BOO candy jars for Brandi-the Halloween Diva. Each stand is made from 4 pieces of wood, spray painted black & glued together, glass jars, ribbon, and painted wooden letters.
And this frame for a birthday gift for baby Miles-who sadly isn't a baby any longer! He turned two! He has a sock monkey room so I thought I would make this for him after finding a cute piece of scrapbook paper. Made from a frame spray painted, scrapbook paper, metal clip spray painted & glued to the glass.
Two of my friends and myself hosted a baby shower for our sweet friend, Melissa. She is one of the sweetest people in the world, so kind and so nice. Love her. Baby Parker will be arriving October 5th. Here's a few pics from the party.
We had a brunch that included cornflake potatoes, breakfast casserole, baked oatmeal, pigs in a blanket, homemade blueberry muffins, sausage balls, and fruit cups.
Sign in table.
Beth made this adorable balloon wreath for the front door that she can also use at the hospital when baby P arrives.
We also had petit fors and punch outside.
I got this really yummy punch recipe from my friend, Jerilynn. I'm not a fan of ice cream or sherbert punch or punch that is really sweet. This is the perfect punch. It has jello (I used peach, but Jerilynn says you can do any flavor, sugar, pineapple juice. You freeze and mix with ginger ale when you serve it. It is VERY good punch!!! My kids loved it, too. Jerilynn keeps it in the freezer for her kiddos.
Rylee, Melissa, and her mom.
Onezies with Parker spelled out on paper.
All the loot!
Someone gave her this precious burp cloth.
Finley was so excited for the shower. She helped me get all the decorations together!
I put out my huge chalkboard for everyone to guess what the baby's weight will be! A certain little two year old boy, decided to write on the board. His name might be Logan, but I'm not certain.
The hostesses and Melissa
We had lots of fun and my house got extra clean for the weekend! You wouldn't know it now, though!
I seriously cannot believe that my boy is a third grader. He seems officially grown up. He might as well order his cap and gown.
Before long, he will be as tall as me. Well, taller, according to Dr. Steve. I'm still mad he left.
Our neighbors always stop by for photos in the yard. It's been our tradition.
And of course, Gunnar had been up a few hours. He doesn't want to miss ANYTHING by sleeping in.
Yep, he's practically an adult.
Let's just hope that he changes his underware when he's off at college.
There's a very good chance....................
Gunnar had his dirty little paws on something used to cook your meal.
Slade played flag football in a church league this summer. They ended up winning in the tournament and took home second place!
He had fun but he is definitely ready for "real" football, as he and his dad call it.
And it was REALLY, REALLY hot playing this summer. We hope Fall brings cooler weather. Snow would even be welcome this point.
We took big brother to school and dropped baby brother at church school and then we hit the town! Finley skipped out on her class!
First we stopped at The Mud Room for some painting.
She loved this place! She is very artsy fartsy so it was right down her alley. She will paint, draw, color, mark, glue, cut, and stamp just about anything.
These were some of her masterpieces. We left them to be fired.
It took deep concentration. She is a serious painter. Then we left and went to lunch at her favorite place, yes, On the Border. I guess I forgot to take a photo there. She had cheese dip, chips, and quesadillas. After lunch we ran by Barnes & Noble. We used a gift card I had and she picked out a book.
Our next stop was Sweet and Sassy. Every little girl's dream. It's kind of like a spa for little girls with a few added attractions like dressing up.
Finley had her fingernails and toenails painted.
She got silver hair glitter. 
And a cool pink tattoo.
She really thought the stage was too cool. This girl loves to sing and dance. That's all she does most days. Have I mentioned that we have Taylor Swift tickets for October?!?!
Before we had to be back at church to get Gunnar, we went across the street to Cup A Yo. This has become one of our family favorites this summer. If you haven't been to one of these neat yogurt places, you have got to visit. You get to pick your flavor and then add just about any topping you could possibly ever think of. You pay by weight-the smaller amount, the cheaper your frozen yogurt, the heavier the amount, you get the gist. 
This was her treat. She really likes cherry flavored yogurt with some kind of chocolate, a fruit, and gummies. I think I had coconut yogurt. It was a really fun day for Finley and me. We will always remember the day she "skipped preschool"! Ha! 
I had to show these precious owl jammies that Cita bought for G at the beginning of summer. I love them so much!
If you do nothing else this summer, make a point to read this book and see this movie. I cannot tell you just how good BOTH the book and the movie are! Take some Kleenex and enjoy! You will not be sorry. It might just change the way you see people-and that's a good thing.
Ok, so this is, without a doubt, the best thing since sliced bread! Seriously. If you eat fresh cherries, you MUST get this. It's from OXO and it is a cherry pitter! And it works like a charm. We love to eat fresh cherries but it's such a pain to take the seed out. No problem! You pick off the stem and place the cherry in the empty space and it will pop the seed right out in no time! It works every time and you can even put cherries in your fruit salad now! I can give Gunnar fresh cherries now without messing with the darn seed! I ordered it off of Amazon.com and it was under 10 bucks. You.must.get.this.
I found these in search of something to dip in hummus. I love pita chips but they aren't figure friendly if you eat thirty of them. So I tried these Wasa fiber crispbread crackers and they did the job. They are also good with tuna. They also have Bob Greene's Best Life seal so they must be healthier than pita chips. You probably shouldn't eat thirty of these either, but you are getting some low cal fiber in your diet and they are only 35 cals per cracker!
My friend gave Finley this for her bday. She took one of the portable Crayola art kits and she blinged it all out with ribbon, rhinestones, and her name. What a cute idea for a gift!
This is my favorite brand of tea, but I've only ever seen it in the gallon jugs at United. This summer I found it in tea bags so I could make it myself at home and for cheaper! I haven't seen it in decaffeinated yet, but this is a start! Nothing like a cold glass of Red Diamond tea! Yes, please!
Pioneer Woman used the adobo sauce in these chipotle peppers in a pasta recipe I made for Finley's bday party. I had never bought or even seen them in the grocery store, but they are there. The juice around these peppers is hot and spicy. Perfect to add into recipes for dips, sauces, etc. I put it in the yogurt mixture for my fish tacos for some spice. There's a bunch left over when I just use a tablespoon or two, so I just freeze small amounts in ziplocs. Try it!
And last but not least, my friend, Angela, gave me four of these Tervis brand glasses. They are the best glasses EVER!!! They have this snap on lid you can order with them that is perfect for taking in the car or giving to the kids instead of sippy cups. Plus, how neat is it that they have a Fiestaware line! They match my dishes! I love these glasses and they have tons of styles. You can also put hot liquids in them and put them in the dishwasher! LOVE!
