NEW website

Awhile back my blogger account was hacked into.  I am just now getting around to dealing with the problem and getting a new website set up.  It's finally finished...all of my blog posts have been transferred over, and other than a few things to finish up {about me page, profile pic, etc.}, it is good to go!

PLEASE bookmark my new page or come on over and become a follower of there!  Just click on my logo and it will take you there...or if you need to do it manually, it is

www.23designco.blogspot.com

See ya on the new site!

Summer yumminess

With the kids home for a couple months, am I the only who feels like our summer lunches can get a little boring...I mean peanut butter and honey, mac and cheese, and chili cheese quesadillas can get old pretty fast.  That's why I love finding things kick it up a notch. 

The Pioneer Woman has forever changed my view of the grilled cheese.  She introduced this little baby into my life last year.

First time, I made it for dinner {just as the recipe instructed} on a hot evening and it went over well by all. It's all the comfort of grilled cheese with a whole lot more flavor....PW even calls it her favorite sandwich, if that tells you anything. ; )

RECIPE : 

• 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard, to taste
• 1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise, to taste
• 1 whole Tomato
• 1 whole Red Onion, Small
• 2 slices Mild Cheddar
• 1 can (4 Oz.) Whole Green Chilies
• 2 slices Provolone
• 2 slices Rye Bread
• Butter

Mix the mustard and mayo and put on an inside piece  of the bread.  Layer all the veggies in between the provolone and butter the outsides.  {That's the short version, you can click over to her website once again for all the gorgeous pics.}

Since then, I'm not sure I've made it the same way twice....but it's always SO good.  We've even added ham to it and it's really good too....it makes the men in your life ok with having grilled cheese for dinner if you slap a piece of meat on it. :) I also almost like the diced green chilies better...partly because I always have them on hand and they also spread so easily.  If you have a can of Hatch green chilies...even better!  I've used all kinds of cheese and all kinds of bread....so don't be afraid if you don't have all the perfect ingredients, just put it together with what you have and like and I guarantee, you'll love it!

Happy summer cooking!

Weekend wrap-up and some sunny days ahead...

I was so excited Friday night to go pick up my girls from the airport....they'd been with their grandma and grandpa to a little place you may have heard of....

They had an amazing time and I was so excited to wake up Saturday morning and hear all about the big trip and finish up my project I started while they were gone {I'll be posting on it later}.  Instead, I woke up Saturday not feeling well and the weekend went downhill from there.  I've pretty much been in bed ever since.  Miserable.  Just miserable.  Moms definitely should not be allowed to get sick...can I get an AMEN?

So, in honor of me looking at my pretty tan walls for the last 3 days instead of soaking up the sun, here's a little bit of sunshine for you to enjoy?

{via} Definitely a nice spot for my coffee drinking

{via} love this yellow coral wallpaper

{via} Great windows, simplicity and touches of color

{via} A warm yellow with lots of al fresco dining, I can imagine

{via} Pretty sure I featured this before, but this yellow headboard may make this room

{via}Another warm yellow with some great ikat slipcovers

{via} LOVE this....the windows, the over stuffed ratan sofa, the paint

{via} Happiest laundry room ever....I bet my clothes would even look cleaner in here. : )

Well, hopefully these brightened your day.  I'm definitely hoping for a brighter day tomorrow. : )

Come and knock on my door...

Don't you LOVE a good front door on a house??  I'm one of those crazy people that could look at houses all day and sometimes you just see a door that makes the entire house and I love that.  I don't know if I'm gutsy enough to try some of these colors, but I love how this one little piece of the puzzle can just complete it when done well.  Some faves....

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The last one is all about the design, but most of the others the color is what drew me in.  Love all these and how they make their surroundings more beautiful...behind security, don't you think that may be the front door's most important job??

Mine currently is kind of a muted brick red....but looking at these has made me wish for something with a little more glass and pizzazz.  What about you....have y'all bravely taken this step before me??

Top 5 : : Poolside edition

I don't think I've ever spent as much time poolside as I have living in Texas.  Maybe it's because if you are going to be outside in the summer you'd better find something to help you stay cool or maybe because my husband's parents {and our gym and many friends} have a pool that we are in almost everyday.  Either way, I thought I'd share some of my poolside must-haves.

1.  This after-sun lotion....nothing else compares.  It's like $6 at Wal-Mart and it lasts all summer and then some.  I bathe myself in this stuff everytime we leave...and sometimes even during. {I'm a bit of a lotion freak}  It feels like you are giving your skin a big drink after drying it out in the sun and chlorine.  I cannot tell you how much I love this stuff. : )

2.  A great bag.  Especially if you have kids, this one makes such a difference.  Some places we go, we have to load up towels so that means you need a pretty good sized bag.  Having some great pockets is also super helpful {for membership cards, phone, watch, etc}.  Mine is canvas from the Gap {from about 5 years ago} and I love it, but there also some great wipe-able bags or lighter weight ones as well.  Some of my faves...

This one is from L.L. Bean for $37...Lands' End has some great ones too.  Great quality, classic look and look even better with a monogram! : )

Love the Calypso St. Barth collection at Target for this summer....this one is only $19.99.

This one is from Piperlime.  Not really in my price range right now, but great inspiration. :)

3.  Sunglasses.  I love a good pair of sunglasses...BUT if it's a nice pair, it is a broken/lost pair for me. So, I've started buying a couple great pairs from the Dollar Tree every summer.  They work great, look cute and of course, never get lost or broken.  ; )

4.  A swimsuit.  I know, duh.  I've developed quite a collection...different suits for different occasions.  There's the waterpark suit that doesn't not budge...ever.  There's the laying out suit...I'll leave that one there.  Then, I've got the ones that are cute and appropriate to wear with the fam or friends.  My faves in this category would probably be a strapless tankini...modest with no weird tanlines.  Love these...

Love this one from J. Crew.  Their selection is AMAZING!

Also J. Crew.  Love these colors.

Don't like the straps as much on this one, but Trina Turk has some amazing swimsuit prints....LOVE this!

I honestly usually get mine end of the season clearance.  There is still great selection and I'm paying $10 rather than $100. :)

5.  A great water bottle.  I inherited a Camelbak because my super-cool cousin who has everything that is cool for the outdoors, well, she left it in my car when we visited her in Wyoming.  I meant to send it...and that was 2 years ago.  : )  Hopefully we'll visit this summer and bring her a new one {since I've used the tar out of this one}.  I fill it up with ice {or even freeze it half-full} and it stay's cool for quite a bit.  It is indestructible and not possible for my little sweeties to backwash into it. : )

My sweet husband also bought me this one from Starbucks that I LOVE.  It is so cool...it is glass and has a silicone cover.  I love it...it definitely has the cool factor going too. ; )

 

I also have become addicted to this  Mio water enhancer.  LOVE it.  I've been drinking so much more water...usually this time of year my sweet tea consumption is ridiculous.  If you haven't tried it, they have so many different flavors, I bet you'll find one you love! : )

That's it.  That's my list.  What is on  your list for hanging out by the pool?  I'd love to hear yours...it may become one of must-have's too!

Tip Tuesday

My simple tip today comes from a whole bunch of friends who told me about it, and I finally decided to give it a try. 

TIP : Use your Iphone {or other type of phone or Ipod touch} to do your Bible reading.  There is an actual Bible app and it is awesome!  Not only are there a ton of different versions, but some of them are even audio.  This way you can keep up with it while you are in the carpool line, at the park or pool, or all the other places where you may have a few minutes but may not normally keep your Bible with you. 

I am currently doing the 90 day Bible using The Message version.  I love how this version makes things easier to understand {especially when reading through the Old Testament}.  I just plugged in my start day and the app maps it out for me...I'm scheduled to be done August 5!  I just try to catch up when I can...sometimes I'm a couple days behind and sometimes I'm a couple ahead.  I've even turned on the audio version and listened to it.

Maybe you have another way that works for you, but I just thought I'd let you know something that has helped me SO SO much!  I'd love to hear how you do it and what works for you.  I'm so ashamed to say that I've been a Christian for almost 25 years and never read the whole Bible through, but I am so excited to be able to do this {and it worked out great to fit in between our Bible Studies at church!}.

Precious girl's room with LOTS of inspiration!

A really good friend named Lydia I grew up with started a blog just a bit before I started mine...we'd kept in touch through Facebook {since she lives in Washington}, but since I got acquainted with her blog, I feel like I've gotten to know her all over again!  She has two sweet little girls and a husband who is serving our country in Afghanistan.  So thankful for the "glimpses" into her life that remind me to pray for her, because I don't know how she does it...and manages to pull off cute kids' parties, gardening projects and lots of fun projects in her house.

I wanted to show you her adorable oldest daughter Lily's room.  She and her husband are real DIY'ers {I think she has a sofa ready for him to build when he gets back!} and they did an amazing job on this room.  You can read all about it here.

Here is the before....I'm sure those built-ins signaled them of the potential of this room....

They transformed it into this fun and happy room...love this color scheme!

love the attention to detail...like the bunting over the window

love it's lived-in, accumulated-over-time look with all those great accessories

love the bright table set and the "advent" alphabet

love the vintage prints

Don't you love this space??  You can also read about her kids' play house {yes, her husband made it too...it's AMAZING!}, and her awesome kitchen {I want to hack everything in it}.  Go on over and check her out at Sophia & Rose....you won't be disappointed!  And Lydia {my birthday bud...our birthdays are a day a part}....thanks for letting me feature you and I am so excited that your sweet husband comes home in just a couple weeks...YAY!

Easy {and FREE} bag tutorial

I know y'all have seen these flowers before, usually on a headband or necklace or even bunched together on a wreath. This time, I decided to try to make a large one to put on this denim bag.  I'm usually not one to gaudy things up too much, but I'd had this bad laying around forever and decided it either needed to change or go {My husband got it as end of the year gift from the PTA at his previous school...it had that school's logo embroidered on it, so I took that out a few years ago.  Gym teachers & coaches aren't usually known to carry cute little denim embroidered bags...ha. : ) }

The supplies I used for this project included the bag, scrap fabric { I had a scarf that never seemed to look right with anything that went into my fabric bin, but you could use old t-shirts or any fabric that you can cut into strips}, and my hot glue gun.  I just bought the cheapo one at Hobby Lobby for like $4 and it has lasted me almost 5 years.

 Start with a tab of fabric in the middle and glue it down.  Then wrap it around so that the end of that tab is covered, gluing along the way.  Usually when I make these flowers, I glue only parts of it, but I glued most of this one down since I figured it would get used a bit harder.

 I just wrapped it tightly and twisted my fabric strip as I went.  If your strip doesn't make one whole flower, you can just add a new strip as you twist the flower and it will seamlessly tie in.

 Continue to glue and twist until you get the desired size.  On this flower, I just used up the length of the scarf.  And here's the finished product....

I spent $0 and less than 10 minutes....and I've already had to settle a fight between my girls over it. I'd say that's a good sign it turned out all right. ;)

Tip Tuesday

 Today's tip comes from two friends that I go way back with...I used to admire them as creative mommas when I'd watch their children {they each have 5!}.  Their houses always looked cute, their kids always looked cute and they were just a whole lot of fun to be around too!  Their kids are older now and they have both started photography businesses and I am SO sad I don't live by them anymore because they do such awesome work, but if you are near San Diego or San Francisco, I'd love to introduce you to them...you won't be disappointed! {you can click on their cities to check out their websites}

TIP : When having company {or you just have a big family like us!}, use rubber bands with names on them around your glasses/cups to help cut down on the germ fest. :) Sofia even suggested using  colored ones....how cute would this be for a party?!?  I  especially love them on the mason jars, but this would work for all different types of cups and look cute and be so functional!

  

I'm really wishing I would have thought of this one.

cool photo from Amy via Instagram

Added bonus:  with little ones around, sometimes my sharpie used for names on cups can end up in the hands of someone who doesn't need it {like, say, the 3 & under crowd}...so get the rubber bands ready ahead of time and keep that sharpie hidden away! 

 Thanks again Sofia and Amy for this awesome tip...can't wait to use it for my next get-together!

More blue

I'm such a sucker for blue.  I keep seeing more examples of it that make me love it even more.  I've also combined this blue love with a new little addiction called Pinterest { a great online resource to tag all your favorite pics online and see other people's faves too }...all images found there today.  Take a peek for yourself.

blues, greens and orange...could this kitchen get any happier?

with this calming yet cheerful nursery, there is no way your baby could be colicky, right??

the seashell chandelier, the striped floor....I'd love to eat all my meals here

By the looks of this door, I think I'd love the rest of the house

fun style ideas...this might be my new Saturday look {well, after the ridiculously hot Texas summer is over }

So elegant

the touch of blue could add so much to a simple outfit...love these

party ideas

wedding ideas...loved the blues and those gorgeous flowers

I might be on the hunt for some pretty blue mason jars.. ; )

I don't mind a grey sky every now and then, but sky blue is my favorite color of blue and it always brings a smile to my face!

Have you used Pinterest?  I'd love to hear some of your tips since I'm definitely still a novice.  Hopefully, once I get the hang of it, it will become an awesome resource to help file all my favorite online pics.

Hope you enjoyed the "blues' today... : )