Spring Break and Easter 2015

Last week, we enjoyed spending family time while my two girls were on Spring Break. We took them tent camping in Florala, Alabama at the State Park there. It was the first time we had ever camped there and the tent camp sites had pretty views. We camped right on the water.

There was definitely an abundance of animal and marine life to keep us on our toes. Within fifteen minutes of arriving, my husband had to kill a snake that was in the water and heading straight for us. I'm so glad I spotted him before he snuck into our camp with us unaware. The ducks were very friendly! Obviously, they are pretty comfortable with humans and get fed by them on a regular basis. I let my girls feed them some bread when we first got there, but pretty soon saw that if we didn't deny them, they would never leave and were even a bit aggressive.

We even found a baby turtle. They loved him and named him Squirt. We didn't take him with us, though. We put Squirt back in his home.

I don't know what it is about camping and gathering around an open fire. It's just so peaceful. I'm glad we took our girls to do this, in spite of all the work putting up the tent and all of the preparation and packing it takes to make it happen.

Truly, the views there are so beautiful! The Spanish moss that hangs off most of the trees almost looks ethereal. I think that, living so close to this site and having been there quite a bit, I almost get numbed to the beauty of it all. But while we were there, I really tried to open my eyes and take in all of the beauty God created for us.

One morning, we enjoyed about a two mile walk from (and back to) our camp site. A lot of the walk was on these little bridges that are right beside the water. It's so pretty. I lagged behind and snapped photos of my little family. I love these photos of my littles holding their Daddy's hands. It's so sweet, and I know that they will grow out of this stage way too fast for my liking.

I also took my kiddos to the movies while they were on break. They have taken after me and are beginning to become movie lovers, for sure.

Easter weekend was so fun! We had an Easter egg hunt at church on Saturday. Sunday morning, we enjoyed a sunrise service at church, then had some of our family over for Easter.

This cracks me up! The picture you get when your six year old is so over taking photos!

After lunch, we hid eggs for the kids. Here Katlyn is in hot pursuit! It was such a beautiful day!

Cousins counting their eggs. This is so stinkin' cute!

So, how was your Easter? How did you celebrate? I'd love to hear!

Check back tomorrow for a fun DIY, and later in the week, for a giveaway you won't want to miss!

DIY Boxwood Wreath

I have been drooling over preserved boxwood wreaths, in any shape, size, or form, for a long time now. Every single time I have gone to get one of the lovely Smith and Hawken ones from Target, they have been sold out. This past weekend, I was looking at my very bland white mirror in my dining room and started daydreaming about a pretty boxwood wreath hanging on my mirror for spring and Easter.

So, I booted up my laptop and went to Target's website, determined to order one. I searched and had three results.....the beautiful Smith and Hawken wreaths in three sizes and......they were on SALE! Yay! Yippeee! I was just about to do a little Leprechaun jig when I clicked on the "add to cart" button and womp, womp, womp (Debbie Downer music almost audibly played in my ears.)

They were completely out of stock online. In all three sizes. Then, I saw the "pick up in store" option and thought that I would just drive to get one and would be happy as a little lark with my new boxwood wreath, no matter if I had to drive out of town to get it.

I proceeded to check availability at stores and NOT ONE IN STOCK WITHIN THREE HOURS DRIVING DISTANCE OF ME!! Eeeekkk!

So, naturally, determined as I was, I decided to search for other online sources. Yes, some showed up in the search, but for the same size as the largest one at Target, they were all at least double the cost plus shipping. Man, those things sure are expensive everywhere else but Target. No wonder they are perpetually sold out of them.

So, I decided to do the next best thing.....make one myself. I have a few boxwoods in my front landscape that need a spring trim. That's something that I already had on my to-do list. Instead of chunking the clippings out, I decided to make my very own wreath, even though I don't have to time to preserve it before Easter. I plan on trying to preserve some fresh boxwood cuttings soon, but for now, this will do. (And if Target EVER has one in stock, you better believe that I will be snatching that baby up sooooo fast!)

I did a little Pinterest research and found that an un-preserved boxwood wreath can still last from a couple weeks to a month before turning brown. I'll take my chances.

I started by gathering my cuttings, some floral wire, and a pair of sheers.

I used the wire to make "bundles" of the boxwood cuttings. This one is rather small, but I tried to vary the size of them as I made them. Once you have the bundles made, you can wire them to your wreath form.

I used an old wreath form I had on hand that was a little lackluster and I didn't mind throwing away after my boxwood turns. (I mean, it's not like I can find wreath forms in my small town. And the nearest Target, Hobby Lobby, or Micheal's is an hour away.) The flat wreath forms would probably work best for this if you are buying one, but as necessity dictates for me, I used what I had on hand.

Once I finished my wreath, leaving mine a little more haphazard looking than very smooth, I hung it on my mirror in my dining room with a chalkboard sign in the middle. I actually did go buy some black and white gingham and some turquoise ribbon for this, but I just couldn't get it to look right. I opted for classic black and white stripes I already had for a simple look.

 

 

This is about the extent of the "Easter" decorating that I have done this year, but I'm glad I can easily change out the ribbon or the message on the chalkboard when I feel like it. Currently, the majority of these cuttings have been cut for a few days and they are still as green as can be. I'll let you know how long this wreath, unpreserved as it is, lasts.

The Easter That Was

As I'm sitting here downing my second cup of coffee, (please wake up, brain!), I wanted to tell you a little about our Easter weekend.  It was simple and no frills.....just the way I like it. 

On Saturday, we gathered at my sister-in-law's home for dinner and egg hunting for the kiddos. 

Pictured are my two rugrats with my four nieces. (I didn't get to see my two nephews this weekend.)  Taylor and Gabby are too 0ld to hunt eggs so they help out a great deal with the little ones hiding the eggs and then helping them find them. 

On Sunday, we enjoyed a beautiful Easter service, then headed to Jared's Granny's for lunch and more egg hunting. It was cloudy and cool both days, but the kids didn't let that dampen their spirits. 

The race is on for the eggs!  

Katlyn was so proud of all the eggs she found. Just look at that smile!

After our egg-hunting eggstravaganza, they got a little preoccupied with the mini trampoline.  Ashlyn was jumping as high as she possibly could in her true fashion; all or nothing. 

My niece, Ava, tried so hard to keep up with the bigger girls.  She hung right with them. 

Here are a couple of pics I quickly snapped of the simple table I set for Easter that we ended up not using.  It was cloudy, so I didn't get great photos.  Jared wasn't feeling well, so we ended up going home and resting and didn't get to have my brother and sister-in-law over for dinner.  I didn't get a chance to add the finishing touches to it, like silverware, glasses, place cards, or any final touches or embellishments. But it would've been pretty if I had been able to use it. 

 Above the table, is a birch branch that I spray painted pink and then hung crystals from it.  I used it a couple months ago at a friend's baby shower and decided to use it for our Easter table. If I had been able to finish the tablescape, I probably would have hung a few eggs and maybe moss balls from it as well.  

I hope you all had a marvelous Easter weekend!  We enjoyed ours in spite of not getting to see all of our family.  

He is risen, indeed!