Summer Bucket List Ideas

30 May

Sometimes August rolls around and you look back over the summer and think, “Where in the world did the time go?!” and “What exactly did we do (besides sweat)???”

I’m all for making a list of ideas at the beginning of the summer so that you actually get to DO some fun things as a Happy Home.

Here are a few fabulous websites that have made it easy for you to be intentional about treasuring each and every moment under the summer sun!

Click Image for Idea

The incredible Crafting Chicks created the above Summer Activity Jars for extra awesome summer fun.

Go HERE to check out the idea as well as the FREE Printable lists of ideas to put in each jar.

Click Image for Idea

Tatertots and Jello came up with a bunch of neat ideas for her Happy Home’s Summer Bucket List.

You’ll love her suggestions to play flashlight tag or take dinner to a neighbor.

Snag that amazing FREE Printable HERE!

Click Image for Idea

I love how Delia Creates transformed her Summer Bucket List into a Bingo Game – complete with FREE Printable for you.

If her Happy Home completes six activities in a row, then they can go out for ice cream!

Click Image for Idea

Similar to the jar idea at the beginning of this post, Over the Big Moon crafted one, too, and makes sure you can create one as well with another great FREE Printable!

I love all of her ‘Pin’-spired ideas and think you’ll be seeing a few of them on Happy Home Fairy in the months to come. :-)

Click Image for Idea

Instead of a massive list of ideas, Somewhat Simple organized her Happy Home’s summer into this Weekly Schedule.

Totally doable and will help establish a predictable, yet fun routine for your Happy Buddies.

My favorite is THURSDAY!

Click Image for Idea

And, finally, I’d be remiss not to include Happy Home Fairy’s Summer Bucket List – The What Can I Do? Can!

This set of FREE Printable cards will have your Happy Home capturing the best moments of summer in a way that will give you a lifetime of memories.

Want to make a more personalized list?  Check out THIS GREAT POST with step-by-step instructions to creating your very own Summer Bucket List.

Want even MORE Summer Bucket List Ideas?  Go HERE immediately.

What’s on our Happy Home’s Summer Bucket List??

Well, the Happy Hubby got some new scuba diving gear for his graduation, so he’s going to be at the bottom of the ocean most of the summer.

The Happy Buddy doesn’t know it yet, but he will be experiencing some serious Potty Training Boot Camp this summer (suggestions welcomed). :-)

And me?  My Summer Bucket List is simply to get the Happy Baby home!

Happy Summer Bucket List-ing! :-)

Tags: , , , ,

Recipe – Lemon Cheese Bars

29 May

Technically it’s still Spring until June 20th, so I had to squeeze in this delicious recipe for Lemon Cheese Bars because I just love baking them up this time of year.

Friends, I think this is the Happy Hubby’s FAVORITE dessert (besides brownies).

I picked up this recipe from my college roommate and there has been no turning back!

I think my pastor even mentioned these Lemon Cheese Bars in one of his sermons once – they are that awesome. :-)

Ingredients -

1 box yellow cake mix

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tsp lemon juice

Directions -

Combine cake mix, oil, and 1 egg in a large bowl until crumbly.

Reserve 1 cup.

Pat remaining mixture in an ungreased pan.Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Set aside.Combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and lemon juice.

Beat with a mixer until light and smooth.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the baked layer.

Sprinkle reserved 1 cup of cake mix mixture on top of the cream cheese layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for another 15 minutes.

Take to your next potluck and watch them disappear!Happy Lemon Cheese Bar-ing! :-)

Tags: , , ,

The Faith of a Child

24 May

On this journey we are on, I have, on more than one occasion, doubted God’s goodness.

I have questioned whether or not He knows what is best for me and my family.

I have wrestled with fears and given a lot of kickback about where He has led us and what He has asked of us.

And just when I think I’ve come to the end of my rope – I get a text message or email from one of my friends telling me something precious about their son or daughter’s hope for the Happy Baby.This is Reuben.

Every night at dinner, Reuben’s family prays for the Happy Baby.

He asks God to help the Happy Baby feel better.

He refers to the Happy Baby as his family’s ‘other baby.’

And he makes comments like, “Can we go visit the Happy Baby when he gets better?”

I loooove that he says when and not if. :-) This is Abigail.

The other day Abigail asked her mom if the Happy Baby was still in the hospital.

Her mom said yes.

So Abigail said, “Well, then I am going to be praying for him.”This is Rebecca and Joshua.

Every morning on their way to school, Rebecca and Joshua pray with their mom.

In the middle of their prayer the other day Joshua suddenly yelled out, “Mom!  Don’t forget to pray for the Happy Baby!”

And Rebecca put the Happy Baby on the prayer list in her kindergarten classroom.This is Jackson.

The other day while he and his family were driving to the zoo, Jackson saw a picture of the Happy Baby on his mom’s phone.

He said, “Mommy, the Happy Baby… Let’s pray for him.”

So he asked to turn off the music and have the whole family pray for the Happy Baby’s healing.This is Max.

At dinner one evening Max’s dad began to ask the blessing.  He started, “Dear God…”

And Max repeated, “Dear God…”

Before his dad could say another word, Max said, “Happy Baby.  Heal him.”And, finally, this is Luke.

Luke believes in God’s superhero powers.

Luke believes that God’s superhero powers are going to bring the Happy Baby home soon.

So, my sweet Happy Home friends, when I read stories like these, how can I doubt the Father?

The same Father that each of these precious children believes in and trusts in.

They don’t ask why…  They pray in faith.

 And then they simply trust and wait and watch for what God’s going to do.

I think I’d be wise to do the same! :-)

“Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
(Luke 18:15-17 ESV)

Tags:

Last Day of School Traditions

23 May

The Happy Buddy’s final day of PreK-2 is TOMORROW!

How can it be?!

I think we need to do a little celebrating…

Here are some fun tradition ideas to make the last day of school A-W-E-S-O-M-E.

Click Image for Idea

Remember those adorable FREE Printable First Day of School signs I posted about at the beginning of the year?

Chickabug created a set for the Last Day too!

Snap a shot of your Happy Buddy holding the sign in the same position as the photo you took back in September.  How fun to watch them grow!

Click Image for Idea

Crayon Wishes and Popsicle Dreams created this Hello Whatever Grade Your Happy Buddy Is Going Into FREE Printable to stick in a fun after school snack.

What’s even more fun is that she also created a set to stick in your Happy Buddy’s breakfast treat that say ‘Goodbye Preschool’ or whatever grade was just completed.

Say Goodbye at breakfast and Hello after school!

Click Image for Idea

I am LOVING this surprise Summer Garage Banner created by The Frakers’ Acres.

You can find more Welcome to Summer Banner inspirations HERE and HERE.

Click Image for Idea

Make one of these super simple Autograph T-Shirt Pillows from Family Fun for your Happy Buddies to get all of their classmates to sign.

Click Image for Idea

Every year My Crazy Little Projects puts together a Summer Fun Kit filled with all the summer essentials (like new flipflops, sunglasses, bubbles, etc.) for her Happy Buddies to receive upon returning home from the last day of school.

Click Image for Idea

What a FABULOUS idea from Crafty Mischief!

Line up a few brand new hula hoops with this cute sign and everyone’s sure to be smilin’.

I think this idea would also be fun to do as a family for someone else.  Sneak by another Happy Home’s garage and drop off this happy surprise for them to find when they get home from school!

Click Image for Idea

Grab a plain T-Shirt and some puffy paint to create Last Day of School Shirts for your Happy Buddies to sport all day long.

Send him/her with a bunch of Sharpies and get his classmates to autograph his tee!

Click Image for Idea

Rock the car pick-up line with this Decorated Last Day of School Party Vehicle.

Click Image for Idea

This is the simplest way to bring a little magic to your Happy Buddy’s last day – a Last Day of School Lunch Bag.

Click Image for Idea

Bake a batch of happy-looking cupcakes like Pink Lemonade Boutique and write each student’s name on one!

Click Image for Idea

And, finally, your Happy Buddies will NEVER FORGET it if you let them have a Last Day of School Shaving Cream Fight like Miss Zippy. :-)

Or why not greet them at the bus stop with a bunch of water guns or water balloons?  Take no prisoners!

Your Happy Buddies deserve it after all their hard work. :-)

Happy Last Day of School-ing!

Tags: , , ,

How to Make Summer Reading FUN!

21 May

Holy cow, I couldn’t WAIT for summer time when I was a little girl!

Call me a nerd, but I would literally walk to our little town’s bookstore on a hot summer day, head inside, and camp out in front of my favorite book series.  I’d read and read and read until I knew someone would be wondering why I wasn’t at the dinner table.

Now, while books are amazing and wonderful, most kids often find the lure of the sprinkler or the lure of the swimming pool supersedes the lure of reading.

Here are a few great ways to encourage your Happy Buddies to keep their sunscreen-covered noses in a book this summer!

Click Image for Idea

How Does She? offers an amazing FREE Printable Summer Reading Star Game that will have your Happy Buddies BEGGING to read!

Seriously, I can’t even explain how much fun this printable is (coupon incentives, golden tickets, BINGO style excitement) – you must go check it out!

I kind of want to do it myself this summer. :-)

Click Image for Idea

Brown Paper Packages also offers a neat Summer Reading Program.

Print the adorable FREE Printable circles (see pic above) that your Happy Buddies will drop into a bucket after completing the task.  At the end of the week you can count up how many circles your Happy Buddy received and reward him/her with something awesome (like a sleepover in the living room with unlimited access to S’mores ingredients).

Click Image for Idea

Simple As That has a super cute FREE Printable Summer Reading Log to document your Happy Buddy’s hard work!

Click Image for Idea

Keep things simple with this creative Pick a Spot Jar from Shady Tree Diary.

Brainstorm a bunch of fun places your child can read a book (like in the bathtub).

Jot them down on craft sticks and add them to a container.

When it’s time to read – pick from the jar and follow orders!

Click Image for Idea

Speaking of fun places to read a book…

Tatertots and Jello teaches you how to make this awesome Summer Reading Tent.

You might just end up with every kid in the neighborhood wanting to read at your Happy Home if you stick one of these in the backyard!

Looking for more Summer Reading Ideas?

Alphamom has 5 great suggestions (looooove the one about the library card) to spice up summer reading.

And Saving Dollars and Sense has a terrific round-up of several FREE Kids Summer Reading Programs that are available in your community (hello FREE tokens to Chuck E. Cheese).

I hope you will use one of these great Summer Reading Ideas so that all that precious intelligence your Happy Buddy gained from a whole year of school doesn’t drip out of his noggin’ like a melting ice cream cone.

Happy Summer Reading-ing! :-)

*Stay tuned for a post featuring the Happy Buddy’s (and my own) Summer Reading Suggestions*

Tags: , , , ,

Hello Graduate.

20 May

*This post inspired by Lisa Leonard’s Hello Monday series*

Hello.

Hello funny paper graduation man that greeted the Happy Hubby on the morning of his big day.

Hello Happy Hubby walking down the aisle with a giant smile.Hello Happy Hubby receiving his special graduation hood.Hello me standing and cheering for my man who worked so hard for 6 years.Hello DIPLOMA that can’t wait to get hung on the wall in the Happy Hubby’s office at church.

Hello man announcing the Happy Hubby graduating Summa Cum Laude.

Hello victory knuckle bumps with a fellow classmate.Hello Happy Hubby doing a triumphant march out of the sanctuary.Hello picture that just says it all.

Hello sweet kiss of glorious accomplishment!

And hello pants that for some reason I thought I could fit into even though I just had a baby 6 weeks ago.

Hello running home quickly to put on a pair of sweats.Hello hug from his daddy.Hello being told by his dad that he had never been more proud of his son than at that very moment.Hello Happy Baby who is off of respiratory support.

:-)

*Update – The other day I walked into the Happy Baby’s hospital room and the nurse said, “Do you notice anything different about your son?” And suddenly I realized that I could see my sweet baby’s entire face without a million tubes or wires or tapes or Superhero Hats.

I wept.

He’s been doing great ever since, making a little bit of progress each day.

God answered our prayers for his Swallow Test (praise Him!), so now we are working hard at learning to take a bottle and have even nursed a few times (happiness).

But he is still breathing rather rapidly, which causes him to tire quickly, which makes it difficult for him to get through an entire feed, which then means a nurse has to put the rest of his milk through the feeding tube.

We are asking the Lord to continue increasing the Happy Baby’s strength so that we can get out of here without a G-tube (a surgically implanted tube that delivers food into a baby’s stomach).

We are also still waiting on some test results that will help a final diagnosis.

Your continued prayers and encouragement have been the bright spot in my days!

Hello Psalm 27:14 – “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

End of School Year Gift Ideas – Part 2

19 May

Here are a bunch of adorable ways your Happy Buddy can send a little summer blessing to the kids he or she has bonded with all year long!

Click Image for Idea

Grab an inexpensive plastic beach shovel, fill with a treat, and attach this FREE Printable tag from it is what it is.

Click Image for Idea

A Krazy Straw and a Kool Aid packet is just the perfect summer gift when paired with the above FREE Printable tag from A Cupcake for the Teacher.

Click Image for Idea

Family Fun shows you how to whip together a batch of School of Fish Cupcakes for your Happy Buddy’s classmates to  celebrate the end of a great year.

Click Image for Idea

Katherine Marie had her Happy Buddies put together these beary sweet snacks for their classmates.

Click Image for Idea

How terrific are these See You Later Alligator treat bags from Anything But Perfect?

Click Image for Idea

Package up some bouncy balls with this great FREE Printable from Dixie Delights.

Click Image for Idea

Or a summer favorite – beach balls (I saw a bunch in the Target Dollar Bins yesterday).

Attach this FREE Printable from Tami Wilson Photography and your friends will all be beach ready!

Click Image for Idea

It’s easy to find a box of chalk on the cheap.  Include a note that says, “Chalk it up to another great year!” and you’ve got a gift that will last your Happy Buddy’s classmates all summer long.

Go to Pink Peppermint Blogger for this and other Summer Fun Gift Ideas.

Click Image for Idea

And last but not least…

To Be Charmed made a super fun FREE Printable that you can wrap around mini Hershey’s bars.

Whatever you choose, your Happy Buddy’s classmates are going to love their new summer loot!

Happy End of School Year Gift Idea-ing! :-)

*See Part 1 End of School Year Gift Ideas for Teachers HERE!^

Tags: , ,

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 2,344 other followers