bathroom built-ins

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I've been wanting to put some shelving in my bathroom niches for a while now. Above are some of the images that have been inspiring me to go ahead and get some bids. 

My bathroom 

I think I should be able to pull off some white floating shelves. 

I think shelves will make a big difference and add some pops of color in my bathroom. My husband I wanted a spa feel when we were picking out our options. I love the marble against the glass tiles. This is one of my favorite spots in our house.

Enjoy the weekend!

Christmas Eve Tradition

At Ramos House.

can't go wrong with their hot cocoa and homemade marshmallows. 

huckleberry coffee cake... delicious. Although the apple cinnamon beignets are my favorite. 

Love the atmosphere here. They always have the quaintest decor. Simple and elegant. 

 Perfect start to the Christmas weekend. Also got to see my new nephew. Can't wait for tonight.
Wishing you the Merriest Christmas of all. 

now you know

If you don't already know I like to take pictures. 

At the moment I am offering Summer Mini Sessions for more then 50% off my regular price!!

 If your interested head on over to my photo blog for the details. 

Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July weekend

THE ITALIAN SKY

I hope your heading somewhere nice and cool, like the beach or pool.

MY BABY GIRLS' TOES

We painted our nails for the occasion

CINQUE TERRA, MONTEROSO BEACH ON OUR ITALIAN VACATION

got our bathing suits on, 

JORDY AND PRESLEY'S FESTIVE FINGERS

and all decked out in our patriotic colors.

Tonight we will all be looking to the skies for some lovely firework shows.

GIGI BAKING WARM BERRY & BANANA SHORTCAKE

and our bellies will be nice and full from all the food we ate.

I'm either making this delicious WARM BERRY AND BANANA SHORTCAKE or this BERRY TART.
Love Holidays and
love love love summer time.

Easter Sunday

 We had two egg hunts. One at Aunt Stacy's and the other at the St. Regis. It was a perfect day.

Usually we are in Palm Springs during Easter but since we didn't go this year we decided to try something new. A neighbor invited us to the St. Regis Hotel, (which is where my honey and I spent our 1st married night together) and said it was totally worth it. So we went. We enjoyed FREE; face painting, an egg hunt, balloon making, and a picture with the Easter bunny printed out in a frame. If we are ever in town again for Easter morning, we will be there. They also have a great brunch, which we didn't try since we were headed to see family. 

Our extended family hosted the evening with an Easter Egg hunt at our Uncle's house, which was so lovely. A perfect little house, with just the right space, surrounded by big tree's to wing from, which backed up to a vineyard! It was a magical hunt, that wasn't just picturesque, but enchanted for all the kids. He also had a box garden which reminded me of how much I would like to have one once we finish our yard. It was just beautiful.

After the hunt we went and enjoyed time with family and ate our hearts out. One the menu:

Asparagus with walnuts and feta cheese,
Green beans sautéed with soy sauce, garlic, sesame seed oil, and sugar. (one of our favorite week night sides)
Grandma Judy's Orange Rolls (simply to die for)
Honey Baked Ham
Raspberry butter
Cheesy mashed potatoes
with a nice refreshing glass of fresh made Lemonade

What a day. I have to say my diet lasted all day. It was great. I had 2 1/2 rolls which was more then I should have had but with the raspberry butter it was too good to say NO. I didn't have a single bite of chocolate all day, which was astonishing, but none the less not that hard.

Day 24- down 13 pounds. Feeling great. Still working out. Hoping to lose another 10-12 pounds in the next couple months. Hopefully at least 5 more before the diet is over. My shakes consist of 1 1/2 scoops of Isagenics IsaLean Vanilla Shake, ice, and 8 ounces of water. Sometimes I add vanilla extract and a half of a banana. Helps when your really hungry or need some change from the normal vanilla shake.

TGIF - Craft Day

 It's so beautiful outside and it's FRIDAY... What a treat! So let's do some crafts. 

You'll need styrofoam eggs, glue, glitter, and letter stickers.

I was inspired by this, but I love me some glitter so we dazzled our eggs. Also we opted for styrofoam eggs because my neighbors' son is allergic to eggs. They worked surprisingly well. 

We also crafted these lovely little chicks. Aren't they adorable. 

Oh, the things you can do with foam. 

Have a safe and Happy weekend!

PS. Day 11 down 9 lbs! The vanilla shake and the nast Ionix Supreme has grown on me, believe it or not. However, the chocolate shake is still sickening. Still going strong. Now I just need to get my a** to the gym and work these bunz out.

day 5

photo by me

This morning I had extra energy, and I'm feeling pretty good. I was even up for making breakfast for my kids other then something super easy like cereal or a bagel. Since lately I haven't wanted to make anything I would want to eat in fear of having mass cravings. I decided to mix it up for them and make poached eggs. They were a hit, and even though I wanted them I haven't been dying for a bite. However, for my mid-day snack I did have a hard boiled egg. I'm allowed one. Hooray! Still down 4 lbs.

photo via Flickr by tensaibuta

             

I'm looking forward to a weekend getaway in Malibu. 

Happy Friday Peeps!!

PS. Read this article this morning. I thought it was very interesting. 

Green, super GREEN

My dear friend Mary published a book a while ago called the Green Diet. I was flattered and excited when she asked me to take the pictures for her new book.  After one long shoot, some delicious food, and one great cook we came up with some great shots. I got these pictures off of her book, and there are tons more. I urge you to check it out. She has great insight into how to live a healthy life, and maybe even how to keep those muffin tops in check.

one of my favorite shots from the shoot

She recently started a new blog which you can check out here. I am absolutely loving it. I honestly can say I have not tried a recipe I didn't like. 

{ pic from Rosyln Living }

Oh my doesn't this look delicious!!
 Don't ask questions, just purchase. It will be worth it.