Bowling Ball Lawn Orb
What do you do when your local bowling alley is getting rid of old bowling balls for free? Uh, jump for joy? Not while holding the bowling balls though. I’ve heard bowling alleys often end up with cracked or damaged bowling balls and they’d rather give them away to DIYers than fill up their garbage cans. I imagine the garbage man likes it a lot better too. I’d like to know if this is true in places other than my small hometown. Let me know! One thing you can do with an old bowling ball is make a decorative lawn orb. It’s easy to make one, but it does require a…
Pallet Flag Tip
The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays – especially when I can celebrate with a good ol’ fashioned small town parade. Nothing screams “proud to be an American” like your local insurance agent throwing hard candy at little kids who run out into the street to grab these free treats. Seriously can’t wait. Now’s the time to get into the patriotic spirit with a little Americana decor, which brings me to this burning question. Is the pallet flag trend over? I don’t keep up with these things. I’m all about displaying what you love for however long you love it. It eventually all comes back into style anyway. I’m…
Summer Bucket List
Do you guys make a summer bucket list? I’ve never made one in a formal sense, but I do keep a running list in my head. I also keep my grocery list in my head and that doesn’t always work out so well. Take it from me, there is a benefit to writing things down. One thing on our summer bucket list was making s’mores. Simple, but necessary for summer. I was certain my kids had roasted marshmallows before, but my 6-year-old didn’t remember. Apparently we’ve installed a healthy fear of fire into the kids, so the idea of letting the marshmallow catch on fire took a little getting used to.…
The Happiest Place on Earth
Generally speaking, I think my home is the happiest place on earth as evidenced by the fact that I never want to leave. Not even kidding. Yet, here I find myself taking the kids to Disneyland this week! I should really check my temperature. All this to say, I’ll be back next week. After I’ve recovered. That will be long enough to recover, right? My kids are over-the-moon excited to finally be able to experience Disneyland. I’ve been calling it the other happiest place on earth. Share this:
Embroidery Embellished Shirt
My wardrobe is pretty basic. Lots of solids, not a lot of prints. I’m trying to branch out more, but the practical side of me says I can wear a white t-shirt with a lot more than I can wear a wildly-printed one. My practical side speaks REALLY LOUDLY. Perhaps this project was my impractical side finding its voice. I wanted to see if I could use embroidery thread to embellish an old t-shirt. Sew new life into it, so to speak. The problem? My experience with embroidery thread is limited to the friendship bracelets I made when I was 12. I’m a little rusty. Just a little. That’s why…
3 Creative Ways I Store Shoes
The one thing my kids are really consistent about (besides asking for a snack every 5 minutes) is taking their shoes off when they come in the house. I’m not sure if that’s because my husband and I did an exceptional job of training them or if my kids would just prefer to be barefoot. Hmm. Let’s go with the exceptional training. Yeah, I like the sound of that. In reality, if you only knew how many times I’ve left the house and one of my children wasn’t wearing shoes. *sigh* Anyway, shoe containment is a real problem. I’ve never lived in a house with a proper mudroom to hold…
Our Memorial Day Tradition
Our most humbling family tradition occurs on Memorial Day Weekend. Three generations gather at the cemetery to honor and remember those who paved the way for our freedoms, our lives and our heritage. American flags have been placed beside the headstones of those who served in our country’s armed forces. Colorful flowers brighten the landscape. We clean the headstones, reminisce and pause in quiet reflection. My children have never met the family members buried there – not even their grandma. Yet, with a willing heart, they kneel on the ground and scrub the headstones clean. They trim tall grass and pull weeds. They listen to the stories of our family members who are…
DIY Wood Bench
Remember my son’s bedroom? He rests his head, for at least part of the night, on a knock-off Pottery Barn bed we made. For the other part of the night he transform into a stealthy ninja and plays musical beds. We never hear him coming. I blogged about the bed about a year after we made it. The only thing I don’t love about the bed is how heavy it is. This wouldn’t be a problem if we were the type to stay in one home forever. 4 years is our record. The moving itch is real, folks. The main reason the bed is heavy is because the mattress sits on a frame made…
Live Around the World
Would you do it? Would you live a nomadic lifestyle for a season? A couple of months here, a couple of months there? I’d like to think I would if I could – if we didn’t have kids in school and both of us could telecommute. An article in my Stumbleupon feed caught my eye recently when it introduced the idea of signing a lease that lets you live around the world. What an unique concept for a business. The company is called Roam. According to their website, “$500 per week per room gives you access to incredible co-living spaces and local communities around the world. Come and go as…
Tips for Paper-Mâché School Projects
Three times this year my laid-back 3rd grader came home from school with a list of projects she could choose from: make a model/diorama, dress up as a historical character and reenact a key event, do a powerpoint presentation, etc. Me: Powerpoint presentations are fun! How about a Powerpoint? Daughter: I think I’d like to make a paper-mâché model of (insert whatever topic it was). Me: Great! Super great! That’s cool too, I guess. You’re really missing out on this PowerPoint thing though. Daughter: I don’t think so. Me: (thinking to myself) The ONE time I don’t want her to be an over-achiever and she picks that moment to be one. Well, that backfired.…
