Bling it On: So what have we been up to....

Well, I have not been good about keeping up on the blog. Sometimes I get busy, other times....well...sometimes I just am not in the right frame of mind to make a blog post. Let's be real...life is not all roses, but sometimes that is all I choose to share. :) Life is not perfect, but it is how we choose to deal with those moments.

So lately...I have been dealing with those moments, but during that time, there have been some great memories to share as well...so here we go! :)

So the last time I posted, it was the day before Mother's Day. I had a great mother's day!

The following weekend we decided to check out a nearby gem...Ledges State Park. We did some local hiking and had a great time.

All three of us got some great exercise hiking (there was a LOT of stairs going UP...LOL) and then we finally got to make the climb down too.

Then Hope and I took the opportunity to walk through the shallow creek and do some exploring of some locations we saw from above on our hike on the steps.

And then there was the END of Hope's elementary school days. In her school, they have why is called a 5th grade clap out, where the 5th grade class walks through the school as all the underclass(kids) clap them out on the last day of school.

I finally convinced (or possibly bribed) Hope to take a picture with her teacher, Mr. Spreacher, on the last day of school. Even though she was hesitant to have her picture taken with her teacher, I think she really enjoyed her 5th grade year. LOL!

Thanks to Mr. Spreacher for all the work he did this year with Hope. He earned his keep working with Hope this year, trying to prepare her for middle school.

Then we took a few pictures of Hope and her friends...Brooklynn....

...and Anna.

And the funny thing...Hope wanted to ride the bus home the last day of school, even though I was standing right there willing to take her home. LOL! So, of course, I let her ride the bus home.

Our neighbor, got a great picture of Hope, inside the school, during then clap out. I am so glad, because the pictures I took were not that great. LOL! Thanks Amy!

So...I have a middle schooler. WOW!

Here's to the next adventure...until then we are going to enjoy the summer. Hope is having a great time with her Nanny (Ashley), which is the sister of Anna (above), so they have hung out quite a bit this summer. I am so thankful for Anna/Ashley and their family. We used to live across the street from them, and they are a great family to have as friends!

We have enjoyed some time at the pool and just hanging out at home. I am working only 4 days a week, so on Wednesdays (so far this summer) we have been lucky with the weather and have had the chance to enjoy spending time at the pool. I LOVE it!

And with that...here are some random craft items. I made this card for my mom for Mother's Day. She loves to sew and I wanted to make something that represented that. So the card is shaped like a thread spool and then the sentiment and the fitting mannequin seemed fitting to give to mom.

And since summer is HERE, I thought I would share a page helping me remember all the fun Hope had with the lemonade stand she had.

While, the lemonade stand has been "grounded" so far...if it comes out this summer, all proceeds will go to a charity. Hope has initially decided to donate all proceeds to the Animal Rescue League.