A Semi-Homemade 4th of July

FINALLY! Omg, this work week has been insane. I have worked til 8 at the office all week, and then come home to work some more. But tonight - I'm leaving at a decent hour! I promise....

Okay, a quick run down of our patriotic festivities, food, fun!

It all started with Thursday's Patriotic Parade at school. I had missed the last parade (something Big Sister had reminded me of every. day. last. week. Nothing like the mommy guilt!) But I was there AND took pictures - in case I have to use them to prove to her that I don't always have to miss these events!

She truly was happy to see me....

That's her at the front, as they were lining up for the parade. ;)
Best part was that my favorite mommy was there, and we got to chat the whole time the parade was going on inside (it was 105+ outside - smart move!) She's working in a stressful career, managing the house with 2 kids... just like me. And she's decided she cannot continue with the hours she puts in (like me) and she's doing something about it - going to nursing school! What an inspiring chat... I think I need to get together with her, outside of school functions!

And the back of her outfit - she was so proud of the flag.


We had popsicles and red, white & blue popcorn!


Then we settled in for the Creature Teacher. Yes, she had snakes... 2 diff ones. Alledgedly not poisonous. ;) And Big Sis got to pet a chinchilla. Creature Teacher had the cutest hedgehog and a few other things....


The 4th rolled around and it was time to get ready to par-tay!
I had been looking for an excuse - any excuse - to use 4 sticks of butter in Pioneer Woman's famous chocolate sheet cake.

Can I just say that I really love baking and cooking? I just wish I had more time to do it! And this smelled soooo yummy while I was making it!
Big Sis worked really hard on decorating it....

I had grand visions of a super semi-homemade patriotic party (say that 3 times fast!).... but with the way work has been lately, I settled for pulling together what I could! I have red dishes, so that helps... and we live in Texas, so of course we have a plate like this one:


I threw red, white & blue touches wherever I could:

Look at this cute pic G-man 'made' at school - it's his face as the statue of liberty!

We had strawberries and blueberries.....

Mr. Fix-It grilled sliders and brats (but I didn't get any pics once all the food was ready!)... Mr. Everything made his famous mac & cheese... Mr. Fix-It made the guac that I beg for on a weekly basis (I'll have to post his recipe sometime!)... and my brother brought his girlfriend, her famous dip, and a watermelon!
Oh, and Mr. Fix-It grilled corn on the cob... if you've never had yours grilled, I suggest you try it. You'll never eat it any other way. Just spray on some butter, salt/pepper/season (I love dill, but that's just me), wrap in foil and throw on the grill!


A few things I'd picked up randomly ended up being the hit of the party! The taffy is peppermint and Mrs. Everything's favorite. And we could NOT keep the girls out of the star spangled marshmallows!


Speaking of the girls.... Big Sis and Miss Priss had all the fun they usually do. Here they are, dancing to Lady Gaga - they both insist it's their favorite. (Big Sis is taking a break from her old fav, All the Single Ladies by Beyonce.)


And the daddies should have realized that Rock Band would not be safe with them around.... they had to play!


We suggested they play the (Fisher Price) piano.... and G had to help!


Then on to the fireworks, put on by our town! I didn't get any pics of the actual fireworks, but I thought they did a great job! Here's the Semi-Homemade family, heading towards the fun - live music, bounce houses, food, you name it!Here is Big Sis, watching a hot air balloon land (or take off?) with Uncle Frank's girlfriend, Courtney.

I was so proud of G-man! We didn't get them home and in bed until 11pm and he was a trooper! Although he kept trying to lay down on the blanket (in typical G style - on his tummy with his butt in the air!), and the fireworks kept him awake and confused. But he seemed to enjoy his 1st fireworks!


And those girls.... by now severely sugar buzzed from those damn marshmallows..... running it off.....

Here's Big Sis (with a marshmallow in her mouth - MY goodness!) and Mr. Fix-It right before the big show!

Hope y'all had a fun & safe 4th of July! I've got several posts half written, just waiting for me to have a spare second... so stay tuned!

ETA: I just visited Mrs. Everything's blog and she has tons more pics of the festivities from the 4th! Go check them out!

Who likes to read?

Me!!!!!!!!!!!! Who has time? Uh, that's another story.

But check out this awesome giveaway from the sweetest cupcake connoisseur - Kimmie! Earlier this year, she met Jen Lancaster, author of the book I'm reading right now (Bitter is the New Black) and a bunch of other super fun reads. Anyway, she had Jen autograph her latest and greatest, Pretty in Plaid and she's giving it away!

How sweet is that? I've been wanting to read that, but who can afford the hardback in this recession? (Okay, if I was willing to part with my 1 - or 2 - a week Starbucks deliciousness, I could prob afford it. But I'm not willing to go to that extreme!) Just visit her giveaway and enter to win!

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And I promise I'll get around to a pic recap of the 4th. We had lots of fun. But then the reality of Sunday and an insanely packed work week hit me yesterday and well.... everything else fell to the bottom of the list. Stay tuned!

Where You Live Friday - Yard & Garages

Wow, it's only Sunday and I'm already doing Where You Live Friday at Kelly's Korner! What an improvement! ;) This week is yards & garages.... This is the 2nd house that my hubby has built us - and my, how we love it!

We lost a beautiful crape myrtle tree during a storm this year, and replaced it with a gorgeous magnolia tree (don't you know you're in the South, now?!) It's looking a little sad right now, with the temps around 105 lately... but we're giving her a little more tlc going fwd so she'll recover!


I love begonias..... you can see our O-state stone here.... We are THE hugest fans and totally bleed orange & black...

Here is our garage! Inside, it's filled with strollers, a bow flex, my car, bikes, and lots and lots of tools (they don't call him Mr. Fix-It for nothing!)

Moving on to the back yard!

It's the typical suburban back yard, huh? ;) That's Big Sister's weeee (that's Big Sis-speak for playset!) And G-man's is to the right... although they have the most fun when he's on the red baby swing next to her big girl swing.... and now that she can pump herself, it's even more enjoyable for momma. ;)
We've never had a back yard that I've enjoyed as much as this one....There's plenty for the kiddos to do, a huge covered area for dinners and entertaining, a patio for bike riding, a fireplace for s'mores making... you name it!


That patio furniture was our gift to ourselves for our 5th wedding anniversary! And I love the pair of outdoor wall hanging we have on that far wall (you can only see one in the pic)..


Do you see the bird flying over the fireplace? I hadn't noticed him and I guess my camera scared him into flight! That was a project after we moved in.... and if we get around to it, we're going to build a matching outdoor kitchen on the other side of the patio.


My patriotic cuties in front of the (unlit) fireplace on the 4th of July! No s'more making lately... it has been way TOO hot!

We're not going to build a pool until the kiddos get a bit older (and until we plan to stay in a house for longer than a couple yrs!) So, until then, we're living in a neighborhood with great amenities! This is the beach club, which is pretty cool when you live landlocked in the middle of TX! This is Big Sis last June.... I haven't managed to get the camera there yet this year! (And probably won't until G-man's 1st birthday party there!)

Big Sis loves the splash pad.... and G-man is learning to tolerate it. ;)


And another pic from last summer, this time the aquatic center.... the kiddie pool has a beach enrtrance with fountains which is great for the mommas...

Thanks for checking out our outdoor living! If you're interested in seeing the rest of the house - my husband is THE best builder and I love to decorate! - check it out here.

We heart America!

I was hoping to have our 4th of July card and a few pics from yesterday's Patriotic Parade ready to share with y'all, but.... we've been having so much fun enjoying our extra day off together (and getting ready for all of tomorrow's fun!) that I didn't get a chance to pull it off....

But here is G-man and Big Sis before they went to school yesterday, dressed in what little red, white, & blue mommy could pull together last second!

And I'll be back with the wrap up of our weekend BBQ with the Everythings and some of my assorted family.... I love summer!!

Where You Live Friday: Master Bedroom

Y'all, it seems I'm just getting worse at these as we go along. It's almost time for the next Where you Live Friday and I'm just now doing last week's. Oops! At least this week is yards and I think I can handle to get that one up in a more timely fashion. (But I'm not gonna promise...)

For those of you who don't know, my hubby Mr. Fix-It is a builder and homes are our biggest hobby. We move often and we love, love picking out new floorplans, granite countertops, flooring, you name it. And I love to decorate!

This is the entry into our room....


One day I'm going to learn to sew.... like my mom, who made these amazing brown velevet curtains that pool on the floor.

I'd prob spend more time in my room, if I had the time... to relax and watch tv:

... or read... this is what's on my nightstand! Kimmie recommended Jen Lancaster's book and I'm starting with Bitter is the New Black and I love it! I just finished the next book, The Sweet Potato Queens Big Ass Novel. If you've never read any of the SPQ books by Jill Connor Browne, you don't know what you're missing! The next book is one of my child's Birthday Books. I love these! It's a way to document what you do to celebrate each birthday for your child. You know how much I love entertaining... this is perfect to document all those details! Also has room for funny interviews of your kiddo. Then my new Semi-Homemade Cookbook by Sandra Lee (all healthy recipes!) and my collection of InStyle mags...

Right above our dresser, you can start to see our beautiful ceiling...


And - of course - some special pictures hang out on our dresser... oldies but goodies... the top one is one of Mr. Fix-It and I's engagement pics from 2001 during my former life as a blonde. The bottom right is a wedding photo... and the left is a family pic with my parents and sibs.


It's also where I keep my amazing photo album from my maternity photo session with Kristie. Check out her work here! Funny, Big Sis is wearing this same top today...

Man, I got HUGE with baby G-man.... but these are a few of my fav shots in the album:

I pictured the master bath in the Bathroom Tour, so check it out!

And on to the master closet. In our last house, we had his & hers closets off the master bathroom.... so you can imagine my hesitation when I was told this floorplan had us sharing closets again. ;) But there's a divider down the middle (where my dresses are hanging) that keeps us separated. And it houses the full length mirror that Big Sis uses every morning to inspect her outfit and her 'do before school.

As a huge shoe fan (and someone who was formerly in the shoe business), Mr. Fix-It knows by now how to make me happy when it comes to closet space.... he and I worked on this shoe storage in our closet, and it's perfect! At least for displaying all my in season shoes. ;)

One thing on my agenda at home is to CLEAN this crazy closet. I can tell you that I don't wear 1/2 the things in here.... I have a huge range of sizes in here, from 6-16 (yep, I was a 16 when I went back to work after having Big Sis!) But I maintain the same size (when not pg)... so why do I need all these clothes?! I don't!

Thanks for visiting! In 2 short days, we'll be touring yards and garages! I love our backyard in this house - room for lots of fun.

Be sure to check out the rest of the house here! Happy 4th, y'all!

Semi-Homemade Pirate Nursery - in the news again!

It seems so many people are interested in G's pirate nursery - it's so exciting! We had so much fun with his room.... I think that really shows through.

Anyway, you've just got to check out this site - Baby Cove is such a cool site, full of stuff that moms and moms-to-be need to know! They have a group of mommy authors who weigh in on everything from home births to cute maternity clothes and from maternity photos to sono pics. Each momma has a cute name that keeps in the theme, like Momma Starfish.

They've done such a great job at profiling G's room - even better than I did! Be sure to visit G's room on the Baby Cove and I promise you'll love this site!

Birthdays, bowling and bang!

Y'all, a weekend at the in-laws' was exactly what I needed. And no, I'm not kidding.... I was very possibly blessed with THE. best inlaws. Ever. And with work bearing down on me like it has... I needed the mental escape.

Anyway, we traveled up to NE Oklahoma for Mr. Fix-It's dad's 70th!! birthday. It was supposed to be a pool party, but have y'all read about the oppressive heat in the south lately? It's bad when it's too hot for a pool party. So we switched to a bowling party and that was a super smart move. It just so happened to be Big Sister's first bowling trip. Check her out above (in her little bermuda short ensemble) - isn't she cute? She used the ramp-thing for little kids once... and then insisted on doing it herself. That's so Big Sis...

This is me and Mr. Fix-It.....I have to note that I scored what might be a personal best at 111!!!!!! Mr. Fix-It beat everyone with a 118... I don't think either of us has bowled in years, but we're competitive. ;) The middle picture has the birthday boy as well as Mr. Fix-It's mom and the kids.



Then on to buy the fireworks! One of the benefits of being in the country, because around here... it's all illegal! This is a crappy picture, that yes, I took THRU the dirty windshield of our truck because it was too hot to get out and take an actual picture. This fireworks stand was run by the local cheerleaders, something Mr. Fix-It swears he knew nothing about when deciding to stop at this particular stand.... um, right... ;)


This picture cracks me up and pretty much sums it up. Big Sis loved it! But hated the noise. We call her the 'noise police' at home anyway, because she's the first to boss you into turning down the tv if it gets too loud...

We didn't do anything too over-the-top.... they had a girly backpack full of stuff perfect for little kids, so that's what they got. Took out all the guess work... Too bad, Big Sis wanted to carry around a backpack full of explosives all afternoon....

Here is Big Sis in action, watching her daddy and grandpa light some snakes!

I was impressed she was so calm....

This shows a little of her fear.... but we obviously had her step back for smoke bombs...

and WAY back for the bigger stuff!

"Daddy, I'm good at this!" That's what she kept saying as she threw down the snaps as hard as she could.

A storm blew in out of nowhere, but we were able to get in a few sparklers first.... and we left the rest to do when we're back over Labor Day (for Mr. Fix-It's grandmother's 85th bday!)

And where was baby G this whole time? He came outside for parts of it, but he was way more interested in playing under the table..

and gardening. Ha! Just kidding, but he wanted to eat the baby potatoes right out of the baskets!

What a sweet weekend.... I love this kind of family time. And the country is so.... slow. I love it, such a good break from this grind.