Hope you are having a lovely Sunday.
Here is a preview of what is in store for The Happy Day Project next week.
Yay!
It is formatted as a 8x10 for your printing pleasure.

Happy Saturday.
My favorite day of the week, perfect for sharing some things that are rad.  Random and rad in no particular order with no particular theme.  Just stuff I like.


I signed up for this class at Homegrown Hospitality.  I need to just make something.  Just to make it.  Something new and different and with an unfamiliar technique.  I can't wait!

The kids are LOVING watching Wild Kratts.  I'm pretty strict with tv, and the combination of animals and science, plus not making me crazy, means it passes my test.  I can't believe how much they learn each episode.

My girls have tangly curly hair with really wimpy scalps.  I bought them each a Knot Genie and there are less tears each morning (if there were no tears it would really be a genie).

Speaking of tears, I made two new meals last week and only one family member cried.  That is for sure a new record.  I highly recommend Crockpot BBQ Chicken (I shredded it and put it on rolls, then used the leftovers the next day for BBQ chicken pizza), and Taco Cornbread Casserole.

More with the tears... Did you see Footloose?
Kid you not, when they were cleaning up the cotton mill and hoisted up the mason jar chandelier I started crying.  Like tears burst out of my eyes.  To which Jason looked over in confusion and mockery and exclaimed "YOU ARE CRYING OVER MASON JARS????????"
Yes, darling.  I am crying over mason jars.  Because that, is the most beautiful chandelier that just happened to be hidden and covered in dirt and dust, in a cotton mill that I ever did see.

I'm reading Kisses From Katie and it is ruining me.  But in the best way.  She inspires me.  She amazes me.
Did you catch my little Jedi's hat last week?
Crystal from Little Bit Funky sent it his way.  It is so awesome.
As I write I am snacking on one of her Peanut Butter Chocolate Pretzel Bars.  Hello!!!
I made them for Jason's tailgate today, but I sort of want to keep them all to myself.

Last weekend's boutique was amazing.  It was so fun seeing friends come out to help bring Evie home, as well as meet new ones (hi Summer and Crystal).  I have another one coming up around the corner.  Love to see you there.

Parks and Recreation.  Funniest show on television.  There.  I said it.

Hello happy.  Jeannett and I are working on something exciting.  Can't stinking wait for the launch on November 5th.

With that I am off to try my hand at making a baby Peter Pan costume.  Wish me luck!

Happy Saturday.

 Messy crafts are not my favorite.  Fifty billion daily school papers are not my favorite.
This is my attempt to overcome my issues.  They got messy.  I got organized.  Baby steps.

What a week.  What a week.
Confession.  We have lived here two years this week.  Two years.  Crazy.  Even crazier that our garage was filled with boxes that we had yet to unpack.  So with the help of family and friends, we went from candidates for Hoarders to this.  It was hard.  Really hard.  Tough decisions.  A huge trip to the dump.  But honestly, if it hasn't been needed in two years, is it really needed?
Plus I am parking in the garage for the first time in my life.  Love it.
Now on to my closet...
Garage sale tomorrow.  Adios stuff.  The clean and organized after makes the pain of the before so worth it.

Lucy found him.  We caught him.  He ditched his tail in the process.
It wiggled all detached for more than five minutes.
I cannot unsee that.
I wish I could.

1.  Can I say how much I love my dress up, fancy, loving girls?
2.  Our student leadership team sent us on a date after church.  They took our kids home, fed them, put them down for naps, then detailed our cars, cleaned our house and cooked us dinner.  We came home to happy kids, a meal in the oven, and a sparkling clean house and cars.  They left this note on our chalkboard.  I love our church.  Such a blessing.
3.  Fun craft from our mom's group.  Googly eyes are just so googly.
4.  My ode to the siren who makes pumpkin scones.

Do you ever have one of those weeks?
Where five hundred small, lame, bad, annoying things happen?
Add in lingering neck pain from the car accident, and months of just not exactly enough sleep.
Each thing on their own would be NBD.  But together.... hello.

I'm pretty sure if we had pets, their heads would be falling off.

Then you drop your phone.  The same phone that you have dropped 49 times.  But this time, the 50th time, the time you need it NOT TO BREAK, it breaks.  Because that is how it goes.

Rich people problems.

So you cry.  Like a crazy person on a Lifetime movie, cry.  Your kids ask to watch UP.  You cry the mommy-what-is-wrong-with-you???????? cry.  Not to be confused with the ugly cry.  This cry is the ugly cry on crack. (WHY IS THAT MOVIE SO SAD BY THE WAY?)
Then you have yourself a mental breakdown day (phrase taken from Totally Desperate Mom, by the HILARIOUS Wendy Hagen,  which every momma out there needs to read).

The remedy?
It is time to treat yo'self.

Tonight I am going on a date.  I planned it.  It is happening.
I will eat vampire dip.  I will try a peanut butter and jelly hamburger.  Because I can.

The events of the last week will fade away.  I will get a new phone.  I will have more mental breakdown days.  My pets heads will still fall off.

But tonight,  Jason, and my little sidekick Shane, don't care.

It is time to treat ourselves.

Treat yo self.
I really want one of these days.
Fine leather goods.

Nobody would ever accuse me of being organized.
If a list was compiled of 163 attributes and characteristics of me, organization would still not even come close to making the cut.
Perhaps it is because my brain is filled with song lyrics, tv and movie quotes, and random useless facts that would get me far on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, but won't get my kid's homework in on time.

But in the olden days when I was in school, I was probably even busier than I am now, yet I kept all of my commitments and tasks.  I think the 18 year old brain helped, but I also think that my big old planner was a huge part of it.

I have tried to keep organized on my phone, on our home desktop, on a big calendar on the fridge, but each worked okay, not well.  When I saw Rachel's post on her Erin Condren planner I knew I needed one.  But mostly because it was so pretty.  Not going to lie.  I am a sucker for pretty packaging and design.

However, when my package arrived it exceeded all of my expectations.  It is pretty.  Too  pretty for words.  I want wallpaper made out of it.  Heck, I'd even wear a skirt made out of it.  Beyond the pretty it is endlessly useful.  Big spaces to write out your day.  Helpful sections to keep all that you need to remember in one place.  Encouraging and inspiring quotes.  Did I mention how pretty it is?

LOOK HOW PRETTY IT IS!!!!  (Yes, I am yelling.  It is pretty enough to warrant getting my caps lock on.)

Can you handle the pretty?

Can you handle that since I started using it, I haven't missed a commitment?
If you know me, that is a very big deal.  Big, big, big deal.

As per Jeannett's recommendation, I keep it on a cookbook stand and refer to it each morning.  Then I give it a little cuddle because it is so pretty, and is saving this random girl's brain.

Why am I going on and on about this?  Because I love it, and because I love a good deal.  A deal I wish that I had when I threw down the big bucks to buy mine.

Plum District has $50 Erin Condren gift cards for the happy low price of $25.  Yes, my friends, that means that you can get the pretty for half price.  You can gift the pretty to a friend/ mom/ sister/ mailman/ for half price.  You can keep your crazy life together for half price.
Or are you one of those jerky people who already have your life together?  Or are cool enough to use your phone/ computer/ invisible calendars?  Well, why not get the cutest address labels/ cards/ everything else for half price?

Ya.  Hello.

Half price.

But actually... more like 60% off.  Wha????  They give you $5 just for signing up.  For reals yo.
An Andrew Jackson can plan your life.  That dude has skillz.

{Edited to add even more awesome to this deal...
Today is the last day. Quick!  Use the code spooky30 for 30% off your purchase.  Add the $5 sign up bonus to the discount and you get a $50 voucher for $14!!!!  That my friends, is sticking it to the man.  By man I mean lady, the lady that makes pretty planners.)

Sign up for Plum District here.  But go quick.  Apparently these dealies sell out super quick.  I'd hate for you to miss out on the pretty.  I'd hate for you to miss an important birthday.  I speak from way too much experience.

Off to hug my pretty planner.

A day with no school.
Apple picking plans gone awry.
The beach called our name.
We answered with a hello.

Inspired by and linked up with the lovely Lisa Leonard who finds such beauty in her Mondays.

So it is as hot as the face of the sun, this week flew by, I am feeling better since our car crash adventure, and fall is making it's way into my summer loving heart.

How was your week?
Don't tell me that you wore a scarf.  Because that is just plain mean.

Checking one thing off of my Less Pinning.  More Doing. list.
{Sort of.}  I am a great starter of projects.  Pretty poor finisher.  This little leaf garland would be finished and hanging someplace festive if I bought the proper needle.  Don't grab the crochet needle in the yarn section.  It will only poke through thin air.  You will lose a thumb or other important digit if you ask it to go through a simple piece of lowly felt.  The nerve.  As soon as I get a sharp, weapon-y needle, a rainbowesque cascade of felt leaves will greet me each day.  For now the dumb dull needle is just taunting me.  Jerk.

BTDubs, or "by the way" for you people that like using proper English...
The app I use to make little collages for Instagram is called PicFrame.  It is super easy and has tons of cool options.

Monday started off beautifully.
Big girls at school.
Jason, the little ones and I at the beach.
Sand toys and a picnic lunch.
Deserted.  A little foggy.  So peaceful.

A quick trip to Costco, then off to the school to pick up Lucy.

While stopped at a light we were rear ended.

Shaky and unsettled, I checked on Shane and Janey while Jason checked the car and the other driver.
Everyone except me escaped unscathed.
My injuries are minor.

But I am thankful.
Thankful for our big and sturdy SUV.
Thankful for safe carseats that protected my babies.
Thankful for kind doctors that are helping me heal.
Thankful for quality car insurance that is taking good care of us.
Thankful that it wasn't much, much, worse.

Besides, our love story sort of began with a car accident.

My computer is back!
Yay yay yay yay!!!
It hasn't taunted me with it's rainbow torture, and it didn't crash when I uploaded these pictures. 
It is a happy day.

How was your day?

Here is a peek into our week through my iPhone lens...

 Things that are pretty but actually yucky.
1.  Mean computers.  2.  Local Goodwill that smells like cats and death.  3. & 4.  Two recipes from Pinterest that were a total fail and have been subsequently unpinned.

 1. & 2.  I love my Bumbleride stroller.  Love it.  But when I bought it I obviously thought that we would just keep on having girls.  I try to convince myself, that since I, a girl, am pushing it, the color doesn't matter.  But it is all kinds of pinky pinkness.  3.  I love that my husband has the patience to buy real books and real cd's.  I don't.  But there is something to say for the actual cd artwork and booklet and the ability to pass along a book when you are done.  Amazon Prime one day shipping doesn't hurt either.  4.  Squinkies.  Oh Squinkies.  The things that kids like just baffles me.  The girls have dozens of them.  But if one goes missing, which happens ALL THE TIME because they are microscopic, tears flow.  So much drama and anguish caused by one teeny little rubber creature.

1.  Rain is my favorite weather.  A rainy pj day is my favorite day.  2.  This kid is a BEAST on the soccer field.  Her little five year old league is hard core.  Elbow throwing, pushing, kicking beasts.  The lot of them.  It's nuts.  3.  The occasional dress up day is a really big deal to this uniform wearing duo.  Big big deal.  Big enough to lure me into the stinky Goodwill searching for outfits.  I succeeded.  Thankfully.  4.  This kid is a beast on the drums.  A cute, noisy, little beast.  There has been talk about setting up Jason's old set in the house.  Send help.  Please.

1.  SERIOUSLY??????????????
2.  Major teenager eye roll.
3.  Fury.
4.  Resignation.


For my mental health, and the health of those around me, this naughty and disobedient computer is going to take a little vacay at a resort called the Genius Bar.
I may or may not have contemplated punching it in the face.  One hundred times.

Rich people problems.

Until it returns, adios muchachos.