Dad's Day (and a DIY or two)

"Could be there's nothing else in our lives so critical, 

As this little home."

-The Shins, 'Simple Song'
   

    
When I asked Beau what he wanted to do this weekend for Father's Day, I wasn't surprised by his answer...

Backyard barbecue and Big Green Egg.

  
Wish granted.  

Yes, Beau didn't give Cruz and I the option to serve him breakfast in bed Sunday morning. He was up at 4:30 am prepping a beef brisket for his smoker, happy as can be.  When Cruz and I rolled out of bed at 7:00, we found our main man all smiles, doing a jig in the kitchen with his moppin' sauce, wireless thermometer, and one hefty piece of meat.  The excuse to be home and hover around this Big Green Egg of his makes my husband the happiest, so, I added my creative flair to our day at home and created a festive father's day picnic in our own backyard.

It was one of the best of days.

We had red and white checkerboard tablecloths and a summertime picnic banner to bring some color to our deck (diy below).  We drank beers and lemonade from mason jars, and devoured slices of watermelon in the hot afternoon sun.  We set up our backyard to look like a baby adventure land, and watched Cruz go from pool, to beach ball sprinkler, to water table in a matter of ten minutes' time.  And after a dry diaper and a cool down in the tree swing, we gathered around our table for a Father's Day picnic of homemade potato salad, fresh cut watermelon, a perfectly cooked brisket, and some rather festive cupcakes.

(chocolate cupcakes, chocolate frosting, black piping for 'grill marks,' hot tamales for hot dogs, caramels for steaks, and spice drops for kabobs :)

We had a ball in our own backyard, singing songs with Cruz with our toes in the pool, spoiling Daddy with some presents, and swinging to the breeze in our hammock.  More than once yesterday, I closed my eyes and savored this very special time in our lives.  Life seems to be the way it should, and I love the simple beat of our song right now.  

 

  

Father's Day D.A.D. Photo Frame...

  

One of Beau's Father's Day gifts, inspired by Pinterest!  I found these wooden letters for 97 cents at Hobby Lobby, spray-painted them a bright teal, and made them into a peekaboo game for the Cruz Man (the rest of the pictures here).  Stuck 'em in a collage frame from Amazon, and now they are hanging on Beau's wall in his office.  

Festive DIY Fabric Banner...

  

I made a banner like this for Cruz's first birthday bash and wanted to recreate a smaller, more colorful version for summertime.  It's very easy to make and adds a fun life to any space.  For Cruz's birthday, I tied it to four different stakes to create a square space for the festivities, and yesterday, I thumb-tacked it to our deck.    

 

 

  

What you need:

  

-fabric.  This is always my favorite part - the options are endless!  I purchased a yard of each of these from Hobby Lobby (make sure to go and shop when they are featuring fabric at 50% off).  

-some ribbon (at least 1/2 wide)

-scissors

-tacky glue

-a cardboard model to trace (dimensions below)  

I used the bottom of an old shoebox to cut my model.  Depending on how big you want each of your pennants, just trace and cut.  My triangle is 10" tall (base to tip), with a 7" base.  Trace and cut the desired quantity of pennants. 

 

Using your ribbon, tacky glue, and pennants, put a thin layer of glue along the base of each triangle.  Press ribbon over top of triangle.  Continue process until you have the length you're looking for.  And if you run out of ribbon, start a new roll and staple 'em together.   

 

Happy Monday to all!  Stop in this week for some fun Summer Bucket List pictures, a giveaway, and some how-tos for fun, summertime toddler activities.  

Linkin' up with Jellibean today!