Romantic Mini Break in Laguna Beach

Wow, it's been almost two weeks since I posted ... where has the time gone?  Well I have to say it has been a bit hectic what with plumbing disasters, backyard project decision-making, guests impending arrival, etc, but we did manage to take a little mini vacation up the coast to Laguna Beach this past weekend so I thought I'd share a few pictures from our time there.

First I have to thank our good friend, Andrea, who selflessly offered to watch our toddler overnight so we could go.  She even lobbied to keep Lily for two nights, but not having watched Lily overnight before, I thought I'd let her dip her toe first :). 

So after a somewhat stressful time of getting ready and out the door on Saturday morning (one disaster after another!), we dropped Lily off and were on our way.

It's an easy drive up the coast to Laguna Beach, part of which is along the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway (or the '1'), which takes you through adorable little beach communities.  We arrived at Casa Laguna (http://www.casalaguna.com/) around 2 p.m. and to our delight, we were able to check in early. 

Our room was upgraded to an 'ocean view' room so we had a nice view of the ocean (about 1 block away) from our window.  Below is a picture of Casa Laguna's adorable courtyard.  Our room was at the end (not pictured) of the upper floor balcony shown. 

It was a bit rainy so we checked out a DVD from the B&B's library (Bridget Jones the Edge of Reason) and snuggled up in the cozy bed in our room for some much-needed R&R.  After watching the movie and sampling all the room had to offer (welcome basket, jacuzzi tub, fireplace) we were off to the lobby for their complimentary wine and cheese offering.

We were very impressed by their gourmet hors d'ouvres and wines, so much so that we stayed and enjoyed/imbibed right up till the end :).  After that we hit the town (about 1.5 miles away) for dinner and more drinks before turning in at the ripe old hour of, ahem, about 9 p.m.  Ha, vacations have changed for us since becoming parents.  Our idea of a fabulous vacation now consists of ample sleep ... and great food doesn't hurt either!

Speaking of food, I cannot say enough about how fabulous the complimentary breakfast was at Casa Laguna!  I arrived at breakfast before Chris because I wake up starving and so decided to at least get some coffee while he was still primping (yeah, he's gonna' love that comment!).  When I arrived and had served myeslf some nice drip coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice (divine!) the waitress brought me a plate of beautifully presented fruit and mini muffins while I waited - I was in heaven!!

We had our choice of gourmet breakfast items.  Chris went for their version of eggs benedict and I got a veggie omelette ... with a side of bacon of course :).  Their bacon was a-m-a-z-i-n-g, apple smoked and apparently baked (not broiled) in the oven.  I am going to have to try this method, as it was so crunchy and not greasy at all!!

After breakfast we sat in front of the fire in the cozy little lobby and read the newspaper and magazines for a bit.  Again, this is what vacation is all about for me these days ... doing little things like sitting, uninterupted and doing pretty much as little as possible :).

After check-out we did a little shopping and took a stroll along the beach.  Here's Chris with our other child, Sushi, who came along on our romantic getaway (yep, the B&B was pet-friendly - nice!).

And here's a picture of me on the beach.  Not sure why, but I like this photo.  It has a kind of vintage appeal.

And here we decided to get a bit artsy and write our names in the sand.  It doesn't look quite as fabulous as the ones I've seen on Pinterest, but hey, at least we tried, ha!

So that's it for today, friends. I must now sign off and take Lily (who's now up from her nap and happily playing nearby while Elmo plays on the TV) somewhere fun as a reward for being so good and letting mommy blog :).  Zoo?  Tidepools?  Park? ... so many options!!  Have a wonderful day, friends!!

Helpful Tips from Martha

It's been a while since this time-starved mother found a few moments of peace and quiet to blog, so apologies for that!  We've been transitioning our 18 month old to one nap a day for about the past week and she has been refusing to take more than a catnap, which has put a big squeeze on mommy's quiet time!  Fingers crossed that today she'll nap long enough for me to finish this posting :).

In any case, in an effort to improve my homemaking skills I recently checked out several books from our library on organizing and managing a household.  One such book is 'Simple Home Solutions', a Good Things with Martha Steward Living book.  Leave it to Martha to compile an excellent pictorial book of helpful tidbits for cooking, cleaning, organizing and gardening.  I thought I'd share a few 'dog-eared' bits of advice that I found particularly inspiring :).

IN THE KITCHEN

How to Roast Garlic - Have you ever been to a restaurant where they roast garlic into soft creamy perfection that spreads on toast?  I have, and I've often marveled at the mystery of roasted garlic.  Apparently, there's no mystery at all to easily roasting garlic!  Just cut a whole head of garlic in half crosswise, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil and roast at 375 for about 45 minutes!  Sounds so easy, I can't wait to try it!

Prevent Ice Crystals on Ice Cream - Don't you hate it when you go to dig into a half-eaten carton of ice cream only to find it's been frost bitten by your evil freezer??  Well Martha says that if you cut waxed paper to size and place against the surface of the ice cream each time you indulge, every scoop will be as perfect as the first! 

Freeze fresh ginger prior to grating and it will grate much easier (not to mention last much longer than if you keep it in the fridge!).

Easily Cut Kiwi by cutting off both the top and bottom end and then gently inserting a table spoon between the flesh and the fuzzy peel.  Turn the kiwi as you gently press the spoon against the peel and the flesh should slide right out - hey presto!

ORGANIZING ETC

Helpful Sewing Table - Attach a measuring tape (one made of metal with peel-off adhesive) to the outside edges of your sewing table to make a cinch of measuring and cutting fabric.

Use a magnetic knife holder in an entryway or home organizing area (e.g. bulletin board in kitchen) to hold things like keys, small flashlight, scissors and other things you need to keep handy, but out of the way.

To organize linen and clothes closets, use simple wooden shelf brackets!  I love this idea and plan to put it into use in several of my completely disorganized closets :). 

Anyway, these are just a few of the MANY ideas and suggestions offered in this book.  I hope you have found some inspiration here friends and guess what, that darling little peach of a daughter is still sleeping and it's been over 30 minutes - yay!  Today is a good day :).