I don't post often, but when I do, it's a long post.....and long title.

The recent honeysuckle sunset forced me to run in to the house and grab my camera.

It was just too beautiful to forget.

My really late 4th of July events:

I made root beer ice cream! 

I had to make it twice because mom got me evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk.

The second go-around was much tastier.

While sitting by the ice cream maker, I decided that this is actually a really nice part of the yard that I don't visit often enough, of course, there's a view of the neighbor's house.

Mmmm!!

Do you wanna try making your own?

Here's the recipe I used!

SODA POP ICE CREAM RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

4 cups cold soda pop, any flavor

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup whole milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix all ingredients together and pour into 2 qt. ice cream maker.

Freeze as directed

Place in freezer after finished to harden up

Copyright © YourHomeBasedMom

 Some sparkler fun!

Of course, they really, really scare me.

But there are creative ways to light them without having to hold on to them!

We didn't get together with any family this Fourth of July.

It was kinda boring.

Everybody went off and did their own thing, so I painted my nails!

The best part was our camp fire and watching the neighbor's illegal fireworks being set off.

Yay! Haha

I never paint my nails.

I like just plain snow white nail polish, and that's about it!

With plenty of time in the day left, I finished my anchor cross stitch that's been sitting around for ages waiting to be done.

Dad came home the other night and handed this to me.

Driving doesn't seem as fun anymore.

I've completely lost my "drive" for it now that sign up for driver's ed is coming up.

We went to the beach for the first time this summer!

Blurry driving photo from the backseat:

And a gorgeous foggy ocean picture for your pleasure:

The majority of landscape we drove through:

I warn you. I can get bored in long car rides and come up with odd things:

This was inspired by the rows and rows of endless corn fields on our ride.

Sorry for my chopping doodling.

It was a bumpy ride as well...haha.

The world never sleeps, and the ocean never stops.

How these words came out so...non-bumpy looking is a mystery to me.

My last doodle in my traveling doodle book from the trip.

Yes! This is the same doodle book that traveled to West Virginia with me.

I love when I remember to take it places.

My latest Amazon order just came in!

I'm so excited to read this book!

And I bought a new phone case.

My last one was pink....and pink is just not my color anymore to say the least.

Blush pink is okay....but that was not the color my case was.

Bright, eye shockingly pink that shot you in the eye every time you saw it.

Okay, well maybe it wasn't that bad. 

But I'm loving the improvement!

Not that I really needed it...because nobody texts me except my mom....

Latest nature journal watercolors:

This was a really super rushed painting.

By the time I sat down and had everything out, everybody was ready to go.

*sigh*

I did this one at the beach yesterday. It was kind of challenging because it was breezy and my paper kept flipping.

The struggle.

Some watercolor doodles from the other night.

My sister really didn't like these at all....but...*sniffle* I like them. 

My recent paintings:

I found a wooden lightswitch plate at Walmart a week or so ago and I just had to buy it.

I wanted to make a nautical painting to go with my room!

Monday morning I was just like, 'You know what? Imma paint somethin' today."

Boom.

This was from a painting class. Ehh. I don't like purple clouds, but I like the rock the wave is crashing into.

Dad told me that my paintings from painting classes I seem distracted, but the one I did on my own on Monday was, "seamless."

I bought 'mini' brushes!

They're ideal for small projects such as 4x4 canvases, lightswitches, and so forth.

I can't wait to use them!

My recent sketches:

It was a rainy, motivation-less day, so Mom, Britney, and I  went downstairs and watched Disney's Atlantis. This is the only bit of like-ness I could get of Milo. He kept moving around! Haha

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer!

-Stephanie