Summer Lemonade (and Thrifting)

What is it that makes Lemonade so lovely in the Summer sunshine?

I used our bistro table to set up this little side table next to the table we have Under the Apple Tree. It is a nice shaded little area in our yard, cool and relaxing.

I have wanted to put together a little place for lemonade for some time, when I stumbled across this lemonade dispensing pitcher (still with the tag on the bottom of it), second hand from goodwill. It was marked $12.99, but it had a blue tag, and on that day the blue tags were only $1.29. I cannot tell you how quickly (and gently) this went into my cart!

Then nearly a day later I stumbled across these adorable cups from the dollar tree. I was so thrilled.

Making this service of 4, with tax, less than $6. That is my kind of frugal!

When life gives me lemons... :)

I am adding this post to:

Feathered Nest Friday

Frugalicious Friday

Show and Tell Friday

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Penny Pinching Party

Please visit these lovely parties!

::The Holiday Challenge::
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Cupcake In A Teacup... (cute party idea)

A fun way to celebrate a birthday, bridal shower,
or 'a just because' is to have cupcakes in teacups!

Planning a shower, I stumbled across this idea online, only it was to actually bake the cupcake IN a teacup. Thinking that that might be a bit dangerous for the teacup I tried just setting cupcakes in smaller teacups and they fit perfectly!

The cupcakes in this post were devoured by my children. But, for the actual shower I think I will set out side plates for the cupcakes, or possibly include two teacups per setting, one for tea and the other for the cup cake. Suggestions are welcomed!

 Imagine a whole table of mis-matched teacups with cupcakes, won't it be lovely?

::The Holiday Challenge::
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43+ Small Outing Ideas

A list of 43 small fun outings great if you are trying to find something fun to do today. These outings are important for my family because they take us away from our normal routines, cause us to relate differently to each other, and are good for family bonding. New experiences provide adventure and even a love of learning that can't be found elsewhere.

• Geo-caching - Don't know what that is? See more about it here.
• Fishing, hiking, anything outdoors 
• Skating (ice and roller)
• The Zoo or wildlife preserve
• Mini golf, or if that's not exciting enough, regular golfing
• Have a movie night - at home or in a theater  
• Rock climb - Vertical worlds and fun indoor rock climbing are popping up everywhere.
• A stroll through a park or somewhere scenic
• A stroll down memory lane - if you live near enough take your loved ones somewhere from your childhood
• Weekend camping
• Weekend get-a-ways
• Swimming (pool, lake, or ocean)
• Tennis - indoors or out
• Museums - historical, art, or novelty
• Performance - ballet, play or concert 
• Puppet shows 
• Laser tag or paintball
• Parades
• Go-carts
• Sight seeing tours or other local tour
• Arcade
• The backyard - baseball , bbq's, badminton, kid pools
• Water parks or other theme park
• Bowling
• Local fairs and festivals
• Boat rides - if you do not have a boat but live near water often boats of all kinds can be rented.
• Window shop in a nearby tourist town
• Outdoor basketball or volleyball
• Play at the park
• Have a picnic - anywhere from the backyard to a national park.
• Bike rides
• Go for ice cream
• Relax at the ocean
• Visit local statues, historical spots or buildings in your town
• Water ski or tubing
• Antiquing - this can be a lot of fun especially for kids if you give them a few dollars to find their own treasures.
• Pottery or other craft shop
• Family game night, or just a craft you can do together.
• Overnights for the kids with grandparents
• Ball games
• River rides - (with a guide)
• Date nights with your spouse. - I come up with a few ideas, but mostly just make sure to have babysitting in mind if we decide to go on one.

Have more ideas? Share them, I would love to see them in the comments below!

I won! A Beautiful Give-away from The Porcelain Rose

I entered The Porcelain Rose blog "give away".

And to my surprise, I won!

And oh-how-beautiful they are:

Lots of pretty designs. I love the detailed edges.

I think this one might be my favorite of the bunch.

 'World' stamps in the corners.

I cannot wait to use them!

You can find Elizabeth's lovely shop The Porcelian Rose on Etsy with more of these wonderful tags.
And a warm thanks to Victoria from Slightly Shabby (I love her blog) for hosting this give-away!

(I am not affiliated with The Porcelain Rose, just sharing these for fun).

::The Holiday Challenge::
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Summer Cabin Tablescape

A four hour ferry ride is just about the only way into the little isolated mountain town of Stehekin, WA.

Landlocked by lake and Mountains, there are no roads to or from this town full of rivers, waterfalls, and natures abundance.

We stayed in a little log cabin at Stehekin Valley Ranch.

Full of charming rustic details.

I was delighted to find these adorable bear plates, bowls and cups in our cabinet.

For my Sweetheart and myself, I used them to set a little breakfast tablescape.

For lack of a centerpiece, I used the enamel coffee pot full of piping hot coffee.

And an enamel bowl for fruit.

  A wonderful, simple beginning to a vacation morning.

*I have added this post to BetweenNapsOnThePorch for Tablescape Thursday, visit to see lovely posts*

This cabin and tablescape are only a small portion of the wonder of Stehekin, I will soon be posting more vacation details about this enchanting place.

::The Holiday Challenge::

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Christmas in July Party {Link your best posts from last year}

Welcome to the Christmas in July Blog Party!

Link your best posts from last Christmas.

The sun is shining, the garden is ripening, the pool is calling... 

So why in the world think about having a Christmas party?

Christmas is now nearly 6 month's away...

That's right July 25th the half way mark...

That's only a little over 150 days!

Are you stressed yet?

I hope not, because gathering ideas, making plans, and taking some time right now while the holiday is a distant memory is the best way to make sure to avoid holiday stress in the upcoming months.

For this party:

I am changing the rules a little bit. Take a moment, look through your best posts from last year and link them up. You do not need to edit your post in anyway, you do not even need to add a link back to aHolidayHaven for this party. (If you would like to take the button and put it in your side bar it is appreciated, but not required.)

 Here are some of my favorite posts from last Christmas:  

Mulled Apple Cider Recipe

Snowy Photos

Christmas Photo Ideas

Traditional Christmas Decor

Visions of Sugar Plums


Ribbon Rose Gift Toppers

Sugared Orange Slices

A Cranberry Christmas

Now it is your turn, link up your best Christmas posts! (Please link directly to your post instead of to the main page of your blog.) You will see your posts in my side bar as well!

Want to take the whole party to your site? Click Here to get the code.

::The Holiday Challenge::
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Christmas in July ~ Guest Post

 Dressing beautifully for the holidays adds so much fun! Today I have a guest post from Karen of HoHo Hats to share:

It’s Christmas in July at
 

Santa may be relaxing on the beach this summer,

but he has the elves creating a collection of wonderful hats for Holiday 2011.

HoHo Hats are Santa’s brand. Until a few years ago, only Santa got to wear a HoHo.
Now you can too!

We’re thrilled to give you a peak at our colorful, reversible and US patented designs.

First is Santa's own hat in bright red velvet with gold, red and green metallic brocade.

For the best boys and girls, Santa has jumbo reversible stockings and matching velvet scarves.

 

The Black Tie Santa HoHo in black velvet and bronze brocade is so elegant!

HoHo products are made of the finest Autralian or NewZealand shearling lamb, an ecofriendly fur. Only the finest velvets, silks and brocades are used. And each HoHo Hat has an Austrian Swarovski crystal snowflake sewn inside.

The elves love the green velvet Donner with a brilliant blue-green silk tartan taffeta.

For autumn, we stitched up some great styles for the Fall 2011 Collection.

We invite you to shop these styles and lots more at www.hohohats.com. While you’re there, sign up for our newsletter to see the latest. And join us on Facebook and Twitter too!

HoHo Hats wishes you all a very merry July! 
Karen

Made in the U.S.A.
US PATENT D639,533

Thanks Karen for sharing your lovely hats with us, I can hear Jingle bells already! 

Visit her site to see more photos of these quality crafted, elegant hats.

(p.s. Holiday Haven is not affiliated with HoHo Hats in anyway. Just sharing this for fun.)

::The Holiday Challenge::
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