a summer favorite...

I just wanted to pop in and tell you about one of my favorite things for the summer...this Tropical Fruit scented candle from Wal-mart!

Surprising, isn't it?  I am much more of a "Target girl" than a Wal-mart shopper...one of my favorite things to do when I'm by myself at Target (which is hardly ever) is to roam the aisles checking out all of the great stuff.  I'm not the only one, right? 

Unfortunately, the main place to buy groceries in our little town is Wal-mart.  I stumbled upon this little beauty when I was shopping one day and thought I'd splurge on it - a whole $3!  Ha!  I initially picked it up because it's my favorite color, but it smells just like summer.  And, since it's only $3, you can burn it all day.  Hop over to your Wal-mart and pick one up!

**Of course I always peel the "Easy Peel" sticker off!**

summer in snapshots {week 2}

It's Wednesday, so it's time to share this week's summer snapshots!

6.22   a day spent out on the water jet skiing

6.23  my dad's birthday - had a birthday dinner with him!

6.24  scott's last night in DC so we had dinner in georgetown - pizzeria paridiso and georgetown cupcakes. 
         so delicious.  the only pics i have are on my iphone..maybe i'll post one!

6.25  my mom's 50th birthday party.  we spent the afternoon celebrating her, grayson getting kisses from my  

         aunt cathy, and swimming with cousins.

6.26  a day spent at church and relaxing in the pool.

6.27   grayson mowed the grass and drove the tractor on our last day in VA.


6.28   grayson and i woke up EARLY (4:20am) in order to be at the airport at 5:10am.  we arrived back in
          missouri safely and are glad to be home!

I'm linking up to Summer in Snapshots over at The Starfish Blog!  Won't you join me?

link love: 06.25.2011

Happy Saturday!  I have another collection of links for this week....most of these happen to be red, white, or blue!

Do you get the urge to change the "color scheme" of your house around seasons or holidays?  I so want to!  I seem to want to cover our house in greens, blues, and aquas in the spring/summer, red/white/blue around the 4th of July, and then lead into reds and whites for the fall/winter.  Does anyone else feel the same way?  Most of the rooms in our house are pretty neutral now, so I can change a few pillows and accessories around and have a whole new feel to the room.  Love it.

Okay, enough with my I-have-no-idea-what-I'm-REALLY-talking-about decorating banter and on with the links....

Source: bowerpowerblog.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

I love everything about this room.  Really.  Everything.  The striped rug.  Love it.  The red/white/blue/gray pillows.  Love them.  The fireplace.  Love it.  Do yourself a favor and check out this blog....even if it's just to look at the other pictures of this room.

                                                                          Source: madiganmade.blogspot.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

I love this garland!  Cut a few stars, run them through your sewing machine, and you have a beautiful (and cheap!) seasonal decoration.

                                                                         Source: shanty-2-chic.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Shanty2Chic shared this awesome tutorial for making your own toy crates on casters!  I LOVE this idea and can't wait to make some....as soon as we're home from our crazy summer o' camps. :)

                                                                      Source: july.tipjunkie.com via Renee on Pinterest

Another garland...can you tell I'm a fan? :)  This would be cute in any color scheme.

                                                                     Source: emilysparks.blogspot.com via Jaylee on Pinterest

Love yarn wreaths...simple, easy to make, and make a statement on your door!

Enjoy visiting the links!

{mighty to save} printable

 

If you're looking for a new printable to fill an 8 x 10 frame at your house, check out this {mighty to save} printable that I designed!  You can view the story and download it over at my dear friend Erin's blog, Worthy of the Prize!

Do you need a different size? Send me an e-mail and I'll be glad to tailor it for you!

summer in snapshots {week 1}

I came across this Summer in Snapshots linky party over at The {Starfish} Blog and thought that I'd play along! We were supposed to take a photo each day, but mine are just from 2 days. Maybe I'll play by the rules next week? :)

We have been in Virginia for the past week and a half, so we have been swimming, checking out the sites of downtown DC (with the students who were here on a mission trip), and out on the river with the jet skis.  Sounds like summer to me!

I'm linking up over at Starfish Jewelry designs...click the button below to link up, too!

to the father of our son...

For Father's Day this year, I thought I'd interview Grayson (age 3 1/2) about his favorite person...his Daddy.


What is your dad's name?
Scott

What other names does he go by?
The pastor

How old is Daddy?
Big

Where does your dad work?
Webb City Church

What does he do?
He's a pastor

What is your dad's favorite food?
Pizza

What is your Daddy's favorite color?
Blue

What is Daddy good at?
Sports and baseball

There's more where that came from!  I'll share more of our "interview" tomorrow. :)

Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy that Grayson could ask for!

link love: 06.18.2011

We have been hanging out in Virginia this week with my parents while my husband brought a group of students (and awesome chaperones) on a mission trip to Washington, DC.  Grayson and I met them downtown a few times, and brought lunch in to them each day.  It's been a fun, but busy, week!

Our busy week hasn't kept me from checking out all of the awesome inspiration on the blogs!  This week's link love is going to be made up of some of my new "pins" from Pinterest!  You can click on each picture to be taken directly to the blog (or website) with more information.

                                                                        Source: megduerksen.typepad.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

We will definitely be making one of these when we return home....the chalkboard door on our pantry will be the perfect spot for it!  How cute are those chairs??

                                                                  Source: sweetwater.typepad.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Beautiful "stripey" quilt!

                                                                Source: 24.media.tumblr.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

I love the colors in this dreamy kitchen...

                                                                             Source: ana-white.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

I'm thinking of making one of these for Grayson to replace his hanging tent...

                                                                            Source: kindovermatter.com via Mary Jo on Pinterest

Check out these cute, FREE printables!


If you're interested in checking out my other pins, visit me on Pinterest!

link love: 06.12.2011

image credit|Ashley Ann via Design Aglow

Happy Sunday!  Today's link love is a day late because we're on vacation!  I couldn't skip link love altogether because I have come across some great projects this week on the good, ol' interweb for Father's Day!  We are very lucky to have awesome Dads in our life...including the fabulous one I'm married to. :)

Ashley, of Under the Sycamore Tree, created this beautiful book for her husband for Father's Day.

My son LOVES root beer...he would love to give this to his Daddy so he could enjoy it.

Check out this FREE set of Father's Day printables, including a tie banner!  I love a good banner!

This framed family handprints project is adorable.  It would look awesome on a gallery wall!

I love this "Dad Survey".  I have a feeling we would have some hilarious answers to it!  She has a printable for Grandpa and Papa, too!

Seven Thirty Three created a perfect Father's Day Room Service menu.  Scott won't be with us on Father's Day, but maybe we'll have to try this another day!

father's day gift idea

If you're my wonderful husband, please stop reading. If you're not my husband, continue on...

When Grayson was 18 months old, I made this print for Scott for his second Father's Day:

Look at those sweet chubby legs!  Sadly, it got lost somewhere in the move from Austin to Missouri.  I would have printed another one, but the file was lost when my hard drive crashed (I pulled this one off of Facebook!).

I loved it so much that I thought I'd re-create it for this Father's Day.   Grayson still loves to walk around in his daddy's shoes, so it's a perfect reminder of the "stage" he's at right now. Look at the difference between 3 1/2 year old legs in those shoes and the baby legs above!

 

This is sized to fit a 10 x 20 frame we have on our gallery wall, so I'll have it printed at Sam's as a 16 x 20 for $5.95 and trim it down to size.  A great Father's Day present for less than $10!

Would you like one for your husband for Father's Day?  This would also make a great birthday present! I've listed this over in my shop!  If you don't see it listed, shoot me an e-mail and I'll set up a custom listing for you! If you supply the photos, I'll do the work in Photoshop and e-mail you a photo that's ready to upload to your favorite print shop!  I'll even customize it to any size you'd like!

new products

I'm adding a few new products to the shop today!

The Everyday Bag: $35

The Button Bag: $35

The Ruffled Clutch: $25

The Pleated Pouch: $8

Tissue Pouches: $6

Hop on over to the shop to check out our selection!

what we've been up to...

We spent the weekend hosting a work crew of 39 from Cleburne, Texas! Scott spent Friday - Monday working with them on debris removal while Grayson and I organized and cooked meals. Grayson and I tagged along with them to the job site on Saturday. Here's what we saw while on our way...

 

 

It honestly still shocks me every time I drive upon the devastation created by the tornado.  The rate of rebuilding is amazing, though.   Volunteers and relief workers have been working tirelessly for 2 weeks, but there is still much to be done.  

I read last night that the Army Corps of Engineers estimates the total damage from the tornado to be 3,000,000 cubic yards, which is the equivalent to "...an entire football field including he end zones, stacked 200 feet higher than the Empire State Building."  They estimate that contractors have removed 20,000 cubic yards, or less than 1%.

We will still need relief workers and volunteers for months to come!  If you're interested in volunteering, send me an e-mail!

sneak peek: my little superhero cape

This is a "sneak peek" of a my little superhero cape that's on it's way to Virginia!  A dear friend of mine from college ordered it for her little girl, who calls herself "Cape Girl".  How cute is that?!

Hope she likes it, K! :)