King of the grill

Meat lover's magnet set from Michelle and her Dog

Nothing says summer like grilling! We just got our new Weber grill in the mail yesterday, and it was like Christmas for my husband! We haven't owned a grill in about five years... It's nice to have one in our backyard again!

My husband Max made us some delicious shish kabobs with sausage, peppers, onions, and potatoes last night. He was thrilled with how well the grill worked, and I was thrilled at how yummy the food tasted! So it was win-win in our household yesterday.

These are the last few days before I head back to school on Monday so I am trying to squeeze out all of the summer fun I can!

What are you doing to soak up the last of summer?

Mondays with Jack, first edition

Let's face it: Mondays suck.

This is not something that I've thought of lately as I've been enjoying a leisurely summer break. But teachers report back to school this upcoming Monday in my little corner of the world, and Mondays are going to take on a whole new meaning very soon.

So in honor of the dreaded day, I'm going to start a weekly feature called "Mondays with Jack". Because we could all use a smile on a Monday!

Do you know Jack Handey? He's a comedian who writes hilarious one-liners. He used to write for SNL and has published books called "Deep Thoughts". Anyways, every Monday for the rest of time (or until I get bored with it), I'll be sharing a funny quote with you, paired with a related Etsy find.

So let the fun begin!

Alice's Sea of Tears from The Gorgonist

"It takes a big man to cry, but a bigger man to laugh at that man." -Jack Handey

Barn Love

I grew up in three places: California, France, and Germany. (It's a long story). Because I didn't spend much of my childhood in the U.S, I am ignorant in a lot of subjects--I'm getting better about it, though!

For example: I used to think big red barns only existed in fancy calendars. Imagine my surprise when I met my boyfriend's (now husband's) parents on their hobby farm in Michigan! There was a big beautiful red barn on their property! I was completely amazed! And enchanted!

We're spending some time with the in-laws now and I still love that they own a big red barn. Many Etsians are inspired by them too...

Red Barn Reflection photograph from Prevailing Winds Photo

Keep Calm and Love Cows from Keep Calm Shop

Country Barn Bulletin Board from Pegs Boards

Road trip!

So we're on the road for our last vacation of the summer. We're driving from Texas to Alabama, then from Alabama to Michigan so we can visit with the folks before the school year starts! That translates into a lot of time on the road. Many Etsy sellers out there have road-trip-inspired goodies out there:

I'd love to have this travel trailer keychain from B D Leather Designs. (One of my biggest fears is that we're going to get locked out of our own car!)

This print from 3 Lambs Graphics rings absolutely true for me! Does it for you?

I'd love to slow down and record all the fun and quirky things that can happen on a road trip.  Like when we asked for directions once in Alabama and the guy's accent was so thick I literally could not understand him! This road trip journal  from Red Star Ink would be perfect!

And, my personal favorite: this mug from Lenny Mud will echo my sentiments exaclty on the seventeen hour drive my husband insists on making in one full day!

All aboard for first grade!

My classroom theme this year is going to be pirates! But not scary pirates. Cute pirates-- because these are first graders after all.

Although teachers don't report back to school until August 16th where I'm from, I've already been in my classroom to set up my bulletin boards. Here's a peek:

I've also been having a blast looking up pirate stuff on Etsy!

Check out these awesome favor boxes from Vintage Twee. Wouldn't they be great to hold small knick-knacks and rewards for my students?

Or how about these pirate clipart pictures from Woofy World? I can think of all kinds of uses for those... maybe to designate classroom jobs?

I think it would be awesome if I wore this pirate ship shirt from Happy Family on the first day of school. Not really teacher dress code, but pirates are supposed to be rebellious... right?

I love it when my day job inspires me to be creative!

The Latest

I'm slowly going to be adding sets of cards for value packs in my store. Here's my first listing for one:

And I had a lovely surprise when I woke up this morning and found out that one of my thank you cards was included in this fabulous treasury!! Feel free to check it out and leave some comment love :). What a great day it's shaping up to be!

What projects are you lovely crafters working on out there?

I'm back!

 I'm back from my high school reunion. I wasn't the dorky self I thought I might revert to around my high school peeps -- I actually had a really fun time! I think we were all confident enough in who we had become to be catty in any way. All 24 of us (out of a class of 71) had a great time hanging out, eating out, playing in the hotel pool, and playing cards.

I can't wait until the 15 year reunion but five years seems like an eternity from where I'm standing!