Checking Things Off.....

 I thought I'd check in and tell you what we've done so far on our list.

VISIT A NEW BEACH.  

EAT ICE CREAM AT TWISTY TREAT. 

GO SEE GREEN LANTERN. 

FIREWORKS.

REBOUNDERZ WITH COUSINGS WHEN THEY VISIT.

SLUMBER PARTIES WITH FRIENDS.

ROAST TONS OF SMORES.

EARN MONEY READING.

FISHING AT THE LAKE.

CARS 2 (WE SUBSTITUTED THIS FOR KUNG FU PANDA).

WATCH LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.

We're still earning money reading and we're still watching Little House on the Prairie episodes.

We may or may not get to everything on the list, but it's such good inspiration to make one!

And, a little something I've learned from the list.....

Boys don't like to call it "SLUMBER PARTIES WITH FRIENDS!"  oops... :)

I'm pretty positive we won't be crossing off CRAFT WEDNESDAYS

since we haven't done one and summer ends in about 4 weeks.

I should have planned those projects out and bought supplies way in advance!

lesson learned.

Summer won't end until we've eaten KRISPY KREME, made a RAINBOW CAKE,

devoured some SNOW CONES,  and gone to DOWNTOWN DISNEY!

Did you make a summer fun list this summer?  

Are you crossing things off with your kids?

Escaping Reality

I have five loads of laundry on my bed waiting to be folded and put away.

This is what happens when you put off doing it on the weekend!

So, to kill some time, I thought I'd show you some of the key elements to a dream home that's in my head.

gray cedar shakes with too many windows to count and window boxes adorning every one of them.

this could be my front door, my back door, my side door...just so long as it's a door at my  house.

I love wood tones mixed with creamy white cabinets and I love farm sinks and I love wood floors in a kitchen.

 but my wood floors would need to look like this.

I'd find a way to have this little jewel on another side of my kitchen.

love the idea of having the table built over the top of front loading machines.

this is called love at first sight.

and I'd have this little vignette on top of my bathroom countertops

And, this would be in my backyard.

All of these lovely photos can be found here.

Okay. back to reality.

I'm off to fold some clothes!!

Pinterest, Macbooks, Fashion and Family Rules

It has been ten forevers since I posted.

Okay.  It has only been a couple of weeks, but it feels like a couple of forevers.

I think I want to gab with you guys today about a whole lot of nothing.

First of all, I love pinterest.

It is the perfect solution to needing a place to store any picture or quote or recipe that
remotely inspires me.

We took a trip this past weekend, and I needed a little help in the fashion department.

No worries.  Pinterest was there for me.

I just went to my "fashionista board" on my pinterest account
and checked out some outfits that I've pinned.

Then, I went to my closet and found some similar items to my inspiration pictures, 

and waaaaaaa-laaaaaaa...

 outfit dilemmas solved. 

Here are some favorites this week....

so simple, so classic

would ditch the purse but love this combo

Apparently, I'm digging denim with white shirts!

I've totally added bangles with my big watch, and I love the look!

Purse would have to GO,  but the rest of the outfit...LOVE.

Speaking of outfit dilemmas.

The reason that I struggle so much at this stage in life is two-fold.

one. 

 I'm at home all day with my kids.  

It's so hard to wear anything but shorts and a t-shirt or yoga pants and a t-shirt.

Every year, I keep saying that I'm gonna get up and put on cute clothes, but here we are
eleven years in,
and...yep, I'm still wearing t-shirts and shorts or t-shirts and yoga pants.

two.

I live in Florida.

Everything here in Orlando seems casual.

As in, if you can't wear flip flops with it, then it ain't worth wearing.

I'm not as totally stressed out as I may seem in this post,

 but I am sure excited that Pinterest gives me some inspiration and encouragement

 in this little area of my life.

Another something that I don't think I've shared with you guys is that I have a macbook pro now.

And, I'm in love.

How have I typed at a desk on a desktop since 1996?

My tailbone thanks me daily.

So, the story behind the laptop is that my 38th birthday was back in June, and my husband surprised me.

He got me the newest, latest and greatest ipad2.

I hated it.

It took playing on it for about three minutes for me to realize that it wasn't gonna fit the bill.

I needed something I could type.

That thing was as sensitive to type on as my husband's iphone, so it had to go.

After my kids nearly jumped off a mountain when we told them we were returning it, 

I replaced it with my macbook.

And, I'm not even kidding about them jumping off a mountain.

They were beside themselves.

I had to gently remind them whose birthday it was and when it was all over, 

I cried my eyes out to my friend, Michele.

Why do you ask did I cry my eyes out to Michele?

Because I'm a mother and I felt guilty for taking away MY birthday present and replacing it with something that I actually wanted and needed.

Don't worry.

We all made up and my guilt was for nothing, as usual, because they haven't mentioned the ipad again.

oh the things we mothers feel guilty over.

What else? 

Oh!  Remember this post where I told you we were back in business with our family rules signs?

I can't even believe it, but we've sold over 30 of them.

thirty.

It's been fun creating them for each of the families that have purchased them.

Each sign is usually unique with different rules/values representing each sweet family that orders.

We haven't really talked about an end date, but I know life will get busier when school starts.

I'm guessing we'll make them through August, so if you're interested, send us an email to

andy@cflwesley.org

Did I ever tell you that my husband went to Paris back in May?
He spent two weeks in India with some of our college students,
 They had a two day lay over in Paris.
PARIS.
That man of mine went to a community rummage sale in the park
 and brought me home that really cool jar (the smaller one) in the picture up above.
I am sure that they call it something fancier than a "community rummage sale"
but that's all I know to call it! :)

I love him for forty seven thousand reasons,
but the fact that he & I share a love of rummaging or flea marketing or yard selling
or whatever you call it...that makes me smile on the inside.

I have more to say, but this post can't handle one more thing from me, so I'm signing off for now.
the end.

Except, I will end with some more of my favorite pictures from Pinterest this week.

Miss Mustard Seed created this beauty!

Lissa created this calm, beautiful tablescape!

Paige put this together....I LOVE that she changes this vignette out each season!
This one might be my favorite.
Okay.  I've said that about every one of them, but you get the idea.
She knows how to put together a vignette.

cause I love food and the fourth.

              Source HERE

source HERE

Please know that on the 4th of July, I will find a way to make these.

You guessed it.

All of these lovely photos were found on Pinterest.