the note

The note the kids left on the countertop in the kitchen the morning (Friday) we had to brush the sand off our feet, pack it up, say goodbye to the beach house and drag ourselves back to Utah.
The teens got up at 6:30 am for some last minute surfing, good work team members.

sharing the wave

Three kids, one wave. I clicked 1 second too early to get everyone standing up. I love Doheny waves.

tiny flower quilts

It seems like I've been cutting out circles of fabric all summer. Everywhere I go I bring a bag of scraps and some scissors, and here is why...

To make these little wall hanging quilts. 

It's been years and years since I've made this kind of quilt. It's been fun putting colors and patterns together, but more fun sitting on the beach and doin' it.

open house

This spec home just built on Capistrano Beach, just down Beach Road from where we stay, was just finished a few months ago. We decided to take advantage of the open house going on this past weekend and do a little walk through.

The kitchen- the whole house is very modern, black (dark brown) and white, clean lines and open spaces, I like it.

Lovin' the sink in the extra bathroom but it might need Windexing daily.

The icing on the cake was the master bedroom with a cherry and whip cream on top being the master bathroom. Oh man, dream bathroom. Two sections of wall, which is made of glass, fold back in an accordion way to open the whole room to the ocean, including this section between the tub and shower (closed in the picture). 

If you aren't big on privacy then perhaps this isn't the bathroom for you, anyone walking down the beach need only glance up as they pass. 

I think I could do without the privacy (having kids make you change your mind about the minor technicalities of life such as nudity...) and I will likely dream about this shower/tub (indoor-outdoor option) for the rest of my life, as will my children. I need to use this as a teaching tool, "if you focus, study and do well in school and then go onto an excellent college, you may someday be able to afford a beach house with a bathroom like this one..."

baby, there's a shark in the water

Who feels like a swim?

Thank goodness for the cast cover (and the wetsuit) for not keeping this kid out of the water. It's fun to watch and listen to comments from passerbyers as they try to figure out what is going on with the blue rubber arm. I think the webbed finger aspect makes up for having a cast on your arm when it comes to paddling into waves.

A little light reading in cousin Megan's hammock.

This little fella wandered into the house and the kids easily caught him, I think he was a little dehydrated and was missing his mum. We set him free as soon as possible, he was looking too feeble and exhausted to keep as a pet for very long.

amarillo

The color of choice, in all things... yellow.