Here and Now

Good morning! I'm not moving too quickly today. Last week was a long one and I'm still recovering. Here are some snapshots from this morning, as you can see I'm working on my meal plan for the week and will be posting my next installment of Feeding Family On A Budget in the next couple days. I'm hoping to be as productive as I was last week...we'll see!





I wish I was napping there with Maggie but there are dishes and laundry waiting for me :)

♥ anne

This and That

Hello! It's been a while! I'd like to say I've been up to really exciting things but it's just been everyday life that has kept me busy. I'm sure you all watched the moon the other night, wasn't it fantastic?!


Maggie has been teething and I've basically been a walking zombie for the last couple weeks due to very little sleep. Today she learned to climbed out of her crib so my life is going to be changing drastically. To be honest, I don't know what to do now for nap and bed time (I always nurse her and then lay her in her crib and she goes to bed). I'm very worried that I'll have even less time to myself now.

The purse graveyard. I have four purses with broken leather straps that need to be repaired.

Yummy soup I made last week. I got the recipe via Posie Gets Cozy.


The other day I was watching two hawks circling around my house. I was observing them for quite some time and was trying to get a shot of them. I saw one swoop down and land nearby so I ran over and was looking for it as quietly as possible. I had just given up when I happened to glance above me and there it was! It stayed long enough for me to take a couple pictures and then it was gone. I was so thankful for this close encounter!

I make beans once a week. It's an incredibly inexpensive way to feed a family of seven and the leftovers make for yummy lunches the next day.


I wore a sweater this morning for about 30 minutes! Then I got hot.

Yesterday's breakfast. Poached eggs are so delicious. I find it crazy how preparing them differently can make such a difference in how they taste. They seem like a delicacy when made this way.

Have a nice rest of the week!

♥ anne

Around here...

We haven't been up to much lately. A walk to the beach here and a sunset walk there. We are slowly easing into summer and don't have many plans for the upcoming months. I imagine we will spend most of our summer here at home. While that isn't overly exciting I'm going to try and make it as fun as possible for the kids. I'd love to be going on a vacation but sometimes that isn't in the cards (or the bank account). Hopefully by the end of summer I will have acquired a fun list of things to do at home that are inexpensive. We'll see!

Here are some recent pictures-



I made a mango banana sorbet last week and added a nut/date topping. It was yummy! I made little mini sorbet bites for the kids.





We went down to Balboa with my mom to see the lobster crabs that had invaded the beach.




Shane was very interested in these guys.

Thankfully the June gloom seems to ending and the sun is back out in morning which is very nice! It helps keep me motivated. Well, I have a house to clean, dishes that need washing and laundry to fold so I'll be seeing ya later!

♥ anne

PS- don't forget about my big sale! 60% off with coupon code "SUMMERSUN"!!! Come see if there's something with your name on it! You can enter my shop HERE.

Here And Now

Well, it's Monday and I have a very full week ahead me! I like having a lot to do around the house because when I'm on a schedule I get so much more done. I've been on a roll the last two days so hopefully I can keep the productive ball rolling. Here are some pictures from over the weekend and a couple from the last few weeks.

We visited our friends on Friday and had the best night playing music, singing and drinking beers. Maggie had fun roaming in their backyard. I love how the pumpkins are taking over!

We've had an abundance of eggs lately so I made a yummy frittata Sunday. Ruben and I have been on a poached egg kick and have been making them A LOT.


Mr. Banjo. He's cute but he isn't very nice most of the time.


I carved alphabet stamps last week and made some market totes.

Alright, I'm off to go do my chores! I hope you all have a great week.

♥ anne

Weekend Photos

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! We had a really nice day filled with family, food and fun. I was busy cooking and chatting away so I didn't get too many pictures (none of Shane or Marianne :( I'm not sure how that happened!) but here are the few I did manage to get.

Leftover potato soup for breakfast while planning my Easter menu.



I made some roasted almonds that were very simple and very tasty.


Max and my Dad deep in conversation.

Easter dinner.

This was taken the other night at the beach. Moon rise and seagull.

Today Maggie is One! I've been replaying her birth day in my head all morning. What a great birth it was! I'm planning on taking some pictures of her today which I will share tomorrow :)

♥ anne

Here And Now

I decided my baby carrier needed a little "flair"! I saw a gal on Instagram add patches to hers and had to copy! I thrifted a bunch of Boy Scout patches a while back and added a couple of those and then sewed a scapular on as well.

Tonight's sunset was epic! I was at church for Confession and when I walked out I was greeted with this gorgeous sight. It was just what I needed after an emotionally exhausting day.

Ruben taking his harmonica holder for a spin :)

Standing at the sink after dishes. I think I may grow roots there.

Tomorrow I'll be gearing up for Thanksgiving and celebrating Alex becoming a teen! I have two teenagers now :0

♥ anne