BOOZY SNOW CONE BASH = BEST NIGHT

To understand how this party came about, a little backstory is necessary.

This past Christmas, I asked for a $15 Slushy Magic Slush Cup.  I saw it on TV and believed the claim that it would turn any drink into a slushie. 

When I anxiously checked my stocking Christmas morning, it was no where to be found. 

There was a large package in the corner of the room, though.  I opened it and found an industrial sized snow cone machine (similar to this).  In Wade's mind, that dinky magic slush cup wouldn't work.  Instead, we needed something that would last for years and years and fill our home with unlimited snow cones. 

As you can imagine, we really hadn't used the snow cone machine too much.  Needing to prove this purchase wasn't a complete waste, I decided to throw a boozy snow cone party with some of my blogger friends.  Because who would truly appreciate a boozy snow cone more than them?

Throwing a party always seems like a great idea until you actually start putting it together.  Then it gets really overwhelming.  At least for me it does.  That's why I was so lucky to have the help of Meg and Elle.  They came over early to help set up everything and along with others, brought lots of delicious food and deserts.  Elle also made a delicious sangria that we had to try out before everyone else arrived.  Find the recipe on her blog. 

Meg and I made the snow cone syrup a few days before the party.  We thought that we needed so much syrup, but a little goes a long way.  I'll be sharing our recipes later this week.  It was my first time making simple syrup, and I think it was a success.  Meg handled the boozy part of the snow cones.  She made them so well that I may have forgotten to take any more pictures of the snow cones:) 

We also set up a flower crown making station that was a lot of fun and super easy to do (I'll be showing a tutorial soon on the blog).  The best part, though, was just having everyone together and getting to know each other more. 

 And then we took the party outside.

From left to right: Alexandra from Alex After Five; Meg from Life of Meg; Elle from The Clean Project; Me; Jessica from Refining Juhls; Jess from 26 and Not Counting; Alissa from The Adored Life

Thank you to everyone who helped make this party so magical and brought delicious things to share.  I feel so fortunate to have met these stellar ladies and look forward to many more get togethers in the future (so does Maisy:)

p.s. I'm linking up to Meg's Mingle Monday link party.  Stop by to meet some new blogger friends!









MATCHING FLOWER CROWNS, AKA CRAZY BUNNY LADY

Yes, Maisy and I are wearing matching flower crowns.  I guess I've officially become the crazy bunny lady....but I don't care.

Things have been quiet around this little space of mine, but things in the outside world have been busy and fun.  I can't wait for a bit of a breather to fill you all in. 

Last week I had a little get together with my blogger friends, and it was magical.  Boozy snow cones, glowing lanterns, and flower crown making.  It was one of the best nights of my summer. 


I'll be back later in the week with a recap of the night and some DIYs, such as....

...how to make easy paper lanterns.

...recipes for boozy snow cones

...and how to make the easiest flower crowns ever

In a few minutes we're heading off to hang out with my family.  My sister and her adorable family are in town, and I can't wait to see them.  You can follow along on ensuing hijinks on Instagram.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

STYLE SHOWDOWN + TULIP BOUTIQUE

Oh, I'm having a hard time even thinking of saying good-bye to summer and all those easy breezy skirts, but I decided it was time to break out the flannel for this post. 

See that lovely stack of bracelets above?

They were gifted to me by a wonderful Kansas City boutique called Tulip in order to be part of a style showdown between 6 area bloggers.

The concept is simple.  Each blogger gets a stack of bracelets to style and then you, yes you, get to vote on Tulip's Facebook page as to who you think styled them the best. 

The chunky red and gold bracelet stacked against the earthiness of the leather wrap around bracelet made me instantly think of fall, which made me want to pair a flannel shirt with a denim dress.  I like the dichotomy of mixing dressier items with more down to earth pieces.

That, and I wanted a reason to finally wear the floppy hat I found recently. 

The thing that first caught my eye with this stack of bracelets was the brown wraparound bracelet with inspirational sayings on it.  I'm a sucker for things with a special meaning, and this bracelet definitely fit the bill.

If you're in the area, you should stop by Tulip's store on the Country Club Plaza or peruse all their beautiful clothes and fun accessories, like these bracelets for stacking on their online store.  Then check their Facebook page next week to vote for your favorite stacking bracelet style! 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

JUST BECAUSE...

Sometimes I see something in a store that would be perfect for a friend or think of a funny memory that makes me want to reach out to a family member.  But then I don't, and the moment slips away. 


In this world of endless communication possibilities, why do I struggle with sending that quick text or mailing a letter to just let someone know I'm thinking of them?


Well, a few weeks ago, one of my lovely cousins called me out of the blue just to say hi and catch up a little.  I hadn't talked to her in so long, and let me tell you, it was so good to just hear her voice.  It really did brighten my day and made me wonder why I didn't do things like that, too.


What a wonderful thing to tell someone you're thinking of them.


So as I was strolling through Target the other week (as I normally do most lunch breaks), just seeing what fun new things they had out, this adorably quirky bracelet of two frogs kissing caught my eye.

 It made me immediately think of my sister, who lives in another state.  Then it made me smile, and I knew it would make her smile, too.

So I mailed it to her.  It wasn't her birthday or Christmas. 

It was just because...

every day needs a little whimsy.


And it's so true.  We all get bogged down in our workaday woes and fast paced life, so we need to make sure we incorporate a touch of whimsy, a bit of wonderment into the day to remind us of the magic of our surroundings and that others love us and are always thinking of us.


I want to be better at taking advantage of these little opportunities to make someone I love smile.  Sometimes I feel I have to have something to talk about or that I'll be intruding in their day, but how can sending a quick hello or delivering a smile make their day anything but brighter?


So that's my goal.  To be aware and vigilant of ways to share a bit of whimsy with those near and dear to me. 


What about you?  How do like to keep in touch with friends and family?

WHERE DID THE SUMMER GO?!

I heard that some kids are going back to school this week.  WHAT?!!  How did this happen?  Where did the summer go? 

I was feeling a little melancholy today, thinking that I had wasted the summer and hadn't done anything notable.  Good thing I take a ton of photos, though, because looking back through them made me realize that lots of fun times were had this summer.  I didn't get a lot of these special moments captured on the blog, so I wanted to make sure they weren't lost on a hard drive somewhere forever.

There's also a special treat below, if you make it through them all.

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We started the summer off with a get together with good friends, good food, and good psychedelic hula hopping time. 

Making sure we got our family tradition in of going to Starlight, we took my nephew to see The Wizard of Oz.  He ate an entire bag of cotton candy and a lot of my dad's frozen lemonade.  Unsurprisingly, he was able to stay awake for just about the whole show.

We also had a KC blogger meet up, and I got to hang out with these lovely ladies some more.

Which leads us to one of the most exciting parts of the summer...we brought home Maisy Mae!  No, no, no, not a baby, but an adorable little bunny.  She started off as a little fluff ball, but is now quite big.  Where does the time go?

My sweet niece and her sweet friend came to visit and we got to play tourists around the city.  We laughed a lot, went to cute shops, saw a band (and then saw them again the next day around town), and made flower crowns.  All of this equals the best weekend ever.

We bought a pool pass and went on lots of bike rides and walks.  For some reason this summer hasn't been as hot and humid as past years, and we've definitely taken advantage of it.

My wonderful and beautiful friend threw the quintessential summer party.  Croquet, sangria, and cool summer night breezes.

In the beginning of July, I had lunch with my sweet friend, Jessica, and her two adorable kiddos, Wade bought me flowers, and I shipped out some orders. 

We had a delightful blogger brunch with so many inspiring KC ladies.  I never liked Bloody Mary's, but when Ashley got a whole piece of bacon in hers, I decided I might need to give the drink another go.

Then came my mom's birthday, and we had a pool party to celebrate.  What's better than some fun in the sun to celebrate the greatest lady around?

Man, I did a lot more than I thought this summer.  So many pictures!  I probably should keep up with this a bit more so it isn't so daunting.  I'm sure you've hit your picture limit, so I'll just say that this is Part 1 of the series and bring you Part 2 later. 

As for the fun little something extra, I've added, what I'm dubbing, friendship bling necklaces to my shop!!  I'm really loving the mix of colorful thread with a bit of sparkle.

There are just a few there, and I'll be adding more soon.  That's not all, though, as a special summer treat, here's a coupon code for 14% off of any item from my shop until August 14th.  Use code: SUMMER14.

Hope you're having a wonderful day!

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I'm linking up with Meg's blog, Life of Meg today for her Mingle Monday!

DID YOU EVER NOTICE....

...how the street shines like sparkling diamonds after it rains and the sun hits it just right?


...how a song can transport you through space and time?

...how your camera comes close, but can't quite capture all the colors and beauty of a moment ?

...how finishing a really good book can feel sad, like you're losing a friend?


...how every day you swear you're going to clean the house, and then you don't?

...how sometimes it's hard to do simple things and then once you actually do them, you wonder why it took you so long?

...how today is that good 'ol day that you'll look longingly back on tomorrow and say, "remember when"?

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What have you been noticing recently?