10 things i couldn't live without this week

1. after a few weeks of having to skip ballet (due to the hubs insane work schedule), i went at if full force. i felt like i was having to make up for some lost time. i was so incredibly sore come tuesday morning. like 'take one step out of bed and fall on the floor' kinda sore. and i am not going to lie...my calves...they still hurt. they will probably be better tomorrow....just in time to make them sore again.
2. the tuesday duck park followed by taco tuesday lunch date is really starting to become quit the tradition. but this past tuesday, i was pleasantly surprised to find one of my friends, lily, from orlando working at the restaurant. she was in town doing some interviews for managers and was just sitting down to eat some lunch when we rolled up. how awesome for me! so it was great to spend the hour over tacos, swapping stories of how we have been for the past year or so, and chucking over the boys antics.
3. we had an amazing story time this week. the boy has been so good at story time after spending a few months away from it. he sits cross legged and listens and answers questions and tells little stories. it's really cute. we love the lake worth library and story time!
4. the boy and i went to our first real beach playdate of the year. it's crazy to think about it being january and playing in the sand and sun, but it happened. we ran up and down the beach. splashed in the waves. and we both suffered our first sunburn of the season. note: sunscreen expires.
5. i finally opened my etsy store this week. i have talked about and planned for this shop to open for what seems like years. but i did it. i finally did it. if you haven't stopped by yet, please take the time to check it out.  i will eventually adding some vintage clothing and some of my handmade goodies. if there are any pieces that i have made and featured here on the ole' blog that you would like to purchase please let me know and i will list them for you.
6. i was asked this week to be a featured blogger for UK shopping blog called Shopaholic. I am so stoked for this opportunity and it just kind of blows my mind.
7. after the hubs crazy work schedule this month, spending the past two days with him has been amazing! i always love it when he is off, but these have been really good. we've stayed up way past our bed times trying to take advantage of every minute that he doesn't have to be at work.
8. oh man i made the best mac and cheese friday night for dinner (and i can't wait to finish off the leftovers for dinner tonight!) i used this recipe from country living, but added a bit more cheese and an entire package of thick cut bacon. it was amazing! by far the best homemade mac and cheese ever!
9. we took the boy to the fair last night. it was a blast. the last time when just the boy and i went, he didn't want to go on any rides. this time (probably because his daddy was there) we went on tons of rides. at first the hubs and i were super nervous that the ride was going to start and he was going to freak out and we were going to just have to sit there and watch him panic. or as the hubs declared...he would have jumped in front of the ride so they would have to stop it.  so we waited and waited for the first ride to start. i could feel our nerves getting higher. then it started. the boy looked a little unsure at first, but then almost in an instant a smile spread from ear to ear and he was laughing so hard. he loved it. it was pretty much on after than. he rode so many rides alone, and we even found a few that we could all ride together. we ate more deep fried food than i care to admit to. played carnival games. and touched a lot of stinky farm animals. the boy was passed out in my arms before we even got to the parking lot!
10. this may seem silly to some, but i have to say that this is one of the biggest highlights of my week....we finally got a new rug for the family room. i loved our old rug. simple cream colored shag. or at least it was when we got it. over the years the dog and the boy have destroyed that rug. the few beginning months of potty training is what really did it in for that poor rug. but now we have a lovely mustard yellow pee free brand new rug.

10 things i couldn't live without this week

1. it had been about 3 full weeks of no dancing until this past monday! finally, i was better from the death cold, the studio was back open after the holiday break, and in was time to dance.  it's amazing what that many days off can do to destroy what you have been working so hard for. but none the less it felt amazing to be back at it.  although i came to the realization this week that i really need some new dance clothes.
2. we made some new friends on new years day....the irony is kind of awesome. we ran into the mongol family at john d. mcarthur park. they are just in the process of moving to the area from texas. well, we swapped emails and met up a couple time this week to hang out. they have an awesome son that's the same age as the boy.  i love new friends! our new friends introduced us to a new park in the palm beach gardens area. super cool play structure that's a little different than your average park. it amazing to me the excitement that we all get from new playgrounds.
3. i have an awesome giveaway going on this week. ends friday so please to wait to enter! you could have your very own pair of earrings made by yours truly!
4. on a totally different play structure experience, we finally went to "a latte fun" and i have to say.....we will NEVER be returning. i had been pretty clear in the past with my thoughts on this place, and pretty firm in my standing that i would not be paying the insane admission fee to go, but some friends had free passes....so we went. what a nightmare. there were far too many kids, zero supervision, and a terrible cafe to boot. at least now i know what we have been missing out on all this time.
5. well i finally did it...i purchased www.turquoiseviolets.com. it's something that i have been meaning/wanting to do for quite some time, and just never bit the bullet. well it's mine now folks. i feel some pretty amazing things to come this year!
6. the bachelor started this week! want to know a little secret - my bachelor/bachelorette obsession is thanks to my dad....yup that's right my dad. i had been really looking forward to this season for some reason... nothing like a train wreck love story to make you really love the one you're with.
7. we had an awesome cold snap this past week. it was so nice to have a break from some really hot winter days and have a taste of some seasons. we got to wear jackets and scarves and put the heater on. pretty awesome if i do say so myself. but no worries we are back to normal 80° weather.
8. with the above noted cold snap i had to bring all of my plants inside. this really opened my eyes to how much i really love having a lot of plants inside. so when it was time to move them back out i was a little sad. so i made some changes in the homes of all the greenery. and now.....i have a ton of plants in side - and i am happy.
9. oh man, i made my dark chocolate zucchini snack cake this weekend. but i got a little crazy with it this time. i used the same recipe from here, but i added a cup of dark chocolate chips, and instead of topping it with greek yogurt i covered the entire cake in cream cheese frosting. the changes really took this cake to a whole new level. i am pretty sure that i managed to cancel out any sort of healthy factor that the cake used to have, but on the flip side i didn't hear the hubs say "there are vegetables in this cake" one time.
10. one of the hubs restaurants is now the sole food vendor at the international polo club in wellington. today was the first match of the season, so to make sure that everything was going smoothly we made the journey west to see our first polo match. i have to tell you....i had no idea everything that went into this sport. i was really hoping to come home with an amazing story about the beautiful animals, the thrill of the sport, and overall excitement....but we had to leave before it ever even started. next time i guess.

10 things i couldn't live without this week

1. well i guess that it's official enough to share and get excited! so this little house momma is going back to work! i recently fell in love with a salon and made it my job to get a job there.  after a few meetings and  getting to know some of the staff, i was invited to become a part of the davidk space team.  i am so fired up about all the new educational experiences, opportunities, and having a reason to wear cute clothes and make up! haha
2. the hubs finally took that vacation that he's been needing and deserving! we decided to stay home for our vacation and really focus on some things around the house (as well as spending as much time possible at the beach).  boy oh boy have we been up to some serious DIY-ing.  we built a table, refinished my craft desk as well as adding a storage hutch, we've got some art projects under way, and i do believe there is a refinished shelf in my future for today.  not to mention we have also rearranged a ton of the art in the house.
3. speaking of new art!!!!! the hubs surprised me with a piece that i have been dying over for quite some time! it was supposed to be a christmas present, but neither on of us can keep a secret for that long.
4. along with delivering my new art, brandon mclean (the artist) came over for an evening of digging holes at the beach, reading books to the boy, and a pulled pork feast!
5. we have had some amazing beach trips this week.  the hubs has started a tradition of digging the most insane hole possible each time we go.  this may sound silly but a lot of research and trial and error has gone into perfecting the hole.
6. went to a friends going away party the other night. crappy-e-oke. very sad to see bob leaving, but very excited about his future work opportunities.
7. i missed a lot of ballet last month. so to make up for missed classes i've been taking a contemporary class right after ballet.  i was really worried that i was going to make a fool out of myself, but it turns out that i really love the class! i have a few more make-ups to do so over the next few weeks i am going to decide if a switch is in order.  i'll keep you posted.
8. the hubs finally strong armed me into having the yard sale that i have been planning for months.  the back hallway between the kitchen and the car port had turned into the holding cell for all potential yard sale items.  as the mountain of crap grew the more frequently the hubs told me i was becoming a hoarder.... haha.  so saturday 6:30 am came and it was time for the sale.  we sat and waited and waited and waited for people to come.  sold some random stuff, but none of the things that we assumed would sell did.  so after a few hot and sweaty hours our hopes of success dwindled and we called it a day.  we loaded up the car with all the left overs and dropped them at our local consignment shop.  this is the first time i've done the consignment shop thing, i usually just head straight for goodwill...we will see how it goes, if we make any money at all.  haha.
9. our old friend kelly and her adorable little boy kaleb stopped over for a short visit this weekend.  it is always so good to see her and share stories of motherhood.  kaleb is now 6 months old and about as cute as a button!
10. really looking forward to family date night tonight! we are going to rocco's tacos (which i have been dying to try!) with the serey's....can't wait! margarita's in my future....i think so!

10 things i couldn't live without this week:

1. oh man, i am just in love with my new red floral skirt that i found at family vintage. and i am kinda in love with family vintage it self...just found out they will be having another yard sale coming up in september! can't wait.

2. ballet just keeps getting better and better....or maybe it's me that's getting better at ballet. i am not sure how i went for some many years without structured dancing in my life. don't get me wrong....i shake my booty all the time, but the discipline and control that ballet takes is a different story.

3. i can see changes happening in my body. besides the weight loss, i physically look stronger. i am long and lean, and i feel more poised and far more flexible. it's kind of an amazing thing.

4. all this talk about how fantastic i look and feel made me hungry for some deadly gooey chocolate cookies! check out these delicious gluten free lava cookies.

5. i finally got my na fianna cd in the mail. me and the boy can't stop listening/dancing/singing to it. i won a contest a while ago (yes can you believe it....i never win anything) that they were holding to help promote their american/canadian tour. na fianna is a great traditional folk and ballad band from ireland...and you know how i am a sucker for irish music. make sure you check out their album and show some support to the band!

6. i finished my pencil skirt the other day and got to take it out for girls night test drive. it's kind of amazing. and there is something about that skirts color pallet with turquoise shoes that makes me feel complete.

7. i bought my plane tickets for north carolina. the boy and i can't wait to be there! the trip went from being and nice quite family vacation to what sounds like a giant reunion-ish family party. can't wait to see everyone. i have plans to take lots of pictures and maybe spend some time getting lost in the woods.

8. the hubs and i went on a great date night, it's not something that we do often, but when we do it's always amazing. we ate dinner at a place downtown that we always over look...god knows why because it might be the best restaurant we have down there. then we cruised over to our local pub for some drinks with some friends. we ended the night down by the water watching shooting stars.

9. i finally started working on a restoration project that i have been sitting on for a while. my great grandmother gave me a necklace that my father helped make when he was a kid. i have had the necklace for a while and have worn it in the past, but due to the necklaces delicate condition it's been out of the rotation for a quite some time. so i took it apart and started to put it back together again....with a little re-fashioning. can't wait until it's done so i can share it with you!

10. we took the boy for his first movie theater experience. it was awesome! he was so excited when we got there, the look on his face was priceless as he took it all in. we got our popcorn and candy and settled in to our seats to watch the smurfs 3D. not only did he love the movie, but he was so good. he sat in my lap (mostly because his seat kept folding up on him - which was hilarious) with one had in the popcorn and his little 3D glasses on. as soon as we left he wanted to go back.

10 things i couldn't live without this week:

1. splash parks. it's been super hot and 1000% (yeah that's right i said 1000%) humidity. the only way to keep cool is to be able to run through the sprinklers. thank god for splash parks.

2. found a great new blog with the hippest DIYs. i can't wait to go buy some hex nuts to try this one.

3. celebrating a full day of family fun on the boys birthday. we went to the dr, don't worry...no shots on the birthday...that would be cruel. we hit up some story time, and then went to out to lunch. after a much needed group nap we went to the boys favorite water park and topped the whole day off with "steggy" brownies.

4. robots: the movie. and my netti pot. these allergies are kicking the butts of everyone in the house. even the dog. the only thing we can all agree on is snuggling and watching movies.

5. my first new ballet class. i have graduated from the senior citizens class (plus the class ended... until october... when all the snowbirds comeback). my local dance school offers an adult ballet class and by adult they mean two 17 yr olds, an 18 yr old, and me. i went from one end of the age spectrum to the other. but this class....i can't tell you how much i love this class. i was pushed to my limits and discovered beautiful lines. i can't wait until tomorrow night for my next class.

6. a quick trip to crash my sister beach vacation. my sister paige (who you can see here and here) was taking a post graduation girls beach condo getaway. when she told me that she was going to be just an hour north of me i had to drop everything to go see her. so me and the boy crashed the party and hung out with her and all her fantastic friends for a few hours. it was so great to see her.

7. getting to see some good old friends. we had an amazing weekend hanging out on the porch, swimming in the ocean, and listening to rock and roll. what a much need synergy session.

8. father's day realizations. i spent so much of my life blaming my dad for making me the way that i was, and now that i am that "way" i couldn't thank him enough. all of the life lessons are finally making sense. i understand the importance of building a strong character. i get it. thank you.

9. speaking of great dad's, can't forget the hubs. today is it, day 20. the 20 days of praise ends today. but my gratitude will never end for this man. he works harder than anyone i know, and still finds time to take care of me and the boy. we are very lucky to have such a wonderful father, friend, and husband. i love you damion, and all the little things you do.

10. new blog friends. just can't get enough of jessica sutton and all the wonderful things she does! check out her newest endeavor, directory-B.

happy mother's day

today i am celebrating mother's day, i know it's a day early but the hubs has to work tomorrow. here's to flowers in the window, ballet class, laundry clean and folded (thanks to my boys) and an over due massage. happy mother's day.