hydrangeas mean summer

to me, hydrangeas mean summer

and as you can see my hydrangea bush is blooming with gorgeous bundles

i'm so glad summer is almost here

today it is suppose to be a nice 81 degrees  -  you know i'll be out enjoying the weather!

what are your plans this memorial weekend?

xo,

kass

i love being healthy

my lunch today....mmmmmm

as i've said before i'm a huge tracy anderson fan... not only do i do her workouts and try my best to follow her method but i follow her meal plan as well - no preservatives, no additives, no red meat, no alcohol, no dairy, no salt/spices, no caffeine, no sauces and lots of lean proteins, fresh veggies and tons of berries. i love this way of eating and feel so great when i do eat this way. she has a menu plan for three weeks and i follow that when i want to lose some weight (like now, since i stopped working out regularly and started to eat cruddy foods again a couple months ago and gained 8 pounds because of it - ugh!). 

it works for me (along with doing her video and an hour of cardio a day at least 5 times a week - which i've just recently started up again in the last three weeks and i feel so much better) and i love it. after the three weeks, i continue with the basics of this 'diet' but am not as strict with how i eat. i believe a 'diet' shouldn't just be a diet but a lifestyle change... so if you don't allow yourself the pleasures of eating decadent food every once in a while then you never really will be satisfied... at least that's my opinion. 

this sandwich is an altered version from one of her lunches listed here

1 slice of whole wheat bread

cucumber slices

beet 

(steamed and sliced)

spinach

1/2 tsp of tahini sauce

fresh turkey slices from the deli 

(no packaged meat!!)

two slices of veggie bacon

sprinkle of trader joes 21 salute 

(totally cheated with using this but i need a little flavor on my veggies!)

the actual lunch that tracy told me to eat is

1 slice of whole wheat bread

cucumber slices

alfalfa sprouts

beet

fresh turkey slices from the deli

anyway, this sandwich was super yummy as are a lot of the foods on her meal plan. i would never have eaten beets before and i LOVE them now - i could eat them every day. i also hated blueberries but now i have a huge infatuation with them - so yummy! i just started following her meal plan again on monday and have already lost five pounds... although, i'm sure a lot of that was water weight. 

i just wanted to share this with you all since it has worked so well for me (i lost twenty pounds last year from this and kept it off until my recent 8lb weight gain a couple of months ago) and hopefully i can motivate, encourage and/or help anyone else by spreading the word!

i love being healthy

do you?

do you have 'diet' rules that you live by?

have any of you tried tracy's workouts or meal plan?

xo,

kass

dates are fun

before i get started with this post, i wanted to thank you all so much for the wonderful feedback and compliments regarding the new look of the blog - i so appreciate it! you guys made me feel so good and i honestly feel like i have the greatest group of readers. thank you all!

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daniel took tannyn on a father/daughter date tonight. she adores him and has been missing him a lot lately since he seems to be (in her little mind) working all the time and surfing all the time. so she came up with the idea of a daddy and daughter date - she even made him a book expressing how much she loves him - how cute is she? tonight was the big night and she was so very excited. she picked out her favorite dress and asked me to do her hair (this girl normally doesn't care if it's washed much less combed) and was waiting all cute and excited for dan when he got home.

i snapped a couple of photos before they left and then i pretty much made dan take the camera with him to document their date. i'm glad i did and i'm pretty sure he's glad too. they had a fabulous time - dan took tann to salt creek grill in dana point, dan had a french dip and tann had spaghetti, a shirley temple (with three cherries... she made sure to ask specifically for that!) and a scoop of vanilla AND chocolate ice cream (when the waiter asked her if she wanted vanilla or chocolate she said 'both please'). after dinner they ventured out to the fire pit and cuddled around the fire. 

tannyn had been hoping for a new dress from target so of course daddy took her there and they picked out the cutest little sundress that looks adorable on her.

she came home tuckered out and went right to bed.

she's a pretty lucky five year old to have dan as her daddy and i think he's a pretty lucky daddy to have my sweet tann as his daughter.

i hope this trend continues... with both of our girls and with ty too - i'm looking forward to some bonding time with my little man! dan hogs him up since they surf together all the time.... 

dates are fun

do any of you have dates with your kids?

mommy and daughter and/or son dates?

daddy and daughter and/or son dates?

what do you guys do?

did any of you have dates with either of your parents growing up?

did you love it?

enjoy your night!

xo,

kass

inspired by

i've been feeling blah about my blog lately

i've just been totally uninspired for months now

and i desperately want to get out of this funk i've been in

so...

i've revamped my blog

changed the header and switched up the coloring 

in hopes that it will motivate me to be creative in life and with my blog

i was inspired by the 

latest real simple magazine cover

i would appreciate feedback

how do you like the header?

is the blog pleasing to the eye?

let me know!

xo,

kass

two things tuesday

there were a few people who wanted 

two things i love...around my home 

to stay around a little longer

AND

my beautiful friend, jennifer, really encouraged me last night about my blog and all things crafty

so i'm going to do another round

jen, this post is dedicated to you

jennifer and chuck

(they visited last night for dinner and we had a most lovely time!)

on to my two things

i love this copper bowl

i found this beauty while antiquing with my mom and granny in los alamos this past mom's day

i love these dish towels - the bright colors, the pop of turquoise... pure love

jen just gifted me with these beauties last night - thanks so much jen!

and yes, they are from anthro... of course

what are your two things?

to play along

write a post with two things around your home that you are lovin and/or appreciating this week, link back to me and then link up to the mcklinky

you can also tell me in the comment section below

i hope you all a most enjoyable tuesday

xo,

kass

getting to know you

this morning i'm joining in on my sissy's blog hop


getting to know you


link up on her page to play along!




1. Do you have a fetish?
um... what the heck kind of question is this for a sunday morning!
the answer would be no

2. Do you sing in the shower?
nope.
but i do sing in the car all the time

3. Who was your first crush?
i had two... not sure who came first
this cute little blondie named jesse - his sister and my sister were friends
and this cute little boy named troy who had the coolest afro
i was five or six when i liked both of these boys

4. What do you think is the best manly trait a guy could have?
loving Jesus
being a wonderful husband
amazing father
and i think it's sexy when a man can fix things and/or build things from scratch
(and preferably do it without getting frustrated or mad!)

5. Do you sleep naked?
sometimes
but most of the time, no... i have kids that wake up and come in our bed way too often

6. What do you do when (you think) no one is looking?
pick my nose...
um, really, i'm not sure

7. What's the first thing you do when you go online?
facebook is my homepage - so i guess i go on there first

8. Summer is.....?
 beach almost every day, surfing, camping, laying out, bbq's, friends, family, sitting out on the porch and enjoying the warm evenings, hanging with the kids all day and every day, late nights, bonfires, i could go on and on really - i love summer!!




and here are some photos for your viewing pleasure this morning...

beautiful balloon art by my two talented daughters

tayli - yellow balloon

tannyn - pink balloon

happy sunday

xo,

kass

three months later

wow

i just checked my formspring inbox and realized i should probably answer them before the questions started piling up and i got too overwhelmed...

sorry for being such a slacker and not answering right away

on with the first question

(three months later)

what song title would you say describes you?

this is a hard one... 

my son answered for me and said 'stressed' i replied with 'i don't think there is a song title with that name, tyler' and of course he came back with 'i'm sure if you googled it you would fine one' ha

What scares you?

the thought of my children dying or being kidnapped, losing my husband, mother, father, sister, brother... basically any family member. i hate death. also, i'm so scared of getting into a car accident or a plane crash

Who is the most inspirational person is your life and why?

wow, this is hard... i have a lot - there are so many women (and men) in my life who are an inspiration to me i really can't narrow it down to one

how do you manage to be friendly, beautiful, loving, sexy, motherly, creative and witty all the time???? ~ajl

haha i'm assuming this question is from my dear friend ashley 

(the initials are the same... so if i'm wrong, please let me know!)

my answer: i'm not - but thanks for the compliment!

Who's your favorite nephew?

this question was obviously asked by my sister

keely, ethan will always be my special, special boy - he really is the sweetest to his aunti kass

but really, i don't play favorites ;-)

Have you ever been called chubby?

this too was asked by my sister in the attempt to embarrass me i'm sure

yes, keely, i have been called chubby - by YOU!

i was just wondering if you can put up a feedburner subscription box. i follow so many blogs and i cant keep up on readers and id love to get your site updates by email. let me know:) itsmecristin@yahoo.com

thanks for wanting to follow!

i'm not sure how to do that so if anyone can tell me, feel free to email me to let me know how!

Hey Kassi, what types of clothes are you most comfortable in? like in classy fancy clothes, or jeans or a dress or pj's? -Erica (joyousjabberings.blogspot.com)

hey erica! i'm most comfortable in flowy, loose fitting clothing... i don't like tight. i love wide leg linen pants and could wear them all day every day (i pretty much do actually) and i love any and all lounge pants from anthro... my fave! i like wearing jeans though too and usually wear a loose fitting tank with jeans. comfort is key for me though - you will rarely, if ever, find me in fancy clothes - i just don't think i could pull it off!

super blurry - sorry - but this is the typical daily outfit

orange linen lounge pants from anthro

long sleeve white tee by ruca 

I would love to see a crafty post..soon. Please!

me too... 

once i get my 'groove' back i hope to be doing more crafty posts!

it actually bugs me that i haven't been and that my blog has seemed to change direction - the original goal of the blog was for it to be solely a blog about my creations and inspirations.... i'll get back there soon hopefully.

how old are you?

dirty thirty

and proud!

how did dan propose?

gosh, it's a long story

here is the short version

he sent me shopping (a few days before christmas) with one of his friends wives

she dropped me back off at his apartment

there was a note on the door telling me to come in, then a note and some roses on his table telling me to go to starbucks down the street, once there i was suppose to ask for the 'kassi special' i did and the gal behind the counter handed me a dozen roses and two (free!) vanilla lattes along with another note, that note told me to go to his car, got to his car where more roses awaited me along with another note, that note said to put in a mixed cd that dan had made and to drive to the biltmore wall ( a place in montecito, ca overlooking the ocean) drove there and called dan's cell (the note told me to) apparently his voice mail was suppose to come on with more directions but it never did.... so i waited at the wall for over half an hour in the pouring rain... finally, i got a hold of dan and he told me to look in the center console of his truck for the next clue, i did that and that clue told me to go to the 'hump house' ( a house were a bunch of dan's friends lived - it was on humphry lane in montecito - hence the name 'hump house') i got to the house and on the front door was the last note that said 'kasandra farrin __________ please come in' on the envelope and on the inside the note said 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.'

at this point i was still completely unaware that dan was going to propose - seriously.

i walk inside and this house that is usually a pig sty was decked out with white sheets covering the walls, white christmas lights hanging up, tea light candles (over 100 of them) and rose petals covering the floor with a chair in the middle. dan comes out from behind the curtain holding more roses and crying, he sits me down, takes off my shoes, washes my feet and gives me this great spiel about how he'll serve me the rest of my life, pulls out his guitar and sings a song he had written for me, then he pulls me up, grabs some champagne flutes and champagne, grabs my hand and walks me outside in the rain... we walk down to miramar beach and he gets down on his knees and asks me to be his wife!

it was all quite wonderful and romantic....

my whole family and all my friends knew and of course dan had taken my dad out to lunch and asked his permission a week or so before hand.

very sweet.

do you want any more kids?

nope.

but if i happened to get pregnant it would be a blessing, as all babies are, but at the same time i would be totally fine if we did something permanent where we couldn't have anymore.

three is the perfect number

Where is your favorite place to shop for clothing?

anthropologie

anthropologie

anthropologie

my favorite place for over ten years now!

just saying i love your hair! :)

wow, thank you!!

Lol this is probably going to sounds like one of the crazies questions you've ever gotton on here but I have to ask! I love the way your nose ring "fits" your nose. How do you get it to sit so close to your nose? You wouldn't believe how many I've bought only to have them stand up on my nose lol. They're always too big!

i went and got it put in at a tattoo/piercing shop

the guy was actually a total jerk and convinced me to get the smallest one. he put it in, i complained that it was too small, he told me to suck it up (basically), i was intimated and left. once i got home i took some pliers and opened it up so that it wouldn't hurt (it was forcing my nostril to pull up - it hurt so bad), there is a huge gap in it but now i can at least take it on and off and i like it SO much better now. i wish i remembered the size he gave me because if i went back i would go and get the next size up.

gosh, that took me forever!

i'll be seriously impressed if you read all that

i hope you all have a great tuesday evening

xo,

kass

too funny not to share

i can't take credit for finding this...

i friend of mine, kirsten, posted it on facebook and it came up on my wall

but i thought it was too funny not to share

for all you moms out there... enjoy!

i hope you have a splendid friday

any fun plans this weekend?

xo,

kass

five isn't enough... i'll do ten

i'm taking part in my sissy's blog hop today

thursday five

all you do is share five things that made you happy, excited, joyful... you get the idea... over the last week

it's easy and fun

play along here

here are my five

1. driving up north to see my family

2. my brother and niece surprising my mom (and us) with his presence friday night and saturday

3. celebrating my granny's 86th birthday and seeing my aunt tammy and her wonderful family

4. watching my uncle paul play with the girls and put them on the goat for goat rides

5. getting to eat at flatbread pizza where they have the most amazing organic food and the best homemade marshmallow smores in the world

five isn't enough... i'll do ten

6. mothers day spent with my beautiful mom, bob,gran and my little fam in los alamos, ca where we enjoyed brunch, antiquing and some cute photo ops

i posed them this way... aren't they cute?

my mom and bob

i loved how their photo turned out so dan and i decided to copy them ;-)

photo by bob carlton

photo by bob carlton

i have more... but that will have to be for another post... plus i'm still waiting for bob to email me a few of them

7. visiting my grandpa and getting to love up on him

8. riding in my dad's new bmw convertible with the top down

9. celebrating mothers day with my step-mom, grandma, aunt jo, dad and bestie with her hus and daughter at my dads in santa barbara - good weather, jacuzzi, drinks and FUN

10. feeling better than i have in a while and enjoying being back in my workout routine

what are your five (or ten)?

link up on my seesters blog and also feel free to let me know in the comments

have a lovely thursday

xo,

kas