Kaleidoscope: summer. spring. i love you both.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

summer. spring. i love you both.

the calendar says march but the air smells of summer.

the birds seem to be constantly singing a song, perhaps calling for mama bird to hurry back with dinner; the grocery store welcomes you with big and heavy watermelons almost begging you to take it outside at that very moment, smash it on the ground and dig your hands into it and eat it until you can eat no more; beckham begs on an almost daily basis to make lemonade and set up a lemonade stand (which we will be doing in two weeks for charity!!); the sky seems bluer and bathing suits start to adorn the chairs outside while drip drying and waiting for the next dip.

and with 'summer' growing nearer, we grill more and with more precious light in each day, we will do more. we will. this is the time of year for rebirth. the flowers start blooming and like magic, little bunnies appear everywhere we look. brightly hued eggs and visions of a perfectly simple easter basket complete with paper grass and new gardening tools aren't forgotten.

of course, with spring being the preparatory season to summer, we will stuff the basket with a new bathing suit and pair of sunglasses too! and my brain, like a polaroid camera, will take snapshots of what our summer will hold for us. night time bike rides (if my bike ever fixes itself...hint;), grilled hot dogs and late-night chats with friends while watching a lightening storm, family trips, isle of capri, and freshly mowed grass!

i love this time of year. it even smells better i think.

celebrations have already begun. with the end of school looming like a vacation not yet taken but you can feel the excitement of something amazing coming...we have started practicing for the real thing...

kelle LOVIN her bacon. like really loving it;)

brunch with friends. in between the frickin 800th load of laundry and preparing dinner, we made time to enjoy one another and our little ones. it was much needed and the food, even though a tad burned, was pretty good too. i can't stop burning things. i walk away and never go back...until it's too late. note to self: always set a timer!

impromptu trips to the splash park!

and these two lovebirds...

had a date at the park and with a lunch of goldfish crackers.

don't worry, i chaperoned.

my sweet...

and silly little guy.

a green hose and watering buckets...spring is here!!!

"ingredients to make shushi, mommy? get us some."

maple syrup, craisins, crackers, and candle wax...yum.

popsicles.

hoola-hooping.

free labor...willing and excited to clean the couches. i found a small village residing happily between all the crumbs we found in the couch cushions. it was disgusting.

sunsets on the beach in naples. the sand, the birds, the people waiting to see the sun go down, the energy, the breeze, the beauty of our beaches...it's sublime.

i grilled shrimp and it was flippin' fabulous and i will post the recipe in the next post because i am ready to pass out from exhaustion tonight and if i continue this post much longer, my eyes may explode. gross.

okay, i'll post it now so i don't forget.

citrus shrimp:

half a pound of large shrimp, defrosted (i get mine at costco in the frozen section)

two tablespoons olive oil

two tablespoons chopped sage

a sprinkle of crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

juice from one lemon or orange or a little of both (i did both)

sea salt garlic (fresh garlic is best, but i was in a rush and it worked just fine)

throw all in a ziploc bag and let shrimp marinate for 30-60 minutes.

place shrimp in a grill safe basket on grill or place on grill that has been brushed with olive oil.

lightly salt and pepper shrimp on grill. cook on each side 3 minutes.

FABULOUS. sooo good and pretty healthy too! i packed mine in a tupperware and took right to the beach. kelle and i noshed away.

these two little ones dwell in my heart and beat love and fun and something special and unconditional into my heart. i just love them so much.

kelle and i brought our little ones to frolic and soak themselves in the cold salt water and to dig in the sand and make sand castles. it was a perfect evening.

babies and bacon. not a bad combo.

kelle's french toast doesn't hurt either.

and if this wasn't a good effort in kicking off the new season...in between the craziness of life's many responsibilities, i got to have a little more fun 'working,' with the sherwood family...a sneak peek!