Our Anniversary at South Coast Winery

May is such a busy month in our household.  We had Allie's birthday party, Mother's Day, and our anniversary getaway back to back.  Since our anniversary was mid-week, we took an overnight trip to Temecula's wine country for some much needed R&R.

As we drove up, I was reminded of our trips to Napa and our tour through Tuscany.  The rolling hills, the grapes, the weather; it was picturesque.  Here in California, we were experiencing a heat wave and temperatures were in the 100's but even that couldn't take away from how beautiful everything was.

We stayed at the South Coast Winery Resort and Spa.  The property was just gorgeous!  As part of our package, we enjoyed complimentary wine tasting upon arrival.  We had to cut through the grapes to get to the tasting room.  We tried an assortment of wine from Pinot Grigio to Merlot. My favorite was a Muscat named Daybreak.  It tasted like liquid honey.

We had dinner at the Vineyard Rose Restaurant.  The food was amazing!  I had the frutti di mare and Scott had the filet mignon.  We shared so we could have a bit of surf and turf.  And since I always have room for dessert, we got the apple butter cheesecake, simply delicious! 

I got this picture from the restaurant's website since my picture taking skills are lacking.

Here's to another wonderful anniversary and, God-willing, several more!  Thank you honey for planning such a great getaway.  I had the best time with you.

I'll be sharing at The Tablescapers Oh The Places I've Been.

A Quick Fruit Platter

Wow, I've been out of the loop way too long.  So much has been going on lately and I really need to get back into the swing of things.  That said, I wanted to post about a really cool tutorial I saw on YouTube.

I have wanted to get involved at church for a while now.  The only problem...where to serve?  As a homeschooling mom, I didn't want to work in the children's ministry so I jumped at the chance to serve at our women's bible study on the food committee.  I made a light dinner of chicken salad in croissants/soft rolls, pasta salad, and a fruit platter.

Surprisingly, it was really quick and easy to assemble!  I even used pansies from my garden which was a great hit with the ladies.  Here is the link for the fruit platter on YouTube or you can get the recipe at Divas Can Cook.  She gives step-by step instructions on how to cut and assemble the fruit.  With warmer temps on its way, this would be a great dish to bring to your next picnic or gathering.  Enjoy!

Linking to:   Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper, Tuesdays At Our Home at Our Home Away From Home, and Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House.

Ethan's Birthday

Wow, time is flying by lately.  I can't believe my baby boy is five!  He's getting taller and more grown up looking by the day and I wish I could stop the clock somehow.  So since I can't do that, I'll just enjoy each moment with him.  We threw him a circus themed party this past Saturday and here are some highlights.  Beware, I have a lot of photos.

 I made all of the banners and signs.  It's really a fun party to throw.  Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of table until after the kids had ransacked it.

This was the candy table.  I made the gumball machines from a terracotta planter and a dollar tree bowl.  Then I just filled them with candy.  Also, I made cookies by simply cutting out a basic shape with a knife (I couldn't find a tent cutter) and then decorating it with royal icing.  The kids also got mini gumball machines as thank you gifts.

What's a circus party without games?  We had a bean bag toss, 3-in-a-row toss, can toss, ring toss, balloon throw, and of course, a photo booth with some props.

We also had a jumper for the kids.  It was hard getting them out of it to sing to the birthday boy.

Happy Birthday, Ethan!  We love you so much and you bring so much joy into our lives.  You are such a character and it's an honor to watch you grow up into the person God has created you to be.

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm linking up to Seasonal Sundays.

A Simple Table

I'm not sure why, but for me, decorating in January is the hardest to do.  I love the warm colors of the holidays and it always looks a bit bare afterwards.  So, I decided to change up my cabinet in the family/kitchen area.  I usually but out extra dishes but I decided to decorate with some Tuscan pottery and pictures of the family.

 I lightened up the table too; a simple runner with a woven vase and flowers.  It will be a lot easier at dinnertime.

 I was trying to work with what I already had on hand without buying anything new.

We have so much going on right now.  We are in the process of getting granite for the kitchen.  I never realized how many decisions were involved...sinks, facets, dishwashers.  Also, I'm planning for Ethan's birthday party and making the centerpieces for my mother-in-laws Relay For Life Event.  Busy, but very grateful and happy to do it.  Have a great week!

Sweets for Santa

I can't believe Christmas is almost here.  Where has the time gone?  I feel like I just put all the decorations up.  Today and tomorrow, I'll be busy baking but I wanted to share a really cute cookie recipe.  You can find the recipe here at the cutest little things blog.

Aren't they cute?  It's a really good recipe too because the cookies didn't spread.  However, I used silpat liners and chilled them prior to baking.  Tint the dough in different colors and mold them into ear muffs, scarves, and hats with your hands.  To make the hair, push a small clump of dough through a clean garlic press and then place it on the unbaked cookie.  After baking, you add the eyes and rosy cheeks.

I love their little faces!  Mix a drop of red food coloring with water to dilute and brush the cheeks with a new paintbrush.  Instant charm!

Allie loves to bake and help out in the kitchen so I wasn't surprised when she wanted to enter the gingerbread house contest at school.  I couldn't help her at all with the decorating; it had to be her concept completely.  It warmed my heart to see her rolling out the fondant and cutting out little shapes all by herself.  She piped royal icing to glue it together and used lots of little candies to decorate.

Here she is at the table with her certificate of participation.  I'm so proud of my little first grader!

I hope everyone is having fun making last minute preparations.  Thank you for stopping by and have a Merry Christmas.

Linking to:

•           The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

Christmas House Tour

Welcome!  I'm linking up with Kelly for her tour of Christmas houses.  I can't wait to see all the homes decked out for Christmas.  It's the most beautiful time of year!

Let me start off with our living room area.

 And here is the closeup of the arrangement I did for the dining room table.

Here is the kitchen and family room area decorated for Christmas.

 This is our hutch that holds my collection of teapots and cookie jars.

 And our small Christmas village.  This year, we added the train.

Our mantel in the family room.

Upstairs, we have a tree in our loft area which we use as a playroom for the kids.

And all of the bedrooms are decorated as well.  This is our master bedroom.

The girls' bedroom with a white tree.  It's decorated with gingerbread houses, candy pieces, nativity sets.

 And the boys' surf room.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and I look forward to visiting your home's as well.  Have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Christmas in the Living Room

Here are some pictures of our dining/living room.  I made a new centerpiece for our dining room table.  Last year, I found the sleigh and reindeer at Michael's at great prices.  This year, I got Santa!

 I thought he was so cute and he fit in the sleigh perfectly.  I used up all of my leftovers;  extra picks, some garland, and ornaments to add more sparkle.

I hung lit garlands above the windows.  I used two types to bulk it up a bit, one with glittery leaves and the other a simple green one.  We always get a real tree for this room and this year we got a frasier fir instead of our usual noble fir tree.  I wish the smell lasted longer.

I love this plaque with the lion and the lamb.  I got it at church bookstore and I bring it out each Christmas and Easter.

 Here's our coffee table.  Once again, I used items I had on hand to make a small arrangement.

Have a wonderful week!

Linking to:

• The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays