July Wrap-Up

I know I say this every month, but I can't believe it's the end of July!  This has been a super busy month.  I started it off with a nice overnight trip to Long Beach Island to visit my college buddy, Mamie, and her family, and new roommate, Hannah.  I had a ton of fun with them, and it was a great way to start this hectic month.  

On the ninth (which also happens to be my sister-in-law's birthday, Happy Birthday Michelle!) Aaron and I became homeowners!  Yay us!

We've been super busy working on the house.  It needs a ton of work, and the list is never ending.  So far the kitchen is the closest to livable.  

My DIY projects have been hyper focused on getting the house ready, so the only crafty thing I did this month was stamp my handmade calendar for June and July.  They came out super cute.  I need to think about what's happening in August, and get that together!  

I've been most happy with my Thirsty Thursday series this month.  So many yummy fruity creations!  I'm having a hard time picking a favorite.  It's a tie between the Plum Kiwi Pineapple Cocktail and the Tropical Creamsicle.  They are both good in a fruity way, but for completely different reasons.  

I've also continued on with my self-indulgent series, This Is Me.  I like that this series gives me back a bit of my weekends, while still pushing me to think creatively.  I want to think about making more  imaginative self portraits in the future.  

We also celebrated my brother, Chris' engagement.  We went out to dinner with his fiance, Jamie's family and got to know them.  We had a lovely time!  They are awesome people.  I wore this cute little number to the fabulous Half Moon, where we wine & dined.  

I've loved everything I've cooked for Nom Nom Monday, but my favorite this month is my Fresh Tomato & Bell Pepper Pasta Salad.  It could be because I grew the tomatoes, peppers, and basil in it.  Or because I had it for dinner last night, and I also ate it for lunch, AND as an after-work snack.  I definitely liked this dish.  :)  

Speaking of our garden, haven't these little paper pulp seedlings come a long way?  Look at one of our many fruitful harvests! Just as yummy as it looks.  

I hope you had a good July too, and happy DIYing, chris!  

LBI Part 2

Hey all, Happy fourth of july!  Just a quick post today.  Trying to relax, and have quality family time.  Here is the second part of my LBI trip.  If you want to see more photos you can check out Part 1.

Hope ya'll are having a great day!  Happy DIYing, chris.

Long Beach Island, Part 1

I went to LBI on thursday, and hung out with my good friend Mamie, her family, and her new roommate, Hannah.  They rent a beach house there every summer for a week, and lucky me, they invited me over for a sleepover for the  night! :)  Mamie's family is really awesome, and I look forward to visiting with them whenever I get a chance.  I'm really glad I made this trip, I had some much needed girl time, and I'm really glad I got to meet Hannah.  I can't wait to visit them in their new apartment!!!

The house they were staying in had two giant butterfly bushes, with big purple flowers, and the beautiful lacy winged creatures flocked to them in hoards. 

Seafood at the beach is the way to go.  I love me some yummy shellfish!  Oh, and I must say, Mamie always has thee best stack of bracelets on.  It's a rare site to see a bare wrist on this stylish lady.  

After dinner we went down the street to a dock in the bay, and we took some great sunset photos.  Actually, I have so many I'm going to save a few for later in the week.  

Good times with the Schillers and Hannah.  Indie is the Chesapeake Retriever, and Charlie is the lil' Cockapoo.  Sadly, I didn't catch any pictures of Mamie's cute kid sister, Katie.  She's awesome too. :)  She came to the shore with a gaggle of lady-friends, and they were busy having quality girl time, while we were watching the sunset.  Also not pictured here was the awesome tandem bike Mamie and Hannah were riding together for their stay.  I'm kicking myself in the butt for not getting a shot of them riding together.  Very disappointed in myself!  Sometimes lugging a giant camera bag around the sandy beach is the last thing on my to-do list though.  I totally loved riding bikes at the beach.  I could do that everyday for the rest of my life.  I came home looking up prices for beach cruisers, and wondering how hard it would be to find a cruiser with gears.  

Well I want to work on some other blog stuff, and go outside for a bit.  Have a great Sunday, and happy DIYing, chris!