Mmmm

A summer . . .

just isn't summer . . .

Without a neighborhood lemonade stand.

More Crown Center

Treats at the candy store.  Thanks Uncle Glenn.

Checking out the free Clifford exhibit.  Also crowded, but pretty fun.  I spent most of the time telling Ava to stay with me, stop running, wait your turn . . . must have been the sugar rush from the candy store.  Riiight.

And then there was the window shopping.  I mean the "let's try everything on" kind of window shopping.

"Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been two of the most beautiful words in the human language."  Dame Edith Wharton

Weekend

We had a horrible storm on Friday night.  Torrential rains and winds that shook the house.

Afterwards there was the most beautiful rainbow.

On Saturday I went to Crown Center with Spencer, Ava, and my sister and her family.  Grandma Connie came along with my sister's in-laws.  It was crazy crowded!  Next time I will remember to avoid weekends.

Spencer LOVED it.

Ava was not as thrilled.  Too much chaos I suspect!

And of course I have to share shots of my sweet nephew Calvin . . .

Embrace The Camera: July 15th Edition

Embrace The Camera is all about taking pictures WITH your kids, not just OF your kids.  

Since Hubby left for a missions trip this morning to Nicaragua, this week it's all about him.  :)

Bag it

Do you use reusable grocery bags?  I have a bunch of them and I love them.  When I first started using them years ago, I did what many people do . . . forget them constantly.  Now I can't think of the last time I forgot them because it is so ingrained in me now to use them.  I have them hanging in the garage by the door and grab them on my way out.  I have been known to turn around and go home for them (Okay, well, I'm not a freak about it, just if I am still in the neighborhood). You can fit so much more in them, and then you don't have a billion random plastic bags around your house.  But here is the thing.  You have to WASH THEM.  Seriously.  If you don't, what you are trying to do that is good is actually really bad.  There was this study done where they found most people (97%) don't wash theirs and it contained all kinds of e coli.  However, by washing them you kill nearly all the bacteria (99.9%).  Which is a very good thing.   


After that, I feel compelled to end this post with a little Jack Johnson . . .

Free Food and Finds

Yesterday my husband dressed up the kids + friends to go get some free chick-fil-a.   I got to stay home with the kid that is stuck with peanut allergies.  Our poor little birdie.  Poor me, too.  I didn't even get a peach shake.     

     

He is pretty cute though, isn't he?

~Garage Sale Fun~

Last week I only got to go to one garage sale.  Apparently people don't think of pulling all their junk out of the basement to sit outside during the weekend where we celebrate the independence of our country, what is wrong with people?  Priorities, people!!  Anyway... at the one sale I went to, guess what I found?

This fabulous goodie for just $2!  I think it will go great displayed in my (someday) art studio.

So then this week I went out with much more success.  A few sneak peeks of my finds . . .

A great assortment of ribbon for a quarter each, and cloth napkins (also a quarter each).  I have quit buying paper towels (I know, I know, soo hard to give up!!) so I pick up cloth napkins when I find them and they are in great condition.  I also got some vintage ribbon that was very snazzy.  Yes, vintage just means it is old but hey, I prefer to think of it as "vintage", it just sounds so much cooler.  Total cost:  $2.50

Sewing basket= .50 cents

I loved these sweet pictures to put in either my (someday) art studio or in Birdie's room.  $1 each.

And this seriously cute ring for a splurge (wink)  . . . $2

Oh, and I picked up some clothes.  This hoodie that Ava is modeling was .25 cents (price tag still on in picture), and the seersucker skirt with green sequin trim was .50 cents.  The cool thing at that sale was, it was later in the day and they had a "Buy 5, get 5 free" so I spent $2.50 on 5 clothing items, then got 5 more items (mostly shirts for Spencer this fall, but I did get myself an nice Eddie Bauer shirt too) for free.  Free is my favorite price.

SCORE!

Okay, just one more thing I wanted to share, speaking of free.  After I got that camera last week, I was talking to my momma about it, and she told me that she had a camera that was my grandfather's that I can have.  My sis Vanessa and I went on a treasure hunt at my parent's house.  I ended up going home with two from her -- the bonus of having sentimental value, too!  Yay for hoarders!

Isn't it fabulous?? 

Embrace The Camera-- July 8th edition

Love this girl so much . . .  xoxo

Independence (Rain) Day

 We typically don't do anything for the fourth of July.  I often have grand expectations but it rarely pans out.  Many years we end up hanging at home.  Which is fine, right?  :)  This year we headed out to meet up with some friends at a church in Olathe that was hosting a shin-dig.

Ava was so serious about getting her face painted.  And no, she does not STILL have her face painted two days later because she refuses to wash it off.  'Cuz that would be just ridiculous.

Then it started to rain . . .

We opted to leave before the fireworks even started due to the inclement weather.  Don't you love how I use fancy words like inclement on my blog?  Yeah, I am smart like that.  And yes, I totally used spell check.  Anyway- we invited our friends over to the house . . . but only if they drove verrry slowly to our house so we would have time for a quick clean up job.  It actually was great team work on my family's part, I give them credit for helping us get it done without stress.  Go team.  :)

I love rain . . . but not when it ruins our plan to watch fireworks.

Pizza and snacks arrived as a bonus . . .

Everybody loves "Apples to Apples" . . .

It was a competitive, tough game.  Or something like that.

I forced them to take a group picture before they left.  Nice group, right?  In spite of the rain, it was a fun night and I am really glad we were able to spend it with great friends.