The Wonderful Life of the Parkers

Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich

This weekend I had the joy of spending some time with family!

My mother in law made the yummiest (and healthy) treat for desert and I couldn't wait to share it with yall....especially when I found out just how simple it was to make!

Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwich

What You Need:

Graham Crackers

Cool Whip

Strawberries

How to Make 'Em

1. Blend Cool Whip & Strawberries

2. Apply a thick coat to graham crackers and make a sandwich

3. Freeze & Enjoy!

I love how simple and quick these are to make...and not to mention HEALTHY!

Definitely a nice refreshing treat on a hot day!

Keep Calm & Pack for Vacation

Getting ready for vacation can be exciting but at the same time, a big pain!

If your like me, you tend to pack everything- worried that you may forget something!

Most people tend to focus on packing their clothes and toiletries but there is much more that also needs to be done! Thanks to a few pinterest posts, I've come up with a nice little list to make sure you've got everything ready to go!

4-6 Months Before

1. Plan a budget for your trip and begin saving! Some great ways to save your money (or earn some) for your trip: save your chain, yard sale, save your soda cans and cash them in, etc.

2. Take your vacation time from work. When booking my own vacation, my husband and I usually decide where we would like to go and then do our homework. See whats going on in that area! For example you may not want to book your beach vacation on bike week or spring break!

3. Book your hotel! Before being quick to book your hotel, be sure to check out reviews online!

4. Make arrangements for your pets. Be sure to make arrangements for your animals to be fed or boarded. When boarding your animals, don't forge that they require for your animals to be up to date on their shots.

5. Purchase airline tickets if needed.

6. Purchase coupon books online. Also, be sure to check out www.ebates.com!

7. Plan out your daily schedule.

The Week Before

1. Stop your mail & newspaper delivery.

2. Car Maintenance. Make sure that oil is changes, brakes are good and that car is nice and squeaky clean!

3. Ask a neighbor to keep an eye on your home.

4. Start packing those bags!

5. Prepare activities for the kids.

6. Give family & friends your contact information.

7. Make sure to have your prescriptions refilled.

8. Call & confirm your hotel reservations and flights.

9. Go Shopping! Make sure you've got sunblock, snacks, etc.)

10. Put together a first aid kit (bandaids, antibiotic ointment, etc.)

The Day Before

1. Clean out your fridge! Last thing you need to have while your on vacation is something incubating in your fridge!

2. Fill up your gas tank.

3. Pack the car.

4. Get cash.

5. Get some good sleep.

Having this tips will be sure to help preparing for our upcoming vacation! You can find the full blog post and more ideas for kids activity kits and more at A Bowl Full of Lemons

Summer Splash Blog Hop & Giveaway

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Welcome to the 2nd Annual Summer Splash Event hosted by Life With Two Boys and With Our Best!

A bunch of great blogs have come together to bring you some amazing prizes to help you kick off your summer... with a SPLASH! Each blog is giving away at least $25 worth of prizes, plus we have an awesome grand prize for one very lucky winner. Be sure to hop along to each of the participating blogs because the more giveaways you enter, the more chances you have at winning the Grand Prize!

So what's this Grand Prize we're talking about? Thanks to Trex Outdoor Furniture, one very lucky winner is going to win a Yacht Club 3-Piece Rocker Set valued at $1,317! Made in the USA and constructed of durable HDPE recycled lumber, this Rocker Set is sure to help you slow down and relax this Summer and for many years to come!

Enter the Grand Prize!

Origami Owl with Ashley Parker is also offering an awesome summery giveaway!
Enter to win a beach inspired locket from Origami Owl Living Lockets!

The winner will receive a medium silver locket with a seahorse, seashell and a mixed drink charm!

Thats a value of $43!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Has It Really Been 3 Years???

This past week, my husband and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary.

Its hard to believe that 3 years has gone by! It seems like just yesterday that I was saying "I Do".

Besides a few snapshots here and there, we haven't had our photos done since our engagements back in 2009. For our 3rd anniversary, I thought it would be nice to have our pictures done.

Being a photographer myself, I am always looking for fun props and ideas. I am always up for a fun DIY project and I love finding things that I can easily make and incorporate into my sessions. When I stumbled across this idea a while back, I just new I had to try this out!

(Pinterest Version)

Props like this are SO simple to create yourself!

To create your anniversary frame you'll just need a few simple materials:

A Frame of your Choice

scrapbooking paper

Glue

Scissors

Buttons

Cut your paper to fit inside your frame. I used a 4x6 frame.

Next, using the glue, draw out your design on the paper. Since we're celebrating our 3rd anniversary, I used the number 3. Then, just apply the buttons to the glue!

After you've applied all the buttons, let dry.

Once dry, just insert your creation into the frame.

This cute little create makes the perfect photo prop! It could also be used to number tables at an event!

Another Idea- instead of a number, you could do an initial :)

Squat Challenge

Has the warm weather got you thinking how bad you need to hit the gym?

After looking at myself in front of the mirror the other day it left me thinking how bad I needed to get back into shape! I was so excited when I came across this challenge.

My thighs are in need of some serious toning!

Thanks to Pinterest, I've come across a great 30 day squat challenge :)

I am SO excited and ready to start my challenge!

Stella & Dot Review

I was so excited after hosting my very first Stella & Dot trunk show, and even more excited when Independent Stylist Stephanie Parady McDonough handed me a lovely gift box. The packaging was beautiful but the bracelet inside was simply stunning! Tucked inside was the line's Foundation Bracelet in Green. The Foundation Bracelet comes in Green and Pink.

The Green has beautiful glass beads framed with golden nuggets.

The Pink has raspberry dyed jade.

Each include a sliding knot closure for adjustable length and fit mosts wrists. At 29.00, it is a staple for your summer wardrobe, not to mention that 100% of the proceeds go to Stella & Dot partners buildOn and girlsinc. to help build schools, support youth, and assist women in becoming entrepeneurs!

Here are just a few other favorite items that Stella & Dot has to offer!

Spring Awakening Necklace

How Does She Do It- Navy Ikat

Bryant Park Scarf

Contact Stephanie atwww.stelladot.com/sites/stephanieparadymcd and get yours today!!!

Review With Via Cacao

I am SO excited to share a wonderful new company with you that I know you ladies are going to LOVE! Via Cacao creates beautiful bows and hair accessories. They use 100% USA Designer fabrics. I am SO in love with all their beautiful designs and fabrics!

They sent us a couple of fun and beautiful bows to review for them.

I absolutely LOVE these bows! They are so unique and much different than the typical bows you find for sale. My co-blogger, Bridget and her little girl were able to review these for us.

"Hi! My name is Bridget, and I have a 1 year old daughter named Maci. I recently had the opportunity to review hairbows from Via Cacao. I had a great time reviewing these bows and showing them off on my little girl! I received a few soft bows and a couple hard bows. The soft bows were perfect for my little angel, and they have an alligator clip on the back so they can be clipped straight in their hair OR on a headband. I live the colors too, the two that I received are tan, kind of vintage colored, which you don't see a lot of in the stores!! The hard bows I received were perfect for my 3 year old niece! She loved that they were easy to put in, so she could do it herself, and the fact that they were lightweight so that she couldn't really feel them in her hair. We also loved the color of those as well!! Thank you so much, Via Cacao, for allowing us to review your bows! We love them!!!"