Sharpie Bouquet Teacher Gift

We love to spoil our teachers!  As a former elementary teacher, I realize how much time, energy and love these special people invest into our little ones.  Each year, I like to send in a little gift for them on the first day of school.

This year I am sending in a Sharpie Bouquet.  Who doesn't love Sharpies?  I especially love these fun colors!  I can imagine they would be appreciated by all teachers - preschool through high school.

Yes, one of Allie's teachers is also Angela!

The multipack of Sharpies and the chalkboard buckets were both found at Target. 

Below I am sharing free printables of the tags:  one version has space so your little one can write his or her name.

Sharp Year Gift Tag by Angela at The Little Things

Sharp Year Gift Tag 2 by Angela at The Little Things

I am linking up with The Scoop!

Hope you are off to a SHARP school year!
Angela

Salsa

Chips and salsa are very popular at this house!  I had been on the hunt for a great recipe, and my sister J delivered!  She found the original recipe here, and we have tweaked it to our taste.

Salsa

Ingredients:
14.5 oz can rotel
14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes (with the juice)
4 tsp canned diced jalepenos (add less for a milder flavor or more for a spicier version)
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 tsp garlic salt*
1/2 tsp cumin*
1/4 tsp sugar
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions:
Process jalepenos and onion in food processor for a few seconds.  Add rotel and diced tomatoes.  Add garlic salt, sugar, cumin, minced fresh garlic, lime juice and cilantro.  Process all of the ingredients until well blended (don't puree).  Place into a covered container and refrigerate.  Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

*I usually end up adding a bit more to taste.

This salsa gets better with time!  If possible, make 1-2 days ahead of time.

Back to School Dinner

Last night we had our annual back to school dinner.  It's nothing fancy, but it's a fun tradition we have to get the school year started off on a fun note.

The table is set with decorations I use year after year.  The weather was beautiful, so it was fun to be able to eat on our new screened porch!

I love these black chalkboard chargers I picked up at Hobby Lobby last year. 

I like to give the kids a little "happy" gift they can use during the school year.  Since their school supplies are purchased by their teachers with our supply fees,  we don't have to go out and buy school supplies.  I included little things they can use at home or school such as mechanical pencils (they love these!), erasers, highlighters, post-it notes and of course their favorite candy.

Even little sis got something.

The kids look forward to this fun little tradition (and so do I!) each year.  It's the little things that make life special!

You can check out our 2014 Back to School Dinner here.

I am linking up with The Scoop!

Take care,

Angela

And They're Off!

The boys have started back to school!  The morning went off without a hitch, and everyone was up and ready to go in record time.  If each morning for the next 9 months can be that smooth, that would be great!

Obligatory pic by the front door.

Hayden, 7th grade

Kyle, 5th grade

New backpacks

This little girl sure is going to miss her brothers.  In a mere 365 days, she'll be joining them.  I am already dreading that day.  Until then, she starts Pre-K in just a couple of weeks.

Have a great day!

Angela

Wrapping up Summer

Today is the last day of summer break.  We have mixed emotions at our house.  One of my boys is excited to start back to school and one is not so sure.  It is bittersweet for me.  I will miss sleeping in, hanging at the pool, as well as vacations and quick trips; but I do look forward to earlier bedtimes, routines and getting back into sports and dance.

We enjoyed a fun-filled weekend to celebrate the end of our break.

Our neighborhood had dinner and a movie at the pool.  We dined on food truck yummies and watched Megamind.

Our street hosted a Back-to-School party.  We love hanging out with our awesome neighbors and are so fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful friends!

 The kids enjoyed a great game of kickball for all ages - kindergarteners through high school seniors joined in on the fun!

Since the pool has been our second home the past few months, we thought today we would take one more dip in the water to commiserate celebrate!

Goodbye pool, hello school!

Angela

Dirty Rice

We love foods with a bit of spice around here.  This dirty rice recipe certainly delivers and is one of a few meals I can count on everyone in the family enjoying.  These types of dishes are rare and hard to find!  It's definitely on regular rotation at our house!

This is from one of my favorite cooking websites, Southern Plate, and from Christy Jordan's book Come Home to Supper.  I love that her food is simple and oh so yummy!

Dirty Rice

Ingredients:
4-5 cups cooked rice (we use brown, but white is great, too)
1 pound uncooked sausage (or ground beef)
1-3 Tablespoons Creole Seasoning (we use Tony Chachere's or Slap Ya Mama)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 Tablespoons chopped or minced garlic
4 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (or 2 Tablespoons dried)

Directions:
In large skillet over medium heat, place celery, bell pepper, garlic, onion, parsley, and sausage.  Break up sausage and cook all, stirring regularly, until sausage is fully cooked and vegetables are tender.  Add Creole seasoning and stir.  Stir in rice and continue cooking over medium heat until rice is heated through, stirring well the entire time.

Notes:
I usually only put 1 Tablespoon of the Creole seasoning in the dish while cooking, and those who want a spicier version sprinkle a bit more seasoning on their plate.

Enjoy!
Angela

Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara

My wonderful husband works so incredibly hard for our family.  Through his dedication and perseverance, he earned a trip for the two of us to the Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara.  The trip just so happened to be around the same time as our 15th wedding anniversary, so we decided to extend the trip and spend some time in the Santa Ynez Valley wine country.

Bacara was beautiful!  The grounds were stunning, the service was impeccable, and the views were breathtaking.  We've already decided that we need to go back for our 20th anniversary!

Of course, we were having such a wonderful time, I failed to take many pictures!  

Photo courtesy of Bacara

Photo courtesy of jetsetter.com

There was a beautiful trail that ran along the coast.

Photo courtesy of Bacara

 The pools were gorgeous, but it was a bit too chilly for me take a dip.  That was one thing that surprised me the most - we left the south with a heat index over 100 degrees to go to beautiful southern California with temps in the high 60's.  What a welcome change!

Photo courtesy of Bacara

We ate at Ocean House restaurant to celebrate our anniversary.  It was wonderful!  We had reservations to dine outside; but as luck would have it, a quick rain shower caused them to close the terrace.  We were able to get a table by the window overlooking the ocean and were exceptionally thrilled with our view:

We saw a beautiful double rainbow as we enjoyed our special meal.  That must mean double good luck!

We absolutely loved our time at Bacara and really hope to make it back again!

Thanks for stopping by!
Angela