I love parties! This summer we’ve got July 4th, High School Graduation, College Send-Off, and more.

I haven’t had too many in the past year because of the work we’re doing (or have on pause) at the house right now.

HOWEVER, it’s party season so I can’t really ignore it any more. A and D, our two youngest ages 20 & 18, have spent a lot of their time lately planting and weeding and prettying up the porches.

This inspired me to search online for some party ideas so I can make some plans. Click on the photos for the credits and to get to the sites.

Please join me as I daydream and add things to my Pinterest boards!

One of the common themes I’m seeing is vintage, vintage everywhere! But I love it. Take a look at Michael’s porch (InspiredbyCharm.com), where he even has furniture from his grandparents! I also love how he uses slate stones as placemats!

Here are some of the other homeowners whose porches were ready to party!

Enjoy! I wish you much success with your porch party!

Feel free to post a link to your own party in the comments!

Wordless Fewer-Words Wednesday

Tonight I will have to share with Bill that a childhood friend has passed away. We were just reminiscing about this friend, and we talked about getting in touch but we didn’t… and it turns out that he passed away a year and a half ago.

Last week one of Bill’s employees had a cut on his hand and is now in the hospital with MRSA and it’s still touch and go. Six years ago my niece, who had just had a baby, died from MRSA, leaving my nephew alone with his new son.

We’ve had family & friends pass from MRSA, cancer, and more. But today more than ever I am reminded that if someone touched my life, even a long time ago, I should make sure that I have told them at least once that they have made an impact in my life.

And in the end, I will have made an impact by making sure others know I appreciate what they brought to my own life, however briefly.

I want to write a little about why I wanted to create this blog.

I want to help other people look positively toward the future, to visualize their goals and to work to attain them. In doing this I want to help myself complete new goals that I have set for myself, holding myself accountable.

When my children were small I used to ask them what they wanted to be when they grew up. After they told me, I encouraged whatever it was. I would take them to the library for books on that subject. I would talk about how this skill or another skill that they possessed would help them when they were doing that career. I had the EXPECTATION that they would be successful. It didn’t matter if they changed their minds, my purpose was always the same, to be their cheerleader, and to try to help them gain the skills they would need as an adult in any capacity – and in whatever career they would choose.

I remember driving a carpool and in the car were some of the coolest kids from elementary school. One of them asked my son what he wanted be when he grew up. My child unabashedly said that he wanted to be an astronaut. This was something that he had been talking about for a few years. The boy who asked the question scoffed audibly. However, my son was already confident in himself to say such a thing, despite the fact that we rented our house and bought his clothes at Goodwill®, unlike the other boys in the car. Today, with a large academic scholarship, my son attends a prestigious university learning about something he loves. It is NOT something that will take him into space, but it is something HE chose because it was something he loved, and he wasn’t afraid to choose it.

I like to think that my EXPECTATIONS for my son allowed him to dream of his own big expectations.

Do you have expectations for yourself or your loved ones? Can you help facilitate them? You might say, “I expect good grades!” But do you do anything to help make that happen? Do you allow the student to have a quiet period and a place to study? Making sure you are available to answer questions if they have any? Even if your work schedule doesn’t allow you to see them during the week, do you spend a short time on the weekend sitting together looking over those boring school papers? These are important to your expectation so you should show that by showing interest.

If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t, you’re right. – Henry Ford

Do you feel old? Tired? Sore? Exhausted?

In my search to find out what others are thinking, I stumbled across this terrific article and had to share:

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Author Laura Munson on getting older and living life to the fullest.

Source: Laura Munson on Getting Older