Wordless Wednesday - Ocean

Back from camping and now I'm planning a beach trip to San Francisco.

 

 

Not Enough Hours in The Day

I don't know about you, but summer is always one of the busiest times for me. There are just not enough hours in the day. Today is a perfect example, non stop go since 9 a.m. and here I am at 11 p.m. writing this blog post. And I still have some pictures to take of my sneak peek for my 1st Instagram Sale. The weekends are no better because we are off having fun with family and friends.

The good news is that my family and I are having tons of fun! And next week and weekend we will be camping with more of our family - in-laws and cousins! Pictures to come.

I could really use some tips on how to stay a little more organized and to increase my time management so I can get more done during the day (A.k.a nap time).

 

 

If you want to follow along or see whats for sale in my Instagram sale @ thehouseofdiyshop - find me personally on Instagram @ houseofdiy.

Wordless Wednesday - Camping

Our family is going camping @ Snowflower Campground Ca next week. So here are some camping pictures to get inspired by.

inspiredcamping.com

Country Living Magazine

 

 

6 Steps for Planning Trips

My family loves going away on vacation and we enjoy it even more when others come along. BUT why is it so hard to get two groups (and I only mean two families) to make decisions? I'm the kind of person where if I want to go somewhere I look it up / call around and plan it. I don't like to dilly dally around for 3 weeks and then try to finalize everything the week before we leave.

Here are the tips that I use when planning a vacation:

1. Decide where you want to go. This may need to include the area immediately around your ideal locale just in case you can't find a place to stay.

2. What kind of trip this is going to be? - camping, hotel, vacation rental, etc.

3. Have a budget - How much do you want to spend on where your staying, food, and fun?

4. Make your reservations - check the cancellation policy and make sure you keep your confirmation numbers with you.

5. Meal plan - Plan your meals and leave a little wiggle room for eating out. I also get together with my friend / family members and do a joint meal plan so the cost of meals is shared.

6. Get with the group that's going and plan your activities - we always plan some together and some separate because not every one wants to be with their friends or extended family for 24 hours / 5 days.

Using these 6 steps will help take some of the stress out of planning a vacation, because vacations are for relaxing not stressing about what's to eat or where to stay.

Pinned It / Tried It - Copy Cat Starbucks Passion Fruit Tea

Pinned It / Tried It - Copy Cat Starbucks Passion Fruit Tea

During the warmer months of the year (or if I am stricken with a hangover) I love to drink Starbucks Sweetened Passion Fruit Tea. It is so refreshing and delish!

The recipe I pinned was from shadycatladysmom


Ingredients:

2 quarts / 8 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tazo Passion Tea bags
1-2 tablespoons honey (this is my addition to the recipe, a sweet flower honey is best)

Add the 2 quarts of water to the pan, add sugar and honey and bring to a boil.
After you get to a nice boil shut off the heat and add your tea bags, then wait……..

I let my steep for about an hour and a half, I really think the longer the better.
I let mine steep for about 30 - 45 minutes
Pour the tea into your container and refrigerate.

After the tea has chilled pour over ice and enjoy! The best part about this recipe is you don't have to go anywhere to get it and it only costs about .50 cents per glass.

Simple Patriotic Wreath

I have found that I am more successful with seasonal decorating when my projects are more simple. I found some cute cupcake papers at JoAnn Fabric. I had plans to make a wreath fully covered in the papers, but that was just unrealistic with the time that I had (at least I'm honest).

 

This tutorial can be adapted by adding as many cupcake papers as you like and by changing the wreath from a grapevine to a foam base.

 

 

 

Supplies:

Wire

Wire cutters

Scissors

Beads

Cupcake Papers -  I used the regular size and the candy cup size

Jute / ribbon

Wreath - foam, grapevine, cardboard anything will work

 

 

I started by cutting down some of the regular sized papers so when I layered them you could see all three colors - red, white, blue.

 

Next I cut 3 inch lengths of wire (you will need I length for each flower)

I made a small loop at one end and slide on a bead

 

Take each wire with the bead and poke it through the center of your layered cupcake papers (you can put as many layers together as you like I did three - 1 red, 1 blue, and 1 white. I alternated the colors on each flower, but that's optional.

After you have all your flowers made then you need to decide how you want to place them. I did a grouping of three regular size for the bottom of my wreath and three small for the top.

To attach the flowers on a grapevine wreath simply feed the wire through the grapevines and secure it in the back by wrapping the wire around the vine.

To finish off the wreath add a jute hanger and a ribbon bow. (I hung my wreath from a vintage hanger and slid a flag behind the wreath just to dress it up.)



 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday - Summer Squash

My garden and fridge are overflowing with summer squash...

1. Squash Puppies @ piarecipes.com

2. Squash Patties @ livingthegoodlife5

3. Cheesy Summer Squash Casserole @ Happenstanced

4. Zucchini & Squash Gratin @ Confessions of a Tart

5. Squash and Blueberry Muffins @ Real Mom Kitchen

6. Zucchini and Cheddar Tartlets @ Southern With a Twist

7. Brown Sugar Squash Muffins @ Parenting Miracles


Hahahah - I felt a little like an Iron Chef putting together these recipes where yellow squash had to be an ingredient.

A long weekend

Well after 4 days of being in bed with my back blown out, I'm back...well mostly. Sorry I haven't been working on projects so not much to share. Here is a little review and recap of last weekends local Rocklin Family Festival.

The event was located at a large local park and featured Food, Rides, Games, Local businesses, and fun for the kids.

Our family of four plus our friends and there two kids all got together and since we only live about three blocks away decided to walk over to the event. Let me start by saying it was about a billion degrees outside, we adults decided that all outdoor event should be held in September and October.

When we got there the kids got to explore the Rocklin Fire Departments fire engine.

 

 

We stopped at a local daycare / preschool booth that had some learning and interactive activities. We spent about an hour there and then headed home for some water and snacks.

 

 

 The Family Festival had more of a carnival / fair type feel and there was little for small children to do. Due to the lack of activity for younger children I don't think we will visit next year. The kids had more fun playing in the sprinklers and eating popsicles and cherries at home.