The Bright Side.

I spent most of last week crazily prepping and planning for my first crack at hosting book club only to end up postponing it due to a most unfortunate case of the stomach flu. I had cleaned and filled the house with flowers, planned a menu and grocery shopped...ugh...
I did however get the most rest I have had in a long time thanks to Tim, my hero, staying home from work Friday and even completing my volunteering hours at Savannah's school. I must say whenever I get a cold or the flu, my biggest worry is not the fever or cough, vomiting or headache. It is the managing three kids and caring for them while I am feeling shitty. I am relieved a great deal if Tim is ever able to skip work so I can get some rest.
On Saturday and Sunday my energy came back bit by bit and we spent most of those daylight hours working in the yard and garden.
While I am disappointed the anticipation of Friday night's expectations were a major let down, I am grateful for a relaxing weekend here in our haven of a home and for the gift of time; time to take care of myself and time to heal.

Pug Love.

In the evenings and once The Littles have gone to bed, The Pug and I have a wee snuggle. The house is quiet except for her snoring and a few random disjointed words from my sleep-talking Little Girls. She is a sweet, endearing pup whose love is infectious (except with Tim who still remains distant and annoyed, worrying The Little Girls greatly. We have many conversations about Daddy's hard heart).

Palm Desert Part 2-Traditions.

We have done this vacation every May for a few years now and so we have stumbled into a few traditions. Tim and I love the second-hand stores (more than you can imagine books, perfect cashmere sweaters, sundresses galore...) so we always try to make time for this.

The desert resort areas are overwhelmingly inhabited by cottontail rabbits. They are precious and surprisingly unphased by human activity. They will, however, hop like hell whilst a certain 5 year-old redhead chases them straight toward an inevitable heart attack. The Littles know the vacation has begun once they've successfully chased any bunnies from our lanai to the surrounding shelter of shrubs.

I feel spoiled rotten when mid-week Michelle drives out to the desert to spend the afternoon/evening with us.

Tim and I decided we should encourage time away for each of us. He golfed an afternoon away and I stumbled rather sickly to my favorite shops on El Paseo. I love the desert garden path between shops.

Fudgsicles.

And the best? Well, the BEST is last. Angela, Ricardo, Addie and Lucas come the last weekend and we celebrate COUSIE TIME with glow sticks and intense Lalaloopsy pretend play.

Palm Desert Part 1-Lazy Days Routine.

Our days in Palm Desert revolve around swimming. Because the first part of the week we had unseasonably cool weather, we enjoyed the activity center's playground and mini golf in the mornings.



When the sun did break through the clouds in the afternoon, we spent as much time at the pool as we could. Savannah is now an independent swimmer so she gleefully enjoyed the water slide pool where all the lifeguards knew her by name. Ivy was brave enough to try the slide while sitting on either Tim's or my lap, we all cheered The Little Girls over and over. I have no photos of the slide. I was quite preoccupied with The Goo, who has no respect or fear of the water and thinks he is part fish. 

Once we are all waterlogged and starving, we head back to the condo to rest up, eat and watch The Littles dance and play on the lanai.

After dinner and when the golfers have retired, we head out for a night walk. The cottontails and lizards are out, the crickets and the palms sing in the wind. Unfortunately we had limited night walks on this trip to the desert because I was actually quite sick with Strep Throat. Tim was a great sport and took all three Littles to the pool so I could get some uninterrupted sleep.  

My favorite time of day in the desert is dusk. The Littles run around crazy on the 17th hole and the air is sweet and cool. 

Checking In.

Happy Monday Hutters! We are home from the desert and I can't wait to share a bit of our time away with you dear readers, but quite frankly I am still reveling in the vacation high I feel after more than a week at ease with My Loves. Just a quick check-in to wish a belated Happy Mother's Day to all of you Moms.



Away.

We are in the desert this week, practicing a little R&R. We are getting quite good at it. I hope you are also finding some time to escape.

Old Is New.

My favorite cashmere sweater had a few too many holes. Instead of tossing it I wanted to re-purpose it's soft knit.

I cut it up into strips, sewed the strips end to end, gathered one of the long sides using this technique, and stitched it to the ends of my favorite cuddly blanket.

The ruffle dresses this softy up into a pretty throw.