Summer, Summer, Summer Time

Ahh yes Summer is HERE!

I have been blessed with having at least three plus weeks off each summer which I cherish with the kids.  This year we have embarked on daily outings and most that include water. 

My five year old has had a difficult time for one reason or another to complete swim lessons which has made his father and I extremely nervous because we are a family that own s boat and enjoys days up at our local lake.  So this year I decided it is time to see what Private Swim lessons will do for him.  BOY, why did I wait? 

My son is totally moving through swim lessons and building confidence  with each lesson! 30 minutes of uninterrupted swimming instruction by a wonderful instructor is just what he needed.  I don't have any pics to post because while my five year old is learning to swim I am in the water with my youngest, who I might add is not afraid of the water, dunking, leaving me in the water, it is almost scary.

We will continue with these as long as we can!

Celebrate your Independance with BBQ

I don't know about you but I surely enjoyed my Fourth of July celebration! In fact we ended that celebration yesterday! We started our celebration with a large and in charge BBQ to share with our friends and their kiddos!

Of course I like to decorate and take into account the smallest of details. So we started with Evite (easy invitations online only) but allows you to post updates and communicate, provide directions and is fully customizable. It is a free account as well. Super easy and a tons of designs to choose from! Next the idea was to have a BBQ with a vintage red, white and blue look to it! So I found several things as a Plumster! My favorite website for cute and discounted items Pick Your Plum had several items from cute washi tape, red and white striped bags as well as blue and white striped bags which I used for the utensils.  I also found the cutest wooden staked chalkboard labels from Pick Your Plum and used them to label items on the bar and the food table. 

Being a Pinterest gal, I wanted to make new items such as Apple Pie Pops! So read up on different recipes for these and decided because I didn't have time I would make them but use pre-made and purchased items.  So I bought Pillsbury brand pie crust and pulled out my cookie sticks (purchased at Michaels/ Holly Lobby). Then I bought pie filling. I took a round cookie cutter and made crust circles, put a 1/2 tablespoon of filling on one, stuck a stick in it, placed the second round on top, took a fork and pressed the two pieces together, painted on egg white and baked for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.   They were super yummy and a big hit. With the left overs I made an apple pie!  You can find additional information on my Pinterest board titled "Fourth". 

I wanted to have a couple signature drinks. I bought enough for two types of signature drinks but only ended up with one.  Sweet Bourbon Peach Tea! OH so yummy and potentially dangerous, (if you know what I might mean!)  My friend provided me with the best recipe one that I couldn't find anywhere but came close.. check out my Pinterest board "Drinks" for different recipes. See below for the best version courtesy of my friend and not sure where she found this one!


Also the best tip she gave me (if you are making large quantities) is to purchase a 5 gallon bucket with sealed lid from a local hardware store, rinse out and mix your drink there and store during the party!


I wanted a bar! I looked for a cheap portable bar but found nothing! So I borrowed two wine barrels from a friend, found two boards and place that on top! Used glad mason jar, and pottery barn barrel dispensers with the alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, placed bucked around with other drinks such as soda pop, water, Capri-suns for the kids etc.  It was great!

The weather was super warm with a nice breeze. I had placed in our yard tables and chairs with red and white gingham table cloths! and bough cute American flag pendants to hang on the fence-line.  It was cute with just a hint of décor. 


Games were provided to keep everyone busy! Ladder ball, and Bad Mitten! Everyone had fun!

We ended the night lighting off our own fireworks with the people who were remaining! A great time was had by all.  Next it was off to the Lake for the fireworks and water fun for the rest of the weekend!

The Red, White, & Blue of it All

Celebration:

This year I've decided to try my hand at being crafty for the Fourth of July!  In celebration, I decided to create some outdoor décor for my home.  I love going to our local crafty antique stores and am certainly a Pinterest fanatic.  So on one of my "waste time might as well go to the antique/craft store" adventures I found a bundled stack of old stakes.  I was intrigued and put them in my basket.  Of course I loved just the look of the bundled sticks tied with a single piece of twine.  I thought I would just hang on to them for a rainy day project.

Light Bulb

The other day my light bulb came on, and I realized exactly what I would do with these stakes.  I would try my hand at creating a small sized wooden American flag for decoration.  I had a million ideas about how to put it together but really wanted a easy go of it. 

Looking like an American Flag yet?  Well it will I promise.  What a few cans of Red, White and Blue spray paint and some blue with white stars washi tape (from Pick Your Plum) will do for the finished project! Take a look.

 

 

 



Happy Fourth of July!