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Weekend Lovelies

June 7, 2014

The Best advice from Glitter Inc.

:: Weekend Lovelies ::

Welcome to a much needed edition of Weekend Lovelies! Wow I don’t know about you, but I simply can not add one more to-do to the ongoing list of life.  Are we all on the same page with the end of the school year near? I feel like life seems to pack it all in at the end.  I am trying to have a little faith like the above noted lovely piece of advice from Glitter Inc.  I will have faith, and if not I will find a way to celebrate life and another year of health and happiness with my upcoming birthday! I will make it to next Saturday! Sara and I are excited to take in these life moments and all it’s celebrations next week.  Sara will be celebrating Seth’s 8th birthday, a much needed family trip, and Father’s Day.  I will be busy enjoying (I think) school field trips, a recital, my birthday, and Father’s Day. That being said we will be taking the week off from Simply.  We hope you all stay tuned and catch up on some of our posts you may have missed along the way.  We will be returning after next week.  Here were some of our posts from this week: Cheesy Tamale Pie and Mason Jar Succulents.  We hope you all take in these last school moments and enjoy the weekend.  Summer we can’t wait for you to greet us!

  1. Entertaining and hilarious, this epic drum off between Will Ferrell and Chad Smith is one to watch.
  2. Oh my I can’t imagine this day, The Words Get Stuck. Thanks Mamawolfe for your life lessons. 
  3. I must have the girls over to celebrate summer with a Margarita Bar. How fun would this be?
  4. The kids will be snacking their way through summer. Let’s be prepared with these refreshing Kool Aid Ice Cubes.
  5. Nothing is better than a homemade card. Creative Father’s Day Cards for Kids to Make. You are one in a minion Dad!
  6. It’s time for the kids to have a few more chores added to their lists. Free Printable Chore Charts. Mama needs help.
  7. Birthdays and balloons go together like cake and frosting. These Marbled Balloons are gorgeous!
  8. I need to represent my M&M’s with these stamped necklaces. Birthday wish for sure.
  9. Holy cow, Strawberry Shortcake S’mores….oh my!
  10. I think these Lemonade Mimosas with Blood Orange are the perfect celebratory drink. Cheers!

 

Filed Under: Lovelies

That’s a Wrap!

February 28, 2013

 

T H A T ‘ S   a   W R A P !

>> February, 2013 <<

 

:: nicole ::

 

 :: sara ::

 

Some February posts you may have missed…

 >>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<

A Book Review {Guest Post}

Thriving in Motherhood >> Baby/Mommy Classes {Guest Post}

Birchbox Review

Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies Recipe

Current Fashion Trends we LOVE

Homemade Marshmallow Recipe Featured on Mamawolfe Blog

Baked French Toast Recipe {adapted from the Pioneer Woman}

Happy Valentine’s Day Wishes!

Our Very First Magazine Feature!

Favorite Top Ten Baby Essentials

From Bellies to Babies – Maternity Photos

Some Nursery Design Inspiration

Yummy Cheese & Vegetable Quiche Recipe

A Quest for a Simple Life >> Family Plans for the Future

Upcoming events in the Dana Point Harbor!

&

Our favorite picks of the web >> {weekend} lovelies  1,  2,  3  &  4

 >>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<

“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep

because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

:: Dr. Seuss ::

 

 

Filed Under: Family

The Quest for a Simple Life

February 25, 2013

>>>THE QUEST FOR A SIMPLE LIFE<<< 

You know when something is on your mind

or heavy on your heart and you start noticing signs of it all around you,

{honestly}…

 everywhere you look?

That’s what has been happening to Husby and I lately.

I know I have mentioned throughout various posts my desire for a simpler life…

but recently, it’s really been beckoning.

We are fortunate to live in a beautiful area

and are surrounded by cherished friends and family…

but we know that God is leading us somewhere else.

It’s a feeling we both have had laid on our hearts for some time now…

and it just isn’t going away…

if anything, it’s only getting stronger.

>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<< 

I guess I should give you some insight as to why I constantly crave this

“simple life.”

{At some point I will write a more thorough post on this…

(and in time, I dream of writing a book, or two)…

but for now I will give you a glimpse into a few years of my childhood}…

>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<

When I was eleven years old,

and my younger brother was four,

our parents sold most of what we owned,

quit their demanding careers,

bought a sailboat…

and we traveled for two years

with the intentions of circumnavigating the world.

During these two years,

we sailed over 14,000 miles.

I was homeschooled during this time,

but the most valuable learning

didn’t come from the books we brought with us…

but rather the life experiences

of traveling to other countries and remote islands,

interacting with the locals,

attempting to speak their languages,

and surrounding ourselves with their beautiful cultures.

My happiest childhood memories are all of this time.

I cherish the experiences,

but also the together time we spent as a family.

This two-year snippet had the most profound impact on my life,

shaping my interests…

values…

and desires as an adult.

We left most material items behind,

{the luxuries of living on land}…

and just sailed.

We were together 24 hours a day.

Life was simple…

fishing for our dinner,

stargazing,

listening to Jimmy Buffet,

reading endless amounts of novels,

swimming and bathing in the ocean,

exploring cities and quaint little villages,

chatting with the locals and other cruisers {as we were called}….

It was a beautiful life…

My courageous parents took an incredible risk…

I can’t imagine the person I would be today, had they not…

>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<

>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<

Having had that sort of childhood…

I have always known that I wanted to give our four children a feel of that “simple life”…

hopefully carrying on my parents’ adventurous spirits and instilling it in our kids.

Husby and I both feel strongly that the time is quickly approaching to make a big change.

The kids are growing up so fast,

and we only have one shot at raising them up right…

the way we’ve envisioned in our dreams.

                                                                                {Image Via: Fancy Hands, Tumblr}

Although I would love to sell everything

{and literally},

set sail to far off places…

it isn’t realistic for us.

My parents were avid sailors,

and my brother and I were raised sailing from a very young age,

{not to mention},

 Husby has a secure job as a firefighter working for a department that he loves.

I often joke that we just need to move to Costa Rica and live in a little beach bungalow,

but in all seriousness…

Husby and I know that we need to take a risk, and leave our area of comfort…

s e t t i n g    s a i l    i n    o u r    o w n    w a y.

We aren’t one-hundred percent certain of the details

{like the when, where, and how — perhaps important!},

but we do feel like our family needs more open air…

more room to breathe,

more space to play and explore the outdoors.

A life that is closer to nature and more in tune with God…

where we have more time to focus on our family.

A life that is less demanding,

…less empty…

and less pressured to just “keep up.”

We are praying for God’s guidance,

and His will to be done.

So…

in the meantime,

I will keep you updated with our plans…

as we hopefully carryout some much needed changes in our family…

in the quest for a simple life.

>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<

P.S. Remember how I told you I am seeing signs everywhere?

This was one of them…

a beautiful post

{that I know you’ll enjoy},

eloquently written by fellow blogger & friend,

Jennifer Wolfe {mamawolfe}….

{On the Corner of Dream Ave. and Believe St.: Stepping Out Of Our Comfort Zone}

                                                                                      {Image Via: Designspiration}

 

Click here for an update on this post! 

 

Filed Under: Family

Guest Blogger on MamaWolfe

February 11, 2013

Today, we at Simply Happenstance are

very excited and honored to be a featured

guest blogger on mamawolfe.

Jennifer Wolfe is a mother of two teenagers,

a loving wife, a teacher and yet she finds some time

to fulfill her passion of writing with her lovely blog.

Not only does Jennifer devote her time as a mama

{her children are active skiers in Lake Tahoe….love}

but her devotion to education is a global matter.

She currently facilitates a sister program

between her California school and one

she helped build in Nicaragua,

all the while developing an educational

webinar series for new bloggers {what a gift}.

Sara and I have enjoyed getting to know Jennifer.

Please shoot on over to her site to check out why

we like it so much as well as viewing our

Valentine’s based recipe for good old fashioned

homemade marshmallows……

We know you want to make some….{wink}

Mamawolfe

 

Homemade Marshmallows 

nicole signature via simply happenstance

Filed Under: Family

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About

bioSara and Nicole are sorority sisters that simply “happened” to end up in the same small town. They have many things in common, which have set the tone of their blog. They hope that you will join them in their journey of motherhood, dreams that may be, the daily life, and their passion for cooking, yoga, fashion, and design!

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