Getting it together {a LUAU}

gathering the goods and the ideas for this birthday has been fun.
my biggest concern when having a party in the back yard is the space. it's large and brown and my flowers are still in the baby stages.
i need a big impact with little expense {HA!}

but you gotta LOVE dollar tree! i got all the grass skirts that i used as a "fence" and the grass skirts, drinking straws, super cute cookies that i didn't take a picture of {sigh}, leis, coconut drink cups and candy
i found the umbrella cover at party city, they were the least expensive and looked pretty good.


the grass skirts and leis dressed up the otherwise blah lounge chairs
{each girl had their own}

hula hoops are a must at a {hula} party...

chip bags are so yucky looking so i stole this idea for tammy mitchell designs
and made burlap sacks to stuff the chip bags in.

my table became the gathering place, much to shawn's dismay :(
{and looking at this picture, i JUST NOW realized i spelled sandwichs wrong. UGH!}

and there in the corner is that stinkin' cute sand castle 

my sister in law loves starbucks drinks and i totally benefit.
remove the stickers and wha-la milk glasses
i used cupcake sugar crystals and water to decorate the rim.
it stayed on the entire day and the girls LOVED it!

balloons, lots of balloons!

beach balls of course!

and 49 {cents} leis, cut in half made great hanging thingy's
{yes that's a word} and again, inspired by tammy mitchell designs.

i'll be back for more details and the party...

Makin' a Sandcastle

there's been A LOT going on around here!
masyn's birthday party has been on the top of the list and i thought i'd share the makings
of her {LUAU} themed birthday.
it's been a compilation of everything i've found on pinterest, blogs, and google images

but the first thing i want to share is a FANTASTIC site called tammy mitchell designs!
it was there that i found much of my inspiration and ideas for masyn's party
and THIS!

a {SANDCASTLE}!!!



it all begins with graham crackers and ice cream cones

i'll be back to show you the rest!

Masyn's Birthday & Quilt Class

monday was masyn's {ninth} birthday
and
it was quilt class.
no problem, one of her favorite things to do is go with me to quilt class
so off we went


with these cupcakes to share
{i found them on pinterest}

i gave these little altered gifts to the gals

and in true birthday style,
we decorated the class room with pennants
and a birthday table

masyn decorated the cupcake stand

and we all enjoyed her company

and her birthday!
she's such a special girl!!!

Visiting the La Jolla Children's Pool

was on our {50 things to do} list.
we went down with some friends yesterday and enjoyed a warm but overcast day.
almost got attacked by a seagull but whatever...


the kids {minus evyn} loved everything.
evyn touched the sand {ONCE} and i caught it in the picture above.


the rocks were a big hit
{except for with evyn}

we love bub!
and friends! those boys CRACK me up!

and all the seals and sea life!
{who knew crabs eat worms! GROSS}

and running!
the boys LOVE running!

thanks for a great day friends!

Little {Redwork} Hen

is my current {must} DO

and missy {my MIL's dog}
is enjoying my log cabins as i do the redwork

 

 below is cheri's original version of her pattern.

 

Pine Needles

at gardner village is FABULOUS!
enjoy the pics!
if you see something you like, go here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

makes me want to re-do my whole house
but then again that's how i feel every spring/summer
then fall rolls around and i'm back in primitive mode :)

Visiting Sissy!

we spent the last week with sissy in utah.
we had soooo much fun and there was so much to do.

first thing on the list.
gardner village!
LOVE it!


pine needles quilt shop.

the bingham canyon mine
where the trucks are ENORMOUS!!!

the zoo!
where we saw everything from the common...

to the not so common...
the tiger roared super loud and the lemurs screamed even louder!
the apes and the chimps were entertaining to say the least!

the fourth of july parade was awesome!

i LOVED that every business gets involved!

and the floats are awesome!

the city creek mall
is huge and i will admit, i'm not a fan of malls so the water play
made the day.

and of course the salt lake temple
is beautiful!

we had so much fun with sissy and
we LOVE her a ton!
Thanks for having us sissy!!!
masyn, nolan, evyn and mom!

p.s. please tell your neighbors sorry, i bet they are glad we are gone ;)