Friday Favorites

Summer so far has been crazy busy! Anybody else feel like it has just zoomed right by?! We went on vacation as soon as school got out, moved into our new house, and I have been decorating, unpacking, and cleaning ever since! Things have finally slowed down a little, so I thought I'd gather up some of my favorites from the week!

I headed over to visit my grandparents the other day, and we had a blast! As usual! We drove past the acreage where they lived before they moved into town five years ago. Grandma hadn't seen it since they moved, and we were both SO pleasantly surprised to see it being well taken care of. The new owner's flower beds are absolutely gorgeous! Our hearts were warmed! That property was my favorite place in the whole world--such fond memories!

Breeze Valley Garden is in full swing! Josh harvested some fresh veg the other day! We have this little crop here, plus three giant zucchinis that I ran through the food processor, separated into freezer bags (2 cups in each), and froze! It made 16 cups!!! I can't wait for more! 

The highlight of this week was my sweet husband's birthday! I love celebrating birthdays and always try to make his special! He asked for tacos for dinner (including homemade refried beans and Mexican rice) and peach pie for dessert! Happy Birthday, Josh!! 

I did a DIY project with these little American flags. I bought them several years ago for a school project I did in my classroom. They had stark white stars and stripes--I wanted something a little more muted and vintage-y! So I brewed up some (very strong) black tea, poured it in a bowl, and soaked the flags for just a few minutes (like I said, very strong tea!). Once soaked, I laid them flat to dry! I'm a huge fan of DIY projects that are that easy! 

Finally, Josh and I have been working on making our house a home, so we tackled the "mud room" area in our kitchen this week! It's kind of an odd space by the door that leads to our garage. It's too close to the dining room for it to be a breakfast nook and too out in the open for it to be a place for storage or anything like that. So, we're calling it the mud room. I got this row of hooks from Hobby Lobby, and the bench I got a while back from my friend Jackie at Vanis' Vintage. And on the opposite wall I have my desk which acts as a little mail drop station!  I'm putting together a "Duplex Decor Tour" for you to see all of these spaces! 

It's been quite a week! Thanks for reading!

grace & peace

Mairin