Homemade Snow Cone Syrup

One of our favorite traditions in the summer is getting snow cones, but this year, I decided to change things up a bit and make our own with some homemade snow cone syrup to go with it!  The weather here in Utah where I live has been super hot lately so we’ve been splitting our time between going outside in the morning and staying inside in the afternoon. To beat the heat, we’ve been eating lots of popsicles and now we can add snow cones to the mix! I got this recipe in an old neighborhood cookbook that was given to me by a relative as a wedding gift, but it wasn’t until recently that I actually started going through it and trying out recipes. And let me tell you, this homemade snow cone syrup is a winner!

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June In Numbers

Okay, seriously the summer needs to stop going by so quickly!  I thought May went by fast, but June felt even faster.  It was so much fun and I'm excited to see what July brings.  (Besides fireworks, that is.)

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15 Ways To Play With Glow Sticks

When I think about the things that remind me of summer, I can't help but have glow sticks come to my mind.  What is it about glow sticks that make them so much fun?  Maybe it's that they glow in the dark.  Or it could be that just wearing them makes you smile.  Whatever the case, I really don't think you are ever too old to enjoy them with your family and friends, so today I'm sharing a round up of my favorite glow stick activities!

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$10 at Target: Pretty Paper Edition

Hello and happy Monday!  I hope you all enjoyed your Father's Day weekend!  Our family went to a local theme park on Saturday and wore the kids out, then spent Sunday relaxing with family.  Just before the weekend got started, I had a chance to visit Target all by myself and it was a lovely hour and a half.  I didn't have anything specific I was looking for, but knew I could only spend $10 for this month's $10 at Target challenge.  I am a co-host for this challenge along with a group of lovely ladies and it's been fun to see how close I can get to spending $10 or less at one of my favorite stores.  Do you think you could do it?  Let me show you what I found this month.

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15 Minute Patriotic Wreath

My husband always groans when I come home with supplies to make a new wreath, but I love how easily they can update a room or brighten our front door.  With Memorial Day just a couple of weeks ago and the 4th of July coming up soon, I decided to pick up a few simple supplies from JoAnn's to make a patriotic wreath that I can use in my decor.  One of my favorite wreath forms to use are grapevine wreaths because the wreath itself is part of the decor and you don't have to do a lot to add a little extra something to it to make it your own.  The best part is that it only took 15 minutes to put together from start to finish!

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Summer 2017 Reading List

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I regularly post reviews of all types of books: children's, young adult, biography, self-help and the list goes on.  I love reading and I always tend to read more books during the summertime.  Last year, I put together a summer reading list and I loved the challenge of reading new books and discovering new genres and subjects.  With summer coming up so soon, I decided to create a summer 2017 reading list.

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$10 at Target: Gearing Up For Summer

Hey friends!  Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed Mother's Day.  Today, I'm super excited to share a new series I am co-hosting called $10 at Target.  It is a monthly challenge where you have to try and spend...you guessed it: only $10 at Target.  Now, as we all know, Target is a wonderful lovely place where we go in for one thing and come out with 20 things way more items than we planned. *wink*  So spending $10 or less can be a real challenge!  Are you ready?

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Grandparents Day Printables

Happy weekend everyone!  And speaking of weekends, did you know this Sunday commemorates two very important days?

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The Mid-Summer Slump

Lately, I've been feeling a lack of motivation.  A kind of blah-ness, if you will.

Blog posts have been a challenge to come up with and write, even when I plan them out a month in advance.  My kids are driving me up the wall with all their little fights over little things.  And there's me, probably driving them crazy with my seemingly constant use of "stop fighting" and "play nicely" or "do I need to separate you two?"

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Pineview Reservior and Anderson Cove Campground

Last summer we made the drive up north to Pineview Reservoir (right outside of Huntsville, UT) for a family friend’s birthday. I had been up to this reservoir many times growing up, but it was new to my husband and kids. We drove through Weber Canyon and took a road that cuts through the mountain called Trapper’s Loop. It is an absolutely beautiful drive.

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Why I Love the 4th of July

Each year when the 4th of July comes around, I think back to the many memories I have growing up.  Mostly they include parades and fireworks and BBQs.  I never had any family or friends serve until my best friend's brother (who also took me to my senior prom) was deployed to Afghanistan.  That year, Independence Day took on a whole new meaning.  I knew someone who was fighting for our country.  Someone who was away from their family and friends in a foreign country.  It was humbling.  It was scary.  It made me think of all the other men and women who were also away from their families doing the same thing as my friend was.

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Mid-Year New Years Resolutions Check-Up

6 months into 2016.  The time has been absolutely flying for me, especially now that we are into summer and have so many activities going on.  When I was looking at my plans for my posts this week, I couldn't believe that it was already time to review my new years resolutions and evaluate my progress.

And I have to say that sharing my goals and progress with you every three months has been interesting.  Part of me really likes the accountability, but the other part of me feels like I'm letting you down when I don't accomplish my goals or work on them like I know I should (even though they are all personal goals).

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Summer Mantle Inspiration

Summer is in full swing here in Utah, complete with 100+ degree days.  So. Hot.  My poor kids, who love being outside, come in by 10am with red cheeks and requests for popsicles to try and beat the heat.  Crazy stuff.

Since summer got here, we've been busy enjoying the nice weather and playing as much as possible.  As a result, my spring decorations never really got put away and my only summer decoration was the cute pallet art I made a couple months ago.

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Font Friday: Patriotic

Can you believe the month is almost over?!  I sure can't.  Next month we'll be celebrating the 4th of July, which is definitely one of my favorite holidays, both for what it celebrates and for the fun surrounding it.  Plus, because I live in Utah, I also get to celebrate Pioneer Day (our state's founding celebration).  July is just one big month of fireworks, celebration and remembering those who have served, and are currently serving, our country.

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Summer 2016 Walmart Beauty Box Review

*I am reviewing this box by choice and have not received it for free, nor have I received any other compensation from Walmart.  All opinions are my own.*

A year and a half ago, I got an email from Walmart about signing up for a quarterly/seasonal beauty box.  It boasted full size beauty products and lots of other great samples for free plus $5 shipping.  I was intrigued so I signed up with the knowledge that I could cancel the subscription at any time if I didn't think the products I received were worth the $5.

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How To Host a Successful Yard Sale

Each summer, my mom would hand us boxes or bags and tell us to go through our room and get rid of the things we no longer liked or used.  She also had us help with going through other rooms in the house.  Then we'd price the items we wanted to sell so we could put them in our yard sale.  We had to get up early on the day of the yard sale and help set up, try and sell things to our friends and then take it all down and give away anything that didn't sell.  For as long as I can remember, we did this every single summer.  Even after I moved away to college, I could count on my mom holding a yard sale.  I learned how to let go of unwanted/unused items, how to price to sell, how to count change and many other skills.

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46 Ways To Have Fun This Summer {plus a FREE printable}

I am totally one of those people who LOVES to-do lists.  I get a ridiculous amount of satisfaction when I put a little check mark next to something that is on my to-do list and sometimes I even add things to my to-do list that weren't there when I first made the list, just so that I can check it off.  Eat breakfast?  Check!  Brush teeth?  Check!  Make sure kids eat their veggies at dinnertime?  Double check!  ('Cause ya know, I have two kids...) *wink*

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Summer 2016 Reading List

One thing you should know about me is that I LOVE to read.  I learned how to read before starting kindergarten and I've been devouring books ever since then.  Lots of late nights and too-soon mornings because I can't seem to put a good book down.  I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I am part of a book club.  It is so much fun for me to read books and discuss them.  I even considered getting a degree in English when I went to college.

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Summer Pallet Art

I was looking at my spring mantle this week and realizing that it was time to start thinking about summer decor.  So I looked through my summer decorations and noticed a serious lack of summer-y-ness (totally a word) in my collection.  A few months ago I picked up a 12x12 unfinished pallet board at Walmart without knowing exactly what I wanted to do with it but thought it would come in handy one day.  (This is a habit that drives my husband crazy, but sometimes I just can't help myself.  *wink*)

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Easy Strawberry Pie

We had strawberry pie a lot growing up because everyone in my family, especially my younger sister, loves strawberries.  Whenever my mom made it, she used a pre-made pie crust and store bought glaze.  Super easy and super fast.  Since then, I've found what I think is just as fast and easy, if not more so.  Instead of a pre-made pie crust that has to be baked, I use a shortbread crust.  Instead of store-bought glaze, which can be pricey, I use strawberry gelatin as a base for the glaze.  So yummy and so fast.

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