Hilton Head Island 2011

Happy summer everyone! I just returned from a fabulous week with most of my family (two of my brothers couldn't make it--we missed them!) at Hilton Head Island, SC. We had a wonderful time together relaxing, eating, and making memories! Here are some pictures from the week in random order:

That little speck out in the ocean is the sailboat we rented. I had a blast learning to be captain!
Coming in close for a picture:

One of the highlights of the week is all of the yummy food and good conversation around the table:

My little buddy had such a fun time crawling around the beach and splashing in the water:

More yummy food:

Morning-time with Grandmommy:

All dressed up:

Sitting by the pool in the afternoon after a big lunch:

Happy to be at the beach:

I did a lot of this while I was on vacation! I read 3 books that were all 400-500 pages!

The infamous family photo shoot on the beach! Getting a group to all have their eyes open and smile is difficult enough, but when you add a baby and a gale force wind, it makes it even more challenging! :)

Can't wait to go back next year!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! My sister, roommate, and I loaded up a picnic basket full of goodies and headed to the park with thousands of others for a night of music and fireworks. Here we are with some of our friends:

It was a great night!

Mary Elizabeth and I:

Sisters with friends from New Jersey:

We had some yummy food, and while I didn't get pictures of it at the event, here's some of what we had.

Feta Black Bean Dip:

2 cans black beans

1 can shoepeg corn

green onions

bell pepper

feta cheese

Whisk together:

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup vinegar (I only had red wine and rice...I think apple cider would do fine)

1/4 cup sugar

Mix ingredients and add dressing

Artichoke bites:

Pizza crust (store-bought or homemade)

*I was in a hurry, so I just found an easy no-yeast recipe online:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup oil

Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and water. Knead about 2 min. until smooth and workable. Spread into pan. Coat with oil.

1 can artichokes (chopped finely)

1 cup cheddar cheese

3/4 cup mayonaise*

1/2 pkg Italian salad dressing mix*

*I substituted just some Italian dressing in the bottle for the mayo and powdered mix

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Mix ingredients and spread onto uncooked pizza crust. Bake at 400 for 15-20 mins. until bubbly.

Sewing Project

I had so much fun working on this project (except for the scare my little nephew gave us half-way through...we thought he swallowed a straight pin...thankfully he didn't!). This is my sister's chair that she got at a thrift store. She wanted it a more neutral color... So we made this little slip-cover:

I love how the sash brings it all together in the back:

Chicago!

A few weeks ago, two of my co-workers and I got to travel to Chicago for the annual Child Life Conference. In addition to spending about 8 hours a day in meetings, we managed to fit in a lot of sightseeing (and eating!). I feel so blessed that I work with such amazing people and we are friends in addition to being co-workers. We had a blast together!
A picture of me after we got off the "L" Ashley, Maggie, and I in Chicago's Field Museum Maggie and I with the big dino

A view of downtown from the museum:

It was so cold and VERY windy--we were a little unprepared! Here I am trying to keep my hair from flying in my face! :)

One of the highlights of the trip was yummy food. Here we are enjoying some Chicago style deep dish pizza!

Yum!

We took a jog down to Millennium Park to see the giant bean:

Taking funny jumping shots:

Holding up the bean:

After our run we were hungry for some amazing breakfast food at the Yolk:

Omelets:

Cinnamon bun french toast--amazing!

Pancakes and potatoes:

We went to see a Broadway in Chicago showing of Peter Pan--unbelievable!

Another fun part about conference is getting to connect with other Child Life Specialists. I was so glad to see two of the sweet friends from my internship. We got to spend a lot of time together, and had fun catching up in the airport while we waited on our separate flights home!

It was a fabulous weekend filled with lots of fun memories!

House Tour

Here's a quick little tour of my house! When you walk through the front door, you walk into the living room: I had fun with the mantle decor. Bought a window pane at an antique store for $4, and hung a wreath...love how it turned out!

The dining room is off of the living room:

Love the french doors!

Also, off of the living room is a spare room, that currently serves as a guest room/catch-all room. It really needs some help!

When you walk into the living room from the front door, you immediately see the door to my room (which gives me great incentive to have my bed made!)

I had fun making these two pillows to add a splash of yellow!

My tiny apple green bathroom:

Butler's pantry connecting the dining room and kitchen:

The fun retro kitchen:

Door to the back deck:

The back yard: