Summertime means...

...Hydrangeas in the bathroom! I'm so glad my Hydrangea is blooming this year after the pruning it got last year caused it not to flower that summer. The best thing about Hydrangeas is that the blooms can last quite a while in water. What's your favorite summer bloom to bring indoors?

New Flower Hair Pins.

jadeite + aqua // peach + vanilla // fig + orchid // butterscotch + vanilla

More and more, the hair accessories that show up in the shop are designed because I need something in particular for my hair. With the super hot (horrible) weather we had the middle of last week, my hair was spending a lot of time piled up on the top of my head. I needed something super quick, light, and easy to pop in there and bring a little order. These flower bobbies were just the thing. I love mine so much! Seriously, I've been wearing mine all day, every day since I made them. Now that they're available in the shop you can too! 

// Please remember that these designs are my original work and may not be copied or reproduced without my express permission.

Day Trip to the Mountains.

It's been super busy around here. The last few days we've spent a good amount of time making our final cirriculum selections in anticipation of starting our homeschool next week. I've also been working on some things for an upcoming collaboration that I'm pretty excited about. I'll share more about that when I can!

We did find some time this past weekend to spend a day up in the Pocono mountains at a Christian retreat center. We've been going to Spruce Lake since I was a youngster, and the family still makes it a point to spend at least one day there every summer. There's plenty to keep everyone busy near the center, and lots of beautiful scenery and hiking trails. 

All we need to bring for a good time is a picnic lunch (and dinner) and our swimsuits! There is plenty of space for the kids to run around on the playgrounds, and even though the pool is usually full of cold water they swim until their teeth chatter. This year we even found time to paddle around the pond!

The nature center is always a fun place to go! This time the kids were able to pet a snake, hold a bearded dragon, and little miss P even patted a big toad on the head. There are also lots of pelts and bones from deceased animals found in the area, and a few larger preserved animals. No photos though because I don't want to upset anyone.

Sadly, I didn't get pictures of the best milkshakes in this part of the state, the first game of mini golf that my son played, or the fire we gathered around to wind down before it was time to head back home. All in all it was a good (and tiring!) day.

Etsy Favorite Things :: 8.02.11

These are the things that I've been loving on Etsy so far this week. A perfect end-of-summer list! I'm also excited that the lovely clutch below is on its way to my mailbox. Happy Tuesday!

porcelain berry basket with ice blue glaze

tough ruffles zipper purse in coral

illustrated paper feather garland

 

felted cupcake pincushion in vanilla mint

humpback whale no. 15

Summertime Wedding Inspiration

::duportail house::

My sister is getting married on Saturday. She lives two hours away, and today I'm feeling a little bit sad that I can't be with her to help her put her bouquets together and run errands. Our other two sisters and Mom will be converging from various places on Bethany's home today to assist her with whatever she needs and be her moral support. 

I've been fighting a nasty virus all week to boot. The doctor fixed me up with some good medication yesterday to help kick the double ear infection and cure my laryngitis in no time. You know, so I can talk and stuff.

In an effort to help me feel more involved (and less lonely), I've compiled some inspiration photos from Pinterest that revolve around her wedding style. The photo on the top of this post is of her actual wedding venue, the Duportail House.

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Our Favorite Walking Spots.

One of our favorite things to do in the warmer weather is to go for walks. We haven't been able to go in the last couple of weeks, and boy am I missing it! There are two spots in particular that we frequent. 

About five minutes away from our home is a collection of walking paths of different lengths all laid out in a circular pattern. They meander through an open, grassy field planted with lots of different types of trees, and a few little surprises here and there (like the windmill in the above photo).

It's also a good place for our son to ride his bike. Look, Ma, no training wheels! 

Sometimes little boys need to rest too.

The other place we love to go walking is in a state park about fifteen minutes up the road. There are lots of different paths to choose from, some winding around the creek and over bridges, others climbing up the mountain, and still others that meander through fields with grasses and wildflowers that get so tall in the summer you can't see over them. There's a lot of wildlife to spot too: snakes, squirrels, frogs, lots of butterflies, and once we were even greeted by a rather friendly stray cat.

I don't have many photos from the park, as I don't generally lug my camera around because I'm too busy chasing a baby. But now that I finally have a camera phone (yay!), it'll be easier to get some more shots (all of the top pictures were taken with my phone). In case you were wondering, we're really behind on technological advances. Also, for your further information, I'm short.

My son is five. I think he'll be taller than me by the time he's eight. Not to mention the fact that a large coffee is almost a quarter of my height. Yes, I'm five-foot-two. Yes, my husband is six-foot-two. Yes, my neck cramps all up when we dance at weddings.

Have a happy weekend! We'll (hopefully) be spending a good part of the day tomorrow painting while Nana takes the kiddos out for some fun!

Memorial Day.

summer holiday pinwheel garland

A big huge "thank-you" is in order for all of the men and women who are serving, or have served, to protect our freedoms here in the USA. Today is also a day to remember to express our appreciation to the mothers who experience empty nests for the first time as their sons and daughters are shipped across the globe, and the women who stay behind, give birth, raise children, and try to keep their homes in order to support their husbands who are away on tour.

Happy Memorial Day!