In my mind I want to postpone the back to school shopping for a few more weeks...just enjoy the summer and not think about anything school related. But...August is just right around the corner, isn't it?
Made a quick trip to Target earlier today and all the school supplies were already out. Went by Hobby Lobby yesterday and all the Christmas stuff was already out - whaaaat???
Oh, but these had me at hello. Aren't they sweet? Not apple red or classic navy...but yellow. Patent leather yellow. Mellow yellow. Yellow can be for back to school, right?
Oh, and in case yellow makes your heart go a flutterin' like it does mine, these are by Livie & Luca...Petal Patent Yellow.
I cleaned out & organized the little pumpkin's closet this weekend in anticipation of doing some back to school shopping. Let's just say that I don't think we need to do much clothes' shopping *blush* except for maybe picking up a couple of pairs of jeans...her legs have grown like weeds this summer.
She loves knit ruffles..."it's like wearing your favorite pair of jammies" she says. So when she was boycotting pants last year we stocked up on knit ruffles. She calls these her "rainbow pants"...
Looking for a pair of purple on purple striped knit ruffles...know where I can find some?
Now, to stock up on fall clothes for the little guy! If only he could live in jon jons and little plaid shorts year round...*sigh*... finding cute boys' clothes is much harder in my opinion. Wish me luck!
To say the little pumpkin loves school is such an understatement. She LOVES her school, her teachers, and her friends. So thankful for that!
This summer we've had a chance to see and visit with several friends from school. Our whole family had a blast at Lovi's Pool Party back in June, Hudson especially...you'll see why in a minute. And speaking of...my poor little fella has been under the weather with a stomach bug :( Can't wait 'till he's back to his old 90-to-nothing-every-minute-of-every-day self. I miss my little bundle of energy sidekick!
Back to the pool party...here's the view from the club on the lake - gorgeous!
Fun times! 
Swimming makes you H-U-N-G-R-Y!
Hudson enjoying every last bit of the ocean blue cupcakes :) 
One last dip in the kiddie pool and then it was time to go home.
Thank you Kevin, Shelly & Lovi for hosting such a fun party (+ for the great naps that followed too!)
This past weekend we met some of Grace's little buddies at Lowe's for a tow truck building workshop, followed by lunch & ice cream cones at Chick-fil-A. 
Hard at work...
So proud of her creation! 
Not too bad for having me as the co-builder! 
Grace, Lovi, Solomon & McKinley with their tow trucks. 
Berry Trifle
Some of you have asked about the trifle dessert I made for Hudson's birthday. It's super easy! 
I make lots of variations, but essentially here's the recipe...
Category: Dessert, No-bake
Prep Time: About 20 minutes
Ingredients:
• 1 round angel food cake or 2 angel food cake loaves
• 1 family size packet flavored jello (I used berry blue flavor for this one)
• 2 regular size tubs of cool whip or one large tub
• fresh strawberries & blueberries (or any other fruit you like!)
Directions:
• Cut the angel food cake into small cubes, about 1” square and set aside (Note: for presentation purposes, I like my cubes to be all white, so I trim off the golden edge of the cake...OCD, I know)
• Wash fruit and set aside. Cut strawberries into small pieces.
• Prepare jello using half the amount of water listed ( ½ of the hot water and then ½ of the cold water); let cool a bit, but do not refrigerate as this will start the gelatin process.
• In a large bowl, empty the cool whip tubs and slowly add desired amount of jello liquid, mixing all along. This will make a pretty colored cool whip cloud! How’s that for a visual :)
• I usually end up with about ¾ to 1 cup of leftover jello liquid, which I then prepare as usual for the littles to enjoy later.
• After you are satisfied with the color/taste of your cool whip, you are ready to begin assembling layers in the trifle bowl.
• Start with a layer of angel food cake, then a layer of berries, then a layer of cool whip and so on until you fill the bowl (usually takes me about three layers)
• Garnish with berries at the top & Enjoy!
Both my littles LOVE this dessert and it's pretty healthy too!
Marshmallow Pops Stand
Thanks for all the sweet comments about our little summer playdate! Yes, my littles LOVE marshmallow pops and they're soooo easy to make (and send to school as treats too!).
Here's how I made the display stand...
Materials
• Rectangular Florist foam/Florist oasis (Dollar Tree: 2 for $1)
• Scrapbook paper or craft paper
• Ribbon and other decorative trims
• Glue gun and tape (I prefer clear mailing tape)
Directions:
• Wrap your foam in the scrapbook paper just as if you were wrapping a gift and secure with tape at the bottom / you can also hot glue.
• Trim with ribbon and other embellishments to suit your party decor and glue in place. And that's it! Sooo easy!
Oh and one more tip...prior to inserting your marshmallow pop sticks into the stand, create a pilot hole with a sharp pencil or thumbtack so that the paper won't crack as you push the blunt marshmallow pop stick in.
If you make a trifle or make your own dessert stand, I'd love to see it so leave me a link in the comments!
Have fun!
Ever since school let out I'd been promising the little pumpkin that she could invite some of her best friends from school for a little playdate. Well, June came and went and between our vacations and birthday parties time just got away from us. I couldn't let the same happen to July, so yesterday she finally got her wish!
The inspiration for the decor came from these fun napkins I picked up at Target. I just love the colors - they scream sUMmeR to me...and wouldn't they be so cute for a rainbow inspired party?
I had high hopes of setting the table up and cleaning the play area the night before but Hudson had other plans. He was NOT interested in sleep one bit. So after crashing right along with him, I woke up Friday morning with a LONG to-do list and not much time.
Yes, even the hanging decorations from Hudson's birthday were still up - Aaaah! Luckily, Noonie brought over lunch for the littles and that gave me the extra time I needed to finish things up - thanks Noonie! In my usual fashion, I ran around the house pulling things from here and there and came up with a simple, sunshine-y tablescape.
Yes, I could have skipped the table altogether...afterall it was just a playdate...but, well, that's just not me. So why not embrace what makes me smile...serving up a little dose of happy for sweet friends and enjoying their company.
The little pumpkin's request: marshmallow pops. Simple enough and always a {kid} crowd pleaser. I even re-used the stands from Grace's Pink PreK Party - love it when it works out that way!
Homemade french vanilla cupcakes topped with sprinkle fruit loops inspired by {these}.
And the makeshift plaid runner? {This} sweet vintage pillowcase find which has yet to be turned into a pillowcase dress...I may just keep it as is :)
I wanted the food to echo the "fun" theme. Mini turkey & cheese sandwiches and mini pbj's were kicked up a notch when I turned them into a caterpillar! The littles thought that was hilarious. Inspiration found {here}.
Fresh fruit became a rainbow...complete with marshmallow clouds and a pot of gold. Inspiration via {here}. 
We had a make your own trail mix station...
...and some healthier snacks too ;) 
McKinley and her sweet mama surprised us with a cute cake & cupcakes combo...the best part: the toppers were rings! The girls LOVED that! 
Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum! 
So excited waiting for her friends to come over...
They had so much fun! They played dress-up, drew pictures, hugged Jaxon (our dog) at least 10,000 times, and even had a mini piano concert by Lovi!
Time for some treats!
McKinley, Grace & Lovi...best of friends! 
These girly girls can be S-I-L-L-Y! 
Pretending to be bugs...with antennas, of course.
Lovi and McKinley surprised Grace with these sweet treats. Thank you Lovi for the fun Fancy Nancy book! And thank you McKinley for the pretty ring!
Grace insisted on wearing it to bed :)
And in the end three pretty princesses had the best time and lived happily ever after. {cute art by Lovi}
Thank you Lovi & McKinley (and your sweet mamas Shelly & Talicia) for coming over! 
We had the best time and we can't wait to do it again!
XOXO,
Grace & Jessica
I think he was more interested in the snacks than the movie itself, but he did SO GOOD!!! 
And don't ask me what this fashion statement was all about - I have no clue - but I'm learning to let go of the little things...
If you go see Winnie the Pooh, stay all the way until the credits are over for a little surprise...thanks for the tip, Amy H!!...Grace said that was her favorite part!
Then last night Hudson SLEPT in his BIG BOY BED for the FIRST TIME!!! Here he is checking it out for the first time...
My new bed is so cozy and comfy.
It's great for playing peek-a-boo...
...and acting super silly!
I LOVE my new bed!!
His big boy room is a work in progress - more pics later - but we couldn't wait until it was finished to let him try out his new bed. Thank you Noonie & Papa J for his fun new bed!
