Waterside Must Haves {Hostess Gifts Ideas from Casabella }

It's almost that time!  It's our last week of school so that means lots of lake weekends, beach getaways and fun in the sun. If you are heading to a friend's lake house or beach condo you know you can't show up empty handed.  Fun little hostess gifts will go a long way to make sure you get invited back!  

One of our favorite shops, Casabella in East Cobb, has tons of custom items for every lake and beach nearby. We love the personalized book stacks and etched glasses which make perfect hostess gifts! They have a great selection and it is all in one spot. That makes it easy for local friends to pop in, pick up what you need, and be on your way to the lake or sea. 

We put together some of our favorite waterside must haves from Casabella that make any weekend getaway just a little bit better.  We love a great waterproof bag, trendy towels, fun snacks, cute cups, drink mixes and more. 

It would be so cute to put together a little gift bag like this for a friend as a hostess gift or even just to grab all the essentials you need for your next getaway. 

Lastly, we couldn't share waterside must haves without sharing this goodness.  Good Times Slushie mixes are the easiest frozen cocktail mix you will ever try. You just mix it with the liquor suggested and you have a yummy batch that everyone can enjoy. Casabella carries an assortment of flavors and we've been lucky to taste test a few. Take our word for it, these are a must have! 

Need a fun cup to drink those adult slushies from? Casabella has you covered with lots of non-breakable options perfect for your waterside getaway!

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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!!!!  

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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!

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Lake Cumberland Houseboat Trip

Happy Monday!  Jen mentioned on Friday that I had been out of town and although we came back mid-week, it took me until now to feel like I was settled and back on track with our normal schedule. 

Some of you may remember last year I shared about our houseboat trip to Lake Cumberland in Kentucky. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).  We had an amazing time and although it probably wasn't the kind of trip I would have planned, it was tons of fun.  So much fun that we decided to do it again this year. Same trip, same people, same location, different experience.  

If something could have gone wrong on the trip, it did.  Now, we still had SO much fun and made lots of amazing memories, but things didn't run quite as smoothly this year as it did last year or maybe the newness of the trip had worn off.  Let's just say 1 day with no running water, one potty that did work part of the time, a hot tub that had some major issues, a kid that almost broke a leg, the stomach bug that claimed 4 victims (including yours truly), a virus that claimed several others, and a crazy crew that joined our peaceful location for part of the week were just some of the mishaps that occurred during our week away.  

However, all of the mishaps and craziness aside, we still had so much fun with our friends and will have stories to laugh about for years to come.  

We woke up early and hit the road for our 5 hour drive to Lake Cumberland.  The kids were so excited and their anticipation was infectious!

We towed our boat there so we would have a ski boat for the week and easily be able to run to the marina for ice and other things we might need.  

I was laughing at all of the stuff I had in the front seat with me and one was this bag of chargers for every device we had on the trip.
#momlife in 2017  

On the way there I wore this adorable Hello, Sunshine tank.  The girls and I spotted it in Target when we were buying a few essentials for the trip and I knew I had to have it, along with a few others I'll share in a sec.  

tank//shorts (similar)//shoes//bag

After a quick grocery run we moved all of our things onto our home for the next week and set sail to find a great spot for the evening.  

We quickly fell into a routine that would last for the remainder of the week.  Lots of good food, yummy drinks, water sports and laughs!  

The girls wanted to bring matching tops for their friends and these Namaste on Vacay tanks were perfect!  They wore them as coverups some days and as cute tops on other days.  After seeing the gorgeous views and amazing weather, we were all feeling pretty sure we could stay on vacay!

On our second day we made the ride down to 76 Falls and tied up. We were the only ones there and had planned to stay for a few days.  The kids love swimming under the waterfall and it was such a gorgeous backdrop.  Well, a few days turned into five and before we knew it it was almost time to go home!  We just didn't want to leave!

We weren't alone though.  There were tons of houseboats that stayed for the long haul and lots of boats that would just come and hang out for the day.

We passed the time with all kinds of fun in the sun.  From just hanging out at the house boat, floating in the water, sliding, napping in hammocks, paddle boarding and boat rides, we definitely got our fill of Lake Life fun. The days all seemed to run together and that is a good thing when you're on vacation!

We stocked up on sunscreen for the week and the kids knew the drill. After breakfast they would all change from pajamas to swimsuits and before heading outside for the day they had to be lathered up. I used my favorite Beautycounter stick sunscreen for our faces and this new whipped sunscreen.  It goes on super smooth and is easy to rub in!

My friend and I decided that this was a trip, not a vacation and it is kind of like camping on the water.  It's full of good times and tan lines.  When I saw this tank before we left I just knew it would be the perfect description of this trip.  

tank//shorts

In fact, since the girls were bringing matching tanks for their friends, I wanted to bring a matching one for my friend, too!  

We have decided that we will not do this trip again next year, but one thing is for sure, we'll do some sort of summer vacation with our friends because we love them so much and any time spent with them is a good time! 

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