your soaking wet swim suit, dripping everywhere, just so you could grab something you forgot!!!! We love you!!!!
Secondly, and not nearly as important as my previous news, the ceilings in my studio have been primed. What do you think?

"Before" & "After"

This is a sitting room off of our master bedroom...oops, it didn't rotate. Anyway, this is where all my jewelry supplies are being stored (if that is what you call this mess), while we create the new space for me to "create" in.
This is a portion of my never ending supply of, gems, chain, wire, pendants....
and here is more. It is so unorganized at this point. I can't wait to have my new space.
This is an old picture of our guest house that we are making "my space", I think we are calling it the "cottage". I just wanted to show you the tile and the disgusting carpet that we already tore out. We lived in this one bedroom guesthouse while we remodeled our home. It was fun with the four of us. You can see there is our bed in the living room. The boys shared the one bedroom and we all got to share the one bathroom for about a year and a half. It was worth it, and now I get to have a space to create in!!!! I am sooo excited. The next three pictures I just took. You can see we have totally gutted the inside!



This is the wonderful man that is making it all happen. I love that I caught him laying down in bed, during the afternoon...with the remote. Rest up honey, we have a floor to paint! And now for a much needed "before" & "after"....
This is me at 2pm today. I am feeling frumpy....blaaahhhhhh....I need some major help.




What do you think? Be kind, I am a bit tender these days. Only a few months shy of 45! How did that sneak up on me....

Last stop...Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

Can you imagine traveling across country in one of these? No girls, I didn't mean the RV...I considered myself very fortunate when I was returning to the RV and noticed this wagon could have been how we crossed the seven states we visited.
This is our little treasure hunter. He found an old rusted can...it is now sitting on a shelf in his room with honor.
Jackson's requested a ghost town on our trip. Alot of really old buildings, and dust...hence, a real ghost town.


Never thought I would take my two young boys to Vegas, but that is exactly where we ended up taking them on the way home. They loved the pool at the Mandalay and we took them to see "Blue Men" which they thought was really cool.

Zion, Utah

Zion is gorgeous and very easy to navigate. Hiking and biking were great!
Scrabble was a regular event on our trip.