Tag Archives: Friday Favorites

Five Favorite Friday – Dream Vacations

Posted on by

1

dc-skyline

Last week I shared with you my Five Favorite Family Vacations.  This week I want to share the five vacations I dream about.  {I dream about vacations a lot, so there could have been fifteen or twenty on the list.} Just so you know, writing this is going to make me want to travel.  And we can’t afford to travel right now.  So I’m going to be sitting here dreaming about places I can’t go.  But I’ll do it for you {and because, like I said before, I like to dream about vacations}.   5. Trip Around Europe {Rick Steves … Continue reading →

Five Favorite Friday – Family Vacation Destinations

Posted on by

1

bridge

You might think writing a post about vacations in September – just after the kids have gone back to school – is silly. But it’s not. Really. First of all, as soon as kids head back to school prices for everything from plane tickets to hotels to theme park admissions hit the floor. It is immensely cheaper to vacation with your family is the fall. Secondly, I am ALWAYS thinking about family vacations. Always. September, May, January…it’s all the same to me. So here are my five favorite destinations we’ve taken the kids to. {Maybe next week I’ll post my … Continue reading →

Five Favorite Friday – The Olympics

Posted on by

0

Olympic-Rings

  Participation, Competition, Excellence, Unity, Hope.  That is what the Olympic rings stand for.  It’s amazing how every four years the world can be so captivated by men in spandex and goggles.  But we are.  We watch in droves.  Because, it’s the Olympics.  And there is just something about it that brings the world together. No, I’m not trying to sound like a Coke commercial.  But I do tear up when they come on.  Sing with me…”I’d like to buy the world a Coke…”  Did I just give away my age?  Anyone else remember that commercial?  Gets me every time. … Continue reading →

Five Favorite Friday – Kids Book Series

Posted on by

9

Clementine-9780786838837

Summer is all about sprinklers and ice cream and bikes and berries from the garden.  It’s about fireworks and barbecues and sunscreen.  But for our family, it’s mostly about reading. Summer reading is upon us.  We spend our summers searching for fantastic books to sweep us away into other worlds, lives and adventures.  We read every chance we get.  And the books that always seem to be our favorites are books that come in a series.  After one book, we’re just not ready to let go of the characters.  We want to know what happens next.  We want to join … Continue reading →

Five Favorite Friday – Old Navy Summer Collection

Posted on by

0

Screen shot 2012-06-14 at 2.00.00 PM

This post is underwritten by Old Navy. Whether you’re looking for a tankini, bikini, or a one piece, Old Navy has you confidently covered at a great price. It is no secret that I love Old Navy.  At any given moment I know just what is available, what is on sale and what is being moved to clearance.  Mostly because I stalk their website until the clothes I want are $3.97.  Although, sometimes I find the need to splurge – mostly because I’m afraid the clothes and colors I want will sell out.  Old Navy is always my go-to for … Continue reading →

Friday Favorites – My Birthday List

Posted on by

5

Has it really been two weeks since I last blogged?  I’m so sorry to have neglected you all.  I didn’t mean to.  It felt like days, not weeks.  A lot happened in those two weeks though, which I’ll dig into more later.  I flew to Minnesota to stay with one of my best friends in the whole universe and help her with her new baby girl.  I also am directing the MOMS ministry that I’ve been a part of for 8 years and Thursday was our Fall Kick-Off.  And I was speaking.  And it was my first meeting as director.  But I made it through, it was wonderful and I got a chance to speak into the lives of moms – which I love to do.  But that’s not my purpose today.  We’ll dive into those things tomorrow.

Today is my favorite post of the year.  My annual birthday list!!  Ok, maybe not my favorite post of the year, but it sure is fun.  Because since it’s my blog, I get to post whatever I want.  And this is what I want…

New TOMS shoes…mine have holes in the toes and are stinky, stinky, stinky!!!

TOMS Classic Earthwise Shoes in Slate (Mens 7)

*****************************************************************

This running shirt is so, so true.  Running is way easier than potty training.  I’d love to wear this for the half marathon.

"This is the easiest part of my day" Running Shirt (L) from the Run Like A Mother gals

**************************************************************

This yellow umbrella

A yellow or orange umbrella would make rain a little more fun. And happy.

**********************************************************************

Can’t you just see getting cozy with a book and a cup of coffee in this sweater?  Yes, I’d love this sweater.  I really just need new fall clothes.  I realized when it started raining that I gave away a lot of my long sleeves last year.  Time to renew the wardrobe.

Old Navy Carbon Cropped Cowl-Neck Sweater (L)

*************************************************************

I would love to have coffee with my friends.  And talk.  That would make for a wonderful birthday (or birthweek).

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

**********************************************************************

I would love a Silhouette.  This machine would make my crafting life SO much easier!

The Silhouette SD...recently discontinued. Soon to be flooding ebay as crafters replace them with the new Cameo and want to sell their old machine.

********************************************************************

I would also love for my kids to get along, for my laundry to finally be finished forever and for dinner to make itself.

Oh, and I’d like it to be sunny and cold.  Scarf weather.  Can anyone order that up for my birthday?

Here’s to a great birthweek that starts tomorrow as I head over to P-Town to cheer on the crazies running the Portland Marathon.  Selene, Eryn, Devon…I’m talking about you!!  Kick some booty, don’t stop moving and finish strong!  So proud of you girls.

And to finish off my birthweek, I’ll be running the following Sunday in the Girlfriend’s Half Marathon.  If anyone is looking for anything to do on the morning of October 16th, you could come out and cheer on the runners.  We like it a lot.  It keeps us moving.  And it makes me cry.  Signs and cowbells are great too.  And water.

Thanks for sticking with me as I have become more sporadic in my blogging.  Once this race is over and I don’t have to train as much I’ll be back with all my thoughts.  Right now I’m just too tired to have thoughts.

Friday Favorites – What I Love About Fall

Posted on by

2

You got that right!  It’s back.  Mostly because I finally have two seconds to work on projects and I need to scour the internet for inspiration.  The weather is slowly turning.  There are less and less days playing in the backyard or at the park and more and more days spend inside with my vacuum, paintbrush and laptop. This week’s Friday Favorites is all about the greatness of fall.  Crunchy leaves and cooler weather are great, but some things about fall are even greater.

What I Love About Fall

#1  -  Boots

For over a year now I’ve been searching for the perfect pair of brown boots.  They need to be comfortable, low heeled, real leather, not too tall (I have short legs and I don’t want them over my knees) and wide enough for my tree trunk calves.  Oh, they also can’t bunch up when I walk or give me cankles.  And they can’t be too expensive.  And they can’t feel like rain boots.  I know, it’s a tall order.  That’s why I haven’t found any yet.  I am desperate.  But hours looking onlike and a few trips to some local (and not so local) stores have turned up what may be the perfect pair.

Keen Bern Baby Bern Boots

Beautiful, right?  They are just what I’m looking for…and they fit!  The only drawback is that the soles are not very flexible…kind of like hard plastic.  That makes them a bit slippery.  But they’ll probably wear down just fine.  And they are oh so pretty.  And not too fancy.  I’m not a fancy person.

***************************************************************

#2  -  Beverages

Another fall must have is my favorite drink of all time.

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte

Grande.  Nonfat.  No whip.  Good foam.  Now that’s a good drink.  This is the main reason I love fall.

******************************************************

#3 – Apples

Here in the Pacific Northwest we are spoiled by so many local fruit merchants.  We get fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, pears, cherries and onions.  We even get to pick and eat big juicy blackberries right off the vine along paths, in forests and wherever there’s unused land (I do love free food).  My favorite product of fall, however, is apples.  Tons of apples.  Hood River apples.  Wenatchee apples.  Everywhere there are apples.  Hundreds of varieties.  Some good for pies, some for cider, some for applesauce and some for crunching any time of day.

In October, Portland Nursery hosts an Apple Tasting.  It is a wonderful festival where you can taste around 50 different varieties of apples and chose the best fit for your needs.  Last year we were introduced to many different apples that we had never heard of before.  My kids loved tasting and choosing their favorites.  Apple growers bring their varieties in giant wooden crates and you can fill your nursery wagons with bushels of apples.  Last year I think I bought 40 pounds.  We had yummy applesauce all winter.  At the festival there are also all kinds of apple desserts and pastries, a scarecrow contest, a kids activity area (where they get to paint a pumpkin) and an area for music performances.  It’s a wonderful day out with the family.  I can’t wait to go again this year.  My shelves are going to be loaded with jars of homemade applesauce.

**************************************************************

#4 – Scarves

I just love them.  Red ones.  Teal ones.  Floral ones.  Plaid ones.  Linen, jersey, striped or fringed.

There are so many scarves to choose from!  Oh, I may have a scarf obsession.

*************************************************************************

#5 – Races

Fall is race season for me.  I know people race throughout the summer, but for me fall says “Run!”

I’ve already run the Warrior Dash.  I’m signed up for the Girlfriend’s Half Marathon this fall (though training is not as fun as I wanted it to be since I’m spending all my time on a spin bike at the gym instead of in the fresh, crisp fall air).  Friends of mine are running Portland Marathon so I get to make signs, bring my cowbell and cheer like a maniac.  And then there’s the Hot Buttered Run, which I haven’t signed up for yet, but my kids loved running the candy cane race last year.  Maybe I’ll just do the 5K.  There’s just something about pinning on that race bib and running with hundreds of other people that says fall to me.

**************************************************************

#6 – MOMS

Fall is when our MOMS group starts it’s new season every year.

I know it probably sounds corny, but I love to get together with my friends over free breakfast without our kids running around our feet and begging for our attention.  It’s so great to sit together and have some adult conversation, some good food and some laughs (because we’re pretty funny people).  MOMS group with free childcare is one of the best inventions ever.

**************************************************************

#7 – Books

Fall is really the perfect time for reading.  Actually, reading is great year round.  But in the fall I can sit with a hot cup of coffee or cider (see #2 and #3) and curl up with a good book while the leaves fall and the puddles gather.  It’s just…good.

I’m currently reading The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey, by Trenton Lee Stewart.

I also have a few books waiting in the wings.

Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus, by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson (our book club read)

If You Are Reading This, It’s Too Late, by Pseudonymous Bosch

The Help, by Katheryn Stockett

The Good Girl’s Guide To Getting Lost, by Rachel Friedman

************************************************************

What are your favorite things of fall?

Friday Favorites

Posted on by

1

Today’s Friday Favorites start with one of the best ideas I’ve seen on the Houzz site:

Hall eclectic hall
I would love some circus letters to hang on my wall!  I actually want these exact letters.  The word F-U-N, all lit up like that, just makes me smile and want to, well, have fun.  Sadly, I found some at a store in Hood River, OR and they were $200 for each letter.  Spending that much is not F-U-N.  So if any of you DIYers out there know how to knock these off…could you make some for me?  (You didn’t think I’d ask you to teach me, did you?  That just looks like SO MUCH work!)  I wonder if one of those light switches underneath turns off the letters.
*********************************************************************************************
Another of my Houzz faves of the week is this:
Living Room modern living room
That is the gray I want to paint my living room.  I’ve been searching and searching…and now I know!  Stone Harbor 2111-50 by Benjamin Moore.  It works perfectly with browns (like my fireplace bricks) and colors.  Because I like colors.  And I love this gray.  And, come to think of it, I love that drum pendant light too.
**********************************************************************************
I found this picture on Pinterest, though it was from p.s. i made this back in April.  Love this idea.
I love maps.  And they look so good as decor.  Seat cushions, wall paper, decorative plates…  I need to scour Goodwill for maps.  If any of you thrifty shoppers out there find some that look like the maps in the picture above, feel free to snag them up for me.  I’ll pay you handsomely.  Or just pay you back what you paid for them.
********************************************************************************
Sprik Space has some fantastic downloads for you crafters/designers.  She made graphic designs and background in LOADS of patterns (seriously…stripes, chevron, quatrefoil, houndstooth, diamonds, circles, and on and on…) and loads of colors.  Each pattern is free for you to download as zipped files.  You can get them all or just the one you want.  This is an amazing offer from a great blog.
I can already think of so many uses for these designs!  Especially now that I am moving towards making my own art for the walls of our family room.
*******************************************************************************
I love everything about this picture.  The dresser.  The throw.  The pillow.  The giant letter.  The color.
From what I can tell, this came from an international designer’s blog.  But, since it was in a foreign language, I’m not really sure.  No matter…it’s beautiful anyway.  I expecially love the different shades of drawers. This would work in any color.  Yellow, orange, coral, gray, green, red…anything.  Really.  It would be lovely.  Oh, and I like the necklace too.
**********************************************************************************
This etsy find made me smile.  I want to get it for my hubby.  I love his math nerdiness.  His ruggedly handsome and exceptionally strong math nerdiness.
If you had to take a second look to figure out what it said, you are not a Nerd 4 Life.
******************************************************************************************
And, no matter how many things I see on blogs and drool over, this sums up what I’ve been learning.
Love it.
Whether I have that drum pendant or my can lighting.  Whether I get big circus letters or live without “FUN” on my wall.  I’m ok.  I’m so very grateful for what I have and the inordinate amount of grace in my life.  What I have is overflow.  It is more than enough.
Happy Friday everyone!  Hope this June weekend is filled with things you love and are thankful for!

Friday Favorites

Posted on by

0

I’m showing up a little late with my Friday Favorites.  But don’t worry, they’re still fantastic.

First off, a gorgeous canvas from whatever that was created by her daughter.  Wow.

This is such a beautiful piece of art.  It is worthy of display in the main rooms of our house – yet can be made by my little girl (or my little boys…but they wouldn’t want to make it – I just didn’t want to leave anyone out)!  And it’s so colorful!  And you all know how much I like color.  Just a homemade watercolor painting, a paper punch (you could do any design, but I love the butterflies), a canvas and some paint.

Over at Positively Splendid, May has been positively FULL of summer ideas with her Summer Survival Guide.  One of my favorites is Painted Rocks.

Ellie has collected rocks ever since she could carry them.  She would have a ball painting some of them and finding a super cool way to display them.  This project is definitely on our summer list.

Speaking of summer lists, Jen from Tatertots and Jello guest posted on Positively Splendid this week with her idea for a Summer Bucket List.

Every summer my family makes a list of things we MUST DO.  Stuff like “Climb a Tree”, “Eat Ice Cream Together” and “Make S’mores”.  Jen includes pdf versions of her bucket list AND blank cards you can personalize.  When we make our list we have some parameters.  1. The activity must include the entire family.  2. It must not involve an airplane ride or a large sum of money.  I just love planning the summer with my kids and filling our days with things that make us happy.

This summer one of our huge projects will (probably) be tearing out the wall that separates our kitchen and dining room.  I want to replace the wall with a funky island or small farm table.  I’ve been watching craigslist for inspiration but couldn’t really find what I wanted.  Then I saw this:

I found it on Pinterest, but it was originally found on Small Place Style, a blog for small home inspiration.  How simple!  A painted dresser with a countertop added.  I love the paper towel hanger and hooks for utensils too!  I wonder if we could get a butcher block counter top from Ikea that hung out further over the back of the dresser.  I could add extra legs to support it and my kids could pull some stools up.  Did any of that make sense?  Hmmm…another summer project.

And I would just LOVE my kids’ room to look like this:

Wouldn’t it be great to use maps as wallpaper?  I love everything about this room down to the Eiffel Tower on the toy shelf.  If only  my kids’ room was this big.

Now that summer’s almost here, winter treats like hot cocoa will be hard to come by and probably not very enjoyable.  Luckily, I found this oh-so-yummy looking frozen hot cocoa on Pioneer Woman’s Tasty Kitchen Blog.  It would be perfect for a hot summer afternoon.

I can just picture it.  Me, a tall glass of frozen hot cocoa, a good book and our coziest patio chair.  Better throw in some sunglasses and a huge straw hat for good measure.  Ahhh, summer…

Speaking of Pioneer Woman, I’m reading her book and I can’t put it down!  Ok, I can put it down…but only because I have to so I can make dinner and change diapers and bandage wounds that were incurred while I had my nose buried in my book.

It’s the story of how she met Marlboro Man, fell in love and became a rancher’s wife.  It’s called “The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels To Tractor Wheels” and it is captivating.  It’s hilarious and heartfelt and real and somehow I think we can all picture ourselves in her black spike-heeled shoes (at least, all of us women can).  This is one of those books I look forward to picking up again after a day away from it.  And I don’t do that a lot.  Remember, I’m a book quitter.  I know this specific favorite isn’t from a blog or anywhere on the internet, really.  But sometimes it’s good to read something that’s printed with real ink on actual paper.

Happy Friday…um…I mean…Saturday!!

Friday Favorites

Posted on by

2

This week my favorites come in all forms.  And, of course, they are probably all being added to the never ending project list.  Will I get to them?  You never can tell.  I won’t get to them today, though.  It’s sunny and supposed to be 76 degrees.  The perfect day.  I think it will be filled with Little Man and I walking the neighborhood in search of garage sales.  Sounds like springtime bliss.

Now, on to my faves of the week:

This Gallery Wall from Dream Book Design is just gorgeous.

I want to do this in our hallway.  I love the bright “L” mounted on the mirror.  I’d love to add a chair rail and some Board and Batten to our hallway too.  Maybe it would make our house look less like the 80′s.  Someday.  But maybe it would make our house look to fancy.  We are not fancy people.  Any thoughts?  Do you have Board and Batten?

These Plush Angry Birds from Obsessively Stitching are fantastic!

Make a few of these and a few piggies, then pair them with a wooden block set and it’s the perfect gift for a kid.  They can create their own structures and launch real birdies at it from across the room or yard to knock it down.  Same fun as the app version but it now involves physical activity, science, creativity, imagination and problem solving.  And their face isn’t stuck behind an iPhone.  Plus, it’s a great activity for kids to work on together and learn cooperation and teamwork.  Wow.  Didn’t know a few little fleece birds could be such good teaching tools, did you?

Speaking of birds…This isn’t a craft or a project or even a recipe, but it’s cool.

Miss Little Bit Funky found a beautiful nest full of eggs and secretly (and safely) documented the hatching and growth of one of the birdies.  So, so very cool.

These headbands are on my project list with Ellie.

Alisa Burke is a supremely talented artist who can do everything from photography to crafting to painting to leaping tall buildings in a single bound.  Ok, maybe she can’t do that last one, but she certainly seems like Super Woman to me.  Ellie and I are so excited to make these headbands together.  This week there are even plain plastic headbands at the Dollar Spot at Target.  Score!

And now a find on Pinterest that I love.  It would be so easy and totally transforming.

I found this on Pinterest, but it originally was published on The Painted Hive.  Some beadboard and hardware can turn my closet doors into an instant statement.  Love.

I also love this Pinterest find.

It is from Better Homes And Gardens.  If only my shed looked like this…then maybe I’d enjoy gardening more.  All it would take is some paint, new hooks and some effort.

Happy Friday everyone.  Hope your weekend looks as sunny as mine!   May your days be full of moments you are grateful for.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...