link back love fridays...

Lagniappe - Suesue's blog is brand new but already brimming with charming photos and tales of her Louisianian lifestyle. She is also a maker of things (like so many of us!) and her things are often winsome, always lovely.

The rest of this week's link back love is a list of previously noted friends so click HERE for a visit.

And now onto some fun links!

I think these playing cards would make a game of gin rummy or go fish far more interesting.

These little birds are very cute. I would love to find some larger ones that didn't cost a small fortune.

If you have a Halloween tree you might like to snag yourself a set of these guys.

Check out Janell Berryman Folk Art for some of my favorite Halloween and Christmas folk art. You'll find papier mache sculpture, paintings, ACEOs, accessories and more. Janell sells on Etsy and also has a licensed line through Enesco as well.

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We're wrapping up Twilight Camp today and will be hunkering down at the house this weekend to get our to-do list cleaned up. See you all next week!

twilight camp begins...

We arrived early to complete chaos and disorganization. And face-melting heat. Then we moved into an elementary school gym to fix the chaos (or at least move the chaos to an air conditioned space). That's when we discovered that Caleb got to stay and play at the Tot Lot while Logan did Cub Scout stuff and Lynn did walking-den-leader stuff. We also discovered we should've made swaps for Logan to bring with him to trade with other scouts...there were several things we had to discover on our own yesterday. Sigh.

Anyway, Molly and I finally made it home three and a half hours after the original drop-off time, ate some supper and then set to work on Logan's swap design order. He wanted pirate-y with a skull and Davey Jones and maybe a flag too. I gave him pirate-y with a skull.



I found some royalty-free clip art online, altered it, added text and set to printing. I printed up some inkjet shrinky dinks and tied them to gold safety pins. And I just bought myself a cheapie button maker a couple weeks ago, so I made him some buttons too.





I suspect his hat will be much heavier when he gets home tonight.

patio fever...

Progress Made., originally uploaded by mkpdesigns.

My parents are expanding their patio DIY style this week. Go here to see progress on the project, and as a bonus you can see how cute my folks are AND you can also catch a glimpse of my baby sisters' fiance too.

Also suffering from patio fever: my sister and her husband as well as my grandparents. It seems to be catching so be sure to wash your hands frequently and maybe avoid the local home improvement stores and gardening centers.

link back love fridays...

It's Friday already!! Funny how a travel weekend makes the following week run in super fast motion. This week's (and last week's) link back love is a list of previously noted friends so click HERE for a refresher course! Go on now, there's lots of really lovely links to be found :).

And now onto some fun links!

Mimi is making the most charming pin cushions I've ever laid eyes on! I hope this one makes its way to Etsy and then eventually onto my desk.

Eling's etsy shop is stuffed full of fiber goodness, but it's these little cards that totally kill me.

Yesterday was Raesha's birthday. Happy Birthday!!

Look at these pillows Regina and her boys made for their dad. Very cool! One more thing to add to my list of supplies-I-want.

Moki's birthday was back on the 14th. Happy Birthday to you too!!

There are pandas and a new zine to be found over at Theresa's.

And now I must search the internets to find something fun for us to do...our weekend guests couldn't make their trip at the last minute so we have a basically open weekend!

bliss and a pinch, all at the same time...

the upstairs A/C is cold again and it only cost us $960. Only. Ha. Time to get some new work up for sale...I've already dug up all the couch cushions and raided the laundry room coin stash.

I always hate to take money out of savings, especially for things like this. Lynn reminds me that's what the savings account is for...but, but, but I don't like to think of it that way. The savings account should be spent on fun things like trips to Disney World with the kiddos and new sewing machines and cameras, not crappy things like replacing A/C parts or paying medical bills (of which, thankfully, right now we have none).

Aside from that unpleasant laying out of hard earned cash, all is right with the world here at the Lyons' Den. Yay for air conditioning! Yay for having the money to fix the air conditioning! Now, Universe, I would love some time to replenish that chunk we just took out of savings account. Can you arrange that for us? Just keep everything else in working order until after school starts back up, or forever, which ever works better for you. Thanks!

Now I'm off to research patron saints of household appliances and homeowners...

it's been a busy bunch of days...

Logan turned seven. Seven! I have a seven year old child. And a bunch of gray hairs to prove it...although I already had at least a third of those gray hairs when he was born.


We made a trip down to the hinges of hell. Also known as San Angelo, where when Lynn returned home from Fiesta on the Concho he proclaimed, "it's hot outside. San Angelo hot."


We had hotdogs and chili and cupcakes and ice cream for Logan's birthday.


We took our first stab at letterboxing. We were looking for this letterbox.


The letterbox was tucked away in the park that holds the San Angelo International Waterlily Collection.


On our second trip out to find the letterbox we brought Molly along (Caleb was back at the house with stomach troubles) and she and Grandma roamed around while the rest of us looked for the box.


We finally found the letterbox after Lynn wandered "outside the box."


And for Father's Day, after we packed up some furniture and odds and ends (like polaroid cameras and boxes and boxes of film) from my mother-in-law's office, we lazed about watching golf, taking naps and driving home late in the evening.

erhm, oops...

Molly just dialed 911 from my cell phone. Thankfully she managed to turn the speaker on too or we surely would've ended up with police, an ambulance and fire truck in front of the house in a few minutes. Do you think I'll get fined for this? I'll tell you this...it's the first thing in a VERY, VERY long time to embarrass me that's for sure. My cheeks were tingling red there for a couple seconds...ugh. No more entertaining the baby with the cell phone anymore! Sheesh.

awesome...

This is awesome.

in case you were wondering...

what we like to read and play here at the Lyons' Den I set up a "book store" of sorts through Amazon.com. Have click and check it out if you like! Save yourself some gas and mileage while you shop in the comfort of your own home and don't forget! There's free shipping available too.

It's a work in progress, always changing because we like ourselves some books around here. I still need to get my own non-kid oriented books up but that will have to wait until next week I think.

Life in the Lyons' Den...Books and Games and Bits and Bobs

link back love fridays...

Friday again and as promised: some fun links!

Ceramics that will make your heart go all a twitter.

Pillowcase pajama bottoms. Too cool!

The Good Neighbors Club reprised for this summer!

Gorgeous flower photos.

Bottle cap mosaics. Makes me wish I had more bottle caps.

More whimsical, slightly wonky, totally charming pottery. And they're always displayed with the most stunning floral arrangements too.

I very much want an entire service in this stoneware. As in if I thought it would help, I would systematically break all my existing stoneware. I love it that much.

And now on to the Link Back Love:

Doll - Of course you know who Mimi is. If you don't, well then, get thee to her blog and Etsy shop right this minute. You're missing out. Mimi is one of those artists who if I had a bottomless pocketbook I would throw money at her hand over fist...one of everything, please!

Creative Chick Studios - Love colorful embroidery, beading, found objects, paintings and such with a combination of folk and outsider art? What are you waiting for? Check out Susan's blog, artist website and Etsy shop too.

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For past Link Back Love Friday goodness click here and enjoy!

houston*, we have pigtails and mohawks...

*Houston and Victoria and New Braunfels and San Angelo and Denton and anywhere else someone might be interested in knowing, we have pigtails and mohawks.



Logan wanted a mohawk for Crazy Hair Day at school. We agreed as long as he understood it was going to be a short-term mohawk. Caleb wanted a "mow-hog" too. Only he didn't want me to use the clippers on his hair so he got a faux-hawk instead. And he was thrilled to pieces with it for about five minutes. Then he wet his hair down and declared he was finished with his mow-hog.

Now, brace yourself. I don't want anyone falling unconscious out of his or her chair from the adorable curls you are about to see.



You see? I warned you. I speak from experience! Anyway, her bangs are a wee bit short yet so hairclips are required to keep them out of her eyes for a little while longer. But really, I couldn't help myself. Pigtails! With curls! It's like crack cocaine. And furry kittens.

at long last...

our paths have crossed! I have been hunting this cupcake carrier, the Cupcake Courier, down for MONTHS. I've been eying them online. On more than one occasion I almost broke down and paid the ridiculous shipping prices most places charge. BUT! I held fast and to my extreme delight I finally found one in Target a few days ago and they only charged $24.99 for it! It was just sitting there on an endcap all by itself as if someone had picked it up and then, for some unfathomable reason, decided they didn't need it after all. Too bad for them, lucky for me. And just in time for Logan's birthday too.