Housekeeping

Housekeeping is something I have been terrible at lately....with both my actual house and with my blog. So today, I'm trying to take care of a few things and hopefully get back on track.

The first thing I need to take care of is the giveaway that I hosted back before our trip to Disney that I never picked a winner for! I had actually forgotten about it in all the craziness of life until my little package came in the mail with some yummy Ragu sauce and $20:) So I used random.org to pick a winner from the 123 comments, and the winner is Mari! Congrats Mari! I have sent an email and she has 48 hours to respond.

Remember last week when I complained about needing a vacation from my vacation, and then I told you I was only 2/3 unpacked....well, I am still only 2/3 unpacked. I have one suitcase that just will not unpack itself, and I can't seem to make myself do it either. It is actually the suitcase that the kids' clean clothes got put in when we left Disney, along with a ton of other miscellaneous stuff. The miscellaneous stuff is the hardest to unpack because I have to figure out where all of it goes:)

Besides avoiding unpacking, I spent most of last week busy planning a birthday party for Grant and Eli. Grant turned 6 the week we were on vacation and Eli turned 3 yesterday. Instead of trying to cram two parties into two weeks, we had a joint pool party...in the middle of a tropical storm! I don't recommend trying to throw an outside birthday party when the wind is whipping and the rain is coming down in sheets, but that is exactly what we did...and the kids even got to get in the pool for a while when the rain and wind stopped for about an hour:)

Here are just a few pictures from the party:

Can I just tell you how much I love Photoshop. The day was all dreary and dark, but you can hardly tell that from the pictures once I increased the brightness of each photo just a little:)

 The lady at the bakery didn't quite get my vision for the boys' birthday cakes. I was thinking more clean and modern to go with the fun stripes and polka dots that were in the invites and other party decorations...she was apparently inspired by our weather. I ended up adding the gumballs around the edges of the cakes to add a little bit of fun and color. It worked out great and the kiddos loved that they got a piece {or two} of gum with their slice of cake:)

Grant and Eli both had a great time at their party and Eli even got the "big red blue bike" that he has been wanting for the past two months:)

The Vacation Aftermath

We're back! Well, actually we've been back for a few days, but it has taken me that long to recover:) Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels like they need another vacation when they get home from their real vacation! We went non-stop {except for one afternoon nap} for 8 days at Walt Disney World, and let me just tell you it is exhausting! We saw almost everything {we skipped a few things at Animal Kingdom}, and we rode every ride at all 4 parks at least once...we rode some 5 times:)

Since we've been home...

*I've been trying to catch up on my sleep*

*I've unpacked 2/3 of our suitcases*

*I 've been busy washing, folding, and putting away loads and loads of laundry*

*I've watched way too many hours of reality tv on the dvr...thank you HGTV*

*I've gone shopping to buy groceries for our empty shelves and fridge*

*I've been stressing out about a birthday party that needs to be planned in less than 5 days*

One thing I haven't done is edit the 347 pictures that I took while we were gone! So I'll just share two shots with you today and hopefully in the next few days I will find the time to edit them and share a few more:)

I want to say a great big THANK YOU to all my wonderful blog friends who did guest posts for me last week! If you missed any of their amazing guest posts, please go back and check them out and leave some comment love:)

Mon:  Felt Napkin Rings by Paula from Sweet Pea

Tues: Chocolate Chunk Cookie Recipe by Nichol from KiddiesCorner Deals

Wed: Photography Tips by Liz from Sugarplum Creations

Thurs: Baked Zucchini Bites by Amanda from Serenity Now

Fri: Card Making by Kelli from Outside My Kitchen Window

Sat: Sausage Egg Casserole by Yanet from 3 Sunkissed Boys

Sun: Pumpkin Bread by JoAnna from This Southern Girls Nest

Scrambled

No, I'm not talking about eggs:)

Lately I feel like life is scrambled...jumbled...a big crazy mess. I know it's just because we are busy with the new school year starting, but man even this summer it felt like we never slowed down. And I know even though we have a vacation coming up, life won't slow down then either {We are a go, go, go kind of family on vacation...no time to relax by the pool when there is stuff to see!}. It has gotten so bad lately that even an afternoon nap with Eli isn't helping:)

I feel like life has become a big jumble of  busyness with school, planning and research for our Disney vacation, and watching Jason helping work on the Airstream. Other than my Disney Countdown, I haven't had time {or wanted} to craft in weeks....hence the lack of craftiness here on the blog:) I still have stacks of projects waiting for my attention in the dining/craft room, I just don't have the time or energy! The deadline {9 more days} for making vacation themed crafts is quickly approaching so I hope I find the energy soon:) I'm hoping to make the boys some fun t-shirts for Disney and I have some water bottles for them that are screaming for a few vinyl Mickey's...plus they need autograph books and some sort of birthday hat for Grant to wear since we will be there on his actual birthday!

I did start back jogging this week. And even though it is WAY TOO HOT to be jogging in Mississippi, it felt good to be exercising again. I'm hoping I'm not the only one who thinks summer is not the time to exercise, but the time to enjoy ice cream cones and stay cool:) I was kind of disappointed with my jogging though....back in May I had worked up to doing over 2 miles, and after not keeping up with it this summer I was only able to manage 1/2 mile at a time! I'm hoping to do a modified version of Couch 2 5K and get back closer to where I was at the beginning of the summer.

Jason and I spent a little time yesterday sorting through the kids' collection of Disney Movies in preparation for our trip. He made a list of some movies to add to our collection, and I spent a few minutes alphabetizing the ones we have....because organization makes me happy:)

I also spent part of the day making a list of things we need for vacation.....ponchos, water bottles, and first aid kit are the first few things on my list.  We will be prepared for rain, heat, and boo boo's:) Now on to the dreaded packing!

Since I haven't been all that fun, crafty, inspirational the last few weeks, I figured I would share a few amazing links I have come across lately.
*Check out Jen's awesome kitchen sneak peek...I love the color of the pantry door!
*Julie shared this really yummy recipe that is on my To Make list...and she not usually a recipe kind of blogger!
*Amanda shared a hilarious post about her new swagger wagon:)
*One of my newest blog finds is Leslie's blog The Mommy Therapy. She is real, and honest, and FUNNY!

Eli's Art Class

Henry and Grant have only been in school for two days, but I can already tell that Eli is missing them and getting bored quickly. That means I'm going to have to break the arts and crafts supplies and start working on some fun stuff to keep him busy!

Yesterday we used big paper and crayons to make an Eli.

I love how he was concentrating so hard just to make some circles and scribbles!

Looks just like him, doesn't it:)

What kind of things do you do to keep your preschool entertained when the big kids go back to school?

Goodbyns: Best Lunchboxes EVER!

After posting this really cute pictures of my boys on their first day of school yesterday...

I got more than a few questions about their lunchboxes. I actually posted about them when we first bought them a few years ago {you can check it out HERE}, but I figured since so many people were interested I would share again and include a little update on them.

THE GOODBYN
I don't really remember how I stumbled upon their website more than a year ago, but it has made packing lunches for my boys so much easier and more fun!

Besides the cool factor {because if you get one of these people will constantly be telling you how cool your kid's lunchbox is}, my favorite part about the Goodbyn is that it makes packing healthy lunches quick and easy. For the first part of Kindergarten Henry had a regular old insulated lunch bag....and I was constantly throwing in prepackaged stuff. Not only is that way more expensive and not as healthy, it is also terrible for the environment! Since getting our Goodbyns my boys almost always have at least one serving of fruit and one serving of veggies in their lunchboxes...and very little trash to throw away after lunch!

I also love, love, love that the Goodbyn is dishwasher safe. I always wondered if I was really getting that little insulated bag of Henry's clean, but there is no question that your Goodbyn is clean after a run through the dishwasher:) I don't actually wash ours in the dishwasher every night though. Most nights I either rinse it out with warm soapy water or simply wipe it out with a wet rag if the boys didn't have anything messy for lunch that day.

After more than a year of use our Goodbyns are still going strong. We have had a few stickers fall off here and there, but that is to be expected when the boys take their lunch to school almost every day! That is also easily fixed with the extra stickers that I put somewhere that I can't remember in safe place to use when we needed them.

My only real complaint about our Goodbyns is that our cute drink holders aren't usable anymore...but that is mostly my fault. I accidentally left the boys drink bottles un-rinsed on the counter in our kitchen during one of the long weekends last year and some fun green stuff started growing in them. I tried cleaning them, but there was still some stubborn stuff stuck to the bottom. So instead of water or juice in their bottles, the last few months of school last year they took juice boxes instead. Not a big deal, but it does add to the trash factor and make packing lunches a little more expensive. I checked into buying new bottles, but back when I looked that wasn't an option on the Goodbyn website. Now they have the bottles for only $6.00 so I may be buying new bottles for my boys soon:)
***
I would definitely recommend the Goodbyn to anyone who is looking for a new lunchbox for their kiddos as the new school year start! The Original Goodbyn sells for around $26 and in my opinion is a really great deal. Henry used his Goodbyn for half of Kindergarten and all of 1st grade and I'm pretty sure I won't be buying him a new lunchbox until after 3rd or 4th grade! They also have a smaller version called the Goodbyn Bynto Kit that sells for around $17...though in my opinion the Original is your best bet for kiddos because you can pack a variety of things in their lunch....and none of the food touches:)

{The opinions in this post are my own. I was not compensated for this post, I just really love this product and wanted to share it with you since so many people asked about it! However if the people at Goodbyn would like to send over some new bottles for my boys or sponsor a giveaway for my readers I would be SUPER excited!}

The Long Saturday

Last week I told you all that we were trying to enjoy summer before it ends....well we did just that this weekend. After a few hours of working hard in the yard, we headed out for our last Saturday of fun before school starts.

 Our first stop was the beach. The boys played football and Frisbee and got a little too wet considering they weren't wearing their bathing suits:) The played in the sand and even got to check out a crab or two!

 Our next stop was Putt Putt. Always a hit with my golf loving boys. Eli was a trip....he would hit the ball, wait for it to stop, then pick it up and move it two inches from the hole. Needless to say he got a 2 on almost every hole:) Grant {the master golfer} even managed to get a hole in one!

 After a bite to eat, we headed out for a walk over a really big bridge.

 The boys posed for a few pictures, but mostly just ran and raced up the bridge...and then back down.

I got one pretty good shot of all three boys...

 ....then we watched the sun set.

We finished the night off with yummy milkshakes and three tired boys who fell asleep before we made it home:)

National Hot Dog Day....Maybe

At the beginning of each month in the summer my boys get a calendar of children's activities from our church. Our children's director always includes fun facts and even more fun holidays, along with the normal church activities that are going on.

Earlier this week I notice that July 21st was labelled as National Hot Dog Day....so we made plans to go to our favorite drive in to celebrate. After a little research, I found out that depending on which website you visit you could actually celebrate National Hot Dog Day on more than a few different days:) One website said July 19th, a few said July 21st, but the majority said that it was actually tomorrow Saturday July 23rd. I don't know which is right, but since we had already made plans, we ate and celebrated National Hot Dog Day yesterday {July 21st}...and maybe we'll have another hot dog tomorrow {Saturday, July23rd} just for the fun of it:)

So if you are looking for something fun to do this with your kiddos weekend, why not celebrate National Hot Dog Day...at least one website says that it's tomorrow:)

Birthday Wish List via Pinterest

So today is my birthday. For some reason birthdays just aren't a big deal for me, or at least my birthdays aren't! I love a good kids' party, but I'm pretty sure most people would think you were crazy if you had an all out birthday party bash for a 31 year old. So instead, I'll have a quiet day at home....and maybe even get to do a little crafting:) Jason is going to make dinner tonight and {even if I have to make it myself} we will have some kind of cake, mostly because I really like cake!

So in celebration of my birthday, I'm going to share some of my birthday wish list with you:) Most of these inspiration pictures are from Pinterest...if you are on Pinterest and you want to follow my boards click HERE!

I'm guessing it's not a surprise that I have a few DIY projects on my list:

Source: hookedonhouses.net via Kelli on Pinterest

Source: thisoldhouse.com via Kelli on Pinterest

  A few things for my craft room: 

Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Kelli on Pinterest

  

Source: theoldpostroadblog.blogspot.com via Kelli on Pinterest

  A new camera is on my "not this year, but a girl can still wish" list:)

Source: amazon.com via Jeff on Pinterest

 How yummy {and cute} is this cake! Perfect for any birthday!

Source: thekitchn.com via Kelli on Pinterest

I hope you had fun checking out my birthday wish list. Head over to Pinterest and check out all awesome inspiration that everyone else has been pinning!
Have a happy Tuesday:)

Our New Project

A few weeks ago Jason and I started talking about making a purchase. Actually I think I might have been the one that first brought it up, but Jason was excited by the idea immediately. We might have gotten a tiny bit obsessed on our quest for the perfect item: checking Craig's List & Ebay {everyday}, watching You Tube videos, and even shopping around a little. After a few weeks of research, we stumbled upon a really great deal....and we brought it home.

*************

These three are SUPER excited about it!

Not only because it is really cool...

 ...but also because it means lots of time helping daddy!

 And did I mention how cool it is:)

Any guesses as to what our new project is?

I'll share a few more pictures one day next week, but right now I'm going to work on our patio redo that is taking forever to finish almost done!

Two Left Feet

This is just a friendly warning that over the next few weeks, my blog may be

*more fluff than serious projects*

*more pictures of suntanned kids than pictures of Silhouette crafts*

*more days off than a consistant 5 day a week posting schedule*

Summer is in full swing here.

We've had beach trips, pool fun, slip n slides days, grilling, and chilling....but not a whole lot of crafting going on around my house. I am still working on our patio makeover, and we also just made our very first Craig's List purchase which is going to be a major project over the next few months {I'm planning to share some pics of that project tomorrow}. So basically, while I'm enjoying the summer with the kiddos, my blog will be on a bit of a crafting break:) I still plan to share about our summer with you, I'm just going to give my crafting mojo a chance to recharge!

So for now enjoy these pictures of a cute little boy who managed to make two left feet look cute!

Thanks, Smiles, & Fabric

Today is the last day of school. Somehow this school year has flown by....and it has been a great one! We were blessed with amazing teachers for both Henry and Grant this year, and I just couldn't finish out the year without showing them our appreciation one more time.

I sent these really cute canvas bags for each of their teachers filled with a few happies and a gift card to Target:) The bags are monogrammed with an iron on initial that I cut out with my Cricut. Then I added a little tie to the handle for a little extra flair!

 Yesterday Eli and I went to eat lunch with our Kindergartner and 1st grader for the last time this year. It was kind of sad, but the boys are already saying they will be a 1st grader and a 2nd grader after today:) I think Eli is most excited because he will finally have someone to play with during the day!

 I've been working hard to finish up a few projects around the house before summer break starts. This bolt of fabric has been measured and cut and my re-upholstery project is about halfway finished...now I have less than 2 hours to get done before the madness begins:) Hopefully I can share the finished product with you one day next week...that is if we aren't already spending our days at the pool by then!

We have a birthday party on Saturday and a little trip planned for Sunday, but inbetween I hope to work on some new summer door decorations! Have a great one....and spend a little time working on a fun craft this weekend:)

A, B, C

A is for apples.

 I saw the tutorial for these Apple Gift Sacks at Skip to My Lou, and I knew they would be the perfect gift to end Teacher Appreciation Week. All I need was some brown lunch bags, red spray paint, and raffia and in less than an hour I had 10 SUPER cute teacher's gifts! Head over to Skip to My Lou for the tutorial.

 B is for baby birds.

I first shared pics of our newly discovered bird's nest here....now a few weeks later the eggs have hatched and the nest if full of fluffy little baby birds {who refused to cooperate for the camera}.

 C is for certificate.

Yesterday we went to the award ceremony at Henry's school. They gave out awards for perfect attendance, math, reading, and even positive attitude. It was nice to see all the hard work the kids put into school being acknowledged. Henry got the award for highest grade point average in his class, and we couldn't be more proud of him!

After the busy week we had, I am going to try and relax a little and maybe I will even get a little pampering for Mother's Day:) I hope you all have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all you moms!

A New Aid in the Kitchen

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I got a new toy over the weekend. I'm pretty sure from the hint I gave yesterday that most of you figured out that I got a new mixer:) And you are right! I got a brand new shiny KitchenAid mixer this weekend....kind of an early Mother's Day gift {and a Hey, I've got a 20% off coupon at Kohl's kinda thing too}!

 My old KitchenAid mixer was still kicking after almost 9 years, but it was just barely getting by. When I bake, I bake big...meaning dozens of dozens of cookies, and my old mixer honestly just wasn't big enough. So I did a little research and little price comparison and decided to go with the Professional 600 Series mixer in a lovely shade of Pearl Metallic.

 The box said it could hold up to 14 cups of flour! As soon as I saw that I was sold....that means I can make a triple batch of my chocolate chip cookie dough without straining my new mixer when before my older model was groaning with a double batch.

Here is a shot before she even took her first spin....full of sugar, brown sugar, and eggs:

 And this is what she looks like with a triple batch of chocolate chip cookie dough:

 And one of the best parts about making cookie dough....getting to clean the beater:) This beater is way bigger than my old one too which means twice as much cookie dough left on the beater!

Now I'm off to scoop, bake, and cool dozens of dozens of cookies for Teacher Appreciation Week!