Steampunk Book Necklaces

Hello Hello! Yesterday was Memorial Day so Jamie was off work. I took the opportunity to have some mom time in my room and made a couple of cute necklaces to list in my Etsy Shop. This one features one of my favorite novels, Wuthering Heights.

 ...and this one honors the timeless tale of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I totally love them and am thinking I need to make a couple for myself!

Speaking of Alice, Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist is hosting her 8th Annual Mad Tea Party. I participated last year and had an absolute blast! I'm already collecting ideas and pretty things to put on a great party this year. Check it out and join up. It's going to be a great summer inspirational treat!

Thanks for linking up at The {Not Just} Homemaking Party!

Sharing Diet Coke on a Family Day #ShareItForward #ad #cbias

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareItForward #CollectiveBias

One thing we're always telling our kids is that relationships are important. Your relationships are the only thing you can take to Heaven with you, so they need to be the #1 focus in any situation. That's why we try to have a full-on family day at least once a week. Sometimes, we miss it---but not often. Today was one of those family days and today we made it sweeter by treating the kids to a case of Diet Coke to share.

Yep, we're one of those families. The ones you find riffling through the store displays, looking for our names on cans of Coke. Some of my kids, like Michael, enjoy this hide and seek game. Others, like Avalon and Selah, know they're doomed before they begin, so they settle for Anna and Susan and are glad they at least got the first initial right. Lucky for them, there's the option of buying the cans in cases that carry nickname cans. We found a case with great nicknames like Sweetie and Dad---even these BFF ones, which are perfect for these two best friends.

Today our family day was made extra special by celebrating the girls' last week of ballet for the year. They competed and performed at the Christian Ballet Olympics last week and did very well. Avalon earned a silver medal in her level, Lynzie earned a bronze medal with honors in hers, and Selah earned a gold medal with honors in her level---advancing her up to a new training level for next fall! It's important to us to celebrate these things as a family. It keeps the girls focusing on helping one another to do their best and keeps the competitive feelings directed inwardly, in an attitude of competing with oneself, rather than with one another.

Last week while my mom was still here, we took a couple of kids to Sam's Club for a Coke demo and other shopping. I love the demos at Sam's because they're always featuring great stuff and fun giveaways. This day they were giving away free cans of Coca-Cola products. My mom, having never been in a Sam's Club before, thought this was pretty awesome! We found our 32-count "nickname case" at a great price. They're great for big events---or if you have nine kids.

With a whole case of nicknames to choose from, we all had fun today picking them out for one another. It's funny how something as simple as a can of soda can really boost your ego. I mean, when someone says, "Here, take this *Superstar* can, it fits you", well, how can you resist?

Be sure to check out more ideas at the Share It Forward site. Have you ever found your name on a can of Coke?

The End: The Beginning of Summer

Well, y'all---I've reached the end. I knew it had to come sometime...and it was a long, long, LONG time coming...

By this time next week, I'll be just two short days away from the beginning...

The beginning of my NO OBLIGATION SUMMER!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!

This week marks the end of a year of ballet...

A year of homeschool co-op adventures...

A year of playing the part of a starving, sleep-deprived, hurried and harried taxi driver...

By the last day of May, all my obligations outside these four walls will have ceased for the summer and I can RELAX for awhile until time to start preparing for my England trip in September.

Just me, my porch, my sweet tea, my book, and my kids in the swimming pool on the lawn... {ask me about this imagined bliss in a few weeks when I've been pickin' ticks and treating sunburns...}