Magnolia Mamas : Summer

Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Lake Keowee Getaway

Last week we spent the week at gorgeous Lake Keowee in South Carolina. We used to have a house on this lake so it felt like old times being back there again. We love it because it isn't crowded, the water is so clear and pretty, and the views at the northern part of the lake are amazing with the mountains in the background.

We went with our very good friends who we have been vacationing with for over 10 years. My friend, K, and I met when we were put together as co-teachers in a First grade classroom.

We taught together for two years before each having our oldest girls! Just look at how cute they were getting ready to go out on the boat 12 years ago!!!

And now they are all grown up!

Our second girls were also born right around the same time and they have all been such great friends ever since.

They live in Florida so we only see them a couple times a year, but it always feels like we pick up right where we left off!

We spent the week have so much fun and making so many memories. We laughed a ton, went on lots of adventures, and relaxed a lot, too!

We made several visits to the waterfall and the kids climbed up to the top!

We love hanging out in this area because there is a shallow area for kids to play, the waterfall is obviously gorgeous to look at and there are usually a lot of boats so it makes it a fun atmosphere!

The kids loved tubing and all of them spent a lot of time wake-boarding this year, too!

We did a lot of swimming and splashing around!

We grilled out several nights, but our favorite things to do is get dressed up and head to The Lighthouse by boat. It's an amazing restaurant you can get to by boat or by car. So much more fun to go by boat though!

The food is AMAZING and the kids love the huge grassy lawn right outside. They have been playing on that lawn since they were toddlers, little kids and now as big kids, too! How sweet is this picture of them from 5 years ago and then now!

The week away was just what we all needed to catch up with friends, spend quality time with family, rest and recharge! We already planned our trip for next year while we were together and I CAN'T WAIT!!!!

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Boating Around Atlanta: A Getaway From Your Everyday

This post is sponsored by Discover Boating but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

One of our very favorite things about summer is boating. We have spent years on the water and all of our kids grew up on boats. Living in Atlanta, we are lucky to have so many different lakes to choose from. No matter what direction you head from the city there is a lake just waiting for you.

There are SO many things we love about boating, but the one that ranks near the top of the list is the fact that it feels like a mini-vacation every weekend we are out on the boat. It doesn't matter if we are less than an hour from home. Being on the water just feels like a getaway from your everyday.

It's the one activity that we can do as a family that gets everyone involved. We're all together, outside, and enjoying each other's company.

No one is on their phone or iPad because they are worried about them getting wet so it is really just good old fashioned family time.

We love listening to music, cruising around, jumping off the boat, swimming, finding an island to explore, wake-boarding, tubing, fishing and just about every other thing that comes along with being on a boat and out on the water!

Boating is also one of our favorite things to do with friends. It's a great way for parents to be able to hang out and catch up, a great way to keep the kids entertained, and it's a sure way to make sure everyone has FUN!!!!

We have regular lakes that we go to, but most of our vacations over the past 4-5 years have also involved boating in some way or another. We love exploring new lakes and living where we do, we are lucky that there are SO many so close to us.

Did you know you don't have to be a boat owner to go boating? There are tons of options for renting a boat and the Discover Boating site has a boat finder tool where you can just put in your zip code and it helps you find rentals near you! Wouldn't that be a fun Father's Day surprise for your special guy?

If you are looking to buy a boat, the Discover Boating site has lots of tools to help you find the perfect boat for you and they also have such great info like how to teach your kid to wake-board, information on different water sports, essentials and must-haves for boating, and even tips on how to dock a boat. Discover Boating is pretty much has it all. Even as seasoned boat owners, it has helpful tips that we've used!

Come spend the day with us on:

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

5 Tips For Sprucing Up Your Patio

Summertime, and the living is easy! It's the greatest time of year if you ask us. We love having our kids home from school, we love having friends over to grill out, and we love the lazy, laid-back schedules that come along with it.

The covered patio off our basement was kind of an after thought when it came to decorating. We've had some furniture down there for a while, but it never felt like a very comfortable space and I hadn't really put any thought into that area. I really wanted to spruce up that space for summer so that it would feel more inviting and would encourage us to use it more. I am obsessed with how it turned out and have loved every second we've spent out there so far. I wanted to share all about what I did to make it feel just like another room in our home instead of just an outdoor spot to grill in the hopes that it would inspire someone else to do the same with their outdoor space.

5 Tips For Sprucing Up Your Patio For Summer

1. Treat it like an extension of your home.
When you start to think of this area like another room in your home you will immediately want to treat it like that. Cleaning this "room" will become part of your normal cleaning routine. No one wants to go sit out on dirty chairs or deal with dead bugs. If you keep the space clean and tidy on a regular basis, you're definitely more likely to use it on a regular basis!

2. Have comfortable seating and lots of pillows.
Having somewhere comfortable to sit is key! We opted for an outdoor sectional, but didn't go crazy with it. It's not top of the line, by any means, but it is great for what we needed and somewhere soft to land.

The outdoor dining table is a hand-me-down from my in-laws, but in PERFECT condition and the cushion colors just happened to match!

Adding pillows is my VERY favorite way to spruce up any space, both indoors and out! I don't care if fabrics are treated for outdoors, I still use them outside and just wash as needed. To me, the pillows 100% make this space feel just like home. I love the buffalo plaid pillow covers from Amazon and the Vineyard Vines x Target collaboration one I snagged in my local Target last week! The others are ones I had stashed around my house in other areas that I just repurposed for the patio.

3. Add a rug.
This is probably one that my husband didn't agree with, but I knew it would make the patio feel more cozy and home like. I wanted an indoor-outdoor rug that was durable and could be hosed off after pollen season, but that was colorful and comfortable to put my feet on. I ended up going with THIS one in the 8x10 and could not be happier.

The price was right, I didn't have to pay extra shipping and it completely changed the look of the space. When my little guy saw it out there for the first time he said, "Wow! That carpet makes it look way gooder out there." And he was right! This was the thing that completely changed the look of the patio.

4. Plants, greenery and flowers!
I love little pops of green both indoors and out! I use all sorts of artificial boxwood sprigs in fun containers inside my house and also like to use them outdoors, too!

I don't have a green thumb, but I do love potted plants or flowers because they are usually easier to keep alive (as long as I remember to water them!).

5. Don't forget the finishing touches.
Think about all of those items that make our indoors spaces feel "finished." I'm talking about the candles, small decor items, wall art and just personal little items that make a home feel like a home. You add them to rooms indoors, so don't forget to use those outside on our porch or patio, too!

I just mostly used things I already had on hand, but also added a few new things. I made the American flag sign at Board and Brush and I'm obsessed with it!

I also grabbed a few of these candles from the Vineyard Vines x Target collaboration! Candles are great for keeping bugs away at night, too!

I really love the way this space turned out and know that we will enjoy using it all summer long!

Do you have an outdoors space you use? Any other ideas to share for sprucing it up?

Friday, May 24, 2019

Summer Fun with Old Time Pottery {Giveaway!}

Thank you to Old Time Pottery for sponsoring this post. All thoughts, opinions and summer fun are our own.

The unofficial start to Summer is here and we are so ready! School is out for most of the Mini Magnolias, and we are ready to spend the next few months soaking in all the Summer we can. With pool and lake time on the schedule from now until August we made it our mission this week to stock up on all the summer essentials.

I don't know about you, but by the end of each season we seem to lose about 90% of our pool toys. We end up with a mis-matched set of dive toys, a handful of water guns who lived their best life and only work on occasion, and our goggles are hanging on by a sad rubbery little thread.

When your crew and their band of pint sized friends tend to Marco-Polo/mermaid/water wrestle/race/dive/cannon ball/Category from sun up to sun down, you learn pretty quick to not spend a ton of money on anything they are going to be playing with at the pool. Pool toys tend to get thrown into one big splash fest, and floats get passed around and serve about sixteen different purposes. That's the magic of Summer - everyone is blissed out on all that Vitamin D and the unlimited possibilities that a large body of water can provide - no one cares (for the most part) whose is what. But all that magic doesn't have to break your budget.

This week we made our way to our local Old Time Pottery to stock up on all the summer things. Old Time Pottery always has a great selection of high quality seasonal items for more than affordable prices. Over the years they have become one of our favorite go-to places for re-stocking our summer fun stashes.

| Patio Umbrellas |

They always have a ton of great items on hand, and their shelves are always fully stocked. So when you need to buy five identical pink mermaid sand toys (because apparently not all sand toys are created equal) they have your back.

Old Time Pottery covers all our summer fun needs. From portable chairs to plush towels to toys and everything in between - we love that we can walk in knowing we will be able to find everything we need to get us ready for summer.

| Spyderball | Life Sized Dice | 3-in-1Sport Target Toss |

This year was no exception. Usually it is the kids who I have to limit from going crazy, but this year I was having a hard time showing restraint. There were just so many fun things on every shelf you looked. We make our way to the beach in a few weeks with our extended family, and we love playing games on the beach. I was so excited to stock up on a few fun new ones!

The kids found plenty of fun, unique new toys of their own too. And most were under $5! You can't beat that!

But their favorite had to be the selection of pool floats they have on hand. Every kind of pool float you can image! The kids thought this pizza one was hilarious. Most floats are under $20 - even for the large "instagram-worthy" ones.

Stocking up on the essentials is easy too. I grabbed a stash of new goggles because this seems to be the number one thing we tend to lose or break each summer. It's also nice to have a few extra pair on hand in case any of our pool guests need a pair too.

The minute the girls spotted these mini collapsible chairs they wanted one. As certified soccer siblings they spend a ton of time on the sidelines cheering on their brother. They were so excited to see a "soccer chair" just their size, I couldn't say no. Especially for only $6.99! I grabbed a few for our crew and then grabbed one to wrap up as a part of a gift for a summer birthday party we have coming up.

Beach shovels, sand toys, pool floats, splash balls, water guns, beach chairs, towels...you get the idea! We left Old Time Pottery totally stocked and ready!

The kids can't wait to play with all their new stuff, and the excitement that we all have for the summer ahead is almost bursting out of us.

We are so excited that we just can't keep it all to ourselves. We have a little summer fun surprise for you too!

SUMMER FUN GIVEAWAY!

We want you to go into summer just as prepped! We are giving away a $100 gift card to Old Time Pottery to one lucky reader!

To enter just answer the question below in our comments!

WHAT FUN DO YOU HAVE PLANNED THIS SUMMER?

Winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Friday, May 31, 2019. Winner must 18 or older and a resident of the United States. Winner be required to claim prize in 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen.

Happy Summer everyone!