A Little Bit' O Red, White & Blue

I actually have ZERO 4th of July decor.

I decided that I didn't need to buy anything.
All I need to do it pull together anything
red, white or blue
that's laying around the house, right?

Okay, I did break down and buy these little flags:
a dollar and some change for a pack of 4. I can handle that.

I found this old teddy bear sportin' the right colors and
The sailor hat belonged to my son when he was a baby.

I made this last year courtesy of craft time with Jen and Em.
I guess this would have to be the ONLY patriotic/americana/4th of July
piece of decor that I own.

I also found a baby hat that belonged to my daughter,
a red & white table cloth, and threw in
my Scrabble tiles for fun.

I found a little, red adirondack to put under my cloche!

So here it is: my first ever patriotic display!
I'll be vacationing in the Northwest over the 4th,
so I hope everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July holiday!

It Actually Works!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am NOT a cat lover.

In fact this little cat {See her there, hiding innocently behind that lamp?} is the bane of my existence...her, and her mounds of black hair that she leaves everywhere. That's why I've resorted to putting that tacky-looking plastic over my living room couches!

And this one here, while I'll admit, is a tad more endearing to me- isn't much better with the hair shedding.

But I have finally found the answer to my cat hair nightmares~!
I saw it on tv and was willing to try anything that would help me co-exist more peacefully with these fur-balls.

It actually works!
Believe me, I'm not one to plug a product unless it no less than changes my life...and this one has changed my life. THANK YOU PLEDGE!

See my couches now? No longer covered in black fur balls that took forever to clean off. Now it takes only seconds with the Fabric Sweeper for pet hair!

It's Here! It's Here!

Finally, after months of saving her money...{we told her that we would pay for half if she could come up with half}...

Summer received this early birthday present in the mail!

{Whoops! Looks like that photo didn't come in all the way...don't know why that happened. I'm not very good at this-sorry!}

Yes, we ordered it on Beachbikes.net and it came in 1 week. It required some assembly but was MUCH cheaper than the bike stores, and we could afford to get the basket too! {Summer is refusing to smile for the camera, but I assure you she was ECSTATIC about this bike!}

LOVE the white wall tires and the white seat!

Okay, there's a smile!!!!!

Baby Hair Bows

The new tween-age hair fad is buying baby bows. At the local baby boutique these darling, little bows set you back about $3.00 to $6.00! My daughter was begging me for some...She said, "I really want to get some, but I know what you're gonna say: 'We can make those!' " My little darling knows me soo well!

So make them we did!

Out of these little hair clamps. You can get them at the beauty supply store. They come in a box of 100 for only $3.99!

Get together all your favorite ribbon...

Then glue-gun the ribbon to the hair clamps flat or in bows.

We copied the ones we saw at the baby boutiques selling for $6.00 each and placed a little rhinestone on the center of some.

We gave this cute bunch to our neighbor, Paulina, for her birthday. She LOVED them!

Surprises in the Garden

I'm not really a gardener, but I had to post these photos of our garden as a tribute to my hubby 'cause he works so hard to make it look nice!

This is the BEST our hydrangeas have ever looked! I think this is the 3rd year we've had them, and each year they come back a different color and look better'n better!

This little guy is looking better than ever too! After 4 years it's finally flowering! Amazing what a drip water system can do for your plants!

This is an area in progress. That old-fashioned water pump was left there by the previous home owners. We love it! It originally had an old wine barrel under the spout and it was rigged up to run water thru the pump into the barrel. The barrel eventually rotted away, so we are looking for a new one.

Hey! Look what sprouted up in the vegetable garden from 2 years ago!

A PUNKY! How fun...can't wait to see how big he gets!

Now go here and see some great gardens!

A Dog's Eye View of Camping

{This post is brought to you by my dog Biggles.}


The family is packing up the truck, and it looks like I actually get to go with them for once! I guess it pays to irritate the neighbors with my barking while the family is away!

Here I am looking through the window from the bed of the truck into the front cab. I'm a bit squished between all the luggage and camping equipment! If they'd only open this window a bit more...I could jump through!...Guess they don't want me up front!

We're here! But I don't know about walking around in this dirt...can't I just sit on your lap instead?

No? I can't sit on your lap? Okay. I guess I'll just sneak into the tent then. That
air mattress looks comfy!

But wait! I smell something good cooking! Bratwurst sausages- yum!!!
I actually scored some table scraps...I never get table scraps at home! I think I like camping!

Time for another nap. This time in the bed of the truck with Summer. So warm and comfy in here!

Ah, but now I smell the scent of S'mores! Please, can I have a marshmallow!

Please, Summer, just ONE marshmallow!!!

Maybe Lili will give me a marshmallow!

These kids sure like to play with fire...

Look how hot and smoky the fire was getting.

Because they were throwing these giant pine cones in the fire!

Then it REALLY got smoky in the campsite.

Too smoky even for me! I had to go find a nice quiet place to sleep AND breathe!

This nice lady in the black jacket brought me doggie cookies! Good deal! I also snagged some pancake at breakfast!

All in all~ I'd say my first camping experience was HEAVENLY!!!!

Crafting with Summer

My crafty daughter, Summer, had the idea to pull out ALL her craft supplies,
spead them all over the kitchen counter, and then enlist her mom
to come "make things" with her.

Here is what I ended up with:
cute clothespins {covered in scrapbook paper} and glued
magnets on the back so they could be used to hold memos on the fridge.

Here's one of Summer's projects:
an old cookie tin with lid covered in scrapbook paper-
now her new "memory box".

I think it turned out purty cute!