Our little Vacation (stay-cation)

What could be better?? Sleeping in our own bed. Shopping at our familiar stores. Eating at our favorite places. The kids are having a great time at our friends' house. We are spoiled (I am spoiled--Dave shopped with me all day- not once complaining. He is the best :) :) We have until Wednesday morning.......peace & quiet........no responsibilities!!!! (and I am starting to miss the kids just a little :)

cute

Just had to share the outfit that Heather made for her daughter. ADORABLE, right?!?! These photos are especially for my mom with the info- simplicity pattern called NEWLOOK kids #6478. (size 4T :) :)
I don't know about you, but these flip flops would look cute on just about anyone!!! Adults too. Good job, Heather! (now you need to sew yourself a matching outfit :)

First of all let me thank my mom who was in labor 34 years ago today.....

Dave's office/family room is coming along. I have officially lost the bet and decided that "sparse" is not something that is possible at this house :) I am on the hunt for bamboo shades for the windows.

I LOVE the brown wall!!! For once the color looked exactly the same on the wall as it did in my head!!!! Speaking of paint- Kristi shared the news that you can get a free quart of paint from the Glidden website. I went there all excited and chose purple. Now I am wondering what in the world I am going to paint purple?


Now you can see how we used some of the Laura Gunn fabric- 4 of these canvases are wrapped in her gorgeous fabric.

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My husband has arranged the most wonderful b-day present. The kids are going to a friends house from Sunday night until Wed morning and we will have the house totally to ourselves!!! We are going to the outlets one day and have plans for the Cheesecake Factory and The Outback. Darlin- you are a genius! I am so excited. Just time alone with Dave is going to be so nice. We have been busy and not had a date night in about a month.

The hardest part of it will be deciding between these:

GODIVA^® CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE
Layers of Flourless Godiva Chocolate Cake, Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse

CHOCOLATE TUXEDO CREAM^TM CHEESECAKE
Layers of our Fudge Cake, Chocolate Cheesecake, Vanilla Mascarpone Mousse and Chocolate

Orange!!!! Orange you glad I didn't say lemon again?!?!?!?

Fabric from Ikea
rug from anthropologie

Love this photo from Better Homes & Gardens

Burp cloth from babymomos (makes me *almost* want to have another baby just so I could use this burp cloth!)

Jello oranges from family fun

bean mosaic from Martha

Love this orange bike shirt from Loftymornings
(quote says- Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride)

Adorable Owl dish by the brick kiln

Fun & funky orange felted owl by ifeltfine.

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We tried that Lemon Angel Hair pasta and it was good except that I forgot to get the pine nuts and we were out of garlic- so I am sure it would be great if made the correct way. Speaking of food- OH MY WORD. You have to try the Peach Raspberry Cobbler. I made this tonight and we ate it warm with vanilla ice cream- SO GOOD (and easy). Yes, Yes, I am apparently in a mood for fruit...lemons, peaches, raspberries.....the tastes of summer.

More Lemons!

Gorgeous lemon glass blossom candleholder by JellyBugArtworks Super cute! Lemon drop flapper hat by loopy4ewe Cute idea....lemon & lime button earrings made by Beaded and Buttoned More soap! I could eat it! Lemon meringue pie soap by luxury falls Adorable juicy lemons dress sewn by dress baby beautiful :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Dave's Favorite Summer Dessert- Lemon Delight! 1c. cold butter 2 cups flour 1 package cream cheese (8 oz), softened 1 cup powdered sugar 1 carton (8 oz) cool whip 3 c. cold milk 2 packages (3.4 oz each) instant lemon pudding mix In a bowl, cut butter into flour until crumbly. Press into ungreased 13x9 pan. Bake at 350 for 18-22 min. or until set. Cool. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 cup cool whip. Spread over crust. In a mixing bowl, beat milk and pudding mixes on low speed for 2 min. Carefully spread over the cream cheese layer. Top with remaining cool whip (I don't like to put on this last layer of cool whip). I offer it if any one wants it, but it seems like too much and takes away from the other layers.

Bowl of Cherries

My sweet Mom & Dad sent me an early b-day present. OOPS- was I supposed to wait until Friday to open?!? Well in any case the box was opened and I am thrilled with my sweet polka dot bowls! I opened a blue one first and thought to myself "I sure hope they are all different primary colors." Then I opened the next blue one and was just a tiny bit disappointed and thought that they were all blue (although all blue with white polka dots is incredibly cute too). Then I unwrapped the rest and cannot believe my luck- and how well my parents know me!!!!!! This is another one of those gifts that I could put in every room and use in a hundred different ways.

Thanks Mom & Dad :)

FAQ's

Q- How do I go about ordering a custom painting?

A- E-mail me with the idea of what you want. Tell me size, colors, quote, or verse. I will write back and tell you sizes and prices (prices start at $40). We can e-mail back and forth until you decide on the perfect size and colors, etc. Some people email pictures of a curtain or paint color that they want the painting to match. (saramincy@gmail.com)

It is usually a 2 month wait. When you order I will give you a time frame.

As soon as I get done painting for you I will e-mail a picture. If you are happy with it you can pay via paypal or send me a check. When I get payment I will put your painting in the mail.

Q- Do I need to frame a custom painting?

A- The painting is done on stretched canvas with the sides painted black. There is no need to frame it. I hang these canvases all over my house as is.

Q- Do you do custom prints?

A- No, I only do custom painting on canvas.

Prints are copies made of a painting that will be sold in volume. Here is the process for making prints: paint a design that will be able to be enjoyed by a variety of people, take it to the printer who makes at least 20-30 copies at a time. List these prints on etsy. A print is a copy of an original done on cardstock.

Q- What is the process you go through when you decoupage?

A- I am such a non-pro at this! But I really have fun with it and I am pleased enough with the results to use it in my home quite a bit. Here is what I do:

1. Get some fun scrapbook paper in a variety of prints and colors that work well together. (my favorite store is Archiver's.)
2. Paint the surface (I use acrylic paint from Wal-Mart --the Apple Barrel brand. This is the cheapest paint that I have found that still works very well)
3. Cut out your squares (or whatever shape you want), paint on a thin layer of Mod Podge and lay the paper on the glue. rub gently especially around the sides to get it to lay right. When this dries (I never want to wait long enough! I usually wait about 20 min.), paint on another layer of mod podge. After this step there is some controversy as to the correct way to seal this. If it is something that will get a lot of wear and tear like our coffee table, put on several more coats of Mod podge. I have had really good results with this and our coffee table has stood the test of time and many car races, tea parties, etc. Some people have said you need to use another sealer on top of this to give it proper protection. The Mod Podge bottle does say that is also a "finish".

Q- How do you hang your paper lanterns?

A- I string the lanterns with fishing wire and hang from a cup hook screwed into the ceiling. I have never tried to put lights in the lanterns.

Q- How do you get everything done?

A- I don't get everything done at all. The days when I get a lot of painting done, the house is usually a mess (the kids always have to do their chores, so at least the beds are made and the floors swept-- also, Dave does the supper dishes every evening- and some days he ends up doing a full days worth of dishes- he is an awesome husband :)

During the school year we just have to prioritize and make sure the school work gets done. After school is done (we are usually done by noon), painting or decorating is a way for me to relax- so usually that stuff gets done before things like ironing or dusting.

We try to have people over for dinner quite a bit so that the house has to get clean - but I have lowered my standards and not everything is spotless even then. My goal when people come over is that things are clean enough and that people will feel cozy and comfortable.

Also, when you homeschool you eliminate things such as driving the kids to school, the time it takes to pack lunches, time to get school clothes ready. The kids wear whatever they want during the week unless we go somewhere or have someone over - then I try and get them to wear something nice and tuck in the shirt, etc.

Dave has been doing the grocery shopping lately as well, so I am very spoiled. And a scheduled night each week to paint has helped a lot.

My favorite life change has been getting up before the kids. I have been doing this for about 3 years now, and I could definitely not homeschool my kids without this. I do my devotions, get my shower and get completely ready before they get up. This has revolutionized my attitude to the kids (I am happy to see them when they get up) and given me a lot more energy.

And of course what should have gone first- I can do all things through Christ who gives me (and you) strength! (Phil. 4:13)

When Life Hands You Lemons....

**Make Lemon cups (from family fun)


**Wear this cute lemon yellow ring by Nomsa



**Enjoy this gorgeous art print by sugarloop. This is my new favorite etsy artist!



**Get a beautiful little yellow, orange, & green clutch made by baffin bags. (wait til you see the inside :)

**Sleep on this pillowcase from Anthropologie (only if on clearance for me....or maybe I'll find it at Goodwill :) :)

**Make Lemon Angel Hair (from Family fun). I have this on the menu for this week, so I'll let you know how it turns out.

**Frame a print from my etsy store.



**Use some luscious lemon massage soap by LoveLeeSoaps. Can't you just smell it?!?

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my husband and father to our 3 children. I could not ask for a better husband. You are a treasure and I thank God for you every single day :) I love you!!!!




Happy Father's Day to my Dad! Thanks, Dad, for being a great father to me! I love you! We miss you and hope you can come visit soon (you haven't even met your grand-dog yet :)

If you want to get to know my dad- here is a post about him.


And last but not least- Happy Father's Day to my Father-In-Law! I am lucky to have such good in laws. Dad Mincy is a great father and wonderful grandfather to our kids. We are thankful for you, Pop Pop!