Pretty Little Corner & Summer Goals Update

 

Today I want to share my "pretty little corner" in our room.  

This dresser was a DIY project of mine a few summers ago.  The goal was to make the drawers have the ombre look like you find on a paint chip.  Sometimes I rush into projects and don't think them all the way through, and this is an example. I accidentally painted them this way, but I was too tired of it at the end to go back and fix them.  They really look ok, but it's just a reminder to me to slow down.  

Like a Kid in a Candy Store

While we were in Omaha, Russ, my brothers, my sisters-in-law, and I went on a date night to the Old Market District.  Russ and I had gone there last summer with his family, but we must not have ventured around enough, because we discovered a lot more fun this time around.  One of my favorite stops was to a candy store.  If you know me, you probably know I have a sweet tooth.  This store was a trip down memory lane.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

What's in my Diaper Bag & Giveaway

 

Today, I'm opening up my diaper bag and showing you what's inside.  Besides my staging of the items, I literally dumped out my diaper bag.  No adding pretty stuff. This is what's inside!

Summer Remix Challenge: Week 4

Four weeks down and just a few outfits to go in the Summer Remix Challenge with Greater Than Rubies. If you're new here or forgot, here are the 30 pieces I chose to remix and outfits 1-7 are here, 8-13 are here, and 14-20 are here. I'm using the Rhonna Designs app for the cute numbers on each picture. 

I'm feeling good about blasting through the end of this challenge! I have caught myself putting on an outfit and then going back through my remix outfits so far to make sure I haven't worn the combo.

 

Necklace - Groop Dealz

Tee - Old Navy

Shorts - Old Navy

Sandals - Salt Waters

Summer Bucket List: (Amusement) Park Adventure

 

Summer is just flying by!  I go back to work on August 7th, so I'm trying to soak up every. single. minute!  Yesterday was no exception.  Russ was out of town for a consulting gig, so I planned ahead and asked our daycare provider if she'd be up for taking Wesley an extra day this week so I could have a day with Henry.  It all worked out, so we had a Henry and mommy day!

 

First, of course, we took a selfie.  I thought of taking Henry out for donuts, but when I told him, he said he wanted to go to the place with syrup, so off to Village Inn we went!

Christmas in July

Today, I'm so excited to share what the boys and I got in the Christmas in July gift exchange hosted by Jennifer and Courtney!  We got a FUN package in the mail from Shelly and Josephine from Windy City Baby!

 

Such fun wrapping!

What's Up Wednesday: Omaha Vacation

Every other summer we do a vacation with my parents and my brothers' families.  We've been to Colorado, DC, Wisconsin Dells, and this year was Omaha.  It was nice because we only had to drive two hours, and we stayed for almost a week. The location was perfect; my parents rented a spacious home outside of Omaha that had its own pond, a big yard, beautiful deck, and a hot tub.  We took a trip to the zoo and the children's museum. We spent lots of time at the pond where Henry learned to fish. He can now bait his own hook and cast! I even got to go golfing and managed to par a hole, which is a feat since I haven't golfed in two years.  It was a fantastic trip.

Tutorial: Easy Peasy No Pattern Skirt

 

Ready for another fun sewing tutorial?!  Here we go!

Summer Remix Challenge: Week 3

Three weeks down in the Summer Remix Challenge with Greater Than Rubies,  and I'm beginning to feel kind of over it, but I'm still trucking. If you're new here or forgot, here are the 30 pieces I chose to remix and outfits 1-7 are here, and 8-13 are here. I'm using the Rhonna Designs app for the cute numbers on each picture.

I was on vacation this past week.  I admit that I REALLY wanted to wear a couple of my new thrifty finds, but I stuck to the remix. Be proud of me.

 

We went to the Omaha Zoo, so this looks a little safari-ish, but I suppose I fit right in.

Hat - Target

Necklace - The Vintage Honey

Top -  Gap

Jean Capris - thrifted Gap

Shoes - Converse

Summer Bucket List Linkup: That time we tried to see fireworks

The Fourth of July is probably my favorite holiday.  I love, love, love summer and a holiday that matches all that is summer is just perfect. The past few years, kiddos have changed that a bit. Early bedtimes don't allow for seeing fireworks and parades happen during naptime kind of hinder the full celebration of the holiday. Not trying to be a downer, but it's true.  Because we didn't get to see fireworks on the 4th, we thought we'd try to catch them at our local minor league's game.  Every Friday home game they put off fireworks at the end.

 

So, we packed up, and headed out.  This picture was right when we sat down.  Everyone was pretty happy.  We got some food, and settled in. 

Guest Post: Hands on ABC Activities

Today, since we're on vacation this week, I have a wonderful guest post to share with you. I have had such a great time getting to know Keri this past few months. She has a wonderful blog where she shares uplifting words for mother and great activities for her kiddos. Enjoy!

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Hello, I am Keri from Living In This Season and I am so excited to be visiting today! I have loved getting to know Becky these past few months and am always inspired by her writing. As a mom to 3 little ones, I am always looking for fun activities for us to do. Today I am going to share some of our recent fun activities with letters as we have been striving to be intentional with our days. While I love a cute worksheet, they are not as effective for my son and his learning style. So I like to incorporate a lot of hands on activities as well into our summer learning. One of my favorite tools to use are the plastic ABC magnets. (Most Dollar Stores carry these). Trust me, these little magnets can be more useful than you would think.

Here are 3 ways to have fun with your ABCs:

Thrifty Finds - Sleeveless Binge!

 

Extra time in summer = extra time to thrift!  My first successful thrifting trip of the summer was to a local Goodwill. It was a different store than I normally go to, and I found some wonderful things!  

 

These were added to my Summer Remix Challenge. 

White jean capris from Ann Klein - $4

Summer Remix Challenge: Week 2

 

Two weeks down in the Summer Remix Challenge with Greater Than Rubies,  and I'm still feeling good! If you're new here or forgot, here are the 30 pieces I chose to remix and outfits 1-7 are here. I'm using the Rhonna Designs app for the cute numbers on each picture. Now, on to the outfits!

 

Headwrap: A is for Antler  (Win two here!)

Top: Gap

Skirt: LuLaRoe

Shoes: Toms 

Free Entertainment & Family Fun Activities Link Up

Last week we decided to head out to dinner.  We don't do it a ton, but try to do so more in the summer for a change of pace. We went to Raccoon River Brewing Company in downtown Des Moines.  Afterwards we decided to take a walk to Western Gateway Park in Des Moines, home of many beautiful sculptures!

 

But, first, a selfie!  Wesley needs to work on his goofy face.

 

All smiles!

Summer Bucket List: Sweet Treats

 

While we were in Minnesota last weekend, we went to the Galaxy Drive-In. It was delicious!  Story goes, it was a run-down place and the guy who owns Rainforest Cafes bought it and fixed it up because it was an eyesore across from his office.

Headwrap Hairdo & Giveaway

Remember that one of my summer goals is to find some different ways to do my hair?  Well, I have a few head wraps I purchased from A is for Antler, a local business, and I love them! There are so many fun ways to wear them. I found this blog post that shares different ways to wear headwraps and got pretty excited about the tucked idea.

So, I decided to try it out.  One of the headwraps A is for Antler gave me to model for this post just went so well with my outfit! This hair do was done in about 2 minutes.

What's Up Wednesday - Minnesota Edition - 7.9

We spent the 4th up north in Minneapolis with Russ's parents.  We always have lots of fun. This trip included a trip to the zoo, thrifting for me, a neighborhood get together and more.  Lots of fun!

 

I can't think of a time we've been to MN lately that I don't sneak away for a couple hours to thrift.  It's pretty much expected.  I found some great things on this trip!  Look for a Thrifty Finds post coming your way soon!

Tutorial: Cardboard Chalkboard Bunting

 

I'm still going after my summer goals!  Today's tutorial crosses another off the list: make some art for the mud/laundry room.

Summer Remix Challenge: Week 1

One week down in the Summer Remix Challenge with Greater Than Rubies, and I'm feeling good!  I pretty much knew the first week of this would be the easiest.

This past week, we were home for just two days and then up north in Minnesota visiting my in laws over the 4th.  I'll admit that the remix made packing a lot easier! If you're new here or forgot, here are the 30 pieces I chose to remix. I'm using the Rhonna Designs app for the cute numbers on each picture. One more behind the scenes blogger confession; I took a few of my outfit pictures before we left because I didn't want to have to worry about it when we were out of town. I thought I had it all planned out, but then the weather and our activities changed a few outfits, so I have some great ideas for the weeks to come already!

 

Top - Gap

Short - Old Navy

Necklace - Groop Dealz

Sandals - American Eagle

Summer Bucket List: Rule Breaker

 

Happy 4th of July!  I hope you are having a wonderful time celebrating! We are spending today with family.

This week, I'm sharing a little spin on painting. I know, I'm a rule breaker, but we don't do much finger painting at our house, and this was just too much fun to not share.

Etsy Love: Jewely Edition

You've probably figured out by now that I love jewelry. I love the online boutiques, but sometimes I want something different. Etsy is always a great place for that.  Here are some pieces I've been drooling over lately.

What's Up Wednesday 7.2

I love, love, love the summer bucket list link up happening on Friday, but I miss High Five for Friday a little. I mean, I'm sure you miss knowing what's happening with me! So, today you get "What's Up Wednesday" - a totally made up title by me for what is happening in my life! Here goes!

 

Russ and I had a weekend away with friends (without kids).  We've done it every summer for the past 6 years, and it's great for us. We went boating and just hung out.  I was pretty much off the grid.  My cell phone's data did not work, and I rarely get phone calls. It was great!

Tutorial: How to Shorten a Maxi Skirt

Sometimes, ordering online can be awesome. Other times, not so much. This skirt was one of those not so much times. I don't remember where I ordered it from, but I saw fold over maxi for cheap, and I wanted it. I had one that wasn't a fold over top, and it just didn't sit right. When this one arrived in the mail, I immediately tried it on and was bummed. It was too long. Like too long that even wearing wedges wouldn't fix it, so it sat in my closet for a while. Until....bam! It hit me, I could shorten it and keep the hem just like I have done with jeans (not my tutorial, but I've done it exactly the same).