Architectural detail on ceilings and walls were the name of the game at the Utah County Parade of homes. So many beautiful ways to take a room from drab to fab! Enjoy:

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Hello friends! As we’re wrapping up summer I just wanted to share some random thoughts I had about this season:

* Did you know Amazon has super cute, affordable swimsuits! My daughter got so many compliments on this suit and people couldn’t believe it was only $16.99. Now, if you are looking for more coverage or support, this probably isn’t for you but for teens they are perfect.

* My sil Natalie introduced us to these long bamboo skewers from Walmart at our family reunion this summer. They are perfect for s’mores, only 99 cents a package and you just burn them or toss them when you’re finished. No messy clean up!

* Do you ever send notes to yourself? We use Google Calendar and I send notes to myself after an event or holiday to remember for the next year about what to buy, what not to do, remember this, etc. I laughed at this one when it showed up this week as I was admiring some white pumpkins that stores are already setting out! I have it set to come up at the beginning of a season – especially when I can’t remember what holiday decor I have

* This dessert  from Our Best Bites is DIVINE. My sister Kelsey introduced me to it and it is soooo good, perfect for summer get-togethers.

* If you see something seasonal like patio furniture at the beginning of the season that you like, buy it! Then make up your mind later because by time time you make up your mind it will be gone. And companies don’t get more summer inventory in. I got some great stacking sling chairs from WM and decided we needed more and they were sold out everywhere, even in Montana and anywhere else I had relatives living.

* Hobby Lobby had these cute message boards on sale this week for only $15! (except they don’t have the $ symbol!) I couldn’t find them online but they were near the chalkboards in the store.

Do you see the black stuff on top of our door frame? It is also on our window frames – steel wool is the magic solution to stop swallows and small birds coming and building their nests on our porch. Last summer I had bird poo all over my porch, this summer we have had no birds.

I hope you have enjoyed some random thoughts and tips! Feel free to add any in the comments ~

* this home tour at Hello Allison blog ♥

* August is going to be aweome! Perseid Meteor Shower, Lunar, and total Solar Eclipse

* 5 Ways to Make Summer Last Forever at Real Simple

and of course, DEALS! These are the prices when I hit publish, they can change or run out at anytime. Lowest price means it is the lowest price within a year, within $1:

* Graco Lauren 4 in 1 Convertible Crib $89.99 

* lowest price: TOMTOM Runners GPS Watch $49.99 (note on this: whenever it says ships in 1-2 months, it has NEVER taken that long for me. The longest I’ve waited is 2 weeks, but who knows?)

* lowest price: Loreal Colour Riche Lipstick in blushing berry only $2.69 when you clip the coupon (other colors available for a little more)

* lowest price on an awesome tripod: $66 DSLR camera tripod

* kids are going back to school, time to replenish your secret chocolate stash: Dove 18 count milk chocolate bars only $11.63

* and for lunches: Goldfish 30 ct variety box $9.48

* Best Buy has an awesome 1 Day Sale on Amazon Products! These are the same as the Amazon Prime Day prices, so if you missed out here is your chance:

- Amazon Echo $89.99

- Echo Dot $34.99

- Kids Fire Tablet $69.99

* OXA Cool Mist Humidifier, 4 liters $23.99 when you use code 7JZCM9IE at checkout

* Vera Bradley Birthday Sale – 25% off everything with free shipping, no code needed!

* 4 pk Sandra Boynton board books (we love these!!) only $8.83 – great shower gifts!

* Huggies Preemie Diapers only $5.51 when you clip the coupon! 

* Rubbermaid 22 cup Cereal Keeper $3.53

* Still my favorite summer shoes for my kids: up to 70% off on Crocs at Zulily! 

* 60 count AAA or AA batteries at Best Buy only $8.99

* Who remembers the movie Space Camp? They are releasing it on September 26, pre-order now

* Reese Cartop Expandable Carrier $32

* Epare electric pepper or salt mill grinder $13.95

* Costco Membership (new members only) pay $60 and get: one-year membership, $20 gift card, $25 off online coupon, $75 Costco Travel Cash Card, and free pizza, paper towels, and flavored water

* RAVPower 2 port car charger $5.99

* lowest price: Gorilla Steel Utility Cart , 800 lb capacity $72.42

* lowest price: Crock Pot 6 qt programmable slow cooker $31.98

* JCPenney bath towels $2.73 each when you buy 7 and use code SAVING4. Choose in-store pickup for free shipping

* Coleman 30 can soft cooler only $11.70 but you have to choose in-store pickup gone, sorry

* Phillips Sonicare Essence Rechargeable Toothbrush $19.95

* Brother all in one wireless printer $59.99

* lowest price: LEGO Friends Heartlake Puppy Daycare $17.99

* lowest price: LEGO City Race Plane $5.99

Happy August weekend!

Here are some inspiring tile designs from the Utah Valley Parade of Homes – they may be helpful if you are remodeling, building, or just dreaming.

I loved the penny tile in the niche and the stripe around combined with the larger tile:

Stone colored subway tile looks great with that black trimmed window:

Blue subway tile was so fun in this boys’ bathroom!

You can never go wrong with classic white subway, I like the diamond pattern that they carried on over to the vanities:

And more classic white with some different floor patterns:

And then we have basement kitchens. I do realize that many of these are larger than most main kitchens, but I liked the different layouts and colors

This was acutally a navy color, although it looks black

Very modern and sleek:

The green was so fun in this one:

The mine was the theater – a fun setup!

We’re back in town after a whirlwind couple of months of traveling, family reunions,and visitors. It’s good to get settled back although I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to summer yet!

* Best Buy is having their Black Friday in July sale! Crazy good deals:

- Iphone 6s 32 gb $12.99/month

- Samsung Galaxy s8  64gb $17/month

(a note on these: Verizon lets us pay off the phone whenever you like, so if you don’t want to do monthly payments, you still get an awesome price on a phone – just take the price per month x 24 months and check with your carrier & plan)

- Bose Soundsport in-ear headphones $49.99

- Bose noise cancelling over the ear headphones $149.99

- Kitchenaid Stand Mixer 300 watt $199

- Apple Ipad Pro 32 gb $399

- Apple Macbook Air 13” display $699, reg. $999

- Dyson V6 bagless cordless stick vacuum $199

- Insignia 39” LED HDTV $169

- save $1000 on this Sony 75” Ultra 4k hdtv $2499

* Score buy 1 get 1 free (up to $10!) at Chipotle – go to Savor Wavs, make your mix and you’ll get a mobile coupon

* Seniors (over 62) get your Lifetime Parks pass for $20! ($10 plus a $10 fee) This ends Aug 28

* Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System only $86 at Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale – also comes in pink!

* Anastasia Beverly Hills mini lip gloss set $28 – Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

* Muslin blankets buy 3, get 1 free $12.99 each

* Phillips 3 pack 22 year light bulbs that work with Alexa! $35.97

* Purina Beyond Natural Dog Snacks $4.50 when you clip the coupon

* Purina 6 lb Beyond Natural cat food $7.10 when you clip the coupon

* the hot toy of the summer -- in stock now: Nintendo Switch $299 already gone up by $100

* get $5 off a movie ticket at Fandango.com with code ANDROIDPAY4 – you can use whatever method you prefer to pay.

* 12 inch memory foam, cloud-like queen mattress $210

* Coleman portable folding double wash basin $3.10

* Ultrasonic Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser only $7.40 when you enter code 3BWMLDRG at checkout (choose one time purchase)

* Tide Pods 81 count only $14.97 when you clip the $5 coupon

* 50% Off Everything at LOFT with code SUMMER17

* Child’s broom set $6.53

* Crayola Light Up Tracing Pad $9.80

Awesome deals on LEGO sets for the birthday closet – lowest prices on all of these:

* LEGO Creator Super Soarer $6.97

* LEGO Creator Ocean Explorer $8.99

* LEGO City ATV Race Team $12.79

* LEGO Creator Propeller Plane $12.99

* LEGO Creator Twin Spin Helicopter $19.37