Last week, Shay and Erika hosted their montly Let’s Look link up. The topic was “your carry on bag.” I believe the topic changed, and I wasn’t able to link up anyway, but thought of the original topic as I unpacked my carry on bag this weekend. So, I thought I’d share that…
Y’all, I’m a chronic over-packer. Driving, flying, being gone for one night or seven, I over-pack. I’m not sure why. I’ve tried to work on it. Sometimes, my thought is if I’m driving and bringing a suitcase, why not just bring the biggest suitcase I have? Also, I hate packing. For being “Type A” and pretty organized, I wait until the last minute to pack. I’ve been using packing cubes for a couple of years, and those keep my items organized and condensed but that’s once I get to actually packing. haha
The point of telling you how I pack is that my carry on usually gets some of the leftovers. Also, items that may weigh down my suitcase are also perfect candidates for my carry on bag. For example, my tennis shoes, my Revlon hair dryer brush, or books would be items that I’d possibly throw in my carry on bags whether I’m driving or flying anywhere. If I’m driving and know we’ll make a pit stop, I will also throw in my pjs and few products like face wash and moisturizer.
Anyway, here’s a glimpse of my most recent carry on situation.
I’ve had this bag for about four years; I found it at Target. What I love about it is that it can unzip to expand. I always keep it zipped while I fill up the bag thinking I won’t have to unzip it #sillyme, but then I eventually unzip it for my space if needed.
Ball caps or beach hats usually go in my carry on. This way, the beach hat doesn’t get squished in the suitcase, but the ball caps also come in handy if I just need one because my hair is looking sad after traveling. My sunglasses usually go in my carry on or purse as well just so that I can easily keep up with them.
I keep all my necessary cords and chargers in a baggie. I also include my Kindle and carrying case in the carry on as well for easy access.
This little zip pouch includes band aids, aspirin, Chapstick, cleansing wipes for Hayden’s glasses, etc. Hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes were a travel companion even before Covid 19.
I read a lot on my Kindle, especially when traveling, but I also bring a few books. Sometimes I read one book on my Kindle while reading another hardback book.
I also pack some of my favorites in my carry on like my favorite coffee mug and slippers. I just think about my suitcase getting lost and losing some of my favorite things. Not that I want my suitcase full of clothes to get lost, but the extra items can easily fit in my carry on.
So that’s a little peek at my travel carry on. What are some things you include in your bag when you travel?
Next month’s topic is Let’s Look: Your Summer Wardrobe. I believe they ladies said they are doing that post a bit early and moving it to July 1.
It’s the third Tuesday of the month, so I’m linking up with Ashley and Erika for their Tuesday Talk series.
Y’all, I’m not perfect…and find myself needing to get back on track often. Needless to say, quarantine life has caught up with me a bit. Combine that with a week of fun and sun (and fruity drinks), I really need to get focused on my exercise and nutrition.
Like many people, I turned to comfort food for most of March and April. That being said, I did a pretty decent job working out while at home. Of course, you can’t outrun a bad diet…but I did exercise most days or go for a walk to get most of my steps in.
For a few weeks, my sciatica issues came back making working out difficult. Also, unfortunately, sometimes my endometriosis sidelines me some days with discomfort making it difficult for me to find the energy to workout. So, leading up to vacation, I kind of threw in the towel.
Now, I’m ready to regroup and get focused again, and here are some of the quick ways I find focus again.
Post-Vacation Reset
I follow Amanda Nighbert on social media, and incorporate elements of her LEAN program into my daily life….again, some days I’m more on track than others, but I’m ready to get focused again. She’s shared many of these reset ideas, and I try to follow them to get myself back on track after being lenient while on vacation.
I don’t weigh myself after vacation. Like she has said before, if the scale says you gained 5 pounds, you didn’t gain 5 pounds of fat. It’s more inflammation and bloat from eating, drink, being off schedule, etc. Now, I’m not saying I don’t weigh myself. I just don’t right after vacation. I give myself a week or so to get back on track before seeing where I stand from a weight perspective.
Intermittent Fasting. I usually eat my meals from noon-7:30. To be honest, I don’t stray too far from that during vacation, but it’s an automatic focus as soon as I get home.
Increase my water intake. I do a decent job drinking water, but I know I don’t drink enough…especially on vacation. So, I make sure to get my Smart Water bottle and after drinking the water, I at least refill it twice to ensure I’m upping the ounces of water I’m getting.
Getting my steps in. I usually take my resistance bands with me on vacation and use them or do a few HIIT workouts. I know if I say I’m going to workout daily on vacation that I’m setting myself up for failure. So, I take an every other day approach. While in Florida, I took walks on the beach, but I also got in three HITT and band workouts. The other days, I just took it easy. So, post-vacation, I’d love to get right back into my normal workouts…but find it takes me 3-4 days after getting home to find the time to fit in an actual workout. I’m busy getting groceries, unpacking, making phone calls, etc. So, I at least try to go for a walk to get my body going again.
Whole food nutrition. On vacation, especially at the beach, I feel like I eat pretty healthy. It’s too hot to eat food that weighs me down, and I take advantage of seafood. In Florida, I had grilled fish or shrimp every night. The last night there, I did order lobster ravioli. It’s a rarity for me to order pasta on vacation, but I couldn’t pass up the lobster special! Snacking and the occasional dessert is what gets me on vacation. So when I get home, I make sure to make good food choices, cut out the snacking, and put down the desserts.
Secondary Elements
While important, I give myself grace for a week or so and focus on the above. Then, I get back to my full workouts, carb cycling, and tracking my macros using the My Fitness Pal app.
I also usually do a 24-48 hours juice cleanse + electrolyte water. There are some local juice places I like, but in a pinch, I pick up some juices from Whole Foods. I did a 48 hour cleanse Sunday after dinner until Tuesday at dinnertime.
Skin Care
Of course, while on vacation, I wash my face, use toner and my moisturizers. Unfortunately, even with following that routine and using sunscreen, my skin (face) still feels desperate for a refresh. I usually take my Timewise gel mask with me to use a few times, but when I get home, I add in my charcoal mask and use my facial steamer.
That being said, I lucked out and had my monthly facial appointment (this time: dermaplane #girlshaveyourface and I had credit, so I upgraded to the hydrafacial #carwashforyourface) yesterday. I felt so much better after that visit; my dry skin felt renewed.
So those are just a few ways that I try to get back on track. To be honest, the past few months have been hard to stay focused on healthy eating, but now that it’s summertime, I’m hoping I can continue making good food choices and getting in my exercise after this reset this week. I always feel so much better after a good workout and while making healthy choices with food.
Thanks so much for reading. Don’t forget to check out the other ladies’ posts too!
I’m keeping it pretty short and sweet today as I’m trying to get back in the groove after getting home from vacation. I’m a procrastinator when it comes to unpacking, and of course, we had no food in our house, so I spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday trying to get those things accomplished. Now, my Monday “to do” list includes all the things I didn’t want to tackle before going to Florida like scheduling appointments, finishing up school stuff…the list goes on and on.
Anyway, I saw this post on Facebook and then Trista posted it on her Instagram page. I thought the questions would be fun to answer.
You Live on a Deserted Island with…
One book:
Where the Crawdads Sing – I don’t think a book has made me look stop, reflect, and think about life from the perspective of a character since To Kill a Mockingbird. I didn’t want it to end.
My runner up books would be: Bread and Wine, Tuesdays with Morrie, and TKAM.
One kind of food:
Pasta! #givemeallthecarbs
My runner up food would be: Mexican
One TV series:
Golden Girls #duh
My runner up series would be: Friends or Designing Women
Also…
I saw a friend share this on Facebook and thought it was so interesting.
I want to be Pastel Nights, but I have a feeling I’m more Mint Stone.
So…what about you? If you were on a deserted island, what would your choices be?
Like most Fridays, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for their Friday Favorites blog post.
We’ve spent the past week in one of our favorite places: Siesta Key, Florida.
One of Trav’s aunts has a vacation home in SK that she graciously shares with the family. We come here most summers, usually after baseball wraps up at the end of July. Well, once we received the email that baseball will start back June 15 and go until the end of August, we decided to go ahead and take a trip while we could.
Of course, given the circumstances, we didn’t make the decision lightly. We took comfort in knowing we’d have a familiar place to stay and could space out at the beach and even get carryout from our favorite restaurants if we didn’t feel comfortable dining there.
**Warning: lots of beach and sunset pics headed your way! 😉
The trip started off very rainy thanks to Tropical Storm Cristobal. Friday afternoon and all day Saturday called for torrential rains, and Cristobal wasn’t playing around! We did get a break in the rain both Friday and Saturday nights allowing us to check out the beach a bit and eat dinner outside.
The radar was fierce those first couple of days.
Friday afternoon we unpacked and got groceries while it rained. Before dinner, we walked on the beach.
Super cloudy skies but always good to get our toes in the sand.
As many times as I’ve been to Siesta Key, I’ve never noticed this little spot which was perfect for taking a picture before dinner.
Thankfully, his aunt’s house has a pool, so the kids spent lots of time in it…sometimes while it rained but mostly when the sun was shining!
Sunday called for more rain, but that never happened! That being said, the overcast skies included heavy winds. We braved the beach for a couple of hours anyway.
Hayden swims with his glasses. We should probably get him some prescription googles.Love this pic of Hadley ❤️
Travis is definitely the fun one on vacay. My kids know I like to sit and read my book. He’s the one to throw the football with Hayden and swim in the ocean with the kids. I do get in the ocean and love when the waves are calm.
They don’t know how lucky they are to have each other!
Monday morning, we went for a walk on the beach.
and then the sun came out! That being said, we’ve never arrived in Florida so pale! 😂 So, I spent most of my time making everyone reapply sunscreen! After Cristobal moved out, we couldn’t buy a cloud in we tried!
Truthfully, I’m glad that we are less maintenance now when packing stuff to the beach. Also, the kids can help carry what we need. Hayden’s happy just to bring his football and shovel. They love to dig holes!
We were still able to eat at our favorite restaurants. I will say that at some restaurants the servers had masks and other restaurants did not. There were social distancing signs and tables we definitely spaced out at our favorite places. Also, on the sidewalks of Siesta Key Village, many restaurants had additional seating even if it was just two top tables.
We are not people who stay at the beach all day. We usually go for a few hours, then come back to let the kids swim in the pool and then shower for an early dinner. We’ve always done that most days because if we can make it back to the beach for the sunset, we try to do that.
So, most days we had dinner at 5:00 allowing for less of a crowd and no wait. Also, we usually just get carryout pizza one night when we are too tired to get back out, and we did that on this vacation too. We made adjustments and sometimes had our bigger dinner meal at 3:00 Happy Hour and I took the kids to their favorite ice cream place at 5:00 rather than later when there’s usually a line out the door.
Our favorite restaurants that we make a point to eat at (sometimes more than once) are the Daiquiri Deck, Siesta Key Oyster Bar (Hayden and Travis had 24 oysters for $14 at their Happy Hour!), Owen’s Fish Camp, The Hub, Phillippi Creek, Rip Fire Pizza, The Lobster Pot, and we tried a new place to us: Big Water Fish Market. It was so good.
Hayden could eat his weight in oysters. Travis loves them too. Hadley and I do not!
oysters at Phillippi CreekHappy boy!Round 2 of oysters at SKOBWe got to the Daiquiri Deck at least twice each trip.Big Olaf ice cream is their fave.Owen’s Fish Camp
As I said before, we hit the beach for sunset as many times as we can. The kids always oblige with a few sunset pics.
Seriously, nothing puts my mind right like a beautiful sunset.
or 5! 😉
Photo by Hadley
I joked that Hadley was easy to find in the ocean because she’s the only one out there doing Tik Tok dances.
Girl has got ups!with my fave
Once or twice on vacation, we even pack up to go to the beach from 6:00 or so until sunset. It’s not so hot, the beaches are less crowded, and we can relax without sweating! On this night, the kids came out of the ocean and had been playing some kind of question game.
Eventually, Travis started asking them geography questions…Hayden’s strength and apparently, Hadley’s weakness.
Hayden said, “Hadley, in middle school, I’m worried that you are going to fail history and geography class.” 🤣
Talking smack to his sister
On Tuesday, the kids and I went to the Siesta Key Market for a few things. The grocery cashier asked us what beach we’d been going to, and I said Siesta Key Beach (closest to our house) and he said we should try Turtle Beach which was only about a ten minute drive.
So, on Wednesday, we thought we’d give that a try. We found the beach easily, found a parking spot right by a beach access point and saw the most beautiful waters ever! The kids ooh-ed and ahh-ed, and Hayden declared Turtle Beach as his favorite spot.
The SK waters never disappoint as the Gulf of Mexico is gorgeous, but these waters were like nothing we’d seen before. Hadley said, “It looks like Hawaii.” None of us have been there, but she may be right 😉
While it’s a public beach, there are no life guards but the waters were pretty shallow like we are used to anyway. The sand was different–darker and reminded me of when we go to South Carolina beaches. Also, this beach had a steep decline into the ocean rather than just walking in like we are used to. That being said, the location, lack of crowds, and gorgeous water made for a perfect day.
Also, Turtle Beach lived up to it’s name. The kids saw a turtle when they went to look for the shower. By the time I got there, the turtle had moved into the trees and brush.
Real talk: Hadley was sitting there and I told Hayden to go sit by his sister. I couldn’t pass up that view or photo op.Top left pic is what we saw as soon as we parked the car. The kids were excited.
We went back again the next day and there were hardly any waves at all. Also, we saw dolphins swimming in the distance. Well, Hadley & I saw them…Travis and Hayden kept looking at the wrong time!
Hardly any waves at all They found the sandbar a ways out!
Lots of family members take a pic (or force their kids to take a pic) in front of the palm tree in the front yard at the end of their trip. Each year, the tree seems to get bigger…the kids too!
While it was good to get away for a bit, especially after being home for so many months, we are still ready to get back to Lexington and see the Homster! We are thankful to be arriving home sun-kissed after another family vacation in one of our favorite places.
Don’t forget to check out the other ladies’ posts too! Have a great weekend.
Hello! It’s the second Monday of the month, so I’m linking up with Lauren,Ashley, and others for their Not Just a Mom series. This month’s focus is on Fun Facts.
When I started my blog last summer, I wrote this post introducing myself and then another post a few weeks later with some random facts about me. So, I will expand on those posts with a few more random/fun facts.
Facts about Me:
I make my bed every morning (or my husband does). I can’t sleep if the bed hasn’t been made.
My kids make their bed every morning too because #momsaysso
I have a shamrock tattoo on my left foot.
I love the Golden Girls and have seen every episode more times than I can count.
The original Parent Trap is my favorite movie.
I love to read.
I’m a dog person. #catsmakemesneeze
I’m an introvert. I don’t think I’ve always been this way, but certainly as I’ve gotten older, I’ve definitely become more introverted.
I always thought it would be fun to be a backup singer. I don’t want the spotlight 😉 (I can’t sing!)
Mayonnaise is my least favorite food of all time. I will not eat it!
I like ringing up my groceries at the self-checkout.
Thursday is my favorite day of the week.
So those are just a few facts about me! July’s topic is Girl Time. I’m hoping by July, I can say that I’ve seen my friends in person rather than via Zoom!
I hope you have a great week! I’m going to take some time this week to slow down a bit!
Today’s post is all about Homer! It’s our Homer-versary with him on Monday, June 8, so of course we need to celebrate him! 😉
I’ve shared previous Homer posts, but thought I’d share one more to celebrate one year with our Homer (AKA Pookie, Biscuit, Homster, and Pook-a-to)
We’d lost both our our beloved Boxers within a year of each other as of last spring. I wasn’t sure when my heart would be ready for another dog, but the practical side of me figured summer would be the best time to look for a dog. We’d never rescued a dog, but some friends and neighbors had mentioned the Petfinder app. I set my search for Labradors/Lab mixes within 100 miles. Travis wasn’t sure about having a puppy again, but I was the kids’ age when we got a new puppy, and I remember how exciting and memorable it was to be surprised with a puppy.
After searching the app for a couple of weeks, I realized how quickly some pups are adopted. So…when I saw this face, I did some quick convincing to Travis for us to apply for him.
His name was “Glorious” and his two brothers “Notorious” and “Victorious” were found abandoned on the side of the road. Tails of Hope Rescue in Cincinnati, OH nursed them back the health before making them available for adoption.
I submitted an application on a Thursday and the next day, Friday, I received the approval email while sitting in a summer professional development session! Needless to say, my lunch break turned into a stop at Petsmart with my friend to buy all the puppy goodies I thought we needed.
We surprised the kids on that Saturday morning with the news, and drove to get our pup. There was much debate about his name…I wanted to name him Sunny and nobody was having it! As we pulled into the parking lot, Hayden said, “What about Homer?” (As in the fact that Hayden loves baseball- Homer/ home run/ Homer Bailey) and we loved it.
I will always remember how excited the kids were when we finally had him in our arms. It was such a sweet ride home, and they were so excited to show Homer to everyone!
Car ride homeDay 1 at home
While he’s cute, he is a handful…and has been since day one! The number of things that have been #homered in our house are too many to count 😂
He loves to be near us which is so sweet and both the kids are obsessed with him. While the kids loved our other dogs, the kids were either too young to appreciate them or as the kids got older, our other dogs were slowing down and aging too. So, to see the love the kids have for Homer and the joy that Homer brings to our family is simply the best. Homer has definitely helped our hearts heal from the losses of Shiloh and Scout. I’m very grateful that we made the decision to adopt. He needed us as much as much as we needed him.
Now, according to my Shutterfly app, I’ve taken 400+ photos of Homer. I will just share a few faves 😉 (ok—“a few”=25!)
#spammingyouwithpuppypics 🐶😂
Baseball Boo and HomerThe number of bandanas I’ve ordered off of Etsy…too many to count.Bad boyGo Chiefs!His ears kill me!Hayden requested Homer on his birthday cake.Christmas card 2019Homer’s first time in the snow.Helping Hadley get ready for the Father/Daughter dance!Homer loves to go on a walk!Homer kisses!Happy Birthday, Homer!We guesstimate mid-March as his birthday.Sleepy BiscuitPatriotic Pookie!
Clearly, we are oobbbbsessed with our Homer. Good thing he is cute because he sure is ornery!
Homer “Glorious” White (as the kids call him when he misbehaves) 😂, you’ve certainly changed our lives for the better; we wouldn’t trade you for anything in the world.
Y’all, it’s no secret that my love for Trader Joe’s runs deep! I put together some of my favorite ingredients with my Kroger staples and made this easy and healthy lunch that I now eat a couple times a week.
Ingredients:
Jasmine rice (Game changer for me. I’ve just discovered this rice and LOVE it) There are three microwaveable bags in this box.
Sweet potato (I cut into small bites, drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sprinkle with TJ Chile Lime seasoning. Then I roast the bits in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes)
Black beans (drained and rinsed)
Feta cheese (I’ve used other cheeses before as well like shredded mozz)
Protein (I use this short cut with Perdue Carved Chicken Breasts from Kroger and cut them into bite sized pieces) You could use steak or shrimp too, I’m sure.
Sriracha Ranch (or a drizzle of regular Ranch would be good too) Also, I’m not a fan of spicy food, but a little bit of this goes a long way and is delish!)
Instructions:
Roast the sweet potatoes.
Cook the bag of rice in the microwave.
Cut the chicken into small pieces. Then, I warm up the chicken and the beans in the microwave together.
Mix rice, sweet potatoes, beans, and protein together.
Top with Feta cheese.
Drizzle with Sriracha Ranch.
Enjoy!
Looking pretty!Mixed up….how I eat it 😉
When I make this, I can actually get about three meals out of it. So I make one serving in a bowl and divide the other ingredients into Tupperware for other meals. Then, when it’s time to enjoy those, I heat up the ingredients and top with Feta and the dressing.
What do you love from Trader Joe’s?? What are some of your go to lunches?
Hello and Happy Wednesday! I shared an Etsy post recently about some of my favorite purchases, so I thought I’d share an update on the flower pots I ordered.
I ordered the 8 inch hand painted flower pot for end of the year teacher gifts. I had the pots personalized with each teacher’s name, and they turned out so cute. I knew I’d love them so much, that I also bought one for our back patio that was personalized with the word “home.”
We bought some flowers over the weekend and then gave the teachers their gifts on Monday.
Front side of my patio pot.
Back side of my patio pot. The detailed flowers are so cute and whimsy.
The kids with their gifts for their teachers.
and one outtake photo 😉
These are a super cute gift idea or would be a great addition to your outdoor space!
Well, this is the last stop (for now) for my Home Updates series. To be honest, I feel like I’m ending this tour in a slightly underwhelming way, but I still thought I’d share.
Also, real talk: sometimes my kids’ rooms make me cringe! They tend to be full of clutter which drives me crazy, but I like to keep it real over here…and I make all of the rest of the house look “my kind of pretty,” so they should have their space.
Even though the kids aren’t babies anymore, they still tend to have lots of stuff…so I try to provide them with as many organizational options as possible to keep Legos, baseball cards, art supplies, hair ties (Why does Hadley have 100 scrunchies?!), etc. Also, I’ve given up…they’ve cluttered their walls with whatever the want, and I’m just going to have to deal with it 😉 Anyway, here’s a peek at their spaces.
Before:
These are the only pics I found on the listing photos, and I think both of these photos are of Hayden’s current bedroom.
Summer of 2015, after we’d lived here a few months, the kids spent the night at their grandma’s house, and Travis and I painted both of their bedrooms in about 24 hours. So, this is a pic of his freshly painted bedroom in June 2015. He’s had this bedding for years! The other side of that quilt has cars on it, and we bought it when each kid moved into their own room when they were three. I’d say we’ve gotten plenty of use out of that quilt. We bought the plaid comforter after painting the bedroom.
Hayden’s bedroom now! All the sports signs a boy could ever want! haha
We bought the hat rack from Pottery Barn Teen, and it’s been perfect for his wall and keeping everything organized.
I made this canvas for Hayden we he got his own room in our former house. It’s from one of my favorite scenes in To Kill a Mockingbird. When Dill first meets Jem and Scout, he says, “I’m little but I’m old.” Dill had such a cute little personality that I thought the quote was perfect for Hayden.
This magnetic frame was a little DIY that Travis and I completed together. Well, I found the frame years ago, and then we finally purchased a piece of sheet metal and nailed it to the back. Then, it became a place for Hayden to use magnets to hang photos and his drawings.
I don’t have any before pictures of Hadley’s room, but here’s her freshly painted room in June 2015. Since then, she’s gotten a new bedspread and new bedside table. Her bedroom furniture was the furniture my parents bought me when I was in the seventh grade. When the kids got their own rooms in our former house, we painted the bed, the desk, and then dresser white. Honestly, that was before I knew about chalk paint, so that project was definitely a labor of love. I bet if I’d used chalk paint, it would have taken half of the time.
Here’s her current room. Hadley’s not super girly, so I love that she chose a light lavender for her paint color, and I found the hanging poms for her window at Hobby Lobby. The wooden monogram came from an Etsy shop, and I painted it white. We found her side table at Ikea.
My grandma gave me two wooden chairs that are many many years old, and Hadley uses one at her desk.
I love the “Girl Boss” sign that Hadley found while we were at Home Goods one day. Also, this summer, she really wanted a little plant for her room, so I picked her up a succulent at Trader Joe’s since they are hard to kill! 😉
I love the artwork on her wall. She painted the unicorn at a painting class we took. I found the pineapple at Hobby Lobby, and have a “thing” for pineapples as they are an expression of “Welcome” in a home. Lastly, I found the “In a field of roses, she is a wildflower” print on Etsy and then bought the frame. If that doesn’t sum up Hadley, then I don’t know what does!
So, that’s a little look at the kids’ bedrooms! We obviously didn’t have to do much in those rooms besides fresh paint, our own decor, and some updated blinds. I had a little control with their spaces, but wanted to give them the freedom to make choices…and then I just shut the doors when I can’t take the clutter!
Hallway Bathroom
The last major space for us to update is the smallest space in our house….the hall bath. I’m not sure when that will happen, but thought I’d go ahead and share those pictures.
Our current setup. I at least tried to make it cute 😉 This is the kids’ bathroom and what guests use if we have people over. First world problems, but the space is so small that it’s a recipe for a daily fight while the kids get ready in the morning.
Thanks for following along on this Home Update series I put together. We’ve worked hard making our house feel like home. We just keep checking off projects one at a time.
Hello and Happy Monday! How was your weekend? The weather in Kentucky was gorgeous! As with the past few weekends, we had a good mix of productivity and relaxation…and we tried to spend lots of time outside before the summer temps arrive!
The world feels pretty heavy right now, so fresh air and sunshine provided some sense of comfort.
Here’s our Weekend Top 5:
Hayden got a haircut and lots of snuggle time with Homer.
The kids enjoyed the Slip N Slide…and have the bumps and bruises to prove it!
Saturday afternoon we celebrated cousin Layla turning 3. They had an ice cream party for her. It turned out really cute and the weather was amazing! My kids had at least two cups of ice cream and two of the delicious cookies!
Birthday Girl!Such a cute set up!
Cousin time!
Sunday morning, we went to The Stave, an outside restaurant just past Versailles in Frankfort, KY, which was our first time eating at a restaurant since early March. Travis had been there before for lunch, and we ordered brunch this time.
The restaurant is near Woodford Reserve Distillery. There were plenty of picnic tables all spaced out and then a “tree house” with seating of spaced out tables and chairs. We had ordered ahead and sat at a picnic table by the creek to enjoy our food. Travis and the kids shared biscuits and gravy, bacon, eggs, and potatoes. I ordered the local chorizo hash. We all enjoyed our food.
Again, it was our first time actually eating at a restaurant in many months, and I was impressed. Of course, the servers wore masks, the tables we spread apart, and you could even purchase a plastic table cloth for $1 for the picnic tables if you wanted to. We enjoyed the weather, the kids threw rocks in the creek, and we took our time eating our meal. It was a great way to start our Sunday.
I’ve seen Christine share about her very indulgent brownie recipe on her Instagram stories. Hadley helped me make it yesterday for our Sunday dessert.
Ingredients:
Brownie mix (+ingredients needed for the mix)
Double Stuf Oreos
Chocolate chip cookie dough
Instructions:
Spray the bottom and sides of an 8×8 pan.
Press cookie dough down for the bottom layer.
Place Oreos in rows to fill the pan.
Fix brownie mix per the instructions on the box and pour over the Oreos.
Bake at 350 per box instructions for 8×8 pan (I think mine baked a little over 50 minutes!)
Definitely let it cool as long as possible before cutting into it. We baked it in the afternoon & didn’t eat it until after dinner, so it had perfectly set up.
Enjoy!
Finished product! Delish.
So that’s what we were up to this weekend! Now, we are ready to tackle the first official week of summer!
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