TRAVEL: 11 ladies + 3 days + 0 kids = Palm Springs

I've been in a blog funk lately. 

Maybe the summer has zapped it out of me. 

It just seems that every Monday I have a well thought-out plan of the 3 to 4 blog posts I'm going to share during the week.  And then before I know it's Friday.  Like today!  And nothing's happened on the blog. 

I've tried not to fight it.  I'm enjoying the summer fun with the kids and taking trips where we can and plugging away at the house!  Okay, truth....THAT has been sucking away my blogging mojo.  All I want to do is scour Houzz and online design shops to make it as perfect as I envision.  

So it's a mix of things.
But when you're in a funk I guess the best place to start is by blogging about something that totally excites you. 
A weekend getaway with 3 of my sisters and 7 of my cousins, in Palm Springs, CA?
Yep. That'll do.

Dude. This was just what I needed last week.

A rental house in Palm Desert, CA fully equipped with a swimming pool, beach cruisers, and my favorite people to hang out with.  Yay! 
Between the 11 of us, our husbands took care of our 25 kids. 

And I love my kids. 
But I truly believe that taking breaks from them makes me a better mom.  It helps me remember that I used to be fun once, and I'm excited to see them again when we reunite.

In fact "being mom" this week has run a lot smoother than I would have thought, since Casey is now away on his own trip.

A little food, folks, and fun.  That's all you need.
The Beatles had it wrong.

Oh, and some crazy large palm trees.
And about 3-4 hour sessions in the swimming pool.

And a little bit of this....
(come check out the rest!)

My sister Camille and sister-in-law Laura coordinated the whole weekend and invited all the girl cousins in our family to come.  11 of us were able to go and they found a lovely house with enough beds for everyone.

...after a bit of rearranging.

I coordinated swag bags and everyone threw goodies inside when we got there.

We loved and laughed at the decor.   Tons of pretty damask and throw backs to Hollywood.

And then some really random Japanese items thrown in.

But everywhere you looked, there were tons of great details.  I loved looking for the fine design print.

...like crystal doorknobs. 

And a pile of Streisand and Sinatra.  Pure Palm Springs.

Even the A/C grills were pretty! 

And it definitely wouldn't be a house with out Marilyn and Elizabeth.  They watched over our Kickboxing in the morning and Just Dance moves at night.

They even left their swim caps behind, if any of us could reach them.

It was a fabulous little (big) house, with a spectacular view of San Gorgonio.

We used the bikes to cruise around the neighborhood.

And loved all the local architecture.

If I were a Palm Springs house, I'd definitely have an orange door.

And if I were as cool as my sister Mere, I'd skate by Elvis Presley's honeymoon home.

The reality of the weekend?....is that we mostly did this:

and this:

It didn't suck.

We also ate at local spots:

found local icons:

and yea.
We did a whole lot of this:

It's funny to think of leaving hot Texas to hang out in the hot California desert.

But it was really great!

Even riding bikes in 110 degrees was a blast.

Sweaty ride = diving in the pool later.

And who can resist all these mid-century modern lovelies?....and my sister Camille who can ride with a Diet Coke in-hand.

...or the whacked off palm trees that remind me of a Lloyd Christmas haircut.

Thanks Palm Springs!  I had a great weekend ladies! Hope we do it again next year....or sooner...

And I hope that brings me out of my funk!

Stay tuned next week as the kids go back to school and I go back to Dana default.

Have a great weekend!