fresh from the garden......

Our Hydrangeas and our Butterfly Bush are in bloom and they out did themselves this year!

Miscommunication

Sadly, we had to inform Tate that OUR chickens were for eggs, NOT for eating!

{He wasn't really going to eat the chick. I asked him to smile so that I could take a picture of him with the chick and this is how it turned out! Makes me laugh just looking at it)

Repurposing

This is one of my favorite things to do! I love using things for something other than its intended purpose.

I got this napkin holder at Superstore and have in the past and still do use it for napkins, but I love it on my desk to hold the mail and bills.

This dish came from my moms house. It is suppose to hold food. I assume candies or olives or something like that. I also use this on my desk to hold magnets, staples and paperclips.

I found this urn from a little shop down town. It is probably for flowers or maybe just decoration. It holds my pens.

I bought this soup tureen for $11 at Superstore, just because I love it. Maybe if I made homemade soup it would fulfill its intended purpose, but I don't (not yet, anyways!) So I use it to hold chips and cookies and other things like that.

My friend Rachel inspired me with this find (also from Superstore). It is a kitchen canister which can be turned into a vase. I love the shape of it.

These little pots I found at the CUTEST little garden shop in town. They hold our keys, which I never lose because I always put them away as soon as I walk in the door when I get home.

 I originally bought this mug to hold the kids toothbrushes, but it started to leave a rust ring on the counter from always sitting in a puddle of water, so I cleaned up the counter and the bottom of the mug and now it holds flowers. It is the perfect little size for a side table.

Buckets - I love them. They can hold anything and everything! I found some really cute red buckets at Home Depot to hold books and toys for the boys room. It also makes clean-up really fast and easy!

This is also in the boys room and houses our little fish Ginger. I think it is a punch bowl or a big vase, maybe for floating flowers in. I have used it for floating flowers - lilacs are beautiful this way.  The fish belongs to Tate who is 4. He would not be convinced to pick a boy name, as the fish is actually a boy. He was SET on Ginger! Too cute!)

I blogged about this find from Winners before. But I love it. I use it for glasses. It stays out on the counter all the time. At dinner the cups are right there ready to go and easy to carry. But it also, could be used for so many different things, like cupcakes, fruit, chips, cookies, cutlery, napkins or anything else you could imagine.

This has to be one of my most favorite finds EVER. I bought it from Home Sense. I love the color of it, the shape of it, and the possibilities! 

Right now it is in the main bathroom holding a plant, bar soap and hand lotion. 

It could be used for 

-napkins and cutlery 

-in/out mail boxes in an office 

-pens, pencils and markers 

 -chalk and a chalk brush

-kitchen utensils

-candles

-cotton balls

anything you could think of!

So be creative. Think outside the box. Have fun with your home.

Family Night

Every Monday night we have family night. This past monday we went down to the beach and went kayaking with Grandma and Grandpa McCullough. It was so much fun. I am awestruck EVERY time. We live in such a beautiful place. I feel so very blessed.
Darren, Nya and I went first. Nya sat with me in the front. I don't know what she thought of it. She just sat there very quietly the entire time - Possibly because she had a life jacket on which allowed her no range of motion {kind of like Robert Munsch's Thomas and the snowsuit!} Emma and Tate went out with Grandpa McCullough and next Noelle and Grandma went. Lastly Darren and Bergen had a turn.
Everyone had such a fun time. I loved it {secretly I have always wanted to be a rower, like a real rower. I just might have to start fulfilling my dream} It is the most relaxing, peaceful thing, not to mention a killer upper arm workout!

The Bob

The bob is and will always remain my VERY favorite little girl hair cut! Emma's hair was cut in a bob all the time when she was little. And then she grew.....and she wanted her hair to grow with her. Since it is her hair (and since I could NOT convince her to have a bob again) she started to grow it out. She said that she wanted it down to her bottom. In the mean time, I was expecting baby #5, which we all knew through personal experiences, was going to be a little girl. My 3rd! I could not believe that I was going to be so lucky as to have 3 girls! Since my baby girl was no longer a baby girl and didn't want her hair the same way I wanted to keep it, FOREVER, I placed all hopes in my new daughter. She at least for a while would sport a bob - until......... she was born.......and her hair started to grow........and it was CURLY! She has the most lovely curls, but it did not fit into my plans. {I must say though that I do love her curls, I hope she will too!}The only one of my children, out of 5, who got my curly hair. The rest of our children got dads, beautiful straight hair. I actually had been so pleased with myself {like it really had anything to do with me} for not passing on my curly hair that has a mind of its own and gets temperamental in the least bit of heat or moisture. I have always thought those with straight hair have it so easy - sweet and simple. Nya will not be fulfilling my dreams of a daughter with a bob.
Fast forward a little ways - enter Emma {whose hair by this point is almost to her bottom} announcing that she wants a bob. I couldn't believe it. I had let go of ever seeing another bob. I had her wait a few weeks to make sure that that is what she REALLY, REALLY wanted and not something she would regret after. I did not want her doing it for me or anyone else. {I also did not want to pay to have a professional do it and I will admit, I was scared. I cut everyone else's hair, but a bob? THAT involves layers!} Well I got over my fears and did it, and I must say it turned out just as cute as I remember it ever being. And she LOVES it!!
On a side note, we went to a family reunion last week and everyone kept commenting on how much Nya looks like me and my heart changed. I was not longer sad for Nya that I had given her hair that she will struggle with, but passed on a piece of myself, something only she and I share. It touched my heart and I am so happy to have 1 baby with curls!

Fresh Berries

The first of our blueberries are here.

Chicks!

Well we have decided to become chicken farmers, or rather to own a dozen or so of our very own chickens for eggs, not food! 6 little chicks were added to our clan today. Sorry, no roosters allowed. We are on our way to fresh eggs from our very own chickens!
And that is why I am on the hunt for a great old galvanized bucket - for gathering eggs.

Chicks!

Well it's official - we are chicken farmers! 6 little chicks joined our clan today - and we love them!

Another Treasure From Belongings

I went into one of my favorite stores today to look for a galvanized bucket for collecting eggs {Why do I need a bucket for collecting eggs you might ask? I will blog about that tomorrow!} and came out with this mirror. It is just the sort of thing I have been looking for for the laundry room.

toast & jam

We opened the jam this morning - Do you think they like it?!

Part 1

I finished painting the master bedroom. The room is far from being finished though - we still need to decide on where to put the furniture (I just can't find a way I like it), some accessories, lamps, curtains, blinds, a shelf and pictures to go above the bed, oh, and a bed! But since that is a long ways off it at least looks fresh and clean now.

blueberries

We found this book at the library - if you have little ones, read this book. It is so very sweet!

I haven't bought jam from the store for a long time after a friend told me just how easy it was to make your own - she even gave me a starter kit. We have only made strawberry up until now, but since I had some blueberries in the freezer and since we all love blueberries, I thought I would give it a try. Isn't it beautiful?!