What could be better than a bunch of mothers

celebrating with their daughters?

 

Not much!

 

3 of my daughter's girlfriends, their mothers and

adria and I, have a fun tradition of

having a party when each of our girls

turns 30.

 

 

My girl was the 3rd one of the

4 to turn the big 3-0 and it took us a few months

to pin down a date that would work for

everyone, but we finally did and we

had such a fun day!

We started with manicures and then

went out to dinner together.

(thanks Rose for planning the party.)



Anita getting her mani

 

 

 

Dee Dee ready for hers~

 

 

 

 

This picture cracks me up! It is Karissa

looking at me- trying not to laugh out loud at

what was going on at my station.

The girl doing my mani got stuck on repeat I think. 

Believe it or not it was only my second ever

manicure and I decided on the gel.

I guess that normally involves some filing, trimming, more filing, lots more trimming- a bit of buffing, a couple pre-treatment

layers and then 2-3 coats of the gel polish.

BUT......FOR SOME REASON, MY LITTLE GIRL GOT IT IN HER

HEAD THAT I'D TOUCHED SOMETHING AND BEFORE SHE STARTED WITH THE COLOR, SHE SAID TO ME (SEVERAL TIMES) "YOU TOUCH SOMETHING?"

I kept saying "no", but she wasn't buying it- and who knows

why, but she put on 12-14 coats of polish. I lost count.

It started to feel like a Saturday Night Live skit

when everyone else left to go to dinner and I was still

"being polished". The manicure ended with her accidently

spilling my champagne (which I was too tied up to ever sip) all over me and in my purse.....

It WAS funny though and the big joke at dinner was that

I'd have to get a mother of the bride dress to match

the dark nail polish color- cause it will probably still be

on my nails. like forever!

 

 

Rose, Karissa's cute sis Kylee and  Katie who came all the

way from Glenwood-over 2 hours-for the party, (how great was that?)

 

Adria, Anita and Karissa 

 

Hi Kim Hess, down there on the end! 

I know there's a lot of closed eyes - but it was

the only shot of us toasting Adria.

 

 

The girls surprised Adria with engagement

presents too-so sweet! 

*hello Anthropologie muffin pan and timer

 

 

ring cleaner for your purse and cute post its.

perfect for someone with a new diamond.  :  )

how darling is this ring holder?

this is a traveling gag gift.

30 rocks- get it?

girlfriend loved her fab new purse

 and look what the Hess's brought her...yes a

bottle of their favorite HESS wine, from Napa Valley

 

 

 

 

 sweet Rosie is expecting her 2nd little papoose in March~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

we bugged a hostess to snap a couple pictures of

our whole group.

Love these ladies...and look forward to many more

celebrations in the coming years.

 

Karissa turns 30 next and I can't wait to celebrate!

 

 

 

xo, beth 



a snowman kind of day

 

 

Yesterday we got a few inches

of beautiful pristine new snow.

This is my backyard this morning.

Doesn't it look like it's been

frosted with buttercream icing?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 so this afternoon I went out to shovel the snow off

our deck and the snow rolled up like ice cream does and... 

if you're a kid at heart like me, you know what that means!

 

 

It means you have a yard full of snowman snow!

 

 

~there are only so many snowman making days

each winter- let us not waste them.

 

(let us not!)

 

 

 the head takes shape

 

 

 

 



  

 

before I settled on a patriotic stocking cap in

honor of the upcoming Olympics,

I tried a few other options.

 

 

Giddy Up Snowman

 

 

 

 

I've Got a Large Wreath on my Head Snowman

 

 

 

 

and this guy?  Adios Amigos Snowman.

 

 

 

 

and here's my best idea yet...

 

a two faced snowman.

 

I decided that since his cute little face faced the street,

I'd give him a second face, facing my kitchen so

I wouldn't just be looking at a faceless head.
 

face it. it matters.

 

it's better this way.

 

 

 

It's only January and I'm still loving the snow,

beth


* I have one more tip for you snowman lovers out there.
In the winter don't buy those cute little bags of mini carrots.
Always keep some old fashioned
long carrots in the fridge.
If you get a wild hair to build a snowman, those 2 inch
babies just don't cut it.








 



skin feeling a little dry?

one of my favorite bloggers

blogged about how to make this organic

sugar scrub and I decided I was

going to make some of my own today.

*************************

 

 

 

Peppermint Sugar Scrub

 

3 cups sugar

1/2 cup baby oil (or light olive oil)

several drops of peppermint essential oil

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

 

that's it!

you melt the coconut oil in the microwave for

1 minute, then add the remaining

3 ingredients. mix well and put in

 shower safe containers with a lid.

 

This exfoliates, invigorates and moisturizes.

what could be better?

*while bathing or showering just rub it on
your skin with a washcloth or your hand and then rinse off.

 

 

this is the coconut oil before melting.

have you heard all the health benefits of

this oil yet? I've used it for cooking, gargled with it

for gum health and now I've used it in a bath scrub.

 

 

so melt the oil, add the rest

and stir till well mixed and put in your containers.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 You can use other essential oils instead of peppermint too.

I'd like to try lavender and eucalyptus next.

 

Wouldn't these make a fun little surprise for

a girlfriend?

 

A girlfriend with alligator skin.

 

Help a girlfriend out!

 

 

xox, b



 

 

 

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

 

 



 

 

 

woman camps

 

I woke up this morning thinking about man camps.

 

 

my sister is living in one

in williston ND.

 

 

I haven't been there to visit or see it,

but I picture it looking something like this:

 

(Not really sure why they are called "man camps", but I

suspect it's because they don't really

welcome women there.)

 

 

 

not a whole lot of glamorous going on here right?

"Glamping" it's not.

 

My sister's hubbie is one of the hard working, risk taking

oil field workers...doing what they do to get the oil

from the fields to the trains out there.

 

My sis bravely made the decision to accompany him and

live side by side with her guy when he needed to

head west for work.

 

I admire her. And him. Would I have made the

same decision?

I don't think so. I wish I could say that if

Lars was working there I would have been right

on board to go with and be his

support/cook/dedicatedwife/companion.

 

I pretty much know that if he'd been heading to North Dakota

to work for weeks at a time between trips home,

that I would have embraced him, wished him well and said,

"stay safe, I'll see you when you get home"!

 

Well, this morning I got to thinking...

why don't we start women camps?

 

 

They would look something more like this:

 





A whole bunch of woman living side by side.

 

 

FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

We could:



*have potluck meals
 

*take turns going to the grocery store
 

*exchange good books
 

*lay on lawn chairs (by the lake or our pool)

and talk about pop culture
 

*hire massage therapists to come and

give us foot rubs
 

*stay in our yoga pants all day
 

*only do yoga on days that end in T.
 

*watch American Idol, The Voice,

and Downton Abbey together
 

*check Face Book frequently
 

*knit

*listen to Adele
 

 

 

no boys allowed.

 

 

 

you in?





xo, beth



she may be little...

 

and her beginning may have been rocky, 

but she is fierce. 

 

 

this is Audrey. Audrey didn't come to this

world in an easy way. This is the precious little

miracle baby I've told you about before. This is

the baby who's mama's water broke at 26 weeks

gestation.

 

she was born 8 weeks earlier than her

expected due date.

 

I took these photos of her when she was 6 weeks old~

 2 weeks before

her due date and she is just a little

rock star! She's doing great and she

is so blessedly healthy and look at how beautiful

and perfect she is!

 

welcome to the world precious baby girl.

I just can't wait to see how your

life unfolds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it is such a privilege to photograph a sweet newborn-

thank you jess & I hope these are images you will treasure forever. 

****************************************

And these two?

 

I have a feeling if Audrey

can't fight off the boys in Jr. high

these two big brothers will

have her back.

 

(insert smile)

 

happy Friday!

 

xox, beth