Many of you have been following Declan’s Journey and keeping him in your prayers. For those of you that have not, dear family friends of ours have received the news that is every parent’s worst nightmare. Their sweet baby boy who is going to turn one in 11 days has been battling a very rare form of cancer called AT/RT. After many treatments, surgeries and most of their days in the hospital (Declan, with a smile on his face virtually the whole time) they have been told that there is nothing more that the doctors can do.
The Carmical family (though facing the toughest of times) have been an inspiration to thousands of people throughout their journey. I am in awe of their strength, courage and love for one another. Please pray for Sherri, Stan and their four boys as they face the unimaginable. And please, hold your babies a little tighter today. I know I will.
Last week I took a field trip to The Washington Design Center with my dear friend Aimee. We were there for 4 hours, and honestly it went by in a flash- I could have stayed for days. In case you are not familiar with the WDC, it is 7 floors of designer showrooms open to the trade. We had some amazing finds. Aimee is expecting a little girl in early November so we had a lot of fun searching to fabrics for the nursery. I was looking for some fabrics for my bedroom and kitchen. We found what we were looking for and so much more.
By far, my favorite part was the design house which featured a different design team to create each room. Here were my faves:
I hope you enjoy the pictures of the eye candy that I found. Amazing textures, gorgeous fabrics and unbelievable furniture…(Sigh.) Oh if that money tree would grow already!
Do you ever feel like you need the world to stop turning for a minute so that you can reconnect with those that you love most? Well, the Salmons were in dire need of a vacay last January so we splurged for a vacation at Beaches, Turks and Caicos- and I am so glad that we did. It was the best vacation that we ever took. Mike and I went on our honeymoon in Turks and loved it. Mind you that was eight years ago, and there was virtually nothing on the island. That is certainly not the case now. We were a bit skeptical of the cheese factor between the Sesame Street theme and the all-inclusive resort, but everything was top notch. Beaches is like three resorts in one. We loved it for so many reasons. Here are the top ten:
1. Delicious Food.
2. Fantastic Service.
3. All Inclusive (Don’t need to worry about buying your kid a $10 ice cream.)
4. Camp Sesame.
5. The Kiddos Had Their Own Room.
6. Amazing Pools and a Fantastic Water Park.
7. Minto, Our Incredible Concierge.
8. Tons of Activities For The Babes.
9. Fully Stocked Bar And Fridge In Our Room.
10 Minto’s Nightly Delivery Of Cheese, Cookie And Fruit Trays To Our Room.
Seriously, I could go on forever. After day 1, we had our routine down pat:
8:00- Breakfast
9:00-10:00- Pool
10:00-12:00- Water Park
12:0o-1:00- Lunch
1:00-5:00-Girls to Camp Sesame… Mommy and Daddy hit the Pool, Beach, Bar…
5:00-Showers/Baths
5:30-Nightly Show at the Main Stage (Elmo and the rest of the Gang shake their groove thangs.) They open up the stage afterwards to let the lil ones dance- the girls loved this!
7:00- Dinner (There are 18 restaurants to choose from.)
8:30- Ice Cream
9:00-Bed for Lou, nightly swims for E and Daddy.
10:00 (Yes, 10:00) E would collapse in her bunk.
Then we’d get up and do it all over again.. it was marvelous!
Camp Sesame is well run, and clean as a whistle. The camp counselors are fantastic and also babysit at night. They get to have Storytime with Elmo, Treasure Hunts with Abby Cadabby, and even make Cookies with Cookie Monster. We were all so sad to leave. We have such terrific memories that will last us a lifetime.
Well, last week I booked our trip for next year. It’s not cheap, but I honestly don’t care if we have to cancel Christmas and eat Ramen Noodles for three months, we’re going.. and I can’t wait!
(PS: How hilarious is Lou in the picture where she is yawning? Do I bore her that much? That was our last night.. and as you can tell the night was coming to an end.)
I don’t need to say much about Jonathan Adler, as his pieces speak for themselves. I absolutely love the bold colors and clean lines that he brings to the table. Oh, how I long for that Channing Desk…. Until that money tree starts to grow in my backyard, I always have this post. (Sigh.) Here are the pieces that made it onto Kiki’s List:
The Salmons were in serious need of new flatware, and I mean serious. We were still using the same starter set that my sister gave me when I graduated college. (Thanks Sis!) While I worship this Tiffany Bamboo flatware set, I am not willing or able to fork over $3,700 for someone’s used flatware. So, I finally sprung for the next best thing (I can only swing the silver, although, I lust for the Gold.) A service set of 45, on sale here, here (gold) and here.
It arrived on Saturday… Isn’t it beautiful?
Best Yet: Get Free Shipping at Neiman Marcus with the Promo Code NMAUG.
Holy Crap- Just checked out NM website and all sale items are an additional 30%!!! I just ordered 45 more. 😉
We are so fortunate to live in an area that has so many free special events. Every Friday in the Summer we are regulars at Herndon’s Friday Night Live, and we always have a blast. Last night was no exception. Each week we pack a picnic, a blanket and some beach chairs and dance the night away with friends. I thought I’d leave you with these little nuggets from last night.
1. Lou double fisted with a piece of pizza in one hand and an ice cream pop in the other.
2. My girls shakin’ it on stage to “Party in the USA” (Miley Cyrus version, of course.)
