we are lucky to live in a neighborhood with lots of kids--something i am very thankful for during the summer months!  however, lots of kids means lots of different personalities and with that i sometimes have to wear my conflict resolution hat {along with my counselor hat, my chef hat, my nurse hat . . . }


i have heard myself more than once say to h, "please remember the golden rule" . . . i did a quick search on etsy to see if there was a fun sign that i could hang in my kitchen . . . a little reminder to all of us. i didn't have much luck so i came up with my own! want a little reminder in your home? download it here! 

Happy Monday

an instagram re-cap of our fun filled {lots of hours in the car} weekend . . .

the walnut, iowa antique fair. 

so many treasures!

a quick stop at john wayne's birthplace.

bridges of madison county . . . remember that movie?

tears, tears and more tears!

straight out of a scene from happy days! 

old parts-new hearts

i first saw these hearts at junk bonanza a year ago, 

and never took any home with me! well now i am the proud owner

 of two of her pieces! i love them! they make me happy! 

pam, the woman behind these beauties, is as warm and familiar as her hearts!

she invited us into her home, showed us her workroom, allowed my children 

into her grandchildren's playroom, invited our dog out to her backyard . . . 

thank you pam!!

a stop at henry's new weekend home!

{his dad's new house}

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to two of the best dad's in the whole wide world!

Summer Bucket List

do you have a summer bucket list? we do! some years the same thing ends up on our list because a) we didn't get to it or b) we liked it so much we wanted to do it again.

last weekend we checked off a "do it again" activity . . . dinner at the nelson stone barn. it's a bit of a drive, but so worth it!  yummy pizza, ice cream for dessert and the mississippi river to guide us home!

today we leave for another "do it again" activity . . .  the walnut, iowa antique show and a weekend at my brother's lake house! here we come ready or not!

CPD: north woods edition

this past friday my aunt and i got together for a camera play date {cpd} . . .  oh so nerdy and so much fun! she lives in northwest wisconsin on a lake, in the woods, with bee hives, a chicken coop and bog nearby and lots and lots of flowers . . . i am now calling it "camp julie"! 

she has been a macro photographer for years . . . way before it was cool! you can check out her stuff here.  she is a purist when it comes to her photography . . . she will do a couple tweaks here and there but for the most part her photos are straight out of the camera {sooc}! me on the other hand, i am out of control with editing! HA! i don't know when to stop, but for me it's part of the fun. 

i can't even tell you what photoshop actions i used on these. i also played around with some textures too. do you ever use textures? if so, do you have any favorites?

one last thing . . . it wouldn't be a post about photography if i didn't say this: learn how to use your camera! cpd's are one of the best and most fun ways to learn how to use your camera!

spotted these words on pinterest yesterday. . . 

made it my own with a photo of my mama and one of my new favorite fonts.

Happy Friday

my summer bag 

i searched high and low for you. 

you were worth the wait!

this fruit fly trap is the cat's ass! thank you terro!

sweet paul

his summer issue! so many 

beautiful pictures and fun ideas.

j. crew

boat neck crew . . . haven't worn you yet,

 but i might already love you.