5 on Friday - Volume 16

ONE.  In honor of the upcoming holiday, I'm co-hosting a link-up party on the blog next week with some really awesome mamas where YOU (bloggers and Instagrammers) can share photos of your kiddos in their all-American best!  The link-up will run from July 1 through July 7.  All you have to do is post pictures of your kid in red/white/blue on your blog and come back here and link-up or just tag your Instagram photos with #StarSpangledKids hashtag!  Mim has no less than half a dozen 4th of July outfits, so I'll be posting tons of photos. Can't wait to see your pictures!  

TWO.  I haven't really talked about this here on the blog (mainly because it hasn't felt like my story to tell), but my dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in January. Obviously, this has rocked our world.  Papa's been enduring chemo treatments for months and just finished last week right before Father's Day.  The tumors responded with significant shrinkage and we are so incredibly thrilled and grateful.  At this point we're not sure what the next steps will be, but I'm hoping this buys us many many more Father's Day celebrations with our hero.  These two kiddos are so lucky to have such a great papa.  

THREE.  I just received my third Stitch Fix and was definitely not as excited about this box as I have been about the first two.  I asked for a pair of jeans and a summer dress and received both.  Hated both.  Apparently boyfriend jeans do not work on me, despite them being the right size and awesomely distressed.  And the cute striped dress they sent was just way too revealing for this uptight mom who hates showing a lot of skin.  Ugh.  However, they did send two really cute tops that I kept, so all hope was not lost.  One was a sleeveless henley in a really pretty blue (similar style to this) and the other was a loose-fitting oversized top with a grey t-shirt type front and a blousey polka dot back (like this). Both were super cute.  No, I do not have pictures because the lighting in my closet is atrocious and I was just too damn lazy to go anywhere else for a photo.  Anyone else still loving Stitch Fix?

FOUR.  Have you checked out the #AwayWeGo contest happening this summer over on Savvy Sassy Moms?   The giveaway is over $3,000 in amazing prizes!  And they're also hosting a couple photo contests on Instagram for additional prizes.  Last week's theme was Daddy & Me and the winning photos were awesome!  This week's theme is Beach Bums and the prize is a $500 gift certificate to My Publisher.  Think of all the awesome photo books and gifts you could make with that!  My entry of my happy children is above.  All you have to do is post a beach photo and tag it with the #AwayWeGo hashtag.  

FIVE.  I'm pretty excited for the awesome verdict handed down by the Supreme Court today.  Love conquers all.  

Happy Friday everyone! 

Have a great weekend!