I love sharing our Monday Morning Wrap-Up with you all. While nothing we ever do is all too exciting, it’s a way for you to get to know me on a more personal level. Our weekend included baseball, time with good friends, and a productive day cleaning our garage. All in all it was a really great couple of days and we are ready for Monday.

PLANNING FOR EASTER

flower pot | runner | napkins | dishes

So excited to show you our Easter table tomorrow! I have been working on it all weekend and it’s good to go. We are hosting and I am so happy to be ahead of the game. Very unlike me. Just like when I design a room in my house, when I create a table it always starts with an inspiration piece. Once I spotted this runner I had to have it and I let the colors in it dictate the rest of the table.

SISTER TIME

My sister and I have both been traveling a great deal lately. Although she wins as her travel took her to a remote island close to Roatán for a diving trip. My envy knows no bounds! It was so much fun to reconnect. If you are local, Ellie’s Table in San Juan Capistrano is adorable and I am a sucker for their lunch specials. They also have awesome breakfast burritos. My sister and I talked non stop for over 2 1/2 hours. I went to buy a couple of treats for dear friends at the counter and I looked at my watch. I practically screamed, “What time is it?!” to the poor guy behind the counter. Sure enough it was 2:15 and my kiddos were getting out of school in five minutes. You know you’ve had a great time when you chatted for that long without ever looking at your watch.

BED MAKER?

I posed a question over on Instagram this weekend. Are you a bed maker? It was a resounding yes. Or at least only the bedmakers responded! I was mentioning how it’s so pretty and romantic to see the sunlight pouring in on an unmade bed. But let’s be real. I have to make my bed. It’s just not in my DNA to let it sit unmade all day. I think it’s also the idea of ending my day with a beautifully made bed that speaks to me. In any event, this bed didn’t stay like this for long. Our headboard is on sale right now. We have been really happy with it. It’s a gray-blue charcoal color in person and very pretty.

STAYING IN

lounge pants | adidas | top (on sale)

Thurday evening found us outside enjoying the beautiful day. The kids ran around and we devoured chips and salsa. You know you are getting old when staying home in your lounge pants sounds like the best idea you have ever heard of! The Spring time is my absolute favorite time of year. I would live outside if I could so being able to relax and eat in the backyard is a major blessing.

YUMMY DINNER

After chips and salsa outside, I served up these Chipotle style bowls. I got the idea from Kathleen over @carriebradshawlied on Instagram. She showed how she made them on her Instastories. We changed it up just a little bit and the entire family LOVED this. So easy and seriously scrumptious.

Chipotle at Home

Ingredients:

• shrimp (I used frozen from Trader Joe’s) Defrost under cold water
• brown rice or quinoa
• 3 limes
• olive oil
• hot sauce
• salt and pepper
• one onion
• one red pepper
• guacamole
• Greek yogurt
• tomatoes
• avocado

 Directions:

1. Defrost shrimp and marinade in a mixture of two limes, 1 /2 olive oil, 2 tsp. hot sauce and salt and pepper. Marinade for 20 minutes.
2. While the shrimp marinades, slice onions and red peppers. Sauté in a pan with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Once onions are soft and brown, add the shrimp. They cook quickly so watch carefully.
4. Serve in a bowl over a bed of brown rice or quinoa.
5. Add tomatoes, guacamole, avocados, and a slice of lime.
6. Mix Greek yogurt (1/2 cup) with hot sauce (however much you like) and add a spoonful to each bowl.

Hint: You can cheat and keep the ready to heat brown rice/quinoa bowls in your pantry. They can be ready in one minute in the microwave. Makes this Friday night meal a breeze!

I had posted this photo of our table on Insta Stories and I had so many questions about where it was from. I fell in love with this table at a workroom I frequented for window treatments and fabrics. They closed their store and have taken their drapery business online. We just happened to be in the store when they were selling this table so it was super fortunate. My husband spent weeks making it as weather proof as possible. The chairs are from here and such an awesome deal!!!! So inexpensive and hold up really well. They are also surprisingly comfortable. Highly recommend. We always dreamt of having a table big enough for our entire family. This table is meant to be gathered around with plenty of laughter and memory making.

OUR MISSING PIECE

It breaks my heart that this handsome face won’t be around that table with us. I lost my brother a few years back and yesterday would have been his birthday. I know he was celebrating and living it up in heaven. He did everything in style. I miss him so much it hurts. To those of you who have lost someone very dear to you, I get it. It’s a pain that never goes away. It becomes a part of you and you move forward with a different perspective and appreciation for those you love. I have shared a great deal about loss and grief on the blog. You can find those posts under “musings” at the top of my blog.

I’m determined to make this a great Monday! How about you?