A cause worth supporting!

Good Morning! I just have something quick to share with you this morning, but let me preface it by telling you that I DON'T vote in random online contests, like "Vote for my Cute Kid." But Pepsi has a contest going on that really got my attention, one that could mean big money for a worthy cause.

The cause that I'm promoting and asking you to consider voting for is Eagles' Wings , a non-profit that serves adults with disabilities. My brother-in-law has a cousin who is a client, so we're doing our best to support the cause.

Eagle's Wings is currently #16 - the top two causes will be funded. Click here if you'd like to help - thanks so much!

Starting the transition to fall

It's that time of year . . . school's in full swing, my boy is playing football, and the trees in the back yard are sending leaves dancing toward the ground. Fall is on its way!

I took a little time Friday afternoon to bring a little fall inside.

We went from this:

 Summery accessories on top, with assorted

junk treasures on bottom, waiting to find a home.

To this:

After I took the first 'After', I noticed that big burlap wing sticking out, so that has now been tucked away. I'm liking the way it turned out.

Y'all have a blessed Monday!

Good morning Blog world - it's been a long time since I've seen you!

It seems like since the summer started, all I've done is run - there has just been no energy left for blogging. My kids are are at a really fun age right now, and I've tried to make the most of that over the summer.

Playing with friends at the park

Me with my babies the day Logan's Cub Scout pack went to the amusement part

There just hasn't been time for endlessly editing pictures! And to be perfectly honest, there's still not time. School is in full swing, my 7-year-old in playing football and is in Cub Scouts and my daughter goes to school 35 minutes away from home two days a week (though Nana & Grandmaw do help with that some). Our church is growing and I'm now teaching classes twice a week, and I'm trying to help keep the church's clothes closet organized. And I've gotten into couponing, which is both fun and beneficial, but very time-consuming.

And then there's the things that I want to do - I want to start selling on ebay, to teach my four-year-old to read, to clean out the garage & de-junk my house, and I want to get back to blogging . . . anyone know how to get all that accomplished?

 We celebrated our 11th anniversary with a trip to the World's Longest Yardsale! Fun!

These are a few of my favorite finds

In order to make it easier to keep my blog updated, I think I'm going to start putting in more personal content. I don't have time for a project a day to blog about, so I'm just going with real life . . . and pictures that haven't been edited four different ways!

Y'all have a good weekend! Oh, and Roll Tide! =)

Happy 4th!

OBX is a loooong way from Alabama!

For the past month or so, our family has been looking forward to spending some time on the river. My husband and I both grew up camping and swimming there, and now our kids love it, too. Unfortunately, when vacation time rolled around, the river was out of its banks - flooded - and no good for fun.

So we started considering other options for fun family time.

• Atlanta - Stone Mountain, Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Zoo, Museum of Natural History, White Water . . . . tons of things to do!
• Chattanooga - Aquarium, Zoo, Ruby Falls, Rock City, Incline Railway, Caverns . . . also lots to do.
• Jellystone Campground - Water play for the kids, relaxation for the parents.

Those were our leading contenders. They were all good options, but they all had the same big drawback - the forecast! Rain, rain, and more rain - all with a chance of storms. =(  Close to home was just not going to be an option. We asked the kids what they wanted to do, and both wanted to go camping or go to the beach. So with the clock ticking down the hours to departure time, we decided on our destination . . . .

I honestly thought we were out of our minds, setting off on an overnight drive with the hope that we would find a campsite in the Outer Banks on Memorial Day weekend. Let me tell you, it was a LOOOONG drive, but my sweetie was up to the task. I mostly just talked to him (something I'm very good at!) to keep him awake.

We arrived mid-morning Friday and began the campsite hunt with a stop at the NPS office (I think that's what it is?) to talk with a ranger. He advised me that the Oregon Inlet campground was most centrally located, so we headed that way . . . and found a CAMPGROUND FULL sign on the door. I went in anyway, and found that some campers had just checked out - they had the perfect place for us!

Our oceanfront property at Oregon Inlet 

The wind put a whoopin' on our tent!

We had an amazing time! There is so much to see and do in this area.

Ready for our Jeep tour!

The beach was absolutely beautiful out past the end of the road. I would've never guessed that there was an entire community miles beyond where the road ends - they have to drive on the beach to get to their houses!

wild horse

The lighthouses are soooo pretty! 

We didn't get to see Bodie - it was undergoing some maintenance.

Ready to climb the lighthouse!

Logan loved the Wright Brothers memorial! He studied about them in school this year.

On our way back home, we took the ferry to Ocracoke Island, and then on to Cedar Island to get back to the mainland. The 30-minute ride to Ocracoke was fun, but the 2.5 hour ride to Cedar Island was a bit much!

The beaches on the Outer Banks were absolutely beautiful! 

No high-rise condos & hotels like we have on the Gulf.

Ocracoke Lighthouse

We didn't have much time in Ocracoke, but it was so pretty!

We had such a good time on this trip - and the kids got both camping and the beach! =) 

I am so incredibly thankful for this little family that God has blessed us with, and for this time away together. What a way to start the summer!

Mother's Day Fun!

Yesterday was such a fun day! The kids woke me up with a couple of surprise gifts (that I picked out Saturday night!), and Ben cooked pancakes for breakfast. After church with both of our moms, we headed out for a rare day of doing absolutely nothing . . . well, nothing but having laid-back fun together!

We hit the backroads. . .

. . . and enjoyed nature. 

As we drove slowly with the windows down, the sweet smell of the honeysuckle and hedge drifted in. Heavenly!

We spent some time down by the river collecting fossils out of a bank, which we all loved. 

It's amazing to unearth evidence that sharks used to swim where we live!

We had so much fun just hanging out together!

If you look closely behind Logan, you'll see a train stopped across the road. 

This is what he did while his daddy went to ask the work crew how long the road would be blocked.

What a blessing to spend such a fun day with the people who call me Momma! When were were about to start heading toward home, Logan said, "I been having so much fun that I forgot all about having a loose tooth!" His first loose tooth has been on his mind constantly, so I guess this means that he enjoyed our day as much as I did. =)  

Hope you all had a great Mother's Day, too!

Simple, Summery Door Hanging

Welcome!

Ever since I took down my Christmas wreath, I've been missing having something pretty on the front door. I guess I've just been waiting for some inspiration. Well it finally arrived, in the form of a cheese hoop lid.

I was plundering in my Momma's shed when I found this and a light bulb popped up over my head. It was already missing the ring around the lid - ready to use!

It was tongue-and-grooved together, so we took it apart and put some wood glue in the grooves to keep it together.

Then I transferred my initial onto it. I rubbed chalk on the back of the letter and outlined it with a pen. I expected to use the chalk outline, but it turned out that the pen imprint was more prominent than the chalk (guess I should have picked a darker color!). I just used a Sharpie to trace and fill in my letter.

I kept the accessorizing to a minimum with a little twine and a starfish. For a pop of color, I used bright pink ribbon to hang it, which I just stapled on the back. I also put some globs of hot glue on the back to serve as bumpers.

After I hung it, I decided that it would look better if the ribbon was attached on both sides instead of just in the middle, so I did a little reworking. And here it is!

It's simple and summery - just what I wanted!

Partying with:
Talented Tuesday @ My Frugal Family
Get Your Craft On Tuesday @ Today's Creative Blog
Make It Yours Day @ My Backyard Eden