Birthday Break

For those of you who follow me on Instagram,

you know I took a fabulous break from cold,

snow, slush, shoveling, ice, (taking Christmas down),

etc. and took my entire family to Hawaii.  Only one little

18 month old was left behind with her favorite aunt.

We had so much fun in the ocean and pool and

celebrating

my big 60th birthday!  How can that be?  I still feel

30 something inside.  

(To create the cake, I ordered a two tiered

chocolate and chocolate raspberry cake

from the local grocery store, then found

macarons at Whole Foods, added fresh roses

and orchids and fresh raspberries.  The cake

plate came from Wal Mart on Maui and I had

ordered the diamond studded Happy 60th

on Amazon.)

Hubby and I went one day early and stayed

three days after the kids left.  

No, I haven't been gone this whole time,

but it was fun taking a break from blogging.

What a way to celebrate!

To be surrounded by my favorite people, little and big,

was the best present ever.

The Grand Wailea on Maui is our favorite place.

It is so family friendly and gorgeous.

There are turtles right on the corners of

the beach.

We offered a photo contest for the kids to encourage

them to take lots of photos too.

(A winner above!)

The only thing missing was the Grand Wailea

Pineapple Banana Split, that we looked forward to.

It was still listed on their online menu, but

sadly they had a new chef and he had crossed it

off the menu.  (Why, oh why?)

Our waiter quietly told us that all

of the new desserts were so small that they were

not worth buying - two bites apiece!  Loved him!  Big tip!!

So we promptly had to come home and make them

for Sunday dinner.

(They also told us that they had never served them

poolside - well we have pictures over the years proving

that wrong!  Time and time again!!)

Click here if you need to make this at home too.

We also got to see turtles coming in to rest

at night.  Yes, these aren't rocks - about 63 of them.

And we jumped by waterfalls.  Who knew the

water would be ice - I mean ICE cold!

Honestly, I have always wanted to do this

and I never dreamed it would be so cold

it would stop your breath!  Of course,

I still had to do it.

They also had a new water toy called

The Fish Pipe.  It turns and feels like you are

on a mile long waterslide.  It was fun!

Thanks family for the best birthday.

You made getting older fun!

Goodbye paradise!

Thanks for coming to visit and celebrating

my 60th year with me.  I am willing to celebrate

all year long!

Cabo Poolside Table

What a treat to have the sun and the ocean

all to ourselves for a week!

Usually we are entertaining and although we 

love that too, it is a delight to be able to do

practically nothing and recharge our batteries.

I could just float like this jelly fish for hours,

enjoying the water and the sun.

Hubby really wanted me to do this table with

a view off the edge of the infinity pool

looking down at the sand, surf and rocks.

Shell shape dishes are always perfect for a pool 

or ocean table.  I love how the morning sun is

shining through these glass shell bowls.

Don't you just love the magical look of

starfish?

Real or pewter, they are so beautiful and elegant.

Isn't Mother Nature just so creative and fantastic? 

Clear wine goblets let you see right through to the ocean.

I can almost hear the ocean waves breaking in the morning sun.

It is the perfect backdrop for life.

All on a rustic small table for two right at the edge

of the cliff.

Wish this could go on forever!  

I will be posting this with

Tablescapes Thursday

Sources

Shell plates - Home Goods

Jelly fish paperweight - Home Goods

Silver and white napkins - Home Goods

Flatware and glassware - Cabo

Napkin Rings - Bloomingdales

Shells - Wal Mart

An Anniversary Beach Picnic

We are celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary

in Cabo and took a little picnic down to the

beach for sunset and a beach picnic tablescape.

And today I am celebrating my 5th Blogiversary!

How exciting to be celebrating in two ways.

 The crash of the waves on the beach is so 

beautiful and the setting sun creates such

soft light.  It was the perfect spot to set up a casual

tablescape to celebrate both anniversaries.

Hubby was such a good sport to help drag

everything out onto the sand.  

The serape with its brilliant stripes and rich

blues is what we spread to relax on and it

sets the mood for a Mexican bright picnic

on the soft sand.

White and blue dishes and napkins add an elegant softness

to the brightness of the serape. 

The plates layer the white and blue and

the napkins do too.

This classic Mexican wood and leather

stool seemed the perfect focal point

for our beach setting.  This gives a rich

contrast to the brights.

And of course a few shells are needed to

create our beachy mood.

It was so nice to leave the cold and

rain at home and be able to relax

in the sun and surf.  Big, bright pillows

and a paper umbrella make the picnic

spot more comfortable.

The cushions are perfect for relaxing against

as we take in the calming effect of the waves.

 Here's a shot of the placesetting.

We only have one set of flatware

here, and the flatware is something

someone else bought, but it works!

We grabbed a few fresh flowers on

the way to the beach.

A silk orchid plant also brings some of the

brilliant pinks from the serape into the tablescape.

A little sparkling apple juice was

poured as the sun started to set.

You can see the shadows drawing out

down the sand.

There's only a little sun left on the beach

but it will stay light for quite a while

as we stay and relax.

More shells on my new serving platter.

I brought two of these down to Cabo from

Home Goods, but in removing the

stickers, I noticed these are not to be

used for food!  Too bad!  That was their

intended use.  Guess they are going to have

to be decorative!

I hope you can feel the peace we are 

experiencing this anniversary.  It is just the two of us.

I can't believe we have been married this long!

How nice to be able to get away and relax.

I also can't believe I have been blogging 

for 5 years.  Since I couldn't bring you all 

along, I am going to bring you home a gift

to celebrate 5 years of blogging.  I will have

a give away next week.  Come back to see

what surprise I am bringing back from Cabo

for one of you!

Time to stop the photography, grab a pillow,

lay down, and

drink the sparkling cider!

I am so glad you came to visit today and hoped

that you could almost hear the waves.

I will be posting this picnic with

Tablescapes Thursday

Feathered Nest Friday

Home Sweet Home

Pink Saturday

(This one courtesy of hubby!)