Around the House: It's Officially Summer

Pre-K is over, the temps are rising and I'm looking for things to do with my boys...it's officially Summer!

We are making a list of fun things to do this Summer - things we've never done before and/or haven't done in a while.  Here are a few that are sure to be on the list. (PS...if you want more great ideas, check out the list/link below.)

great list here

1. Tie-dye

2. Fishing with Pop.

3. Spray Park

4. Texas Road Trip - with a little Texas history on the side!

5. Make cookie pops.

6. Cookies for the Fire Department.

7. Make our own ice cream.

8. Go to a farm and milk cows.

9. Paint with fruit & veggies.

10. Museum

11. Bug/Creature Bingo - this involves a walk around the block and stickers for our boards.

12. Potholder weaving - I loved this when I was little.

13. Make our own tent for inside the house - tutorial found here.

14. Make birdseed bars/cakes.

15. Make our own playdough.

16. Send a random package to a friend in the mail. See this blog for ideas.

17. Take the littles to the drive-in movie theatre. Kung-Fu Panda 2 and Cars 2 - we are waiting and super excited.

18. Go to a baseball game. Go Rough Riders!

19. Soccer/Bible study camp. How they rolled these two things into one I will never know, but God seems to bless me in the strangest way sometimes. He so knows just what will speak to the heart of my oldest!

20. Legoland! Our countdown started May 1st. We leave June 2nd. Wahoo!

fruit and veggie painting

tent DIY

birdseed bars

playdough

In hopes of keeping my littles excited about our Summer list, we'll be making posting everything on posterboard and hanging it in the playroom, checking items off as they're completed. I hope this will aslo help me remember what's available for us to do during the day when we hit a slump.

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I hope this inspires some of you to make a list of your own. xo

Get Your Game On!

Who said that balloons have to float up? 

My boys and I discovered that when they dangle, they provide just as much fun. From blowing up the balloons and watching them fly around the room to creating a colorful punching bag, this easy afternoon "game" provided lots of laughs.

Around these parts, we often find ourselves in a mid-day slump. Come on. Be honest. The hours between 3pm and 5pm sometimes feel like a full day in and of themselves. Pulling out craft supplies for some silly games can truly save the day and my sanity! Grab two straws, two pom-poms and two popsicle sticks... BOOM! you're off to the races.

If your kids are anything like my kiddos, be prepared to wipe up little spit puddles from those straws. For some reason air and spit exit the straw at the same time when you're under the age of six. xo

Weekly Challenge: Less TV

Lately I've been super convicted about how much TV my kiddos watch. You know your family has been sick a long time when "germ juice" is a part of your kitchen table centerpiece and you are having to ween your kiddos off TV. So, this week the hubs and I have discussed stopping all TV during the week and only allowing it on the weekends. I think a slow gradual transition into this is best so this week's challenge has been TV only in the mornings - 2 shows. How does this family cope with no TV? Centers. Crafting. Silliness.

quick crafts/games

centers: motion, art, wheels, legos

silliness: the hubs had this hot look rollin' the other night and then the wig was added

I decided to get in on the fun. I wore it while cleaning and bathing the boys. It definitely makes chores more fun. I think I may need to add a tiara though.

May your week be filled with family and fun - not a bombardment of really bad advertisements all geared to make you think you are less of a person if you don't have what their sellin'. Happy Weekend peeps! xo

PS - It's April Fool's Day!  Don't forget to play a trick on someone - for best results keep it light-hearted and silly. xo 

A Numbers Game

1 sunny day - 85 degrees

2 crazy boys

1 new trail

2 bikes

1 man-made pond

15 sticks (to throw in said pond)

5 flowers/weeds (to add something pretty to said pond)

4 shaved ice treats

1 car pile-in

1 VERY happy Momma! xo

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Hello Spring!

March. It's March. With this new arrival comes the promise of so many things and the reduction of others!

Reductions:
Good-bye cold afternoons.
Good-bye staying indoors.
Good-bye flu! You are NOT welcome anywhere near my home for the remainder of the year.
Good-bye hot coco.
Good-bye layers of little boy clothes stacked in every corner of my home.
Good-bye hairs standing on end as I walk out my back door.
Good-bye cute woolen mittens and hats.
Good-bye brown grass and bare tree limbs.
Good-bye hairy legs. I think I will miss you most of all.
Good-bye brunette.

Welcome delights:
Hello garage sales.
Hello fresh morning dew.
Hello outdoor projects of junk brought home from bulk trash days.
Hello little league soccer. Go Strikers!
Hello bike-rides and new skateboard tricks.
Hello budding flowers and tree leaves.
Hello green grass peeking out so proudly.
Hello picnics at the Arboretum.
Hello blondie.

What reduction will you miss the most as Spring comes Marching in? xo

Together

All is Merry and Bright when this guy is at my side. He makes me look good; thank you Photoshop! He does a mean James Brown dance. He's the world's best Dad. He has been God's instrumental tool to restore the years the locust have eaten in my life. He's 10x hotter than Justin Timberlake! Just sayin'. He lets me decorate however I want. He supports my blog and etsy shop. He takes wicked awesome photos. He. Completes. Me.  There is no one I'd rather spend Christmas Eve or Christmas with - ever!

in this cabin

feeling this

under this

How about you? Who do you want under your mistle-toe this year? xo

Don't forget to comment for your chance to win an entire family Christmas ensemble here!

Happy Birthday Me!

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I'm taking the day off today to enjoy my special day with friends and family.

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It would bring me great joy to hear from those of you who read my blog and have never commented before. I love knowing who my readers are. It doesn't have to be much, a simple "Hi!" would rock my granny bones to the core! xo

PS - In honor of my birthday, I'd like to give all my lovely readers a little gift - 15% off your purchase at Pure and Noble etsy.  Coupon Code: GRANNY15
xo

His & Hers

A couple of weeks ago my friend Alli of Hooray posted the above His & Hers image. I was so inspired by it, I asked if she would want to partner with me on a His & Hers series similar to A Year of Mornings book.  She agreed and thus a new Monday post series was born! We'll be doing this every Monday. So make sure you check out my little blog and Hooray. I'm so excited to be collaborating with Alli. She and her blog are delightful and inspiring.

My 1st attempt: our office chairs

Hope you've enjoyed this new post series here at Pure and Noble today. Don't forget to check out what Alli's done as well! xo

Weekly Challenge: Sewing and Trust

It's Friday! Hooray! It's been a busy week for me. How about you? I've been working my fingers to the bone again this week. I'm getting ready for my first ever show. My friend Julie is hosting a Christmas Shopping Show next week at Pure Dental here in Dallas and I will have a booth there. (Thursday, November 18th @ 7:00 if you're local) My goal/challenge is to have everything ready by the week's end. Lofty goal. Here's a look at some of the new pieces I've been working on for the show. (please excuse the poor photography)

What's that? You say you can't make it to Dallas for the event? No worries. I will be adding many of these to my etsy shop as well.

tapestry

Now onto the second part of this week's challenge. My focus: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight. Have you ever looked at the backside of a tapestry? It's not very pretty. It's a jumbled mess. That's me - my life at times. If I choose to look at my life with my own eyes and my own understanding it's a mess and I'm sure to get lost in the tangles every time. But if I trust the Creator of the tapestry to weave His perfect design, I can rest assured that the end result will be one of beauty. Life doesn't make sense sometimes and there's really no point in us trying to make sense of what we don't understand. So I am trying to let go of my design. My "control".

How about you? What have your weekly challenges looked like? Happy Weekend. May you rest in the beautiful chaos of life. xo