little ol' me?

Thanks to Bethany @ Red Yarn I have a bloggy award. She is so sweet to include me on her fab list of blogs. Thank you! I really am into this blogging thing because it is such an easy journal to keep & kinda like scrapbooking that I never do {but boy do i have paper} But it's ever so much better because I get to meet really cool people & get super ideas from them. I really feel like I am reliving 3rd grade where I had a penpal in school & wrote in my diary about Ricky Schroder & my BFF Megan. =0
I have to post the pic because it looks like an award you'd get if you were bloggin' in the 80's...
There are some duties to uphold with this award, so if you want to play along, here's whatcha do....

1. The winner can put the logo on their blog.
2. Link to the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you've nominated.
6. Write an acceptance speech in the style of the Academy Awards, thanking everybody's mother, father, sister, brother, aunties and uncles and kitchen staff at your favorite restaurant!

Oh there are so many great blogs out there, I find a new one every day to read! Here are some you should be reading {if you are not already}

~Mandy @ Belle & Boo

~Chelsea @ My joy & happiness {& everything inbetween} / Aqua Poppy designs

~Jessica @ Jessica, Matt & Charlotte

~Nathalie @ Kennedy & Friends {double award}

~Emily @ little momma & co

~ Nicole @ a little sussy

~Ali @ Simply Me

~Shutter Sisters {collaborative}

hooray blogs amowjdskvxqepoiut
plus so many more...

If you have any extra time to send some happy thoughts..send them to my mommy. She starts chemo on Monday. She's been going through alot this summer...I love her tremendously!

Rose of Sharon in her backyard...the bushes are so tall!

xoxo

goin' to the chapel

Paul's dad got married this past weekend to the lovely Julie. They got hitched in this wonderful small white chapel next to their church (a family had found in north Georgia and had it rebuilt for their ailing daughter} The ceremony was perfect..intimate, down to earth, and full of love! We are so happy for them & to have Connor & Jacob as lil brothers.

Twas a rainy day their wedding day...but good luck all around. I went back the next day to take some photos of the chapel for them.

How sweet are her boys?!
that Connor is so hilarious..Avery adores him!! Bryce gets along with them both and now
Bryce & Avery's GrandDave is only minutes away.

Avery's invitations are sealed up & ready to mail...if I can only get to the post office. If I don't mail them will she stay one?

what they don't know...

My babes will so not eat anything that is considered a vegetable..unless you count french fries. Bryce is getting better everyday as being less picky, like the other week he ate brushetta {who knew?} They do eat fruit though. I am not surprised because I am a picky eater, not super crazy picky, just the one at the restaurant that orders and then says, can you please leave off the {substitute word for anthing not related to poultry} and {___}. I will not eat anything with ketchup on it, never did, and I do not eat red meat or pork. I could have been a vegetarian possibly, but I joke that I am to picky so I would die. If it is a dessert, well then I am game for anything =) I was worse as a child, so I have hope for my two offspring. What scares me the most is that Avery does not like peanut butter! {the horror!!!!!!!!!!}

but anyways, I try to *hide* the veggies as I am sure most mommies do and trick my kids into eating something with some nutritional value. I haven't read the Jessica Seinfeld cookbook, but I would like to try these other recipes from the Sneaky Chef . {I have added the veggie puree to the spaghetti sauce before and it passed the taste test.} So off I went into the kitchen to try to get my kids to eat something other than waffles or cereal for breakfast. I made this oatmeal bar the other day and it ending up being dessert instead of breakfast. They both ate it after they tried it {the second time} with whipped cream.

Sweet Potato Breakfast Bar
5 sweet potatoes
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons canola oil
2/3 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup orange juice
4 cups quick-cooking oats

Directions
1. Wash and scrub sweet potatoes. Pierce them with a fork, and microwave on high until they're soft, about 8 minutes. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, heat your oven to 400 degree F.
2. Cut the potatoes lengthwise, scoop out the flesh, and place in a large bowl. Add sugar, cinnamon, oil, maple syrup, and orange juice. Stir in oats and mix well.
3. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Pour mixture evenly into pan. Bake 23 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Cut into squares. Serve immediately or store for three days in an airtight container.

I haven't tried these Spinach Brownies, but to me they sound scary. I do not think chocolate likes to mingle with cooked spinach..but who am I to say?. Oh Bryce does love smoothies. These are the easiest ones evah ~

Bananaberry Smoothie

In a blender whip up.... a banana, frozen strawberries, handful of blueberries, one yogurt {vanilla is good}, 1/3 cup or so OJ, & a splash of honey. yummmm=)

I wanted this summer to make a list of bento type lunches {& try them out first} to have for Bryce when he goes to school. well I still have some time to....but I am thinking not. I saw these muffin tin meals {from sycamore stirrings} Now don't these look inviting? ...ok...maybe I may.

Whatever you do take care of your shoes

"Give the director a serpent deflector,
a mudrat detector a ribbon reflector,
a cushion convector a picture of nectar,
a virile dissector, a hormone collector
Whatever you do take care of your shoes"

I am attempting to teach Bryce how to tie his shoes. I had bought a practice shoe book thing for my class a few years back knowing this day would come. Oh joy!
There are so many cool velcro shoes for boys that it is tempting to have him wear those kind for the rest of his life. But the teacher in me says he must learn. As it is going, I think he'll be able to tie his shoelaces by college! Now after he masters tying his shoelaces, the next step is this...

fo sure! Seriously, I got this pic from this crazy shoelace site. I found it on Free people' s blog. I had to find a pic of these... Remember Bass shoes with the laces curled??? So ugly! but back in the 80's they were cool. Throw on a Guess shirt & you were set. Maybe I'll bring 'em back for Bryce, because the laces would never come undone. [more flashback...reminds me of Duran Duran. When I had my first CD playa. My parents still use my first radio {circa 1983 I suppose}. It still works great.]
Here is the dress my mom had made..I like it on her!!! It crosses over & ties at the side. I really want to learn to sew, but after helping some & seeing how a easy dress than this is actually not so simple I don't know.

Avery is running in my parents backyard..

last s'mores for a while.......

both of us are watching what we eat.. kinda WW style. I just know if I can fit into my skinny jeans I am happy...so that is not right now.

Cherries on top

With Bryce it was giraffes, with Avery it is cherries.

Cherry cherries. If I see if I buy it...well within reason. Sometimes the cherry print is too cheesy if ya know what I mean. On birthday planning....I plan on having avery's second birthday party with a cherry theme. I will make her invites {and thank you cards,, maybe}. I always have a hard time getting the TY out for some reason..but these thank you cards are v. sweet. I am thinking two red buttons for the cherries with green ribbon/felt? on scalloped paper. I go for simple. These invites are cute.. .maybe for a dress-up party one day. I have made most of the invitations for their parties. I started with Bryce's first birthday...and then continued on... I did not create Avery's first birthday invites last year, how could I pass these up....& they were only $5 a pack!!! The party store is no longer in business now =( Maybe b/c their prices were so freakin low!! I did have to order the chocolate bar wrappers after I saw them at Ella's party! (We just wrapped them around the Hershey's bar and glued them or did we tape them???)
I have just finished the favors for the sweet lil gals. I bought white tops with little cap sleeves and cherry iron-ons. So easy. They are each going to receive a ribbon tied shirt... with cherries on top =) Though it's still not the bestest favors evah, which were from Addi's party.

I cannot find any cherry print paper products anywhere, so I will just have red plates, cups & such. This is another time I wish I had a bigger house. It will be way hot in August, but we will have the pool slide thingee again. The kids loved it and it gave them something to do after eating, opening presents & cake. Hey this year Avery will be sliding in with all the guys! How darling is this below?! (it's from Pottery Barn) I attempted to make a banner for Bryce's first birthday party...I liked it alright..but I never did one again. Now that I can throw girly parties I may just try again~ and make a red & white one for this party. I don't sew {yet?}, so it'll be paper crafting I will go...hi ho the derry-o.

I do not know if I will make the cake again since that was pretty much all I did the Friday evening & night before. I may just add two round red frosted cakes to an already frosted sheet cake and use green fruit by the foot for the stem ??? I do know Avery will not have her own smash cake..she can just have a piece like the rest of us. Oh you have to try Mayfield's Banana Pudding ice cream (half the fat kind)...mmm with peanut butter and chocolate sauce ...& whipped cream. Thank you dad!!
oh when Avery turned one and entered toddlerdom...

Squeaky clean

My friends Denni, Sara, Ellie, & Kate & I gave a shower for Sarah who is getting married in September. We are so happy for her!!! As always, there was so much food..but that is a good thing =) Tons of laughs & so good to see everyone during the summer. I love Ellie's house....she has such good taste in decorating.

The aftermath of unwrapping the Reese's cup brownies. Isn't there a baking kind...not at wal-mart or Kroger though.

Ellie's idea to have petit fours instead of cake...yum!

Denni's sangria..everyone had to have some eventually =)

Sara made the ribbon bouquet and we are threatening Sarah to use it at dress rehearsal...
oh how I am gonna miss these gals next year.

Now I get to start planning another party for someone turning two! Cannot believe it. Bryce is done with his swimming lessons..but still needs more. May try the Y next.
During the week we met Missy, Austin & Annalise at the park..love this park. Such unusual summertime weather...felt like spring. I swear I just broke a sweat at the very end...or when Avery bolted down the biggest slide that she tricked me into thinking she wasn't going on the 52 other times. We had lunch & ran around the playground and then walked around the lake some. Her babes are so cute and so well behaved!! The boys' idea for this photo...
Plus we got a chance to meet up to jump on the jump-jumps with Addi & Walter...and baby Ava is just about too. We ate pizza afterwards with them, speaking of more behaved kiddies. We left a mess, but nobody wanted to kick us out~well maybe I wanted to kick Bryce out for a minute =) Love having weekdays like these. No alarm to wake up to, nothing to rush off for. Eating outside. Taking our time and not being on a time frame. Being able to run errands. Spending time with friends & family. Going out for ice cream just because & leaving dishes in the sink for the next day..wait that is all the time.

Aqua Poppy Designs

Notice anything different, huh? =) Chelsea at Aqua Poppy Designs has given my blog a much needed makeover. I absolutely love it! She asked a few questions and I gave her a basic idea of what I would like and she ran with it...she basically just read my mind. Go check out her site and see other blogs she has done and get one yourself! She is running a giveaway for 5 free blog makeovers, so leave a comment to enter. Thanks a bunch Chels!!!