Grace's 9th Birthday Party

Time goes too fast! The girls' had their birthdays in JULY and I have yet to have the chance to share pictures! Their birthdays are TWO DAYS apart, the 16th and 18th. Since Grace's party was first, I'll share hers first. Better late than never...I guess...

Grace wanted a water party for her birthday and as I have mentioned before, she picked the theme, colors, made her invitations, planned the games and did most of the decorating. It was fun to see her take an interest and I'm happy she has the creative gene! Although it was a little hard to let..go... :-)

Grace preparing the snacks

The favors, a package of water balloons and gum

It was an outside party, (obviously there was water involved!) so we decorated the deck.

I was so excited when I found these tins in the $1 section at Target!

The night before I got this idea for the table. The flip flops and "splash" matched her invitations.

The games! Wet sponge relay and...

water balloon toss...turned...

water balloon fight!

Water slide

Build your own sundaes

Presents..presents.. she's girly! Lots of nail polish, lotion, nail stickers, lip gloss...

Grace with her friends

It was a great party and Grace had a blast! I'm still in shock that she is nine years old!!

My sweet, little, RED tomatoes...

FINALLY after asking my husband (who is a carpenter) for YEARS, to build me a planter box, I FINALLY :-) got one for mother's day this year.


I was SO excited to have a garden of my own and especially to have fresh tomatoes. I love tomatoes and fresh are the best! BUT mother nature had another plan. This summer was strange here in Oregon and very few people had successful gardens. Me being one of them...who did NOT. I did get some tomatoes (and am slowing getting more). I wanted to share my first bowl of cherry tomatoes. Aren't they cute?


I'm participating in Rednesday over at It's A Very Cherry World. Be sure to visit for other fun RED things! Happy Rednesday!

Cookie Cutter Sandwiches

I don't even remember where I first got the idea to use a cookie cutter on a sandwich (probably Martha Stewart!) but it is now one of my girls' favorite things. They often make requests for food in shapes! "I would like a butterfly sandwich" or "star toast". It is quick, easy and fun! The little touch makes them feel extra special. And if you have a no crust eating kiddo, takes care of that in a snap!

Today I made Grace a pumpkin shaped turkey sandwich for lunch. I make the sandwich and then cut out the completed sandwich. If there is a lot of extra cheese or meat around the edges I will add the little pieces in so it doesn't go to waste.

Making new friends, you should too!

Happy Fall!

I'm still in shock that Summer is over! We had a very, very short Summer here in Oregon. Typically we have at least two months of beautiful, warm weather, even hitting three digits but not this year. A very mild, cool Summer. Needless to say I am a little sad to say goodbye to the sun! But I sure do LOVE the Fall! It is a beautiful time of year and the festivities are lots of fun. Surprisingly I managed to getting some Fall decorating done today (in between requests from Jilian, of course!). I thought I would share what I did. Still need to get the front door/porch area done. I always struggle with that!

Happy Fall! Enjoy!

It's blog hopping time!

Join me at a blog hopping party where you make some new friends and find new ideas!

Easy Homemade Laundry Soap

The tough economy has forced me to learn how to live on a budget and save where I can. One way I have learned to, is to make my own laundry soap. I did a little online research for a recipe and gave it a try. I LOVE it! It smells fresh, is easy to make and is cheap (as in pennies a load)!

Laundry Soap Recipe

1 bar Fels-Naptha soap, shredded (just like cheese!)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda

Mix all together and store in an air tight container. Use only about a tablespoon per load. It will not get all soapy/bubbly but your clothes will be clean. Each batch lasts our family about a month or a little longer. I do at least one full load a day. I found all the needed items in the laundry soap aisle of my grocery store.

My girls were on board and helped me make it! Of course I have to share pictures! :-)

My heavens....

It has been awhile since I have posted! I took a break to have fun with more girls before the end of the summer. These days I've been feeling convicted to be intentional about my parenting, not to just let it happen. So, I stopped doing all the extras and intentionally had fun! But I'm back and excited to be in blog world just in time for all the creativity that this time of year brings. :-)