What's Up Wednesday :: May 2018

Hi friends! I haven't joined in a What's Up Wednesday with Shay , Mel and Sheaffer for a long time, so here ya go. Can't wait to read what's been up with YOU. :)

Even though we've got three full weeks left of school, summer snacks are on repeat over here!

Recipe 

The three below are in this post: Favorite Summer Snacks

This time of year always makes me a bit nostalgic, too. It makes me think about when the kids were little, and all the fun things we did. I really miss those carefree days!

Here is a post with a big round up of ideas and links to have fun this summer with little kids AND bigger kids:

Banish Boredom this Summer

We've had recitals and concerts and meetings and lots of this and that lately. Isabelle did a great job in chorus and playing the piano! I've been taking lots of long walks with Levi and meeting friends at the park to play. Then it was Senior Prom and gearing up for all the end of year festivities. I'm overwhelmed but excited.

Try keeping this one entertained throughout a very loooong recital! Whew!

 Here's the full post if you want to see more pictures- her gown is GORGEOUS!!

I'm loving all the time we get to spend outside now. It was such a long winter that it still feels SO good to just be outside again and see color. And I love how our landscaping is coming together! Every time I walk out and see how our plants and shrubs are growing, I just smile. It's been a lot of hard work, and we still don't have much actual grass- that's the last thing we'll be working on, but at least weeds are green, right?- but it looks so pretty and I just love it. 

The Columbine here just got added- aren't they the neatest flowers?! I'm going to do a full landscaping post soon, so check back!

And Isabelle discovered these babies by the pool! We have another family near our garage.

This corner is by our garage...it's really shaping up this year!

I'm dreading bills. Life with five kids is not for the faint of heart, ha. #truth #reallife

We've been working on being more intentional in our marriage this month, making time for one another in special ways, and having FUN. Marriage is hard, life is hard, raising teenagers and tweens and toddlers is HARD, and it's so easy to get swept up in all that hard stuff and before you know it, you kind of forget how to relax, laugh and just have some fun. And take-out. You can never go wrong with take-out and a movie.

For Rose and Ruffle, I've been a busy bee working on summer things. You can visit the shop using the link on the side bar or click here. I LOVE making sets for sisters, so if you see something you like, let me know!

Until last weekend, I'd felt like pretty much the ONLY person in the world who hadn't seen The Greatest Showman. And then to top it off, I didn't like it. I know, I know. So anyway, I watched it with Isabelle over the holiday weekend and liked it much better. Go figure...

I've been reading some YA novels for fun, okay, so it was one, and the rest are parenting books, Christian living books, and devotionals. I try to read more for fun but I always end up going back to my practical, driven ways. Ugh. ha ha

Still listening to that soundtrack, along with the rest of the world. And ColdPlay- I've been on a huge ColdPlay kick these days. When I get moody thinking ahead to how our life is going to change when Ethan leaves for college in the fall, that music is a good fit, ha.

Soon enough it will be swimsuits and cover ups all day long, but for now I've been living in dresses or denim shorts with cute tops. Our mornings are still quite chilly, so I start the day with a light sweater or cardi.

And for the record, no, I am not expecting another baby- I don't know why that dress is looking like that! Oops!

Oh yeah, and outfits like these. :)

Hopefully this weekend will be full of swimming and BBQing, but it's most likely going to become party prep for me- so many details!!!

And then the first week of June will be Ethan's last week ever of high school. It feels so surreal. I mean, wasn't I just graduating from high school like a couple years ago? There are awards ceremonies for him and Jonah, other special events, Bill's birthday, and then graduation. Jam-packed for sure!

Favorite summer salad?

Easy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Homemade Vinaigrette

And fruit salad of course! I can never get enough fresh fruit in the summertime. 

Thanks for reading! Hope you found some inspiration...have a super rest of the week. :)

Memorial Day Weekend Fun

Handpicked from my littlest love. #allthehearteyes

We got lots of (much needed) rain over the weekend, but the sun popped out a little bit here and there. Nothing beats playing with Daddy in the backyard.

Poor bug got poison ivy last week and it's fiiiiinally going away. We have no idea how it even happened! You can see some of the spots on his cheek and chest. :(  We also learned that he can drink just fine from a water bottle or a cup- didn't know that before he begged me for mine and I let him have it, ha ha.

She decorated this shirt all by herself for the school assembly. Too bad she doesn't look happy about it, right? ;)

I joined the garden club in our town and helped out with the biggest plant sale fundraiser of the year on Friday and Saturday. I was in HEAVEN surrounded by all those gorgeous colors and blooms. There are so many nice ladies (and some men) there and it always feels good to meet new people doing something you love.

Isabelle noticed two birds flitting around one of our arborvitaes and sure enough...baby birds! I'm always amazed by how quickly baby birds grow. In just a few days they already have little feathers. There are four sparrows. :)

 I wrote on Instagram that all I could think when I carried this to our neighborhood party was Baby's "I carried a watermelon." HaHaHa

 #stripesforever

Someone was living his best life on this hammock at the party :)

It was almost a pool day :) Temps are supposed to soar again so we may have a real pool day soon!

I thought Jonah's last day of work was Saturday night... he got really sick with flu-like symptoms on Thursday and was pretty much out of commission most of the weekend, so it didn't much matter. Then I found out his actual last day is today, soooo we just celebrated a little early. He starts his new job later this week! It was GOOD. Maybe I should blog the recipe?? I've tweaked it a bit over the years and it's always a hit.

Ethan showed him how to squirt himself in the face, and he LOVED it. ha ha ha

 Cutest little helper

Isabelle's whole week is made because I finally let her watch The Greatest Showman, ha ha. I must say, I was VERY conflicted about the movie seeing it the first time, but this second time, I enjoyed it much, much more. Go figure! Hope you had a nice weekend! Anything exciting happen?

I've just listed some more items over at Rose and Ruffle, and you can find me on Instagram @bethanylivs_life

New Baby Bonnets at Rose and Ruffle

Hi friends! I've got just little minute to share some new things at the shop with you. It's been a good but busy week, lots of time spent outside planting and playing! I'll share a landscape/garden post soon because I'm pretty darn proud of our hard work. :) Right now the sun is peeking through the trees across the road and all the leaves are sparkling a million different shades of green, one of my favorite things ever. Here are some pictures of the brand new baby bonnets just listed at Rose and Ruffle... I LOVE them so much!!

I've included the direct links to the items, and these are all Ready to Ship. If you see something you like, contact me and I may be able to make something in a different size for you. Thank you as always. :)

Lace Dreams Baby Bonnet

Boho Pastel Blooms Bonnet

Blue Southern Charm Bonnet

Retro Barnyard Chicks Bonnet

Also, do you shop with ebates? If not, you should! It's so easy and it gives you money just for buying things you'd be buying anyway. I have a link on my sidebar, so you should check it out. Etsy participates with ebates now, too! (I would let you know if I might make a cent or two if you use my link, but I honestly have no idea. Oops. I should probably look into that, ha ha...)

Hope you have a terrific Thursday! We've got errands and well check appointments on our docket today...fun fun! ;)