I know the clock is winding down on what you can get your favorite mom in your life.  But here are some last minute ideas for a mom- fashionista.

I don’t know about you but I’ve got summer on the brain. And I’m looking for some summer staples that would be nice to have.  (That last way longer than flowers!)

EVERY girl needs a pair of cut offs.  I don’t care who ya are.  For the hours of bleacher sitting watching baseball games and sitting lakeside, whatever you’re doing this summer.  You must have a pair!  (And I also wear the heck outta the white version for whenever you feel like pairing something with a blue jean isn’t going to work.)

Denim Roll Shorts in Medium Stonewash $54.50 from LOFT

Denim Flip Cuff Shorts in White $54.50 from LOFT

These little numbers I now call mine and I’m so excited to wear them this summer.  They’re going to be perfect for those chilly summer mornings when you wish you almost had a shoe.  I love that they look very boho/sporty.

Women’s Balla Sandal by Blowfish $39.99 at Famous Footwear

Must be owning a great pair of sneakers for bike rides and soccer games!  Aren’t these so cute?

Women’s CloudFoam Advantage Stripe SNeaker $59.99 at Famous Footwear

Who’s in the swimsuit shopping mode?  (Gag.) I know.  Let’s just try and get through this time together, shall we?

I saw this on a fellow blogger’s site and wow!  The price!  Get it soon, it’s going fast!

Aerie One Piece Swimsuit $31.46 at American Eagle Outfitters

And when you can’t think of any other ideas for the mom in your life.  There’s always this keychain set-

You’re the Moon to My Shine Keychain $16 from Cheeky’s Boutique

I cannot tell you how much I love this little boutique!  Check them out!

Happy Mother’s Day!!

Earlier this spring, I wrote a little bucket list.  Let’s review what was accomplished.

Holly’s Grown Up Summer Bucket List

10) Read a book.  I so miss reading.  It has been three years since I read a book simply because instead I have this blog!  And I really do enjoy and miss it.

Okay, so I started to read a book and even got a few chapters in.  That’s something, right?

9) Sit on the beach and relax with my toes in the sand.  This has to be on everyone’s summer bucket list.

Check, check!  Not to mention countless hours at the pool, even if it was chilly most of the time.

8) Go somewhere I’ve never been.  I love a good adventure and don’t go often enough.

Hm…I may have missed this one.  Sounds like a road trip this fall to me!

7) Take a year off from my annual garage sale.  I just need a break this year.

Yes!  The break was great!

6) Try not to kill my flowers.  Last year even my planted hostas dried up.  This year I’m determined to water daily.

They are still alive.  Well, except those really tiny potted plants.  They had no hope.

5) Host a get together for friends.  It seems like this long, long winter I haven’t seen many of them lately.  It’s time for a party!

I’ve seen a few of them here and there.  I did not host any big blowouts but I did attend other friend’s blowouts.

4) Go to a baseball game and have a hotdog.  Yes, I’m sure they not sanitary but they are a tradition.  Go ahead and judge.

One of my kids went…  I substituted the hotdog/ballgame for mini donuts/state fair action.

3) Spend a day on a boat with family.  It’s time to get out on the water.

Check!

2) Attend an outdoor concert.  Or any concert for that matter.  It has been a very long time since I’ve purchased a ticket to see anyone sing.

The Doobie Brothers and Boston!  Check!

1) Finish some uncompleted projects.  Get some of that weight off my shoulders before school starts again.

Still working on this.  I pretty much took the summer off and focused on the kids.  So now the paint brush is getting full on use!

Not too bad overall!

End of June

“Month” by arztsamui via freedigitalphotos.net

Hi there!  Remember me?  I’m back!

Did you know that June is almost over?  Whaaaaa????

We have done some seriously fun things lately.  Last week, my family and I went to the Field of Dreams for the 25th anniversary of the movie.  It was my father’s day gift to my hubby, even though he’s not my father.  🙂  Our family loves that movie and we watch it annually every spring.  And my kids were excited to be at the place where the movie was filmed.  The most exciting part of our day was when my boys got to play catch with Kevin Costner.  That was soooo cool.

Last week I was lucky enough to get to spend some time at a friend’s cabin.  I brought a some members of my family that could escape for a few days, since it was during the middle of the week.  So no Mr.  But we had a good time.  We rented a boat and hit the beach and took in the local food flavors.  Thank you friend!

This weekend I attended a church convention and met a few awesome ladies who are excited about my church’s women’s group.  It’s nice to know there are other young women who care about doing the Lord’s work in their communities and through out the world.

The next few weeks are looking pretty hairy too.  My church has a new pastor coming and we have a week of farewell receptions, moving his family in and also installation services.  Not to mention a little thing called VBS in the middle of it all.  And the 4th of July. Did I mention we have a float in the parade?

Oh and I forgot, my husband was supposed to go to France for a week-long work trip in the midst of it all but that ended up getting cancelled.  A word to the wise, don’t let you passport get anywhere near its expiration date if you’re planning on traveling.

And that’s how my June has gone.  Getting out of school the first week of June sure sets summer into hyperdrive.  I can’t complain because we’ve had so much fun but I wish it would slow down.  I want more time to capture the moments at t-ball games and soak in the days of swimming lessons at the pool.

I know you are busy too.  It’s pretty remarkable to write down all you have done and have coming up.  It makes me feel better when I can no longer walk through my laundry room and wonder how it ended up that way!

This week, I’ll be showing you small projects around the house.  I wish I could say I have more done than I have, but there’s always July…

Today is the last day of school, hurrah!  I know as a parent, I’m excited.  And I also know the teachers have to be cheering as well!

Empty Classroom

“Empty Classroom” by criminalatt via freedigitalphotos.net

Speaking of teachers, I’m going to do something rather embarrassing.  I’m going to give a little shout-out to a teacher who has been very special in the lives of my two oldest.  She was both their kindergarten teachers.

This year I nominated her for a local radio station’s teacher of the week.  And she won! Much to my chagrin, my name was also announced as to who nominated her.  I wasn’t smart enough to be discreet!   Winning the award also means that she gets to be in the pool for potentially winning the teacher of the year award.  I’m so happy for her.

Through some oversight by my local small-town paper, only her photo appeared with the news that she had been honored with teacher of the week and not the reason WHY she had been nominated.  Like we have so much more important news to share here in our little corner of the woods.

So, since it is the last day, I wanted to share my nomination form and give her, and all the other great teachers out there, special thanks for what they do every day for our kids.  You all deserve a break!

“Mrs. Wonderful Kindergarten Teacher is one of the amazing teachers here. We have phenomenal teachers in our school system, but Mrs. WKT stands out. She teaches kindergarten and I can’t imagine the undertaking it is to get twenty wiggly bodies to learn- especially very important tasks such as reading, counting…tying shoes. But not only does she accomplish teaching these tasks but she excels at it. The children are taught their potential and encouraged to achieve it. The classroom is always in control; she keeps the kids engaged and excited. I think she is remarkable and she deserves, like every teacher here, to be recognized for their exceptional work with our kids. They are making our future brighter. And to be recognized brings satisfaction that their efforts do not go unnoticed.”

Happy Summer Mrs. WKT!  And all you teachers and parents out there!!

I had a wonderful weekend!  I hope you did too.  We had a family graduation to celebrate. And had to travel across state lines.  Since we were already traveling so far, we decided to make a vacation out of our trip.  The next day we visited my hometown when I was small.  We ran into a few special people including my old baseball coach and a former VBS teacher whose daughter used to babysit me.  Being there was proof that nothing and everything changes.

And our last day, we visited De Smet and the Laura Ingalls Wilder museums and homestead.  I’m reading the book series to my two oldests right now and thought it would be a good history lesson brought to life.  Mom enjoyed it as well.

Going back to school after this long weekend was rough.  My kids and I are so ready to be done.  Which brings me to today’s topic, my summer bucket list.  I made one last year for the kids but today I want to try to make mine.

Summer Time

Photo credit:  freedigitalphotos.net via Winnond

Here goes:

Holly’s Grown Up Summer Bucket List

10) Read a book.  I so miss reading.  It has been three years since I read a book simply because instead I have this blog!  And I really do enjoy and miss it.

9) Sit on the beach and relax with my toes in the sand.  This has to be on everyone’s summer bucket list.

8) Go somewhere I’ve never been.  I love a good adventure and don’t go often enough.

7) Take a year off from my annual garage sale.  I just need a break this year.

6) Try not to kill my flowers.  Last year even my planted hostas dried up.  This year I’m determined to water daily.

5) Host a get together for friends.  It seems like this long, long winter I haven’t seen many of them lately.  It’s time for a party!

4) Go to a baseball game and have a hotdog.  Yes, I’m sure they not sanitary but they are a tradition.  Go ahead and judge.

3) Spend a day on a boat with family.  It’s time to get out on the water.

2) Attend an outdoor concert.  Or any concert for that matter.  It has been a very long time since I’ve purchased a ticket to see anyone sing.

1) Finish some uncompleted projects.  Get some of that weight off my shoulders before school starts again.

I can’t wait to get started!  I challenge you to make a bucket list, just for yourself this summer.  It is so fun to watch the checklist get shorter!