creature of habit.

i think this has been my breakfast every single morning 

since summer began.

what can i say?

when i find something i like, i stick with it.

with all the delicious summer berries to choose from, 

that is about the only thing i have mixed up.

strawberries, blueberries, raspberries

and occasionally blackberries or even bananas.

mmmm.  i love breakfast.

can't get enough.

sometimes i wish i lived somewhere that i could 

grow peonies in my front yard.

they just make me so happy.

you know what else makes me happy?

artichokes.

this is the only time of year we get them, 

so we have spoiled ourselves a few times lately.

we steam them, then throw them on the grill 

for a few minutes 

and then eat them with garlic mayonnaise.

yum, yum.

oh, to live like it was summer always...

late breakfast and fresh air.

sleeping in, eating breakfast on the back porch, letting the kids go for a morning swim, reading, making lists and getting our week organized...

i just love june.

june in phoenix is hot and lazy and perfect.

happy.

flowers from trader joe's are the simplest way to make my whole week look brighter.  

i just can't get enough of them.

and, with my baby about to turn one, i need a little something around the house to keep me from bursting into tears...

just a little something...

to say that i love my mother-in-law.

she is the hardest person i know to shop for.

and she is the very best mother-in-law 

a girl could ask for.

so, a stack of magazines, a shine bracelet and

a little love note will have to let her know.

happy mother's day to one and all next week!

one of those.

 you know. 

just one of those days where an iced coffee in the afternoon is essential to make it through.

thank goodness for coffee.

a weekend without a husband.

well, we made it.

we get our dad back tonight.

we are quite excited, i must say...

parcheesi

i just love the quiet afternoons i get to spend with this guy.

just the two of us.

what will i do when he is at school all day?

eggs and treats

we have had a wonderfully laid back time 

preparing for easter.

we decorated eggs and ate some macarons from essence bakery and are generally laying low until the big day.

we hope to have a quiet, prayerful day tomorrow to remember what easter is really all about.

monday, again.

my two little ladies.

it was a lovely low-key weekend.

i never thought i would love weekends more than i did when i was a kid, but now that i have kids, i most certainly do.

there is nothing better than to just be home all together.

after the madness of st. patrick's day and easter on the horizon, it was oh-so-nice to just lay low.

now, back to the craziness of the week!

at least spring break is just around the corner...

apples.

 it's that time of year again, when our apple tree has exploded with apples and we need to come up with enough different things to make with them.

pies, tarts, cakes...  maybe we should come up with something a bit healthier

any suggestions?

we are giving bags away to all our friends, so stop on by!

a good start.

even just ten minutes of quiet with a magazine and a coffee offers a mighty fine start to the week.

thanks to leftovers from our visit to the union yesterday my day is off to a very good start, indeed.

rain.

there is nothing more glorious than rain in the desert.

especially, when your kids have the day off and you can sit around in pajamas, drinking coffee, reading books and being lazy with the windows open and that wonderful smell filling the house.

and babies always nap better on rainy days.

happy monday, ya'll.

good morning.

this is the face i wake up to every morning.

you won't be hearing any complaints from me...

even if, as my husband points out, i also woke up to her at 12:14, 1:37, 2:06, 3:58... 

you get the picture.

she doesn't sleep a lot.

but she sure is cute, right?

now let's pour some coffee and get this week started.

hello there, monday, my good friend.

it's amazing what a difference it makes when your baby has slept well over the weekend, your husband gets up and makes both lunches and breakfast for the kids, and it's not spirit week, so everyone knows exactly what they are wearing to school.  

hello, monday.

i am looking quite forward to you today.

sitting on the patio drinking beers.

it was a grand weekend.

the weather was perfect,

my sister was in town

and we enjoyed lots of time outdoors.

we had a delicious meal and some beers at 

pizzeria bianco on friday night.  

if only we could start off every weekend that way...

now back to my real life.

sleepless monday

so, this little lady is currently on a bit of a napping strike. she's quite nice about it. not grumpy or fussy. but it certainly doesn't lend itself to me accomplishing much... oh, well. we are enjoying our lazy (sleepless) morning smiling at each other, listening to music and getting absolutely nothing done. here's to a more productive week.

jennifer causey

i am sure many of you know

jennifer causey

from her fabulous project the makers,

but you should also take the time

(if you haven't already)

to check out her amazing portfolio.

i don't know what it is about photos of food, 

but i could look at them all day long.

they make me want to photograph everything

i ever make...

perhaps, i should start trying my hand at more

food photographs over here...

hmmm....

ready for fall

{from bloom via pinterest}

i am certainly ready for fall these days.

even just a little bit of a chill in the air would be nice...

as it is, living in phoenix, 

we may still have quite a wait.

here's to dreaming of cooler days 

and hoping you live somewhere lovely

where the leaves may already be changing...

following suit

christine's list of little happies around her home made me

quite happy in turn, so i thought i would share some of 

the things making me smile these days.

it seems like a good exercise in appreciation, actually.

perhaps i should have my kids do it...

iced coffee in the afternoon.

you can usually find this around my house

and it always makes me happy.

especially, when i happen to have some 

whipped cream in the fridge...

a pile of fabric waiting to become something special.

not sure what yet, but i definitely need 

to figure out a use for these guys...

the fact that anthropologie never forgets my birthday.

this one might be a little silly,

but getting anything in the mail is instant happiness.

then something so simple and sweet.

do you think i should send them a thank you note?

paper and tape and twine.

always on hand to make a quick card or note

or a more festive to-do list.

just having these things on my desk is enough 

to make me smile, though.

a jar of sharpies.

i have a serious sharpie addiction.

seeing so many all in a jar oddly makes me

insanely happy.

handmade cards and notes.

few things around my house are as happy as these.

except for the cute little hands that made them...