Kalista the Ballerina

Kalista has been patiently waiting to have her turn with ballet classes. She has been tagging along to Sophia's lessons for 2 1/2 years. And today was her time to shine!

A little warm up at home:

Now the moment she's been waiting for!

Great job Kalista!

And just for kicks . . . here is a flashback to Sophia's first day at ballet.

Cocktails + Hair = Happy Mommies

I have a confession. The second child syndrome affects not only Kalista but me as well. What is second child syndrome? Basically, the second child (also third, fourth, and bless your heart if you have more) gets robbed of everything you did for your first born, including the tight schedule for eating and napping. Luckily, Kalista is a "go-with-the-flow" kind of girl. Phew! And luckily I have managed to stay in contact with the friends I made during Kalista's PEP group. Although we can't make the majority of the playdates, it is so wonderful these fabulous moms still keep us mind. I think a few of them are starting to experience the second child syndrome too, so they totally know what it's like now.

Okay, enough about my neglect : ) Last Saturday night, a few my mommy friends had an evening of pampering from Shine, which lead the way to deliciousness at Cava, and then ended with some sweetness at Montecito Cafe.

My passenger for that night : )

Beauty takes work and champagne : )

I stole this pic from Dining & Destinations

I am not a coconut fan, but this cake really is good : )

Thank you mommies for a fun night!

Catching up with all of you was the best! 

Sweet Sunday

Hope your Sunday was sweet too!

Orange Pound Cake

I absolutely love The Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten). I have all of her cookbooks . . . that's how much I love her. No, I haven't made all of her delicious spreads. But I do have my favorites. And her orange pound cake is one them. This time around, I omitted the final white donut like glaze, just too make it less sweet. But the intense orange flavor is still present from the orange zest and orange juice "bath" at the end. : )

The ingredients may look like a lot in terms of butter and eggs. But remember . . . this makes two loaves. Now whether or not you eat both loaves in one sitting . . . well that's another factor. : )

Juicing . . . 

(See honey, I DO use this contraption!)

Every last drop : )

My favorite part:

Well, actually she is my favorite part ♥

Enjoy!

Secluded Sunday

Moving to our new house came with lots of perks. The best one thus far is just minutes from the house.

Come take a look . . .

Follow the girls . . .

And you can see our private piece of Heaven!

Morning walks can lead to treasures . . .

And treasures make for a happy camper!

Teaching little sis how to draw a heart ♥

My love!

Our mother-daughter pic : )

Happiest of Sundays!

Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimp

I was going to call this post "Fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls," but that seemed weird; like I would use anything but fresh shrimp?! Anyhoo . . .  you get my drift, right?

Once a month I partake in a Dinner Club. We rotate houses and the host gets to pick the theme. This month was all about spa food. Oh how I wish I was at Miraval right now! I chose to make fresh spring rolls. No two sticks of butter in this recipe : )

I didn't follow a recipe. You really don't need to if you've tasted a spring roll. It's pretty easy to figure out the ingredients:

Red leaf lettuce, shredded carrots, cilantro, and mint leaves
Spring roll paper
Shrimp
Rice noodles

Soak spring roll paper in lukewarm water to get it pliable and start filling!

Be careful not to overstuff. Rice paper is very delicate and tears easily.

I started with the lettuce on the bottom, followed by carrots, noodles, then cilantro . . . 

Next I folded the roll once, tucked each side in and placed mint leaves and shrimp 

before giving it the final roll.

Ta dah! Shrimp on top!

Hope you make these and enjoy a "spa" moment!

P.S. I served these with a sweet chile sauce that I picked up from Trader Joe's.

Happy Days

Pictures like these melt my heart:

Cruisers

Grandma & Grandpa had a couple of post-Christmas surprises for the girls:

For Kalista:

Because every girl needs an 'ol fashion!

Getting a little push from Grandpa : )

And for Sophia:

A VW Bug Convertible for McKenna!

Thank you Grandma & Grandpa!