Tuesday, June 30, 2015

My Other Kids

We spent the whole weekend outside... in the flowers beds, gardening, and of course the hubby was woodworking. It was a much needed time, pulling weeds, cleaning up flowers, and tending to our sweet little plants. They require just as much attention as the kids, it's amazing... I was a little late at planting our peas and beans this year, but they're growing nonetheless and we'll just expect a later harvest this year. Our tomato plants seem to be struggling somewhat in the "growing" department... so tonight, I'm going to give them some extra love... I'm going to tuck them into bed with extra fertilizer and epsom salt... and see if that does the trick. My flowers are taking off, and I have high hopes this Fall to do some "cutting and rooting" with clippings from some of my favorite perennials (butterfly bushes mostly). My herbs... they never disappoint... It'll be time to make some batches of pesto in a few weeks. I'm trying to gather ideas on what to do with all that sage. Summer really has only just begun... so many more weeks left of tending to these sweet little babies.











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Friday, June 26, 2015

4th of July DIY

I have a ton of scrap fabric and felt lying around... and when I say a ton, I mean a TON. I'm always trying to come up with creative ways to get rid of it... and with 4th of July coming up, I figured it would be fun to create some "homemade" flags. They're an easy sew up, or if you don't have a sewing machine, you can totally use hot glue.

All you'll need is some white felt, scrap fabric that resembles the colors of our flag, and a dowel rod... bamboo skewer or even a stick could work.














First, cut the red and white fabric in a rectangle, and the blue and white fabric in a square. You'll also want to cut two pieces of felt the same size that you cut the red and white fabric.














Next, you'll place the blue square in the corner of the rectangle fabric and sew (see photo as to which edges you'll sew)... or you can glue this fabric on to the other.














Then, you'll take your flag, and place them on the white rectangle felt pieces. You'll double up the felt, so that it'll make a sandwich, in which you'll slide in the dowel rod, and sew. Remove the dowel rod before sewing. I "eye balled" the width of the dowel rod, so you know, where NOT to sew... but you can even place the dowel rod in place, and pin it, before removing the rod, so you have the exact width.














Last, slide the dowel rod into place.






























They're a little wonky... but I love that about them. Stick them on a cake, add them to a plant for a host/hostess gift to the picnic you're going to, or just let your kids have fun waving them around.


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Thursday, June 25, 2015

Ringmaster

Most days I feel like my life is a circus... juggling, jumping through hoops, balancing... I imagine it would be an amusing show for most to watch. 3 kids is tough... if you have more than that, I applaud you. 3 kids is also fun and entertaining... and I wouldn't have it any other way.






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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

2015 Summer Bucketlist

There's nothing quite like being able to simply enjoy Summer. Homeschooling Charlotte, summer means that not only does she get a break, but I get a break... and it's a glorious break. I LOVE homeschooling her... but sometimes it's nice to have a "schedule" break. I think most homeschooling Mamas can agree with me. I love adventure, and I'd love for my kids to get a thrill out of adventure. Summer bucketlists are fantastic..Years ago, Lindsay from Pen + Paint created a free printable Bucketlist graphic. I bookmarked it, so that I could snatch it when Charlotte was a great age for bucketlists. You can print it out, color it, hang it up, and start marking/checking off your list as you do the things on them. You can get it printed out at Staples or OfficeMax as a poster size and hang it on a door/wall. You can print it, color it, laminate it, and write on it with a dry erase marker. If you do it that way, you'll have a bucket for each year that you can recycle. Either way... I had to pass along the link... it's a super fun way to welcome in this season.







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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

A Day For Him

Father's Day came and went way too fast this year. We love spoiling our Daddy... he's the best, to say the least. We served him breakfast in bed, showered him with some sweet little gifts, and then let him work on projects for the rest of the day that he's had on his mind lately (we went to an ice cream festival the day before as a surprise adventure as well). We love him to pieces and just wanted to celebrate him.














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Tuesday, June 16, 2015

The World Is Your Canvas { Canvaspop Giveaway! }

In my house, I have this long hallway gallery wall. I have limited the photos on that wall, to only being B&W, and only being in a black frame or free standing. When Canvaspop wrote me and asked if I would try to print out a photo via their canvas option (they have SO many different things that you can create with your photos).














I knew I wanted to add this one photo of Marley and her "I'm going to be trouble" face to my wall. So I chose the perfect photo, turned into B&W and had Canvaspop print it out for me on a 16X20 canvas. It showed up at my doorstep, in record time, packaged finely and ready to join my wall. The quality is impeccable. They're sturdy canvases, and the coloring collaborated super well with the tones from my computer to their printers. Lots of different options when choosing the layout, and before it prints, you'll be contacted to make sure your order is exactly what you were expecting... so no mistakes are made.

With the digital age that we live in, printing photos is something that we have lost. We store our photos in our phone, only sharing them on social media, and barely ever create with them. However, now's your chance! Canvaspop is giving away one 16x20 canvas to one of my lucky readers! To enter, all you need to do is comment on this blog post and describe a favorite photo you have, that you'd turn into a beautiful canvas. Be sure to include your e-mail address. A winner will be chosen and contacted on Friday, June 19th!  

For those of you that don't want to wait... Canvaspop has so graciously offered an amazing discount code. To receive 35% off your order, use coupon code CELEBRATELIFE35 . Father's Day is just around the corner, and a photo gift is always a fun option.

**GIVEAWAY CLOSED** Winner has been notified! 

Be sure to check out their IG feed, full of fun, fresh ideas and inspiration. Their Facebook page also has some great links and eye candy posts.
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Monday, June 15, 2015

A Golden Day

Gotcha Days in this household are celebrated in the simplest of ways... together, having fun. We eat yummy food, add an adventure, and if it ends in a splash in the water, then it's a golden day.




















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