I like the grounds at the Norton Simon Museum almost as much as I like the inside. My kids definitely like them better, and it’s no wonder because it really is like a private oasis with really incredible landscaping. Plus, it’s outside, and anything outside is always better in their estimation.
The grounds at the Norton Simon Museum
Four of my favorite posts are:
You should know that a defining period of my life occurred when I was pregnant with my twins. Their form of twinning is rare and dangerous, and spending a season in the hospital gave me lots of time for introspection. You can read about monoamniotic twins here, and my story here. You can see how I felt about coming home here.
I feel strongly about hearts, optimism, and my heritage.
Crafty Stuff and Party Ideas:
Blogging Tips:
Fun Places to Visit in Southern California:
Potpourri:
Home Renovation Projects:
Years in Review:
How to organize belts using clothes hangers is super simple with a little DIY work. All you need to do is drill a few holes into the bottom of a wooden coat hanger, screw in some hooks and you have the perfect DIY belt hanger organization that is sturdy, functional and best of all, space [...]
How to Make a Braided Sock Bun is the most time consuming of my top Up-Do styles for the summer. It’s easy to do, but takes a bit of time because it requires a few small braids within the bun and those will take a few minutes. The pictures don’t really show how pretty the braids are [...]
How to Make a “Twisty” Bun is one of my favorite Up-Do styles for the summer. My thirteen year old daughter does this style for me and it never fails to draw tons of compliments. The undo is perfect for the summer because it gets your hair up and off your neck so you’ll stay [...]
How to Make a Sea Shell Flip Bun is one of my favorite Up-Do styles for the summer because it looks so summery. The silhouette actually looks like a sea shell and of all the updo’s my daughter does for me, I have worn this one the most. It can easily go from casual to formal, and [...]
Can you believe Teacher Appreciation week is coming up? I ADORE trying to come up with clever, fun and inexpensive ways to tell my kids teachers that they are appreciated, valued and not taken for granted. This year I’ve taken to drinking far too much SODA so it’s no surprise that the first thing that came [...]
How to Throw a Hockey Themed Birthday Party can be downright fun if given enough ideas. My sister throws amazing Themed Birthday Parties, and this was no exception. She designed the party around her son’s love of hockey and favorite team, the LA Kings. She used a purple and black color palette and her son’s hockey gear for [...]
Making Ombre Tissue Paper Flowers as a Craft are easy as 1-2-3 with this DIY tutorial! They are even easier to make than tissue paper balls, and making them in ombre colors is SO in right now! All you need is tissue paper, scissors, pencil, plain sheet of paper and a stapler. Materials Needed 4-6 packages of tissue [...]
How to Make Sweet Easter Popcorn is easy and perfect to make with little helpers because it’s fun to mix with your hands! I’ve found a few variations of this recipe online and decided I had to try it because popcorn with add-ons just makes me happy. Plus, I’ve tried a variation of this recipe with Chex [...]
How to Make Sausage, Fennel and Cauliflower Soup is easy, and I can’t tell you how delicious the soup is. I’ve made this for my family on MANY occasions and taken it to various get togethers and it always gets good reviews. The sausage adds the perfect “kick” of heat, and the fennel adds flavor that I [...]
How to Make Irish Soda Bread Muffins is super easy, and the perfect St. Patrick’s Day food. The muffins hardly take any time and the result is worth the time and effort. This hearty Irish Soda Bread Muffin Recipe uses golden raisins since they are golden in color and my kids won’t touch brown things (like traditional raisins [...]
Making a St Patricks Day Craft that is useful, pretty and decorative is easy as 1-2-3 with this DIY Shamrock Banner! Most people have all of the materials on-hand, it’s super inexpensive, and I guarantee it’ll bring a smile to your face. The best part is that it doesn’t take long to make and it’s absolutely kid friendly. [...]
How to give a cute Valentine just got easier with these free printable Valentines. These free printable Valentine cards are perfect for the classroom, a friend, neighbor, family member or party. You can attach them to candy or a gift or just give them alone. There are six adorable printable Valentine cards to choose from so you are not [...]
How to Make Strawberry Mango Freezer Jam is super easy as far as jam making goes. It hardly takes any time and the result is well worth the time and effort. This Easy Strawberry Mango Freezer Jam Recipe uses Sure-Jell Pectin, Strawberries, Mangos and sugar. The resulting jam is beautiful to look at and tastes really divine. My [...]
Making a Fabric Scrap Heart Wreath is a DIY craft that is super easy, cheap {or free} if you have fabric laying around and perfect for jazzing up your holiday decorating or parties! It’s a fabulous way to recycle wire hangers instead of just throwing them out, too. All it takes is a few snips of the scissors, some [...]
How to Make Vanilla Chex Mix looks easier than it actually is. Maybe I’m just deficient in the art of chex mix making, but it’s a messy business and those Chex pieces are harder to cover than they seem. On the upside, it’s a treat that looks super cute and tastes really yummy. This Vanilla Chex [...]
How to Make German Pancakes is easy peasy. The prep time is minimal, the aroma that infuses your house while it’s baking is to die for (from the butter), and the flavor and texture is heavenly. My family LOVES this recipe. In fact, my kids would probably eat it every morning if I’d make it for them. [...]
How to Make Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese is easy peasy. The prep time is minimal if you buy pre-shredded cheese, and the end result is delicious. My family LOVES this recipe, although I have to warn you that it tastes better than it looks. I like that this recipe is pretty versatile. You can use whatever macaroni [...]
How to Throw a Science Themed Birthday Party can be downright fun if given enough ideas. Of all the Themed Birthday Parties they could pick, my twins chose a science party for their 7th birthday. I’m pretty sure they thought we were going to blow stuff up, which factored into their decision. We did make diet coke [...]
Peppermint Sugar Scrubs are easy to make, package adorably and are good for your skin! Plus, they are the perfect holiday homemade gift! Sugar Scrubs are one of the best gifts ever! They are my new latest craze {as you know} and after the recent success of my Lemon Sugar Scrub for Mother’s Day gifts, my Coffee Sugar [...]
Making a Magazine Christmas Tree is a DIY craft that is super easy, cheap {or free} and perfect for the holidays! It’s a fabulous way to recycle magazines, especially all the holiday catalogs that start stacking up this time of year. All it takes is a few folds of the magazine pages and eventually you have a perfectly [...]
How to Make Pomegranate Jelly is NOT easy peasy. It’s time consuming and definitely pricey if you don’t have a pomegranate tree. But, it can be an enjoyable way to spend the day if you get together with friends and make the jelly making process into a party! This Pomegranate Jelly Recipe uses Sure-Jell Pectin, [...]
Printables are fun, but FREE printables are even funner. Download this FREE Printable Chevron Party Kit to use in a pinch or just to have on hand. It includes invitations, cupcake toppers, thank you tags, place cards, gift bags and a banner! Printable Chevron Party Kit As a huge thank you being a loyal reader [...]
Wondering what to make for your kids before they head out to Trick-or-Treat? Why not give Mummy Pizza Puffs a try? They are light and fluffy and filled with cheese and pepperoni, the pizza toppings my kids adore. It does take a little advance preparation, but the end results is so cute that it’s worth the [...]
How to Braid is a must this season since braids are so in! These braid tutorial, including How to Fishtail Braid, how to french braid, how to make a heart braid and how to make a 4 strand braid range from easy to a bit difficult, but all are worth learning as they look fabulous in the [...]
Making Twine Pears is a DIY craft made from light bulbs that is easy, cheap and perfect for Fall. It’s the perfect way to upcycle burnt out old light bulbs, but you can always go out and buy bulbs, too. I bought a pack of 4 bulbs for $1 and used about $2.00 worth of twine, [...]
Halloween Candy Bouquets are not only fun to look at, they are fun to eat, too. Halloween Candy Bouquets are the perfect Halloween Decoration and gift idea, so they do double duty! They aren’t super inexpensive to make since you do have to buy all the candy plus a few extra supplies, but I think [...]
If you are looking for an easy Pumpkin Muffin Recipe that uses just 2 Ingredients then this is the recipe for you. It just happens to be low fat, moist {without using oil} and delicious and since it’s so easy it gets my highest recommendation. Ingredients Spice Cake Mix 15 oz can of Pumpkin Optional: [...]
Branch Chandelier Photo Collages are a lot easier to make than you’d imagine, and quicker too. The most important items you’ll need are the photos, fishing line and the branch! Once you’ve secured those items, it’s all about slapping on some mod podge and assembling your chandelier. I have mine hanging above my desk and [...]
Mason Jar Lid Pumpkin’s might possibly be the cutest Fall decor ever. If you have some Mason Jar lids lying around the house and a little burlap it’s something you can make for absolutely free, too. If you don’t, well, it’s going to cost you a few dollars (24 lids will cost you about $9), [...]
Ever wondered what feather nails look like? Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to do them. Feather nails are super easy, although a bit time consuming {give yourself an hour to do your nails}. Unfortunately, they don’t last long (unlike gel nails), but, they are perfect for for a fun day or night out [...]
Twitter: dishes_laundry
says:
That looks like a great museum. It is snowing here today and the green grass and beautiful gardens look amazing. And of course you have quite the bunch of cute kiddos!
Twitter: 1momof5
says:
They are simply gorgeous…but of course the thing I noticed the most was the GREEN and the COLOR. I can’t wait for Spring!
Twitter: C_MacCarrick
says:
Its nice that you live so close to these wonderful places. Beautiful family!!
Beautiful! It reminds me of a place here in Central Florida called Bok Tower. I should share photos from our visit so you can see the similarities.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Twitter: kelly_deneen
says:
Gorgeous!! And I love that last shot! Beautiful.
So I LOVE the last shot. Because, geez, you two are beauties. But I also LOVE the one from behind of four of your kids looking into the water. Fantastic!
Looks beautiful.
Wow, it looks more like a arboretum than a museum site! Great pics Angie!
Oh, how beautiful. I can’t wait for spring! I love your last pic. You guys look so much alike!
It looks like paradise… and I’m languishing away in a never ending winter…
Lovely photos – the one at the end with your daughter was my favorite. Hopefully, the kids had a great time.
Wow! It looks gorgeous there! SO green and lovely!
Just breathtaking!
Beautiful place and beautiful family!
Ah, what a gorgeous place! But what is there for the kids to do there?
Justine
)
What a beautiful place! How nice to have it there to visit. Looks so peaceful.
Wow. The grounds are just gorgeous. I just might have to take my girls their. I don’t think they are ready for the inside just yet LOL but surely ready to explore the beauty of the outdoors. I can’t wait till mine are old enough to appreciate museums and art galleries.