moving out

Hi friends.  This past summer we retired the minivan and went all SUV up in here.  I also got sidetracked by life and slacked off on the blog as a result.  I want to get back into the swing of things and catch up with my blog-land buddies.  Instead of just cleaning house, I’m moving out.  The minivan title doesn’t quite fit anymore anyway.  So, as of right now you can find me here:

http://denimanddandelions.blogspot.com/

Come check it out.  It’s a little of this and that – books, shopping, funny kid stories along with the occasional randomness you’ve probably come to expect from me.

Thanks for reading along in the past and for the sweet comments and words of encouragement.  I’ve so enjoyed hearing from each and everyone of you.  Except the solicitors who only commented in hopes that I’d buy a timeshare.

best Facebook wall post of last week…

I found this on my friend Shannon’s wall:

“Re-post this if you know someone who is still alive today because you can't afford a hit man...”

image source

angry birds for lunch

My co-worker found a picture online of Angry Bird snacks made from bagels, lunch meat, cheese & black olives.  I modified it to make a version my daughter would eat and it turned out like this:

Ingredients: English muffins, sliced cheddar cheese & salami, string cheese for they eyes and black beans (eyes & brows)

Split the muffins in half and lightly toast while you cut triangles in the bottom of the salami slices.  Save the triangles to make feathers for on top of the head.

Now it’s time to cut the cheese.  Hahaha.  Get it?  No really…slice the string cheese for the eyes and make circles with the cheddar slices.  Use the corners of the cheddar to make the beaks.  Use pieces of black olives or black beans for the eyeballs and eyebrows.

I microwaved them for 15 sec to slightly melt the cheese so it wouldn’t all fall apart before it was eaten.

Serve with a side of fruit and watch their faces light up!

so long my not-bummer summer

Today is the first day of school, which means summer is coming to a close.  I’m not one of those moms to lament the end of summer.  I was always the kid who was ready to go back to school, and my kids are the same.  Maybe being a household of type A’s has something to do with it.  So today we’re celebrating school as we salute our not-bummer summer. 

Here’s a little recap of the things we managed to squeeze into the last 8 weeks:

besides the usual tooth fairy visits, living room forts & backyard barbecues, there were:

movies galore,including X-Men First Class, Harry Potter & Winnie the Pooh as well as girls nights to see Bridesmaids & The Help

a couple of concerts – big ones!  U2 and Taylor Swift

fun with food & sidewalk chalk

a dance recital & a doggie makeover from Chewbacca to CHIC!

 

 

swimming, beach time and Junior Lifeguard competitions

my birthday & the gift that changed my life: a Kindle! 

I’ve read 11 books since mid-July (most were FREE downloads) –which explains my lack of blog posts this summer

And in the spirit of getting older, we bought a Sleep Number bed and I joined Weight Watchers to get ready for the dream vacation that we bought the same place we buy toilet paper -  Costco!

It was our 1st real family vacation in over 4 years – a trip to Maui.

and don’t think I didn’t fit in some shopping in between all these activities & working part-time.

Hope you had a not-bummer summer too!

I guess you really can by anything at Costco

I love Costco.  The samples.  The great deals. The unique things you sometimes only find there.  We’ve bought tons of things at Costco.  TVs.  An i-Pod or two.  Books. Bulk toilet paper.

However, our most recent purchase was the most pleasant surprise of all.  A little piece of paradise purchased on Costco.com – a trip to Maui, and it was the best vacation.  EVER!

it included so many things – a beautiful hotel with lots of FREE upgrades and the friendliest staff in the world

snorkeling for the boys with plenty of turtle sightings

a gorgeous beach that was great in the morning for my daughter, but had waves big enough to keep the boys busy with boogie boards and body surfing all day

banana macadamia nut pancakes and Kona coffee

complimentary activities for the kids such as ukulele lessons

lots of photo ops and “Alohas” from passersby

finding coconut shell treasures and hula girls

seeing the luau pig unveiled

more photo ops and an excuse to wear my favorite halter dress

the view above the clouds from Halekala crater

and the dreamy Maui sunsets

It was the first vacation that I was actually sad to leave.

 

my daughter’s budget bedroom revamp

The evolution of my 5 year old’s room.  We started with the traditional girly pastels of pink, green & yellow.

A major leak due to a burst pipe forced a repaint, and she requested PINK walls. 

After the pink paint job I wasn’t quite feeling it, but she was really attached to the color.  Inspired by some art she made at her craft camp last week, I knew I wanted to go with brighter bedding.

A random stroll through Bed Bath & Beyond yielded a pleasant surprise.  She fell in love with a bed in a bag ensemble ON CLEARANCE!  Now her room looks like this (included but not shown  are coordinating sheets with pink flowers on a white background like the patches on the comforter):

She made the hoop mobile (below) at her camp last week. No-cost decorations include the tissue flowers (made my be over a year ago) and the butterfly art (scrapbook paper in a white Ikea frame, both of which I already had).  She picked out the soft, fuzzy throw to compliment her new room at Target.

You can’t help but smile when you walk into this bright, cheery room.  I love the new fun colors, which reflect her personality much better than the pastels. 

seeing stars

As I was going through summer photos, I noticed a recurring theme:

stars

cookie-cutter watermelon stars with red white & blue sprinkles

and a variety of refreshing smoothie pops

plus my daughter’s dance recital star

and the real stars around here -

my little dancer who sparkled at her 1st recital

along with a husband who cheered my son on,

and the boy who finished a 2 mile swim/4 mile run last week in a junior lifeguard competition

all shining bright and adding a little lovely to my day

I’m linking up with Heather and friends.