Show Me Your Town - Earth Day

Hello, Friends! I have been away from you for so long! As most of you know I was in Hawaii for 12 days! The trip was amazing and I can't wait to tell you about it! When I came home I was fighting a major cold that is still kicking my butt! That, topped with a jet leg, I have been out of commission from blog land! Today Amanda and I from Amanda Moments  are hosting and co-hosting respectively a link up of Show Me Your Hometown! I love Michigan and where I live so I jumped at the chance to do this link up! Thank you, again, Amanda for allowing me to co-host with you!

Earth Day is April 22nd so this month's theme is the environment/ weather/ climate.  I hope you will join us this month and link your post at the bottom!

As I previously mentioned I am from Michigan. I have primarily lived in the Metro Detroit Area my whole life, though as a kid most of my memories were etched in Northern Michigan, or as local people say "Up North". The line at which part of the state is considered Up North varies person to person, town to town, or county to county. Where I spent long summer days and chilly summer nights around bonfires was on the shores of Crystal Lake in Frankfort, Michigan.

Most people from Michigan have a lot of Michigan pride, we love our Tigers, our fresh water lakes, our Vernor's and our Summers.

Personally, my favorite part about Michigan are the lakes. We are the Great Lakes State. Not only are we a Mitten surrounded by the Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior) we have more than 11,000 inland lakes! That is A LOT of lakes, a LOT of fresh water, and a LOT of beauty.

This time of year, Spring, Michiganders are coming out of their winter holes, pulling out their shorts, flip flops and starting to remember why we live here. Interstate -75 North will soon be jam packed every Friday afternoon as everyone flocks Up North with their boats racing behind their vehicles, anxiously awaiting the first day it is warm enough to launch the boat! Soon 75 South on Sunday afternoons will be a complete stand still as Metro Detroiters hesitantly head back home after weekends of boating, camping, bonfires, and taking in breathtaking views.

I now live in a town that ironically does not have any lakes. I didn't think it was possible to have an entire town without lakes. But my heart belongs to Michigan's Lakes. I grew up on a small lake, not quite big enough for motor boats but plenty big enough to get stuck in the middle with a canoe.

I pledged my life to Philip on the Shore of Deer Lake, which will not always hold a special place in my heart. Not only did I become a Mrs. on the lake, but I learned to wake board! I look forward to bringing future children here and teaching them how to swim, just steps away from where we got married!

My hometown is technically Rochester, Michigan, but I can't say that in good conscience. My hometown is divided into three bodes of water that will always feel like home to me. Crystal Lake, Deer Lake, and Tamarack Lake.

Tell me about your town! What is your favorite season, type of weather in your town? 


An InLinkz Link-up

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Dr. Suess Gift Basket! How To!

Hello, friend! Happy Monday! Well I am currently in Hawaii chillaxing on the beach! Yesterday my favorite (cough only) most precious, wonderful, sweet nephew turned ONE!!!! I wasn't able to be at his Dr. Suess birthday party yesterday due to being in Hawaii. I felt like the worst aunt in the world and everyone told me that it was ok, he won't remember, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, it's ok! My mom told me I should send him a ballon or stuffed animal if I felt that bad. So I looked into it and it's about $50-60 to send a stuffed animal. Not going to happen! So I decided I would just make a gift basket-y thing to send to his party (via my mom) I got together with my friend Jackie and she graciously helped me put this together!  So here is my how-to guide on making a Dr. Suess themed gift basket! 

These are all the materials I used

• hat box
• foam insert
• yellow easter basket crinkle paper
• blue paint
• sponges
• Dr. Suess fabric
• Feather puffs
• candy sticks
• white & red felt
• yellow, blue & red paper
• cricket 
• hot glue gun
• double sided tape
• spray adhesive 
• Pillow stuffing

Step one:
Paint hat box & foam insert inside and out blue

Step Two:

• Use your cricket or your mad skills to cut out the words you will want your basket to say. Mine was for a 1st birthday so I chose "Happy 1st Birthday"
• Decide on shape & size of your background shapes and cut out

Step Three:

Arrange letters on background shapes and adhere with double sided tape

Step Five:

Arrange candy sticks on the back of the signs and use hot glue to stick them to the signs

Step Five:

• Measure the circumference and height of your hat box to deceide how to cut your fabric 
• we found this awesome Dr. Suess fabric at Joanns but the lines were not straight across so it took some time to figure how the right height we wanted we finally decided we wanted The Cat in the Hat to be front and center so we measured from here

Step Six: Prepare the box to be arranged

• Use hot glue to adhere the foam insert to the middle of the box
• Use Spray adhesive to attach the fabric to the hat box
• Spread as much hot glue as possible to the gap around the foam insert and quickly push the yellow crinkle paper into the gap

Step Seven: Make Cat in the Hat hat

• Decide how big you want your hat and cut a rectangle and 1 red circle of red felt 1 slightly larger circle for the brim of the hat of white felt 
• attached too short ends with hot glue
• stuff with pillow stuffing
• apply hot glue to the top and apply smaller red circle 
• flip hat over and repeat with larger red circle
• cut 2 strips of white felt for the stripes and apply with glue 

Step 8: Assemble

• Simply push the sticks into the foam at varying heights to form an interesting and adorable display
• Push the feather puffs in around the signs for decoration

That's it! It was super easy and fun to make! I thought it turned out really cute! I did put some college fund money into an envelope and write a birthday message in the front of the gift, but I didn't snap a picture of that. 

I hope Tommy had an amazing birthday and that he knows he is just the most loved little boy in the world! Aunt Mary and Uncle PP love him SOO MUCH! 

What do you think? Would you make a gift basket for a birthday gift? 

5 Things I Can't Live Without

Hello friends! Greetings with Beautiful Hawaii! (well, technically I am writing this from a gloomy Michigan but I am just assuming it going to be beautiful) I like to write "5 things" posts on Fridays even though I don't always link them up. Today I am going to write about 5 Things I can NOT live without!

Disclaimer: These are not in order and there are plenty of things I need more (food, shelter, salvation, grace, etc)

One - 

My Family - they are the bomb diggity. 

Two - my Sinus Rinse Kit - if you've mentioned being stuffed or having allergies, drainage or anything of the sort - I have probably suggested you get one of these miracle workers. 

Three - Anchors - I wrote all about there here

Four - My Ninja Blender - without which I would not be able to get my 3 vegetable servings a day

Five - My Snooze Button - much to Philip's dismay I use this baby 3-4 times a day

What are some things you can't live without??

Fall into His Love Devotional Journal

 I was contacted by Kayla from The Creative Jayne to do a review on one of her devotional journals. I was so excited to be able to do this for her! First you guys, she is so sweet! ALLL of her stuff is so cute I love it all! Second, I super duper dug this devotional!

 Each day has a passage of scripture for you to read. I really liked this because it gave me another reason to pull out my actual Bible instead of having it on my phone or on my computer. I love my Bible app but there is something so much personal about underlining with an actual pen in an actual Bible.

Each day, usually on my work break, I would pull out my devotional and Bible and spend some time with The Lord. I am going to be honest, before this my Bible reading was hit or miss. Usually because I just didn't know where to start. The Bible is so big and so full of so much goodness that I get intimidated. 

 Each verse was chosen for me with care. All of the verses had a theme: LOVE. The Love of God is so huge you guys. It really is just overwhelming to me. Each day I would read the verses and the devotional sentences that echoed my thoughts; essentially: "whoa"

I started reading the devotional for a review - but I found myself looking forward to it everyday. I would be refreshed and encouraged. The second page has a journal prompt and a space for journaling. So handy. So many thoughts to write down. 

I want to say thank you again to Kayla for allowing me to review her devotional journal! I couldn't encourage you enough to get this book or one of her other ones! It is so, so worth it my friend! 

You can get it and some of her other adorable items at here store, here! 

What is your favorite devotional? Have you ever done a devotional journal? What did you like or not like about it?