We moved in our new home Memorial Day weekend, and the start of summer had us all outdoors more than indoors in the week that followed. We have a double deck that needs some re-finishing done, but I’ve learned to make the most of what you already have or a year can escape you without ever using the space.
I shared the budget friendly way we created this patio space over on Domino Magazine. I hope it gives you some resources and ideas of how to do the same for your own space!
Have a rest filled Father’s Day weekend, and may there be a plethora of good food and family involved!
I commissioned my talented, younger, cooler sister to drum up some free desktop downloads to fancy up your tech devices! Now, I kind of want all of these in wallpaper format for a room in my home;)
We hope you enjoy! Download below, for personal use only: VIEW FULL POST
I have to try REALLY hard not to hoard little girl swimsuits because they are cuter than I can stand!
Here’s a few recent favorites in all price points. If you have the ability to pay a little more, there are some fantastic women run small businesses included. Veronica has a few of these and they have proven to be really durable.
A few snapshots of the start of our summer in the new place, where shoes are tossed aside, watermelon is served daily, and our door revolves with family and friends…
I was out of gift ideas for my best guys this year, so did some homework. Here are a few items that caught my eye, and hopefully it saves you some time hunting as well! What are your Father’s Day traditions? A day outdoors is the main theme for us, and of course, his favorite foods.
I sat down to write this week after the week long blog break (which hasn’t happened in ….years dare I say?), and what I thought would be a rusty brain produced some connected sentences and congruent thoughts! I am crediting the elimination of other distractions that week such as social media and netflix (I survived and actually loved it – gasp!). I also took some time to dive back into more reading. Sometimes, I am so busy creating content for my own blog, that I don’t get to visit some of my personal favorite books, mags, and websites for a little scoop of news or thought provoking content. It got me thinking about the high speed level of entertainment our culture is producing, and if we still have the attention span to actually READ through articles, writings, and stories? For instance, have you made it this far into the post yet? Bravo! Test one passed! (wink wink) I found it encouraging to see this study that social media usage has actually significantly dropped this year. Dare I say we are catching on that it isn’t all that fulfilling in the end? It serves it’s purpose, but I think we all crave more than snaps and images from time to time. However, I know a good portion of IHOD’s social media audiences rarely click over to read the full story based on questions I receive on the social apps.
So if you do take the time to still actually READ through blogs, magazines, newspapers, and good hardcovers, when do you do so and by what form? First thing in the morning? Before you go to bed? A carved out time on the weekend perhaps? Do you email subscribe to your favorite sites? Maybe just a click over on social media? Good ink on paper? I am interested to hear, as I find this topic worth diving into a little more.
If book stores are dying off and apps are thriving, it poses the question of how this is affecting us as a whole? In some ways, I welcome the app life. I mean, thank the lawd for Amazon prime, weather apps, and email access! Even still, I don’t think I will ever tire of the slower method to taking in information. Fresh print, writing in a journal, sending snail mail to nearest and dearest, and sitting down on Saturday mornings with a cup of coffee to catch up on the writings of some of my favorite blogs. For instance, I read Erin’s recent post that stopped me in my tracks, and immediately had me re-shifting the way I approach friendships. I finally sat down to read the last issue of Darling Magazine from cover to cover, and ate up the visual art along with it. I appreciate more than a good visual scroll, and tend to re-visit blogs that take the time to use the lost art of vocabulary. Heck, if blogging wasn’t my job, I’d probably venture down a life without social media for a while like my lovely friend Amanda.
I am curious though if others still enjoy the same? I love how my husband Gabe doesn’t have social media. He reminds me the importance of reading from different news sources to do our part in understanding what is going on in the world around us, and drawing our own conclusions. My sisters are also a really good at encouraging cool reads, and are currently recommending podcasts to each other to listen to. Elements of a well rounded mind, right? 😉
Anyways, thanks for reading if you made it this far! You have earned yourself a modern day attention span award! Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Also, please leave me some of your favorite magazine, blogs, and sites you visit regularly if you feel inclined!
Coming out of unpacking hiding for a bit to share with you all the weekend adventure our family took to Seaside, FL. Our little ones had never seen the ocean despite being the water babies that they are! We gave Gabriel the choice of a beach day with the family or a birthday party with friends, and we were all secretly hoping he would choose this. If you remember, Gabe and I first made a visit to Rosemary Beach for an anniversary trip and fell in love with this bubble of a town on the pan handle of Florida. We were dreaming of taking our kids there ever since. We had to pry them away from the sandy scenery, and Gabriel claimed “it was the best day he ever had.” It made the long drive, potty accidents, and toddler meltdowns all worth it;)
Can’t wait to get back to this place. We highly recommend it for young families. We rented bikes for 24 hrs. and rode them up and down 30A visiting Charlie’s Donut Shop, the water fountains, ice cream, beach, pools, etc. We booked a really affordable spot in the villages of Ft. Walton which is conveniently located between Alys and Rosemary (my two favorite spots!)
I’ve realized creating experiences for your family doesn’t have to be pricey but may require a good deal patience and flexibility to walk away with fists full of memories like these:) I’m always happy we went for it in the end to see the world through the eyes of my children, because they are so full of life and hope when the rest of the world seems grim.
