backyard movie night

June 30, 2013April 6, 20206 Comments

happy summer!

you’d think i was new to this blogging thing with how long it took me to write this post!

well, i’m back and have lots of things to share with you, but first…

we had our first backyard movie of the summer saturday night.

it didn’t all go as smoothly as planned…

lorelai had complained about her stomach hurting before we ate dinner.

i dismissed it.

she didn’t want to eat much dinner, but i asked her to eat 3 pieces of her hot dog.

she chewed…

and, chewed…

and spewed.

she got so sick.

all over the dining room, kitchen, and bathroom.

this was a first for us.

almost 6 years of parenting, and this is the first time we had to deal with a vomiting child.

she fell asleep while i was holding her on the floor of the hallway after her bath.

she cried and cried about our friends coming over for the movie.

we texted them and let them know what happened.

we were still planning to watch a movie, but wanted to inform them of lorelai’s sickness in case it was a virus.

luckily, they decided to still come over…they said, “it’s gonna take a lot more than a little vomit to keep us away!’

don’t you just love good friends like that?!

in addition to lorelai’s sickness, we also had a few technical difficulties:

1. peter pan was an HD movie and would not play through our projector, so we had to choose another movie (luckily we have plenty to choose from)

2. this time of year it stays light until after 10pm in the pacific northwest, so once we tried another movie we found it was still too light to watch it.

the kids thought it was fun to watch it on the laptop and that is when we changed our game plan…

we went for a quick walk around the neighborhood, regrouped, let it get a little darker, and chose a different movie.

jackpot!

the girls settled right in…it was the newest tinker bell movie, secret of the wings.

once we moved the cozy coupe and the “trailer” up from under the playhouse, the littlest of the bunch was happy.

eventually, we could all sit down and watch the movie…

or, sit back and relax in the chairs around the fire pit.

the movie ended, and shortly after that lorelai got sick again.

i took her upstairs to another bath and i snuggled her in bed with towels at the ready.

she was so sad.

luckily, that was the end of it for her sickness.

she ate fine all day sunday, and other than getting worn out from the heat, was back to her normal self.

so, i had a few questions from instagram followers and thought i would post a few tips for outdoor movies, so here it goes!

essential supplies

1. projector

2. laptop, iPad, or iPod

3. speakers

4. movie screen (i made ours from a painters drop cloth)

5. extension cords

you’ll want to get a feel for how everything needs to be set up…do you need a table for the projector? how far should the projector be from the screen? what connects to what (i.e speakers connect to the laptop, laptop connects to the projector)?

we always do a test run by ourselves or with neighbors for our first movie of the year…there are bound to be some minor glitches and you want those worked out before you invite the entire neighborhood!

fun stuff

1. snacks: last night we just did popcorn and popsicles. last fall we had a theme and centered the snacks around that. or, you can just have everybody bring their own snacks.

2. drinks: just like the snacks…keep it simple, BYOB, or provide something that goes along with the theme of the movie

3. blankets: thrifted quilts are awesome for backyard movie nights…i have a stash of them and put them on the air mattress and on the grass. in the cooler months i stick a few thrifted afghans on the chairs around the fire pit and in a basket on the deck in case people need one.

4. chairs: use what you have or ask everybody to bring their own

5. twinkle lights: twinkle lights just make the whole scene magical. we have ours up year round in our backyard and it just sets the scene for a festive evening.

backyard movies have become one of my favorite things about summer in our backyard. we hope to have a lot more movie nights well into the fall…as long as the rain stays away!

home is…back at it with backyard movie night (and blogging).

the little guy said

June 12, 20131 Comment

As he was sitting on the sofa listening to the morning sounds…

“Those birds play that tune every morning! Summer!”

did i tell you…

June 5, 20133 Comments

about the time a friend from instagram invited me to whatever craft weekend?

not yet?

i will.

it’s a good story.

home is…still recovering my iphoto library.

impatiently patient

May 29, 2013April 6, 20201 Comment

hi!

i’m writing this post on my phone.

my computer has been out of commission as we recover all the lost photos.

so, i just wanted to let you know that i’ll be back with some fun posts once my computer is working again.

home is…being impatiently patient.

soon

May 24, 20131 Comment

summer is coming soon.

summer break has unofficially started for lola.

she had her last “official” day of school on monday.

i’m fluctuating between excitement and fear of what summer will bring.

i am so blessed to be able to be home with my children when they are home from school, but it is hard.

i keep reminding myself that this is going to be the best summer ever…it is.

i am also a little overwhelmed at the prospect of keeping my kids entertained all day, everyday.

we will be coming up with a summer list soon…just like last year, and the year before.

before we finalize that, momma gets to go away next weekend.

a long awaited weekend away, and a dream come true.

stay tuned…

home is…summer break is coming.

poof!

May 23, 20134 Comments

Two days ago I was trying to clean up photos in iphoto and I got a dreaded pop up.

I began to freak out.

Years of photos.

In fact, I had just downloaded photos from a field trip I took with Reece the day before.

Photos I deleted from my camera as soon as I saw them on my computer.

Then…POOF!

Gone.

Our computer guy has reassured me that he can restore them from our backup.

Next week.

It makes me thankful for this blog…and what I have done here for the past 4+ years.

If all was lost, I would still have this.

And, to keep it in perspective after the loss that people have endured this week in Oklahoma, it’s not that big of a deal.

Here’s the thing…

I take LOTS of photos.

I take photos of my kids that nobody ever sees (which I eventually will put into photo albums for our family).

I take photos of our home and garden…mainly for the blog.

I take photos on my phone.

I take photos for my etsy shop.

I take LOTS of photos, period.

So, here are a couple of questions for other bloggers and photographers…

What photo management software do you use?

What photo editing software do you use?

How do you manage a workflow to not duplicate and triplicate photos?

How do you backup your photos?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

home is…always learning from my mistakes.

{through the rearview} old photos new life

May 16, 20133 Comments

throw back thursday

or

flash back friday.

either way…

either day…

people post older photographs on instagram.

it might be a year, or 10, or 30.

about a month ago, i was cleaning (on thursday, i clean), had to put something away in the attic, and pulled out two photo albums.

one my sister made for me.

the other was one i just put together with photos my mom passed along to me.

the kids loved looking at them.

and, to do anything to procrastinate (did i tell you i am a procrastinator?!), i posted a couple on instagram.

it’s fun.

and, you know what it reminds me of?

that i had an awesome childhood.

that is why i do what i do for my children.

it is fun to have fun.

to go on adventures.

learn something new.

play with friends and family.

i’m going to use these photos, and many more, to write some posts about my childhood.

i think it will be fun.

and, it’s fun to have fun.

home is…being reminded of my childhood.

{our home} home made lovely

May 10, 20132 Comments

Happy Friday!

Today I am taking readers for a tour of our home over at life made lovely!

I feel very honored to be a part of Heather’s inspiring home made lovely series.

So, go check check it out!

home is…sharing our home.

{in the garden} early may

May 9, 20132 Comments

Just a few photos of things that are happening in the back yard…

I think we will get the veggies planted out front this weekend!

home is…playing in the dirt.

attitude is everything

May 6, 2013April 6, 20201 Comment

We’re fighting seasonal allergies around here.

Mine start in March, and start to clear up about now, but the kids are having a rough go of it right now.

Lorelai and I were up at 2:30 am…and haven’t been back to sleep (she slept for 20 minutes right around 6 am).

I was throwing myself a pity party this morning.

I don’t do well without sleep.

I was in tears this morning…feeling sorry for myself.

It didn’t feel good.

So, I decided to change my attitude.

Not always an easy task, but it can be done.

The kids and I went to school and gave Reece’s teachers a gift for Teacher Appreciation Week.

(i will blog about it later this week, but until then you can check out what we did the last two years here and here)

Both of his teachers said they had had rough mornings and that the gift helped them to feel better.

Spread kindness.

I realized that in the hurry to get out the door we forgot Reece’s lunch.

I texted Ryan, and he offered to drop it off at the school.

Accept help.

Lorelai and I went for a run down to the river. The endorphins and vitamin D surely helped to boost my mood. In addition listening to a little Maroon 5 and Adam Levine helped push me harder…I ran 3.75 miles the longest I have run in over a year.