Share the Fun Friday!

So in review -- if you plan to join this party, please write a post about the FUN times you had, the FUN things you did, the FUN places you went, or the FUN things you found this week.

I hope this will be a great way for all of us to focus on the happier things in life .... and to make more of an effort to make every day (or at least most of them) FUN, even if it's just an "ordinary" day. :-)

I can't WAIT to see all of the FUN you have to share!

At my house, this week has been pretty low-key (which is definitely kinda FUN for a change!).
We have been having a lot of fun in the garden though .... mostly because [GET THIS] .... there are actually things GROWING in it!!!!!
(Cue:  Hallelujah Chorus)
If you've been reading along for a while, you have read about our garden troubles (aka: squirrels) -- if not, you can read about that HERE.
I'm here to tell you .... those genius garden "cages" WORK!
Check THIS out!

Yes, those pictures were actually taken in OUR garden!!!
Lucy is having so much fun picking peas .... and especially the strawberries!
(Unfortunately, not very many of them have made it into the house -- she eats them before we get there!)

And speaking of strawberries,  I saw this fun AND yummy idea at Lemonade Makin' Mama....
Strawberry Shortcake on a Stick!  Sweet, simple ... and I bet Lucy would LOVE it! (just gotta be careful with the stick part!:)~

And now it's your turn!
PLEASE follow the guidelines above and don't use this as a place just to show off your latest project .... pretty please....?
And please take a little time to read the other posts and spread the love!
But most importantly -- have FUN!

Like no time had passed ....

I bet you all have old friends that you only get to see every once in a while .... and when you see them - even if it's been months (or even years!) - you say, "It was like no time had passed!" - because you picked up right where you left off.
Well, what about when FIFTEEN years has passed?
Back then, I looked like this:

(That's me on the right ..... the far right.)

And that's my friend, Gabi, on the left ...... the far left.  

(The one in the middle is my beloved "Bob".)

We worked together at Canyonview (the camp I've talked about a dozen times already) when we were teenagers, and became fast friends.  

Gabi was one of the most hard-working, down-to-earth girls there was.  

We gradually lost contact over the next few years as we both went to college and then got married .... and Gabi ended up on the other side of the state.  

Over a decade later ......

along comes Facebook, and we were able to reconnect over the course of several LONG messages, trying to catch each other up on the past fifteen years of our lives!

And last week, we started Summer break off right with a real-life visit!!!  

Gabi was over on this side of the state visiting her family, so we were able to meet up half-way at a park for an afternoon play date with our kiddos!  

It was SO great to see her again .... and somewhat surreal because it truly felt like no time had passed (well, maybe a little time -- but certainly not fifteen years!!!).

Gabi is the exact same cool chick she always was (which is definitely a compliment!) -- heck, she even LOOKS exactly the same! (no fair!:)~

See???

Unfortunately, I forgot my "real" camera -- so we settled for the iphone. :-)
It was SO special, getting to watch Lucy play with Gabi's three awesome kids -- Garret, Grace, and Dylan (who are, of course, three of the most well-behaved, respectful, delightful kids I've met ... I'd expect nothing less with a mom like Gabi!)

It was truly the perfect way to start out the summer  .... and it will surely be one of my favorite memories of the season.

Can't wait to do it again ....... much sooner than fifteen years from now. :-)

The Pinterest-ing Great Outdoors ...

With the beautiful summer season finally upon us, I thought I'd show you some of my favorite pins from my "Great Outdoors" pinboard .... 'cause that's where I'd prefer to spend my time right now!

OK, so I do have a garden update for you later in the week .... but I can tell you one thing:
My garden does NOT look like this ....  (I wish!)

 I've got the white house, I've got the porch, I just need the swing!

Apparently, this is Ralph Lauren's ranch in Colorado.
I think I'd like to go there.
Maybe even live there.
But not with Ralph Lauren.
That would just be .......weird.

Hell-o!  You all know I love me a good ladder!  Love this one at an outdoor, evening wedding reception.
Gorgeous!

A lot going on here .... and I love it all!

 Love, LOve, LOVE these painted planter boxes --- too cute!

And I'm pretty sure I've showed this already ..... but it deserves a repeat.
If I had this in my backyard ..... life would just be good.
Even BETTER than it is now.
Leave it to Pottery Barn!

Love the simplicity here .... I think it's kinda cool to put indoor dining furniture OUTDOORS.....

Bright, white, clean, simple, refreshing .... LOVE.

Please go check out my Great Outdoors Pinboard for the references to these great pics!
(And feel free to visit my other boards while you're there!:-)

Head over to THE VINTAGE APPLE for more Pinterest-ing posts today!
And don't forget to be working on your Share the Fun Friday posts!!! It's only two days away!

Hair Clips Here, Hair Bows There .....

Yup.  That is my house.
Hair clips and bows are EVERYWHERE!
I'm one of those moms who almost always has a clip, bow, or flower in my little girl's hair.
And up until this point, I've had no particular place to KEEP all of these hair accessories -- which means they end up here, there, and everywhere .... all over the house.
This was a problem for two reasons:  1)  I don't like clutter, and 2) I can never find the clips when I need them!

So .... this is my solution.  I hope you like it!
I started with an old (ugly) framed print I bought 10+ years ago and no longer wanted hanging in my house.  (It had been hiding in a closet for the past few years already, actually.)
I ripped off the paper on the back and took out the print, glass, etc.  ..... and I was left with a plain ol' silverish-colored wood frame.

And then I painted it .... Ballet Slipper Pink.  {LOVE}
(And this is where I remembered to start taking pictures!:)~

After the pink was done, I decided to live a little and go for a glazed layer, too.
I used a dark brown/bronze antiquing glaze, which I brushed on ....

 .... and then wiped off gently with a t-shirt rag (it leaves color just in the cracks and detailing of the frame ... you'll see in a minute!)

Then I took a ball of hemp (from the craft store), and cut pieces long enough to stretch across the frame + a few extra inches to allow me to tie knots at both ends.
I used a staple gun to attach them to the back of the frame ....

 .... then stretch across to the other side, pull tight, and staple again.

 And finally tie one more knot on this side -- and snip the excess!

I did this vertically AND horizontally to create a grid that eventually looked like this....

 Finished product!

  .... And with a few "pretties" attached.  :-)

 .... And hanging in it's new home, on the wall in Lucy's bathroom.  Perfect!
Cute and functional ... and with the same antiqued look that appears so often around the rest of our house!  Fits right in!

Do you have a good solution for all of those hair accessories at your house....?
I'd love to see 'em! :-)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pudding Cake

AKA:  The yummiest stuff on earth!
You'll want to make some of this, I promise.
If you know me .... you know I wouldn't steer you wrong when it comes to FOOD.
And if you don't know me .... you're just gonna have to take my word for it!

This is an old family recipe.
I got it from my Aunt Katie .... but I couldn't tell you where she got it from ... maybe my grandma?  Maybe not?
All I know is, I've been eating it my whole life -- and I've loved every spoonful.
(OK - please don't be concerned, I haven't literally been eating it my whole life .... just once or twice a year, usually during strawberry season around here.  But I would eat it every day of my life if I could still fit into my clothes afterwards ....).

Are you ready for this?
Start here:

Slice 'em up .... you should have about 2-3 cups of each.
(I don't think it really matters though, as long as it's relatively close!)

Next, you'll need .... 

A box of strawberry jell-o and a yellow cake mix!

**This is a 3-bowler recipe, by the way.
As in .... you need 3 bowls to prepare it. :)~

So, take the first bowl and mix together the sliced strawberries, rhubarb, and jell-o mix.  Set aside.

In the second bowl, prepare the yellow cake mix according to the directions on the box.  Spread in a 13x9 pan.

Then spoon the strawberry/rhubarb/jell-o mixture (which has been getting all juicy and lovely in the first bowl) over the cake mix ....

In the third bowl, combine the following ingredients:  6 tablespoons butter, 1/3 cup flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
I used a fork to mix it together until the butter was thoroughly combined and crumbly.  Then sprinkle that mixture over the fruit layer --- and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 45 minutes.

While in the oven, magic happens with this cake!
The layers actually switch places ....
The cake bakes up through the fruit layer and ends up on the top!
(You want it to be nice and brown.)

Serve warm (or not) with (or without) vanilla ice cream.
De-LICIOUS.

I won't tell you how many days that 13x9 pan of yumminess lasted in our house (consisting of 2 1/2 people).... but I will tell you --  it was a very low number.
And that is why I only eat it once or twice a year!
Once you start, you can't stop!
I recommend making it before having LOTS of people over.
Except then you'll want to make another pan, anyway ..... so never mind!
Just EAT .... and BE MERRY! :-)

Are you having any fun...?

Well, of course you are!
And what makes fun even MORE FUN??
Sharing it with others!
(And documenting it so that you can remember it!)
So .... there's a new (well, sort of....) link party coming to Little Lucy Lu!
It's called:

And here is the question I want you to answer:
WHAT WAS FUN IN YOUR WORLD THIS WEEK?
Every Friday, write a post, telling us about the fun from your week ...
* Maybe you turned an ordinary day into an extra-fun day?
* Maybe you went on a fun adventure or trip you'd like to share?
* Maybe you surprised your kids with a fun project?
* Maybe you've recently planned (or attended) a fun party you'd like to share?
* Maybe you've seen some fun ideas around blogland that have inspired you?

So .... do you?
Have any of those FUN kinds of things to share, I mean ....
If not, maybe writing a Share the Fun Friday post will inspire you to START!? :)~

Anyone and everyone should be able to participate in this link party...
For me, acknowledging the fun in everyday life is refreshing -- AND it keeps me positive!
I hope the same will be true for you! :-)
So ..... mark you calendar, make a note ..... do what you gotta do to remember Share the Fun Friday, beginning THIS WEEK (July 1st) on Little Lucy Lu!
(The party will go through the weekend, so no worries if your post isn't ready by Friday!)
I'm looking forward to reading about all of the fun that's happening out there!

Photo Swap Sunday!

Woohoo!  I'm so excited for my Bloggy BFF Sara over at Sweet Little Gals .... she is starting a BRAND NEW link party today!
It's a Sweet Little Photo Swap!

Go check it out!!! (won't you, please!?)

And meanwhile .... you can check out my five favorite photos from the week, too.

The SUN has FINALLY made its appearance here in Oregon ... I love that this photo totally shows that! :-)

 We spent a lot of time at the beach this week, and I couldn't pick just one favorite picture from the bunch .... so you get three.  

 I think this might be one of my favorite pictures of my babes....

 And finally, we have yummy ripe strawberries in our garden! (more about that later in the week ...)

Lucy LOVES to pick (and EAT!) as many as she can get her hands on! :-)

Hope you have a happy week, full of lots of great photo-worthy moments! :-)