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Many Firsts...

Yep....off with her best friend on a new adventure, I know these next fours years will pass in a blink of an eye.  I'm excited and nervous for her all at the same time.  I know it can be difficult at times, as at this age they become more "hormonal" which results in hurt feelings and as they start to to become more independent as the aprons strings are become more tethered...I won't go there or else I'll start to tear up.  We don't want that do we?

Her first time as a Frosh Volleyball player {she made the team in July, haven't had time to post on that}....she is loving it. Some of the girls on the team also played with her at the Middle School so that is sweet.  We have had 3 games this week, won two and lost one.  We, Mr. Incredible and I are looking forward to watching more as the season unfolds...it is quite exciting to watch.  Also my youngest is practicing with them and hope to make her 7th Grade team....yep I'll be hearing a lot of "Spike It, Dig It and Bump It".....by the way Madison feels a bit strange in her Buns....those are what you call the volleyball "booty" shorts....I'd wear them around the house to clean if I could get away with it...Ok..do NOT picture that in you mind..not a pretty picture...

These two girls are like "two peas in a pod", like "ketchup and mustard", like "Beevus and Butthead"Oh you get the idea.  I'm so grateful they have each other to confide in and experience what life my bring to their young lives in the next four years. It really, really helps to have a GREAT friend. 

Here is my Li'l One...all looking sassy and cute for her FIRST day of 7th grade. Too bad those darn Toms gave her blisters at the end of the day.  I guess she needed to break those puppies in.  Ouch!

Off they go to Middle School.....excited to be back after having a couple of months off! 

So I'm enjoying the quiet of the home during the day with just me and my "girls".

We will be back on schedule with our morning walks...and I'll be ready to tackle some more projects around this old Cottage. Lots to paint, bathrooms to renovate and kitchen cabinets to spruce up,  Garage to clean up and reorganize, Now...what should I tackle FIRST?

Back to school, My Fifty Shades and Bean Sprouts..oh so Random

Well, our weekly beach day trips are over.....school starts tomorrow.   It is bittersweet.  Will miss the beach but will enjoy the quiet of my home during the day. 

The girls have shopped for new school clothes...for their upcoming school year. I can't believe I have a freshman! I did the shopping thing different this year than I did in years past.  I think my girls are a bit spoiled...maybe you mothers can relate but they seem to think "money grows on trees"so I gave each of them a set amount of money to spend {$200.00 in cash} for their back to school clothes which did not include school supplies; markers, binders, pencil stuff.  At first my li'l one was like Wow, LOOK at all this money, she thought she won big in Vegas!!   Well, she soon learned that $$$ does not go as far as you think, especially if you want to buy a pair of jeans at Hollister versus two pairs at H & M.  They begged me for Toms last year.....I really talked them out of them and they got the "Fake" Toms. This year if they so choose to buy Toms then they could..it was their choice. At the end of their shopping spree they didn't budget enough for a new backpack, my eldest was cool with using last years.  My Li'l one, well  is not too happy that she will be reusing last years, but it is still in great condition. It was a great learning experience for both of them and I'll do it again next year.  I want to teach them that yes.."Money does NOT grow on Trees" as my Daddy used to say while I was their age. 

Well, speaking of back to school shopping...I WANT these BOOTS {I DO have a slight shoe fettish, do you remember the Filipino Imelda Marcos?}...but since money doesn't grow on trees....it will be a loooooooong time if ever If I  can afford to buy them.  They are by UGG,  I was never fond of the traditional looking UGGS { you can see them in the left side of the above picture}, I thought they were UGLY to be honest.  Comfy and warm but not so attractive but these babies....mmmmmm, I think are mighty pretty.  Love the soft brown leather with the white fur inside, kind of cloggy- looking,  perfect size heel...I'll be saving my allowance for these babies...I can see them with a great pair of jeans and a warm sweater for the upcoming Fall season.

After shopping we always hit CalifornaPizzaKitchen and I always order My favorite Pizza, The Thai Chicken Pizza from CPK.....loaded with bean sprouts...but this time as I ate my sprouts I ate it without incidence...a few months ago I was eating an Asian salad at The Cheesecake Factory and a bean sprout got caught horizontal in my throat and I had the whole restaurant in a PANIC!  My waitress almost delivered her BABY early seeing me with my hands around my throat!!  In the end I went to the restroom and coughed it out...and no one had to do the Hemlick-maneuver on me....

Here they are teasing me.....Smart Aleck!

It took me all summer to finish reading my Fifty Shades....mmmmmm mmmm mmmm....Not because I didn't enjoy the book I SOOOOO did but finding the time to read them with teenagers in the house thinking my Mini Van is painted a sunny shade of YELLOW.  I LOVED THE BOOKS...LOVED THE STORY AND CAN'T WAIT when I can watch Christian Grey on the big screen.....I've been slightly obsessed seeing all the Fifty Shades' Pin boards on Pinterest and watching YOUTube-fan-based-movie-trailers..I found one that was really good and relatively tame, the one my friend sent me via my iphone is much more racier...what do you think, have you read the books, who can you picture playing Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele?

 

Without a doubt after seeing this trailor, Matt Bomer IS Christian Grey..

 

Our annual trip to Carp...

Every year we go to Carpenteria, i dream of retiring to a cute little beach house over looking the pacific ocean..just like this one.

I mean...who wouldn't want to live here right?  If you have never heard of Carpenteria, it is a very quaint, sleepy beach town just a bit south of Santa Barbara.   There are quite a lot of small beach bungalows to feast your eyes on, if you are like me and are content with the small and the cute cottage-style home.

...love her color...so calming...so robin's egg blue..so me!

Now...look at that fish sculpture..."give the neighbors something to talk about"....

this one with the cute picket fence has cute dormers and a brick porch..

tudor style with charming windows...

Last time we were here this was a Bed and Breakfast....now it is some lucky duck home...

this is the Linden House which was a charming store last time we came to Carp ..now it is a Vacation Rental..go here to see the inside.

petite and cute..

charming little shell gift shop...

the girls loved shopping in here, lots of trinkets to take home to remember their trip by...

lots and lots of antique stores....

this one had a cool looking abalone, shell chandelier...great for a beach house

this was the only store i bought anything in....but i did ask the owner to buy..

this Dutch Door too...she politely declined....boo hoo...

it came complete with a shelf attached to the back....

here is the other Whimsy store on the main street....

this was a really cool looking cupcake store...

it was decorated very industial chic with cement floors and lots of galvanized steel stools and pretty cupcakes..I wondered to myself if they have been on Cupcake Wars, do you watch that show?  We do!! 

So i do think if we ending up retiring to Carp {that's what the locals call it} I'll get myself a Vespa like this to tootle around town....

this is really, really small town livin'...this was all the traffic on a Saturday afternoon....Stores close early which my mini shoppers found out. 

 

Going for the GOLD!!

In honor of the United States Womens Soccer team I painted my nails Essie's Good As Gold Nail Polish!   It is one of her new colors from her Metallic Line.  Let's hope we are able to redeem ourselves after the World Cup loss to Japan.

http://youtu.be/cSuDprOvUXE 

On the Cottage on Cullen Street we are counting down the minutes to kick-off as we watch and exciting game where we hope our team will be wearing the Gold!  Not Essie's gold but a Gold Medal around their necks!!

                                                   LET'S GO TEAM U.S.A!!!!!

 

I NEED a 12 Step Program...I'm a junky...

I know I've been absent lately....I've been an Olympic couch potato.   All day I either watch the Beach Volleyball, go Misty May- Traenor and Kerri Walsh -Jennings, what a fabulous, in sync team they are....so fun to watch.

or women's or men's volleyball....I think Matt Anderson is such a cutie..

yep, that is an all -american -good-looking- boy right there...yum!

and swimming and diving {Mr. Incredible's favorite to watch during the Olympics} or MY personal favorite GYMNASTICS!! 

Gabrielle Douglas....she just flies over those bars, I was bummed she missed her element in her routine last night...cost her a medal.  I was a gymnast when I was younger so it has a very special place in my heart during the olympics..my favorite is the balance beam..I used to do cartwheels when I was 8 or so on my brick wall..and when I missed my legs got so scratched up but I got back up and did it again until I advanced to doing aerials on that brick wall...if my Mom only knew, I wonder if she ever did.  But I guess Soccer stole my heart in the end.. when I went to High School...

Yesterdays game against Canada was such a nail biter....loved every minute of it...Alex Morgan  was so awesome...I'm in awe of her tenacity for never giving up to clinch the win with only a few minutes to go in the 123rd minute in overtime, 4-3 USA!  Now they go on to redeem themselves against Japan who they lost to in the World Cup!!  They can do it!  Oh yes they can, they are hungry! 

My new soccer hero..the future of Women's USA Soccer.....Alex Morgan.