Fourth of July Entertaining

Can you believe July 4th is next week?! After such a busy month, I am looking forward to sitting poolside and enjoying my husband's BBQ next Thursday. He loves to grill and has already loaded up on ribs since they were on sale last week. I'm already planning appetizers, side dishes and dessert, too. Here are some of my favorite Fourth of July pins that I might have to try out this year.

Get step-by-step directions on making the perfect pie here.




I wouldn't mind trying this strawberry and coconut cocktail.


These look so good!



Maybe cake pops for the kids?



And a tart for the adults.


We're planning on swimming at a local pool, and maybe heading to a festival and fireworks show if the kids are up for it (and it isn't 100 degrees outside). How about you, any plans this year?

Crazy Pool Progress

You aren't going to believe the changes to my backyard. I'm so amazed over the progress that has been made in just a week. Here's a recap.

Monday-Removed Four Huge Trees



I'm so sad to see the big oak by the swingset go, but hasta la vista pine trees!

After the mess was all cleaned up, the pool was drawn out again with orange paint. Stakes were also put up and that really gave me a good idea of what the pool is going to look like.



I had the kids stand inside the "pool" for perspective. My husband was out of town and wanted to see the progress. When I told them the pictures were for daddy, they decided to do this.



The little one obviously hasn't gotten down the concept of mooning.


Tuesday-The Digging Begins



I had a hard time watching this. The bobcat came within inches of my covered porch beams and it almost gave me heart attack every single time. The worst is what it did to my front yard.



It actually got much worse than this. It will be fixed, it will be fixed...

I did get excited once I saw the pool completely dug out.



Can you see it? I can see it. The hot tub is on the left. The two round areas are going to be fire pits. Yes, fire pits! In between the fire pits is going to be a waterfall. Thanks for all your feedback on the previous pool post. It really helped me decide on the waterfall.



They were just finishing up when I left the house to meet some friends at our community pool. I will not miss spending half an hour packing up my pool bag and cooler when we get this pool in! I figured they would be gone when I got home because they dug out the pool in one day. Nope! They had enough time to go ahead and put in the rebar.



Crazy! They were here into the evening hours until they completely finished the rebar. Can you believe they did this in one day?

On Wednesday, they put in piping for the water and were hoping to gunite. The truck was reserved that day and on Thursday. There are a ton of pools being put in right now from what I hear. But, no worries! The gunite is going in today. Next week, is going to be all about the rocks and stone coping. Can't wait!

Al Fresco Dining

Thank you for all the feedback on our pool! When I get home from work today my husband and I are going to sit down and look at pictures so we can come up with a plan. I'm the one leaning towards the rock waterfall and he's the one who likes the stacked stone rock wall. It's nice to know you think I'm right! ;)

I have to admit the pool decisions have me second guessing myself since this is new territory for me. I'm sure our pool guy is about to throw up his hands if we make one more change, lol. It's especially hard when my husband tells him one thing and then I tell him another. It's like Designing For the Sexes: Outdoor Edition. One thing I don't have to worry about my husband attempting to have input on is the outdoor furniture. This is all me. If you've noticed, outdoor furniture is not cheap. This limits my options since I know from past experience spending a lot is not worth it in this climate. I'm gathering ideas not only for furniture, but for tablescaping ideas when we have parties. Here are a few from my pinterest board.










My husband's idea of al fresco dining.


Yes, an outdoor kitchen. The initial plan had one included, but we had to scrap it in lieu of more decking for a dining table. He's bummed. I think he imagined himself as the grill master and bartender (his favorite role when we have guests) as everyone sat around the bar. However, we are making room so we can put one in later.

All plans are subject to change as early as today, lol.

My Biggest Project Ever!

Sorry, for the one post last week. I needed a vacation from my vacation, lol. It was also the last week of school for my boys. You moms know how crazy that can be with all of the end of year activities going on.

But, that's not all that happened last week. We also signed a contract to put in a swimming pool! The entire family is so excited. I'm hoping that it will be completed by July 4th, but that will only happen if it doesn't rain the entire month. Realistically, it will probably be mid-July, but that's just in time for my son's 11th birthday. I'll take a pool party over a paintball party any day!

There are some major decisions to make this week about the design. My husband and I have some very different ideas so it's been...challenging. We have agreed on a free form pool instead of a rectangular one due to the size constraints of our backyard. The decking is going to be a stamped concrete, but we have no idea what pattern or color. Thankfully, we get to see samples soon. The coping around the pool will be flagstone. What we're trying to decide on right now is whether to go with rock waterfalls or a stacked stone wall behind the pool. The stone wall also has waterfalls, but just not as dramatically as the rocks. Here are a few pools in our town to give you an idea of what it will look like.

Rock Waterfalls

 

Stacked Stone Walls











Or, maybe a little wall with a rock waterfall.




Which do you prefer?

I'm back from California!

My husband and I had such a great time, and I still can't believe we experienced so much in six days as I look over our photos. We spent most of our time in Napa Valley since I have wanted to go there for years after reading a magazine article about a family who owned a winery there. They were pictured celebrating harvest with a picnic in their vineyard and the scenery took my breath away. I saved that article for years, but it disappeared somewhere when I moved into this house. Since I rarely take trips without the kids, I was starting to wonder if I'd ever visit Napa and put it on the back burner until some friends of ours mentioned they were going to get married near wine country and my husband just happened to have business out there at the same time. I had no reason to wait any longer!

My husband has been to Napa Valley before and suggested we stay in Yountville instead of the town of Napa. I wasn't too sure about it, but I trusted him on this one and I'm so glad I did. Yountville is the most picturesque town with the best restaurants and everything is in walking distance. I wish I could describe how wonderful this town smells too because of the honeysuckle planted everywhere. I'm going to be planting it at my house as soon as possible!




Our B&B, Maison Fleurie



I've never stayed at a bed and breakfast before, but I just loved the French country appeal of this place. Our room was not in the main hotel like most B&Bs, but in a cottage on the property. It was nice to have the privacy without sacrificing the charm. And, that it just happened to back up to Bouchon Bakery was nice, too.

Street View of the Town




Cute, cute homes...










Dining



We had dinner here our first night because I fell in love with the exterior. Thankfully, the food was great, too. It was just like being in a Paris cafe.





There were some seriously swanky people chowing down on pizza here. I have always wondered what kind of place women wear their Louboutins to and I finally found out. Here! I'd be afraid to wear them out of the house if I ever owned a pair.



Casual dining...because sometimes a girl just needs a hamburger.

Now, on to the entire reason we came to Napa. The wine, of course! There are so many wineries and I had no idea where to start so we decided to take a wine tour our first full day. I wanted to be careful and have a designated driver even though I had no plans to get snockered. We were picked up in a limo along with three other couples for a full day of wine tastings. I only requested one place in the hopes it would be on the list. I shouldn't have worried because the other couples never requested any particular wineries, so our first stop was the one I chose, Castello di Amorosa.



That's a real stone castle. I thought it might be a faux castle with concrete etched out to look like stone when I saw pictures of it since we're in California. But, our driver said it was a real castle in Europe that was taken apart and put back together here.





Can you believe they don't do weddings here?! Talk about missing a great opportunity for income.



Going down to the dungeon for wine tasting. The man pouring the wine was hysterical. He asked where everyone was from with the same response in an Italian accent,"Oh, we ship there, very cheap." It really was the best wine we had on the trip and we will be buying more from their website since you can't find it in stores. If you go to Napa Valley, definitely put this one on your list.

Remember my dream of a picnic in a vineyard? Well, I can now check that one off my list. I knew lunch was included on our tour, but I didn't think it would be just like I imagined it.



I had so much fun with my wine tour cohorts. The couple on the left is also from Texas and were so funny. The Australians on the right are our new friends and we went out the next night to dinner and a food and wine festival downtown with them. The couple across from us are from NYC. They were quiet, but really nice. I'm sure they were thinking what the heck did we get ourselves into with loud Texans and Australians, lol.

More wineries













We toured eight wineries all together. Five of those were on the wine tour. Yes, five wineries in one day! My husband and I learned to share a tasting after the first one. I also skipped out of a couple because I didn't want to be laid out on the floor of the limo since that wasn't the look I was going for. ;)

Scenery









I have so many photos of the landscape and vineyards. I just couldn't stop taking pictures! I have a ton of the hot air balloons, too. We chased these down in the car one morning so I could take pictures. You know how some kids won't leave Disney without seeing their favorite character? I wouldn't leave Napa without seeing hot air balloons. My husband was meh about it, but indulged me at 7am to follow them.

We decided to stay an extra day instead of going to San Francisco so we booked a hotel in the town of Napa. Check out this amazing view from our balcony.



It was so nice to lay out by the pool after two days of wine tasting. I think that's the perfect number of days to spend in Napa Valley or you'll be broke with a hurt liver if you stay longer.

We also headed down to San Francisco, Monterey/Carmel, and finally to our friends' wedding near San Luis Obispo.







Big Basin Redwood Park





Monterey



Carmel-I took this picture with a point and shoot camera so you can only imagine what it looked like in person.

I fell in love with the storybook homes in Carmel-by-the-Sea. I didn't get a chance to take pictures, but I found some photos of the homes there.









Aren't they cute? Most are perched on a hill overlooking the ocean, too.

Sorry, for the long post. Everything was so picturesque that I just kept taking photos. It was a great trip, but I'm so happy to be home and see my kids, puppy, and enjoy my own house. Now, if I just had a view of a vineyard or ocean...