friday favorites || farewell, june

I'm feeling a bit bittersweet.  Two of two things this week:
1.  Okay, summer you can stop now.  One month of you is already gone.

2.  We are halfway to Christmas, (& even closer to fall!) so I can be jolly dwelling on that.

 What are your feelings as we say goodbye to June tomorrow?

 

one. old friend filled weekend

There is nothing more heart warming then spending a few days with old friends.  We haven't seen this little fam in almost an entire year.  We are family.  So glad they came for a mini vacay.  It was so nice to catch up, laugh like old times, & love on their babies!  I really hope we don't wait that long again...

Do you guys have friends with kids who have grown up together?  Hits me right in the feels!
This is Cam + Lox who are about three years apart.  Can't even tell that now, can you?
Love them so <3

 


Now we have two more cuties & they just add to the fun.

 

two.  fourth faves
The fourth is upon us & so much to look forward to!  Fireworks, red+white+blue everything, & probably a rainy day in the mountains.

But that's okay!  Here's a few of my favorite things for the fourth:
(scroll through to the right!)

And I ran across a few things from the blog in fourths past...
Festive fruit || red white + boom || fourth French toast || cookie crumb popcorn

 

three.  cake boss in the making-part 4

3d design last night... Star Wars edition- A green *ya make with what ya got* R2-D2.

Ok, I'm taking orders now!  Class complete...I got a certificate & e v e r y t h i n g.

 

four. the sister studio

Jen (@thesisterstudioig) has been one of my favorite instagrammers/bloggers for almost a year now.  One of whom I put a lot of confidence in when I'm ready to make a purchase) because she shops the sales & good deals while being honest about the product!  She's gearing up for the Nordstrom sale right now-so if you're about that... hurry & follow!  You'll either be forever grateful (or hate me) for sharing her with you!  I'm working on getting the pieces for this outfit she curated right now... found those espadrilles for half the price thanks to my Mamaw Betty!
(She also knows sales & if she wasn't an 80 something girl-she'd totally have an Instagram)

 

five.  hulu + the nineties
Probably late to this party, but I'm all about some instant Saved by the Bell, Step by Step, & Boy Meets World vs todays TV shows.

Forever a 90s girl.

 

Farewell Fridays in June... Hello Fridays of July!

 

Linking up today with Friday Favorites, High Five For Friday, & Five on Friday.

 

 

At the Table || Fourth of July

"When you read the gospels, you'll notice how often Jesus shared a table with someone-sometimes sinners, and other times, saints.  Nonetheless the table was a crucial gathering place." - Ruth Schwenk 

The kitchen table is more than a piece of furniture.  It's more like the "home base."

 Eating around the family table is something I fear is becoming a thing of the past.

For all the years my husband worked off & I was driving back + forth to work or college, I know we, as a family, never got this precious time around the table together. 
 We ate our meals separately, on the go, or occasionally with family gatherings
- but never the four of us together.

This is now one of the things I love & appreciate most now. 

 It's the very reason I have found a love for cooking & meal planning these days.

 It's here where I find each of us talking, laughing, dreaming, praying together...
If you really think about your family table, it is a place used with great purpose.
 

Not to say that people these days don't have "tables" in their homes or sit at them to gobble down a meal quickly.  There's also a little thing competing for our undivided attention called cell phones or television.  I know in my own experience, it's so easy for them to sneak in to meal times & prevent a family from even saying so much as one word to one another given they do have the time to sit around a table & have a meal together.  It seems that there just isn't time anymore.  There's a meeting here, a ballgame there.  Practice after school this day and a school program that day.  Don't forget, gotta squeezing some time at a friends house or extra time to practice at open gym.

 

I pray this is something my husband & I can limit.  I pray that the family table is something we never forget or take for granted, & I pray that it is one of our top priorities.
A table is meant to be used!

If Jesus thought it was important to sit around a table together, then shouldn't we take note? 

 

Yep, I'd say that if there is one time of day, that a family has the chance to come together, make it at the family table. 

---
I'm gonna do a little something new around here.

Decorating is a passion of mine & we are not at the right place to do any remodeling or decorating right now, so I thought it'd be fun to still get to talk + share some decorating with table settings & continue to talk about the significance of making our tables a safe & happy place for our families!

If simple & cheap is what you're after, you've came to the right place;)

Sources:
$9. -  Cloth Napkins || Target
2 boxes - $2 -  Cracker Jacks || Dollar Tree
(old). Twine || Walmart
 $3. -  Center Runner || Target
***$8. -  Fire work stems || JoAnns
$10. -  Peony Flowers || JoAnns
***(didn't make the cut but I imagine if they were spray painted a more neutral color like silver... they would be really cute stuck in the napkins or flowers!  These were just too loud & sparkly for this simple tablescape)

So, there you have a table setting for $30 or less, for the fourth!  A budget friendly way to make the home a little more festive:)

A few more ideas I had but didn't use: glass coke bottles, large stars laying in middle of table (hello, dollar bin!) & tinsel cupcake toppers used as fireworks. 

Also, so I can sleep at night (🙈), please don't take these posts as know it all.   I always worry that with every post I make.   This was all something I personally had my eyes opened to & over time came to realize.  I read a similar devotion to this & it really spoke to me:).
 Just wanted to share!
Happy Wednesday, sweet friends!

"When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."
Luke 14:15

 

Jurassic World || Jurassic Junkie Fav's + Movie Review for Kids

Okay, girls.

If Chris Pratt wasn't dreamy enough, in second running to Cade of course,
his speech just gave me (& the boys) another reason to love him. 
What a way to share Jesus with the world!
 

And yet another reason (besides the fact that the boys would hitch hike their way to the theater if we didn't take them) to go see the new Jurassic World.

I somewhat question our sanity for watching these movies with our 2+5 year old.
 

BUT.
 

After they watched the first Jurassic World with their daddy, they were HOOKED.

We've watched that movie 343,234k times.

Pre-ttttttty sure I could quote it backwards.

 

Not to mention their Dino obsession quadrupoled.

 And apparently so has the entire world's! 
I've rounded up a few favorites scoped out over the past couple of weeks... 

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

Let me just say, if you want to make a day of the movie, go to Build a Bear (#1-they have a t-rex + blue the raptor, too!),make some Dino jigglers (#9-you don't have to order... can find at Target) + Dino popsicles (#7)!  With honorable mentions are this cute swim set, these shoes, & Cam + Con's shirts!
 

And let's just say as a boymom, I feel it is my duty to purchase this shirt. 
Is it not adorable??  It's so cute in a size bigger so you can wear with a side knot.
And for Cam + Con to have this hoodie for back to school when they'll actually need a jacket... It basically makes a dinosaur mask when you zip all the way up!
#targetdoesitagain 

 
 
The Movie Review from a Mom :
Okay, I'll just say (& we knew the rating ahead of time-our fault)
at one point, I looked at Cade & said...
"we are terrible parents."
It had considerably more bad language than the original Jurassic World & was much scarier...in my personal opinion. It's kind of sad how a movie marketed toward all audiences, especially little boys, will throw in this unnecessary content.

 It may have just been the intensity of the sound in the theater-but the dinosaur scenes got a much scarier reaction from Con in this one rather than in the first one!
We didn't take the boys to see the other one in theater they just watched it earlier this spring with their dad & rather than scary-they loved every second of it. 
Aside from being very loud + scary-it was VERY intense.  I left the theater very stressed -
Totally felt like Claire the entire movie. 
Lots of running.  Lots of holding my breath. 
Lots of emotions + escaping.
Kinda like wanted to do this for the rest of the day...

What we all DID love was more Owen + more Blue.
The family favorites.

Given the overall movie, if we (parents) had seen it ahead of time, we would have waited until it came out on television/DVD (is DVD even a thing anymore?) so we could have let them watch it at home & edit out the language.  Kind of a bummer given how excited they've been over their beloved Dino's & Owen & getting to make a day out of going to see it with the whole "theater experience."
I hear they are making another, so in the future, I think that's just what we'll do!  I admit, I'm excited to see what happens next!


Hope y'all had a great first weekend of the Summer!

PS... we DID find out during the movie trailors that there is a new GRINCH movie coming in November & I am PUMPED!
Finally a Christmas movie worth seeing this year!!
 



friday favorites || lake days+fathers+chris pratt

 Yep, It's safe to say that yesterday was the FIRST day of summer, & summer
 is in full swing!

Bible School, Father's Day, lake days, weekends with friends,
morning coffee on the porch.
We are marking things off our "summer hope to list" left & right.

Which led me to just forget ever having the heart to erase
that sunshine on the chalkboard that Cam drew & create
 our "summer hope to list" beside it, instead.

 

Summer living love set aside, I do confess...

I may or may not be continuously scouting Bath & Body Works for their fall scented candles.  (p r e t t y sure they'll be pulling those babies out at the end of JULY!) #sorrynotsorry

 

One. Fathers day

It's easy celebrating the sweet guys in our life!  We spent the weekend in NC with Cade's dad on the lake & joined my folks at church for Sunday morning service & bible school later that evening.  Everybody gathered at the lake to eat & we had a nice time together floating, dance parties on the pontoon, & huddling to stay dry from the thunder storms!
*I could kick myself for not getting a "dad" picture - sometimes I'm the worst.
  

 
This child...& his peeing outside habits.


 

Two.  90 degree + Indoor playground? Yes, please.

Is it me, or is it just too hot to be on a playground in the middle of the day without a pool or splash pad nearby?  The mall just got a new playground, so we went to try it out!  Ya know, just sit, sip coffee, let the kids play, relax.  NOPE.  Check out Conley's swan dive off the snail tunnel.  He caught a i r.  Every two seconds... help mom!  And he'd jump before I was able to grab his arm.  Forget concrete face scabs, a broken arm is up next...

Three. Breakfast @ Nana's + Wally Webster

Just before we headed back to TN last weekend, we went & had breakfast + coffee at nana & papas.  Her garden is beautiful, her breakfast pizza still tastes like heaven on earth, & Wally Webster is still the center of Conley Scout's world (okay.gravy is in the running).  He prays for this cat every night, y'all.  Enjoyed this slow morning!



 

 


Four. Thursdays are for Diet Cherry Limeades + cake decorating 

More cake updates...I learned 2d design last night.  And the boys ordered ninjago.

My instructor had other plans... we did Marie, the Aristocat & a pinwheel.

SO, when I got home, I threw ninjago together.  It's rough, but for the first time ever doing it + not having any tools or patterns...  I'll call it a success.

I learned how to die my own fondant, too!
 

Five. Magnolia Meatloaf

Yes, I'm going to totally bore you with this last one & yet again, brag on Joanna Gaines recipes.  This meatloaf, y'all... run don't walk.

My favorite meal ever, just got better if that's even possible.

Off to pick up groceries, get my fuzzy headed boys a haircut, wrap up Bible School, & plan a family date night for my "Chris Pratt/Owen loving" boys to see Jurassic World.

 You get a prize if you can you say that in ONE breath.
 

Cam, while watching Jurassic World: "Owen's the one who looks like me.  I mean, I look like Owen, don't I?  Like, without the hair on my face?  Like just my face?"  As he scrunches his face inquisitively while stroking his cheek.

I die.

 



Happy Friday!

Linking up, per usual on this Friday morning, with Katie from H54F,
& Andrea from Friday Favorites.

Shark Attack Lemonade

Because, #sharksarelife

And... little boys get thirsty in the summer time.

We go through a pack of Gatorade in a hot second!

 

Ingredients:

4 lemons

1/3 cup Truvia
Pitcher of blue raspberry lemonade kool aid
Ice cube tray

Shark gummies
 

A couple hours before serving, fill ice cube tray halfway up with blue kool aid.  Add a shark gummy to each cube.  Alternate heads & tails sticking out of cube of ice.  Freeze.

 

Squeeze juice of 4 lemons in the bottom of a pitcher.  Pour in 1/3 cup truvia or other sugar of preference.  Mix with spoon.  Fill water to top.

Now your ready to serve with your blue  shark ice cubes!
*This lemonade is a healthier choice, too!  Not tons of sugar.

 

Add a paper straw with a shark, a lemon wedge, & sip away the hot summer day😎

Of course, there are lot's of fun kid friendly summer drink options on Pinterest, we just came up with this because we didn't have ingredients for the ones we liked. 

A little imagination & using what ya got can go a long way!

 

*Con totally busted his face ALL to pieces at Bible School... he fell down the concrete steps- he gets his clumsiness from ME.

Do you guys have a fun go to summer drink?