New Discoveries

Our garden gave us peanuts & watermelon for the first time today. We plan to boil the peanuts, and the girls already had some watermelon.

Also, we discovered that our zebra lady bird, is actually a dude. I’ve had my suspicions for a while now, but today I heard him try to crow. We are not allowed to own roosters where I live, so tomorrow we will take him back to the farm and exchange him for a new hen. We are all sad about it, since we have raised him from week one, but know he will be going to live an adventurous life on the farm.

Summer Picnic

Sometimes I get the itch to make an ordinary morning a little more special. Earlier today, I decided we should take our breakfast outside for a picnic. It’s been so hot and sticky lately, even the native Floridians don’t want to go outside. I found a shady spot in our yard, put down a sheet, and brought our biscuits with my mom’s homemade strawberry jam, mini muffins, and a sliced nectarine outside to eat with my lovely ladies. It was nice to be outside for a while, even if the ants & mosquitos soon chased us off!

Preschool Style {Summer}

It’s been a while since I’ve done a Preschool Style post. Being out of school and routine, I hadn’t even thought about it until recently. We did a little shopping at Gymboree, and I thought you might like to see the girls in a typical summer outfit. Almost always in dresses, skirts, and sandals, we dress for the Florida heat. Amelia sports a top knot or braid most days, and I am trying to be better about putting the girls in sunglasses more often.

Amelia’s sunglasses + skirt are from Gymboree, and so is Maggie’s pineapple dress.

A Very Special Day

Today is my maternal grandmother’s 90th birthday. I have been busy making her the prettiest birthday cake with berry & almond flowers, and Amelia is working on a watercolor birthday card. Tonight we will gather with the rest of my family, and celebrate my beautiful grandma’s very special day. I even have some out of town family here to celebrate, too.

*If Amelia is helping me bake, like she did today, we use a hand mixer instead of an electric. It is a lot less messy, and much easier for her to use.

Red, White, & Blue.

This morning we kicked off our 4th of July celebrations with a local parade. The kids loved waving their flags, collecting candy & beads, and clapping and cheering on all the people & animals that went by.

Later today we will head out to a bbq for some yummy food and swimming with friends, and then FIREWORKS! I hope you all are enjoying a day full of fun.

Staycation

This weekend, we decided to vacation in our own back yard on beautiful Clearwater Beach. A new motel recently opened, and I was excited to stay there. The Frenchy’s Oasis Motel is a redo of an old motel that sits on the intercoastal side of Clearwater Beach. The owners have several popular seafood restaurants on the beach, so they already had a good reputation. They decorated the property with a retro vibe, and it was a great space and location for a weekend of fun in the sun. The first night just the mister and I stayed, and we met my sister and her husband for dinner and cocktails. Let me tell you, I recreated my own version of The Rum Diaries. Then the next morning my mom dropped off the kiddos for some pool swimming, shell shopping, ice cream licking, seafood eating, and wave surfing. It was a great way to enjoy our local beach, and kick off the holiday week. 

Right now we are feeling the affects of Tropical Storm Debby. Lots and lots of wind & rain. Our chicken coop has a roof, and we’ve hung blankets to help shield the hens from the rain, but I just checked on them, and they are soaked. Both of my girls have a nasty cold, so we’ve spent the day lounging around, watching nature toss our tree limbs about, and being thankful that we still have our electricity. High-res

Right now we are feeling the affects of Tropical Storm Debby. Lots and lots of wind & rain. Our chicken coop has a roof, and we’ve hung blankets to help shield the hens from the rain, but I just checked on them, and they are soaked. Both of my girls have a nasty cold, so we’ve spent the day lounging around, watching nature toss our tree limbs about, and being thankful that we still have our electricity.

Libraries are Magic

I took my girls to the public library this morning to see a puppet show. Our local libraries do a great job in the summer with many different special events and programs for the kiddos. Best part? It’s FREE! I encourage you to call your local library and take advantage of what they have to offer you and your family this summer.

Theme Park Love

This family loves theme parks. Thank goodness we live in Florida. We took the kiddos to Universal Studios for the first time this weekend, and we also visited Sea World. It was REALLY hot & humid, but we managed to keep our cool (most of the time), and had lots of fun. I didn’t really take too many photos this trip, but here are a few fun ones I did happen to snap.