a starbucks themed post

So,

my mom was "customer of the week"
at Starbucks last week.
She's pretty much what you'd call their "#1 fan".

Here she is in all her glory.
We all went on the last day of her week
to celebrate this special achievement.
How do you become "customer of the week" you ask?
Well, simply go to the same Starbucks
twice a day,
for at least 5 or 6 years,
and you might just get lucky. ;)
It is a pretty cool deal, though.
You get free drinks every day that week
and get your name on a sign.
I mean, come on, who doesn't want their name
on a sign at Starbucks?
I know I do.

Here's Jaymin eating his beloved vanilla scones.
The very ones my husband despises.
Not because they taste bad
{quite the opposite actually, they are pretty close to heaven}
but because his rough & tumble boy
likes them so much he asked to have them
at his Bass Pro birthday party. :)
{Don't ask Jeff about Jaymin & Starbucks,
its a touchy subject. ;) }

Something else that might help you attain
the title of "customer of the week"
is bringing the baristas gifts for their babies.
That's right.
My mom knows all the baristas
at this location
and asked me to make this baby gift for one of them.
{Just kidding of course, this baby gift was delivered AFTER
my mom was customer of the week. :) I swear.}
My mom wanted a onesie with a Starbucks cup
and we wanted to make it girlie and baby appropriate.
My mom was thrilled with how it turned out
and wants a shirt just like it.
Go figure.
The baby's name is
Ava Rose
and that is the name of this rose fabric line.
Isn't it beautiful?
I ordered it just for her.
I seriously want to use the leftover fabric
to make something for myself.
I pull it out periodically and painstakingly
try to drape it around myself.
There's just not enough!
And here's the money shot.
Jettison couldn't miss out on the celebration.
Startin' this one even younger, honey!! :)

famous!

Remember this post?

Well...this beloved necklace of mine is now famous!!

But only because my friend is such a ROCKSTAR photographer!

Check this out!!

Vintage Pearl's Photo Contest

{Erin (vintage pearl's leading lady) also liked Allyson's other submissions
(which are posted as well) and I'm in some of those, but of course
River's toes won out over me. ;) }

sugar & spice, snails & puppy dog tails

Just a quick post

with a recent custom order
for boy & girl twins.
{Wish I would have thought of this
for my OWN niece & nephew!!}

{I'm inching a little closer to making these gift sets "official"...}

Farm Fresh

...well, grandma's-house-fresh anyway. :)

My mom grew up on a farm and every summer
they had a huge personal garden.
My mom lives in the good ol' suburbs of Johnson county now
but her backyard garden gets bigger every year.
Its a way for her to remember and connect
with the memory of her mother.
And I love that she "grandmothers" like her mom.
She has the best hands too.
Those run in her family as well.

This basil will be "harvested", vacuum sealed, frozen
and used all winter long.
Jaymin, learning the trade. :)
We're trying to enjoy as much of summer
before its over!
Hope you are too!! :)

all about him

This weekend was all about Jay.

Which was nice after having a baby 6 months ago
who saps most of my time and energy. :)
My little man turned 4.
I had major crafter's block
due to the theme this year
but as I was working on other things
the idea for the invitations
popped into my head (don't you love that?).
I emptied out cans of fruit (that we are still trying to eat)
by using a safety can opener on the bottom of the can
(keeping the pop top in tact).
Peeled off the label.
Wrapped them with scrapbooking paper.
Printed off & cut out Bass Pro labels.
Wrapped them with some twine,
popped the invitation in the bottom,
and glued it back on.
Super simple!
We hand delivered them (obviously)
and it was really fun watching the kiddos open the cans.
The goodie bags were really easy too and were actually my first idea.
Brown paper bag, hole-punched,
and wrapped with twine and a bobber.
Here's what was inside...
Some trail mix, smore goldfish, gummy worms
and little felt bags I made.
I got the idea here.I put quarters in the bags for the shooting range upstairs
and thought I was pretty clever...
until we found out that the shooting range is FREE
until like July 17th or something!
The next issue I was having with this party is the cake.
I so did not want to make a FISH cake.
Then Jaymin said he wanted cupcakes and I did not argue!
(It was difficult enough getting this cake transported in
90 degree temps.)
So I found a fish mold at a candy supply store,
and made this little chocolate fish for the tops.
Aren't they ugly??
I've never believed in the "its so ugly its cute" description.
I flat out KNOW its ugly.
But I still like how they turned out. {Kinda.}
I love all these pics of that dads helping the kids shoot...
Cause you know, there were just helping.
It's not like they wanted a turn or anything...Jaymin & Daddy
My brother Chad & his boy Lane
My brother Corey & his girl NevaehOur friend Matt & his boy Gage
Jaymin & (a fraction of) his cousins on my side
Love their faces.
Very scary.His ride home.
Yeah right.
Keep dreamin' buddy!!Whew.
Well, his party was a success and quite frankly a lot of fun.
And its always special to me cause it marks
my anniversary of motherhood.
Happy 4 years of motherhood to me.
I'm looking forward to many more. :)
Now, I need some girl time
to replace the estrogen lost while planning this party...

a good day.

Today is {was} my birthday.
It was a good day.

Starbucks, lunch with the 'rents, 80 degree weather
& sunshine...
Oh, and this little ditty...

Isn't it beautiful?
There's nothin' sweeter than you children's names
hanging around your neck.
And I've only been asking for it since Valentine's Day. ;)

28.
It's not so bad.