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Heading out of town for the weekend

I’m headed out of town again this weekend folks. It’s definitely not normal for me to be travelling again in such a short time frame, but we had the trip booked before we found out about Australia. I’m jetting off to Dallas, TX to meet up with my cute hubby who’s been gone for six weeks at a review course and who will be flying home with me on the 18th!!! 🙂 We’ve been counting down to this day for so long, I can hardly believe he’ll be home with us again so soon!! I can’t sleep tonight and I know it has a little bit to do with jet lag and a whole lot to do with how excited I am to see him! 🙂
I’m packing really light this trip. Just me, some clothes, a camera, my favourite 50mm 1.2 lens + my cowboy boots. I’ll be updating on FB, twitter and instagram when I can.
See you back here on the weekend for Simple things Sunday. Let’s celebrate the simple things AND the release of my latest eBook Real.Life.Photography. shall we!? Stay tuned for a fun giveaway and a peek inside my brand new book.
Have a lovely weekend everyone! I’ll leave you with this peaceful image from Queensland, Australia. Photos edited with the brand new Simple Fixes Actions for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements available at Ella Publishing! Photo taken at the beautiful Thala Beach Lodge.

Everything you need to encourage summer reading

Don’t need a reading log? Scroll down for a list of 50 fun children’s books to read this summer.
One of the most popular free printables I’ve shared here at Simple as That has been my Summer and Back to School reading logs.  They’ve been downloaded by thousands of teachers and parents and I’ve so appreciated all the kind comments and feedback I’ve received about them. I created these for my kids last summer and to see others enjoying them as much as they did, makes me smile. 🙂
[download summer reading log here]
I have a handful of coordinating components to the actual Reading Log kit and thought it would be a great idea to gather everything together for you to download in one neat little post. 

Below you’ll find everything you need to encourage your child to read this summer: printable reading log pages, book marks, book worm treat bag toppers + a list children’s books that our family loves or that are on our list to read this summer!
The pages included in the reading log:

1.Cover page. 2. Back cover. 3. List the number of minutes read and book titles read.
 4. Draw a picture from your favorite book.  5. Choose a favorite book & write about
why you loved it so much. 

Find all the download links here:
Take a peek at how some creative readers have used my reading themed printables:
What are some books you plan to read with your kids this summer? Do you have a list of go-to favourites or do you have some new ones in mind? Here’s a list of some of our favs and some new ones that have come recommended that we hope to read throughout the summer months. Are there any you think we should add to the list?
50 fun children’s books to read this summer:
3. Orange Pear Apple Bear

8. Little House on the Prairie Books
9. The Monster at the End of this Book
10. Dino-Baseball
11. The Big Bug Search
12. If You Give a Dog a Donut
13. The Sandwich Swap

36. Spoon
37. Gallop!
43. Stuck


I’m linking up at these fabulous blogs! 

This post contains affiliate links, see my full disclosure policy here.

Home from the beautiful Queensland, Australia

[follow all 10 bloggers as they share photos + experiences from Queensland at hashtag #qldblog]

THIRTY TWO {plus} hours of travel each way.

A miserable TWO and a HALF hour delay on the runway.

ONE amazing scuba experience on the reef.

TWO {yes two!} samplings of crocodile meat.

A handful of near death encounters. Kidding. Sort of.

Over FIFTEEN HUNDRED photos.

ONE beautiful country.

[waving goodbye to Brisbane, Australia on my way to LAX]

After a very full and exciting visit to Queensland, Australia I’m so, SO happy to report that I’m home safe and sound! I’m definitely feeling the jet lag and given the fact that I’m wide awake writing this post at 2:00am, I’m certainly not adjusting to the time change yet. I’m utterly exhausted + sleep deprived, but was it worth it?  Oh my goodness was it ever! I can’t wait to share every detail with you!

[loved feeding the cute kangaroos and love my cute shirt from down east basics]

Right now I’m making my way through a mountain of emails and photos and will be playing catchup over the next few days before I head out again this weekend to meet up with my hubby. I haven’t seen him in six long weeks and before I found out I would be heading to Queensland, we’d booked a flight for me to go visit him in Texas where he’s taking a review course. To say I can hardly wait to see him would be an understatement!! 🙂 🙂  We’ll be touring around Dallas visiting some of our old haunts from the Chiropractic days and then we both fly home on the 18th. Our family will all be together again in the same country and I can’t even tell you how long we’ve been anticipating the day!

[two favorite instagram shots from Jess of Epheriell Designs and Tsh of Simple Mom. Yes, that’s me getting my photo taken by the Darren Rowse of Problogger + Digital Photography School!!]
I’ll be breaking up the sharing of my trip into a series of posts covering the accommodations, food and all the exciting things we did. Is there anything else you’d like me to share? There’s so much to tell I’m not even sure where to start! I just need a bit of time to recover from the travel home and reconnect with the kids but I’ll be back as soon as I can.
[delicious food and beautiful ocean views at the Thala Beach Resort]
 
We had a little unexpected reschedule for Simple things Sunday this week due to my travels and the sketchy internet access…darn those Rainforests. 😉 I’ve decided to take this week off, but I will have a new linky live this coming Sunday morning along with a very exciting announcement and a giveaway, so stay tuned!!
I also know you’ve all been waiting on pins and needles to find out the winner of the blog makeover from 17th Avenue Designs and I’m so excited to announce that…..
is the lucky winner!! Shoot me an email Mindy and I’ll get you all the details. Many thanks to Kate of 17th Avenue Design Studio for such an amazing giveaway!! If you’re in the market for a brand new blog design or a simple online facelift, I highly recommend Kate for the job. She has done a beautiful job with my site and I know she could do wonders with yours! You can follow 17th Avenue Designs here:
facebook | blog | twitter | etsy
Also be sure to check out their summer sale going on right now! Get 20% off all custom blog designs before June 22nd.
Well, I think that about covers all the miscellaneous stuff I needed to catch you up on for now. I’m happy to be back and look forward to sharing more photos and experiences from the Land Down Under! In the meantime enjoy this little video clip of one of the fun things i got to do in the Daintree Rainforest.



[experience the Daintree Rainforest with Jungle Surfing Canopy Tours. This was so much fun! The guys doing the tour were a wealth of knowledge about the Rainforest and absolutely hilarious! Check out this video of me jungle surfing and see what made my heart nearly stop!]

Blogging from the Land Down Under

Just popping in quickly to share a few photos from beautiful Australia. It’s been an amazing trip so far. Unbelievably amazing!  I can’t wait to share all the details with you!!  ðŸ™‚

Feeding Kangaroos, cuddling with a Koala, helmet diving and taking to the skies to see the Great Barrier Reef….somebody please pinch me! This place is amazing!!

I’m officially in love with Queensland and the people here! Everyone has been so kind and welcoming and  the variety of things to see and do and eat in this area is truly incredible. 

I have three more fun filled days left in Tropical Queensland and I already feel so blessed to have seen and experienced what I have thus far! I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves and look forward to giving a full report when I get back home. 🙂

You can follow the remainder of my trip to Queensland, Australia on Facebook, twitter and instagram @rebecca_simpleasthat. Use hashtag #QldBlog to follow all the bloggers here in Queensland on twitter and instagram. Take care everyone! Be back soon. 🙂

Simple things Sunday number 86

Thanks for linking up your gorgeous simple things photos this week you guys! 
Here are just a few that caught my eye…

Such fabulous shots ladies!! If your photo was featured this week be sure to grab a button! 🙂
 

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Simple things Sunday Number 86: 

this week’s simple thing:

The little girls found a ladybug in the backyard the other day and Alivia was mesmerized by the little polka dot creature. It was so cute to watch! 🙂
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This party is all about celebrating the simple moments and simple joys that make you smile each week. So grab that camera, snap a photo or two and come share with us each Sunday!

Just a few quick rules to play:
1. Grab a button and include it in your simple things post.

2. Link back directly to your simple things post not your blog/website.
No links to other linky parties, giveaways or craft projects pretty please. 
This linky is all about the photos.

3. Be sure to pop by and visit at least 3 other links and leave a comment.
Leave as many as you can. 🙂
 

I can’t wait to see your photos everyone! I’ll be sharing some of my favs on Facebook throughout the week so stay tuned!

Please remember to stop by as many of the other links as you can each week and leave lots of comments! Comments are the funnest. Everybody likes ’em, so be as generous as you can with the comment love. Thanks a bunch!


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Please welcome Simple as That’s newest sponsor, Print The Party! 


Print the Party was started by the talented Kelly Dyvig in March of this year. Inspired by her two children Ashlyn {4} and Blake {almost 2} you’ll find all kinds of creative goodies in her shop to add the perfect flair to your next party! 

Print the Party offers everything from invitations, full printable party collections, and you can even have Kelly create a custom designed party just for you! Be sure to stop by the Print the Party blog as well for loads of cute FREEBIES!

blog | shop | Facebook | twitter

DIY pocket travel journal

Well, I’m officially on my way to Queensland tomorrow and I can’t even tell you how excited I am to get there! It’s sure to be a memorable trip and to keep a record of my travels I created this quick + simple pocket travel journal.

The pages are blank – ready to be filled with journaling, memorabilia and when I get home – photos. Since its a long trip and I’m packing as light as I can I didn’t want to take anything too bulky, so this little journal is perfect. Created using a small notebook from the dollar store + various scrapbook supplies, the journal measures 3.5″ X 5.5″ and all I need to keep it up to date on the trip fits neatly inside a regular ziplok bag.

I’m excited to get to work on filling it with memories from my trip to Australia. When I get home I’ll be sharing images of the completed album along with more detailed instructions on how to make your own. You can see the complete supply list for the album below.

supplies: elle’s studio tags || making memories bracket || heidi swap chipboard letters + chevron paper || printable graph paper || mini stapler || kaiser craft orange polka dot paper || pink paislee map paper || hair elastic


I don’t know when I’ll have time to blog again, but I do plan to post from the road as often as I can. I arrive in Australia June 4th and we have a packed schedule. I can’t wait to share more about the exciting things Tourism Queensland has planned for us to do! Simple things Sunday will go ahead as usual…I’ve got my post scheduled to go first thing Sunday morning and I’ll check back in here as soon as I can. 🙂

In the meantime, please follow me along on this once in a lifetime trip! I’ll be sharing updates regularly on Facebook, twitter and instagram @rebecca_simpleasthat. Be sure to subscribe to my blog feed as well to get to stay up to date on my latest posts.

We’ll see you soon from Australia! 
Have a great weekend everyone.



I’m linking up with these fabulous blogs!

A Month in Photos – May 2012

Another month has come and gone in a blur and I’ll admit, sitting down last night to go through May’s photos and put together my monthly collage, was just what I needed. It’s been so busy the last few weeks that it was nice to take a moment to slow down and and just soak in the memories. There’s something about looking through our collection of photos that takes me right back to what’s most important and it does so much to set the tone for the new month ahead.

May was a great month. It was warmer than April and I liked that. A lot. May was busy and crazy and tiring but it was full of good times and I’m so happy to have captured these special memories of May with my camera.


MEMORIES FROM MAY 2012

Early evening bike rides.

The joys of having a two year old. 😉
A field trip to the fire station.
Packing for Queensland.
A simple little Sunday picnic.
Some kite flying at the park with Grandma + Grandpa
Soccer, soccer and more soccer.

So, how are you all doing with your month-in-photos project these days? We’ve nearly reached the six month mark, isn’t that crazy!?

If you’ve created a photo collage for May, I’d love for you to share it with us! Simply post your collage somewhere online, copy and paste the html code for the month-in-photos button below and include it in your post,  then come back here and leave a link to your collage so everyone else can see your fun photos! 




I can’t wait to see your month in photos!

For more info about the month in photos project go here.You can download any of my free collage templates or use your own collage and join in the fun with us each month! Just think of the incredible collection of photos we’ll have put together at the end of 2012!

A peek inside my suitcase | packing for Queensland

Well, it’s getting down to the wire and I’m busy packing up my suitcases for Queensland. I don’t know about you, but I’m always curious about what other people pack for a trip, so I thought it might be fun to show you some of what I’m taking with me to Australia.
I’m trying to pack as light as I can. I’ll only be there 5 days and with some really long flights on either end of the trip, carrying around a lot of luggage isn’t something I want to do.
Here’s what I have packed in my bags so far:
-Various swimsuits from DownEast Basics, Divinita Sole + Hapari–
-This Fuji Film underwater camera that I’m looking forward to trying out-
-Eye drops, my favourite floss, warm weather clothes with a jacket and some cardis thrown in-
-I’m bringing along my new Gracie Butterscotch Jo Totes bag-
-In it will be my Canon 5D Mk II, 50mm 1.2 lens and my new 24-70mm zoom–
-I’ve been working in these new barefoot shoes from Merrell the past week and I’m absolutely loving them so far! I can’t wait to really get them dirty on the trip-
-melatonin, earplugs, my cute travel notebook and some good old Canadian chocolate–
–a new book to read, the latest issue of  REAL SIMPLE, a couple of yummy almond+coconut KIND bars
I’m making some headway, but still have a lot more packing to do.
What am I forgetting? What must have items do you take along when you travel? I’d so love to hear!
I invite you to follow me along on this exciting journey from Canada to Queensland, Australia. I’ll be sharing updates throughout the trip and you can stay in touch with me here:

 

subscribe to my blog
follow me on facebook
instagram @rebecca_simpleasthat
follow me on twitter

17th Avenue Design Blog Makeover Giveaway

I’m super excited about today’s giveaway from 17th Avenue Design Studio! Kate, the creative genius behind 17th Avenue recently created the new look here at Simple as That.  I was so happy with the results and now I’m just as thrilled to share the gift of a cute new blog with you!
Here’s is a little bit about Kate and 17th Avenue Design Studio:

Hi Simple As That readers! I’m Kate, owner and designer over at the 17th Avenue Design Studio. We are a small blog & graphic design company specializing in custom blog designs, premade blogger templates, business branding design, and more! Each of our custom works is hand-crafted to reflect the unique taste, style, and personality of our clients. I had the pleasure of working with Rebecca to create her a new look for her beautiful blog and I am excited to work with one of her fabulous readers to create someone their own dream blog!

If you’re looking to start your own blog or refresh the look of your current one, I’d highly recommend Kate for the job. She’s got design packages and a la carte design items suitable for any bloggers needs. Visit her portfolio page to see more examples of her work.
Kate even has premade blogger templates available in her Etsy Shop which are both cute and affordable along with other goodies like customizable social network buttons, premade etsy shop sets and more!

All Simple As That readers can take 20% off everything in the 17th Avenue Etsy shop with coupon code SIMPLEASTHAT20. Offer runs until June 13th.

Today Kate is giving away a Classic Custom Blog Design package that includes: 

a custom designed header, 
coordinating background
post signature + custom fonts
standard navigation bar
custom blog button
custom template
installation of the design

This amazing package is worth $125.00 and with Kate’s expertise it will give you everything you need to create a beautiful, one of a kind blog! 

So who wants to win this!? 🙂 

You must first be a follower of Simple as That to be eligible to enter. Take a second to follow via Google Friend Connect on the left sidebar or sign up to receive updates via email or through your favourite RSS reader. Then all you have to do is follow the prompts in the Rafflecopter widget  below to be entered to win. There are seven possible ways to enter. 

Giveaway closes 6/6/2012 at 12:01am.

Travel Photo Checklist | Free Download

We’ve been chatting about all things travel on the blog the last while as I countdown the days until I leave for Queensland, Australia! Only 5 more days until I board a plane at the Calgary international airport and make my way from LAX to Brisbane to Queensland. I’m busy packing and getting things arranged for the kids while I’m gone. I am such a mixture of excited and nervous, but I’m mostly just excited to get there and see all the wonderful things that Queensland has to offer!

I can’t wait to share this  trip with all of you! You can check out my previous travel posts on purchasing travel insurance, amateur wildlife photography tips, creating a DIY travel notebook and some quick travel photography tips. I look forward to sharing more travel themed ideas over the coming weeks and documenting the details of my trip in photos. 

I invite you to follow me along on this exciting journey here:

subscribe to my blog
follow me on facebook
instagram @rebecca_simpleasthat
follow me on twitter

Today I’m sharing another of my popular photo checklists with ya’ll, this one of course follows the travel theme. Document your next trip, whether its abroad or somewhere closer to home, with this list of travel photo ideas!

Download our FREE Travel Photos Checklist!

Please remember that FREE downloads are for Simple as That followers only. Before downloading this photo checklist {or any of my other versions} please take a second to follow via Google Friend Connect on the left sidebar or sign up to receive updates via email or through your favourite RSS reader. Thank you. 🙂

The cute digi supplies used for this photo checklist {as with all my previous checklists} are from the talented Crystal Wilkerson! Her digital scrapbooking kits are some of my go to supplies and come June 5th she is releasing her darling new Vintage Summer collection! You’re going to want to get your hands on this ASAP! Here’s a super top secret sneak peek for you…isn’t it to die for!? 🙂

Find information about all of Crystal Wilkerson’s products here:
shop | blog | facebook | twitter | pinterest

Don’t forget there’s still time to share your photos in the Simple things Sunday link party! The linky closes Wednesday at midnight and for every photo linked up this week you’ll be entered to win a copy of one of my photography eBooks from Ella Publishing!

My books 40 Top Tips for Better Photos and Don’t Say Cheese! How to get great, natural photos of your kids are available now as part of this fun Photography Idea Bundle.

This collection of Ella’s three top-selling photography eBooks valued at $21.97 is available for a limited time for just $16.97. 

I’m linking up at these fabulous blogs!

If this is your first time visiting Simple as That I’d invite you to subscribe via email or RSS feed for the latest updates. You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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