Friday, July 28, 2017

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends!!! It's OFFICIALLY my last Friday of summer and I seriously can't believe it.  WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?!?!  This time next week I'll be working in my new classroom and as sad as I am to see summer go I am beyond excited for the 17/18 school year.  In the meantime I'm soaking up every last minute with my little crew!






Erika, Narci and I are sharing our FAVORITES this week and we'd love for you to join.  Write a post all about your favorites this week, grab our graphic and link up at the bottom of this post.

We've gone through A LOT of sunscreen this summer and the Trader Joe's spray is still my FAVORITE for the kids bodies... shoulders, backs, legs, etc., etc. but after some eye-stinging incidents I was on the hunt for a better option for their faces.  We tried out a couple of different ones, but the best one hands down was this  Alba Botanica kids suncreen.  It is REALLY tear free (#praisejesus) and the sun protection is great as well.  I just ordered  the spray and will let y'all know what I think (If you don't shop on Amazon I found it at Whole Foods).


When we put Griffin's room together I had visions of her sitting in this little window seat reading and y'all LOOK!  It's her new FAVORITE spot and I love walking up there and seeing her playing and reading.



Indoor picnics have been a FAVORITE this week...

Another FAVORITE from the week was when our pantry doorknob stopped working and Luke asked if he could fix it.  I shouldn't have been surprised... he LOVES to take things apart and figure out how they work so he got out the flashlight and little screwdrivers and got it done!

He even recruited an assistant!


He took the whole thing apart, figured out the problem, fixed the problem and then put it all back together.  THE BEST!


This floppy hat is my FAVORITE! (as are those braids, birks and jeans!)


It was VBS week this week (GG went in the mornings and the boys went at night) and it's one of our FAVORITE weeks of the year!

We went to the last little worship time on Thursday and it was pretty obvious she was hating it :)





FAVORITE part of VBS?  The crafts :)



 I have this maxi dress in black and picked it up this week in  this cute chambray stripe.  I paired it with my  FAVORITE bralette and was comfy and cool for errands with the kids.


The dress is SUPER loose and comfortable (I'm in a small) and I'll pair it with a bandeau and jacket for school. Love the fit and the pockets.


One of my FAVORITE little teacher things are stickers.  You wouldn't think that Middle Schoolers would be into stickers but they totally become a "thing" in my class and I get a huge kick out of finding fun stickers to put on their papers.  Michaels had great ones for $1 and I scooped up 11 books... hopefully enough to last me through first semester.

My boys FAVORITE part of our trip to Michaels were these cat costumes.  They were DYING with giggles and I almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard watching them.


I picked up dance pictures of my FAVORITE ballerina and Y'ALL!!!  Look how sweet!!!  Dave has forbidden any and all makeup until she's 21 ;)  

This kid in some new fall digs is my FAVORITE!  I made him try them on for size and the "look" he gave me was priceless.  "Seriously, mom?!?!" ;)

I've always been loyal to the Jefferson style of Natives but picked  this pair up on Sale and I ADORE them!  They're a little more "grown up" and sporty looking and Luke is happy to report they're just as comfy as his other pairs.

The  pants and  shirt were such great deals and I think he's going to get a ton of wear out of  the jacket.  It's light but warm and has a hood so it will be great for rainy days as well.  And the best part... he loves it!

This kids was trying on  pants and this was the reaction I got :) 


Playing with our slime from earlier in the week.  FAVORITE part?  Blowing bubbles.


And last but not least on my list of FAVORITES is  this wrapping paper organizer.  I've always had a fun stash of wrapping papers and ribbons and all of that and never had a great solution to store it.  I had a tupperware that held the rolls that went under the bed (but was kind of an eye sore) and have been coveting this ELFA system for years.  Container store was running a 25% off sale and so I took the plunge and couldn't be happier!

You don't have to screw anything into the door... there are two brackets that go over (and under) the door frame and then you tighten them with an allen key.  You can customize it with baskets and bins and items to put on the board and I almost can't stand how convenient the whole thing is.



The "craft closet" is filled with lots of our FAVORITE supplies and such and if you missed the post on it you can find it  HERE.


I was even able to tuck my tissue paper in behind the rolls for safe keeping.  The system wasn't cheap (even on sale it was a splurge), but it's so well made and versatile (if I ever don't need the wrapping paper storage I can add another board or more mesh bins on the long bar) it's something we'll have forever. 

So if organizing is your FAVORITE be sure to  check it out ;)  

This weekend we have pretty much NO PLANS!  That's my FAVORITE kind of weekend.  Luke is having a friend sleep over, I'm going to (hopefully) finish a few things around the house and we'll be spending a lot of time in the pool.

Happy Friday, friends!

PS - This post contained affiliate links... thanks so much for supporting my blog!


51 comments :

  1. Now I know who to call the next time something breaks or stops working at my house...LUKE!!

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    1. He would be all over that! And he'd probably be able to fix it too!

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  2. Trader Joe's has a stick sunscreen that is Zinc Oxide that we are loving as well. I think it is SPF 45 and has worked really well for my son when he is at outdoor camps. It's more natural and really does help keep his cheeks from getting red.

    Enjoy your first week back to work!

    Patty
    GoodBetterBestFood.blogspot.com

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  3. What an impressive little handy man you have at your house! I am impressed! Enjoy the weekend!

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  4. I love that wrapping paper organizer. What a great solution!

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  5. That hat is the cutest on her! My OCD self loves that craft closet too!

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  6. The shelf system on the door is giving me all the heart eyes! Amazing, friend!!

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    1. Right?!?! How cute would it be on the back of a girls closet door to hold jewelry, bows, nail polish, face cloths and such. I think i may have just talked myself into it.

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  7. Stop it with your wrapping paper station! How smart is that?!?!

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    1. Right?!?! Next time you're over we'll stand and look at it :) hahaha

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  8. I'm SWOONING over that craft closet and your door organizer!!!! YEEESS!!! Sadly, our 1984 home still has lots of "folding doors", so I reckon I'll have to steal my son's only NORMAL closet door....have a great weekend!

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  9. I love that you use stickers in middle school; they're classroom gold for all ages! Another thing I've done either preschoolers through third graders (and would use through high school because I'm a dork like that) I just draw a smiley face on someone's hand with a magic marker...it's behavior magic!

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    1. YES!!! Even the kids who pretend like they don't care will remind me when I forget to put them on the papers :) Love the smiley idea!!! Have you ever heard of smellies? It's where do a quick swipe of Lip Smackers on their hands for them to smell. hahaha

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  10. A weekend with no plans sounds wonderful! Enjoy it!

    Ingrid
    http://www.fabulousandfunlife.blogspot.com.au

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    1. That's the plan!!! I'm wanting to go to school tomorrow to get a few things done and Dave is trying to talk me out of it :)

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  11. All summer long I have been hunting for a sunscreen that didn't burn their eyes. I think I've tried about ten! They either sting their eyes or don't offer good protection. I'm puttting the one you suggested in my cart right now! Also my oldest LOVES the style of natives that Luke is wearing. My others still wear the Jefferson.
    http://www.lettinginthelightblog.com

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    1. I can personally attest to this one not stinging!!! And Griffin says it smells like cupcakes so that's a total bonus :)

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  12. I can't believe it's almost August! This summer is flying by! I absolutely LOVE that organizer. Looks amazing! Hope you enjoy your weekend. :)

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  13. I start back to school next Friday, too, and can't believe it's just a week away! New classrooms are always so fun to start out with!
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  14. My last day of summer, too! I go back Monday! I get the sticker thing...my high schoolers still want a sticker!!! Ha!

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    1. Oh, girl! Monday!!! I have a couple more days left and am soaking them in!!!

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  15. That craft closet organization is amazing! I'm going to have to steal some of those ideas.

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    1. I love having supplies on hand and keeping them organized can be a struggle - steal away! :)

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  16. Love so much about this sweet post. I finally found the slime ;) and you always just make me happy with your fun things you all do! I need to do a family room picnic. We haven't done one in a while. I love setting up classrooms, it always made me crazy giddy when I taught! xoxo ERIN

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  17. Do you think The North Face jacket you got Luke will be good all winter, like 30's weather or would it be too light (thinking Jan/Feb in Arkansas)? Love the wrapping paper station - very cool! We have always used the Neutrogena wet face stick for faces, it works so good and is easy to use!

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    1. I guess it depends on the layer underneath. I think that if he was wearing a sweatshirt or sweater underneath it would definitely be okay.

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  18. So many things to comment on! First - great minds think alike - I have that same pop socket! Second - Luke is SO smart! I'm super impressed that he took the doorknob apart, found the problem, and fixed it all on his own (with his lovely assistant, of course!). That wrapping paper station is GENIUS. I have the rolling box for paper, but the gift bags and tissue paper are just kind of hanging out in the "catch all" closet.

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    1. Love the pop socket!!! And yes.... fixing things is a hobby I can be on board with!

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  19. 1) I am super impressed at Luke and his handyman-ness! WOW super awesome! 2) I love that organizer. I am in the process of re-vamping a guest room into a dressing room. Trying to think how I can use that in there! LOVE IT!

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    1. 1) Me too!
      2) you could use a different arrangement of baskets and such for accessories and it would be perfect!

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  20. That wrapping paper organizer is AMAZING! I've already picked out the spot for it - I need it. :) Thanks for sharing.

    www.fourpointsmom.com

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  21. GO LUKE!!! That's totally awesome he fixed that and his assistant was super serious about her job ;) Get ready for about a gazillion more of the "seriously mom" looks...lol. I'm completely coveting that wrapping paper organizer. We have these oddly tall (like 8') doors in our house and I can't hang any organizer on them. UGH! Wrapping packages is a lost art with all the cute bags these days, but I still like to pull out all the stops every once in a while and pretty one up. You have a gift for gifts and wrapping Ms. Andrea! Happy Friday sweet girl!

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    1. Griffin LOVES anything that involves her big brothers! !!! My parents have giant doors in their lakehouse as well... I think that if you picked up the ELFA pieces individually you can get longer poles and then just add the baskets and such!

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  22. Your new wrapping station is awesome! Your station also tells me that I hoard way too many gift bags, bows, tissue, etc. because I wouldn't ever be able to fit on one door. I need to work on that....

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  23. That little reading nook is the cutest thing ever! Also, I NEED that gift wrap organization system, ASAP!

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    1. Thank you!!! I need to find someone to make a cushion for her little reading nook ;)

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  24. We still still have a month yet before school starts. Crazy to say, I'm looking forward to getting back to some structure and routine.

    Odd question, but does Griffin still wear Matilda Jane? I don't see her in it as much. My daughter is a bit older and likes to pick out different things now, but I really love the MJ. I would put her in it everyday if I could!

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    1. I love summer but LOOOOVE routine! Griffin does wear Matilda Jane - but I've been letting her pick and it hasn't been her top pick lately. I've purged a TON from her closet (uniforms next year!) and still plan on letting her pick her favorite MJ pieces for the weekends :)

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    2. My daughter is starting Kindergarten, but no uniform. She will get to wear some of her MJ pieces to school. I always get so many compliments when we are out-the clothes really are darling. I can imagine though that uniforms will be easy!

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  25. I have the Elfa door system on 3 of my closet doors and I adore every one of them! I have one in my baby's room to hold extra diapers, toys, etc., one on the linen closet door that I use to store all of our medicine/first aid supplies, and then one on our media closet door. They sell attachments specifically for storing BluRays and DVDs and it's awesome! The wrapping paper organizer is next on my list!

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  26. Hi there! This is super random, but have you tried the feta cheese spread from Trader Joe's? It has yogurt and herbs in it too and is delish! I love your blog and know how much you like some good TJ finds, so I just had to share :).

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