dawg house

This is for my neighbor, Bob, who is THE grill master. It is for his great outdoor grilling area. God is good to give us them as neighbors, they bring over grilled treats often & take such good care of us. The first time I met Becky (Bob's wife)-she said she'd be like a second mom. I didn't know what to think about this, I wasn't sure how close I wanted to be my neighbors at that point. Well, she was right. She's taught me how to be a laid-back hostess (that it doesn't have to be perfect) & how to SMILE & be positive regardless of the situation.

summer salsa

Making this tonight and needed to share. Love this one because very few ingredients & perfect for hot summer. I was in a rush, so I put my in the food processor-no chopping!

I'm laughing to myself, pretending like I'm a food guru, propping out my ingredients. Considering this past week, made a quick thrown-it-all-in-there dish & Henry would not eat it because he said he thought it could be poo-poo. He wasn't being funny, he was really concerned.

Summer Salsa:
4 cups of green grapes
2 chopped green onions
1 can 4 oz. green chilies
juice of 2 limes
chopped cilantro, salt and Tobasco to taste.  

Chill and serve with tortilla cup chips.

hands stitch for Dad's day

I did it. It is not perfect, but I'm so glad to have these little hands remembered in a sweet way. You should try it. I just used the type yarn/twine I had here: raffia, thin ribbon & yarn. The fabric I used is just a very basic canvas. I'll practice a few more & then I'll add this to the list of dandy offerings.

sea cross

Mandy, this is yours! I made while on my beach trip with my little treasures I collected: shells, seaweed, driftwood, sand, etc.

This is me determined to paint on the beach, using my goggles as my water dish.

I brought back this driftwood and put in this glass container. Love anything that reminds me of the beach...(well besides tattoos & sunburn).

last minute father's day gifts

rock paperweight how-to right here.

 free adorable printables to use on his day. download available by love party printables.

  cute. tutorial here.

a little more involved, but i may attempt a variation of this for timmy.

summer shoes

 

Don't shop at Kohl's often, but I did recently & love their SO® line of shoes. Love it when I found the perfect summer shoes-got them!

wedding block

A wedding block for a gift for Carey Leigh & Jody from Dara (thanks, Dara)!!

dining room

can't let go of the yellow decor from Ruthie's party. btw, i found those white skinny glass candles at the dollar tree. I have about 10 of them now. they remind me of the traditional catholic prayer candles.

NEED to tell you about my IKEA dining room chairs. Very proud of my $19 chairs. They came unfinished. I did a white-wash stain thing on them & polyeurethaned them.

Okay, first visit to IKEA for my mom, polly & me in Dallas. I thought we were going to pass out from all the excitement. I get it now. Such a smart store, the efficiency, the design, the prices, the thought given to EVERYTHING.  I overheard mama telling all her friends about her IKEA trip for days after our trip.

bathroom update

BEFORE

 full disclosure: this was the WAY before picture, like before we moved in the house. but this provides the most impact.

 

AFTER

REDO steps:
-painted wallpaper CORNBREAD (by Martha Stewart) after Ruthie's sunshine party
-replaced big wall mirror with 2 gold leaf mismatched antique mirrors (spray painted silver with touches of brush applied champagne metallic paint).
-got the S & T (sarah & tim) vintage metal letters from this etsy store.
-closed up the flourescent light box with a foam board panel covered by Home Depot ceiling tile/like wallpaper. (friend bridget introduced me to this awhile back)
-switched towel hooks for some sale bin anthropologie ones
-spray painted the hinges & pulls & switched out the faucets

Yellow is slowly creeping over the house. I can't stop.

happy closet

 let me preface this with...i've never organized by closet by color, but I did on Sunday night! i had some antsy energy and it was let loose on my closet. i was a sneezy mess afterwards, but it was worth it. i relentlessly purged (no comment if you see something that should have been purged) & learned I have the majority in these colors: white, black, & gray. You need to know all this..

VBS

I mentioned earlier, I headed up decorations for the VBS at our church. We have about 500 kids who come through each year & when they asked me-I really had to think/pray about it. Really I didn't want to pray about it because I didn't want to say yes. Glad God helped me say yes. 

He gave me the 2 best co-chairs EVER. They were detailed, hardworking & so willing to help. It got kinda dicey when I would tote the kids up there with me to work, I would just hope no one official from the church would walk into our "room"-with Ruthie no shirt on & paint all over her & Henry standing & jumping off the snack table over & over. My freelance graphic design work stayed manageable, which was a blessing-no new big projects during this time period. I know God was helping me along the way. I have loved being part of something big. Loved working with sweet friends, laughing, painting & talking. God has been good to me. A sweet reminder that when He asks us to do something, He'll make it happen & fill you up more than you give away. 

I was filled up on Monday morning when I overheard a little girl seeing the VBS decorations for the first time...say, mama, this is weird-I like it.

Below are some iphone pics I took today. Not fabulous. But I feel kinda weird, walking around taking pictures of my own decorations with my official camera. 

Theme is "Inside Out & Upside Down on Main Street".

Pray for these kids this week, that the Bible lessons & music will stick with them.

I read this book, while prepping for VBS, it was such a beautiful reminder, "Jesus loves the little children".

God worked in my heart & made me a happy volunteer with message. Would recommend it.

SUN!

each year my fam goes to the beach. my fave time of the year. 18 of us all together: my sisters, husbands, kids & parents. i get post-beach depression. I tote beachy things home: driftwood, shells, etc. Will share pics soon of some beach creations. It is hectic, relaxing, fast, low-key all at once. We eat lots of ice cream, a family cooks each night (us=fish tacos), there are spats (glad we aren't pouters), some spazzy dancing pre-dinnertime, my sisters & I delve into high-gear deep conversations in a stolen time away from the little ones (a 15 min. walk down the beach). 

love the sleepy time in the morning as the preteen kids are still snoozing and kiddos are patiently waiting to get to the beach.

ruthie & her cousin (and keeper) elizabeth. i overhear elizabeth say, "now, say yes m'am, ruthie", "say please first"...

the lone picture i got of these 2 together with their perfectly fabulous artificial smiles. no matter-i got it.

chillaxing.

the youngest ones: charlie & ruthie getting crazy on picture night.

highlight of the trip, pushing the buttons on the elebator.

They surprise me sometimes & they sure did with their love of the water, considering they seemed tortured by their swim lessons last month. Ruthie would attack the water, slapping her little body down. She would say she was a mermaid & then wiggle her little booty while she swam.