Sandpearl Resort, A Love Letter

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I’ve just returned home from three days at the Sandpearl Resort on Clearwater Beach. We take a beach staycation every year around this time to celebrate the warmer weather, and my birthday. Yesterday, I turned thirty-six. I have spent the last few days eating gelato, drinking Blue Hawaiians, dining on seafood, swimming in the warm Gulf of Mexico, and not having a care in the world.

I have been very fortunate to have traveled quite a bit in my life, and I can easily put the Sandpearl Resort at the top of my favorite hotels ever list. This resort just takes care of you, and no detail goes unnoticed. The hotel itself is beautifully appointed, with large hotel rooms, super comfortable beds, the deepest bathtubs I’ve ever seen in a hotel, an awesome zero entry pool, and wonderful restaurants. You receive complimentary champagne upon check in, and the girls received buckets and shovels for the beach. At sunset, the resort comes alive with music, a fire pit to sit around, and they ring a bell when the sun goes down, which was one of Amelia’s favorite things. The hotel staff is very helpful and friendly, and you receive turn down service at night, complete with chocolates and bottled water left by your bedside. The Sandpearl has set the tone for you to feel pampered and relaxed. I arrived at the resort wound tight, and left feeling like a wet noodle. I am very lucky to live just 10 minutes from Clearwater Beach, but I have never experienced it like this. We will definitely be back, and may stop in just for a meal, or drinks and a sunset viewing in the very near future.

I love you, Sandpearl Resort.

If you go: We had two meals at the resort. The first was breakfast at Caretta on the Gulf. We had the breakfast buffet, and it was spectacular. We requested a table outside, and it was the perfect way to start our day. The buffet price is $21 per adult, including your beverages, and children 9 and under are free. This meal was well worth the price. The second meal we had at our resort was at Tate Island Grill. We sat outside and enjoyed the view of the beach from our table. I had the pulled pork nachos, and they were yummy.

Next door to the hotel is Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill and the Palm Pavilion. Both restaurants are favorite spots for locals, and have amazing food. Buffalo shrimp & she crab soup are two of my favorite dishes at Frenchy’s.

Now, let’s talk gelato. I had the best homemade gelato of my life at Gelato Bello, which is also located next door to the resort. Try the pistachio, it is heavenly. In the same plaza as the gelato is a small restaurant called Clear Sky Beachside Cafe. This is a great casual spot for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

*This is not a paid post. The opinions are 100 percent mine.

Sunken Gardens

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We took the girls to Sunken Gardens this morning to explore my favorite not-so-secret garden. Sunken Gardens is a 100+ year old, 6 acre botanical garden in the middle of St. Petersburg, Florida. This beautiful garden was established in 1906 by a single man with a love of gardening, George Turner. Sunken Gardens became a roadside attraction, and was run by his family for generations. The gardens were recently purchased by the city, and they have maintained Mr. Turner’s original vision.

This place is just magical. Filled with ponds full of fish, flamingos, parrots, and waterfalls, there are surprises around every corner. Our girls enjoyed all of the natural beauty of the gardens, and feeding the fish. It was a great way to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather.

La Dolce Vita

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This morning while scrolling though my Facebook feed, I was reminded of how uncertain life can be sometimes. A second cousin of mine passed away recently, and today would have been her 36th birthday. I will be 36 in three weeks. It inspired me to blow off my to-do list, keep Amelia home from preschool, and head out to the beach.

I didn’t know this family member really well, but I like to think today was a little tribute to her. My girls and I celebrated life & love today, and I although I can’t thank her for the inspiration, I hope she is smiling down on us in heaven.

Strawberry Fields Forever

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The weather was a bit too cold for our usual trip to the beach for spring break, so when one of Amelia’s friends mother asked if we’d like to go pick strawberries, I thought it was a fun idea.

We live about an hour away from several strawberry farms, and this time of the year, some of those farms open up for “you pick”. You pick the strawberries for 50 cents a pint, put them in your own containers, and enjoy! They are just the prettiest berries I’ve ever seen!

Amelia and Maggie had a blast picking and tasting the strawberries, and it was a good excuse for them to get real dirty. 

Now, what to do with all the strawberries?

Safety Harbor Chalk Festival

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You can see last year’s chalk festival here, and the year before that here.

The annual chalk festival has become a spring family tradition for us. This is the third year we’ve attended, and we always have a great time. The artists are so talented, and I am so inspired by their work. The girls and I always start at Starbucks, and walk down the entire festival and back. We also stopped by the produce stand, where the kiddos picked out some honey crisp apples, an asian pear, and a pineapple. The highlight for me, however, was finding this beautiful vintage Catherine Holm plate for only $10 dollars. It is the prettiest color, and now that I have two pieces, I officially have a collection.

Happy Weekend to you!

Small Adventures

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On weekends when we have no plans, I love nothing more than getting up and taking the kids on small adventures to some place new. This morning we checked out a park about 20 minutes north of where we live, that I had heard many good things about. The weather here in Florida has been so pretty this winter, that it’s hard to stay inside. Our morning was filled with fish & bird sitings, running around the playground, and soaking in the sunshine while hunting for pinecones. I hope your weekend was filled with a little adventure, too.

Rain, Rain, Please Stay.

Tropical Storm Issac has brought us a few rainy days. We have been enjoying the “cooler” weather, and laziness this type of weather allows us. I may stay in my pj’s all day. We’ve eaten some sweet treats, Amelia has been modeling some of her new school clothes from H&M, we’ve been petting our new kitty, ( a stray who adopted us, and just had all of his shots and a little snip, ouch!), and eating tomato soup with grilled cheese for lunch.

My favorite cheese for grilled cheese is Havarti. What’s your favorite?

Farmer’s Market

This morning we visited a new organic market in St. Pete called Edge District Farmer’s Market. We bought some yummy avocados, plums (which we ate right away), bananas, kiwis, a mango, local honey, and some cream to try for Amelia’s eczema.  It was a lovely space with outdoor vendors, and an art studio. This morning they were playing music from Cake, which my girls were more than happy to dance to. If you live in the Tampa Bay area, you should stop by and check it out.

Right now we are feeling the affects of Tropical Storm Debby. Lots and lots of wind & rain. Our chicken coop has a roof, and we’ve hung blankets to help shield the hens from the rain, but I just checked on them, and they are soaked. Both of my girls have a nasty cold, so we’ve spent the day lounging around, watching nature toss our tree limbs about, and being thankful that we still have our electricity. High-res

Right now we are feeling the affects of Tropical Storm Debby. Lots and lots of wind & rain. Our chicken coop has a roof, and we’ve hung blankets to help shield the hens from the rain, but I just checked on them, and they are soaked. Both of my girls have a nasty cold, so we’ve spent the day lounging around, watching nature toss our tree limbs about, and being thankful that we still have our electricity.

Theme Park Love

This family loves theme parks. Thank goodness we live in Florida. We took the kiddos to Universal Studios for the first time this weekend, and we also visited Sea World. It was REALLY hot & humid, but we managed to keep our cool (most of the time), and had lots of fun. I didn’t really take too many photos this trip, but here are a few fun ones I did happen to snap.