Our Summer Binder

Summer is knocking on our door and it is time to start having fun!!  The boys are old enough to enjoy some daily fun so I have searched and come up with all kinds of fun activities, foods, and field trips and created a Summer Binder. 

On the cover of our Summer Binder is this great "Bucket List" for the month.  If you love these type of things, you can get your own for every month of the year from Signature Photography Studios.  No, I don't do everything on the list but it gives me something to spring off of :-) 

The next step was I just started printing ideas from blogs and Pinterest and placed them in our binder.  I didn't worry about age levels or anything like that because some ideas are for later.  I just saved everything I saw that I liked and than printed :-)

I created the different sections based on need but some of them are Inside Activities, Outside Activities, Water Fun, Food, Special Activities, and even a folder for ideas things for me.  You can feel free to check out my Summer Board on Pinterest to see many of the ideas I've printed.  I continue to add more to that board and print those every free weeks.  You may wonder why I print?  There is one simple reason, people delete ideas.  I've already learned that and have lost some great ideas.  This way, I print the idea/instructions/blog post and have what I want for future years.

My last step is that I took time to go through the ideas, the bucket list and, well, my own brain, and write one thing on each week day.  In June we are doing things such as going to pick strawberries and then making strawberry jam; making ice cube sailboats, going to a local zoo and many more fun things. 

I've learned that if I don't plan, we do nothing.  Now, if this summer is like last summer as far as heat . . .well, then I am VERY prepared for NEXT summer HA!

Too Cute Not to Toot

So, I have a disclaimer this week.  Sometimes, the links I provide don't work anymore :-) I had someone leave a comment on a Too Cute post from a few weeks ago asking me about getting more info on something I posted . I clicked the link and found that the blog I had gotten it from had sense been made private.  I apologize if you see an idea you love and than can't get to it anymore :-(  Sometimes people do things like, make a blog private, or change their blog link or even delete a post.  I will try to provide you with great links though!

Now, on to some fun posts.  When I have people over (our family parties usually) I enjoy having fun games set up (others mock me but that is ok!) so when I came across this idea from This Old House for a great game I had to share.

Ok, this next idea is not a "DIY" idea but when I saw it, I had to show you were to purchase it.  Amazon has this awesome jumbo bowling set.  How fun would that be for a birthday party?  I so might have to get this for one of the kids birthdays this year!!

Apparently, I'm coming across just some general ideas this time around . . .because I wanted to actually share this post from We Are That Family.  As you know, I love to read so this list of books for the family is fantastic.  I especially love the board and picture book suggestions - as I'm planning out preschool for Josh this fall, I was trying to think of how to pick out some specific books to focus on reading each week and I think I just found my inspiration!

We are going camping this summer so when I saw this idea over at Twin Dragonfly Designs for camping shirts, I fell in love :-) 

As you know, I took the weekend off from blogging so I didn't get a chance to do anymore than this for this weeks post (I found these last week before my break :-) )  The good news is I'll have even more things to search for next week!!! 

Hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend!!!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!



I hope you all have a fabulous weekend celebrating however you most enjoy it - spending lots of time with family and friends, doing lots of yard work, or just enjoying time with your own family.  For us, we are spending time with my family at the 1st Annual McMaster Memorial Day Weekend Party.  We plan on having some good old "just us" family time too.  I've decided to give myself "permission" to take a break from blogging (not that I really need permission since I really do this for fun!).  With that said, I'll see you back here on Tuesday with another "Too Cute Not to Toot" post!  Next week I'll share our summer binder with you as well as how I organize the Too Cute ideas I REALLY want to make.  I also want to share with you my some ideas I have for our homeschool room too! 

Hard to believe that this is the unofficial start of summer . .. did we even have winter??

Enjoy your weekend, I know I will!!! 

Weekly Menu - May 26 and a little of this and that

WHEW!  Another week went by :-)  The weather this week cooled off at the beginning of the week after a very hot weekend but it is forecasted to be in the 90's on Sunday and Monday before cooling off again!  I was thankful for cooler weather because I planned Soup for one meal this week!  I tried out a few new recipes this week so you can look forward to seeing those in coming weeks too.

Before I post our menu, I thought you might enjoy these photos.  Last year, we couldn't even get the boys to run through a sprinkler in the hot weather let alone get in the water.  Well, last weekend I happened to pick up a fish watering can.  Then I went back the next day and picked up a second one because I was tired of hearing "that's my fish mama" so now each boy has their own!!  On Thursday, the boys wanted to play with their watering cans so instead of standing in the kitchen to fill them up I got the idea to fill up a tub with water and this is what happened:

 We started by me filling the bucket with empty containers.  It was constant running from the kitchen - the boys loved it and were soaking wet but there was no way I could keep this up all day.

 That is when I got smart and found the hose, hooked it up and put it in the bucket so it would stay filled except . .. . two little boys had fun with the hose.  Josh even figured out how to drink out of the hose.  The trick is that I turned it on very, very low :-)  Eventually the bucket was full and over flowing so I put the sprayer on the end of the hose.

Maybe that wasn't such a great idea HA!  I ended up trapped in the garage and someone enjoyed spraying me :-) 
Now, on to our menu!

Saturday: We are having a family gathering for Memorial Day Weekend.  Originally, it was at our house but due to some scheduling issues in getting everyone here, we are having it at my brothers house so that he and my niece can actually be there for part of it (She plays soccer and has a tournament that day).  We are doing a cookout and all bringing some favorites.  I'm going to take Taco Salad and a Pan of Taco Dip with chips. 

Sunday: It is supposed to be HOT HOT HOT on Sunday so we are planning to take the boys to beach.  I have a three year old that has been asking to go to the beach for WEEKS.  I highly doubt the big lake will be warm enough to "swim" in but they just like to play on the shore anyway.  I used to try to always plan our picnics and make food and have discovered the joy of fast food picnics :-)  I think we will pick up some KFC or Lee's Chicken before hitting the beach (or sometimes we go into McDonalds and eat where it is cool before getting to the beach HA!)

Monday:  Happy Memorial Day!  It is supposed to be hot again! I'm planning to do "brunch" for lunch with eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast (I have one kid who loves bacon and one who loves sausage!) .  Then for our "cookout" we'll have Brats, Fruit/Dip, Spaghetti Salad, and I want to make a dip I found on Pinterest called "Poolside Dip" and have it with chips/crackers.

Tuesday: Keeping it simple!  Tatar Tot Casserole, Roasted Cauliflower, and a Salad

Wednesday: I think my husband will be at practice so the boys and I will make some homemade pizza

Thursday: Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin (I had planned this for a week ago but we ended up having pulled pork BBQ instead), Cheesey Rice and Broccoli Casserole, and Rolls

Friday: I am going scrapbooking!  This was something unexpected that came up and I can't wait!  So my "Boys" will have hot dogs and/or Mac and Cheese while I head out for a girls night out!

I'm going to cheat this week and buy our snacks/cookies.  I'll pick up a package of Darryl's favorites for his lunch, we happen to have Oreo's here already and I think in this hot weather, some frozen fruit bars and ice cream sound good to me!

Food Friday - Cherry Fluff Stuff

Wow, can you believe that it is Memorial  Day Weekend!  First off, I'd like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom.  Yep, it is her birthday today!  Now, back to food.  Whether you are celebrating with friends or just with your family, we all enjoy food on these long weekends so I wanted to share this simple, cool salad recipe with you . . it almost counts as a dessert too!

Cherry Fluff Stuff (aka 4th of July Salad)
adapted from MY MOM (in honor of her birthday HA!)

This salad has been a favorite for years and year - we even had it served at our wedding reception we love it so much.  The ingredient list is small, it is easy to throw together and it is cool and refreshing especially in the midst of a hot summer!

1 small can of crushed pineapple, well drained (this time I used Pineapple tidbits and that worked well too)
1 can of Cherry Pie Filling
1 can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 -8 oz container of Cool Whip (you can you more - it just makes it lighter and fluffier and not so sweet)

Mix everything together and chill for at least an hour. 

Enjoy your weekend!

What I'm Reading!

I haven't done a "what I'm reading" post in awhile because I haven't been reading too many really great books lately.  As a matter of fact, I've read a couple books that I wish I hadn't wasted my time, got half way through one book and said to myself "Seriously, why am I reading this stupid book" HA and have even thought about going to the local Christian book store, looking at "real" books, making a list of what I want and budgeting a little more money for my book habit so I can get so GOOD books!! GEESH!!

With my rant done, I do have a couple of books to pass on to you.

First up is an actually book I read - I have this series, as well as the original series, in  hardcover thanks to my mom.  A Wandering Heart (An Angel Island Novel) by Thomas Kinkade is the third book in this series.  This one bring a movie crew to the Island to use the perfect setting to record.  The main star meets someone on the island who changes her life.  The story winds through that discovery and is just so enjoyable to read!   Now, here is the sad news .. .. you may or may not know that Thomas Kinkade passed away at the beginning of April (just a few days after this book was released).  I am hoping that Katherine Spencer will be able to continue the books - I'd hate to lose "touch" with the great characters in both of the series.

This is one of those books that you shouldn't judge by the cover - when I saw this cover my thought was that it would not be a good book because it looks kind of cheesey . . .but A Dream Unfolding by Karen Baney was a great book.  It was a story that made me want to curl up on the couch and just read to get to the end to find out what happened.  Sometimes, an author writes a bunch of sentences and it gets published - sometimes though, they write a story that allows you to feel part of the lives of the characters and that is what I found from this book.  It is historical fiction and tells the store of a young wife who learns from many difficult lessons as she and her husband travel west in a wagon train.  I've added books 2 and 3 to my wish list :-)

I'm working now on clearing out my Kindle and deleting some books from my account.  Did anyone else end up with tons of dictionaries uploaded from Kindle?  I have them in about 6 languages - I think it was an amazon error but now I have to delete them all!!  I really want to get rid of stuff I am not going to read so I can stock up on some GOOD stuff for this summer - I'm sure I'll be outside a lot while the kids play so books are needed!

99 Things

It's been awhile since I've seen anything in blog land that I've wanted to "copy" but I saw this idea over at Our Happily Everafters (and have seen it a few other places too) and decided to join in on the fun!

The things in bold are things I've done/accomplished/experienced.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii


5. Watched a meteor shower


6. Given more than you can afford to charity


7. Been to Disneyland


8. Climbed a mountain


9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo


11. Bungee jumped


12. Visited Paris


13. Watched a lightning storm


14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning


17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty


18. Grown your own vegetables


19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
 (Ok, I didn't actually see it but we went to the museum to see it and didn't know it was  a holiday so it was closed!)

20. Slept on an overnight train


21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort


25. Held a lamb


26. Gone skinny dipping
 (don't freak out - it was at camp, in the dark, with a few girl counselors - the things you do at camp)

27. Run a Marathon


28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice


29. Seen a total eclipse


30. Watched a sunrise or sunset


31. Hit a home run


32. Been on a cruise


33. Seen Niagara Falls in person


34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors


35. Seen an Amish community


36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person


39. Gone rock climbing 


40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt


43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant


44. Visited Africa


45. Walked on a beach by moonlight


46. Been transported in an ambulance


47. Had your portrait painted


48. Gone deep sea fishing


 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person


50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling


52. Kissed in the rain


53. Played in the mud


54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie


 56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business


58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen


61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies


62. Gone whale watching


63. Got flowers for no reason


64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma


65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy


70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt


73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades


75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person


80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican


82. Bought a brand new car
 (Does a lease count?)

83. Walked in Jerusalem


84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve

86. Visited the White House


87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating


88. Had chickenpox


89. Saved someone’s life


90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Got a tattoo

94. Had a baby


95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit


98. Owned a cell phone


99. Been stung by a bee

 

I was actually surprised by how many I've done . . but there are some on that list that I don't even plan on doing either!!