36!

It's my birthday!   :)

Remember when 36 was old? haha

I like my thirties.  A lot.

The teen years were fun, but the 20's were hard.

The 30's...get better and better.

You get more comfortable in your skin, I think.

You stop worrying so much about trivial things.

You become more grateful for all the blessings in your life.

I like my birthday.

I'm looking forward to a hot date tonite with my honey.

I'm giving myself a membership at the YMCA for my present,

and the permission to use it at least 3-4 times a week.

Even when I think I should be doing other things...

I will remember I promised myself "time"...

time to do important things just for me.

Today is the last day for Pillows for Davis...

I wish I could do it forever, but it's already been a whole month!

I just wanted to remind you that it's not just pillows-

25% of everything will go to Davis...

prints, checkbook covers, cards, list-makers...the whole shop!

So thanks again for helping Davis this month...

I dream of the day that Amy announces that he's coming home!

Have a wonderful day...

and even if it's not your birfday,

eat a cupcake for me!  ;)

Banana Boats

A lot of you liked my shot of smores, so I thought I'd share my newest little treat with you.

Take a banana, or two, and cut them into a few pieces.  Slice them in half, and lay them on a small cookie sheet.  Stuff them with small chocolate chips ( I used white chocolate, but milk chocolate would be yummy too) and top them with mini marshmallows.

Bake them in the oven at 350 for about 8 minutes.

Delicious and quick!  And with the bananas, it's kind of healthy!  :)
Enjoy!

Welcome to Our Surf Shack

It's been a long time since I've done a before and after...
We just had the exterior of our house painted, including our pool deck, so I thought a tiny spruce up was in order.
Mike is a huge surfer and we spend a lot of time at the beach, so I wanted to give it just a little bit of a beach theme.
Our dream is to have a condo ON the beach one day, but for now we are very grateful to have a pool.
In the summer we spend at least an hour or two at here every day.

I bought this patio set a couple of years ago on sale, and it's still in good condition.  The pillows were disgusting though, and after searching high and low for new ones that would fit, I finally found some at Wal-Mart.

Where are the kids?  :)

Here is where I sit my butt and life-guard.  It's really nice when I have a friend to sit next to me...:)  Usually it's my neighbor and we are able to watch all the kids and get a little sun!

In the evening we have a swim session after dinner sometimes.  I light the citronella candle in the red tub to keep all the mosquitos away.

Of course I wanted to create some original mosaics to put out here, but for now these metal candle holders from Homegoods will work. 

I love the shells in the candle...

My kids think this is funny. 

"Why does it say "beach"?  We aren't at the beach...we are at the pool, why didn't you get one that says "pool"...yada yada yada..."

"Because Mommy likes it!!" 

;)

Oh, I almost forgot the before shots:

After saving our hard-earned pennies last summer we had the whole pool resurfaced and pavers put in.

This was after they had drained the pool and started...looks pretty bad huh?

...it was totally worth it.

:)

Speaking of before-and-after's: remember that one-week challenge I had given myself for my living room?  It has morphed into a much longer project, but I will definitely show you when we're there...

Happy Tuesday!

38 down, 26 more to go...

Last night when I was drifting off to sleep, I was thinking of Davis.
How he has a mother and father, a sister and 2 brothers waiting for him.
I thought how Amy dreams of the space he will share with his brother.
How she probably imagines how he sounds, how he smells, how he feels.

Each time I was pregnant with my children, I would lie awake at night and wonder what they would look like.  What kind of personality they would have.  I would pray for them, for a safe arrival, for a healthy life.  I would pray that they would love God, and I would feel so grateful...

Last night I thought about how lucky Davis is, to have a family waiting for him.
How good God is...how He is protecting Davis until he arrives home safely.

Someone asked me if I knew Amy...and no, I have never met her in real life (at least not yet)

Somehow God brought her and Davis into my heart.  I pray for them every day...

I love how open Amy and her husbands hearts are...how they knew they had another son and are willing to make sacrifices to make sure he is safe and sound in their arms.

Four more days are open for Pillows for Davis.  I promise I am sewing as much as I can.  :)  I appreciate all of your patience...I am still 2-3 weeks out.  I've finished 38, and as of this morning I have 26 more to go.

But I want each one to be with as much love and attention as your child deserves, so it does take a little while.  But they are worth the wait, I promise!

Happy Monday Friends!!

And because I don't say it enough,

thank you for reading my little ole blog!  :)

The most highly anticipated item on our summer fun list...:)

We hit up Krispy Kreme this week.  The kids really wanted to make it a pajama run.  We found out that they make a fresh batch at 5:30 at night, but they still insisted on wearing their pj's!  It was still very light outside and hot, but Whatever...

 You know they are making a fresh batch when the red light comes on...

The kids enjoyed watching the process, seeing each one come down the conveyor belt.

Look at the bucket underneath, F.U.L.L. of glazed sugar...

Can you tell he was excited?

These were too rich, even for me ;)

Quite possibly the happiest I have seen these two together...:)

Yuummy!

 I even got a rare shot of Daddy, holding on to the rest of the dozen to take home...

Here's to a sweet weekend.

Take care!

Randomness

My wierdo brain needs a different type of stimulation...after sewing and sewing and sewing, I need  to work in a different tactile medium...I have been daydreaming of working in wood.
I made this key hanger a few years ago (hence the scanned picture):

I have big ideas for new ones...and I made a deal with myself that as soon as I finish up a big batch of Pillows for Davis, I am rewarding myself with an afternoon of paint, wood, and scraps of junk :)

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Speaking of Pillows for Davis, today is Amy's birthday!  Happy Birthday Friend!

One more week of Pillows for Davis...or you could go right here to make a donation :)

look at that sweet little face...:)

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I also wanted to mention a wonderful give-away going on.    Katy  from scottyboy and katygirl has decided to use her 30th bday as a way to bless others and has gathered 30 items from the handmade and vintage community to giveaway in exchange for books.  Every book bought from a Joyful Life Library

wish list is an entry to win this amazing loot. Buy two books, get two entries. Buy 4 books, get 4 entries. All books purchased from our wish lists will be sent directly to the sponsored hospitals, and will begin bringing comfort to the children and families that need it.

Awesome!

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Oh, and I wanted to share this quick little cutie project with you.

Ava had a playdate with a couple of girls this week and I thought it would be a good time to make the infamous rainbow streamers.  We did the rainbow ones and then Ava had a great idea to make watermelon catchers :) 

We hung hers right above the kitchen table!

Have I mentioned how much I love Vacation Bible School?  A break from 9-12 every day this week has done a Momma good...:)

Have a happy day Friends!