Friday, July 29, 2011

joy

:: laying with jacob
having him layer his leg
on top of mine
would keep me there all night
i feel the love

:: ben insisting on dicing the onion
for our corn dip
he was so thrilled w/ the dicer/chopper thingie
and concerned that i would cry
sweet little helper

:: the sense of smell
can't wait to taste our brownies
and summer corn dip tomorrow

Five Friday Favs

very berry tea
made at home
with blueberries & strawberries
that were almost bad
so i brewed the tea over the berries
since that first pitcher
i've made several more
frozen berries, almost bad berries, fresh berries
they all work

* * * * * 

reliving my beverly cleary days
reading with ben

* * * * * 

reading galations 5:22-23
with the boys
and breaking down the fruit of the spirit
discussing each attribute
and the importance of Godly character
each of us stating which "fruit"
we felt we needed to work harder on
and asking God's guidance in
j picked exactly what i was thinking
b picked 3!!
i chose patience

* * * * *

owls owls owls
now that i've switched my prek theme
i'm seeing them everywhere
hope i don't get sick of them to quickly

* * * * *

strawberry twizzlers
always thought i hated them
until a friend had them
and got me hooked on them

Friday, July 22, 2011

five friday favs

if i hurry i can still make it a friday posting!

sleeping in
it's a rare thing
but i go for it when i can

* * * * * 

meeting up with my parents for dinner
it was a great "break" for us all
mama got out for a bit
and we got away for a little while

* * * * *

spray bottles
a great idea for an outdoor movie night
in 100 + degree weather

* * * * * 

ben's tan lines
are adorable

* * * * * 

jacob's freckles
are spectacular
too many to count kiss

Sunday, July 17, 2011

home sweet home

there's nothing like . . .  

being gone from your babes for 4 days

talking to one of them on the phone
and hearing an over tired one cry
when you are 9 hours away

short & sweet conversations
while separated from each other

being greeted at the door
by both of them hanging on me
for so long the person dropping me off
unloads my stuff 
and just drives off
(she did say she was going to "drop" me off)

them going out to play with their friends shortly after
but they did come in easy & with out complaining

sleeping in your own bed
sleeping in
in your own bed

taking a long hot shower
at HOME

staying up late
laughing, giggling, & tickling

catching up
and hearing about their adventures

i love our cozy home & precious boys
treasures

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; 
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
Psalm 16:6

Friday, July 15, 2011

five friday favs

air conditioning

* * * * * 

hcp&r free & next to free camps
both boys were on the wait list
for basketball camp
we got word this week they are both in!!

* * * * * 

girlfriends that call & text
and call & text
until they get a response

* * * * * 

pool nights with friends

* * * * * 

favorite things
w favorite girls
w favorite foods

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

make them wanna kiss their mama

last night we had a sweet tooth like no other . . .
nothing was just working for any of us
so i went scrounging through the fridge to come up with something different

i found some cresent rolls
peanut butter
cream cheese
&
chocolate chips

little b said mama what in the world are you doing
i gave him a hint that it involved chocolate chips

i spread cream cheese on a few cresent triangles
i spread pb on the others
i sprinkled chocolate chips on all of them
rolled them all up
and baked

the house smelled good

when i popped open the oven
i exclaimed
oh my . . . these treats are gonna make you wanna kiss your mama

they were delicious
they had one of each

best of all i got lots of kisses & noseys

everything is better with cream cheese right steph & liz?!

Monday, July 11, 2011

these are a few of my favorite things


you may or may not know
that 13 years ago today 
i married the most amazing man in my world
sadly, things are different now
so i celebrate today differently 

last year a few girlfriends came over 
sort of unplanned
b/c they didn't want me to go the first year alone

this year i've been seeing
favorite things parties
all over blog land

so i merged one of my favorite days
with lots of my favorite friends
with tons of our favorite things
munchies, drinks, give aways, etc.


enter *brown paper packages*
i think it's a new tradition

a  couple of weeks ago 
i sent out simple invites
with directions


i made a few of my favorite desserts
lemon bars, chocolate chip cheesecake bars, & strawberry puffs

other gals brought the yummy selection of appetizers
crab dip & crackers, mexi dip & chips
hummus & pita chips,
pizza roll & sauce, fruit salsa & cinnamon chips


as the girls arrived
i told them to write their name on 5 pieces of paper
and place in a bucket
that is how it was determined who got each fun item

then as ladies shared their fav
she pulled 5 names from the bucket
those five gals took home that item
and so on


best of all the party was on a huge budget
i'm very proud of the little money that i spent
i used things i would find around the house/garage
greens & yellows
glass
brown paper
buckets
string
you get the idea

i used jars from the garage
(my father in law will be thrilled ~
i think he is concerned that i may be a hoarder)
i created chalk panels on a few 
and put tea in those
etched "water" on another
those were the drinks i provided
a few others made their way over as well

  

i used scrapbook paper & grocery bags 
to create the scallops for the garland
also to make sign sign in cards for each guest

last minute i cut open a few other trader joes bags 
to serve as table covering




so i know what you most want to hear about . . .
the *uninvited* guest

just kidding i know you want to see some of the favorites

Kim brought egg timers
and she did NOT draw my name


Anne brought ketchup from Chik Fil A
in those cutsie little dispensers
AND
wonderful BPA free water cups with lids & straws
like the one in the left of the picture
that's mine

Michelle & Maggie
both have a thing for Bath & Body Works Soap

Jennifer brought
Homemade Cajun Rub in cutsie jars
(can't wait to try it!)

Lisa the make-up lovely
brought everyone the best mascara
Kelly Ripa agrees

i forgot to tell you that lisa ~ 
i remember when she would rave about that stuff

Liz brought magazines


Jennie brought Angel Bells
made by Angel Bell

Mandy brought Berts Bees Chap stick

Stephanie brought Venus Razors
and tips from her couponing expeditions

Jenn brought
Hollywood Fashion Tape

I had my fav EOS lip love


this would be fun to do seasonally
that was an idea floating around
i'll host again next summer

Be joyful always;
pray continuously;
give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God's will for you
in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16

Friday, July 8, 2011

finding joy each day

i've been longing to create something similar to this 
i found the perfect frame in the garage
i took out the pics and added some papers
turned it into our own little joy board.

 the boys can reach it too
(hardly)
so they can add to it as well
the dry erase pen rests with the chalk on the tray
i walked through later on in the day
and j had added "family"

i also FINALLY hung the old serving tray turned chalkboard
i think i like the placement

it's amazing the amount of stuff i can get accomplished
with space in my craft area
and some forgotten stuff in the garage

five friday favs

i thought this time i would focus
on five things i can't live without during the summer
~ besides flip flops ~

so i bring to you my five friday SUMMER favs

* * * * * 

i know it's way more expensive
but spray sun block is worth it

* * * * * 

the boys have very sensitive skin
right under their eyes
we've had no more rashes or reactions sense using

* * * * * 

love to have my toes painted
i've used all my pedi gift cards
so it's back to my stash i go
my favs are 


i like some wet & wilds too 
but they're so cheap 
that the name isn't even written on them!

* * * * * 

can't find an image
of our favorite after sun moisturizer
it's the target brand
after sun aloe lotion
i bet they don't make it anymore
our  big ole pump bottle of it is from last year

* * * * * 
and if i don't use this
my lips are in trouble for a week or more
it's already happened once this summer
hopefully not again!

* * * * * 

HAPPY SUMMER

more favs this week include
fireworks w/ friends
after dinner swims
a clean creation station
which means more space & time to create
time for reading

ok . . . off to get our cow costumes ready
how far will you go for free chik fil a
i only have to figure a way to get jacob dressed like a cow
bribery isn't working!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

lynchburg lovin

late night chats w/ my parents
a yummy treat at the amazing reopened chestnut hill bakery
painting mama's toe nails . . . she was needing a pedi bad
observing our boys be gentlemen
a bojangles breakfast w family & friends
meant a huge tea for the ride home
church in the car on the way home
deep thoughts on the church . . . *our church*
no hand held devices in the car . . . that alone is delightful!
lots of cuddles & chats w/ my boys before bed
picture taking
rides through the country
a sweet visit with this sweet man

not sure who is cutest!!

Friday, July 1, 2011

hot fun in the summer time

these fun summer to do lists are all over blog land
i LOVE meg's . . . isn't that chalkboard amazing
my girl jenn's is adorable too
then there's the clothesline to do so cute i just don't have the right spot for that
the jars are cute
and how about this one
in the end i copied jenn




i was on a roll 
so this trash

became this treasure

any idea what my plan is for this


(hint: i have to find a sturdy branch)

so that's part of the fun i had in our garage yesterday
while the boys played so sweetly

Five Friday Favs

fruit kabobs
may sound silly
but put fruit on a stick 
and my boys eat more of it
even the fruits 
they say they don't like
rainbow ones are my favorite!
strawberries
cantaloupe
pineapple
kiwi
blueberries
grapes
i'll be making some 
strawberry, banana, & blueberry 
ones this weekend

* * * * * 
worship sunday has had me thinking on 
JOB this week
this stuck out for me
My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
Job 42:5

* * * * * 

cute little 4th jars 
made by a friend for me
can't wait to put a little light down inside

* * * * * 

singing along with the radio
at the top of our lungs
with my boys

* * * * * 

free
FREE
ice cream cones
from the CHIK
for signing up with the library for summer reading
and i LOVE
free kids meal tuesday nights!!