book club ...

this month was my turn to host book club.
in our book club, the person who hosts makes some goodies, and gets to choose the book.  i chose to read the happiness project.  i've read it before, but it is always a nice book to read over and over, to remind me of little things i need to work on.

 i guess i went with a bit of a french and italian theme, since i ended up making two kinds of quiches, baked brie, crepes with berries, salad with poppy seed dressing, and italian sodas with whipped cream.

the italian sodas were a lot of fun to make.  it was my first time serving them, so i drew up a little diagram on how to make them.  they were delish!

and, it wouldn't be book club without this amazing, and talented group of friends.  seriously, i love my book club!

our book club has read: (well, what i can remember)
the help
room
the hunger games books
the same kind of different as me
angle of repose
water for elephants
the education of little tree
life after life
jane eyre
something borrowed
the bell jar
sweetness at the bottom of the pie
the happiness project

so, do you have a book club?  what have you read?

green smoothies ...

so, are you a green smoothie fan?

we recently purchased a vitamix blender, and have been blending non-stop ever since.  seriously..

i love that you can throw in all the extra produce you need to use up, and the kiddos are happy campers drinking lots of fruits and veggies.

we have been experimenting a lot with different blends, but i think i have found my favorite!

on my zupas post today, i am sharing my favorite green smoothie recipe we have made so far.
click here.

{photo by me}

califor - ni - A ...

we will be headed off to the golden state soon on vacation, and i was hoping to get some tips from my readers.

we are taking the kiddos to disneyland, and sea world and we'll be staying in l.a. and san diego.  with a few beach days in there.

so, what is your favorite beach to go to with kids in southern california?  i'm hearing good things about laguna beach, and i've never been there so we might give it a try.  any other suggestions?

also, any restaurant tips?  disneyland/sea world tips?  please tell me there is an h&m, zara, and west elm in one mall?  (this trip really is for the kids, but i'm hoping to squeeze in a little shopping time, but i'll be on a time crunch because really the hubs and kids can only take so much)  

what other stores should i not want to miss?

any travel tips on driving with three kids under four?  (we'll be driving from utah, and stay in las vegas on the way)

thanks in advance!  you guys always have the best advice!!

{pic via the wheat field}

missoni for target ...

missioni for target hit stores yesterday.
did you come out with anything fun?

my store had a few things, but you could tell a lot was already gone.  i did come home with this tote bag (pictured above).  i loved some of the blankets and pillows, but didn't really see any in my store.

 so, what did you think of the line?  i think i'm a little over the whole chevron stripe thing for the most part, or i think i like a little thicker chevron stripes perhaps.

pairing fruits with meats ...

so, do you like to eat meat with fruits?

i love to pair them together, it really is a great taste sensation to try out different combinations.  our family favorite is pairing our roasted turkey on thanksgiving with fresh applesauce instead on cranberry sauce.  it really is amazing!

today on the zupas blog, i am sharing some great ideas and recipes for pairing meat with fruits.

check it out here.

{photo by me}

be stuffed ...

i know it's only september, but really thanksgiving will be here before you know it.  the months just tend to fly by these days. (seriously, how is summer already over?)

anyhow, i wanted to share with you a fun thanksgiving table setting i put together using the new be stuffed release from lifestyle crafts.

i was able to incorporate (my favorite kind of paper) vintage book pages, with simple brown craft paper card stock, as well as turquoise.

i used dies from the release to cut out a mayflower boat (that doubled as a name place setting filled with corn nuts), a pilgrim hat (perfect for holding little colored pencils for the kiddos)

i used the place setting kit die to make a fun little collar for my sparking juice.

to finish off the place setting i made a menu with the place setting die kit, and embellished the setting with a few feathers from the feather headband die, a turkey leg, and a turkey.

this fun new release made it simple to create this fun thanksgiving table setting.  i just rolled them out using my epic six machine with the dies.

i am excited to use these on my thanksgiving table this year!  be sure to check out the lifestyle crafts blog for more thanksgiving inspiration.

{photos by me: caroline drake}

*also, exciting news for my readers!  lifestyle crafts is offering you 20% off your entire order from their website!  just type in the code ARMELLE at checkout!  

bbq chicken pizza ...

i almost forgot to share with you a fun bbq chicken pizza recipe.

check it out over on the zupas blog.

sorry this blog is looking a lot like a food blog lately.  i promise to post some fun things soon...

{photo by me}