{over the weekend} holiday

Ryan and I spent this past holiday weekend visiting my family. Above is a pic of my little brother at his piano recital on Saturday. It's my view from the balcony. Our whole family showed up for the occasion.  He did a fantastic job, played perfectly and was my favorite performer of the afternoon.....and it was a great afternoon. I had no idea how much I loved listening to kids sing, and play music. I found it very quirky, cute, full of emotion and adorable! Plus, it kind of felt even more amazing since I was viewing it all from the balcony with lovely sound that carried our way.

On Sunday my mom, Amber, and little sister spent time around the dinner table drinking flowering tea. Right before the water boiled my grandpa showed up to share the spoils of his poker run from earlier in the day. He ended up staying for a couple hours, telling us more of his fantastic stories, which made our time together even more special.....

Over the weekend we celebrated 3 birthdays. I brought both my mom and Amber bouquets of Peony as part of their gifts, and my little sister helped me try out a gluten free red velvet cupcake concoction that ended up being a big hit (will share the recipe tomorrow).....

The weather was gorgeous, so in the early evening (after the best birthday meal) we all spent time outside.....some of us even ended up on a blanket relaxing in the backyard.....

To go with all the yummy birthday food, Amber and her boyfriend Waylon brought greens from their garden and made the most delicious salad (which I enjoyed a giant plate full!!!).....

And we actually ended up enjoying lots of other great things that I forget to get photos of, like lunch and blackjack at the casino with friends, breakfast parfait I made especially for my mom's birthday (which turned out perfect!), and all the musicians in the family getting together to play music!  All in all it was wonderful. So, today I leave you with my view from relaxing on the soft blanket in the yard..... <3 Carrie