Lost and Found

I've got a little story to share with you today.

Once upon a time there was a woman who loved to hike (when it wasn't over 100 degrees!) and went as often as she could.  One lovely (and sort of warm) morning she hiked up her favorite trail keeping a good pace and working up a nice "glow" (ha!).  

When she arrived back home she realized with much distress that her Driver's License was missing out of her oh-so-fashionable CamelBak hiking fanny pack.  It must have slipped out one of them times she switched the music on her phone.  Sigh.

She immediately but somewhat reluctantly returned to the preserve to re-trace her steps.  Back up the steep trail she hiked, much slower this time since she was both tired and scanning all over for the ID.  She also asked every single hiker/biker that she passed if they'd seen her license.

Despite hiking the entire trail her license was not recovered.  So she returned back home even more tired, hot and downright smelly than before. She reported the license as lost to the police and drove very very carefully to pick up her kids from school.  Sigh.

Later that afternoon the most amazing thing happened.  

The doorbell rang and it was a family returning her license!  This family had seen the license on the neighborhood entry box and brought it to the house.  That means that there was another kind person that found her license on the trail and brought it as far as the neighborhood gate.

Kind people are still out there! Happy endings all around. 

The End.

School Starts Tomorrow - Summer Highlights :)

Yes it's true, today is my family's last day of summer vacation. The kids start school tomorrow and it will be a bittersweet day for sure!  We had a fun filled summer break with a few trips, lots of play dates and many days just spent at home.  Heaven!

Here are the highlights:

Trip to Zion National Park (especially the UTV Adventure)

Flower Girls for my Niece Kathryn's Wedding 

Trip to WA to visit family (and get out of the desert oven!!!)

Fishing Trip to Alaska (just my husband and our oldest)

Rubber Ducky Birthday Party to celebrate our 6 year old!!

Swim Lessons (super fun this year)

Pool Play Dates - With Juice Otter Pops!

Vacation Bible School (youngest) and Church Camp in the mountains (oldest)

Summer Facts

• 3 = Teeth Lost (2 for big sister, 1 for little with another super loose right now!)
• 3 = States Visited
• 10.5 = Weeks of Vacation
• 4 Doctor Visits 
• 2 Dentist Visits
• 5 = Modes of unusual transport (National Park Bus, kayak, ferry, UTV, float plane) 
• 6 = Times watched the movie Moana
• 12 = Pool Play Dates
• 14 = Coffee Dates 

Whew, that was a fun summer.  The kids are ready to go back to school and I am hoping that this year is a smooth transition, especially for me!  It was quite an adjustment for me last fall getting used to having all my kids out of the house for full days.  Let's see if this year is better. :)  

Fisher Price Friday - Little People Art Print

I spend a bit of time on Etsy both as a buyer and a seller.  Right now I only sell vintage toys (mostly Fisher Price) and I often find myself looking at FPLP items too.  That's how I found this delightful print.

The shop is called Mostly Little Art and it is full of delightful original paintings and prints for a reasonable price.

My print came quickly and well packaged.  It looks fantastic in our playroom.

To get your own print check out her shop Mostly Little Art.  

To check out my shop go to Vintage Little People. :)

*Note: The adorable white house shaped organizers were decorated for me and given as a birthday gift by my daughters and a dear friend.  

Minimizing - My childhood edition :)

I've continued my process of de-cluttering and minimizing our house and life.  Although I accomplished a lot this winter I'm still trying to get into the daily habit of giving away, throwing away and buying less.

My project had a fun/challenging twist when I visited my mom this month and looked closer at the boxes of my childhood treasures/collections in her garage.  I enjoyed the process of minimizing; I had saved the craziest things!  I'm talking VHS tapes of my dance recitals/graduation, printouts (???) of emails from college (on matrix dot paper), and even my baby teeth.  Yes.  My teeth.  I have NO idea what I was saving them for?

Most of my papers, notes, greeting cards, letters and scrapbooks went into the recycling bin.  I ended up filling my mom's container!

College text books, novels, tourist souvenir books from Europe (did anyone else buy those on trips in the 90's?) and children's books were given away.

My remaining costumes, school dance dresses, ballet costumes and vintage clothing (hats, gloves) went on Etsy, for the girls to wear or given away.  My oldest daughter wore my 9th grade lavender dyed kitten heels whenever possible that week!

A couple VHS tapes went into the trash (taped Oprah shows???) and the rest to Costco to be turned into DVDs.  Fortunately I was able to preview the tapes ahead since my mom *still* has a VHS player. Ha!

Last but not least were a few random things shown below.  My "butt pillow", Annie lunch box and my music box bear.

I wanted to toss my "butt pillow" but my children demanded that we keep it.  This little beauty was made for me by my sister out of an old pair of jeans.  It has friendship bracelets tied on top (*love*), and names of friends and favorite song lyrics written on it in black pen (classy).  The back has decorations including some 80s studs!

I digress. So although I would have liked to de-clutter that sucker into the trash it is now in my daughter's playroom and they love it. 

The lunchbox was given away after I took photos of each side. And the teddy is still at my moms since it belonged to my older sister too.  The wind up mechanism still works!

I had been feeling pretty good about my progress, getting rid of a few boxes and minimizing down to just a couple boxes (hello yearbooks from pre-school to college!).   

Then mom brought me 4 folders full of my childhood drawings, letters, report cards, assessments, student of the month photos and class assignments that she had filed away for me all these years.  Sigh.  

Most of these gems were from my early childhood and I hadn't seen them in decades (or ever).  I enjoyed looking at them at first but became overwhelmed by the amount and felt bad about simply tossing them all.

So I decided make a photo book similar to the ones I create for my own kids.  Of course this book would need to be MUCH bigger since it was so many years worth of memories.

I spent a couple hours photographing the many many papers in those files.  Some to use in a book and others to just have a record of (letters of acceptance to college, assessments, etc).  Then I uploaded the 200+ photos to Shutterfly.

That particular weekend was kismet as I had a code for a free book and they were running a 1st-time ever promotion of unlimited additional pages for no extra cost!  So I ended up getting a 80 page 8x11 hardback book shipped to me for only $20.  Yes that's right, $20.  It would normally have cost almost $200!  

The book arrived this week and I am *in love*.  The finished product is amazing, the pages look just like my drawings (which have darkened with age) but are all tucked into a neat book.  I'm thrilled!  My kids think it's pretty cool too and enjoyed looking at mommy's drawings from when she was little.

"Look mom you made a turkey hand too". 

A few tips

• Take photographs in a light room during the day.
• Try to put them in chronological order if possible.
• Put the papers on a white background, I used a pillowcase.
• Don't forget awards, newspaper clippings or 3 dimensional projects.
• In Shutterfly use a 8x11 book so you can spread out, especially with their "spreads layout" option; visually it's more powerful and true to the original art.
• Make your book ahead and then wait for a FREE code or fantastic sale.
• This would make a wonderful gift for a grown-up child! 

For more information on De-Cluttering/Minimizing

10 Questions to Help you Declutter (aka I still have wedding napkins).
Bye Bye Big Baby
Photo Books of Kids Art

I may have to post more about my "butt pillow" someday, it is pretty 1980s awesome.  

Fidget Cube or Knock Off? A Side by Side Comparison!

Fidget Cubes and spinners are taking over the planet!  It's the Giga/Nano pet of this generation.  At least this one doesn't require batteries. :)

We looked into getting a Fidget Cube for our fidget friendly family.  Let's just say I've broken many a pen while fidgeting with the clip portion.  And my kids and husband wanted to try them too.

We bought our first Faux-Fidget at a local itsugar store for $9.95. We planned on giving this one to our 9 year old daughter to use.

Then a week later I ordered my husband the original Fidget Cube from the inventor of the product.  This project started on Kickstarter and the inventors raised over $6.5 Million (so far) of their original $15k goal.  Wow!  You can now purchase the original Fidget Cube from that company for $22 (mine was $25 with tax/shipping).  So...it's a lot more than the knock-off cube.

So how do they compare?  Let's look at them side by side.

They look almost exactly the same at first glance.  Both have the same features which include: Click, Glide, Flip, Breathe, Roll & Spin.  Both of the fidgets have a similar weight although the original one feels a bit more solid and is a bit smaller. 

Although they are very similar each has a benefit over the other.  The Fidget Cube has a smooth spinning circle (top R photo) while the knock off barely moves.  However, the knock off spinning circle (bottom R) both spins and clicks (pushes down) while the Fidget Cube only spins.

So which do we like better?  Well the family is divided, 1/2 like the original and 1/2 the knock off.  So save your money and get the cheaper one! :)

Donut Mind If I Do

We had a fantastic National Donut Day yesterday. Did you pick up any freebies?  I ended up buying a dozen donuts plus a package of donut holes to share with our friends.  Then we had a fun morning at the pool. Perfect!

But all this donut talk had me thinking about non-edible donuts and I found the best/funniest items.  I just had to share them with you.  

1. Kinda Care Kinda Donut by ThisIsMyYearGear on Etsy for $20. 
2. Printed Cactus Donut beach towel from Target.  Only $9.89!  
3. Donut Shopkins Pillow from Target.  My youngest would LOVE this! $19.99
4. Donut Give Up Tank by SuzySquats on Etsy for $23.99

Love those donuts!  I have got to get that awesome donut + cactus towel, perfect for Arizona.  

I'm going to try out some new gluten free donut recipes and will come back and post them soon.  This may be the summer of donuts!

Lavender Flavored TODDY? Why Yes, don't mind if I do.

It is true that I'm a *tiny* bit obsessed with coffee.  Although I have favorites (Hello Keurig!) I still find myself trying out new ways to make it.

So far I have at home:

• Keurig
• Stovetop Espresso Maker
• French Press
• Small Coffee Pot (4 cups)
• Cold Brew Packets
• Via packets for travel!

I've also done Cold Brew by using mason jars.  In the summertime I prefer iced drinks and I found that my previous low-budget Cold Brew method wasn't reliable (didn't turn out well consistently).  I can use my Keurig for iced by putting less coffee (6oz instead of 8) over ice but I do love me some Cold Brew.

At a friend's suggestion I ordered the Toddy from Amazon and it's A-MAZING.  Made delicious, consistent cold brew that stores easily in my refrigerator.  I add a little nutpods non dairy creamer, ice and water and I'm all set.  

Or if I want a little more flavor I use my homemade Lavender Simple Syrup.  I adore Lavender so this syrup is a special treat and was super easy to make!

Lavender Simple Syrup

2 cups filtered water
2 cups organic sugar
2 Tbsp dried lavender (food grade)

Bring to a boil all of the ingredients on the stove, stirring occasionally.  Once the sugar is dissolved remove from heat and let the mixture cool.  Once cool strain through a fine sieve into a jar.  Mixture will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks.

I just added a small bit to my coffee as I've been cutting back on my sugar.  But even a little goes a long way.  And a bonus, my house smelled like lavender for awhile after making the syrup!



I highly recommend the Toddy, NutPods (creamy and dairy free!) and my syrup.  Two of the three are available at Amazon!

Now if you'll excuse me, mama needs another cup of coffee.  It is the fuel of summer break. :)

40 Years Young (freebies to share)

If you know me in real life or follow me on Instagram you may have noticed that I had a birthday this week. ;)  Actually you might have thought it was last week when my friend's threw me a surprise party.  Or maybe you thought I was just celebrating turning 40 every day for an entire week!

So it's true, it's over and I am officially 40.  So far I have observed that turning 40 means:

• Grey Hairs (appeared only a couple months ago)
• 1st Mammogram appointment (yikes)
• I check a different age bracket box...no more 30-39, now I have to check 40-49.  Sigh.

But on the bright side I had a fantastic birthday party and am feeling optimistic about starting my 40s in a better place than I was in my late 30s.  

And....I got Birthday Freebies!  On my actual birthday I had:

• Starbucks (Venti Flat White with an extra shot and 2 pumps of Cascara) You just need to have a registered SB card.
• Hamburger at Johnny Rocket's (protein style) I just had to show my ID.
• Appetizer at PF Chang's (lettuce wraps!)

Hooray for freebies!  I have a week to collect a few more including:

• Free meal (eat in or to go) at Sweet Tomatoes
• Free egg bagel at Einstein Bagel
• Banana Republic $15 Free Birthday Gift card

Whew, let the party continue!

(How amazing are these personalized cookies from my party?  So so so cute and special!) Made by: kimscookiecottage

To continue the 40 theme this year I'm going to share 40 of my favorite things.  So stay tuned, I'll start with my first few next week.

The View From Here - Looking Up

I know I post a lot of hot air balloon photos but I can't help myself, they're so beautiful and literally above me most mornings.

I can't imagine ever moving from this community because I'd miss the balloons too much.

Just look up!

For more balloon photos:

2012 - Backyard
2012 - Neighborhood Balloon Landing
2013 - Neighborhood Views
2015 - Tethered Balloon Ride

2017 - Neighborhood Balloons

Cute and Inexpensive Kid's Swimsuits - I 💗 Target!

Last month we took our first cruise with the girls.  I realized a week before we left that my girls had outgrown most of their swimsuits.  I shopped online and found these adorable and affordable suits from my favorite store, Target!

They were both under $20 (one was only $14.99) and they worked out perfectly.  I thought I'd share them with you in case you have some warm weather travel plans this winter, or if you just want to plan ahead.  Or.....if you live in AZ and are already having your kids suit up in our 80 degree weather (don't hate us but it's coming back by the end of this week).

First up is the Girl's Breaking Waves Polka-dot swimsuit. with rainbow ties.  It is my favorite and got so so many comments when she wore it.  It also photographed pretty well.  
It ran true to size, my 5 year old wore a size 5.  It costs only $14.99.

Next up was my big girl's Chevron one piece with rash guard.  The rash guard is white with pink sleeves and a chevron heart.  It wasn't particularly hot on our cruise so she didn't wear it as much, but I'm sure we'll get plenty of use out of it this summer!
The front of the suit was rainbow chevron print and the back a bright pink.  It made her easy to find on the beach. :)

They have so so many cute and affordable suits at Target for kids, check them out before they're gone!

Recordable Book - Treasured Memories

This weekend my girls and I pulled out this very special book for the first time since my dad died.  It was super sweet to hear his familiar voice reading along with the pages in the book (and my moms too).

The book was recorded a few years ago when dad was able to read and understand.  At the time I bought it because my parents lived far away and I thought the girls would enjoy hearing their grandparent's voices.

Both girls said it was "so cool" to be able to hear grandpa's voice whenever they wanted.

I agree.

I highly recommend these recordable books.  If you have a parent with dementia or even a grandparent/parent living far away they're a fun treat for your kids.  And if you're in my shoes they're an irreplaceable treasure once your parent is no longer here.

They're a little pricey but worth every penny!

Get your own books here:

Hot Air Balloons

This time of year is prime hot air balloon season in my area.  I see big beautiful balloons flying over or near my house most mornings and evenings.  

I can get up close to them when they are taking off or landing to take photos more easily.

Lately I've felt like these balloons are sweet colorful little messages of joy to brighten my day.  Little gifts from above to cheer me on.

These photos were all taken in the last 2 weeks.

UFF-DA Calling all Norwegians

Any other Scandinavians out there?  I'm a proud Norwegian-American, my grandparents on both sides (except one Englishman) were Norwegian.  Hey, that blond hair comes from somewhere am I right? ;)

Anyway, when I saw this UFF-DA t-shirt on Target I had to have it!  It's part of their Todd Snyder Minnesota Local Pride collection.  There is a women's and a men's version.  They're only $14.99 and right now they ship free.

I'm planning on wearing it next week when I'm visiting my mom.  She's got one too so we can be matchy-matchy while making Krumkake, Lefse or Lutefisk.  So excited!

If you're Norwegian too go get one!  

Details: I'm wearing a size Small, I'd say it's pretty true to size since it's a little big on me and I usually get XS.  It's 100% cotton, short sleeved and $14.99.

To see more of my family's Norwegian pride check out my mom's Norwegian-inspired/themed Tiny Home Beach Cottage.

Dollar Shave Club - "Male" products that this woman loves

I've been using Dollar Shave Club for a couple years now; and although I'm not their target since it's a men's shaving subscription company, I'm still a big fan!

I've been using the 4x razor since 2014.  For only $6 a month (shipped) my legs are smooth and hair-free.  I've been adding other products to my subscription and today I'd like to share a couple more with you.

Since Dollar Shave Club is a line targeting men they refer to beauty products as "Clean", "Style" and "Protect".  A couple months ago I reviewed the Wind Master Lip Balm and the Wanderer Lavender & Amber soap bar.  Today I'd like to share my new favorite  Dr Carver's Shave Butter.

I am not a fan of using bar soap to shave my legs and for awhile now I've been using a shave oil (honest company).  Although it kept my legs moisturized and prevented nicks it was thick and challenging to get out of my shaver.  The Dr Carver's Shave Butter had all the pluses and NONE of the drawbacks.

It's amazing!

This genius product applies easily (a little goes a long way), has very little scent, rinses cleanly and does a great job.  My legs were moisturized and no nicks!  The Shave Butter comes in two sizes for travel (3 oz) or home (6oz).  

Ladies. Get. This. Butter.

Best part about the Dollar Shave Club is that you can just add the product to your regular shipment for no extra shipping cost.

Also an update on the Wanderer Lavender & Amber soap.  I've been using the bar soap and both my husband and I like it.  I bought my BFF the liquid Body Cleanser version of this soap and she reported back that she LOVES it.  So *shhh* but I bought her a bunch for her birthday next week.  Nothing says Happy Birthday like some shower soap.  Ha! (don't worry I got her something else too).

So if you're already a subscriber who happens to be a woman try these products out!  And if you haven't given them a try consider joining the Dollar Shave Club. It's not just for men! 

I'm also considering gifting shavers/products as Christmas gifts.  Wouldn't they be a fun gift for the teenagers in your life? :)

For my prior reviews check out: 

Update, Lip Balm review and a trick to save on your subscription

Dollar Shave Club a Woman's Review
Dollar Shave Club not Just for Men

And to sign up pretty please use this link and I'll get a credit.  Thank you!

A week of lasts...

It is hard to believe that our summer break is already coming to an end!  How is that possible?  And how oh how can these kids go back-to-school when it is 110+ out?

I digress.  Last week was good and long and hard and fun.  We had a bunch of "lasts" on in a row.  Here's what we did:

Last Peter Piper Pizza Summer Fun

My girls loved going to tuesdays at Peter Piper Pizza.  They offered a different themed activity each tuesday morning (before the regular store hours) which included crafts, coloring, games (sometimes) and then pizza and tokens at the end!  For only $5.49 each it was a great deal.  

Last Harkin's Summer Fun Movies

There is one more week but this was the last movie for my girls.  The Harkins Summer Fun has been a great summer destination the last few years.  For only $7 each (total!) the girls and I got to see up to 10 movies this summer on friday mornings.  We skip a few but it's still a great deal and super fun to meet friends at.  We also added swimming at our community pool with friends after and that made it an even better summer morning!

Last week of Swim Lessons

I calculated that this has been our 9th summer of Parks Department Swim Lessons!  For the low low price of $15 (each) our girls get safe and kind instructors for 2 weeks of lessons (M-Th).  It's the best deal around.  Now granted it was cooler when I was in the mommy-and-me lessons back in the day and sitting on metal bleachers in 115+ degree afternoons isn't super fun, but it's so worth it to see my girls progress in swimming.

and finally....

Last week of my Thursday Morning Mommas Group

This one is so bittersweet.  Some friends and I started this group in the late summer/early fall of 2011 so that I'd have somewhere to hang out while my oldest was in pre-school one morning a week.  We kept meeting through the summers and into the next almost 5 years!  Some moms outgrew our group and many many new babies were added and it has been a very sweet and special time for me and my youngest (and big sis during breaks).  Some of her very best friends were in this group and I can't imagine not seeing them weekly.  Sigh!

However, with my youngest starting kindergarten next week I won't need a preschool playgroup anymore.  Change, bittersweet I tell you.  

One more week of summer vacation and then we're back to school.  I'm looking forward to new things but man, that first day of school is going to be rough!

I'll be back to let you know how it goes, and to fill you in on our Kindergarden transition with the youngest.  I plan on doing some special things just like we did with the oldest 3 years ago.