Belize, the Beach and the Barrier Reef
March 22, 2013 at 1:46 pm | Posted in Travel | Leave a commentTags: belize, cruise, sea, spring break, vacation
Of all the stops along our cruise, my favorite was Belize. We took a catamaran out to the Belize Barrier Reef, where we boarded a half submersible boat and viewed the sea life of one of the largest reefs in the world. After the tour, we were transported to a tiny private island where J+J, still exhausted from the previous day’s beach excursion, were content to lounge in the shade and play Angry Birds.
My Favorite Vacation Photos: At The Beach
March 19, 2013 at 9:21 pm | Posted in photography, Travel | 4 CommentsTags: beach, cruise, vacation
My favorite photos from our recent vacation were definitely those taken at the beach in Roatan, Honduras. It was Jason and Jenna’s first trip to the beach and seeing the sheer joy on their faces as they jumped in the waves and played in the sand was pretty awesome. Jenna didn’t even mind the 200 or so photos I snapped of her. Ok, I may have gone a little overboard on the photos … but can you blame me?
A Few Scenes from Our Cruise
March 18, 2013 at 3:05 pm | Posted in Travel | Leave a commentTags: cruise, sea, spring break, vacation
We returned from a week-long vacation yesterday, and I spent the day transitioning back to reality … which mostly means doing laundry and catching up on work. This trip was Jason and Jenna’s first time visiting the beach, something I’ve looked forward to for years. And while any family vacation has its share of stressful moments (like the time Jason got into the pool and started screaming that his legs were on fire, or the time I went in search of my husband and son with the fear that they had been quarantined due to illness, or the time Jason asked – in a crowded elevator – if this was the deck he threw up on), overall it was a trip full of wonderful memories. My favorite moments were definitely seeing J+J play on the beach, and I’m having the best time today going through the photos and seeing their excited faces as they splash in the waves. I’ll share some of the beach pics later this week, but in the meantime, here are my favorite photos taken on the ship, Mariner of the Seas.
Minimalist Vacation Packing
March 8, 2013 at 10:32 am | Posted in Clothing, Travel | 1 CommentTags: packing, vacation
We’re heading out on vacation soon, and I have to admit, I love packing. I’m a minimalist at heart, so the exercise of coordinating great outfits while taking the least amount of clothes is a fun challenge. This year, we’re going on a cruise and will be stopping at a few beaches along the way. Sounds easy, right? A swimsuit and sandals should do the trick, but … there are also formal dinners and the ever-present chance of rain in the Caribbean. So, in my usual minimalist way, I’m sticking with mostly neutrals in white, gold and navy. Here is my minimal packing wish list:
Sources: Hat / Emergency Kit / Tote / Swimsuit / Kaftan / Jacket / Sandals / Passport Cover / Scarf / Swim Cover-up
Weekly Photo Challenge: Silhouette
October 20, 2012 at 8:49 pm | Posted in photography, Travel | 16 CommentsTags: Disney, disneyland, postaday, vacation, weeklyphotochallenge
This week’s photo challenge theme is Silhouette, so I thought I would share a couple of pictures from our trip to Disneyland last year. We stayed at the Grand Californian and had an amazing view of the nightly World of Color show at Disney California Adventure. The show makes for some pretty dramatic silhouettes:
DIY Magnetic Toy Case
September 17, 2012 at 6:50 am | Posted in Children's Activities, Travel | 4 CommentsTags: coloring, drawing, kids crafts, road trip
Recently, I shared a post on Honest to Nod about a a magnetic toy case that I created. The idea was to create something that would make managing toys during road trips a bit easier. When I finished it, I realized there were all sorts of possibilities for what it could contain. This weekend, I decided to try a different variation of the magnetic toy case: a coloring journal.
Materials:
- Wooden toy case (I purchased mine at Michaels)
- Magnetic paint (I purchased Martha Stewart brand)
- Masking tape
- Magnetic tape
- Sponge brush
- Pad of paper
- Set of Crayola Twistable crayons
- Ribbon
- Fabric glue
I started by taping the inside edges of the case and then covering the inside in magnetic paint. I applied 3 coats, letting each coat dry in between.
While the box was drying, I worked on making the crayon magnets. I cut a series of strips about the length of 2/3 of the crayon and then cut the strips vertically into 3 narrower strips. I attached a magnetic strip to the side of each crayon. For the paper, I placed 4 large strips on the back of the pad. I was using card stock paper and found that the pad weighed too much for the magnetic strips to hold it in place. I’m probably going to switch to a lighter paper or remove some of the paper to make it lighter.
I placed the crayons in one side of the box and the paper in the other. I also added a ribbon by gluing it with fabric glue to the inner edge of one side of the box.
Honest to Nod No. 7: Magnetic Toy Case
September 11, 2012 at 8:41 am | Posted in Children's Activities, Travel | Leave a commentTags: toy
Today I’m sharing a post over at Honest to Nod. If you have any travel coming up this holiday season, a magnetic toy case is a great way to take favorite toys on the road. Check out the post to learn more.
Scenes from Lake Ray Hubbard
September 6, 2012 at 5:45 am | Posted in Daily Life, DFW, Travel | 3 CommentsEarlier this summer, I booked a Labor Day trip to a beach along the Texas coast. Jason and Jenna had never been to the beach, so we were pretty excited to finally let them walk in the waves and play in the sand. Little did I know when I booked the trip that Jason would be starting school before Labor Day, and a 5-day trip coinciding with the start of kindergarten didn’t seem like one of my better parenting decisions. So, our plans were scrapped and I started looking for a nearby spot were we could spend the 3-day weekend. We ended up at Lake Ray Hubbard, just outside of Dallas and less than an hour drive from our house. We didn’t get to play in the sand or swim in the water, but after a weekend of sunset cruises, you won’t hear me complaining.
Related Posts:
Scenes from Alt NYC
August 26, 2012 at 1:28 pm | Posted in Design, Travel | Leave a commentTags: alt summit, Alt Summit NYC, Blogging
Yep, my day at Alt NYC was pretty amazing. I wrote a quick post about the event here, and I’m trying to keep track of others’ post-Alt recaps. Here are the ones I’ve found so far. If I’m missing yours, please leave a comment. I’d love to keep in touch!
Roundup of Alt NYC Posts
- Alt Summit Morning Crafts – Martha Stewart Living
- Alt Summit NYC - The Fresh Exchange
- Post-Alt Recap- Seagrass Studio
- Designed to Inspire – Alt Summit NYC – Tara’s Tips
- Alt Haiku Deck – Seagrass Studio
- Home Design with Kevin Sharkey – Martha Stewart Living
- A New Altitutde – Punkahontas
- Alt Summit and celebrity in the house – Fishly News
- Alt NYC – Foxtrot Press
- Alt Summit NYC Instagram Recap – Design Improvised
- Alt NYC – Land of Nod
- Alt Summit NYC – Note to Self
- Alt Summit NYC Recap – That Long Yellow Line
Weekly Photo Challenge: Urban (NYC)
August 25, 2012 at 8:19 pm | Posted in Design, photography, Travel | 49 CommentsTags: photoaday, weekly photo challenge
This week’s photo challenge theme is Urban. On most days, this theme would have been a huge challenge, given that I live in a suburb in Texas. When the theme was announced, however, I was in New York to attend Alt NYC. I can’t think of a place I’d rather be to shoot this week’s challenge than downtown New York. Here are a few of the urban scenes I captured during my visit.
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