happy memorial day + some things.

i hope that all of you are enjoying a long memorial day weekend. our is very low key. baking festive treats. spending some family time poolside. eating outdoors and making s'mores. whatever your plans are today, i hope it's a good one.

and please remember the men and women who have faught for our country and made it the place it is today.

here are some things i've seen that i thought you might enjoy too.

popsicles for grownups. yum.
confetti cookies.
a cute printed tote diy.
loving summer denim right now.
and some summer necessities.

happy memorial day.

happy new year.

2012 was busy, yet joyful.
and now, i'm looking forward to a brand new year. 
a year of new beginnings. a fresh new start.

i think it's going to be a wonderful 2013. 

hope yours is too.

happy new year!

today.

happy flag day!

we celebrated our stars and stripes today!

a day to remember.

we spent today with some of our closest friends coming together for an impromptu barbecue. one of the highlights of my day was standing around the kitchen with every child and adult. hand in hand we took a moment of silence to remember all of the reasons we celebrate memorial day.

i hope you found some peace in today and found some time to remember too.

{image found here via mosdurf}

togetherness.

hello tuesday. it's hard to believe easter came and went. last week went by so quickly. it usually does when life is so good. my days were entirely filled with happiness and contentment. the five of us were together again as a family should be. it was wonderful having my husband back at home for a few days. last week, i truly had intended on sharing all the easter treats, crafts and decorating i had been working on. however, i submerged myself into togetherness and didn't want to pull away for any time at all. i love when we can all be together. the simple things seem to be so much important and meaningful lately. i don't think i will ever take for granted the time we have just to be together as a family.

i am truly thankful and very blessed.

i hope your easter was just as joyful and happy too.

easter egg surprise.

i have been busily working on a few projects lately, yet i have so many easter ideas whirling inside my head that i would like to get started on. however, there is one idea that i just can't get out of my mind: surprise message eggs. it's at the top of my list as things i'd like to try.

if jeff was not able to come home for the easter this year, i would most definitely send him an egg or two with a sweet message inside. they seem really easy to make and so much fun to send. you can see the full photo tutorial here.

{images via poppytalk by present and correct}

happy valentines day.

i'm wishing you a day filled with love.
happy valentines day.

done.

we are officially finished with making valentines this year. slade finished his up late yesterday afternoon. he had used this idea before while in preschool, however, it's a different school and different classmates, so i went along with it. (added bonus, we had the chocolate race cars already on hand). this year though, slade did most of the work himself. he even had the idea to create one for a girl and another for a boy.


as for elle, i saw this idea on babble and thought it was the perfect alternative to sweets and rather inexpensive. also, it can be given to either a boy or a girl. elle was sure she would be handing out the best valentine in her kindergarten class.

valentines delivered.

since sia will not be in school on valentines day, she proudly delivered valentines to her preschool class today. i really love the way they turned out. i saw this genius idea last year and sia gladly obliged when she knew that all of her friends would get a big lollipop.

she delivered valentines to each of her teachers too. i love quirky little sayings for valentine's day, don't you?

and, here's the gift i put together to give the teachers from the entire preschool class-- a small plant, blooming with hearts. inside the cards are reasons why each student loves their teacher. some of the answers were just so, so sweet. others were completely silly! i loved hearing what all of the children had to say.


thankfully, i now have the whole weekend to work on slade and elle's valentines and treats for their classes. i am loving that valentines day falls on a monday this year!

happy new year.

i can hardly believe we've said goodbye to yet another year. and yet i still haven't sat down to write all of my hopes, dreams and resolutions for 2011 on paper. they've been rambling inside of my head, but i know i need to jot them down. when i do, i will be sure to share them with you. until then, here is an inspiring new year's toast.

how about you? any hopes, dreams or resolutions for 2011??

i'm hoping you have a wonderful new year filled with all that you wish for. happy new year!

image found here by sweet designs

christmas day magic.

it's been so long since I have sat down to write anything at all. the christmas season proved to be busier than i ever anticipated. i never did quite accomplish everything i intended to. before i knew it, christmas day had arrived. and, despite the fact that my husband and i both came down with the flu, christmas in our home still seemed quite magical as always.

i love the peace, the joy and the excitement christmas brings. every year seems a little more merrier than the last. our children are now a year older and all truly understand the meaning of christmas and it's celebration. also, excitedly this year, we had a white christmas. it was truly beautiful watching the pureness of snow fall all day long. actually, it was absolutely wonderful. i love when it snows.

our home was filled with happiness. children playing with new toys. guests arriving. family and friends preparing a christmas meal. mingling and merriness. and then the calmness of christmas night. the peace. the joy. the still twinkling of christmas lights after all are in bed. a time to remember the many blessings of our christmas day.

i'm hoping christmas was as magical in your home and in your heart as it was in mine.

oh christmas trees.

last night, our family bundled up and headed out to find the perfect christmas trees. i had decided a couple of years ago that i like the idea of having two christmas trees in our home. one in the family room and another down in the basement since it is where our guests stay and we do most of our entertaining. it didn't take long before we had two of the most perfect trees wrapped, tied and loaded into jeff's truck ready to go home. and now, the fun of decorating begins!

i love, love, love this time of year!

a little christmas tradition.

i've been meaning to share this with you...


a little more than a week ago, our little elf arrived. here we found him sitting above the coffee bar in our kitchen. tinsel, as we call him, came to our home a couple of years ago and continues to come each year during the holiday season.

just after thanksgiving, he arrives and sits upon a shelf so that he is able to see and hear everything. the children can talk to him, but he cannot speak. nor can he be touched or his magical powers might be lost. each night he returns to the north pole and tells what he has seen or heard throughout the day. when we wake up each morning, tinsel is (almost) always in a different spot. i love the excitement as slade, elle and sia try to find where he might be. or, once in awhile i will hear them telling him their requests for santa claus!

quirky as it may seem, my children have come to love this little christmas tradition. they are always very sad to see their tiny elf friend leave on christmas day. but for now, tinsel is here to stay and my children know he will be watching and listening throughout each day!