Now That's Holiday....

xoxo.

Happy 4th of July

One ghetto kiddie pool: $10.

Old Navy Bikini I probably wouldn't wear in public: $20

Being able to sit in my backyard, avoiding the Jersey Shore holiday traffic + the trek to the over-crowded beaches with 3 littles in tow: PRICELESS.

Hoping everyone has a safe + happy July 4th weekend!

xo.

3 Little Piggies Gift

Just wanted to share one of my Mister's Father's Day gifts. {Yes, I'm aware that I'm a week late on this post... summer and all}. When I saw this, I just couldn't resist, seeing as how we have 3 little piggies of our own! So I bought this print here from Sanya of Horse Drawn Carriage...and settled for putting a good number of her other prints in my Etsy favorites...for now.
xo.

CM Get Away 2011...+ Our Tattoos From Last Week

This weekend we took off to Cape May, NJ for our annual overnight trip. Well, this year, my Mum took the Monks + Fif down for the overnight while my Mister, baby Liam-b and myself drove down the next morning for the day {work schedules + all}. Oh, we got sandy, saw dolphins swimming, drank road sodas on the beach...the Monks + Fif got stung by jelly fish, shopped {check out my awesome new bag + candle sticks} and we ate more greasy french fries than I'd care to admit. There were about a thousand missed photo opportunities, but truthfully, I was having so much fun, I decided to stay sandy and skip playing photographer for the day. On the drive home, while I admired the new bag my Mum bought for me in downtown CM {our little solo shopping excursions are another CM tradition}, I thought I would post it, along with the photos from the Date Night my Mister took me on last week {a belated anniversary gift}. Yes, while some couples celebrate anniversaries in more, ahem, traditonal ways, we set off to the tattoo shop...and then to my favorite resteraunt in Asbury Park for some spicey Creole food {+ a Cosmo for me!} We only make a tattoo appointment about once a year these days...so I had a laundry list of work for our dear friend Tom. I should have taken these photos right away, as a week later our tattoos are still healing...but here they are all the same. Some fill in work with these diamonds, stars + dots...and I added this new one on the inside of my other arm {the f'ing black cover up arm...so pardon any faded creeping lines, arrrgh.} Yes, after 8 years of marriage, I finally got my Mister's name! {He's had my name on his wrist since we were engaged...}

And then my Mister got this from Bink. Typical guy weirdness...I LOVE IT! So I think that just about catches us up with the more exciting events of late! We are embarking on our first full week with all children at home for summer vacation, my ankles are feeling much better {running injury which has been plauging me of late} and I am chomping at the bit for my new sneakers to come in so I can start pounding out the miles on the treadmill again. With the 4th of July weekend comming up, there are many fireworks to be watched {especially living as close to the beach as we do}...and in other exciting news for this week, alas, there are iphones in our future. I am finally jumping into the 21st century. I have to be the world's most low tech blogger... So on that note, I bid you a happy monday + a week of sunny skies!

xo

Vulture Yoga

Just for fun, wanted to share a bit of art by an "anonymous to some" artist friend of mine...

Vulture Yoga: an art practice..performing lower,dis-respected and sometimes illegal forms of art,
while using imagery of higher consciousness to help heal humanity... {via: Artist}
Just excellent...perhaps you know the artist as well? If your local, keep your eyes peeled for Vulture Yoga...and spread the word.

Happy Wednesday!

xo.

Harry Potter Exhibit NYC

We spent Father's Day in NYC attending the Harry Potter Exhibit! Actually, the outing was a gift from my Father {aka, Pappy} to the Fif for her Birthday. I always appreciate these outing/gifts from Pappy because while the event itself is always great, the time spent together with my dad, his wife + my brothers is truly excellent.

{Me + my Dad...} As a pretty {ahem, ridiculous} die hard Harry Potter fan, it seemed almost essential that I go to see the exhibit {which I believe will be in NYC until September, if you're interested in attending}. It was kind of surreal to be able to see all of the actual costumes + movie props that I know only too well from watching the Harry Potter movies again + again. However, being the good Harry Potter addict I am, enough is never enough! In spite of all of what WAS there from the movies, I was bummed to have not seen more on my favorite characters like Narcissa Malfoy {they did have her wand, my fav. wand by far}, Sirius Black + Bellatrix Lestrange {they had their Azkaban costumes, wands + clothes from Order of the Pheonix}...and ofcourse Severus Snape, *le sigh* {we did see his wand, costume + Potions Book from The Half-Blood Prince}. {Ahem, "Fifi-mione" as the Fif likes to be called...}
But really, the exhibit was truly amazing.... Not only were there tons of costumes + props spanning YEARS of filming, there were also entire pieces of sets on display, including one of my favs: Delores Umbridge's PINK office from The Order of the Pheonix. Yet I'd have to say that one of the biggest highlights of the exhibit were all of the creatures on display such as Fawkes the Pheonix, a Centaur, the head of the Hungarian Horntail, Mandrakes that the kiddos could actually pull from their pots and my ALL TIME favorite, Buckbeak the hippogriff {half bird/horse creature}. Spectacular!

While my brother + the little Folk had "fun" eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans {in actual disgusting flavours like earwax, vomit, earthworm, rotten egg, sausage + dirt among more normal jelly bean flavours} and chocolate frogs, I was more than happy to enjoy a nice late lunch before heading home. It was such a great birthday gift for the Fif + a most excellent way to spend Father's Day!Oh, and if you are so inclined {+ are as much a Harry Potter fan as I am}, here is a fun online test to find out which House at Hogwarts you would be sorted into. My Mister is a Hufflepuff...and me...well, I wasn't surprised with which house I was sorted into, but maybe I'll let you guess anyway? Post me your guess + let me know where you were sorted, just for fun!

Hoping your weekend + Father's Day celebrations were just fabulous!

xo.

Like it says on the card...

To all the dads {especially my Mister}, who hear this phrase many times a day and respond in stride, rather than running to hide...

You are wished a very Happy Father's Day!

~ J., you are the best partner in crime a girl could hope for + the most amazing father a kid could have. I can't imagine life without you in it. Thank you for all that you do, each day to make our lives wonderful!

xo.