Friday Favorites!

 Another great week down!  Let's get right to it - here's my top five things from this past week:

 

[One]

 

Jason camped with the kids in the backyard last weekend.  We had a great time - cooking s'mores, playing hide n' seek and freeze tag and then Crazy Eights and Old Maid in the tent.  No one actually slept in the tent, but it was fun, the kids enjoyed it and it was a great memory :)

 

[Two]

 

It was National Dog Day earlier this week!  Shout out to my favorite four legged puppy, Oliver!  I sure love this big ball of furry doodle!!

 

Plus, I feel so much safer in my home when Jason is out of town having an 80lb dog curled up next to me in bed :)
 

[Three]

 

I know I've said it over and over, but I just love the bond and relationship between these two.  They play together, they look out for each other, they drive each other crazy ;)  Love them.

 

[Four]

 

We had a few very chilly days this week in MI.  It's made me antsy for chili, soup, hoodies, boots and leggings.  Gosh I love leggings.

 

 

[Five]

 

EGGS!!!! 

Our egg basket is slowly getting full!  We eat a lot of eggs in this house and I think I may almost be to the point where I am done buying eggs!  So egg-citing, y'all!!
 

 

Well, that was easy!  It's been a great week!  Only two more left before school starts....time to get organized and clean out Redmond's backpack from last year!

Until next time!

 

~ Sara :)

 

I'm linking up with, Darci, April, Natasha, and Christina for the Five on Friday link-up Party!

I'm linking up with A Little Bit of Everything, Momfessionals, and Grace and Love for my Friday Favorites!

I'm linking up with September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for the Oh Hey Friday linky party!

I'm also linking up with The Diary of a Real Housewife for Friday Favorites!

What's Up Wednesday

Hey all!  Another month is coming to an end....can you believe September is right around the corner!? 

The end of the month means it's time for another edition of What's Up Wednesday!

What We're Eating This Week....

 

Jason was out of town the beginning of this week, so I took it easy and did minimal cooking :)  He will be back tomorrow so the rest of our week into next week looks like this:

 

Thursday:  Goulash and Salad with Dried Cherries, Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Friday:  Sweet 'n Sour Chicken, Jasmine Rice and Roasted Broccoli

Saturday:  Homemade Pizza (you can find my pizza dough recipe here)

Sunday:  Grilled Pork Chops, Cheesy Grits, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Monday:  Herbed Turkey Breast, Roasted Red Potatoes, Salad
Tuesday:  Date Night!
Wednesday:  Peanut Noodles and Grilled Chicken

What I'm Reminiscing About....

What a great time we had when my sister was here two weeks ago.  I look forward to her visit every year and this year the weather could not have been more perfect!  Such a great week on the lake :)

What I'm Loving.....

Fresh eggs!!!  We have at least 3 hens laying now!!  We are averaging 2 eggs per day, but have been lucky enough to get three in one day a few days ago.  Yay!!

What We've Been Up To....

Soaking up the last few weeks of summer before the craziness of the school year begins. 

What I'm Dreading....

 

So....school starts in three weeks and I still have yet to empty out Redmond's backpack from last year.  I have a backpack and basket full of papers, projects and works of art to go through and figure out what to do with.  Why must I always procrastinate??? 

What I'm Working On....

Organization!  Time to get the planner out and start writing things down.  Also working on getting the house a little more under control and organized.  See...maybe if I'm more organized I wouldn't wait three months to empty out Redmond's backpack. Stay tuned for more on this :)

What I'm Excited About....

Blogging more!  I've been very MIA over the summer and I'm looking forward to getting back into it once the school year starts and we're on a set schedule.  Be sure to come back next Thursday to check out The Monthly Meet Up - a monthly link-up party I co-host with my girl Marie on the first Thursday of every month!

What I'm Watching/Reading....

I've been marathon watching The Next Food Network Star on Netflix while Jason has been gone.  I'm pretty sure I need my own cooking show now.  Don't you agree???

As far as reading goes, I've been researching fruit trees!  We're already thinking Spring here and trying to figure out what kind of trees to plant and how to make our garden stay alive be better next year.  Fun on the homestead, y'all!

What I'm Listening To....

The coffee brewing, the waterfall outside in our fish pond, Oliver sleeping on the floor at my feet and little else.  Love quiet mornings!

What I'm Wearing....

The weather is starting to get a little cooler, especially in the evenings and early morning....time to start breaking out the hoodies!  I do love a good, cozy hoodie....and I'm thinking I need this one ASAP!

What I'm Doing This Weekend....

The kids are going to their grandparent's house, hubby is having his annual Fantasy Football draft and mama is going shopping!  So looking forward to spending the day doing one of the things that I love.  Ha!!

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month....

Cooler weather, leggings, boots, soups, chili and drinking beer by the bonfire.

What Else Is New....

Jason went "camping" with the kids in the backyard last weekend.  We had a fire, made s'mores, then moved into the tent to play Crazy 8s and Old Maid.  Once the games were done, I came inside (I mean, my bed was right there....) and the kids and Jason stayed in the tent.  Ashlyn lasted about an hour and Redmond lasted two :)  So, we all ended up sleeping in the house, but had a great time while they were "camping"!

 

Well, that's it for this Wednesday!  Thanks for checking my blog out and don't forget to join in the fun! 

Until next time,
~ Sara :)

I'm joining Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up!

Our Staycation - August 2015

My sister has been travelling from Virginia with her kids for a week in the summer for the past few years.  Sometimes her husband comes along, but most of the time he stays back to work.  The past couple of years she has also brought along my niece from South Carolina (my brother's daughter).  It's so much fun to have her here, get to hang out and chat with her, watch the kids play and interact together.  We only see each other a couple times per year so it's all that more exciting and special when we do.

My parents have friends with a small cottage on a lake here that they rent out.  Both last year and this year my sister has stayed there.  It's great - we get to spend the week at the lake, in the water, like we're on vacation.....but we (as in my little family) get to sleep in our own beds.  We all know nothing beats that!

My brother and sister-in-law also flew in from South Carolina for a few days.  It was great having everyone here, even if it was just for a short amount of time.  We spent the majority of the weekend just enjoying each other's company and the lake.

I love how, even though they haven't seen each other since November, Redmond and his cousin Declan can just pick up right where they left off - like they see each other all the time.  They are each other's only male cousin - so they have to stick together :)

One of the highlights for the kids (but definitely not for this mama) was fishing.  Uncle Dan (my brother) supervised the fishing for the first day.  The kids did great and they all caught at least one fish!

 

 

 

One place we went while my sister was here was Shipshewana.  It's a little Amish town about a mile away with a huge flea market and awesome shops.  My mother-in-law and I go every May and I always find some cool stuff.  Our first stop on this trip was to Rise n Roll Bakery for some Amish made donuts. 

Redmond chose a powdered sugar donut and Ashlyn opted for a Bavarian Cream filled (a girl after her mama's heart!).  The kids loved them! 

We also had everyone over to our house one night for a cookout and s'mores!  We invited Jason's parents and had a great time - it was the first time that we used our fire pit since we moved in.  Can you believe that!?

These two don't like burnt marshmallows.  The look of defeat....

 

 

 

 Then, it was back to the lake for the rest of the week.  We had so much fun.  Here are just a few highlights:

We decided to make this photo a yearly occurrence.  Crazy to see how much they've grown in just a year!

 

Ashlyn has opened up her own Beauty Parlor.  *A tough scalp and a high pain tolerance is recommended ;)*

 

We went for dingy boat rides:

 

 

Did a lot of floating in the lake:

 

 

 

Oliver joined in the fun....and even joined me on my raft:

 

 

 

 

We ate dinner together:

 

 

But, most importantly, enjoyed each other's company and had fun!

 

 

 

We had such a great week together!  The kids had so much fun hanging out and playing with their cousins - we made some great memories!  As much fun as we had, it's nice to get back to our normal.  Time to get back on our schedule and hit the gym to burn off all the beer I drank and food I ate!  Until next summer!!

 

~ Sara :)