You know you're a Texan when...

Happy Monday, y'all!

My Summer List!

My friend was pinning all of these summer list ideas. It looked like so much fun. I mean, how often do we set out on summer, just to look back halfway through and realize we've done nothing? I do it every year. And, with my kids going off to school this fall and it being my husband's first summer as a teacher, this idea got me really stoked! Except, said husband will be out of the country for a vast majority of summer... Oh, well. We can knock out some of the easier things on the list without him. He'll have to jump back in and enjoy the more elaborate ideas with me. :-)

So without further ado, here is my summer list!

And here are a few fun pics to keep you entertained:

 Playing monster with daddy!

 Adventure camp! Don't let the weird smirk fool you - she had a BLAST!

 "AHHHHH!"

This baby is super fun (don't mind the baby food face). Have a great week!

Fire Hamburgers

When asked what he would like mommy to cook for his 4th birthday, 

here are some of his choices he likes her to make:

meatballs

leftover Sonic

ham and chicken sandwiches (I've never made that)

raw beef

I'm probably going to cook something over fire. :-) He likes fire.

"Fire Hamburgers"

Twinkies!

Cute.

Amanda Grace

I received this doll that was made to look like me when I was in my late teens. It was super fun to have, but I was obviously out of the doll make-believe stage at that time in my life. I've hung onto it for all these years because it is special to me. Unfortunately, she had a mishap involving two puppies and a couple of plastic doll limbs. Now that my daughter is turning 7, she's expressed a lot of interest in American Girl dolls and also has shown her ability to care for one (that's no small accomplishment!). I wanted to give her a new one made just for her, but it is expensive! So, I decided to give her mine! We brainstormed ideas about how to repair her. "Maybe if we put long satin gloves and buy her tall socks and boots?". I found the Doll Hospital online out of curiosity. So, we shoved her (lovingly) into a box and sent her to the UPS store. The UPS guy freaked out because he saw what was inside - due to my misplacement of our packing tape. I wonder if they take pictures of weird stuff people mail and laugh when we walk out? Hmm.

 Before we sent her off, we named her "Amanda Grace" - she never had a name before!

 Her skin was cleaned, hair brushed, and adorned with a new gown, 

hospital bracelet and socks and a ribbon in her hair.

 And new limbs! No more see-through feet and hands!

 She has a certificate of health. But she needs bed-rest and healthy food for one week.

 We had a tea party in her honor.

 Daddy played along. Only because it was our lunch and he was hungry.

 Our tea was iced for the kids.

Welcome home Amanda Grace!

The brown built-in

This post is closely related to this post. Please help me convince my husband that we need to paint this built-in! (Sorry about the junky-ness of the shelves)

We also need recessed lighting and I'd love to re-paint this room a different shade of white. It's not the perfect house for me as far as taste goes but it sure is affordable! That means a lot in this family.

Fun Party

I had the privilege to be on a journey along side a good friend adopting from China. While we are anxiously awaiting her arrival to her new home, I spent some time trying to distract her family with a wonderful shower!

The food and cake and decorations turned out lovely! Almost as lovely as this group of women I love. <3

 Scrumptious! Look at that cake!

We had a little book to write a prayer for Hannah. My hope is that she will look back on this when she is older and know how cherished she is.

 Me and the oldest made this fun banner at the last minute. We used purple yarn, ripped fabric leftover from another project and scrapbook paper.

 My daughter hand-stitched the little owls. Aren't they cute?!

 The paper lanterns topped off the look I was going for. What is a Chinese adoption party without pink paper lanterns? (That's Hannah's mom pictured)

I spent hours (easily more than a dozen - probably more) on centerpieces that I hot glued by hand (calluses on my left thumb - ouch). I found a tutorial here. I went exploring with my kids and they helped me to find all the branches I needed at a nearby park. The lovely containers pictured is one I bought at a friends thrift store that funds programs for special needs young adults. One is a dressing pourer (is that a word?) and the other is a Manischewitz Grape Juice bottle (who knew?)! The pretty glasses were filled with pink glass beads, of course! This one is the one I started with but once I realized that this single centerpiece wouldn't fill the big house we had the party at, it snowballed into 4. Once I carried them into the house, they dwarfed and I was glad I didn't just make one dinky one. I guess they filled up our house more than the host's house. It was a labor of love.

 Me and my girls.

 My daughter was a lovely helper handing the gifts to be opened.

And, not to be outdone. This is the final masterpiece of the party. The story is here.

I just love a good party.