BacWoods Fern

five month hiatus... and probably a bit longer

2011-06-01T23:37:00.000-07:00

i really didn't think i would blog again any time soon... i'm surprising myself right now. a lot has been going on in my life in the last five months...

january:

we couldn't afford living in our home in laguna anymore so we moved to lompoc (just north of santa barbara) to live with my mom and step-dad

got the kids situated in their new schools

got ourselves situated with our new life

february:

dan's little sister got married

our armada got repossessed (so that makes two cars taken from us)

dan's grandma goes into the hospital and is put on life support.. all her organs were shutting down and she had sepsis but praise God she made it through and now is well

dan got offered a job in houston, texas by my brother in law and moved in with him, my sister and their kids

march:

the kids and i adjust to dan being gone

we send a car package to dan for his thirty-first birthday

tyler places third for the WSA in morro bay and gets a trophy

we miss dan terribly

i become obsessed with HAR

arpil:

the kiddos have spring break

i celebrate my thirty-first birthday

friends and family love up on me

we go to burlingame (san fran) for my nieces birthday and have fun with family

we start paying off debt

may:

we pay off both of our cars

we pay off our credit cards

we are slowly but surely coming out of debt

the kiddos and i have gone three months without dan

my mom, gran, aunt and i go to an antique fair in nipomo that was featured in country living mag... i was so excited but turns out it was over crowded and everything was priced way too high. i had better luck at the antique mall in arroyo grande

i'm still cleaning and cooking (my moms house) as payment for letting us live here

ty ranks 11 overall for the WSA in his age division - we are so proud

tannyn is in alice in wonderland with the local theater group and plays a flower - i made the flower head pieces

memorial weekend i fly out to visit dan... it was such a nice reunion... got a lot of quality time in, hung out with brandi, kelly and jacob, looked at houses, stayed with my sister and her fam, went to galveston, fished at dan's secret spot and just had a great time....

june:

today...

missing dan, kids last day of school is tomorrow - taking them to the beach after, summer round up at santa barbara bowl with christina and kim on friday, some possible camping, maybe a road trip to san fran to see my brother, my sis in law and kiddos, still obsessed with HAR, and praying and praying that we find a house (and a car) so we can move in july

so there is a little run down of what's been going on (i i left a lot out) for those of you who are still interested in reading my blog. once we move, i may just be making a come back!

he's such a stud

2011-01-04T22:00:00.000-08:00

wow, it's been a while...

we've had A LOT going on here... a lot of changes are in the works in my life and i'll have to update you all with a post some time in the near future but right now i just wanted to take this time to brag about tyler - today he was photographed surfing at our local beach, salt creek. the photos are here if you would like to see them - he's such a stud and i'm so proud!!

his photos are 16-25 and 42

happy new year!

kass

*it is driving me insane that the photo isn't centered but blogger is being lame... sorry.

until i can get the darn blog figured out

2010-10-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

thank you all for your kind words and for all your advice on the blog...

i'm so not computer savvy so most of what you guys mentioned was pretty foreign to me... so i'm going to have dan read all the comments and help me figure it out this weekend sometime.

thanks so much for your love my friends... i have the best readers!

if you want to keep up with the goings on in my life (until i can get the darn blog figured out) feel free to follow me on twitter (although, i don't tweet that often anymore) or find me on facebook... just make sure you send me a message so i know you're a BacWoods Fern reader!

AND

if you're in need of a super quick and easy costume idea for yourself or your child, i just posted the easiest project on my facebook page... a hand sewn felt mask - check it out. easy, fun, free and you can get the kiddos involved!

i hope you all have a bootiful halloween weekend

xo,

kass

one and done

2010-10-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

well guys, i had a post all planned for you but blogger is being lame and telling me that my storage for photos is full and that if i want to add more photos i need to purchase more storage... what the heck?! i don't have the money to waste on this (sadly) so therefore i just might be ending my blog... since i HATE writing a post without a photo in it... and i'm not a fan of using other peoples photos... bummer.

so on the day of my one year bloggiversary i just might be calling it quits

one and done

UNLESS

any of you can tell me how to get around this... i'm not sure how to delete the photos that are already in storage to make room for new ones (and yes keel, i tried what you said and didn't work) - have any of you come across this? and if so, how did you go about deleting photos?

we'll see if i continue this adventure or not...

i've enjoyed the ride, 'meeting' you and interacting with you via the web... it's been fun. thanks for a fun year my readers and friends.

till next time

xo,

kass

fall decor

2010-10-22T15:59:00.000-07:00

you may or may not have noticed these little pumpkins in the previous post...

i wanted some fall decor, found this tutorial and decided to try it out.

they were fun to make but they would have been more fun if i had had the proper tools... i ended up chipping a chunk of my tooth pulling the needle while making the lines on the pumpkin.. that's the last time i pull a needle using my teeth!

so this morning i noticed daniel staring at me with a really ugly expression... he proceeds to reach for my hair as if he was going to get some fuzz out of it or something.

this is what happened next...

daniel (in a really disgusted tone): "you have a gray hair!"

me: "ahhh don't pull it, i love my gray hairs!"

daniel: "but it's nasty... it's so long"

me: "don't touch me! leave it alone!"

daniel: "ewwww that's just gross"

bummer, my plan was to just go gray naturally... guess that isn't happening anymore!

the fam and i are headed to santa barbara to see my dad tomorrow. my aunt from wisconsin is in town and my brother and his family will be in town from san francisco. we'll be celebrating my dad's 61st birthday. i love going up north and seeing my family! on sunday tyler has another WSA (world surfing association) contest in ventura so we'll be there bright and early for that.

speaking of surfing, at our old local spot where my boys would surf (surf beach in lompoc, ca) there was a fatal shark attack on a sponger (body boarder) - scary! he was a twenty year old UCSB student... so sad. whenever we go up to lompoc to stay with my mom, my boys always surf near there... now it makes me more nervous than it normally does. ugh.

my prayers go out to that boys family.

okay, that's about all...

oh wait...

happy birthday dad!

my dad and my sisters daughter, edyn, the summer before last

you are the BEST dad ever and an amazing big papa. i love you more than you know!

xo,

kass

joy laughter love

2010-10-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

homemade banner made last year for tannyn's birthday

six years ago i delivered you

with my own two hands

after fourteen and a half hours of labor

with no drugs

and since that day

you have brought me so much

joy

laughter

love

i feel so blessed to have you as my daughter

and i love you more than you will ever know

happy birthday my sweet and precious Tannyn Farrin!

tannyn, age 4

i love you mucho mucho grande!

xo,

mom

all its glory

2010-10-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

what fall looks like in california... well at least in my backyard

remember in this post how i mentioned my mossy tree stump? well, there it is in all its glory - i love looking at it while sitting on my patio having my morning quiet time and drinking my coffee.

it's been rainy here the last few days but let up for an hour so i took advantage and trekked up the hill to get these photos - stupidly i wore flip flops and got my feet covered in mud...

today is the last day of tannyn being five. my little girl is growing up so fast.

xo,

kass

fall fun

2010-10-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

this past weekend we took the kids (and tannyn's friend) to the pumpkin patch -

here are a few photos of the kids, dan and i having some fall fun.

(1. scary man 2. the girls pretending to be scared 3. jump house fun 4. giving dan a titty twister 5. mock boy fights 6. skipping)

tannyn loved her crown... and it fit perfectly!

(present time at tann's family party this past sunday)

today is my kind of day... pouring rain and magnificent lightening and thunder - perfect fall weather if you ask me!

enjoy this lovely day

xo,

kass

*all photos edited using picnik

inspired

2010-10-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

i had to step outside to get better lighting... it's dark in my house today due to fog and drizzle (which i love)

i got inspired by a post over at elsiemarley - she made a pretty birthday crown for her daughter so i thought i would do the same for tannyn. mine didn't turn out nearly as pretty as hers did... but i'm hoping that tannyn will like it. tannyn turns six next thursday so this weekend she has a friend staying over for a sleepover and we're going to take them to the pumpkin patch (at tannyn's request) on saturday then on sunday we're having a family birthday for tannyn at our house where i'll give her the crown - i hope it fits!

what are your plans this weekend?

xo,

kass

ps. thanks for all the compliments on the new hair - you guys rock and totally made me smile!

new do

2010-10-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

thanks so much for all the kind words from the last post... isn't it nice to realize that the little things in life can bring so much joy?

tayli and i are watching Babies right now... have any of you seen it? we are so privileged in this world we live in... i'm in awe of the mothers in this film. it makes me realize more than ever that material things just don't really matter...

on another note, i hijacked my sons camera and was able to get a couple of photos of my new haircut. a couple of weeks ago i cut a couple of inches off my hair (i've been doing my own hair for years now) but i wanted to go shorter, so my mother in law came over and cut a few more - this is the shortest it's been in three years and i love it.

okay, that's all i've got for now...

enjoy your tuesday!

xo,

kass

oh, i've gotten a couple of emails from readers... and i've lagged in a response - sorry! i'll try to get to it today - i appreciate getting emails - thank you!

finding joy

2010-10-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

random photo: crab we found last weekend at the beach

dan's on commission only with his new job and it's hard on us financially, we have no health care, we have one car that works, tayli broke my camera, i've had a cold and have been soooo tired the last couple of weeks... but despite those little things that are not particularly great, i'm still finding joy in some little things...

i'm loving this weather we're having right now... it's been drizzly and cloudy the last couple of days and it's raining today - pure bliss

i had a nice quiet time reading my bible outside on the patio with the rain falling around me this morning

the mossy tree stump in my yard makes me happy - if tayli hadn't broken my camera i would take a photo of it to show you... it really is so pretty

i made a super yummy, super easy mac-n-cheese last night

(if you want the recipe let me know)

reading books with the girls after tann gets home from school

watching the girls sing and dance and practice their swan princess moves

finding out that tyler is texting a girl that he likes while under his covers when he's suppose to be sleeping

(he's growing up so fast)

my nightly jogs with ruca dog and enjoying the beauty in my neighborhood

playing solitaire on dan's ipad and having him get jealous that i win almost every game while he can barely win one

coffee and alone time while tayli naps

at home movie dates with dan my man almost every night

since my camera is broken and as of right now i can't afford a new one, you can expect random photos on my blog that have nothing to with what the post is about (i'm a fan of using all my own photos... no weheartit for me) and probably some wordier posts...

i hope you are enjoying this week and finding joy in the small things

xo,

kass

love it

2010-10-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

our homemade calendar

i love october... so many birthdays, fall weather (hopefully), and halloween

love it

what do you look forward to in october?

xo,

kass

just that much better

2010-09-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

when i'm not feeling well or am having a bad day...

my bright colored little kitchen nook

fun colors make it just that much better

xo,

kass

what happens

2010-09-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

when mama's not feeling well...

this is what happens

the girls outrageously messy room (and this is not even half the mess!)

the girls watching big top pee-wee in our messy living room

hoping your weekend is cleaner and healthier than mine is starting out to be!

xo,

kass

oh, tyler has another WSA contest this sunday - praying he advances and gets in the top twenty!

delish

2010-09-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

grilled chicken with lemon basil pasta

find the recipe here

i usually eat a lot healthier than this but i was craving something super tasty and hearty and this meal sure filled that craving - delish!

*i ended up adding garlic, not using cream and i used organic whole wheat pasta

try it, you wont be disappointed!

i'm heading to santa barbara with the girls in the early afternoon to meet my dad for some shopping, picking up dan from his training for his new job, meeting back up for dinner with my dad and step-mom and then driving up to lompoc to stay with my mom and step-dad. saturday we'll be heading over to my granny's where she is planning on feeding us dinner and her famous lemon meringue pie for dessert. i can't wait to see my family, i miss them all so much all the time. on sunday we are meeting up with our wonderful friends kim and jeff and then heading off to our friends wedding at the santa barbara zoo. a fun-filled yet busy weekend.

what are your plans for the weekend?

xo,

kass

tall ships

2010-09-13T14:32:00.000-07:00

this past weekend was the tall ships festival in dana point.

we had been seeing signs around town and thought it sounded like a fun thing to do as a family...

we listened to some music, spotted captain jack sparrow (tannyn was very excited about this), checked out the awesome ships, saw pirates mingling throughout the crowd...

watched a cannon fight between pirates and the british - i screamed when they set off the first cannon it totally took me by surprise...

and let dan take a photo of me in my cozy nautical sweater and admired how gorgeous the ocean looked with the green mossy rocks.

how was your weekend? what did you do?

xo,

kass

hangout spot

2010-09-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

dan nailed a few planks of wood into one of the many trees on our hill so that the kids could have a hangout spot. i'm just hoping no ticks live in this tree because the kiddos seem to like it there...

maybe one day we'll build them a real treehouse.

enjoy your weekend my friends

xo,

kass

anthro whore

2010-09-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

it's no secret that i'm an admitted anthropologie whore... my family and friends are well aware of this so you can imagine my excitement when i get anything from anthro. last weekend we made a quick trip to santa barbara and while there we stopped in at my dad and step-moms for dinner. my step-mom surprised me with this gorgeous candle from, you guessed it, anthro! it's the capri blue candle set in this pretty container that reminds me of an antique mirror. i've been lighting it just about every day since i got it on sunday and i love it. not only does it smell terrific but it's just so darn pretty too!

thanks, barbara, for thinking of me while on your trip up north... you're awesome.

are you a candle girl?

what's your favorite scent?

xo,

kass

on the first day

2010-09-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

Now, Billy Joe McGuffrey
was a really clumsy kid.
On the first day of first grade
I'll tell you what he did.
He tripped over a pencil box,
flew up in the air,
landed on a kangaroo
who pulled out all his hair!
He needed first aid in the first grade,
first aid in the first grade,
first aid in the first grade.
You could buy a zoo with all the doctor bills he paid.

song by: veggie tales

ty and tann started school today - tyler in eighth grade and tannyn in first grade. the morning went off well, dan and i got up early at 6:30 which was a tad bit hard for me since the kiddos have been letting me sleep in till 9:00 all summer long. i got tann ready, did her hair, dan fed her breakfast and then it was time for photos. i made ty get up even though he doesn't start school until an hour after tannyn and he was NOT happy with me about it as you can see in the photo of him, tann and tayli but i really wanted a photo with all the kiddos. i'm a mom, it's how it is. we took tann to school and she did great - apparently she has the best first grade teacher in the school and she was very happy to see some friends from last year in her class. after dropping her off, we came home to get ty, i got one more picture (he was in a better mood this time) and then we dropped him off. as ty was walking to class dan yells out "i love you tyler joseph bacquet. i love you son!" it was pretty funny. i think tyler was just glad that dan didn't wear his cut off jean shorts and wife beater and walk him to class. ha.

now all is mostly quiet with tayli just home... ahhhh.

do any of you have any embarrassing stories from your first day of school?

did your parents ever try to embarrass you?

xo,

kass

sweet treat

2010-09-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

even though today was the last day of summer vacation for the kiddos, it sure as heck felt like fall. it was cloudy and chilly and the perfect day for baking so today we decided to make little bit o' chocolate bars, which my mom has dubbed wheat germ bars. my mom got the recipe out of some cookbook from the late 70's early 80's with healthy kid friendly recipes. wheat germ bars were a staple for me growing up, i ate them often for breakfast since i loathed milk and refused to eat cereal in the morning. not only are wheat germ bars great for breakfast but they are delicious for dessert too.

one of my favorite sweet treats.

mmm... don't they look delish?

little bit o' chocolate bars

(wheat germ bars)

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup chocolate chips

mix together butter (i like to soften it for a few seconds in the microwave first), brown sugar, vanilla and egg with spatula. add in flour and wheat germ. stir until blended (i like to use my hands)

place in a greased pan and spread with hands, smooth down.

bake at 325 for 25-30min, remove and sprinkle chocolate chips on top, let melt and then spread.

eat up and enjoy!

i would love to know if you try this family favorite of mine or if you've ever had it before...

xo,

kass

quite contrary giveaway winner

2010-09-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

mary mary quite contrary how does your garden grow?

with silver bells and cockle shells,

and pretty maids all in a row.

last monday the girls and i planted this little tomato plant and sunflower... i took these pictures yesterday and i am amazed at how fast they have grown. it seems as if they are growing half an inch every day - crazy! it's so fun to watch.

dan and i are hoping to plant a vegetable garden in our yard in the coming future and these little plants are giving me hope... maybe i have a green thumb after all.

____________________________________________________________________________

as promised, it's time to announce the giveaway winner

i used random.org to choose the winner and it came up with the number 3

congrats to brittan of little owl arts!

brittan, email me your address and we'll get the goods sent out to you asap

kassiunderwood@hotmail.com

thanks to all for playing along... enjoy the rest of your weekend!

xo,

kass

explore

2010-09-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

the other day we discovered a park by our house with a lake that you can fish in... we were super excited about this and decided to check it out. while there, we walked the lake, rolled down some hills, played chase and checked out the pretty scenery... it's fun finding new places around your home to explore.

have you found any neat places in your neighborhood lately?

xo,

kass

ps. thanks for all your prayers and thoughts in regards to dan's job - he got an offer last week and took the job - he starts in a couple of weeks!

if you haven't entered the GIVEAWAY yet be sure to do so - it ends tomorrow!

giveaway time!!

2010-08-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

late to the party

2010-08-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

i know i'm late to the party but i finally learned to do a fishtail braid! thanks to amanda shires who did a how to on her blog yesterday and to my beautiful friends brandi and kelly who did a post on amanda a couple of weeks ago because otherwise i would never have known! anyway, you have no idea how excited this makes me, i've always wanted to know how! be sure to check out amanda's blog for the super easy tutorial.

on another note, i wanted to say hi to all my new followers and to give a big thank you to my sister for spotlighting me on her follow me chickadee fridays post! i also wanted to let you all know that i'm having a super fun giveaway on my blog this coming monday as a thank you to all of my readers... old and new - so be sure to check back monday and enter!

xo,

kass

favorite pear dishes?

2010-08-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

pears from our tree

mmmm pears

we just realized that we have a pear tree in our yard - we were pretty excited since pears are dan's favorite fruit! i can think of tons of ways to eat pears... paired with cheese for a light snack, on pizza with gorgonzola, made into a panini with some bri, mixed into pasta with parmesan and maybe asparagus...

but when it comes to baking, i'm just not sure what to do with them.

i was trying to come up with a way to bake them and have something to do with the girls today - i came up with pear bread and pear crumble, pear pie and pear tarts... but some of them looked pretty complicated or had ingredients that i didn't have on hand so we ended up making...well, nothing. pretty sad. so that this doesn't happen again, i thought i would ask you guys what your favorite pear dishes are, whether they be a snack, dinner or dessert i would love to know! i appreciated the few of you that shared some apple recipes with me when i did this post, so i'm hoping for some help here as well.

thanks in advance!

xo,

kass

fun to eat off of

2010-08-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

dan bought me these great plates as an anniversary present and i fell in love with them right away - the colors are amazing and they are so fun to eat off of!

they are from anthro... of course ;)

a big thank you to all of you for all the cat advice - you were all so helpful and i love how a few of you practically wrote novels! it was great to read all of your advice and to read about your own cats - thank you thank you!

xo,

kass

smitten

2010-08-20T21:34:00.000-07:00

parko kitty

for those of you who know me well, you know i am FAR from being a cat person... but this little guy has completely changed my mind. my mother in law got little parko for tayli's third birthday and he took to me right away (sorry tayli!) and pretty much hasn't left me alone since. he sleeps under our covers at night right by my feet or he comes and sleeps on my head (which i hate... i'm a super light sleeper) and every night he licks my head and paws at my hair - kinda like he is cleaning me (is that normal??) it bugs the crud out of me and makes my head itch. i hate it. but i still love him. he cuddles me on the couch every time i sit down, comes out of hiding only when i call for him, follows me to the bathroom, etc...

anyway, i'm pretty smitten with him so i thought he deserved his own post... plus i needed to download the many pictures i have taken of him - he's the perfect model!

are any of you cat people?

own a cat?

what is normal cat behavior?

and one last question for you

what is the best cat litter and litter box out there?

ahh... okay, this is the last one

have any of you made your own litter box?

happy weekend!

xo,

kass

dude

2010-08-17T19:58:00.000-07:00

we had a busy weekend full of beach time, friends and fun and we were still going today...

it was 80 or so degrees today at the beach and it was gorgeous! dan, the kiddos and i all headed down the street to salt creek beach - the boys surfed while the girls and i played in the sand, laid out and swam.

dan came in for a few and got some great photos of ty surfing on his new board

dude, this kid is getting so good and i am so proud of him!

in other news, dan got laid off on friday - his position at work was terminated...

we're actually pretty excited about this new opportunity since he hated his job and loathed his boss. we know the Lord has a plan and we're not too worried but your prayers would be appreciated and if any of you know of any good paying jobs out there in orange county or san diego county then please let me know!

i hope you all are having a beautiful evening

xo,

kass

i can't believe you are thirteen

2010-08-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

a few photos from the first five years of ty's life...

with all his friends before going to the beach... pumped about his new board!

happy birthday to my sweet boy

i can't believe you are thirteen

you are the coolest kid i've ever met and i feel so extremely blessed to be your mom

being a pregnant teen was not my plan, but the Lord sure as heck knew what He was doing and i am so thankful for you. you are my buddy, my friend, my handsome son... you make me laugh, you make me smile, your love warms my heart. i am so proud of you - the boy that you've been and the boy that you are. you are kind, generous and loving to all. you're smart as a whip and a great little surfer. you are amazing with your sisters, a good friend and respectful to your elders...

i love you deeper than the deepest ocean

happy thirteenth birthday, tyler

i love you mucho mucho grande

xo,

mom

2010-08-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

this photo has nothing to do with anything but i thought it was pretty - roses dan gave me on our anni

in just a few hours five teenage boys will be coming over for a sleepover...

ty is turning 13 on sunday so a few of his buddies are coming over to stay the night - it's going to be a night of pizza, rowdy boys, surf videos, too much candy and staying up late!

ahhhhhhhh

tomorrow we're heading to the beach for a day of surfing, sunday is church and then off to lowers for more surfing, homemade pizzas for dinner and monkey bread for dessert... this weekend is all about tyler and i hope he enjoys every second of it.

i'll be back sunday with a little post dedicated to my sweet boy...

what are your plans this weekend?

xo,

kass

first time

2010-08-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

i went to ikea for the first time the other day - dang, that store is huge! i'm not really a fan of shopping, i get tired quickly and as you moms out there know, it can be challenging trying to shop with kiddos in tow...

but at ikea, there was so much to look at that dan, the kids and i kinda enjoyed it! well... maybe not tyler so much...

i went there in hopes of finding a coffee table that i had seen in the catalog for only $19.99 - i have been wanting a new coffee table for ages. the one we have had, although nice, was just too large for our small space. not only did i find the coffee table but i found a rug and curtains too - we walked out of ikea spending barely any money at all - amazing!

our old coffee table that is now residing in the play room

new ikea coffee table and rug

dan picked out the rug... it's not what i had envisioned but it'll do for now until i find what i really want... it was so super cheap i can't even believe it. and the coffee table is much smaller than our old one... it's a little "new" looking for me but i'm sure it'll get banged up how i like it in no time - that's kinda what happens with things in our house... having three kids, a dog and a cat will do that pretty quickly!

are any of you fans of ikea?

any of you not been there yet?

xo,

kass

keep it clean, people

2010-08-11T06:00:00.001-07:00

let's play a little game

EDITED:

i decided to take off the picture of tayli and parko kitty since my blog is public and there are weird people out there... just being safe.

thanks to those who played along and came up with some cute captions!

whenever i look at this photo i think of a PETA ad

so...

i thought it would be fun if you guys could come up with a fun caption - PETA themed, of course.

please keep it clean, people, this is a PG blog ;)

xo,

kass

apple squares

2010-08-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

we've got two apple trees and one of them is ready for the picking - we have an abundance of apples!

the other day i decided to google some apple recipes - i would hate for all these delicious apples to go to waste

i came across a yummy looking recipe here

it was such a hit in my home that i thought i should share it with you guys

apple squares

1 c sifted all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4tsp. salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 c butter, melted

1/2 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c chopped apple

1/2 c finely chopped walnuts

2 tbsp white sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. preheat oven to 350 F

grease a 9x9in pan

sift together flour, baking powder, salt and 1/4 tsp cinnamon; set aside

2. in a large bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar and 1/2 c of white sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth. stir in the egg and vanilla.

blend in the flour mixture until just combined, then stir in walnuts and apples

(i omitted the walnuts since my family doesn't care for them)

spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. in a cup or small bowl, stir togetheer the remaining cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over top of bars.

3. bake for 25-30 min on center rack in preheated oven; finished bars should spring back when lightly touched. cool in pan, cut into squares

and enjoy!

i doubled the recipe and used a 9x13 inch pan...

i feel like you could get away with less sugar and less sugar and cinnamon on top - in fact, i had to brush some off it was so much. these are good warm and gooey but even better the next day!

if any of you have any apple recipes that you wouldn't mind sharing, i would love to hear them - be it baked goods, a side dish or a main course.... send 'em my way!

if you end up making these please let me know what you think

xo,

kass

i love that you...

2010-08-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

our wedding table 8.9.03

daniel, i thank the Lord everyday for you... you are a wonderful husband, a terrific father, amazing lover, my best friend.

i love that you:

make me laugh... even when i don't want to

work hard to provide for us

love Jesus and have a passion for Him

are a family man

adore our children

are dang sexy

have a fun surf style

can grow the most awesome facial hair

make me feel beautiful
are you

i love you as you are... everything about you...

happy 7th anniversary mr. bacquet

xo,
kass

it just makes me happy

2010-08-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

i love this view - the colors, the old window, dan's goofy painting that i used to make fun of, my favorite red stool... it just makes me happy.

is there a spot in your home that makes you happy?

tomorrow is dan and my 7th anniversary - this is the first year in a long time that we haven't gotten away by ourselves... i'm hoping he surprises me with a nice dinner, maybe my favorite anthro candle, a massage... something!

i sure do love that man and i'm sure he has some sort of plan up his sleeve...

xo,

kass

cheap thrills

2010-08-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

i've had no car for the past month due to the engine blowing up in dan's volvo and dan taking my car to get to and from work... so the kids and i have to be creative on a daily basis. while tayli was napping, the kiddos and i had some backyard fun... see for yourself...

what do you do for cheap thrills?

today, tyler has his first WSA (world surfing association) surf contest - i'm praying he does well and wins a few heats... i'll keep you all posted. i'm so proud of my little (soon to be teenage) man!

enjoy your saturday!

xo,

kass

green bundles

2010-08-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

a few days ago i decided to cut back my hydrangea bush - it was producing a plethora of flowers but was getting weighed down and they were beginning to die. in my cutting frenzy i discovered some beautiful green bundles and immediately cut them off and placed them in water in my favorite copper bowl. isn't the color beautiful? i'm in love with them and i'm hoping my little bush produces many more!

xo,

kass

no denying

2010-08-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

we sure do love the mountains... but there is no denying that the beach is our home...

the girls playing at salt creek while the boys surfed

- the day after we got back from Hume -

are you a beach girl?

a lake girl?

both?

xo,

kass

humeungus

2010-08-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

more photos from our camping trip to hume lake in the sequoias...

from top to bottom:

breakfast of champions; dan sunbathing; pretty shawna with eva, max and the girls; cute little baby ducklings; dan playing with the girls at "our beach"; me and maxi - he makes me want to make more babies - i love this boy; craft time with mama b (dan's mom); ty eating his Humeungus burger; the fam at the snack shop; tay and tann being cute as ever; sassy tannyn and myself; tann showing off her bobble necklace that dan made her; one of my favorite views of the lake (and my favorite photo); hume lake; dan and tayli; bacquet family photo; tann giving dan attitude; bike riding around the Christian camp; dan and tay (he had her sitting on the bar of the bike and holding the handle bars - i wasn't too thrilled with this); catching a loving moment with rick and sharon; dan and i - is it just me or do i look strange?; pretty meadow near grants grove: flowers near grants grove; the kiddos sad to be going home; my man dan; me

what did you guys do last week?

anything exciting?

xo,

kass

simple is awesome

2010-08-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

hume lake is magical. i wish we lived there. you can feel the Lord's presence in His beauty surrounding you - the way the light shines through the trees, the smell of pine in the air, the glassiness of the lake, the birds chirping, the eagles flying, the fish jumping...

dan and i wish we could have stayed longer, we had such a relaxing time - no phones, no internet - the simplicity of it was freeing! part of me wanted to get rid of all things that had to do with the internet - facebook, twitter, blog... because it was so wonderful being without it all. as soon as we got down the mountain our phones went crazy with all the emails/tweets/texts/missed calls we received during the week. as soon as i got home i turned off all my notifications from twitter on my phone - it's a start for now, maybe i'll eventually get rid of everything else. simple is awesome.

anyway, back to camping - we had a blast.

the boys fished a lot, the girls and i swam a lot, we ate good food and drank yummy beer, we enjoyed being with all of dan's family and we all got along wonderfully, we biked, walked/ran the lake (shawna, dan's sister, and i tried to do this every day), had romantic evening strolls, frog hunted, jumped from tall trees, ate ice cream and burgers from the snack shop at the Christian camp, told funny stories around the fire, celebrated the engagement of dan's little sister, stephanie, to her boyfriend travis... and that was just the first few days!

here are some photos of half of our week

more to come later...

from top to bottom:

our first night - dan preparing tacos; tann and tay reading; ty walking through our campsite; our campsite; dan and i; ty and i making s'muches (lauren, they were a hit - thanks for sharing this with us!); a view of the lake from Hume Lake Christian Camp; ten mile creek; shawna posing for me while on one of our walk/runs; tayli caught a fish; dan, tann and myself after frog hunting; ty being silly; my mother in law, sharon, pushing tann in the hammock; my brother in law (shawna's husband), john, eva and max; tay and eva playing; the beauty of the lake; my handsome man; dan and i on one of our evening strolls; sailboat photo opportunity; me; ty and tay laying out at the cove; stephanie and travis are engaged!; trav teaching tann how to play farkle; tann and aunt mimi preparing dinner for our celebration feast; dan and uncle jud preparing the steaks; my boy and i; a doe running through our campsite; big tyler and tann being goofy

xo,
kass

a little peek

2010-08-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

we're back from our week long camping trip at hume lake

it was wonderful and i wish we were still there...

more about it later - hope you all had a great week

xo,

kass

prettier in person

2010-07-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

i realized i never shared the rest of the sunglass cases that i made for my aunt's store... so here they are...

my two favorites are the vintage white with embroidered rainbow, and the vintage flower pattern in the photo with the glasses. so much prettier in person.

i'm busy today with packing and cleaning and getting ready for our camping trip - we leave bright and early tomorrow morning (5:30am!) and will have no cell phones or computers while there... i'm very excited and can't wait to actually be there - i'm so stinkin tired of packing and organizing.

i wont be back to blogging till the beginning of august. i hope you all have a lovely end of your july.

xo,

kass

challenge update

2010-07-21T22:57:00.000-07:00

i mentioned in this post that i'm doing a thirty day challenge so i thought i would share some of my favorite moves with you that i've learned from my tracy anderson dvd's...

- great for thighs and butt -

get on all fours, take your leg out to the side and then cross it over your opposite leg - do at least thirty-five reps on each leg

- great for butt, thighs and side abs -

grab a chair while on all fours with one hand on the chair and the other on the ground. lift the opposite leg from the arm that is holding the chair and lift straight back, bend that leg forward at a diagonal while bringing the chair forward - do at least thirty-five reps on each leg

- my favorite ab move -

lay with legs and arms outstretched while holding no more than three pound weights (i use two), bring your arms out towards your legs while pulling your legs in a frog like position - repeat at least forty times never letting your legs touch the ground

these are just a few of my favorite moves - let me know if you try any

remember, don't use more than three pound weights!

i use two pounds...

here is a rundown of my meals and workouts over the last few days:

day: friday july 16, 2010

breakfast: kashi cereal with rice milk and coffee

lunch: ten multi grain crackers with raspberry jam from trader joes and water

dinner: small bean, cheese and chicken burrito

workout: tracy anderson perfect design series sequence III

dancing/jumping on rebounder

time: TA 55min

rebounder 45min

day: saturday july 17, 2010

breakfast: pumpkin spice kashi bar with coffee

lunch: coffee/banana smoothie with fat burner blend from blenders in the grass with handful of wasabi flavored almonds

snack: ruffels chips with sour cream and onion dip

dinner: grilled chicken breast, sweet mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, greens with avo, pine nuts drizzle of balsamic dressing, few sips of chardonay

dessert: light whipped cream with fresh strawberries

workout: 30 min of playing in the pool with the girls

day: sunday july 18, 2010

breakfast: pumpkin spice kashi bar with coffee

lunch: banana and carob smoothie with fat burner blend from blenders handful of cheese flavored sun chips

dinner: small spoonful of baked beans, small spoonful of potato salad, greens with hardboiled egg and fresh strawberries, slice of french bread and iced tea

dessert: tiny sliver of homemade banana cake with carmel frosting, and two small slices of homemade lemon maringue pie with coffee

snack: fresca taco from taco bell 170calories

workout: none

day: monday july 19, 2010

breakfast: kashi cereal with rice milk and coffee

lunch: small slice of lemon maringue pie and coffee

dinner: pumpkin spice kashi bars and coffee

workout: tracy anderson's mat workout dvd plus extra ab work and dancing/jumping on rebounder

time: TA 57min

extra ab work 5min

rebounding 60min

day: tuesday july 20, 2010

breakfast: kashi cereal, rice milk and coffee

lunch: pumpkin spice kashi bar

dinner: small glass of white wine, sushi 9 pieces

dessert: 1 small chocolate covered butter cookie with coffee

snack: three small slices of cheese, handful of pita chips with yogurt cucumber dip

workout: 47min of tracy anderson's post pregnancy workout and dancing/jumping on rebounder

time: TA 47min

rebounding 40min

day: wednesday july 21, 2010

breakfast: kashi cereal with rice milk and coffee

lunch: handful sea salt pita chips dipped in cucumber yogurt sauce

dinner: baked chicken breast with organic brown rice and black beans with water

workout: 55 min of tracy anderson perfect design series sequence I, dancing/jumping on rebounder, ab isolations, arms

time: TA 55min

rebounding 60min

extra ab isolations 5min

extra arms 7min

weighted arms with two pound weights 7min

i also drink about 60oz of water every day - sometimes more, sometimes less - water is key!

as i've mentioned plenty of times before on my blog, i'm a HUGE tracy anderson fan so i thought i would share a little clip of tracy explaining her method and showing some of her moves from her mat workout - the arms and ab isolations are insane in this dvd - it kicks butt!

have any of you tried TA's method?

what do you think?

xo,

kass

guaranteed good time

2010-07-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

click for larger photo

hume lake 2008 - mama bear and two photos of a gorgeous field we came across

this week i'm getting ready for a seven night camping trip at hume lake in the sequoias with the fam. dan's family has been camping there since before he was born and we try to join them at least every two years. swimming, biking, campfires, games, walks around the lake, dinner at the snack shop at the christian camp, laughter, playing on the floating log... it's pretty much a guaranteed good time! going to hume brings back great memories for me since i grew up going to winter camp there with my church during my jr. high and high school years. although it's a lot of work to camp with little kids (and we're tent camping!)... and going without a shower for seven days isn't exactly ideal... it's always a lot of fun. i've got a lot of work ahead of me this week, piles and piles of laundry, getting all the gear together, making lists of what we need and going over those lists a million times, shopping for all the food we need to pack and other items that we need as well as cleaning the whole house and changing sheets for our friends adam and alisha who are so kindly house/dog/kitty sitting for us. all of this PLUS working out two hours a day so that i can stick with my challenge all while trying my best to entertain three rambunctious kids.

so... i probably wont be blogging much this week... maybe just one or two more posts...

some questions for you

do you like camping? how many of you could go without a shower for seven days? tent camping or are you a motor home/trailer type of girl?

xo,

kass

team bracob

2010-07-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite texans, brandi, has started a 30 day fitness challenge so i thought it would be good for me to join along and start it too. once a week i'll be posting my workouts, and what i've eaten and keep you posted on how i'm doing with my workouts. my goal is to eat well, stay away from alcohol, sugar and cheese and to work out two hours a day at least five days a week.
hopefully keeping track of my workouts on my blog will keep me accountable and i would love for you guys to keep me accountable too.

day: wednesday july 14, 2010

work out: tracy anderson perfect design series sequence II

how long: 55min

usually i would do cardio for an hour too, but i wasn't feeling well and just couldn't do it... i also didn't work out yesterday due to being sick - however i'm going to make sure i get at least an hour in today... being sick and having a fever wont stop me!

breakfast: pumpkin spice kashi bar and coffee
lunch: grapes, whole wheat crackers and water
dinner: grilled chicken, grilled zucchini and grilled squash with a small glass of wine

brandi and her husband jacob have also started a fitness blog, shape up bracob, where they keep track of their workouts, what they are eating, share their playlists and work out gear.... check it out here.

i'm team bracob

if you're interested in starting the challenge be sure to link up!

xo,
kass

oh how the time goes by

2010-07-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

we had an early birthday celebration yesterday for tayli who turns three on tuesday.

tons of family and friends, good food, a jump house (thanks mom and bob!) and lots of fun presents all made for a pretty successful party.

here are a few photos of our day

tay really got some amazing gifts...

a ten week old kitty from dan's mom and step-dad, matryoshka dolls straight from russia that my sis-in-law and brother just brought back, a beautiful colored pencil holder/satchel that my bestie made, cute little hand painted rocks that tannyn, my mom, step-dad and aunt painted, a slip-n-slide from my dad and step-mom, a pretty delicate bracelet made with love by my step-sister.... she got tons more than that too - so many cute dresses and other fun outfits, an awesome 3D puzzle, art journal, stickers, plate/bowl set, my little pony, boogie board, goggles, pet shop toys... and more!

such a loved little girl!

i can't believe that my baby is turning three tomorrow... oh how the time goes by much too quickly!

maybe it's time to start making another one... hmmm... or maybe the kitty is enough for now!

how was your weekend?

xo,

kass

favorite

2010-07-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

happy birthday to the best sister a girl could ask for

i love you more than you know

you're my favorite

"nature made you my sister... but we made us friends"

(a quote from a card keely gave me many years ago... i've never forgotten it)

go here to wish her a happy birthday

xo,

kass

welcome home

2010-07-08T09:12:00.000-07:00

yesterday tayli and i made tannyn some welcome home signs... we sure are excited to see her today!

have a lovely thursday my friends!

xo,

kass

i adore

2010-07-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

i adore these three and miss my tyler and tannyn - i'm so looking forward to having my tannybear come home tomorrow and to see tyler at tayli's party on sunday. but for now, i'm going to continue to enjoy my one on one time with my sweet tay...

have a lovely wednesday friends!

xo,

kass

our weekend plans didn't quite turn out as planned

2010-07-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

on our way to lake arrowhead dan's volvo broke down on the 91 freeway in riverside. it was actually pretty scary being stuck on the side of road with cars just zooming by us at speeds up to 90mph. we called a tow truck and an hour later he showed up to tow us... it was another hour and a half, two hours before we got home. needless to say, we didn't end up going to the lake. instead, our friends jonathan and marina paid us a surprise visit - we chatted, drank beer and ate up the bean and corn salsa i made for the party at the lake. after they left dan and i cleaned the house, lazed around and then we all ate sandwiches for dinner outside, watched transformers for a bit (tay loved it) and then headed up to the roof to watch fireworks. i've never been able to see fireworks from my own home before (we used to try when i was younger but it was usually too foggy) anyway, it was so cool being able to see them so clearly and not only could we see the local laguna niguel fireworks show but we could see the show in aliso viejo as well and some other fireworks off in the distance too.

it was kinda magical

how was your fourth of july?

xo,

kass

2010-07-02T13:35:00.000-07:00

tomorrow we are driving to santa barbara to drop tyler and tannyn off with my dad and step-mom. ty is staying for a week with them where my dad has a lot of fun things planned (a surprise for tyler) and then a week with my mom and step-dad to go on a surf trip to santa cruz. tann is staying one night at my dad and step-mom's then my mom and step-dad are picking her up for a five day stay with them in lompoc - they'll be celebrating the fourth, going to see toy story 3, heading to the park, visiting my granny... basically they'll be keeping her entertained and loving up on her.

for the fourth dan, tayli and myself will be heading to lake arrowhead where my sister-in-law, stephanie, lives. we'll be spending the day soaking up the sun, swimming in the lake, eating good food, watching fireworks and enjoying family time with dan's side of the family - i'm so looking forward to it!

what are your plans for the fourth of july?

have fun and be safe!

happy independence day!!

xo,

kass

i love summer

2010-06-30T15:17:00.000-07:00

this is what i'm doing

while they're doing this

i love summer

what are you doing today?

xo,

kass

a little wonky

2010-06-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

it's been a little while since i've made anything... partly because of time but also because of lack of creativity and inspiration... i guess you could say i've been in a creative funk. my aunt who lives in wisconsin has asked me to make eight sunglass cases for her store... so thanks to her, i'm back in my 'groove' and loving it!

i thought i would share with you what i've been up to - here is just one case, i have a few more to make before i ship them off to her on friday

all my cases are hand sewn/stitched using felt lining, vintage fabrics (most given to me by mom and granny) and vintage buttons. since they are handmade they are all a little wonky... but that's what gives them their charm... i hope ;) i call these little pouches sunglass cases but i have friends who like to use them to house their checkbooks... either way, they're kinda fun to have!

enjoy your tuesday!

xo,

kass

a little slow

2010-06-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

it's summer time so i'm a little slow with the whole blogging thing lately

but i wanted to share some pics from fathers day

we went up to santa barbara last saturday to celebrate my dad and to surprise my grandpa (he has been at a hospital recovering from a couple of strokes he had a little over a month ago) with a picnic

we then went on to my grandma's for some swimming in the salt water pool and afterwards we went on to my dad and step-mom's for some yummy pizza and chi chi's

haha this photo makes me laugh

we got home late saturday night from santa barbara but i woke up bright and early to make dan's favorite - monkey bread and eggs. brandi ended up coming over for breakfast and then we all piled in the car to head to lowers for a beach day

this weekend has been pretty boring... we lazed around yesterday and swam in our little blow up pool, went to church this morning, ate lunch, swam some more while the boys surfed and now the girls are tuckered out and watching sweet life on deck - oh how they love the sprouse twins!

i hope your weekend was lovely - do anything fun?

xo,
kass

oh and, wow, thanks to all of you guys who read my blog - i can't believe i have 300 followers! i guess that means it's about time for another giveaway to celebrate... hopefully i can get my act together soon so be on the lookout for it!

lee's purple butterfly

2010-06-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

my sister, lee, has opened an etsy store

with some very pretty hand-crafted jewelry

like this coral bracelet

she's always adding more... rings, necklaces, bracelets

please check out her store

you can also find her on facebook here

thanks friends!

xo,

kass

blog friend meet up

2010-06-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

as you know, brandi, lauren and danielle stayed with me the weekend before last for our blog friend meet up... here is a little review in photos

thursday night dan made us some special cocktails and we ate tons of appetizers while chatting and laughing it up

friday was beach day (all beach photos courtesy of tayli... who's two)

a yummy dinner at salt creek grill

bonfire in the backyard and s'muches (like s'mores but with pb cups instead of chocolate)

danielle and ruca dog... brandi was tired... lauren had to wash the campfire out of her hair

saturday was shopping at pretty in pink and the fountain valley fair

came home to find dan bleeding from his head due to a little surfing accident

making appetizers before our homemade pizza dinner saturday night

that was pretty much our weekend!

it was great getting to know these girls... they are all different but all so much fun!

we laughed A LOT

i hope they enjoyed their stay at my house and felt welcome...

i look forward to seeing them all again...

for more on our blog friend meet up - go here, here or here

have you ever met a blog friend in real life?

xo,

kass

for my love and all the dads out there

2010-06-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

happy father's day my love

you are a wonderfully, loving father and i appreciate all you do for the kids and myself...

thank you for providing for us, playing with us and loving us

we love you so much, babe

mucho mucho grande

also

happy father's day to the men in my life

bob, grandpa, nate, mike

my uncles and all my in laws (bros, steps, uncles, etc...)

i love you all

and happy fathers day to all the terrific dad's out there - i hope you all feel special, loved and appreciated today

xo,

kass

i love you

2010-06-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

happy father's day, daddy

i love you so much dad

you have supported me, loved me, and been there for me all of my life

i appreciate you

i love you

and i pray that tannyn and tayli have the same special relationship with daniel as we do

you are my friend

i can rely on you through thick and thin

you have been there for me when many parents aren't

thank you for everything

i love you with all of my heart

happy fathers day daddy

i love you... so much

oh, and the kids wanted to give you a shout out too

they love you big papa

you are the best ever

we're headed up to santa barbara today to celebrate father's day with my dad and grandpa

i'm excited to spend some time with them... they are the best

i hope you all have a wonderful saturday

and a happy father's day weekend!

any fun plans?

xo,

kass

showcase your talents while helping others in need!

2010-06-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

i know many of you that are crafty and creative and/or love design... well, here's your chance to showcase your talents while helping others in need!

my old friends anthony dodero and chad riley started an organization called the blind project who are a group of individuals that are uniting together with their unique talents to empower women rescued out of the commercial sex trade in southeast asia

i'm so proud of what they are doing and now they are inviting you to take the challenge to help tell the stories of victims and survivors of the commercial sex trade through design

go to beabiographer.com to watch the video and find out exactly how YOU can help

"We want to connect your talents with her needs. For freedom, love, hope, dignity and protection. So we're inviting designers, artists and creative-minded people to help tell the stories of victims and survivors of the commercial sex trade through their designs."

Take the challenge at beabiographer.com

to find out more about the blind project please go here

i would love to know if this interests you and/or if you submit a design so please be sure to let me know!

xo,

kass

how we roll

2010-06-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

the kids aren't out of school until next week

but we're treating life as if it's already summertime

last night we picked up some chronic tacos, headed to salt creek, the boys surfed an evening sesh, the girls ran around in their panties and i attempted to get some shots of dan surfing (i say attempted because as you can see, the shots i did get are total crap - he got barreled twice and did a nice air...i just didn't catch those on film - i need a new camera that lets me take pic after pic without pausing)

my battery died by the time it was time to get any pics of ty - sorry buddy!

afterward we stopped at yogurtland for some yummy froyo

that's how we roll when it's summertime

how do you roll on a summer evening?

what do you do?

xo,

kass

they're pretty rad

2010-06-14T10:20:00.000-07:00

i love these girls

they're pretty rad

safe travels lauren and danielle

see you soooon brandi!

more to come later on this week about the weekend with these girls...

how was your weekend?

what did you do?

xo,

kass

best animated surf film ever?

2010-06-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

i think so!

tyler checks surfline every morning and he came upon this video - we both thought it was pretty awesome so i just had to share with all of you

brandi, lauren and danielle are coming today

i'm pretty sure it'll be a fun night and a great weekend!

safe travels my friends

what are your plans this weekend?

xo,

kass

ps. be sure to keep up with the happenings of brandi, lauren, danielle and myself via twitter

click on our names to follow our tweets!

it was a great weekend

2010-06-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

dan and i had a weekend alone - thanks to his mom and step-dad who watched the girls and thanks to tyler for having a ton of friends who wanted him over for a sleepover/ birthday party/ surfing excursion

saturday morning we slept in till after 9am (totally unheard of in our house!)

i had a nice quiet time on the patio

dan brought me a jamba juice for breakfast

we enjoyed the birds singing and warm morning sun

drove to trestles to surf lowers, it was cold and the waves sucked but dan killed it on a few waves and we had a beautiful walk down to the beach

we came home after a couple of hours and made some homemade bean dip and drank some beer

dan left me to surf salt creek

i stayed home and read

we went to beach fire bar and grill in san clemente for dinner

i had the best artichoke with thyme and button mushrooms with parmesan cheese in the inside - so freakin good! i also scarfed a whole plate of sweet potato fries and had a zangria - it was terrific

dan had super yummy lobster tacos with rice and beans and beer

we came home and as we were settling in around 11pm i get a call from brandi

she asks if we want to meet her and her friend liz for drinks

dan suggested we meet at the detroit bar in costa mesa to hear the middle east - check them out, they are so good!

brandi is so fun... as was her friend, liz

i knew i would like her in real life and my girl crush proved to be true

we had a great time chatting, laughing and having fun

after the show at the bar we went to denny's for some food and coffee and stayed there till 3am

brandi is rad, so much fun and so gorgeous

i'm looking forward to her coming this week to stay with me... as well as meeting lauren and danielle who are flying in on thursday and staying with me too - it's gonna be a blast

i'm sure that lauren, danielle, brandi and i will hit off as well as brandi and i did!

on sunday dan and i woke up late and had another relaxing day with no kids

he surfed

i read

that's all we did ALL day long until the kids got here at 5pm

it was a great weekend!

how was yours?

what did you do?

xo,

kass

hydrangeas mean summer

2010-05-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

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