A Box & Beautiful Color

 I have a preview for you of two new projects...FINALLY!    I'll be sharing both with you this week, but I thought I'd give you a little teaser first.  Notice the lovely shade of green/blue on the bench.

And the rustic box holding some beautiful Lilacs. 

Happy Friday

{Source}

Life will always throw you curves, just keep fouling them off... the right pitch will come, but when it does, be prepared to run the bases. ~Rick Maksian

Instead of boring you with more decor, I thought it would be a good day to share some inspiration.  I love this quote! 

Happy Friday Everyone.

Baseball Decor

Part 2

 I really hope I'm not boring you yet!  Today is part 2 of my Baseball decor.  I can safely say, this decor has made all the boys in this house very happy.  It's manly and not a bit fru-fru.  Plus, a few of the items I've used to decorate are very sentimental to us.  No matter if your decor is feminine or masculine, you should always decorate with things you love!

 This Baseball field used to hang in our boys room. We actually found it at a local dollar store.  A whole dollar!  Can't get too much better.

 This Baseball bat was once used by my Father-in-law.  It's something that will definitely be passed on in our family.

 I'm not really sure who used this catchers mask; however, it was given to me by my Dad.  I think it was these types of hand-me-downs from my Dad that convinced me that I would have all boys one day.  And, what's not to love about something vintage.

Hopefully you remember these.  My husband, over the years has collected a ton of used Baseballs.  I feel that the more used they look, the better to decorate with.  This basket sits under our TV stand.  Until I find another basket filler that I love, the Baseballs will remain there. 

Tomorrow is the last day of Baseball decor.  I promise.  Next week I'll have a few new DIY projects to share with you that I worked on before breaking my finger. 

Baseball Decor

Part 1

 Yes, that's right!  Baseball decor.  This is the first time I've made an attempt at decorating in honor of the sport we love so much.  Honestly, everything I used to decorate with is stuff we already had.  Some came from my son's room, some came from my husband's old Baseball bag from his coaching days, and the books have been collected by my husband.

Have I ever shared with you that both our son's names were inspired by Baseball.  My husband loves Jackie Robinson.  We named our first son Jaxon in honor of him(that and a character from Steel Magnolias)  Our son Easton was named after a brand of Baseball bats.  We saw a picture of a bat with Easton on it, and just thought it was very different and such a cool name.

 Anyways, on to decor...this was an old glove my Dad gave to me.  I love how vintage it is!

 Books work great for any decor.  Luckily my husband has a wonderful collection.

 He even has a Baseball Dictionary.  Anything that has to do with Baseball is in this book. 

 This old Cracker Jack sign I found at a cute home decor store in Sumner, WA back in 2006.  We decorated our oldest son's nursery in Baseball decor and I bought the sign just for him.  Nothing says Baseball more than Cracker Jack.

So, that's Part 1 for my Baseball decor.  I really hope I'm not boring everyone to death, however it's killing me not to be able to craft because of my broken finger.  So, I figure I'd just share with you what my home looks like at the moment.  More to come.

Baseball

 Have I ever shared with you how much our family loves Baseball.  Well, we LOVE it!  My husband was a High School Baseball coach for several years.  My Dad used to play softball and I loved going to watch him play.

We lived close to Seattle, so every once in a while we'd head downtown to watch a Mariner Game.  Before the games we'd walk along the Seattle waterfront and if we were lucky, we'd have some lunch or dinner at Ivar's, a local seafood restaurant.  YUM! 

There was always something so comforting about sitting at a Baseball game.  The sights, the sounds and the smells.  I love the combination of the Green grass, Blue skies, Brown infield and warning track. Not to mention, if you're on the 1st baseline of the stadium or outfield you can see the Seattle skyline.  While at a Mariner game you can enjoy the sounds of the passing trains and the humming of the crowds.  If you've ever been lucky enough to visit Safeco field, you know about the Garlic Fries.  Along with peanuts, licorice and hot dogs....I'm starting to get hungry just thinking about it. 

I found a few pictures online that I wanted to share with you.  I know it sounds funny, but it's pure eye candy to me.

Did I mention that I decorated my house in honor of Baseball season?  Yep!  I actually accessorized our living room and kitchen with Baseball decor.  I'll be sharing it with you this week.  Stay tuned!

 An old Sandlot in Puerto Rico.  This photo was taken by my Cousin Amanda on a recent vacation.

 The Famous ball field from the movie, Field Of Dreams.  A favorite!

 I just love the colors!

 There is something so nostalgic about the crack of a wooden bat!

One of the best views from Safeco Field!  My oh my, I miss Seattle and Dave Niehaus.

Today, I'm 32

Today is my 32ND Birthday.  I've had an amazing weekend, full of playing in the sun, BBQ-ing, and hanging out with the people I love.  It doesn't get any better to me!   Since I'm turning 32 today, I thought I'd share 32 random tidbits about me. 

Here goes:

1. My middle name is Marie

2. I was born and raised in Auburn, WA(suburb of Seattle, about 25 min. South)

3. My Anniversary with my Husband is July 3.  We were married in 2005.

4. Our first date was a fireworks show on July 3, 2003.

5. I have two sons, Jaxon & Easton

6. My favorite color is Blue.  Any shade!

7. My favorite food is any kind of potato.  Love it cooked any way.

8. I LOVE Summer. 

9. I love the smell of suntan lotion!

10. My favorite things to drink are Ice Water with Lemon & Coffee.

11. My favorite movie is It's A Wonderful Life.

12. My favorite holiday is Halloween.

13. I absolutely love Hydrangeas.  They were my wedding flowers.

14. If I could wear Flip Flops all year long, I would!

15. I am terribly scared of Spiders.  I hate them!

16. I had never broken anything on my body till just last week!

17. I love Arizona.  I want to live there someday.

18. The most beautiful place I've ever been to has to be Zion National Park.  I still can't get over the colors.

19. I've only ever been to 3 countries...USA, Canada & Mexico

20. I really need to travel more.  I've never been to the Mid-West and the only place I've been on the East Coast is Florida.

21. I used to hate thrift stores.  Now, thrifting is one of my favorite things.

22. I love Baseball.

23. 23 is my favorite number.

24. The perfumes I wear are Clinique Happy and Candy Baby by Victoria's Secret.

25. I really want to visit Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA.  They look so beautiful.

26. My favorite book is To Kill A Mockingbird.

27. I love old movies and music. 

28. I love watching thunder storms.

29. My favorite band is Dave Matthews Band. 

30. Favorite snack is my Husband's homemde Popcorn.

31. I have 6 tattoos

32. I love Coconut! 

Well, hope those were random enough. 

I can't wait to spend this 85 degree day with my family.  I couldn't be in a better place in life right now. 

Here is to a fabulous 32ND Birthday!

DIY Fire Pit

 It's not too often that you see a big group of guys in a blog post, right?!  Well, this past Sarturday my Father-in-law and Brother-in-law came to help us celebrate my Husband's 33rd Birthday.  What better way to end the day than sitting around a fire. 

We knew we wanted to do this the weekend they came over, so the weekend before we spent a few hours building our own fire pit. 

*From left to right: My Brother, Derek.  My Husband, Brandon. My Brother-in-law, Gavin. Our youngest, Easton. Our oldest & in the Darth Vader mask, Jaxon. My Father-in-law, Nick.

 Thank you to my Brother Derek for taking all of the following pictures with his phone as I had not yet received my camera.

First, we picked out a space in our yard that wasn't under any trees or too close to the house.  Safe is always best when it comes to having a bonfire.  Also, we picked out some landscaping pavers that are curved and perfect for making a circle.  They were only $1.22 a piece and we used exactly 23.  So, this whole project cost us around $30.  Not too shabby!

We layed them out to the size we wanted the fire pit and then spray painted the grass around the pavers so that we'd have an estimated area to dig.

 First, we dug the inside down to about 2 feet deep.  As soon as we had the walls of the inside nice and even, we put rock down to line the bottom.  Luckily, we have a rocky driveway so we didn't have to pay any extra for the small amount of rock you need.

 Our little helpers having a grand ol' time getting dirty!  They were already talking about making smores and telling stories of Bigfoot around the fire. 

 Next, my Husband and Brother(honestly, they did all the work on this thing) dug out the border down about 2 inches deep.  This was the tricky part!  You'll need a level and lots of patience. No matter how much we measured, this thing needed tweeking trying to line up the pavers.   

 The bottom was the easy part!

 When we did the top, they needed to be readjusted like ten times.  Pushed in, pulled out, scooched over, squeezed in....you know what I mean.  As you can tell, there are some gaps, however it worked out just fine. 

For $30 and a little hard work, we will have endless nights of smores and great stories around the fire this Summer.  I can't wait for it!

Cute Wreath From

Gallamore West

 A few weeks back, Kelsey from Tattered and Inked was doing a round of 1000 follower giveaways.  Congrats to Kelsey!  She has an awesome blog by the way.  If you're not a follower, you should be.  

Anyways, one of her giveaways was a super, cute burlap wreath made by Laurie at Gallamore West.  Also a cute blog!  I just had to enter.  I never get high hopes with giveaways.  So many people entered.  Wouldn't you for a chance at a cute wreath like this? Believe it or not...I WON! 

 I was so excited knowing a cute wreath was on it's way to my front door!  Laurie even let me pick the ribbon colors and what I wanted the banner to say. 

I just love it!  Thank you to Laurie and Kelsey for the chance to win this cutie! Please go pay them both a visit at Gallamore West & Tattered and Inked.  Two of my new favorites. 

New Camera

I'm going to be blogging again soon!  Look what I received in the mail yesterday thanks to my Mom, Sisters & Brother. Happy Early Birthday to me!!!  I'm so lucky to have such awesome family. Mom, Erin, Darcy & Derek...I love you so much.  Thank you! 

Can't wait to get sharing with everyone again.