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// crisp air // cool breeze // breathtaking views // clear blue lake // "camping" noodles [aka ramen] // eating outdoors //
// collecting wood // building a campfire // s'mores // more s'mores // more "camping" noodles //
// digging in the dirt // walkie-talkies // headlamps // playing in the dark // sleeping late // in a tent // with our favorite people //
This has been a fantastic summer. I suppose inherently all summers are pretty darn nice but for some reason this summer has been a really good one. Although I finished school supply shopping last month and have slowly accumulated some other back-to-school goodies for the boys, I am really in no hurry for summer to be over. I'm thankful we have three more weeks to enjoy some more summer fun.
Last summer was a huge transitional period for our family. We had just moved back from living overseas and were staying in temporary housing with a limited number of our personal belongings. This year we're settled into our new home and have developed a nice balance of "doing things" [still working on our summer list] and just bumming around the house [my all-time favorite]. The boys play for hours on end which allows me some pockets of personal time throughout the day and Appah's travel schedule has slowed down this summer which makes us all happy. I've been going through a cleaning frenzy as of late. It feels a bit like I'm in a nesting mode for fall, cleaning out and organizing all the closets and making trips to Goodwill. I'm taking a bit of a break from the Casa Shim Cleanout to spend some time with my boys in the woods. Have a great week, friends!
This has been the summer of birthday parties [six and counting!]. J's friend celebrated her 7th birthday today so I put together a little gift for the birthday girl. I made my "go to gift", a fabric applique t-shirt and added a few matching hair ties. The gift was packaged inside a white food box [I think everyone should have a stash of these at home]. I added a band of blue construction paper and made a gift tag which was tied around the package. I can't get over the cuteness factor of mini bunting!
P.S. On the subject of birthday parties, have you seen Andrea's super epic rainbow party she threw for her daughter? Amazing!! I really want to make the rainbow cake!!
While we were in Orange County last month Appah + the boys spent some time at a local skate park. The boys showed interest in skateboarding so Appah bought them new boards over the weekend while I was attending my first [and definitely not last] letterpress class. The next day he picked up a board for himself. Now my three boys spend their evenings riding their skateboards. I'm biased of course, but I think my sk8r boys are pretty darn cute!
// handmade birthday gifts for our little girl friends // personalized notebooks // book plates // pens //
// my new favorite gift to make // "write your own story" books // perfect for a little budding author + illustrator //
// dedication page //
// pages include blank space for illustrations + lined sections for story writing //
// individually packaged in glassine bags //
// tucked inside an ikea kassett folder // my new favorite packaging box //
// personalized label for the box //
// handmade drawstring bag // happy birthday tag //
You would think with all the socializing we've been doing the past few weeks we would lie low for awhile. Not so. We've hosted two dinner parties last week and I'm certain we have several more in store this month. We Portlanders have to take advantage of this beautiful weather since al fresco dining opportunities are limited.
Speaking of entertaining outdoors, I put together a simple "summer table" [scroll down a bit] for The Stir. I was originally planning to use linen + wood as the base for the table setting, but opted to go with a more festive and summer-like color palette of fuchsia + black. Check out several other ideas for summer tables right here.
