Bring on the Summer!

Whew! It's been in the 90's the past couple of days. Fortunately, I'm really looking forward to summer this year and it's all thanks to my Dad and Cheryl. I can't believe all that they did for us. That half of the grass that I mentioned before, it was already fermenting when they bought it so within a day or two, it was pretty bad. Thankfully, Lowe's gave my Dad his money back but that meant getting rid of half of it and having to replant more. I don't even know how many hours of work, driving around from store-to-store, etc. that they gave up helping us put this yard together. It looks so beautiful - lush green grass, Sierra bark chips bordering the lawn, solar malibu lights at all the corners, a beautiful potted Blue Potato Tree (grows the prettiest violet-colored flowers on it!) with pink and purple Impatiens (I think that's what they are?) at the base. They wanted every detail to be nice so my Dad even fixed the leaky water spout! And he lent us his patio table and chairs for the BBQ. It all looks really, really beautiful! And if that weren't enough, while we're at the chili cook-off tomorrow, they're coming over to CLEAN our CARPETS for us!! Aren't they amazing and generous and wonderful? Thank you so much Dad and Cheryl! You have no idea how grateful we are for all that you've done!

The girls and I enjoyed the yard all day today. McKenna had lunch at the table and took breaks to cool off by running through the sprinklers. And since Erick went to dinner with his out-of-town guests tonight, the girls and I had dinner out there too. It was so relaxing and fun! We cranked up our new Brooks & Dunn cd, the girls had rice and green beans (didn't matter how messy they got, we were outside. Woohoo!) and I had a refreshing greek salad and a frosty glass of Diet Cream Soda. Yum! Then we had popsicles for dessert. It was so nice to get to enjoy the fun, messy summer treats and not worry about mess! Bring on the Watermelon next! I think tomorrow morning we'll have breakfast outside. It just seems really appealing to enjoy the fresh morning air, have some coffee, maybe even bring my laptop.

Our neighbors behind us have a trampoline and I don't know how many kids. But there are two little girls who are always jumping and trying to get a glimpse of McKenna. I can hear them shouting "I see her! I see her! Hi! What's your name? Hi!" So I lifted her up so she could talk to them and tell them her name. Then while I cleaned up Kyla, the little girls kept jumping so they could talk to McKenna. It was so adorable! They would say "Can we see your favorite dolly?" And McKenna would run and find one to show them. Then they'd say "Can you dance for us?" And she would proceed to show off her best ballet moves. With everything she would do they would say "Awwww! She's so cute!!" Don't you just love the natural friendships that form between toddlers and young girls? It's the sweetest thing! I wish we had a little door way between the two yards so they could all play together.

So anyway, today was our first day of really getting to enjoy the yard and it was wonderful and I can't wait for many more warm summer days ahead! Here are a few other things I love about summer:

BBQing (best meal ever - steak, baked potato and salad - right Laura?)
Fresh fruit
Making peaches stuffed with amaretti cookies
Making homemade Citrus Punch (if anyone wants the recipe for either of these two, just say the word and I'll post it next time.)
Summer tarts
That "spent the day in the sun" feel on my skin (with sunscreen of course!)
Tank tops (I must own a billion!)
Swimming
The smell of pool toys
Night-time ice cream runs with the kids
Tangerine Sorbet from Coldstone
Corona w/lime on a warm night
Hearing birds chirp late at night
Sleeping later because the girls usually go to bed later

And NORMALLY I would absolutely despise looking for a swimsuit. I HATE the process. But for the first time in my entire life, I tried on a suit and loved the very first one I tried! I couldn't believe it. I bought a Tankini......in a small.....in the JUNIORS department. And I felt good in it! Can I get some high-fives here? Woot! I wanted something cuter than a one-piece but it couldn't be TOO revealing since I would be wearing it at our annual family BBQ for the 4th of July. All of Erick's family is there and I wanted to feel comfortable being around them in a swimsuit. This was a perfect fit! Woohoo! That was such an awesome feeling!

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Recent LOs

4 Generations

Credits: Alright, first I have to explain how bad I looked in this photo. I was like 5-weeks post-partum and still had my braces on. Bleck. This was taken at my sister's wedding with myself, my Mom, my Grandma and my first-born DD. I can't believe it took me so long to scrap such a special picture but I'm glad I waited because this kit was perfect for it. It is so elegant and I was just in love with the mauves and sage colors. So beautiful. I used Collection Seven from Gina Miller's new Designers Studio line, Staple by IOD, photo action by Photoblast, Fonts are Artistamp Medium and FG Script Elegant. Oh and I also did this as part of Traci Murphy's Outside the Box challenge at Scrapartist.
Journaling says:
To all of the women in this picture, McKenna, you were a gift. You were my first child, you were my Mother's first grandchild and you were my Grandmother's first great-grandchild. One of the special jobs that God gave you was to promote each of us to a new role, to make us something more than we were. How blessed we felt to begin our new roles with you.

Give Me Wings to Fly

Credits: This kit is so pretty. I was trying to do whatever I could to use all my favorite things about it. I still barely scratched the surface. Everything is from Gina Miller's Collection Four kit from her Designer's Studio line. The blank tags for the names and date were from Collection Seven. Photo action by Photoblast, Inked edge action by Atomic Cupcake, Font is Papyrus.

Solvang

Credits: The GMD team is lifting each other and Gina Miller is our inspiration this week. No pressure right? LOL! She had too many great layouts to choose from so I chose my pictures first and then looked for a layout that would work with 3 photos and some journaling in a design that I loved. That helped me narrow it a little more. I chose her "Born to Dance" layout since it was a recent favorite of mine! Everything is from Gina Miller's "Designer's Studio: Collection Six" kit. Fonts are Papyrus and Perpetua.
Journaling says: It is the setting for some of my favorite childhood memories. It was where your Daddy and I went for our first anniversary. It is where we welcome the beginning days of fall as we see the leaves turn, we sample the early season wines, and we see the harvest of pumpkins and apples beginning at the local farms. It’s where we always buy a special Christmas ornament from the Jule Hus and we spend hours in the quaint shops. It’s where we enjoy food at Pea Soup Andersens, AJ Spurs, Paula’s Pancake House and The Heidelburg. It’s where Daddy and I would walk through the old-fashioned toy shoppes and pick out toys for our children before youwere born. It was where we took our first vacation as a family and bought Mr. Bongo Monkey. It’s where we hope to make many special memories for you as well.

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Product I recommend:
Back in the day when we were a dual-income, no-kids family, I was able to afford bi-monthly trips to an Esthetician for facials and microdermabrasion. I used the nicest products on my skin. But alas, I can't afford all that good stuff anymore. But the one product that is worth every penny (and lasts a long time so I only need to buy it once or twice a year) is Biologique Recherche's Lotion P50V. It's a toning/exfoliating treatment and is so fabulous! I can't even describe it. I just know that no toner has ever come even close to being nearly as good. I figure I can splurge on this since I never let myself pay much for anything else. Get my shoes at Payless, get my hair cut at Supercuts. I mean c'mon. I gotta have at least ONE pricey beauty item right? Well, that and my lipgloss. ; )