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photography + friends = awesome

January 24, 2017 Filed in friends,photography

6 years ago i went to a GoPro Workshop to learn about photography from Wendy & Tyler of Blue Lily.
i don’t think any of us could’ve imagined when we signed up for those workshops that we would end up with a friend group like this but i am SO grateful for all of them!
The next year they started GoPro Reunions for anyone who had participated in any of the workshops and it’s continued ever since.  I have been only been able to make it twice – one in Utah and one in Colorado (you can click on those and see the crazy stuff we did!)

but this year… the reunion was at the Craft House!

it was so special for me to get to share my real world with these ladies.
and i really had fun being at the craft house and to not be the one in charge!

it was so wonderful catching up with these ladies.
each love photography and have their own unique style.
they are from all over – from maryland to washington to new york to california and everywhere in between.
i think my friend summer said it well, “we come from a wild variety of backgrounds and beliefs, but all share a mutual kindness and respect that makes a truly beautiful friendship.”

i left the weekend feeling so honored to be included in this group of women.
what a gift they are to me!

and i have to say… i have never seen a group like them out at the antiques barn.
it was “Photographers Gone Wild!”

i like every single one of those girls!

( i didn’t take ANY of those photos – credits go to all them)

NOW…  you need to get on Wendy’s photography calendar for your family’s photos!!
Blue Lily is EVERY WHERE!
they take pictures all over the world!
find a date that works for you and get it scheduled.
you will not regret having family pictures of this stage right now – whatever this stage is – because they are ALL special if the they include people you love!
here are the four sessions we’ve had with Blue Lily over the years:


2010 – when i was taller than all five kids!


2011 – when it was cold!


2012 – the paint fight insanity


2014 – the hug fest

and we WILL figure out a time and a way to do it again this year!
because everyone changes SO quickly and i love every stage!

add a comment

Lori - Love seeing your family photos!

Patty - OMG, I teared up looking at the photos of your family growing up…. <3 It looks like you had so much fun with your photography group!

Sue - What a lovely fun post.

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nashville

October 7, 2016 Filed in awesome bloggers,friends,me me me,travels

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last week i got to get away for some girlfriend time.
it was just what i was needing!
i met up with my friend shannan  in nashville, tennesse.
her book “Falling Free” launched that week and her publisher is in nashville.
she was doing some press work with them and i just tagged along.
🙂

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after arriving we took a nap.  seriously.
we are wild.
off the charts.

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Shannan was speaking at an (In)Courage event that evening and i decided to join them too.
there was a panel discussion about friendship, then we chatted in small groups and made new friends.  🙂

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the next morning shannan left early for book/work/promo stuff and i literally stayed in bed all day.
D R E A M Y!
(yes… i did bring my own mug! i knew i’d be in the room a lot, drinking lots of coffee and hotels either have teeny tiny mugs or paper cups.  so i thought ahead and threw a REAL size mug into my suitcase to help me relax even more!)
after Live with Kelly (& Chris Pratt) AND The Price is Right… i clicked around the local Nashville news channels and there she was!
Shannan cooked tacos on Today in Nashville & got to share about her book.
how fun is that?

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after it aired i texted her “i just took 72 photos of your news cast!”
i wanted to be sure i got a good one!

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that evening her publisher threw her a party at a very lovely restaurant called Adele’s.
i wish i’d taken 100 more photos but i didn’t.
doesn’t she look ga-ga-gorgeous in that vintage dress!?!
perfect choice!
it was so fun to get to celebrate her accomplishments and meet so many of her Nashville area friends!
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and see some of my own!
so fun to get to sit with laura at dinner!!!
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it was such a fun night!
i was so thrilled to be her plus one.
LOL.

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we goofed around in nashville the rest of the weekend doing more eating and talking.
we are pros at NOT finding the cool things to do in cool cities.
neither one of us like to plan or make decisions so we end up at a strip mall or mcdonalds or dairy queen.
no joke.
but who cares – all we want is time to talk & the tables at mcdonalds over a fountain Coke work just fine for that.
seriously though you do not want us to be your tour guides.
we’re terrible.
three
we did hit Anthropologie.
that store is so pretty and so awesome and so ridiculous all in one.
usually i leave empty handed but filled with inspiration!
inspired because of things like this – check out this quilt (below)
IT IS MADE OF ENVELOPES!
one
it’s P A P E R!!!
who thinks of this stuff?!!  who sews envelopes together to make a quilt?!
brilliant artists – that’s who!

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our friend tara lives close by(ish) and came to join us for saturday night!
she IS a wonderful tour guide and found us great spots to eat and shop.
she saved the day!
tara always brings the laughter to any party.
i feel lucky to be her friend.
the three of us stayed up waaaay too late talking about everything imaginable while enjoying our stash of party food.

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the goodbyes always come too soon.
AND i forgot to have shannan sign my book!

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several times during the weekend i had moments of overwhelming gratitude to God for putting me with certain people at the perfect time.
i had some truly important DEEP talks with brand new friends that i NEEDED to have.
it blew me away with how specifically God was meeting my needs that i didn’t even voice out loud that i needed.
more than once i thought “wow God! thank you so much for this conversation! you really DO know my heart!” while the other person was still talking!
not to mention all the ways my “old” friends blessed me too!
i am a verbal processor and i needed several days to get allllll my words out – and processed.  😉

 

i felt loved by God in nashville.
(maybe that’s how everyone feels in nashville?! HA!)
that was not what i was expecting to get from that trip but i’m not complaining one bit.
so now…. the most important part of this post is this:

have you read Falling Free?

i loved it for so many reasons and i know you will too.
you can order it here on Amazon or it is available anywhere books are sold!

shannan – i am so proud of all the hard work you did to bring your words into the world.
you continue to be an example of humility, grace, wisdom and all with no frills.
i just like you so stinkin’ much.
the end.

🙂

add a comment

Tara - I was just getting lost in your blog, enjoying all the eye candy you enhance my life with and WHAT??? it’s me and you and shanbam and margs and ice cream and laughter and happiness and i want to do it all again. i love you so my friend!

Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - Friends that you can say “hey, I want a nap” to are golden. Truth.

Tessa - I just started reading “Falling Free” and I can’t wait to read more tonight after the littles are in bed. I found Shannan’s blog when she went to Ecuador with Ashley Campbell. Oh my goodness, she has rocked my world in every good way possible and I haven’t read her book yet. In some ways, it is like I have finally found a kindred spirit and in other ways, she is pushing me out of my comfort zone by reminding me about the simplicity and importance of loving thy neighbor. I also have to add that I could totally relate to not needing to see the “tourist attractions” and instead, just wanting to veg in a hotel room and talk over a soda at McD’s. Sounds absolutely wonderful! 🙂

Heather - That Flower Patch girl is the best!! I love her va va vintage dress!! Hey can I ask what paint color you have in your “new” house!!

jo - Shannon is stunning looking in that dress. What a humble lady. Wish her much success with the book. Looks like you had a lot of fun.

Laura - Love you!!!!

Su - So I just got the following email from my mil and then I see this post. Perhaps I should order the book, eh? Here is the email. Pass it onto Shannan; I am sure it will encourage her 🙂

Email:

I have a friend that I am anxious to tell you about who, in agreement with her husband and children, have made a decision to give up the life they have been living and step out in faith to follow Christ – the kind of stories that excite you. Part of their decision was confirmed by a book, “Falling Free”. Below are reviews of the book and her blog if you are interested. Maybe you are already familiar with her. mom

sharon / tpt - Geez how fun! Good on ya.
I follow you both. Have her book already:) You are great lights in the world. For reals.

and #anthropologyNeverwrong !!

Tiffany - Girl time, Girls Night Out, Girl Talk – Priceless!!

Stephanie L. Robertson - Hi Meg!
Enjoyed your post. Nashville is lots of fun.
Just two words: Nashville Flea Market! Oops, that was 3. Anyway, I live about an hour and a half south, so send me a msg the next time you guys all get together. Looks like so much fun!
Blessings!
Stephanie

Marcia (123 blog) - People on amazon are calling this book as “in the vein of Francis Chan’s Crazy Love” and that swayed me – I will buy it and I can’t wait to read.

SoCalLynn - I have read it and I love it. It has come at the perfect time for me as I am examining my existence and what I’m here for for the next 20 years. My youngest is graduating high school this year so that means I’m finished home schooling and I need to do something meaningful.

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ice cream + friends + photos

August 2, 2016 Filed in crafts & art,friends,sponsored,things i love
My younger girls had an impromptu party recently.
They texted their friends at noon saying “Ice Cream Sundaes & an outdoor movie at 7:00”
Almost everyone said they could come!
I got every ice cream topping we could think of at the grocery store.
We cleaned up the porch & the yard and it was party time!party1IMG_5091IMG_9730IMG_9724

Ice cream makes the world a better place.
It brings people together.
Ice cream for President!!

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A party was the perfect time to use our new Fujifilm Instax Mini 70 camera.
This camera is seriously SO MUCH FUN!

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None of these girls had seen how an instant photo worked!
They were amazed!
I wish I had a video because they all squealing with excitement as the photo appeared out of the blue.

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Then it was all smiles and silliness – taking loads of pictures of each other.
I think everyone got a turn to try it out and be in the photos as well.

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I hung up some yarn on the porch from my green rusty metal cubby box.
We set out a bowl of tiny clothespins to hang all their photos up.
This way everyone got to see the pics and it kept them from blowing away.

IMG_5056IMG_5059IMG_5046IMG_5048IMG_5053IMG_5062They even took pictures of all their pictures!

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The camera has a self-timer, macro mode, landscape mode, fill-in flash and a setting called Hi-Key that lightens the whole photo.
It even has a Selfie Setting with a little selfie mirror on the front!

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(you can see my hand & phone in the selfie mirror above.)

IMG_9714party7There were so many smiles in our backyard that night!
The sun went down, the girls got cozy on all our outdoor chairs and we put on the movie.
The movie choice this time was “Alexander & the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”
It’s a funny (and clean) movie that is good for all ages.

We had a super simple party favor we made for our guests to display their favorite Instax Mini photo at home.
These frame blocks are easy and fun to make.

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I went to my local hardware store and bought an 8 foot long 2″x4″ for about $3.00.

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I marked the board every 5.5 inches with a pencil.

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Using our compound miter saw I made a cut at each line.
(Yes – I did this! Mr. D showed me how to use this last year and I LOVE it!)

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I ended up with 17 blocks.
If you were not lazy (or if you can find your palm sander) you could sand down all the edges and smooth the tops of your blocks.
But I could NOT find my palm sander OR sand paper so I took the lazy route and didn’t do it.
And the world did not end.
Wipe the block down with a damp rag to remove all the dust.

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Paint them however you’d like.
We used acrylic craft paint from any craft store.
Obviously I went the rainbow theme for the blocks I decorated.  🙂
My lines aren’t straight… it’s not perfect… and i like it that way!

I found these little clothespins already painted in the dollar spot at Target.
You can find small clothespins at any craft store too.

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Put a thin line of hot glue on the back of the clothespin. Press the glued side down onto the block.

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Add your picture into the clothespin and you are done!
My girls made other designs too so it was not all rainbow stripes.
This craft would be great for kids to make during a party too!

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And guess what?! The awesome people at Fujifilm want to give one of you readers a $100 Visa gift card!
For a chance to win:
leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite kind of ice cream sundae!
what kind of ice cream? what toppings? what sauce? cherry or no cherry? Let’s hear it!

megrainbowstripeSKINNYEntry Instructions:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
1. Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
2. Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older (or nineteen (19) years of age or older in Alabama and Nebraska). Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. The notification email will come directly from BlogHer via the sweeps@blogher email address. You will have 2 business days to respond; otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 8/1/2016 – 9/1/2016
Be sure to visit the Fujifilm 2H on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!

 

 

add a comment

Tamara - I love my ice cream with peanut butter and chocolate drizzled on top!! Thanks for sharing all your awesome party pics.
westiemks5 at yahoo dot com

Shannon - The more the better!! Mint chocolate chip ice cream with a ton of toppings and caramel syrup!! MMMmmmm!

Stefanie G - my favorite sundae is vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate sauce, chopped peanuts, and strawberries!

Anastasia Falling - Tweeted 🙂 – https://twitter.com/Enter_Now/status/771535710872481794

Anastasia Falling - I love my sundaes with -everything-!!! Peanuts, cherries, chocolate sauce, raspberry sauce, caramel, bananas.. OH and whipped cream!! YEAH!!! 🙂

Kathryn C - #SweepstakesEntry- comment

mint chocolate chip ice cream with some hot fudge and whipped cream! sure, put a cherry on top too!

Kathryn C - my #SweepstakesEntry tweet:

https://twitter.com/thrincor/status/771479049927548928

Jerry Marquardt - I publicly Tweeted this giveaway: https://twitter.com/versatileer/status/771414609009913856

Jerry Marquardt - My favorite kind of ice cream sundae is one made with Neapolitan ice cream with whipped cream, nuts and a cherry on top.

Tabathia B - tweet https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/771409458920579073

tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

Tabathia B - I like vanilla ice cream with caramel and nuts, no cherry on top

tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com

Debbie B - i love a hot fudge sundae with whipped cream and nuts

Kim H. - I love hot fudge, peanut butter and whipped cream over chocolate ice cream!

Kerry - Vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce and caramelized pecans!

Thomas Murphy - I like vanilla ice cream with everything on it.

Jen Webster - My daughter wants one of these cameras SO bad!

Betty C - Great impromptu party idea. My choice would be a banana split with vanilla, chocolate and coffee ice cream, hot fudge topping and definitely whipped cream with a cherry. Maybe even two cherries.

Cynthia C - I don’t think you can make a bad ice cream sundae, but if I had my choice I would use coffee ice cream with hot fudge and salted pecans.

Erica Best - i love banana split with no chocolate

Terry Stevens - Tweeted-https://twitter.com/birdiebee52/status/770364521978277888?lang=en

Terry Stevens - I love hot fudge sundaes with whipped cream on top.

Jessica - Classic sundae with vanilla ice cream, lots of hot fudge, a little whipped cream, and strawberries. No cherry – yuck!

Catherine Burnett - Oh my goodness! How true! My 9 & 4 year olds would have no idea that you could have an instant print picture! How fun- they would be blown away. Super cute party!

Denise L - My favorite sundae would involve warm brownies, vanilla ice cream, and hot fudge sauce. Don’t forget the cherry on top!

Stephanie Phelps - My favorite ice cream sundae would be a caramel with whip cream and a cherry on top!

Susan Smith - I love hot fudge and caramel sauce on vanilla ice cream with whipped cream and nuts.

Sarah D - Mint chocolate chip ice cream with hot fudge and chocolate chips!

Barbara Montag - I love a vanilla ice cream sundae with lots of walnuts and chocolate syrup.
I’ll skip the cherry.
thank you

Margaret Smith - Tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/767494765382361090
Thanks again.

Margaret Smith - My favorite is vanilla ice cream with hot fudge. Thanks so much.

Kristen - I like coffee ice cream (or mint chip) with hot fudge, nuts and whipped cream.

Christmas Countdown - thanks so much for this article it is appreciated.

Madeline - Oh, that’s an easy one. I love a sundae with any kind of chocolate ice cream (maybe moose tracks) and peanut butter topping with whipped cream. Cherries are fine, too!

natasha lamoreux - I like my icecream sundae with chocolate icecream instead of vanilla.

BusyWorkingMama - I’m sucker for vanilla ice cream with caramel or strawberry topping.

Gretchen - This would be SO MUCH fun for all the gatherings we have at our farm!

Tomi C - Vanilla ice cream with tons of hot fudge and salted caramel sauce. Yummy!!!

Cindy - My favorite ice cream is mocha chip.

Katy Brawley - What a fun party!

I love turtle sundaes!!

10 Backyard Escape Ideas | Jenny On the Spot - […] back porch has the lights and the bunting and colorful furniture… plants and outdoor rugs. Read the whole post to see her fun craft idea and how she throws an ice cream […]

Lyndi Schnelle - vanilla ice cream, hot fudge topping – no cherry! I love the board frames you made – they’re so colorful and graphic!

Elma Riedstra - Vanilla with warm chocolate and caramel and whipped cream and cherries!! yum

Sharon B - A good old hot fudge sundae! Vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry! Yum!

meredith feisel - THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE POSTS! I love everything about it!!!! I wish I was there!

Mindy - My girls and I love hot fudge Sunday’s with a little warm Carmel, whip cream, peanuts and a cherry!! ( well we all put a cherry on top so we can give them to the littlest kiddo!) She loves cherries!!! 😊 I just love all the fudge!!

Karen Thurman - My favorite ice cream sundae is pretty traditional. Vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream and nuts (no banana!!).

Elizabeth pergande - I would capture all the little moments. truckredford(at)Gmail(dot)com

Fay - My favorite ice cream toppings are hot fudge with a bit of caramel sauce, toffee bits, and walnuts. *heaven*

Rachel - My favorite sundae flavor is hot fudge with almonds and whipped cream.

Margie - Peanut Toffee….a local favourite!
Vanilla ice cream, peanut toffee sauce, no whip cream,no cherry!

Mita - Vanilla, Strawberries and chocolate ice cream.

Lisa Brown - tweet-https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/763680732753440768
jslbrown2009 at aol dot com

Lisa Brown - I like chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup, caramel, and whipped cream, no nuts.
jslbrown2009 at aol dot com

Eleanor - chocolate! all the toppings! and chocolate sauce and whipped cream! YUM. Ice cream is my favorite dessert. Cherries are good, but I saw a video about how they were made and I just can’t eat them anymore! whaaa 🙁

Ann Marie - Rocky road!!

KT - Chocolate peanut butter ice cream, hot fudge and caramel sauce, chopped salted pecans, whipped cream and a cherry on top!!! YUMMY! Love the craft and photo idea! Thank you for offering this giveaway!

Robin - I love a hot fudge sundae with a cherry on top!

Courtney - Strawberries and chocolate are a must – with vanilla ice cream. I guess I’m boring lol.

Jodie - My favorite ice cream is “French silk”. Unfortunately, it isn’t always available in Michigan. Sad indeed…

kari - chocolate ice cream with strawberries and caramel on top. no cherry. delish!

Angie Shepherd - chocolate and vanilla icecream,coconut, almonds, sprinkles,chocolate chips and yes a cherry on top

Amber M. - Hot fudge sundae from Braums (which I miss SO much now that I don’t live in Oklahoma anymore). I give my cherry away!

Deb meyers - Cherry Garcia with a sprinkling of crushed Fritos. 😜

Robyn - Maybe I’m wrong but…is there a BAD flavor of ice cream?? My first choice is always my mom’s homemade vanilla with homemade hot fudge sauce-yumMO

Marla Jensen - What a fun camera!!

Crystal Paine - My favorite is vanilla ice cream with caramel, nuts, whip cream & of course a cherry on top!!!

Elizabeth Cannata - Vanilla ice cream, fresh berries, no whipped cream! Lol

lacey poag - every detail of your party is excellent! my ice cream bowl is vanilla ice cream, fresh berries & peaches, and a dash of fine sea salt if I can feeling wild 🙂

Teri Mather - Fun camera

Tonya - Strawberry ice cream, hot fudge, sliced strawberries and whipped cream!

Whitney - I like mine pretty simple, vanilla ice cream with crushed Oreos & chocolate syrup.

Patty - My favorite is vanilla ice cream with mango slices and raspberries. YUM!

Kim D - Any type of ice cream!!! I love vanilla with fudge and candy bar chunks on top!

Krista W. - Hmm…I love mint chocolate chip ice cream and cookies and cream! I think the perfect topping would be some hot fudge and sprinkles! No cherry. 😉

Michelle - Love cookies & cream ice cream w caramel sauce!

maria cantu - My favorite ice cream is chocolate flavored with lots of cherries on top.

Lisa W - Turtle! Chocolate ice cream, caramel and chocolate sauce, crushed pecans. No cherry needed 🙂

Sharon - Vanilla ice cream with crushed oreos, whipped cream and absolutely a cherry on top.
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
Sharon

Tracy - My kids love most ice cream but their fav is a traditional twist like their dad – psst..I think he’s brainwashed them!!
My favorite is PB Sundaes!! 🙂

elizabeth v. - i like a warm brownie, vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream!

Victoria - Chocolate ice cream, chocolate chunks, walnuts, cool whip and chocolate syrup!

What a fun idea for a party! I have an 11yo and it looks like it is something she and her friends would love.

Jamie - Chocolate ice cream on top of a warm brownie. Hot fudge on top. No cherry 🙂

CharityS - My favorite is caramel with walnuts.

Michelle - Traditional – hot fudge, with nuts and a cherry on top. Yummy!

Nancy F - Coconut ice cream with dark chocolate hot fudge sauce and whipped coconut cream topped with fresh raspberries. This is a great party idea!

Annie - This looks like the best party! My favorite ice cream topping is Oreos and fudge!

Jermaine - Love the ice cream bar and movie night idea, and the favors turned out really cute!

Amber B - I love vanilla ice cream and caramel…YUM!

Holly D - I love rocky road! What a fun party!

Rebecca - Oh, pound cake sundae! Good ol’ Vanilla ice cream on top of a warm piece of pound cake. Topped with hot fudge, whip cream and a cherry! YUM!

Ronda - My favorite sundae is chocolate ice cream with peanut butter topping some chocolate chips, strawberries if in season, chopped up reeses peanut butter cups, and lots of homemade whip cream.

Chris - Vanilla ice cream with chocolate and salted peanuts.

emily newcome - My favorite is strawberry ice cream, with hot fudge sauce, and maraschino cherries! like a chocolate covered strawberry in ice cream form!

Ruth - CARAMEL!

jenn - vanilla bean ice cream, caramel sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry on top!

Heather B - Favorite ice cream: caramel all the way! Favorite toppings:shaved almonds mmmmm!!

Henny P - This looks like a blast! I have an almost 2 year old and it is so much fun to look a t your posts and see “big kids”. You give me a ton of ideas for the future! Thank you for sharing!!

Jeffrey - My favorite ice cream sundae starts with a warm chocolate walnut brownie, vanilla ice cream, chocolate chip cookie crumbles, chocolate drizzle, whipped cream and a cherry on top!

Mary Najdzion - My FAVORITE is a Turtle sundae……Pecans, caramel, hot fudge, and whipped cream! <3 YUM!

Michelle S - I love vanilla ice cream with strawberries and cheesecakes pieces.

Kristi Rediske - I love vanilla ice-cream with chocolate fudge and caramel poured all over it, whipped topping and nuts sprinkled on the top-no cherry! I have wanted one of the instant cameras for so long, so this is the giveaway i need to win. My gift card would go to buying one!

Nicole Bourque - My fave sundae is chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream with Reeses candies and strawberries on top! Yummers!

susan - I love ice cream sundaes any way you can think of. I love lots of chocolate in any form on vanilla ice cream with all types of chocolate including salty potato chips. Love fruit and nuts, too! I am sitting at work while writing this and now I am craving ice cream!! Gonna be one of those days!!!

Stacy McNew - We love to make homemade ice cream and toppings for sundaes. One of our favorites right now is brown sugar peach ice cream, salted caramel sauce, toasted pecans and whipped cream. So Good!

Bobbie Hawkes - I like vanilla ice cream topped with caramel and hot fudge, nuts, whip cream and chocolate sprinkles with a cherry.

Jackie - Favorite ice cream sundae is vanilla ice cream with butterscotch topping, whipped cream. Nice and simple but so yummy! What a fun ice cream party you had! Love the photo blocks.

cyndiloohoo - Hot fudge with salty Spanish peanuts.

Trinda Groff - This looks like so much fun! I love any sundae as long as it has Heath on it!

Tiffany - You’re such a cool mom. I’m a pretty fun mom to littles, I just hope I can be as fun as you when they get bigger! Give me anything with chocolate and a crunch in my ice cream. It has to have a crunch!

Sandra K - I like a s’mores ice cream sundae – vanilla ice cream with marshmallows, crushed graham crackers and some chocolate chips or syrup! My daughter has that same camera and just loves it – thanks for the great idea for a party, I know she and her friends would love that. 🙂

Amy Tong - what a fun party! I want that camera for my party too! My favorite ice cream sundae would be with chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, cherry, Oreo crumbs, sprinkles and chocolate sauce. 😛 thanks for hosting the giveaway!

amy [at] uTry [dot] it

Christy - Vanilla ice cream, homemade hot fudge, and raspberries!

Becca King - I like almost any ice cream sundae! Vanilla with pineapple sauce and rainbow sprinkles will always make me smile!

Jessie C. - tweet-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/761026843679952896

Jessie C. - I love Caramel Apple Sundae.
tcarolinep at gmail dot com

Sarah - tweeted–https://twitter.com/goldnplum/status/761025392891211780

Sarah - What a great idea for an impromptu party!

jennibell - Vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and whipped topping. A cherry is o.k. too 🙂

Tippi - I’m boring – but love chocolate ice cream with hot caramel sauce!!! Or even chocolate magic shell!!!

Candice - Brownie sundae with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream will always have my heart 🙂

KATHY T - My favorite sundae is caramel and pecans. Yum!

Thanks for running this giveaway. I love your blog. Your family is adorable!

Robin - Peanut butter ice cream with hot fudge and crushed pb cups. #pbforever

Janna - Chocolate ice cream fo sho! With caramel and hot fudge and brownie chunks!!!! YUM IM HUNGRY NOW! NO cherry for me thx! LOVE your cute craft!!

Sandy McCloud - My favorite…vanilla ice cream with Hershey’s chocolate syrup with bananas! I love your ice cream party! How fun!
And the camera…I love it!

Paula c - Rocky road ice cream with warm hot fudge. No cherry for me.

Lisa - I’m so boring because my favorite sundae is just hot fudge with nuts.

Amanda Z - Mexican Sundae! Vanilla soft service with hot fudge, nuts, whipped cream…YUM!

Candy - Hot fudge!

Ashley - Homemade vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and Heath bar pieces!

Gwen - Vanilla ice cream with hot fudge sauce and some peanuts!

Suzanne - Oh my mercy….what a great craft. I have 3 boys but I am going to find some girls to do this with! My favorite ice cream sundae is key lime ice cream, graham crackers, white chocolate shavings and real whipped cream! To die for…

Jessica To - I like a caramel sundae with no cherry and no whipped cream!

Christin - brownie fudge Sundae with whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry on top 🙂

Nicole Francis - Butterfinger sundae! 🙂

Natalie - My ideal ice cream sundae includes vanilla ice cream, cookie dough pieces, fudge, cherries and whipped cream!

heather earl - Blue Bell vanilla bean with a Smuckers berry topping, crushed Pecan Sandie’s on top, and a little dollop of Redding whip. 😉

Tiffany B - How fun is this?? You are so creative Meg, I LOVE the wooden photo frames – thinking I’ll make a few for my daughter who is going to college in the fall – how cute would those be in her dorm room? Getting the camera too!! #hotfudgeismyfavoritesundae

Tiffany B - How fun is this?? You are so creative Meg, I LOVE the wooden photo frames – thinking I’ll make a few for my daughter who is going to college in the fall – how cute would those be in her dorm room. Getting the camera too!! #hotfudgeismyfavoritesundae

Dena - Hot Fudge on vanilla bean w/ cookie dough and brownie pieces… in a waffle bowl. I have to get one of those cameras; looks too fun!

chrissi - coffee ice cream with hotfudge and pretzels…cute party. great ideas♥

Tina - I’d love to win an instapix camera from Fuji! I’d use it a lot for our fun get togethers, and for church events, where I am on the leadership team for our Young Adult group. This is a creative and awesome way to display these fun photos!! Love the creative ideas – thank you!!

Tina

Tiffani Wagner - Vanilla hot fudge and whip cream with a cherry. The BEST!

Lisa L - Real vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, strawberries and a little whipped cream and walnuts on top! Yum!!

Melanie Sidwell - one scoop of cookie dough, one scoop of cookies and cream (my local ice cream shop Sweet Cow in Boulder, Colo., refers to this combo as the Cookie Monster) with hot fudge and whipped cream. I die!

KWolff - My very favorite type of sundae is vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and hot caramel with a very VERY little pinch of salt and a heap of redi-whip! Add some sprinkles to the top and I am a happy happy girl!

Your blog post made me smile today – thanks for sharing the great ideas and the happy faces!

Andrea Gleich - Weirdly, I just love Vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, and toasted nuts!! Simple, but delish!

colleen from alabama - Vanilla ice cream, bananas, salted caramel and chocolate fudge on top with toasted pecans and coconut… Cause the bananas and coconut make it healthy, right???

Amy Swanson - Vanilla ice-cream, with hot fudge and peanuts!

Diane - My favorite sundae would be vanilla ice cream with caramel and hot fudge sauce, oreo crumbles, cherries and sprinkles for color! Simple but oh so sweet!

Martha - Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, reddi whip, nuts and cherry!!

Gevay - I am boring-I like vanilla ice cream with chocolate and caramel sauce, whipped cream and nuts.

Julie Cross - Hmmm….since I’m lactose intolerant, I’ll take a fruity sorbet please 🙂

Kara G. - Turtle sundae, extra caramel!

Dennelle - Super simple – vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce, maybe a cherry on top!

Karyn - Vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, plain and simple! Love the block idea for photos!

April - Chocolate, marshmallows or marshmallows sauce, Carmel and if course sprinkles. Ummm no cherry, whip cream-absolutely!!!

shar y - Hot Fudge Sundae for the win!! But, I am really picky about my fudge sauce!

Cheryl B - My favorite sundae is a hot fudge brownie sundae.

Michelle - I love the wooden photo display blocks.

Amanda Gindlesperger - Vanilla ice cream, warm peanut butter, granola, whipped cream, and a cherry. Yum!

Stephanie - I’m really boring so I usually just get a hot fudge sundae from the Dairy Queen. My mom loves their ice cream so my family goes there quite a bit.

Melanie Eliacin - I love ice cream sundaes with vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, chocolate, and some whipped cream! Yum.

Amy - My favorite sundae is a banana split with chocolate, vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Then I put hot fudge on the first chocolate, strawberries on the vanilla and pb on the other chocolate. I add whip cream and nuts and I give the cherries to my kids or husband. Not a cherry fan 🙂

Julie Wood - tweet-https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/760809868890509314

Julie Wood - My favorite ice cream sundae is a Hot Fudge Sundae, with whipped cream and nuts on top!

Kyra - hot fudge brownie sundae with whipped cream and a cherry on top-Yum!

Tina Hammond - That looked like a great event and I love that camera!! I could have some fun with that!!

S - Hot fudge, fresh whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles, no cherry with mint chip and chocolate marshmallow ice cream…yum.

Carla Bailey - I’m a plain Jane! Vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce and whipped cream. No cherry please.

Brantlee - Hot Fudge,no cherry 🙂 thanks for the chance to win!

Beth B. - My favorite is a Tin Roof sundae….vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and lots of peanuts! Whipped cream and a cherry for special occasions. (Smile)

Kristin - Our summers are super humid, but as soon as we get some cooler evenings we are going to host this party for our teens & their friends! So fun! My favorite sundae will be topped with a ton of strawberries, mini chocolate chips & granola-it’s the best!!

jill - Love the idea…I love creamy vanilla bean ice cream, homemade hot fudge and carmel with a ton of mixed nuts on. Like you can’t even find the ice cream kind of thing! My daughter had one of those cameras on her Christmas list already!

Cheri - My favorite would be peanut.butter ice cream with my mom’s homemade hot fudge sauce, real whipped cream, chopped peanuts, and a cherry on top. I’m making myself hungry!

Heather - Vanilla ice cream with bananas and hot fudge!

Cathy - Hot fudge!

Melissa - Mint chocolate chip ice cream and/or strawberry ice cream with chocolate sauce! No whipped cream and no cherry.

Kirsten J - Chocolate with brownies and marshmallow and hot fudge sauce.

Katy Pflaum - I love a classic vanilla because then I can put on caramel and hot fudge and whipped cream and alll the chocolate toppings!

Valerie - My favorite is a brownie sundae! Warm, chocolaty brownie, regular old vanilla ice cream, and chocolate sauce. That’s it – no whipped cream or cherries! 😊

Elena - I love chocolate sundae with extra chocolate on top 🙂

Kimberlee Jost - That gingham bunting is perfection. For REAL. LOVE IT. Almost as much as my white one. 😉

Rebecca - chocolate peanut butter cup with hot fudge and whipped cream, no cherry!! Cutest party idea ever!!

Liz Runge - Cookie dough ice cream with hot fudge and caramel. And maybe some oreo pieces sprinkled on top. Now I’m hungry…

Kim Wallace - My favorite is cinnamon ice cream with caramel and Heath bar bits!

Jodie - Chocolate chocolate chocolate!!!

Lee - I actually love pretty basic sundaes – chocolate with whipped cream
and love tons of sprinkles. Oh and chocolate syrup!
Wow I am very impressed with that camera! What a great idea for Christmas for my 11 year old daughter!! Thanks!!

Jane - Vanilla with Heath, chocolate syrup, and mini choc chips

Kelly D - I like to get vanilla and chocolate swirl ice cream with Reese’s cups, whipped cream and chocolate fudge.

Karol - Love soft serve vanilla, hot fudge, marshmallow creme, and whipped cream. Yum! Such a cute idea for the photos and the display.

Julie - I just got a Fuji instax mini that I’m planning on using for a photo guestbook at our wedding! It’s so fun! I love the idea of the wooden blocks with clothespins. My favorite kind of ice cream Sundae is a classic vanilla brownie sundae with all the toppings-hot fudge, whipped cream, caramel, sprinkles and definitely a cherry! Sometimes I even like to make it a banana split!

Sharron Cox - Dairy Queen’s extra hot fudge, whole peanuts! No cherries! Looks like a great party and a great craft.

Heather Lilyquist - I love ice cream … super hard to pick a favorite … a turtle sundae with salty pecans is always a yummy pick … any kind of s’mores combination is super yum …chocolate, chocolate, chocolate … so many options!!!!

Sarah - Yum! Sea salt caramel ice cream with hot fudge and no cherry!

Lee Ann DeRoos - Vanilla, Hot fudge and lots of nuts 🙂

sheryl - Pistachio walnut with chocolate jimmies and Reeces Pieces!

Lynette - My favorite ice cream sundae is definitely Ozark Turtle (vanilla custard or ice cream, hot fudge, hot caramel, and salted pecans with whipped cream and a cherry to top it off). It is so delicious!

Michelle Whitlow - What fun!!! I think I need to have an ice cream party now 🙂 And I think it’s amazing how far these instant cameras have come!!

Carri Siebenmark - Hot fudge!! Lots of whipped topping.

Lori - Vanilla ice cream w butterscotch or caramel sauce and LOTS OF PECANS!!!!!!
No whipped cream or cherry:)

Kim K. - I love a plain old vanilla sundae with chocolate sauce and bananas with a cherry on top!

Bebe - Caramel sundaes are my fav!

Madison - Brownie on the bottom, coffee ice cream on top, along with whipped cream, homemade chocolate sauce, and maybe a cherry!

Trindin Cavalier - Perfect sundae.. Choc ice cream with peanut butter sauce and a heaping mound of peanut butter cups!

Barb - Vanilla ice cream with ANYTHING chocolate 🙂

Mami2jcn - tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/760642249822707712

Mami2jcn - I love cookie dough ice cream with caramel and whipped cream.

Louisa - Mint chocolate chip ice cream, hot fudge, andes mint candies, whipped cream! Yum yum!

Judith VanAlphen - Chocolate, hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts and a cherry How soon can you get it here

kris saia - I’m not picky! Any ice cream sundae is a good ice cream sundae… but if I had my druthers: chocolate chip ice cream (sort of soft and mooshy) with fresh and sugary strawberry topping, and a TON of whipped cream. I mean a TOWERING ton, tipping-over-and falling-out-of-the bowl. Plus salted pecans. And a wooden spoon. And maybe a little extra squirt of whipped cream. Just one more. But I’m not picky. Or greedy.

Corny Gatlim - All the red ice cream flavores, strawberry sauce, pickles, nuts, pretzels, wipe cream and a red cherry on top!

Jane - Rocky road ice cream,nuts, cherries, hot fudge & whipped cream

Lacinda K. - Chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips, Hershey’s chocolate syrup and whipped cream!… Now I’m hungry 🙁

Maria - Hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry or two or three on top please

Kristine - This camera and your craft are awesome! I also just requested that movie from the library! Thanks for the suggestion. I love all the toppings except for cherry and nuts! 😉

Nicole C - Gestational diabetes is ruining ice cram this summer! I’d like a simple hot fudge sundae with no carbs, please!

Shelly - I just love me some Love Potion #31 from Baskin Robbins, probably because it has cute chocolate hearts in it. Whip Cream is a must, but no cherry.

KH - Chocolate ice cream, warm marshmallow sauce, crumbled chocolate Oreos, whipped cream, drizzled with chocolate sauce and a cherry! Mmm, yes please!

Heidi Durant - Tillamook Chocolate Peanut butter with whip cream and almonds. Simple, but oh so delicious.

Jan - What a fun night for your girls! My sundae would be vanilla bean ice cream topped with bananas, walnuts, coconut, hot fudge & whipped cream. No cherry!

Robin C - Vanilla ice cream with wet walnuts, coconut, pecans, plain m&ms and whip cream. oh. so. good. I’ve never seen this camera before but it looks like great fun.

Ruth Umney - Oh I would love to win this for my trip to see my niece and nephew in a few weeks!!!! Oh and I love a banana split!!!!! Nom Nom!!!!

Will G - I love Turtle sundaes!

heather - My favorite kind of ice cream sundae is vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate syrup and covered in chopped nuts with a cherry on top.

Terri - The party looked so fun!!!! I love Blue Bell Vanilla Ice cream. I’m a simple kind of ice cream girl. I do like it in a regular cone too. Thanks for sharing this great idea.

suzy adams - Hi Meg,
I loved this post! I love ice cream sundaes with all the works! My favorite would be vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and bananas…oh, and yes, always a cherry! Thanks for the opportunity to win this fun camera!

Joanna Peck - I like Breyers natural vanilla with caramel topping and salt. And of course you need cherries!!

Bec - I love the classic hot fudge and caramel and don’t mind throwing in a few oreos as well 🙂

Su - I like moosetracks with some magic shell on top 🙂

Holly - My favorite ice cream sundae would be mint chocolate chip ice cream, hot fudge (real hot fudge, not Hershey syrup!), whipped cream and maybe some crumbled up Ande’s candies on top. Yum!

My girls would love the instant camera. So much fun!

Maegan C - My favorite icecream is raspberry and i LOVE fujifilm! i have an instamatix and use it all of the time!

Lynn Lovins - Coffee ice cream with peanut butter on top sprinkled with mmmmuummm bacon!

Heather S. - My favorite ice cream sundae would be chocolate ice cream, graham cracker crumbs, marshmallows, whipped cream, hot fudge sauce, and a cherry on top! A S’mores Sundae!

Nicole Nunez - Vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, peanuts and a cherry to give to a friend.

Rachel - Love the photo holders, cute and clever idea! I like a good cinnamon ice cream from a local homemade ice cream shop! Just straight up.

Jennifer Carlson - I love a simple sundae: vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce, and peanuts. Yummy!

shelly dyer - lately i’ve been kickin’ it with old school hot fudge sundaes…

Kathy - Every time I see anything ‘rainbow’ I think Meg Duerksen would love this! What a great (and simple enough for me) craft idea! Vanilla icecream and lots of hot fudge would be my choice for a sundae! Can’t wait to try out the new instax!

barb c - my sundae choice is choice ice cream, peanut butter cups, bananas, hot fudge, whipped cream. Ugh, now I’m hungry!

This is the most beautiful, magical fun idea. Those girls must have been in heaven! Lucky them!

Emily Landers - I love plain vanilla with strawberries, pecans, and chocolate!

Kathie - Looks like a great time was had by all!
Favorite Sundae…Peanut butter lovers dream (I don’t know what it is called). Vanilla ice cream, melted peanut butter, chocolate sauce, Reese Pieces and crushed Reese peanut butter cups. No whipped cream, I LOVE a cherry, so course!

Rachel Newswanger - Coffee ice cream, cool whip & a generous drizzle of hot fudge sauce! 🙂

Annie - Moosetracks ice cream with Reeces, rainbow jimmies & whipped cream – yum!! Usually no sauce but peanutbutter if it’s an option:)

Julie B - Hot caramel with whipped cream! On vanilla ice cream:)

Cindy - Simple-vanilla ice cream, strawberries and pecans. YUM!

Regina - How utterly adorable! My favorite sundae is pretty simple…vanilla ice cream topped with crushed pineapple and a drizzle of pineapple juice. Add a littl whipped cream and a cherry on the side for visual effect…and devour! Yum!

Wendy C. - It’s all so yummy! My fave is Mint Chocolate Chip with reeses pieces, chocolate syrup and nuts! The camera looks like so much fun!!

KWint - I’m a plain Jane Vanilla lover, but that’s only so the ice cream doesn’t compete with my faves: chocolate sprinkles (or “jimmies” in New England!), whipped cream, M&Ms and chocolate syrup!

Hollie Parker - My favorite, since the 1980’s, is oreo ice cream, whip cream and sprinkles! Thanks for sharing this great idea!

Tracy - Vanilla bean, chocolate syrup whipped cream and lots of nots 🙂

Tere - Oh Meg. You had me at ice cream. Love the craft project. The Fuji camera …swoon. Xoxo

Kimberly - Turtle Sundae with extra hot fudge!

Kristin S - That’s the most fun spontaneous party ever!

Favorite sundae? I love it to the max with everything or very very simple with just hot fudge, caramel, and whipped cream.

Random, Meg, but did you see the rainbow striped LS t in the PJ clearance section at Target? It’s so super soft and a bit muted. I keep thinking of you each time I see it. I bought it to be a “Sunday afternoon” shirt in the winter but then came home to remember all the LS t’s I already have. You NEED it.

Lori Montgomery - Ice cream sundaes just scream summer to me. I love chocolate ice cream with hot fudge on top. Yes, chocolate on chocolate. Of course, whipped cream and a cherry are a must. To finish it off, it needs a few nuts for crunchiness and multi colored sprinkles to make it pretty. Perfect sundae for me!

Ashlee Haley - Lots of chocolate syrup, a leslie knoppe amount of whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles, of course. I’m a simple girl 🙂

Heike W. - Chocolate ice cream with peanut butter topping and oreos plus cookie dough! So good!

Gina - How fun!! Vanilla ice cream w/ hot fudge!! 🙂 Whipped cream and of course a cherry. 😉

Kristi King - hot fudge, whipped cream and LOTS of cherries!

Jamie smith - Fresh berries for sure!!! Ice cream is complete with fresh berries

Gabby D. - Marshmallow topping on chocolate or Rocky Road ice cream! your party pics are great!

Theresa - Love your cute take home craft! Also always love your ideas too! 😊

Iris Brown - You get the “super cool” mom award with this cool post!!!!! What a fun idea and the pictures were priceless for such a fun way to spend a summer evening.

Miranda - Coconut ice cream topped with dairy free chocolate chips. Simple but delicious. I’m lactose intolerant, and I’m so happy I found coconut ice cream. No cherry on top, love cherries just not on my sundae. 🍧

Cheryl - I love a sundae with chocolate ice cream, hot fudge, peanut butter, crumbled Reese’s peanut butter big cup, whip cream and of course sprinkles. 😍

Melissa - Oh my gosh this is perfect! We were trying to figure out a fun Back to school Bash and I love the ice cream and movie idea.

Mary Sovinski - My son had a lemon chiffon sundae at an ice cream store that we are trying hard to duplicate. They blended lemon ice w/soft serve vanilla, and added a lemon slice and whipped cream — delicious!

Thinking I can replicate it (maybe?) at home w/lemon sherbet (or ice cream) and vanilla ice cream. I know we’ll have fun experimenting!

RACHEL - I LOVE sprinkles. I’m pretty simple and like chocolate sauce, sprinkles and cherry juice 🙂 yum!

Julie Boyd - My favorite is just good ole’ vanilla icecream with granola, fruit and the Hershey magic shell syrup!!

Deidra - Classic hot fudge with nuts, whip and of course a cherry, in fact, put a few on!

Kristel Armes - Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate! Salted caramel topping and that’s it!

Jill - Salted caramel ice cream with heath bits..Mmmmmmm! Love the instant photos!

Corrie - My fav ice cream is chocolate almond with whip topping, bananas and hot fudge all the way. What a fun night!

Tobi Layton - vanilla ice cream, caramel topping, cookie dough and mini pb cups for the toppings – Thanks for making me hungry now!

Danielle - My favorite sundae would have to be “The Founder’s Favorite” at Cold Stone. It is sweet cream with brownie chunks, pecans, fudge and caramel. This is my favorite for now anyways:)

Devyn Rohlk - Hello,
My favorite sundae is cheesecake ice cream, bananas, caramel, Andes mints white chocolate chips and maraschino cherries with whip cream and sprinkles!

Brenna Walters - This is aWesomMe!

Nora C. - I LOVE ice cream sundaes!! It was the most popular night at the summer camp I used to work at. The skits the campers performed in exchange for ice-cream were hilarious! My personal favorite is goat tracks (homemade by a local farm here in CT) with some peanut butter cups, whipped cream, hot fudge, rainbow sprinkles, and of course a cherry to top it all off 🙂

Amanda Soltoff - Oh my gracious, yum! I love a decked out sundae – a few scoops of cookies and cream ice cream, throw on all the toppings, and add lots of whipped cream!

Ali - Vanilla with chocolate and caramel sauce, whipped cream (or marshmallow fluff) and a cherry. A brownie thrown in doesn’t hurt either…. 🙂

Andy Betz - vanilla ice cream, homemade strawberry sauce, chocolate syrup, the end. OR
chocolate ice cream, reese peanut butter cup minis, peanuts…

Shawna - Strawberry

Angela Donohew - Vanilla Ice cream, liquid peanut butter, no cherry! and a brownie on the side!!
Thanks!
Angie

Marnie - I always have chocolate ice cream, vanilla ice cream, strawberries, blueberries, and crushed up almonds. It’s my favorite!

Cara Yeh - mint chip ice cream. hot fudge, whip cream. cherry. 🙂

Holly - Cookie dough ice cream, hot fudge, sprinkles, whipped cream and a cherry on top…. Such a cute little camera!

Kim B - Vanilla Bean with either my MIL’s homemade chocolate sauce and slivered almonds or caramel (when she is not around and I am too lazy to make the sauce).

Julie - I love brownie sundaes with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce, peanuts and whipped cream. Yummy!

Juli Kinrich - Something with a vanilla-based ice cream with chunks of cookies or brownies and a ribbon of caramel sauce, more caramel sauce on top, and chocolate sauce too. Yum!

Jennifer B. - I love this! I’ve been trying to convince my 6-year-old to split a banana split with me, but he keeps wanting plain ice cream. I say the more toppings, the better. (As long as it’s not gummy bears, worms, etc.!)

I loved having a instant camera as a kid and most of my baby pics are Polaroids. This would be a fun way to get a kid interested in photography!

mary - turtle sundae’s are my all time favorite!

Megan - Vanilla with all the candies on top! Basically a good excuse to eat a ton of candies 🙂

Nicole korpela - I would take a vanilla ice cream sundae topped with marshmallow cream and chocolate sauce!! YUM!

Kathi - I love chocolate ice cream with caramel & pecans.

Stephanie - Super fun party!!! My sundae would have vanilla with strawberries on top. (And if I was really lucky, it would have
angel food cake underneath!)

Margaret Hill - chocolate! Anything chocolate!!

Becca Webb - I love all kinds of sundaes! But a really satisfying one is vanilla ice cream with hot fudge and chopped peanuts! Yum!!!

Diane Pierce - What an awesome party!! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

Favorite ice cream sundae is vanilla with the mini Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. So good!!!

THANKS!
Diane

Tammy - Any flavor of dairy-free ice cream and then hot fudge, broken up chocolate bar and sprinkles!

Mary - what kind of ice cream? Coffee
what toppings? Brownie chunks
what sauce? hot fudge!
cherry or no cherry? cherry – 1
🙂
*and now I’m hungry for some ice cream.

Kami BK - What a fabulous party idea. I eat ice cream for the nuts, so just vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and PECANS!

Tiffany - Ice cream is my favorite dessert, sundaes are a fun treat. I’ll take vanilla, peanuts, caramel, whip cream and a cherry. Yum.

cathie w. - Mexican Vanilla ice cream, with grape-nuts and chopped strawberries.
Hands down the absolute best combo ever!

Susan - vanilla with carmel and nuts….simple!!

Amy Metz - Sounds like a fun party! My favorite ice cream is cookies and cream.

Lori - This is a super fun party! I’ve had my eye on this camera for years. My sundae would have chocolate and cookies and cream ice cream topped with Reeses and sprinkles!

Carrie D - My favorite is mint chip ice cream with chocolate syrup. Yummo!

Dawn Beery - Vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, whip cream & pecans! Yum!! No cherry!

Kimberly - Fun party!
I love coffee ice cream & hot fudge!

Lori - Vanilla ice cream, raspberries, hot fudge, whip cream and no cherry!

Lisa B - Such a bright, happy setting for these sweet girls to party in! No wonder they all look like they are having so much fun! When I read your blog I remember the fun I had with my kids when they were growing up – and I picture my daughter, also a mom of five great kids, providing the tools for artsy, craftsy, memorable fun for my grandchildren. A visit to your blog is always uplifting! My favorite ice cream sundae is Coldstone Cake Batter ice cream, with coconut and whipped cream stirred in. Yum!

Kim Fry - Mine would for sure have a cherry on top, maybe 3!! Vanilla ice cream with caramel, chocolate and strawberries sounds delish!! Oh and lots of whipped cream!! Thanks!

AmandaK - Is it too plain if I like Vanilla ice cream with Chocolate on top? Caramel works great too. Looks like a fun party!

Lindsay F. - This may sound like a crazy combo but I would choose lemon ice cream from a local ice cream shop. Then add hot fudge, sprinkles, and waffle cone crumbles. I’d get a cherry just so I could give it to my 3 year old… He loves them!

Anna Moser - coffee ice cream with chocolate sauce and whipped cream… cherry-free please!

I love your blog!

Susan C. - Chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup, almonds, graham cracker crumbs, cool whip and of course a cherry!! YUM

Meggan - Homemade mint chocolate chip made with coconut milk! Yummm!!

Sarah Vincent - Rocky road with caramel and hot fudge.

Sarah - Hot fudge with anything!

Looks like a fun party!

michelle - Vanilla bean, or homemade vanilla with cold pineapple ( it freezes on the ice cream when it is cold ) and nuts. Just plain and simple:)

Chris - Vanilla ice cream with strawberries and hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry for sure!

Vonda - Strawberry!

Mallory O - Mackinaw Island Fudge!!!! Just typing that out made me miss the Mitten State (home) and that summery goodness!

Lisa Foster - Vanilla ice cream, topped with marshmallow fluff. Add reese’s cups and cover it all with my mom’s homemade hot fudge!

Kelley - Smores all the way! Or any version of ice cream that is similar- like Rocky road.

Megan J - Hello!!! We love ice cream over here!! My personal fav is vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, Oreos and whip cream! Yummy!!

Amy Covey - My favorite is a buckeye sundae (at least it’s called that in OHIO…everywhere else it would be a Reeses sundae)….chocolate ice cream, peanut butter sauce, hot fudge, a mini buckeye candies on top. 🙂

Rachel Schumacher - My favorite is from Cold Stone – Coffee ice cream with chunks of Heath Bars. Yum! And I’ve been wanting one of those cameras since they look like so much fun. And that movie is one of my all-time favorites! 🙂

Molly - chocolate. all the chocolate. and then i also like the chocolate, peanut butter, and banana combination. 🙂

Molly Weesner - chocolate. all the chocolate!! and then i do like to do a chocolate, peanut butter, and banana combination. 🙂

Sarah Pinault - Vanilla Ice Cream with just nuts and a dark chocolate sauce – but not too much. No cream. No cherry. 🙂

Lindsey - Great party!! My favorite sundae is chocolate ice-cream, chocolate fudge, and any kind of chocolate candy I can find!

Emily - Caramel and hot fudge with whipped topping, no cherry!

Brandy - Rocky Road with whipped cream, drizzled fudge sprinkles and a cherry on top!

Janet C - My favorite is a Peanut Buster Parfait from Dairy Queen. My 13 year old daughter would L.O.V.E. this camera, and so would I!

Renee C - Chocolate marshmallow YUM. Such a fun party idea!!!

Cory Beyer - A very simple Vanilla ice cream with caramel syrup. Maybe a cherry on top!

sabrina - Fun party! How can I choose just one flavor? I really like coffee and banana icecream with big peanut butter and chocolate chunks. In the winter I love Pink Peppermint ice cream!

Leslie Allegretto - This is the cutest dang craft. I do a little woodworking and make signs and have about a zillion scraps that would be perfect for this. Thanks for the info and the chance to win the cute little camera. I think I know what to get my niece for her birthday. My favorite sundae topping has to be peanut butter and crushed kit-kats. So yummy! Btw, love your style. I’ve been following you for a while on FB and your pics always make me smile.

Stefanie Turner Shultz - Vanilla ice cream, caramel drizzle, chopped pecans, white chocolate chips, dollop of cool whip

Jenny Hutcheson - my daughter will love to make those cute photo blocks!

Favorite ice cream sundae, vanilla ice cream mixed with a scoop of peanut butter 🙂 no cherry!!!

Cheryl - Homemade vanilla ice cream with fresh peaches, or strawberries, or lots of homemade chocolate & caramel sauce on top! I always have to loose 5 pounds at the end of summer!

nancy cresser - What a cute party! Hot fudge sundae with mint chocolate chip & coffee ice cream, whipped cream & a cherry!

shelley - Ben and Jerry’s Tonight show! YUM!

Donna S - My favorite ice cream is a mint oreo blizzard from Dairy Queen.

Heather B - I love all the ice cream sundaes! Ice cream is my jam. My all time favorite is anything that involves chocolate, peanut butter and oreos!

Vicky B. - My favorite ice cream sundae is birthday cake ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry on top.

Tiffany - Sea Salt Caramel Truffle ice cream topped with marshmallow crème and caramel. Yummo!

Kelly S. - Favorite ice cream is Rocky Road. I love marshmallow in ice cream- so good.

Cutest idea ever to make blocks out of wood and paint them. You are so creative.

katie p nc - Coffee ice cream with hazelnuts or coconut shavings!

Also, new kitten alert!!!

marjie - Double chocolate peanut butter ice cream with peanut butter sauce, hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, pecans and a cherry on top!

Jennifer - How fun! I especially love the craft! Great idea! I love chocolate ice cream with hot fudge, nuts, whipped cream and I would pass on the cherry. I usually hand it off to someone else that likes them.

beth ann - Ice cream is almost a daily treat at our house in the summer. Each time is a little different concoction. My favorite is chocolate ice cream, with crushed up kit kat and magic shell on top.

Dana Walker - I love an ice cream sundae with caramel nut cluster ice cream from hoffman’s with hot fudge and whipped cream on top- Delish!

Rebekah G. - I’m a hot apple pie filling with a drizzle of peanut butter sundae girl.this party looks so amazing! We are having an outdoor movie night on Sunday for our neighbors & family!

Christi {Jealous Hands} - For summer I like vanilla ice cream with honey, cinnamon, fresh pineapple & strawberries, and coconut flakes. Yummy!

Thanks for the super fun giveaway! xo

Kelli - Hot fudge with wet walnuts over vanilla!!!

Meredith salmon - Banana split with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and either chocolate Jimmies or wet walneta. Yummmmm!!!

Cindy Mandernach - Triple ginger Coconut. I make it myself…

Chelsea - Hot fudge on blue bell vanilla please!

jamie - i don’t think hot fudge cream puff counts as a sundae so i think my favorite sundae is vanilla ice cream with so much hot fudge and nuts and whipped cream. i also like a good fruit sundae. with so much whipped cream.

Erin Gustafson - caramel with peanuts. yum!

May - One scoop of strawberry, one scoop of vanilla, topped with chocolate sauce, whip cream, & a cherry, please! Yum…

Lisa - Hot fudge on home made vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups. No cherry. 🙂 Yum!

erica - Hot fudge and peanuts on vanilla ice cream or coconut cream, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate syrup on Hawaiian shave ice

Kathie M - I love cake flavor ice cream with caramel, Oreos, hot fudge, peanuts and whipped cream!

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me time.

March 5, 2016 Filed in friends,me me me

last week i took a trip all by my big girl self.
i took my big suitcase so i didn’t have to think while packing.
i brought 6 pairs of shoes for a 5 night trip.
but that’s the beauty of free bag check… no over thinking.

my chicago bestie picked me up and took me straight down to Michigan Ave!
what a treat!
we shopped and walked and talked and ate for 11 hours straight.
literally.
my dream day.  🙂
and we were dumb and took NO photos at all.
who am i?
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i got to spend time with her family who are three of my favorite people in the world.
i was able to to go to my former church on sunday ( i even worked in the nursery!).  they treated me to chicago foods, tok me by my old house and saw the neighborhood.
we watched The Intern (could’ve been better but could’ve been way worse so it was… OK)
but mostly i was so happy to get lots of face time with Jen.

jenny has been through almost everything with me as a mom and a wife.
we met at church but also lived on the same hall in our apartment building… Glen Oaks forever!
there was one apartment between us – Frank.
she & dave were newlyweds and we were two years in.
we only had little bitty Lauren back then.
she even stayed with Lauren when we went to the hospital to have scott!
we were in a small group together that met every monday night for 8 years!
she’s been there for everything.
she was in the room for talby & annie’s birth.
she would’ve been there for sean’s but he was born so fast that even craig almost missed it.
Jenny’s my girl.
and i hate that we live so far apart.

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after a few days jenny took me to meet up with Shannan for the second part of my trip.
and it just so happened to be National Margarita Day!
so obviously we celebrated.
we are proud americans – we had to!

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love both of these girls so much!
and when i am with them i am not the tallest lady in the picture!
🙂
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i had never been to Goshen, Indiana before.
i loved it.
we ate fancy pizza.
went thrifting.
laid around in yoga pants.
had massages.
ate fruity oatmeal.
watched season 4 Parenthood.
and i finally got to see Straight Outta Compton – just ask shannan about my rap history knowledge…
we talked till late and over breakfast and all day in-between.

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Howard liked me.
at least i am pretending that he did.
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that blanket is a HUGE “quilt” that is crocheted!
each block is different!
it’s dreamy… i am hoping a certain college aged daughter will agree with me.
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she made me tacos and homemade salsa with Siley’s help.
praise hands!
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one funny story i don’t want to forget was that silas asked me in front of their whole family
“hey Megan… do you like Coors Beer?”
i laughed a little and said “do i like Coors beer?  well… it’s not my favorite but i would drink it”
shannan said “WHAT?! Silas!! Why did you ask that?”
cory laughed and said “Silas why don’t you ask her again..”
Silas slowed down and said “Megan… do you like Cory’s beard?”

HA HA HAaaaaaa!

i told him i thought it was actually a pretty cool beard.
🙂

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and then… Goshen had a surprise blizzard!
no kidding.
the day i got there her kids were riding bikes in shorts and then we woke up the next morning to this!
we haven’t had snow in kansas in two years!
i have missed it so much.

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calvin shoveled the snow for the entire block!
what a cool dude!
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Ruby and Silas made a snowman in minutes.
they played in the snow all morning because school was canceled of course.
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we were bummed to hear my flight was on time so we loaded up and made the long drive to airport.
but shannan spotted this GIANT thrift store about 5 minutes before the airport and we had time so we hit it.
and just as we were getting ready to go.. stating our disappointment in how big the store was with so little to offer… i saw some black eyed susan peeking out from behind some other “art”.
i said “this has potential” and we wandered over.
it was this gorgeous original oil painting in every beautiful color with all my favorite flowers.
we both died.
then we couldn’t find a price… and you know what happens when there isn’t a price at a thrift store… no sale.
we weren’t going to stand for that.
we called for a manager.
she wasn’t as thrilled.  she wasn’t going to budge. she told us to come back in two hours when it has gone through pricing again.
we said “we can’t come back – we don’t live here”
then she offered $20 in a frustrated voice.
S O L D.
the manager told the cashier “give it to her for $20… if we wait it’ll have a hole in it by 8:00”
so true.
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shannan is providing foster care for my painting until we find a way to ship it.
i told her to hang up and enjoy it!  Why not?!
make “Jack Baker” proud.  (the signature in red on the bottom)
it was the perfect ending to my trip.

i came home rested and happy.
i loved having time with my friends one-on-one.
i enjoyed the sleep.  the talks.  the massage.  the snow.
i was so happy to get a break from regular mom life.
and just as happy to come right back into it as well.

add a comment

meg duerksen - it’s an Orla Keily yoga bag from target. i do not use it for yoga. 🙂 i use it for my computer and all the crap i drag around with me everyday.

Janel - Where did you get that SUPER cute Black/white floral bag with the yellow handles….LOVE!

Mindy - What a fun trip for you! Friends are the best. I am cracking up over the Coors beer vs. Cory’s beard haha.

beth larson - I loved everything about this post Meg. Aren’t girlfriends just the biggest blessing??? Have a super great weekend! xo

meg duerksen - Michelle – i am pretty sure she meant that someone would accidentally ruin if it stayed there – it was fragile. 🙂

sharon / tpt - I mean. Your God-fearing, people-lovin, Coors drinking life. I love it.

Melanie - That painting is gorgeous! Congrats on such a great find and having such a good friend to hold onto it. Also, i LOVE your gray booties in one of the top photos. Brand? I am in desperate need of new shoes.

Michelle A - I think this might be the artist:
http://www.askart.com/artist/Jack_Baker/11086723/Jack_Baker.aspx

Nicole C - So funny! I live in Goshen and saw your thrift photo on Instagram and thought ‘I never have good finds like that’. I guess I need fresh eyes 😉 Also, that snow storm was nuts!

Marsha Kern - Wonderful trip!

Lauren Honaker - This might be a creepy comment but I live in Indianapolis and I’ll be driving out to the craft house in June. I’ve seen on IG that Shannan makes trips to Indy every so often. I’d be happy to drive your painting out if you’d like me to! -Lauren (@thehonakerhome)

Angela - Not the point of your post, but I am from Indiana and have been missing it so bad. My whole family still lives there, and I’ve been in Texas since 2006. I love seeing pictures from there, even if it isn’t my town, and I’m glad you had a great time with your friends. 😊

Michelle from Australia - I did a “Mum’s hiatus” trip in early 2014. I flew from Australia to Upstate New York. And they had a very unexpected 10″ of snow just after I arrived. This sub-tropical Aussie was in snow heaven. It was magical. That trip holds a very special place in my heart. It was such a time of re-energising for me. So much so that I’m doing it again in October and early November this year. Except I’ve added on a visit to Newton, KS on the way home. I’ve never been to Kansas before and I’m more than a little thrilled to mark ‘Go to Kansas’ off my Bucket List.

Kristin S - Oh, what a gift! There is nothing like time with friends.

jamie - i heart your friendship with jen. i got tears. i don’t remember ever hearing the history.

Julie - What an awesome break away. That painting is fabulous!!!

Michelle - and told the cashier “give it to her for 20… if we wait it’ll have a hole in by 8:00”
so true.

*******

Did she mean that you or someone else would put a whole in the painting — intentionally or accidentally?

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Tishomingo

October 10, 2015 Filed in birthdays,friends,things i love

for my 40th birthday my girlfriends surprised me with a road trip girls getaway!
i was completely out of the loop!
it was the craziest feeling.
but i love them and they know me so well!
they took to me Tishomingo, Oklahoma to stay at The LadySmith Bed & Breakfast.
Tishomingo is the home town to country singer Miranda Lambert and she owns The Ladysmith.
It was SO COOL!!!
(these next 7 pics are from the their website)
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we spent 85% of our time in these chairs right here!
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I was in the Lacy Jill room… with a headboard made up of hundreds of leather jean patches?!
how creative is that?IMG_6238IMG_6239IMG_6240
and two of us stayed in the Curtain Call room.
it was very rock star in there!IMG_6242
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i loved every detail!
the light fixtures, the textures on every wall, the colors, the patterns!
it was like being in my dream house where you literally get to do ANYTHING you want with decor!
all the wallpaper looked 3D and most of them weren’t!  You would touch it and expect it to have texture and it didn’t!
and the wood walls everywhere with chippy paint?
i die.
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now… the only downfall to Tishomingo is that it is a tiny town… like the one i live in.
so when you roll in to town on a sunday afternoon there is literally nothing to do.
at all.
we were told the best place to get pizza was from the Quick Mart.
oh my.
we hit the grocery store and filled in around our QMart pizza with some healthy snacks and some not so healthy.
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The Ladysmith is smart and provide a bartender all evening.
we were almost the only people there so it basically our own private bartender!
PERFECT!
we talked for hours and then we watched Pitch Perfect 2 because that was the best movie option we had.

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the next morning we enjoyed breakfast served to us in the beautiful white dining room.
it was so nice to just be served food with out even having to order!
no thinking required!
next we headed next door to Spa 211.
oh my word… wow!
i was blown away by this wonderful place in such small middle-of-nowhere town.
it was gorgeously decorated, smelled amazing and was so relaxing!
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i’m all ready to be pampered.  🙂

the whole place – every room – had that gray faux wood tile!
those floors are tile!!
have you seen the tile that looks like wood up close in real life?
crazy beautiful.
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i had a 90 minute Herbal Body Wrap!
it was bonkers.
they cover your body in sugar scrub and then shower you off – all while you are laying on the table!
then you are wrapped in warm towels that are steamed in fragrances, then your whole body is wrapped into a foil lined blanket and then you basically steep like a cup of tea for 20 minutes.  i dazed in & out of sleep.
then they put shea butter over your whole body too.
talk about dream birthday?!
that was worth turning 40!
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what an awesome place to have in Tishomingo!
such a gift for the community as well a wonderful place for visitors!
we talked with the owner quite a bit and i was so impressed.
i can’t say enough how beautiful it was!

The Pink Pistol was a fun store FULL of gifts and “cowgirl” bling.

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attempting to get a selfie with the welcome mural…
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it looked better with all of us instead.  🙂

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i was surprised they even had a movie theater in Tish!
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so on monday… several of their shops were open.
i found that wood arrow and brought it home.

this trunk looks like a girls weekend doesn’t it?
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but on our way out of town we got side tracked to a pumpkin patch… we couldn’t resist.
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ha ha ha!
rear views are over rated anyway…

just like with every girls trip… God used my friends to love on me, fill me up and challenge me.
we get down to the big stuff pretty darn quick.
like even before we left our city limits on the way to Tishomingo!!
they speak truth.  they keep it real.  they go deep.
and we laugh like crazy.
i came home having felt seen and heard.

so here is my advice:
Go to Tishomingo, Oklahoma with your girls
(or your spouse would be fun too… if he likes spas and shopping?)
but go on a Friday – Sunday so you can enjoy the shops and restaurants and other small towns close by.
maybe pack some food/snacks to have just in case.  🙂
and DEFINITELY go to Spa211.
that is an absolute must.

ps: no one in Tish knows me or asked me to write this post.
i just like to share my favorite stuff with you!

 

add a comment

April R - just wanted to say a late Happy Birthday and I’m so happy for you – that looks like an amazing way to celebrate you and 40

Flower Patch Farmgirl - HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looks like so much fun. You had me at “then you steep like a cup of tea”!

Brittney - My grandparents lived in Tishomingo for most of my life! As a child I would stay a few weeks with them during the summer…back when Tishomingo was a ghost town! -the highlight of our day was going to Sonic for happy hour! I learned to drive at the age of 14 in that town -so many memories! Anyway, it really has turned into a darling place…it makes me so happy to see it thrive! I live in a town about 30 miles from Tish called Ada (shout out to all the other locals!) It sounds like you had a wonderful trip with your girlfriends! I’m hoping to make it to your neck of the woods soon! Fingers crossed on the craft weekend lottery!

Deb Meyers - i’M THINKING Tish won’t know what hit it, after this post, Meg!

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Melissa - Where did you get your hello shirt?

Melissa - How do you get friends like this!! Most of the time mine drain me mentally and physically!! You are a lucky girl meg!

Katie - Awesome! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

Cassie - I am so blessed to call this little jewel of town, home. Thank you so much for all your praise for it.

Tony Reese - Rhonda,I am so happy 😊 you enjoyed your stay in Tishomingo. I am from here, and never , ever thought it would be any vacation destination. A few years ago, it was a ghost town. There was nothing here, but good people. Once Miranda Lambert put her mark on the town, it seemed like everyone else followed. All of those shops, boutiques, Spa 211, and the Indie theatre were nonexistent. Too bad you missed Miranda. She pops in from time to time, and is treated like a normal person. I think that’s why she’s chosen Tishomingo to come for r&r. I’m glad you had a happy birthday 🎂. Thanks for posting.

Rhonda - Tishomingo IS my hometown – so glad you found out what a truly wonderful place it is! Small towns rock, they are full of people who care about one another and work to support others – thanks for sharing the info about Baker’s Acres – they are hometown people who believe in their community!

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vacation – part two

August 26, 2015 Filed in family fun,friends,travels

the house that we were in was just up the beach but also had a stream next to it (way down a high ledge) that fed into the lake.
so everyday we would come out to the beach and see how the stream had changed.
it was different everyday because of rains at night.
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our rental house is the dark one in the trees just above annie’s head.

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i brought my rainbow sun hat that i got in gulf shores alabama.  🙂

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everyone’s favorite thing to do in the water is wave crash.
we had several days of good waves.
of course i prefer it calm but i don’t ever get in the water so i doesn’t really matter.
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one night we packed up and drove to the La Porte Co. Fair for some entertainment.
we watched a pig judging contest, a lawn mower demolition derby, a figure 8 race, gambled on mouse roulette, ate at a church fundraiser and ate funnel cakes.  it was good old fashioned fun!
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we always go bowling.
always.
because it’s inexpensive… it’s fun… and all ages enjoy it.
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Team Hot Moms win again!
no dishes for us!
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big kids are so silly.
i didn’t think it would be very fun having a house full of big kids… i love babies so much.
i am so glad i was wrong!!!
they are so much fun!

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and we always play wiffle ball.
this year they played on the beach!

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selfies!seany

wrestling.
why do boys love to wrestle so much?
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please notice how empty the beaches are.
that is the only family we saw all week… and they were leaving when we got there.
people walk by throughout the day but there is NO ONE at the beach.
and that is why i love michigan.
i LOVE that there are no crowds and it is gorgeous every where you look!
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football
football on the beach passed a lot of time for scott.
being 17 on vacation with your family may not be the most fun thing you could be doing but he was really fun to be with!
i liked hanging out with him… almost like another grown up was there.  football2annieheartannie found me so many heart shaped rocks!
i came home with a pocketful!

on our last day we had craft time because it’s ME!
we kept it simple and painted sticks, rocks and pinecones from the beach.
🙂
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it was easy and sweet.
we came home with some pretty souvenirs.IMG_1399IMG_2969
every vacation we take a group photo.
oh my goodness have they grown!!!IMG_2970IMG_2976
dave and jenny!!! you guys are the best!
thanks for being such a sweet friends… for sharing your vacation time with us… for being hilarious… for loving our kids…. and a hundred other things.  we love you!

we packed up and drove the 12 hours back home.
it’s far.
and we get tired.
but it is SO worth it!
taking time away together is something we are very intentional about with our kids.
every trip has meant so much.

(and YAY for waaaaay less hiking this year compared to yellowstone! ha ha ha)

add a comment

Elisabeth - So, I’m pretty sure you were on the beach where I grew up. And maybe you rented from the Allegretti’s? Dark little cottage right? Was there a beach shack with a Swedish flag on it a couple beaches south? Small world. Love that spot. My original happy place.
We live in Minneapolis now and go to a different Great Lakes beach in th U.P. that reminds me very much of all the childhoods I spent on the beach in your pictures. So happy you visit every year and love it there. Thanks for sharing your memories and pics.

Rebecca Torzewski - Looks like you guys had a wonderful time and the pictures are gorgeous! Thank you so much for posting this as it inspired me to possibly stay at a lake house next year with our family and have actually already started looking. (I’m from Indiana about 45 minutes from St. Joe, Michigan). It gave me such great ideas. I have been following your blog for so many years now and honestly cannot believe how much your kids have grown, and even though they have grown it is so nice to see that they still all want to be together and spend time with their family. Your family has really given me a lot of inspiration for my own and after I read your blog each time I always feel so motivated. So thank you and thanks for sharing your lives and pictures with all of us 🙂

Rachel V - Loooove that you come to Michigan for vacation! My hubby and I are from Grand Rapids — about 30 min east of the lake — and we feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful place! So glad you love it! 😊

teresa - I’m so glad you had such a fabulous time in Michigan – It’s where I live! I would have loved to stop by to say “hello” (not too long of a visit – wouldn’t want to interrupt your family vacation).

Sive - I enjoyed reading this so much, reminded me of your posts a few years back. I love that you can enjoy a vacay with your teenagers, my kids are very small yet but it kills me to think we couldn’t holiday together in ten years time…anyway, beautiful photos, Great post, hope the comedown wasn’t awful!

Kirsten - Perfection. Can you email me the rental information? It looks perfect.

Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - This is so awesome! I love the painted rocks. You made me want to go to Michigan!

Amy K. - I never dreamed that you could have a beach and a stream right next to each other like that – my kids would LOVE IT!

Gina - I love to see your vacation photos!! We have always stayed in a beach house on the NC coast but I am intrigued about Lake Michigan. The salt water bothers me and there’s that whole “shark” thing too. :/ I had no idea the lake could have waves until I saw pictures (maybe yours 🙂 ) a couple of years ago. Just curious how cold the water is? I may not ever make it a week long vacay since it is farther that the ocean but I would love to visit some time in my life. 🙂 I love following 33shadesofgreen on Instagram for her photos of lake Michigan!! 🙂

Amy M in Indiana - Great Vacation! We were at the LaPorte Co Fair one night –I would have freaked if I had seen you –it would have been like seeing a celebrity!

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vacation 2015 – part one

August 24, 2015 Filed in family fun,friends,traditions

my favorite week of the summer is vacation week.
i get craig and my kids all to myself.   🙂
we get to just hang out with our kids all week and do only fun things!
no chores!  no work!  no sports!
it’s a sacred week for me.
i look forward to it for 51 weeks a year!

our kids had been begging to go back to The City Museum in St. Louis so we decided to stay one night in St. Louis on our way to Michigan.  The City Muesem is SO COOL!  Our kids were off running around the whole time and i literally sat in a chair and chilled… for hours.  I had no need to go down a 10 story slide or crawl under floors.  They came back soaked with sweat and happy as can be.
if you have never gone to the City Museum… YOU HAVE TO DO IT.
i mean it.

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that is sean… up in a tiny wire cage 11 stories above the ground.
i was having heart palpitations just getting this photo.
he said “WHY? You’re not even up here?!”
fear of heights is a weird thing… it’s not logical.
but it’s so crazy real!

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we also had a very VERY hot and sweaty trip to the St. Louis Zoo… along with about a million other people.
we didn’t last too long.
it’s a BEAUTIFUL zoo!  AND it’s FREE!
but it was soooo hot and soooo crowded that we took off pretty quickly.

annie had been looking forward to going to Fitz’s for their famous root beer floats again.
they did not disappoint.
🙂
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we went late afternoon and every one got their own HUGE float and then we ate pizza at about 10 PM.
so it was basically ice cream for dinner.
(another thing i love about vacation…)
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mine was called the Loop Da Loop – root beer with coffee ice cream & chocolate sauce.
dang.
i loved it.

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in the morning we loaded back up and hit the road towards Michigan.
the big van we use for Craft Weekend is so good for vacation!
everyone gets their own row!
but sometimes they share a spot to play games or watch dvds together.
the boys just lay down and sleep.
not complaining about that one bit.

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everyone asked on every instagram picture “where do you stay?”
and we all thought it was funny because anywhere along the water all the way up michigan is awesome.
it’s all so nice.
we tend to stay near St. Joseph area because it’s what we know best.
we get on vrbo.com and find a place… like a year ahead of time.
its always a gamble… and this year the house was less than stellar in MANY ways… except the location could cancel all of the other things out.
we were right on the beach!
we didn’t have to go up or down 213 stairs to get to the beach or the house.
that was really great!
within minutes the kids were in the water and happy as can be.

we share a house with our friends from Illinois when we go to michigan.
it’s a special friendship when you know you can handle a week in close quarters with 6-7 kids.
this was our sixth vacation together!
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the first thing we do is go get groceries… without kids or dads.
we figure out what we are cooking for the week and work through our list.
it takes forever but then we are set for the week!
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all these kids just keep growing up!
so rude.
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we almost always end up going on vacation over the week of sean’s birthday.
so on his big 15th birthday we let him choose our activity.
GO CARTS!
and then he even beat everybody!  they definitely weren’t letting him win either.
everyone was trying really hard to get in front but sean won on his birthday.
i like that.
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and then we played mini golf too!
for all of our activities, Dave had us pair up in teams to compete for washing the dishes that day.
ha ha ha
no one ever chose to be with me or with Jenny! i guess because we are the moms? but guess which team won every ativity?!! Team: Hot Moms! That’s right!  We dominated at all activities and were off Dish Duty all week.  🙂
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on our way we drove by this crazy place and i begged to stop.
because… duh.
it was part statue store – part junk yard.

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i was in love with the old signs!IMG_2786IMG_2802IMG_2783
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i’m trying to convince scott to use this for his senior photo in the year book.  🙂

 

we went to Chili’s for sean’s birthday dinner and rushed back to have birthday cake on the deck before the sunset.

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i sure do like that 15 year old guy.
he is nice.  he is considerate.  he is funny.  he is a big teddy bear.  🙂
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that’s my view for all of our road trips… that smile and saying funny stuff to me all the time.

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my girls learned to play card games at camp… in particular… they learned to play B.S.
talby calls it Bologna Slices.
and that brought a whole new element to vacation.
jake and abby already knew how to play.
it was so funny listening to them try to trick each other.
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now that our kids have all gotten older – they all sleep in!
and they make their own breakfasts!
and even have dance parties in the kitchen.
i like big kids!

the dads leave super early every morning and go golfing.
(whatever… that sounds horrible to me!)
then jenny and i get up hours later and make coffee and sit outside to talk.
and slowly slowly slowly the kids wake up one at a time and peek out to say good morning.
then they would each go back to their electronic device of choice leaving us to talk some more.
around lunch time the dads come back and we all head to the beach.
DREAMY!!!
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skipping rocks is a vacation must.IMG_1294
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jake brought his Spikeball game.
My kids had seen it on shark tank and were excited to play.

 

more vacation to come… but this is already long enough.

🙂

add a comment

Annie - Thank you for sharing-an iconic summer vacation! This made me nostalgic for a weekend I spent at Cape Cod. Time slows to a crawl, ice cream floats (amazing by the way…) are what’s for dinner, and all schedules are thrown out the door like Fred does to Dino in the Flintstones! You are blessed with such an active, vibrant family. This was such a joyful post. God bless you!

Katie - We live here and love it!!

Susan - I’m a Lake Girl who loves Michigan Lakes! You have to go to Traverse City it’s a Michigan must. Do you look for beach glass on vacation? We love the hunt!

Becky - I used to live in St. Joseph, MI! It is beautiful there but the winters were COLD! We rarely swam in the Lake because the lake temp was never really that warm. We worked near the lighthouse and would eat our lunches there. Loved the drive into Chicago and stopping at all the local art galleries along the way. The sand dunes along the shore line were also awesome. It has been almost 20 years so I’m sure it has changed quite a bit, but it brings back great memories!

Kimberlee Jost - That picture of Dave and Jenny om the shoreline is gold. Blow that up and mail it to them for the anniversary. BEAUTIFUL.

Laura in Sacto - Amazing and dreamy pictures! Coffee, blanket and that view! Amazeballs.

jamie - and if you haven’t been to saugatuk or grand haven, you really must. you will fall in deep love.

jamie - doesn’t lake michigan just make your heart skip a beat? the hubs and i had a rare overnight alone so we drove straight down US12 west three hours from our house {we live right off of US12} and stayed in new buffalo. famous burgers {for me} and fabulous breweries {for the hubs}. we found off the beaten path little towns with great shops and beautiful trails in the middle of the forest. so happy you enjoy michigan!

Lynette - Sounds like a fabulous vacation. you’ve inspired me to be more intentional about planning a vacation with my family next summer!

Talia - What a great trip! Looks like it was loads of fun.

Toni :0) - I live in Michigan and love the St. Joseph area. We’ve stayed many times. We are in Empire right now just south of Sleeping Bear and it’s cold, rainy and cloudy. So not beachy weather and we are sorely bummed out. Must have bought a boogie board and beach cart and can’t use any of it. :0( Glad you had nice weather on your vacation.

marcie - The house may not have been great but “location, location, location!!” So beautiful. I haven’t been to Michigan or the lakes since I was young (Southern gal) but it looks fabulous. And get Talby a modeling gig – or lock her up for a few years LOL – what a pretty young lady!!!

Stephanie - Wow. That actually sounds like vacation. Some day! Thanks for sharing this!

Katie - Looks like so much fun!!

Sabrina - Your vacations give me hope!! Every year for the past five years since we’ve been married, we go to Michigan. And every year we seem to add a new kid. 😉 We now have 3 boys under the age of 5 and it does NOT feel like a vacation. Yes, it’s fun to see family and friends and go to the beach and play. But vacationing with a baby, toddler and a preschooler is brutal. The struggle is real.

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