Christmas in July… Seriously

pre pre pre pre pre pre Thanksgiving sale in July? (today at Belk)

 

Christmas in July??

June left us in the blink of an eye. It’s hard to believe that the 4th of July is this week!

Being a bit stir-crazy today, I was out and about wandering stores. Summer is on sale! I did see really cute shoes on a big-ole sale table at Belk! Yep! Bought me some.

Little did I know I was just in time for their pre-Thanksgiving sale! Check out the sale sign. It’s practically Christmas in July!

In case you’re worried that Christmas will be here before you know it… It’s here people!

And if you are tired of summer already, Hobby Lobby is the place for you. There’s a different season on every isle. With Summer super discounted! 😉

Hobby Lobby – Fall in July

Hobby Lobby – Thanksgiving in July

Hobby Lobby – Christmas in July

Thank goodness I didn’t miss the pre-Thanksgiving sale! 😀

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Our family choose San Francisco as our vacation location.  We flew there in the middle of the night so we could just crash at our hotel when we arrived.  Thrust me when I say, Mom this family needs their sleep.

We took a crazy, white knuckled taxi ride from the airport to our hotel, only to find out the hotel we made our reservation at did not have a room for us. The hotel people put us in another taxi to go to another hotel where we learned they did not have a room available for us either.  So the second hotel put us in our third taxi ride of the night, back to the original hotel where I think staff probably kicked out an employee from his room, then hauled in a sleeper sofa to fit all of us.  Three o’clock in the morning.  Needless to say, we had free breakfast, free parking, and a discounted hotel rate during our stay.  (We did have a normal room the next day and through the rest of our vacation.)

We did all the touristy things.  Lombard Street, Fisherman’s Wharf, Ghirardelli Chocolate store, a 3 hour city tour bus ride, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Muir Woods.  Lots of walking.  Did you know that San Francisco has many, many really steep streets?  It’s true.  😉  And sometimes you have to walk UP the hilly streets to get where you want to go.  By the end of day one, I had one kid pulling and the other kid pushing their old Mom up the hills.  Meanwhile, with legs throbbing, heart pounding and lungs trying to get in air, I have my thumb (the only thing not hurting!) out trying to catch a cab.

We had a unique experience in Sausalito.  Sausalito is a lovely town on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, with cute shops and restaurants.  Walking down the side-walk, we see a sleeping child being carried in the arms of his dad coming our way. My first thought was “Ahhh, poor little thing, he’s pooped out.”  Well, this poor little thing was being carried by John Travolta.  And beside John Travolta was his wife Kelly Preston.  Shocking, I tell you! These people are actually real!  They were just walking around, like normal people.  Who knew?

Unfortunately, I lost my camera somewhere in San Francisco.  I was so bummed because our first day of vacation was on the disk.  And I wanted my digital camera to capture all the ghost I was going to see in Alcatraz.  Just before we left for vacation, a show came on television, either on the History Channel or Discovery Channel, about all the sad, lonely, grumpy ghosts stuck in Alcatraz.  Sadly, my 3-year-old, decrepit cell phone did not see any spirits roaming around.  Bummer.

We spend a couple of our days in Yosemite Park.  It was beautiful!  We took a hike in the park and afterwards we walked to a gorgeous resort to sit for a bit. I had the most expensive alcoholic beverage I have ever had.  $16.00 for some sort of martini.  But hey, I was on vacation.  (But I did not order a second though!)

San Francisco was a great choice as a vacation destination.  So much to do, and if you’re tired of the summer heat, the weather there is a very nice, cool change.

Now back to reality.  School is just around the corner.  I shall be doing the happy dance soon.  😀 Love my kids, love the summer, but I also love having a “routine” during the week.  And I love that back to school also means Fall is just around the corner.  My favoritest time of the year.

How did you spend your summer vacation??

Crafting with Jo-ann Fabric and Craft Stores

This is a sponsored post for Jo-Ann’s Fabric & Craft Stores. All opinions are 100% mine.

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores is on a mission to share and inspire crafting fun for families this summer!

They would like to encourage others to discover kid friendly crafting activities that can be done anywhere – inside when it’s raining, outside when it’s sunny.  To get you started, Jo-ann Stores has a fantastic catalog full of craft ideas.

I was invited to choose one of their projects to recreate.  The Tiki Bird House caught my attention!

I bought the materials needed to make the bird house.  Following the instructions from their website, I made my own version of a Tiki Bird House.

This is the bird house “Before”.
I bought an extra bird house so my daughter could make one this summer!

After sanding the rough edges, I gave it a couple of coats of paint.

While the “house” part was drying, I added the raffia to the roof. I picked up a darker color raffia than shown in the example. I layered the raffia, gluing the bottom layer first, then adding another layer on top. Last, I trimmed the edges with scissors.

I wasn’t about to try to duplicate the flowers on the example bird house. I’m not that talented in the drawing department!  So I painted a coconut tree instead. 😀

 

I used craft sticks to make the “tiki” sign and added small shells behind the white-painted fence.  Looks very beachy!

 

Jo-ann’s and Mine

If you sign up to be a Jo-ann’s preferred customer, you will receive a 20%-off coupon, and receive notice of great sales, additional money-saving
coupons and more ideas to spark creativity!

Thank you Jo-ann Fabric and Craft Store for this crafting opportunity!

This is a sponsored post for Jo-Ann’s Fabric & Craft Stores. All opinions are 100% mine.

 

Swimsuits are Mean

Spring is here.  That means summer is just right around the corner.  Which means swimsuits are hanging in every store.  And in every store I’m in, I swear the swimsuits are giggling as I walk by.  They are taunting me, saying… “look, we are getting cuter and cuter and smaller and smaller.   You are not”.  I didn’t know swimsuits could be so mean.

Instead of fretting, (or buying a dumb swimsuit!) I am going to get this fabulous scale.  It doesn’t judge.  It won’t laugh.  And it certainly  won’t tell me I weigh 10 pounds more than I want to weigh.  It’s soft, and pretty, and only has nice things to say. 😀

Where have you been all my life? 😉

Happy Dance Day

Back to school for my kids tomorrow!  Woo Hoo!

I know there are moms out there who love spending every single moment with their kids.  Moms who are quite sad when it’s time to let them go back to school.  I’ve met them.  They are crazy awesome.  But I don’t think they love their kids more than I love mine.  I ADORE my kids!  They are the best thing I ever did.  It’s just that I’m happy when it’s time for school to start.  I admit it!  I’m GIDDY!  Tomorrow I will be doing the happy dance, even though I have to wake up at 5:30 to get my high schooler on his way.  Oh happy days are here again…!

Cuz by the end of summer, this is what I tend to look like…

Dear Lord, give me patience, give me strength.

I’ll be okay. One more day. I’ll be okay.

It won’t be easy getting use to our new, very early routine.  But I’m confident all will go well tomorrow.

My son tomorrow at 5:30 a.m!

Mom patiently waking up Son. GET UP!!!

My daughter’s schedule stays the same as last year.  She is excited for school to start.  She’ll be up on her own and ready to go!

My Daughter is next to wake up. She’s a piece of cake. She can’t wait for school!

Happy dancing home from the bus stop! Now we’re going antiquing! It’s the most wonderful time of the year…! 😀

What? Writing a blog post in one sitting? Really? I can do that?!

For More Laughs click Here, Here and Here.

Is Your Outdoor Space Ready for Summer? Plus a Giveaway!

I was recently asked by Procter & Gamble and The Home Depot if I would be interested in writing about tips and products for getting your outdoor space ready for summer.  My reply was “YES!” 

Is my outdoor space ready for summer?  NO!  My deck was painted in the spring.  But back went the dirty grill and the table and chairs.  I also have a screened-in porch that has… well, nothing really.  Some of you may remember my post in the spring when my brother tiled the porch floor and painted the ceiling a Haint blue.  It looks fantastic!  But then I stopped.  I didn’t buy chairs or anything to make the space inviting.

So, accepting this assignment meant I was going to face my dirty, neglected deck.  And while no one said I had to decorate my screened in porch, who am I to turn away from an opportunity to change the look of a room? 🙂  

I received a bottle of Mr. Clean Outdoor Spray, Mr Clean Outdoor Pro Magic Eraser, one Bounty Paper Towels roll, and a natural colored canvas The Home Depot apron.  I was armed and ready!

I used Mr. Clean Outdoor Spray on the outside of the grill.  It worked great! I took a picture of how dirty the towels were, but decided it was just too disgusting to show you.  It seems you are actually supposed to  clean the outside furniture and grill once in a while.  I just assumed the rain did that. 😉

Look how shiny and clean it looks! I think the sun is even shining a little brighter now.

My son actually liked cleaning the porch with the Magic Eraser! It looks like my son. It doesn’t act like my son. 🙂 The Magic Eraser worked great on the white-painted trim.

 Here are a few tips to get you ready for some outdoor entertaining from P&G and Home Depot…

– Maintain your outdoor furniture – Keep it looking good all summer.

– Inspect your deck – Give it a good once over, check for loose nails, bricks, cracked concrete.

– Remove the clutter – Clean up, power wash, remove unnecessary items/debris.

– Accessorize – Add in the little touches (i.e., plants, outdoor lighting, lanterns, centerpieces).

– Clean your grill – Give your grill a clean start this season.

According to a recent Procter & Gamble (P&G) survey, only 25 percent of consumers clean their grills and only 20 percent clean their outdoor furniture.  Keeping them clean can help them last longer. 

(Nope, rain doesn’t count as cleaning I found out!)

I desperately needed to get my newly tiled porch some furniture and accessories .  Not wanting to spend much money, I found some chairs, very similar to my deck chairs, at The Home Depot for $14.00.  I bought three for a total of about $45.00 with tax!  I love a bargain!  I had bought an old iron and wood table at an antique store quite some time ago and it never had a home in my house.  Now it’s the table for the porch.  It’s perfect!  I added some plants, a lantern, coasters made with tile and scrapbook paper, and pillows I already had.  I’m not quite finished, but my porch is coming together!   Take a look around your house.  You probably have accessories perfect for your outdoor space.

Before and After. My $14.00 chairs from Home Depot! All the trim and railings got a good scrubbing using Mr. Clean Outdoor Pro Magic Eraser.

Another Before and After. While my son helped me with the cleaning, my daughter helped me with the decorating. (and modeling! HA)

Procter & Gamble and The Home Depot sent me a prize package to give away to one of my readers, which includes:

• A full-size bottle of Mr. Clean Outdoor Spray ($3.97 retail value)
• Mr. Clean Outdoor Pro Magic Eraser ($9.97 retail value)
• One Bounty Paper Towels Roll ($1.97 retail value)
• A custom LeatherCraft 2-pocket natural colored canvas The Home Depot apron (.77 retail value)

If you are ready to spruce up your outdoor space and would like to enter to win this prize package, just leave me a comment and I will add your name to the drawing.  (Drawing will close in 2 weeks from today.) 

Just a reminder… The Home Depot is a one stop shop for purchasing P&G products, including Mr. Clean Outdoor Spray, Mr. Clean Outdoor Pro Magic Eraser and Bounty.

Thank you Procter & Gamble and The Home Depot! 

Disclosure:  Procter & Gamble provided the prize pack for my consideration as well as the prize package to one of my readers.  All opinions are my own.

 

SumMEr Time

I can’t believe it’s June already!  One more week of school.  By next weekend I will be trading in my little drink glass for an a Big Gulp size jug!  Lord help me.

I’m not a big fan of summer vacation.  It’s a long time to entertain kids.  My kids are old enough to entertain themselves for the most part, but still, I always feel like we should be doing something fun and exciting.  Making memories they will look back on.  Going places, doing new things. 

Nah, who am I kidding?  I don’t feel like that at all.  I’m looking forward to sleeping in and taking naps!  I’m looking forward to not making lunches. I’m looking forward to not having to get the kids out the door in time for the bus.  I’m looking forward to telling the kids to just wear whatever is on the floor, because it’s summer and I don’t care if they wore that yesterday.  I’m looking forward to going to the pool.  That’s counts as a shower, right?

I’m looking forward to staying in my pajamas til noon if I want to.  I’m looking forward to the kids sleeping in.  If they sleep late enough, I’ll only have to feed them twice a day instead of three!  I’m looking forward to no homework!  I hate homework.  No science projects, no month-long assignments and no learning spelling and vocabulary words.  It’s hard to be in school!  (for the kids, of course) 😉 

Wow!  I am looking forward to summer!  Because it’s all about me perspective!  Happy Summer!