Max's Grad Party

My dear friend Laina Lamb had a grad party for her son Max a few weeks ago. I wanted to share the beauty and the simplicity of their event with you all today.

Max's party was held in the backyard of their beautiful home.  It was perfect.  When you walked up to the house, this awesome chalkboard sign adorned the walkway.

 There were lights and paper lanterns throughout the yard.  It was festive, with rainbow colors all over the place.  A white tent and backdrop made the colors pop.

There was a wide variety of sweets at the candy bar.  That happened to be my personal favorite (my kids all agreed!)

Laina made these paper garlands and they were so cool!!  This one was on the patio for the food table.  She went with a Chipotle bar, and it was also a huge hit.

There were lots of games, a trampoline and a playset for kids outside.  Their yard is just beautiful...

For Max's cards, she decorated an open suitcase that was vintage.  So cute!!

She had Ball Mason jars on the tables, with a beautiful floral bouquet on each and every table.

These were the cool stickers on the bags for the candy bar.  Doesn't hurt to have a mom who is an awesome graphic designer, huh?

There was a projector set up in the yard, displaying the photos from Max's life.  So touching and personal...

And another great idea--they had a bartender present so there weren't any issues with under aged drinking, or anyone having too much to drink!!  LOVED that idea!!

 

Congrats to you and all your amazing accomplishments, Max.  I had a blast sharing your senior year with you, and can't wait to see all that you have waiting for you at college!!

 

Enjoy your day!!

 

Summer Strawberry Smoothie

 

My version of the perfect summer treat is a Strawberry Smoothie.  Here's what I use:

2 Cups Water

1T. Maple Syrup

2T. fresh or bottled lemon juice

1 bag of frozen strawberries OR 1 pt. of fresh strawberries.

Blend in a juicer or blender, and serve! 

 

Enjoy your day!

Homemade Tortilla Chips

 

Homemade Tortilla Chips

I know it is a bit of work, but man, these were fun to make with the kids.  We ended up making two batches, and there were no leftovers.  Fun summer snack, and paired with our homemade salsa, what's not to love??

 

Enjoy your day!

 

Two Must-Try Lemonades.

Pink Lemonade Sparkling Fruit Punch

 

•4 cans of frozen lemonade concentrate
•1/2 gallon of cranberry juice
•1 46oz of red fruit punch {Hawaiian punch recommended}
•1 quart of chilled Ginger Ale
•1 46oz can of pineapple juice
•2 lemons {thinly sliced}
•Ice

And this one...
Peach Lemonade

4 cups water

2 cups coarsely chopped peaches

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup lemon juice (about 4 to 6 lemons)

1 peach, cut into wedges

Mint for garnishment

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the first 3 ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes. Place peach mixture in a blender. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape) and cover the top with a clean dish towel. Puree until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
2. Press peach mixture through a sieve over a large bowl, reserving liquid. Discard the peach solids. Stir in lemon juice.
3. When ready to serve, add 1/2 cup ice to the glasses, and pour peach lemonade into the glasses. Garnish with peach wedges and mint.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 5 minute(s)

 

Strawberry Jam

 

June in Ohio means it's strawberry picking season.  So I took the liberty to make jam with mine this year.  Found several recipes that were very similar on Pinterest, and ended up using this one.  Give it a shot--it's SO EASY!!  My daughter helped me out, and we had a dozen canned in no time at all!!

 

Enjoy your day!!

Blue Ball Mason Jars

Have you seen these??

A limited, special edition set of Blue Ball Mason jars are out, and I'm bound and determined to get my hands on some.  They're divine.  Perfect for tablescapes, don't you think?  Oh, and canning too.  Kmart, Bed Bath and Beyond and Amazon are all said to carry them.  But act quickly--these babies aren't easy to find.

 

Enjoy your day!!

I love June.

...and the flowers in my garden.

AND...my iPhone.

 

Enjoy your day!!

Projecteo

Are you an Instagram fanatic like me?  If so, you may be interested in the tiniest projector, the Projecteo. 

Isn't it DARLING??  The wheels look like this...

Wouldn't it be fun to capture these images on a reel, and watch them at your leisure?

 

You can find all the info out right here.

 

Enjoy your day!!

T-Shirt Quilt

Once in a while, a reader will email me something that is amazing.

And that is what I'd call this T-Shirt quilt.  After going through all of my parent's clothing lately, I took the liberty to save a few items, and now I know I want to do this for sure.  Does anyone out there know where this kind of thing can be done?  She had no other information other than this photo, and neither do I.  But it's totally worth investigation, wouldn't you say???

 

Enjoy your day!!

Homemade Fudgesicles

Our first day of Summer break, and guess what we're doing?  Homemade fudgesicles!  You can find the recipe here on Budget 101.com.

 

Enjoy your day!!

Worst End of School Year Mom Ever.

Once in a while, I read something that strikes a chord in me so deeply that I need to share.

And this one did just that. To all you mom's out there that hit the ground running in September and peter out in May, I am the President of your Club. I could've easily written most of this article.

Enjoy your day!!

Our Zoo Field Trip 2013

Last week, I accompanied my son's school to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.  It was brutally hot, but oh, so worth the trip...

I decided to take my older son out of school so he could join us.  He is obsessed with dinosaurs, so I knew he'd want to see the exhibit they had...

These days are going by so quickly.  It seems just like yesterday, I was here with my older son's class...and that was three years ago...

 

So glad summer is just around the corner.  I'm longing for more fun days like these!!

Enjoy your day!

 

8th Grade Farewell Dance

I never got around to posting the collages of the Farewell Dance from our school's event a couple weeks back. Congrats to all these young adults as they enter into high school!!

I printed these collages out and have them hanging near the office of our school.  It was a pleasure getting to attend.  Best of luck to all of them as they start a new chapter of their education!!

Enjoy your day!!