A Summer Morning...

Summertime is my favorite time of the year because a) it means I get to have my babies all home with me all the time and b) we are very strict about keeping our summers no-schedule and no-routine (with the exception of church and of course the hubs still works). On the days my hubs is off we like to make breakfast at least once during the week. Our family meals together are my favorite. The six of us around a dining table means there's always lots of laughter, jokes, movie quotes, sarcasm and of course, eating! :)

This photo pretty much says it all. (As always, click to enlarge)

And here's a snapshot of the kitchen from my desk; I've changed a few minor things since the last time I shared a photo. I'm always moving things around and changing my mind, so this won't be the last time something changes. I added a little "coffee station" and moved the mixer over to the corner. It looks much better and now with the K-cup drawer beside the Keurig instead of under it, the Keurig can be scooted all the way against the wall and still have room under the cabinets to open up all the way to place a K-cup inside. 

I'm excited to share more recipes with you guys soon. Now that we aren't go-go-go (repeat times infinity) like we are during the school year, I'll actually have time to blog! (gasp!)

Have a great day!

Snapshots from around my home...

I love peeking into other people's houses. I am addicted to HGTV and DIY network and of course Pinterest and blog land. So I thought others may like to see a few peeks into the place I (and my hubs and our four kids and many pets) call home. I'll try to do more posts like this with snapshots of things, rooms, decor, etc., around the house. But for today, this President's Day, as we take a day of laziness--doesn't everyone need one from time to time?--I listen to my hubs and kids playing video games, I sit in my PJs still at 1:00 in the afternoon, and I take a few little shots around my house, including some adorable ones of my family eating brunch earlier, but since my teen and tween daughters begged me not to post those, I won't. :) 


This is what I see when I'm blogging. :) A super cute mug from my mom that I used to put a splash of color in…yeah, fake flowers. I accidentally kill real ones every time. Oops.

The view into our dining room from the kitchen. The light at this time of day is so bright coming in from the windows--I love it!

Our brick fireplace that is waiting to be whitewashed and the mantel will be stained a deeper color. Also I need to frame out the discarded bathroom mirror that is now finding a new home on the mantel.

My gallery wall. This thing is forever changing and I love it. It's probably my most favorite thing in the house. Those shelves are Ribba picture ledges from Ikea.

The view into the kitchen from my desk. It's so bright and cheerful! And all the pops of my beloved teal make me smile. (Keepin' it real--fingerprints on the fridge, yup!)

View into the living room from the gallery wall. My husband says this photo makes the couch look maroon. -__- It's brown. Again, the light coming in from the windows is super intense this time of the day. I LOVE it, but it does make it difficult to capture good photos of everything else. The pillows have already been squished by my kiddos and there's a cat toy and a video game cord all making appearances in the photo, but I don't care because this is my real life! :) 

Hope you enjoyed the little peeks into my home. I hope you have a great day! :)