Oh my, I do believe it is JULY!

July is here and I'm holding on to summer tooth and nail!  I decided it has been way too long since I did a Pinterest post.  So in honor of all things wonderfully July I'm doing the first of three this month.

Of course with the holiday weekend right around the corner I'm focusing today's on Independence Day!  To me the colors of summer are red, white, and blue.  Nothing screams freedom as much as summer does for me so it is fitting to high light our flag.

Crafts




How cute and how simple is this?  It is just mason jars, died rice, and tea lights.  This would be so cute on the deck or on your picnic table this weekend!  Pin it here!



I think my 7 year old would love this.  A simple craft with paint and pom poms.  I would do this on canvas and keep it up year round! Here's the pin.



Every Tuesday when I get the recycling out to the driveway I think:  Oh man these cans, I should make something!  Is this not adorable?  Recycling and cuteness...sign me up.  Pin it now!

Snacks



This is one of my most favorite treats to make.  Its messy and fun and very delicious.  I love this take for the 4th! Click here to get the pin.



Here's one for the adults (but you can make a kid friendly version too).  I love sangria (thanks Mexico) but we can add in some red, white, and blue and say salude to America! Here's the pin.



Start your holiday weekend off right with this festive breakfast idea!  I would probably devour the whole loaf....just being real!

Outfits


Is this not fun?  Of course this girl would sport flip flops but the flats are pretty cute too!  Pin it!



Yes, indeed, I fell in love with this top when I saw it.  If it isn't 100 degrees where you are then go ahead and sport those skinny jeans....I'd have it with shorts or a skirt!



This is just kinda precious to me.  I am an anchor lover!  Oh and let's be honest....we're going to be in the water so get your swimsuit out!

Printables



I love free printables because they are simple ways to decorate for holidays and seasons.  They also are great ways to change up rooms.  Who remembers Lee Greenwood singing this song?  It is a great anthem to our country.



Yes, it is home from the big, fat cities to the tiny little specks (like I live in)...may it forever have blessings of grace.  Here's the pin for this one!




I LOVE this printable!!!!


Kids



How fun would this scavenger hunt be for the fourth!!!



Word searches....don't you remember how fun they were in school when you were a kid?  Get out the high lighter and go to town!



If you don't have corn hole boars then this would be super fun and super cheap!  You could get good plates at the Dollar Tree to use.

I hope these pins inspired you to become a little more festive this week!  Thank you for coming by & happy 4th!

Goal Check (June)

1.  Celebrate the end of the school year!  We did by having friends over to swim and eating lots of pizza and sweets yummmmmy!
2.  Add swimming into my exercise routine.  Every day, ya'll!!!!
3.  Buy more from the produce stand next door.  I'm actually headed there today.  This will make my 3rd trip this month so yes, I did it.
4.  Stop looking at the price and buy more organic fruits and veggies.  I've just been buying more local grown....not necessarily organic.  Hey, its cool.
5.  Get my water consumption back in check (a gallon a day has dwindled to half a gallon).  Yes, I have rocked this!
6.  Begin a Sunday dinner group. (Joey, you inspired me!!!)  I still hope to....but haven't yet.
7.  Get a bike and ride the bike.  (No, not like a cyclist, like for fun with my kid!)  I did this!  My husband purchased me one and I enjoyed riding it for a week and then it proved defective and needs some type of work done.  I'm missing it.
8.  Camp!  We spent the first weekend of June camping LKN Catawba.  It was a lot of fun!

I'll give myself an A.  I just missed out on one goal out of eight.  Not too shabby right?

Did you set goals for June?  How did you do?



1.  Plan a weekend in Tennessee.
2.  Take the kids to Discovery Center Huntersville.
3.  Get my hair did (color....homegirl is kinda growing it).
4.  Tube the New River.
5.  Bike in Todd.
6.  Read two books.
7.  Have a date night (two would be the big goal).
8.  Find three new recipes to make.  We are in such a slump or redundant meals.

Do you have goals for July?  What are they?

5 Things From the Past 7 Days

Bye June.

I said that the way you would say Bye Felicia.

But I'm sad....so quickly it all just blows by.

Here are five things from the past seven days of my life that you may giggle, smile, and roll your eyeballs over.





1  Father's Day Weekend - Saturday

I went to hell for my husband.  Seriously.  He wanted to go to Linville Caverns in Linville, NC.  Sounds just dandy (to him).  I was thinking:  I will do this.  I will not complain.  I will do this.

I suffer from claustrophbia.

That means I don't do caves.

I especially do not do caves when 90 other people are in them and they think its cool to go into total darkness.

But I did it....with a racing pulse and intestinal system that was so tense it turned against me and left me very ill for about 90 minutes.

Never again.

2  Father's Day Weekend - Sunday

We visited my father-in-law for a few hours.  He likes the whole grandpa thing.  His wife also does the grandma gig quite well.  The kids enjoyed playing and going for rides to check out the pastures and cows.

I snapped some great pics.  Now if I can remember to print and frame them for him.

3 Father's Day Weekend - Sunday PM

We wrapped up the day by doing what all dad's love to do....throwing their kids around in the water.  Our kids LOVE to be tossed into the deep end.

4  Food

My kitchen for the summer....

I love seafood...we used to fix salmon several times a week but stopped in the past month.  This week we purchased some and threw it on the grill.  I love to marinate it in a mix of dijon mustard and worcestershire sauce....mmmm good!

I also adore some burgers, ya'll for real.  I grilled burgers on Wednesday night and stuffed myself silly.  I like to marinate my burgers in worcestershire sauce (i love the stuff guys) and sprinkle a mix of garlic and parsley on them.  Generally they sit in the marinade for an hour.  Mmmmm.

My favorite pool food is so bad for me.  OK I'll just admit it....salt & vinegar potato chips.  Mmmm.

5 Surprise Trips



When they happen....they are awesome.  More to come later.

I Think....

Hey you, I been thinking....

I love....

The smell of sunscreen on my skin (currently using Ocean Potion Anti Aging)
Coconut rum
Smooth margaritas

Sometimes you just want to take your teddy bear into the pool and drift away from all your troubles.
Posted by Ramona Humane-Society on Saturday, March 28, 2015

Floating in the water

A good book in the sun
A fabulous shade umbrella
Watching my kids jump in the pool and laugh
Sitting under a night time sky in the summer evenings



Forgetting the clock
McDonald's vanilla cone
All You Magazine
Watermelon
Making fun of Luke Bryan


Driving the truck
Reading the paper on the porch with coffee and the temp is already 80 at 8AM
Throwing the ball in the backyard
Grilling
Brad Paisley's song Crushin' It (Every week DOES INDEED have a weekend, thanks for that cheesey reminder BP!)

Coral nail polish (until a week later when its looking crusty)

Yep that's it.
For now, at least!

This weekend in NC.....

The weekend is around the corner.  Here's a little this 'n that about what is going on in North Carolina!  Can you believe it is already the weekend before the 4th?!?!?!

If the heat is getting to you head to Asheville to the play The Great American Trailer Park.  A comedy about, well, here's what the New Yorker said -

This wheel-spinning, mud-splattering good time of a show is the theatrical equivalent of a bag of Doritos – it’s thrillingly trashy! When Pippi, the stripper on the run, comes between the Dr. Phil–loving, agoraphobic Jeannie and her tollbooth collector husband at Florida’s most exclusive trailer park, the storms begin to brew. “More fun than a chair-throwing episode of Jerry Springer set to music.” —The New Yorker.



The High Country is in full swing this weekend with An Appalachian Summer.  On Saturday you can catch country recording artist, Kacey, Musgraves.  This series is held on the campus of Appalachian State University.  It really has something for everyone.  Click here for more information!

On my list of summer to-do's is a tour with the Yadkin River Keeper.  This weekend the River Keeper is taking folks on kayak tour in Wilkes County.  This is a 16.1 mile paddle that will include the option to camp at W. Kerr Scott Reservoir and Bandit's Roost.  Don't worry the 16.1 miles are broken into two days!  Click here for more information.  P.S. At A Brownie World, we love camping at W. Kerr Scott!

Hello Raleighwood!   The highly acclaimed movie, Bird Man, will be shown outdoors at the NC Museum of Art this weekend!  Click here to get the deets!



Love Old Hollywood?  Ava Gardner, the beautiful actress who was born and bred in Smithfield, North Carolina, will have her beautiful clothing collection on exhibit this weekend.  Gardner was a classy Hollywood actress during the 1940's and 50's.



Southport is one of my favorite seaside towns.  Oh you've probaby been there, thanks to all the shows and movies that have been filmed there (Nicholas Sparks loves that place, ya'll!)  They go all out for a week to celebrate July 4th!  Beginning Saturday the town will start all the fun festivities.  Be sure to check it out if you're in the area!

And over in Winston - catch the Dash as they take on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.  Yes for some of us it is the closest to the beach we're getting for quite a while....

Ok back to my delicious watermelon....gahhhh I love summer!

Whats Up Wednesday

What I'm Reading....


The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd.  Face it, I'm always behind on reading "current" books.  This one came to my attention a long time ago and then someone on FB said I should check it out.  Pretty good.

What I'm Reminiscing About....

A decade ago.  My friends, my apartment, my job, craziness that was so fun.  Life is so fast, guys.  Enjoy it to the hilt!

What I'm Loving....

SUMMER!  All things summer!  Margaritas, totally sweltering weather, sunshine, lightning bugs, all of it!!!!

What We've Been Up To....

Enjoying life...slowly!  The kids have been in VBS and I've been enjoying time with my husband and the kids.  I'm not worrying about housework or anything that normally drives me nuts.  I want to eat up every second of this season.

What I'm Dreading....

I've noticed that June is speeding by so naturally the speed at which July will pass.

What I'm Working On....



A tan, lol.

What I'm Looking Forward To....

Hopefully seeing my bestie soon!  Maybe getting out of dodge for a while!  Having a mixed drink under the stars with my man.

What I'm Excited About....

Our deck is stained and everything is back on it, properly I may add!  I love it.

What I'm Watching....

Real Housewives of OC, Orange is the New Black, Making of the Mob

What I'm Listening To....

I'm tuned in to country stations right now but when Luke Bryan comes on I change it.  Over him. LOL

What I'm Annoyed About....

Saturdays that my husband has to work.  But I'll deal.

What I'm Hoping For....



Continued relaxation!

Summer Learning {FREEBIES!}

My first born is a total school nerd.  Look, I'm just being honest!  She LOVES school and she adores learning.  Before school let out for the summer we sat down and devised some plans for "school at home" - yes, I have divulged information that I think she would really do well with home schooling.  However, that is a whole other blog post for another time and date.

I spent Sunday afternoon (while everyone else was in siesta mode) scouring the internet, Pinterest and other blogs for some good FREE resources that she would connect with.

Guys, I found some great stuff.  (Simply roll your cursor over the blog titles, websites, or where I have typed Click Here!)

And in true A Brownie World fashion I want to share this awesome sites with you.

If you are a teacher then you are probably aware of the site TPT (Teachers Pay Teachers).  In a nut shell this is a site where professional educators have made thousands of learning units to sale to other teachers and home school parents.  Some of these units have a price tag (I have found generally between $5 and $15) and some are FREE!  I love free, don't you?



I downloaded this FREE mini pack for my soon to be second grader.  The focus in this packet is language arts.  You can get this by creating a free account at TPT and downloading it to your computer to use at your convenience.  Click here to get it!



If you noticed above - my daughter is preparing to enter second grade.  I found this great freebie also on TPT!  Click here for this free download!

There are tons of educational resource blogs on the internet.  I really love the home school based blog Blessed Beyond A Doubt.  The resources found here are great for toddlers up into elementary school aged kids.  Since my son is getting closer to three years old I printed some great resources for him and we will start working this week on our numbers, letters, shapes, and colors.



Another fabulous website is 3 Dinosaurs.  This week we'll be doing their  Week 2 of Summer Learning.  I'm excited for my little guy to start this series.  The focus on this site is Toddler - 1st Grade.  Click here to get this awesome free resource and visit their site.



Summer Learning Shopping List

Don't think you have to break the bank to get necessary materials for "school work" - you probably have it all in your home already.  Here's a list of what I keep on hand and few things to pick up at Dollar Tree....

Crayons
Pencils
Chubby pencils for little hands
Ink pads or ink dotters
Paper (to print on and write on)

And go to the library for books....save your $, people!



A tidbit for you....

Also, if you're going to do educational reinforcement with your kids let them set the pace!  This little morsel of advice is especially true with toddlers and preschoolers.  You're guiding them but they are steering the boat (if you get what I'm saying!).  For my 2 1/2 year old I'm setting aside ten minutes for these activities whether we go for 15 or 20 will be up to him.

My daughter....I'll just have to tell her when to stop and go play.

I'll post more on this later and share more awesome sites and blogs for you to review!