bento box lunches.

tomorrow marks the very first day of school for us. and, as my children are extremely excited with anticipation of their first day back, i am keeping myself busy prepping and packing lunches. i have found some inspiration here at another lunch and at bentobloggy.

i have one very picky eater heading off to kindergarten this year and i'm trying to find ways to make lunch fun, while hoping she'll try some new things. i love the idea of packing bento box lunches.

 

{images via another lunch}

happy weekend.

do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

this is our last weekend before school starts. so, i think we will savor some pool time. this evening, we have plans for a fun get together with our neighborhood friends. our next meet up will be at the bus stop on wednesday!

i am in love with the idea of having a little cottage in my own backyard

build a picnic table with a built-in cooler

super long candles for your next celebration

add some sparkle to little girl sneakers
 
vintage olympic tees 

a bushel basket lantern ( i think i could make one?)

hope you have a really fun weekend!!

{image via pinterest, rebecca peragine}

numbered chairs.

inspired by my love for typography, a few months ago i decided to update our dining room chairs with a little number typography.  the whole process only took me a little more than an hour.  it really was a quick update! and i am loving the way that they turned out.

what do you think? 

would you ever paint on the seat of your dining room chairs?

washing the car.

taking a break from a day at the pool, my children were very excited when i suggested that they wash my car.  as for them, it didn't seem like work at all, but a good reason to make lots of bubbles in our driveway and a really good chance to use the hose to spray one another.

 

or, as it ended up, slade taking great pleasure in spraying his sisters every chance he had.

 

but, in the end, they all worked very hard, my car was very clean, and they had lots of fun!  it was a great day!!!

the weekend.

 

what are you doing this weekend? now that we are settled back in at home from some time away, i am ready to start thinking about heading back to school. my kids go back in just a week and a half. and so, i'd like to spend some time this weekend stocking up on needed school supplies and putting together some back to school outfits. i really don't want the summer to end whatsoever. but, i think my children are anxious and ready to get back. even as i type this i can hear them all playing school together. slade being the teacher and the girls are teenage students. that makes me smile.

whatever your plans are for the weekend, i hope you have a good one. here are some things i have seen recently that i thought i would share with you-

love online shopping here for my girls
cookie dough treats for the kids
love, love, love ikea's new rustic collection
sweet bridesmaid gift
stamps
create lighting from recycled whisks

happy weekend!!

{cute girls' outfits, via garnet hill}

cousins.

 

we don't see them often enough, but it's always so much fun to get together with cousins for a day of fun at the annual family picnic.  thanks mom & dad for a great day by the pool celebrating the fourth of july and family!!

the jersey shore.

 

we just returned home from our annual summer visit to new jersey and spending some of our days by the shore. it is definitely a place i love and a time i look forward to every year. although i have lived many places in my life, somehow the jersey shore always feels like home. and i couldn't be happier to share time together there as a family.

the evening hours, when mostly everyone has gone home for the day are definitely the best

 slade sporting a summer mohawk and relaxing with jeff while the girls enjoy treats from the ice cream man- chipwiches, screwballs and choco tacos are their favorites.

countless hours spent digging holes and building sand castles

 

until next year, i will so miss these simple days of summertime that i love so much and bring me joy. 

 we'll see you again next year!!!!!

happy weekend + some things.

what are your plans for the weekend? jeff and i would like to finish painting our master bathroom. we started the project earlier in the week and have only been able to work on it a few hours each evening. so, hopefully this weekend we will be able to complete the painting phase of our mini bathroom makeover. i'm also hoping we can spend some time outside and by the pool. it is suppose to be very hot!!

whatever your plans, i hope you have a happy weekend and here are some things i've seen that you might enjoy too-

old school house is now this home...(wow!)
my kids would love this orange pushup smoothie
nine jewelry projects to make
these bites look delicious
silly bandages 
you're my forever art

happy weekend!!

rustic + gray and white.

i am loving this image of gray and white tones with a touch of rustic elements.  exactly the colors and the vibe i am dreaming for our master bathroom.  which, is the next room in our home that will be getting a mini-makeover.

{image via pinterest}

first day of summer.

this evening marks the official first day of summer!! yay! it truly is my most favorite season of all.

i hope your summer is filled with lots of ice cold treats! especially ones that are messy and fun!!  today was the perfect day to celebrate with homemade frozen fudge pops!

 

i found the recipe in the latest issue of everyday food. it is definitely one i will be making all summer long!!

happy summer!!

today.

happy flag day!

we celebrated our stars and stripes today!

happy summer.

although it is not officially summertime according to the calender, summer is in full force here. i can hardly believe my kids have been out of school for almost three weeks now.  we've been so busy playing with friends and going to day camps. however,  i am determined to sit down today and write a bucket list of summer goals and things we'd like to do before summer comes to an end!

how about you? is it summertime where you are at?? do you write a list of things you'd like to do during the summer? or is it your goal to just have fun!?


p.s. sia and i made this banner to welcome slade and elle home from school on their very last day... here is the summer banner we made last year and the banner we made the year before!

happy summer!!

elle turns seven.

  

my sweet elle belle turned seven over the weekend. it still is very hard for me to grasp the idea that she is really seven. how is she growing up so fast?

this year, at her request we celebrated her birthday here at home. in recent years, we have been in new jersey and by the shore. but, she really insisted on being at home this year.

and so, we celebrated on our back deck with some singing and dancing and a simple family dinner. country music is their favorite right now and jeff and i took lots of pleasure in watching them sing and dance and giggle together.

and then, we invited some friends to stop by for cupcakes. also at her request this year- vanilla vanilla cupcakes and cupcakes with an espresso buttercream (one of my very favorites too).

happy, happy birthday my sweet elle belle!! 

 i hope you enjoyed celebrating your birthday here at home!!

celebrating, thank you's and goodbyes.

life has been anything but quiet and calm. i knew the month of may would prove to be busy and hectic. but, when i look back at what we have been doing lately, it's been a lot of celebrating, giving thanks and goodbyes.

during the first week of may, we showed teachers our appreciation with a whole week of thank you's and gifts. followed by preparation for slade's first holy communion, which occurred during mother's day weekend. we celebrated here at home with a big party of family and friends. we were very thankful that so many of our family members traveled to share such a special day with us. and lucky for us, timing proved perfect, as it allowed us to celebrate both of our mom's for mother's day and with all of our siblings and children too.

then came sia's preschool graduation and a week of end of the year festivities. for me,  it was a very emotional week. we said goodbye to a school that we have been a part of for seven years.  i can hardly believe my baby is all done with preschool, but so proud and happy of the little girl she is growing up to be.  she is so ready for kindergarten.

the baseball season also came to an end. slade is loving baseball these days and i love to see his passion and ambition for the sport. we celebrated last week with an end of the season team party and came home with an awesome trophy. and so, we said goodbye to a great team of boys and coaches.

and, then this week. it has been a week of elementary school award ceremonies, parties and saying thank you (and goodbyes) to all of the teachers we love. elle earned the young artist award and wrote an award winning autobiography. her sense of creativity makes me smile with joy and i couldn't be more proud. and slade earned an award for outstanding excellence. it brings me such happiness to see how much they enjoy school and strive to excel.

and so, during our very busy month of may, i am a very, very proud mother, who has much to celebrate. i have so much gratitude for the family, friends and people that surround our lives. and although we have said many goodbyes, memories of the people and places will never be forgotten but a part of us forever.

teacher gift + printable tag.

 

originally i posted this "mint to teach" teacher appreciation idea here and it was also featured on tip junkie right here. but in honor of national teacher appreciation week, i thought i would share it again today. 

and because i have had so many requests for a printable of the tags, this time i've included one here too.

  

"mint to teach" printable tag

happy weekend.

what are you doing this weekend? our family has been invited to a low country boil party this evening that we are planning on attending after slade's baseball game. i made my favorite cookies and cream cupcakes to share with all of the kids. other than those events, i plan on savoring the very last weekend of april. i can hardly believe that the month of may is upon us, which according to our calendar is already a busy, busy month.

whatever your plans, i hope you enjoy the last weekend of april too! here are some things you might also like-

simply made from paper towels + food coloring

our next project made from pallets

made these artichoke toasties for the first time this week
(and loved them!)

sweet video - birth to 12 years in minutes

this printable i need!!! -especially for the month of may

make your own marbled glassware

happy weekend!!

p.s. i made these flowers for a luau-themed event at the elementary school and i love the way they turned out!! who knew paper towels could be so pretty!!

stella & dot.

today i am getting ready for a last minute stella & dot trunk show i am hosting tonight. if you have not seen their jewelry before, i highly suggest you take a look at their new 2012 summer collection. i am totally crushing over these three rings and thinking i may just have to add them to my collection tonight.

{images via stella & dot}

inspired: wooden doormat

 {image via martha stewart}

when i saw this colorful wooden doormat here and here, i immediately pinned it as an upcoming project of mine. and so, over the weekend, i decided it was time to spruce up the entrance of our home and make my own wooden doormat.

my wooden slats were slightly longer than the directions called for so i asked jeff to drill 3 holes instead of just two into each piece. and, because i love white, i decided to paint mine white.  however, after painting it white, i did distress it a little with a darker glaze and some sandpaper.  from start to finish it only took me a few hours to complete and i absolutely love the way it turned out.

you can find the complete directions here if you'd like to make one too!

monday + the weekend.

hello to a very chilly monday! i can hardly believe how cool our weather is for springtime. what happened? i was absolutely freezing at the bus stop this morning!! the weekend weather was so sunny and beautiful, which we enjoyed outside. besides a baseball game for slade, we had a quiet weekend and I enjoyed being at home cooking and working on projects around the house.

here is one of my favorite pictures from the weekend. sia was quite proud of her brother and his team for their win on saturday! she gave him a big hug after his game.

hope your monday is happy. 

and... stay warm if it is cool where you are at too!!

what are you up to this weekend?? for us, it seems like it's going to be a baseball kind of weekend.  we will be enjoying some sunshine while cheering on slade and his little league team.

however, on saturday night, we've been invited to have dinner under the stars with a group of friends. i am really looking forward to sitting outdoors, eating well and catching up with friends we haven't seen in awhile. i think the evening weather will be just perfect for a warm pear crisp with vanilla ice cream and is what we'll be bringing to share for dessert.

whatever your plans... have a happy weekend. i hope it's a good one! here are some things to enjoy too-

spring appetizer i have to try

i am so doing this for a special couple i know

gosh, i love target... have your heard?

celebrate earth day

great update for my ikea couch

{image via my baking addiction}

yes... sure i can.

in the beginning of the week, i gladly obliged when i was asked to prepare an appreciation breakfast for about fifty people for friday!! of course, i said "yes, sure i can." but... friday has come so fast! so, i have spent all morning and afternoon in the kitchen- baking, cooking and prepping!!

however, i did take a little break and enjoyed an ice cream social on the playground with my sweet sia marie. oh, i am really going to miss these preschool days.....

 

 

i will see you back here tomorrow... after breakfast!!