Wednesday=Beth Day

This summer Wednesdays mean Bethdays.  I have hired a sitter, Beth, who is wonderful with all three kiddos.  Beth comes over on Wednesday mornings usually for about 2 hours so that I can either run errands or clean without being interrupted. Last week, due to the US Soccer game and Jaime staying home for it, I canceled Bethday and instead have her for 4 hours today.  Ahhh, the luxury!  I was able to peacefully run errands this morning and then clean.  I can not express how much I appreciate this luxury. Thank you babe for letting me hire Beth and thank you Beth for taking great care of my kiddos :)  What do Wednesdays mean for you?

New Toys

Today I picked up some new-to-us toys for Penelope from a friend.  Her little girl has outgrown the doll house, shopping cart, and little princess vanity.  Penelope is having SO MUCH FUN with her new toys. And, shhh, but the boys are too :) 
It's a busy day around here with Bible study this morning and Little Angels (essentially VBS for toddlers) then summer school and baseball practice this afternoon.  I also have to run to Old Navy to get Alexander some new flip flops--his broke this morning.  Good thing ON's 30% off the entire store is still going on!  Hopefully they'll have his size.
The humidity is at bay for now and the day is gorgeous out.  Maybe we'll make it to the pool tonight as well. :)

This Morning

This morning:

• kids slept in while I gardened, enjoyed a cappuccino, and some quiet reading time
• bowls of cereal and homemade GF currant scones for breakfast
• sprinkler time
• now, boys are watching Ace of Cakes, Clone Wars Cakes~that as much Star Wars as I'm letting them have lately :)
• P is enjoying some b.

How's your summer morning?

What We Are Up To

Some of what we've been up to...

baseball (both with real bats and balls and gloves as well as imaginary),

 playing chess and other fun games,

eating lots of fresh fruit (Penelope seems to be living on blueberries alone!)

and gardening.

Yesterday we made our Summer 2010 poster. We're ready with lots of fun things to do and places to go.  Today we were able to check off several things...Slip and Slide, reading, laughing, game of tag, playing games, and Legos.  Of course many of these will be done repeatedly this summer.  :) 

Window Box How-to

 Have you ever wanted to add a window box under your windows?  I have! They look so gorgeous overflowing with flowers. 

I saw a link over on Just A Girl for a place called Hooks and Lattice and fell in love. I even ordered a free catalog to peruse.  Oh my, they are pricey!  Then, I found this little tutorial over on How Does She.  She even gives the prices of the materials needed...the entire project was under $5!  Now, that I can afford and it looks like a simple enough project to start and complete.  Check it out and add instant curb appeal.
Picture sources:
http://z.about.com/d/landscaping/1/0/-/I/purple_orange_window_box.jpg
http://sydandgoose.typepad.com/syd_and_goose/images/2007/04/09/12_60_77_web.jpg

Fun New Blogs

I've found some fun new (to me) blogs that I just have to share!  I love it when I stumble upon new inspiration, great pictures, wonderful tutorials, new stories.  It's like making new friends :)

So, first up is Noodlehead.  I've read her blog a handful of times in the past couple of weeks and I'm really enjoying it. This week she's been posting about sprucing up your kitchen.  Tonight (children willing) I'm going to make the pretty dish towels/mats.  I've got a couple of towels that are begging to be cut up and made pretty again.
Next, is Fly Through Our Window. Great photography, tutorials, stories. Real life :)
Also, A Pretty Cool Life is a fun read with plenty of eye candy too.  She's got a Flickr group as well as an Etsy shop that's definitely worth checking out.
Lastly, 33 Shades of Green...what can I say? She's got crafting, cooking, and designing all in one place. 
Wait, one more~Little Bit Funky~I've read SO MANY pages here, but must remember to turn the volume down when I'm reading at night.  She's got a heading at the top of her blog called 20 Minute Crafter.  Seriously 20 minute crafts. So perfect for those of us working during nap time, late at night, or in between everything else going on in life. 
Take some time and have fun reading and being craftily inspired!

Extra Practice Never Hurt

My guys do a pretty decent job when it comes to brushing and flossing their teeth. I'm proud to say that there are no cavities so far in their little mouths.  Sometimes, however, this twice-a-day routine can get dull.  And a hot summer is just about here (tomorrow at 10:30 it officially starts for us!)  I need some fun activities for all 3 kiddos.  I came across this awesome idea (some people are just pure creative genius!) and I know we'll be doing this one for sure.

Don't forget to brush and floss when this fun time is done :)

Popcorn Lollipops

We go through a lot of popcorn here.  It's a quick, healthy, and gluten free snack.  So, as soon as I saw these over at Brown Paper Packages, I just knew I have to make them.  I mean, just look  at them

Need a close-up without the wrapper?

I thought so. :)
I checked out the recipe, and at first it looks good, but then I saw the Jello part.  A couple of nights ago a good friend shared a little tid-bit about Jello and gelatin.  Now I'm not so sure I want to eat that stuff.  (That and since I don't have a box to check, I'm not 100% sure it's gluten free.)  So, I think I'll make these cute treats more like Rice Krispie treats, but with popcorn and no color...unless I dye the marshmallows.  Hmmmm :)  Enjoy!

Fancify My T-shirts

I'm a T-shirt wearer, but I've been wanting to look more dressed up, pulled together, cleaner, and fancier, so I've found some fairly easy ways to fancify my T-shirt wardrobe.  Here are a few of ideas:

And these last ones...not T-shirts, but fit the bill of getting a little dressy :)

Most are knock-offs of some pricey T-shirts at places like Target, J-Crew, Anthropolgie, and others.All of these ideas are already tutorials, so they're that much easier :)
Photo credits: Ribbon Flower, Ruffle Shirt, Center Ruffle, Dressy Tunic, and Alice Dress.

Cappuccino Cinnamon Rolls

 I would LOVE to make these yummy Cappuccino Cinnamon Rolls. Just the name alone got me hooked, then I saw the pictures.  Oh my! I've got to clean my kitchen so I can get some baking going. :)