summer relaxation

haven't posted in awhile because we headed to rockport, massachusetts to spend some time with my family (parents + bro). although my parents live in ohio we manage to meet up a couple of times a year to have some fun. it really is the simple things in life that keep my soul pumping. morning walks with the girls. having your eye on the horizon. watching the moon pop up over rockport. sand, sand everywhere. late afternoons at the beach. watching the girls explore seashells, rocks, and algae. laughing with family. iced coffee. watching the girls eat cupcakes for the first time. watching my mom sing and rock them. painted toe nails in the sand. lemon ice.

june/july lonny

the june/july issue of lonny is live! made my day! go have a looky. here are some of the images from this issue that inspire me. hope you enjoy them too.

iceland

Inspired by Iceland Video from Inspired By Iceland on Vimeo.

i want to go there!! the raw beauty in the glaciers, geysers, mountains, and hot springs looks like a once in a lifetime trip. love the song too!

via a cup of jo.

seesaw's office

images from seesaw. what a brilliant idea for a blank wall. they used light gray paint to create the striping. i like that it's there, but it's not in your face.

neighborhood flags

GOOD magazine asked a bunch of artists to create flags representing their neighborhood. this is what they created. so cool. see more here. via automatism.

second beach in middletown, ri

moving is bad enough, but with twins i was ready for the funny farm. so relieved we are finally feeling settled. josh is such a great husband. i have never seen anyone work as hard as he did with the move. he has 2 black toe nails to prove it. we carved some time out on sunday to step away from the organizing and making our place into a home to relax. found out about second beach in middletown, ri from yankee magazine. they rated it one of their top beaches of the year here and i see why. so raw and so beautiful. there were kite boarders out so we sat and watched them. the girls are so easily entertained at the beach with the sand, shells, and birds. all i had to do was sit back in my beach chair. i don't think i got up once.

westchester ranch

here's one of my all time favorite house tours. i have this saved in my inspiration folder! it's a westchester ranch of bill abranowicz and andrea raisfeld found here. i love the shelf lined with glass jars of sand from the beaches they have been to and the photo wall in the hallway.

dessert recipes

image from la petite gourmande.
here are some of my favorite dessert recipes that i wanted to share.

1. strawberry rhubarb crumble from la petite gourmande. didn't make it with the cointreau and it still turned out really good. vanilla ice cream on top is ideal.

2. creamy lemon squares from martha stewart. calls for 3/4 cup of lemon juice. i used 1/2 cup of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of limeade juice. it turned out tasting like key lime squares. made these for my family when they came for easter and my bro said it's his new favorite dessert recipe.

3. chocolate chip cookies from martha stewart. made these at easter too and they are crisp, chewy, and huge.

pops of yellow

from elle interior via automatism. love the black floors and white walls in the rooms above. that painting rocks too.