...some festive touches...

some cute ideas i found to spice up the fourth of july...thanks to good old martha! i'm really hoping i can get around to making a few this week...

...candy please...

i had to post this story...on our way to boise last friday we had a potty break, of course. while we were in the gas station, zac wanted just about any toy and piece of candy within reach. this is how our conversation went...

zac: "mom, can i please have some candy?"
me: "no zac. you always get candy and we're not going to get any today."
zac (with a dumb founded look on his face): "um, mom. if i ALWAYS get candy...then get me some, please."

he didn't get any candy...and he was okay with it, thank goodness...but i thought it was so funny that he would put two and two together like he did. apparently, he's getting much smarter than i realize! :)

...friday freebies...

okay, so i made these recipe cards up for my sister the other day...and thought some of you might be able to use them too...however...i don't know how to post them on here so that they're easy for just anyone to download and print. if you know how, please share. i think that the way i have them on here right now, you need to have photoshop or photoshop elements in order for them to print right. make sure that you have your printer set to "landscape" mode, then print and enjoy! oh, and card stock works best...obviously. :) happy friday!

...they're a blooming...

i must say that i'm loving the fact that our yard has flowers in it...and the fact that i didn't even have to plant them is even better! unlike myself, the lady that lived here before us had a major green thumb and planted all sorts of plants and flowers. now that they're all in bloom, it's so pretty and i'm loving the fact that i can just go right outside and snip off some flowers and bring them in to enjoy for a few days. and then when they die...yep, i go right back out and get some more! it's easy, beautiful, and free!

as far as this little flower of mine is concerned, i still think emerson is growing up way faster than zac. maybe because i'm busier, time seems to be passing faster. i guess it just gives me more reason to simply enjoy this part of my life, because it won't last forever. she's spunky, sweet, and so fun...

...private no more...

so i really have been debating this for the last couple of weeks...and i've decided to switch the blog off of private. it's a bit frustrating because you can only have a certain amount of readers to your blog...so you really end up picking and choosing who's going to and not going to be able to read it. and i don't like that, weird i know. i'll probably change the blog address here in the next few days too, just to keep it a little more not so easy to find...seeing as how right now it's my name.

anyway...i'll email all you viewers my new blog address when i switch it! and until then, enjoy reading hassle free!! :)

...trash to treasure...

here's a fun idea for using up your old & broken crayons!

what you want to do is first unwrap the crayons. you can do however many you want to...we used about 15 or 20 & that was plenty for zac. if you can, try and use a variety of colors, it makes the end product more fun! once the crayons are unwrapped, chop them up into pieces. but keep in mind that you don't want shavings, you want small chunks.

then get an old muffin tin...the wax tends to stick a little. i didn't have an old tin, so i learned the hard way & spent like 20 minutes scrubbing mine afterwards...but the wax still came off, so if you don't mind scrubbing a little...feel free to use a newer one...it's up to you. now divide the crayon bits up into the muffin tins...zac filled ours just over half way.

you'll want to bake them at 200 for about 20-25 minutes or just until the crayons are melted. then remove them & cool completely on a cooling rack. once they're cooled, put the tin in the freezer for an hour or two. then tip the tin over...and they should pop right out!

the finished "magic crayon" project...

and one happy boy...

...sidewalk art...

while we're on the subject of art...over the weekend, we made our way over to gateway to see the sidewalk art. it was so hot, i felt bad for all the artists...seriously, sitting in dead hot heat for hours while sitting and drawing on a hard sidewalk...not my idea of fun. but....they seemed to pull it off & created some really cool, but temporary works of art.

this was my favorite...you can't really tell, but she had glitter all over it & shimmery stones that made it look sooooooo cool! however, i didn't quite capture the true coolness of it with my amateur photo skills...but you get the idea. :)

...a birthday for both...

we had a fun-filled weekend thanks to nate & kylie celebrating their 23rd & 15th birthdays! it was quite the party! between the two of them, there were lots of people joining in on the festivities...the more the merrier right?

it was so fun to see nate for a change! the last few weeks he's been busy being an e.f.y. counselor, so we've missed having him around. oh, and did i mention that he's my favorite brother??

kylie with aya, one of her many, many friends that showed up...and i mean many! she's a social one, which is fun.

if emerson could take off running right now, she would. she's getting so close to walking on her own, but one of her favorite things to do right now is just walk around with whoever will hold her hand. and her hair is growing like crazy...as you can see, no more big bows on her head. so sad...who knows how i'll be at this hair thing...hopefully i'll get it figured out soon! it was so much easier to just throw a cute head band on her head, seriously.

...Friday's Favorites...

i came across this blog the other day...and loved it! there are so many fun ideas that you can find from all sorts of creative people out there...and this lady does a great job of searching the web to find those idea providers for you! check it out...you may find some other websites or ideas you like...

...bubbles...

So thanks to my friend daisha, i got this fun idea off of her blog. to create this easy little bubble maker, get a cup (we used a plastic one) and a little bit of dish soap in the bottom. then add about 1/2 cup water to it and cover the top of the cup with tinfoil. once you've done that, poke two little holes in the top of the tinfoil...(one for the straw and one for the bubbles to come out of)...now you're already to blow through the straw & let the magic begin! zac loves this by the way...it's so quick and easy which makes it all the better, right?! thanks again daisha for the idea!! :)