...as i see it

wrap it up...

i have been giving the ol' blog a little thought lately... and i have decided to wrap it up for now. i have big plans for summer 2010, and @ the top of my list is focus on the things that matter the most to me. to that end, it is my intention to spend the summer hanging out with my family and friends as much as possible. i want to have dinner parties and watch kids run all over the yard until it gets dark. i want to spend time walking in the woods with milo and sweating on my yoga mat. also, (in no particular order) i want to make time for more:

laughing, playing, eating, cooking, walking, gardening, photographing, traveling, ball throwing, toe painting, visiting, reading, and kissing.

i'd also like to arrange for plenty of nights hanging out by the fireplace drinking bud light w/lime. (i KNOW it is a girly beer. but it screams summer, people!!!)

if you are reading this blog, you are probably one of the people i would very much like to hang out with this summer. so come on over. we'll sit on the swing. i promise to have iced tea + a stack of magazines.

thanks for stopping by the blog over the past few years. maybe i'll see you back here someday. but for now, you'll have to come visit me in person. that's the good part anyway, right?

xoxo

k

 

ciao bellas! see the naked office behind me? i'd better get on that, no?

happy birthday to you...

happy birthday to my cousin katie! hope you have a very happy day... 

 

katie and her handsome hubby brad. thanksgiving day 09.
 

then & now...

i recently made a photo book featuring my friend, milo. it's hard to believe he was ever this small!

it's also hard to believe how much a part of our family he has become in such a short time. dog love is very good stuff, people...

 

 

don't let the lounging fool you. there is plenty of get up and go in this dog. this shot was probably taken after he dragged me around hartwood acres for several miles...

next...

so. we are still on the hunt for a sport for ella.  you know, one that clicks. one that she loves (or even sincerely likes). she tried soccer and swimming and feels lukewarm about both. so a few nights ago we tried tossing the ol' baseball around. it's very new. i'll let you know the verdict sometime toward the middle/end of summer.

 

didn't start off too well. there seemed to be a dance element we just couldn't shake...

 

enter big brother...

 

there was definitely an improvement. other than the dress and sparkle chucks, she looks like a real bball girl, no?..

 

ben had her working hard out there ;)

first try went well  with one exception: a ball tipped her gloved and hit her in the lip. she was not thrilled. we switched to a tennis ball shortly thereafter. 

and i loved watching the two of them. of course, i kinda always like watching them. it's a weird hobby of mine... 
 

well, hello there...

sorry about the downtime. our router was not participating last week. all better now...

what have you been up to lately? did the easter bunny visit you? happily, he visited us. and then we wrapped up the day with a very fun afternoon @ grandma's. (easter egg hunt included!) wanna see?

ella's favorite juice glasses + good old tropicana. is anyone juicing out there? i am considering purchasing a juicer. what do you think? worth the trouble/expense/effort?

 

fancy eggs dyed by you know who herself + two cute brothers. see the cinnamon rolls in the foreground? they are the pioneer woman's recipe. (they are also pretty fantastic). recipe makes a ton of cinnamon rolls. we had to do an early easter morning delivery to our fave neighbors!

 

my favorite easter chicken...

will you look @ that fantastic pink tree? bravo, tree! a very good showing this year indeed...

 

walter is a hoot...

lexi finds a blue one...

 

walter shows val his finds...

 

charlie and el look @ the loot...

 

happy easter!

lu was really flying! this tire swing is much loved...

 
 

spring break '10...

6 days in south carolina + 8 of my very favorite people = perfect spring break getaway

the first few days were spent with our bestest buds, @ their beach house. so much fun!!! morning walks on the beach + lots of kid swimming + yummy food (including mr russell's famous cheese grits) + couch/magazine/wine time + wrap up dinner @ our special table at the fat hen. thank you guys! we had a blast.

we spent a little time in charleston before heading home to the burgh. i love love love that city. ella, noah and i went secret garden hunting. and we all had our fill of honest to goodness southern hospitality (not to mention the honest to goodness southern comfort food). 

so here we are back where we belong with full bellies and lots of happy memories. 

welcome spring. i have been waiting for you...

 

two cutie pies match in the kitchen

 

beach paddle. check out that sky. perfect...

 

my fave image from the trip. the two of them sharing a perfect beach picnic on a perfect day...

 

there was kite building and magazine reading. and that sky...

 

ben + front porch + kindle = happy

i love this house! it is very much tucked away from everything + i love the whole barn thing (notice the silo in the front of house w/ something fantastic growing on it) + can you see the topiary cow? the cool factor on this house is high friends, very high...

 

how cute are they?

 

happy in the kitchen...

 

mr. r flanked by two cute girls in the hot tub. (sounds like an US weekly cover story)

beautiful first morning light. they like to start their day with a little soak...

 

jasmine porch lunch before heading into charleston. best peach tea in all the land.

family portrait...

me + my favorite 14 year old (still waiting in line for those cucumbers)

 

it's worth the wait, people. noah ate his weight in fried chicken. for real. i was nervous...

 

more from our girls weekend...

ella and i tackled the job of switching our closets from winter to spring/summer. we both think that's a really fun job. and to make it more fun, ella played dress up in my clothes while we worked. she was so sweet and SO delighted with herself with every new get up she put together...

ta da!!!!

 

 

 

this one cracked me up. i wear the wrap + frye boot combo often. (i usually forgo the additional accessories, but still...)

 

 

 

here's where the bling really comes out...

 

not quite ready for the shoes. but soon enough...

can you tell that she is flexing her foot as much as she possibly can in order to keep those shoes on her feet?
 
when she first decided to put my clothes on and do her fashion show, i was so tempted to say no. to tell her to leave the piles in order.

i am so happy that we played. that i got to see her face as she twirled in my fancies. that i grabbed my camera. and that i promised we could do it again someday soon... with the summer clothes!

**taking a few days off with the family. something about piling in the car and heading south to visit a few of our very favorite people. check back @ the end of next week. i bet i'll have a few pics to share.**

birthday girl...

birthday girl turned 95 last weekend! that's right folks, 95! if you know her, you know she is pretty fantastic. if you don't, you can take my word for it. 

some snaps from the day:

 josie chats with uncle tony. he's gram's little brother. he just turned 92.

 gram and cristine smile it up for me. aren't they both beautiful?

 very sweet lucy and her big toothless smile...

 ben lights gram's candles. we opted out of the candle for each year rule. but we're pretty sure her wish still comes true.

 can you see josie trying to blow the candles out? she cracks me up...

 gram poses with her 9 great grandchildren. that's michael behind the big orange balloon. too bad about the balloon hiding his face because his face is super cute...

 party planners extraordinaire...

naturally, gram's birthday party would wrap up with a little poker game. birthday girl starts the dealing...

cuteness...

this sweet brother/sister duo came over the other day for a photo shoot. big brother was very sweet and mature (and very good with his little sister). little sister was quite serious and reserved - at the beginning. 

but then we got to know each other and she let me see her beautiful smile...

 

the flower kills me. and the way her little hands are pressing her little doll to her chest... so very sweet.

can you see the dimple on big brother? oh my...

 

girls weekend...

all three of my favorite ever boys went on a little trip this weekend, leaving ella and me to fend for ourselves. although we missed them terribly... we spent our time focusing on "girl stuff". a few things we managed to squeeze into our weekend:

bubble bath + mani/pedi session (very purple nails, thankyouverymuch)

bubbles + hula hooping + jump rope + bike riding (very fantastic weather weekend)

dinner w/ grandma and pappy followed by season opening visit to ICE CREAM WORLD!

saturday visits from both grandmas at the same time!!!

4 night sleepover party. just me, el and milo...

that's all i can share about our weekend. we girls have to keep some secrets up our sleeves, you know...

some pics:

 

 

 

i love her smile. and her crazy teeth. and a few other things about her as well...

 

like the way her hair blows around in the wind. and the tiny mole on her nose...

 

an attempt @ 2 hoops was pretty successful. three was not so great....

 

love it...

 

cinderella dressed in yella went to the castle to kiss a fella... what?!?!?!

i told you! 2 grandmas @ one time + hula hoops. it got a little crazy, friends. a little crazy indeed...

happily, our boys returned home safe and sound. i was SO excited to see/squeeze them i actually cheered when they walked through the door. i kept hugging and smelling them all evening. for real... i couldn't get enough of them. i think it's a good idea we all stick together for a while. i'm not real big on the separation thing just yet...