I was crafty!

Before camp, I got crafty! I stumbled upon a few tutorials on Pinterest for bracelets made with buttons, and I loved them! I also found a lesson idea to tie them in to camp. It talked about how each bracelet is made with several different types of buttons: some big, some small, some antique, some brand new, etc. It went on to say that even though we as individuals may be different, we all have a place. We are all important.

Be Brave!

I've been a bit MIA lately. It's been a really busy few weeks. But don't despair; I haven't forgotten my blog! Here I am to play catch-up!

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to Girl's Camp! Every year, our church puts on a week-long camp for all youth girls, ages 12-18. They learn survival skills, like tying knots and cooking over a fire, and most importantly, they learn about Christ and His love! It's awesome!

This year, the theme was B.R.A.V.E. - Bold Righteous Amazing Valiant Examples.

I was assigned to be a cabin leader with the about 12 4th year girls, who are all about 15-16 years old. We had a blast! We stayed up late giggling about boys and telling silly stories, hiked and crafted and performed a skit, and listened to the awesome speakers and leaders!

When it was time to come home, I was covered with a solid layer of grime, sunburned, and my voice was completely gone, but I'm ready to go back again next year!

Frozen Party

Portia is 5! I can't believe it! It seems like just yesterday she was a teeny babe!
As you know, Portia wanted a Frozen themed party this year, and I was happy to oblige!

I pretty much used the same decor ideas as Margot's mermaid party last year, so the party was really easy to put together!

The kids had a blast, and Portia and Margot have not taken those princess dresses off since!

Summer Hair Help

Summer is officially here! And I'm in heaven! I love summer; I love the heat, the sunshine, and I love spending time in the water. But my hair doesn't.

Chlorine and salt can dry out and damage hair, sometimes even discoloring it.

I know a lot of women who swim daily, and want a way to keep their hair healthy in the summer months. So here are my summer hair tips!

1. Keep your hair from getting wet. This one is kinda obvious. If you don't want the water to damage your hair, keep your hair out of the water. Wear a swim cap, or put your hair up. But I know that this isn't always easy to do.

http://www.pollopass.com/beach-hair-beauty-secrets/

2. Wet your hair with water and conditioner before getting in the pool. Hair acts like a sponge and absorbs water. So a great way to keep the chlorine/salt out of your hair is to wet your hair and apply conditioner before hopping in the water. Your hair will absorb more of the clean water and conditioner, and less of the harsh chemicals.

http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/chlorine-wrecking-hair-skin-swimsuit/story?id=19718032

3. Rinse hair after getting out of the water. Get the damaging stuff out of your hair as soon as possible. Rinse or wash your hair as soon as you get out of the pool if you can.

http://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/hair/hair-care/healthy-hair-with-less-hassle-00000000026374/

4. Wash with a purifying shampoo. A good purifying shampoo, like Redken's Cleansing Cream Shampoo, will strip the damaging buildup from your hair, keeping it from discoloring. Use it once or twice a week, instead of your regular shampoo. 

http://www.redken.com/products/haircare/specialty-products/hair-cleansing-cream-shampoo

So there you have it! Get to swimming!

Love Liberates

Today, Maya Angelou passed away. She was a poet, author, dancer, teacher, director, mother, and remarkable human.

She lived an incredible life, full of hardships and blessings, and her words have inspired me numerous times.

Dance, baby, dance!

Last week, the girls had their dance recital, and, let me tell you, it was adorable! 

They did a little tap routine in the poofiest, sparkliest tutus ever!

They are the two cuties on the very end.

They even got flowers, which I forgot to take a picture of. But they got them! And they were thrilled!

Happy dancing!

The cold never bothered me anyway.

Portia turns 5 in a few weeks (what?), and has requested a Frozen party. She is so excited! She is helping me pick the decorations, cake, and the other day decided that she must wear an Elsa dress.

That was the problem. Frozen stuff is still impossible to find! I located a few Elsa dresses online, but they were $40, or more. Ridiculous!

So I decided to let my little crafty side come out and make one. I looked at several patterns online, but they were all way above my skill level. So I kinda winged it.

I bought a white short-sleeved t shirt, a yard of blue satiny fabric, a yard of sparkly iridescent fabric, and some ribbon. I got the fabrics on sale, so total, it cost me about $10.

I sewed the blue satin around the bottom of the tshirt, and made a small slit so she could move around, and hemmed everything. I then sewed the cape fabric onto the shoulders of the tshirt, hemmed it, and sewed the ribbon on.

It took me about three hours start to finish, and it's definitely not perfect. But Portia is in love! And I'm pretty proud of myself!