BBQ anyone

I love summer and I love patriotic decorations. Embroidered this to kick off summer Memorial Day BBQ and had forgotten to post. Can't take credit for the grill portion of the embroidery, only our name. Thanks for stopping by!

Allen USA Celebration

Last night we went to the Allen USA celebration. Allen is the next city south of McKinney on Hwy 75. This is a huge event that draws more than 75,000 people and what is most impressive about the event is they make it extremely green by having a ZERO WASTE policy.

Here is a picture of the bins they have throughout the park.



Here is a video of the fireworks. Thanks for stopping by!

This week I had to attend the Keep Texas Beautiful annual conference in Austin. On our way back we made a quick stop at the State Capital. This was Micaela's first visit and she was VERY impressed.

Here are a few snapshots

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend.

Luau Party

This past Sunday I hosted a little Luau Party for our daughter and several of her friends. The last day of school was Friday and we were celebrating them all going to first grade.

It was hectic during the party and sadly this is the only picture I got of the food table. All the food was not out yet and now I notice the pineapple upside down cake was still covered and I cut off the flamingo's (centerpiece) head. Oh well, I think you will get the general idea.

I used hot pink, yellow and orange satin yardage to drape the table and used a variety of things under the fabric to make it different heights.

One of my favorite things on the table is this swimming pool & jacuzzi chip and dip set and a pair of Micaela's flip flops from when she was a baby. I purchased the flip flops (and a matching swim suit) when I was pregnant and I remember when she was 3 months old and her feet were still too small for them. Now at six she has giant feet and I am reminded of how much she is grown!

The flip flop plates on the table are plastic and a perfect size for little girls. I've had them for several years and love using them over and over without creating litter for the landfills.

Here is a close up of the flip flop cookies I decorated. These are Nutter Butter cookies with the thong piped in with icing. So cute and easy to make. I can't take credit for the idea, I found it on this blog: http://alittleloveliness.blogspot.com/2009/05/if-shoe-cookie-fits.html.

Here are some of the decorations outside as you approached the front door. Love this hula girl, only $1 at Dollar Tree.

Walking up our sidewalk to the front door, the garden flag and a flip flop sign.

Flip Flop sign on our ledge at the front door. Someone suggested I change the sign to be "Fipps Flop This Way" (to be our last name-- ).

Here's a picture of the back yard. Not everything is blooming because it's been so darn hot and windy but I still love our big flower bed.

The activities during the party included lots of beach themed music and of course-- Hula Hoops!

Fruity drinks with little umbrellas. I wasn't going to go the margarita glass route but when I found these that came apart and nested, I decided they were worth the investment. The girls loved them because they were like adult glasses and they were pink. We'll reuse these year after year...

The Limbo--

A Flamingo Pinata.

I searched high and low at many stores all over Dallas and never found a Flip Flop Pinata. After the 5th store a couple of days before the party, I settled for a pink flamingo. I just didn't want a bunch of cute little girls "beating the guts out of a flamingo" but my 6 year old assured me, it would be okay because the flamingo "was not alive!"

Towards the end I gave each girl a bottle of bubbles and they blew bubbles.

All in all it was a great party and we look forward to making it an annual tradition. A video of the actual party is in the blog post below. Thanks for stopping by...

Linking to

Between Naps on the Porch http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2011/06/summertime-beach-tablescape-welcome-to.html

A Stroll Thru Life http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/2011/06/68th-table-top-tuesday.html

Luau Party

We hosted a Luau Party over the weekend, here's a little video with some of the highlights!

Garden Update

Here are some pictures of our yard. We've had alot of rain the last couple of months so everything is nice and green.

This is right on the sidewalk leading up to front door.

I love stakes in pots...

Star stakes as you walk up the sidewalk.

This little Uncle Sam greets you at the front door. He's made from a fence post, my cousin Dora gave him to me about 12 years ago.

Our birdbath in the backyard...

I love this little bicycle.

Thanks for stopping by!