Savoring Summer

 

We have been enjoying every last second of August. A little bit of fun here, some frantic organizing there, a bit of a family get-together here, and a sweaty marathon of readying my classroom there.

 

Last weekend we enjoyed a family wedding on Mike’s side. His cousin Brandis got married. She opted to have the ceremony and reception at St. Olaf lake where Mike’s grandparents have a cabin, that Mike’s aunt owns due to their passing. For the life of me, I could not picture how they were going to get masses of people on this little lot for a wedding. I have to say, I was quite impressed with how it all came out.

 

They set up the ceremony overlooking the lake and the reception further up by the road, in a huge tent. The decorations were gorgeous and they even had candles hanging in the trees (we did not stay long enough to see these lit, but I am sure they were gorgeous).

  

The weather was perfect….all-in-all a nice night.

 

 

 

I could not get enough of this flower girl! This is Emmy and she’s Mike’s cousin’s daughter (did you follow that?). That pink dress on that green grass, those blonde locks…so adorable.

 

Of course all the pictures of the bride and groom came out blurry. I just can’t post blurry pictures so you will have to trust me, very pretty!

 

 

Moving on………

I made a recipe on a whim tonight. I logged into Pinterest to add something to a board. I came across a recipe for Straw and Hay. If you aren’t familiar with this dish, it’s a ham (or prosciutto), peas, pasta, and cream sauce delight. I have it when we go to Chianti Grill. I decided to tackle it because I had many of the ingredients already on hand. Can I just say……it tasted EXACTLY like the Chianti Grill version. I loved it. It’s TOTALLY sinful and so bad for you, but once in awhile you just have to live a little.

HERE is the recipe. SUPER easy to throw together.

 

I am sort-of obsessed with THIS website. This chick is a hair dresser and teaches you how to do cute little things with your hair (and she posts other things too). I secretly am so jealous of people that can do fun stuff with their hair. I so wish I could. I cut bangs recently (long ones) and hate them. I am going to try a few of these ideas and see if I can master them.

 

The fair gears up this week. We aren’t huge fair people. We never go up during the day (too hot), we mostly go just to eat. The kids kind-of like the rides but the past few years we haven’t felt the kids really got the use out of a $40 wristband. So, this year we will just do rides twice, once on the 96 cent night and the other on the night they sell the $15 wristbands. We will see how that goes. Mom and I will take the kids to the water park this week and take advantage of the smaller crowds.

 

We are prepping for fall and all that it brings. BOTH kids decided they wanted to play football this year. I am not sure how that happened, exactly, but they are all geared up. A fortune was spent for all new equipment for both kids and they love putting on all the stuff and playing catch. Cracks me up! We will miss the big meeting where they find out their coaches and teams because we have Twins tickets. Guess we will have to do some calling. Noah will also play fall baseball. I am beginning to wonder if we will ever make it to Sunday school as the games are all played on Sundays.

 

Fall also means the start of me being back in the classroom. I have been up to school twice for large chunks of time and feel pretty solid with where I am at. I have spent tons of time reading and researching this summer and I am feeling confident in how things will go this year. One more meeting with my team next week to plan a few things and I should be ready for the year.

 

Off to Target. I also saw on Pinterest some cute boots that I must have. Hopefully our Target carries them……

 

Peace out,

LB

Did You Know?

Did you know Pioneer Woman now has an entertainment section to her blog? Seriously, if I wasn’t a fan due to the photography (I use her editing downloads more than I use the ones in Photoshop) and the recipe sections, then I will CERTAINLY be a fan of this new one. I love movies, TV, celebrities.

 

 

Did you know Mike and I just got back from our last trip for the summer? We visited our friends in Indiana, Tammy and Paul. The four days were filled with lots of good food and relaxation. We also made a trip to a winery and visited the Louisville Slugger museum. We got to tour the factory where they make the bats for all the pro players and watch the whole process. It was interesting to hear all the different requests various players have for their own bats and see exactly how it all comes together. Both boys profited from that trip and got engraved bats. Mike and I enjoyed the time together in Indiana and even took the DVD player on the plane! It was such a short flight it took both flights to get through one movie.

 

 

Did you know that we signed Connor up for football? This is the first time either boy has played other than a small camp offered each August. I am totally freaked out about the tackling and am hoping there isn’t some 150 pound third grader out there lurking to pounce on my kid.

 

 

Did you know Noah is having sleep issues? He is taking melatonin and is convinced it’s helping him. I hope so. This morning he was up at 5:30. I told him he’s not going to be allowed to stay up late if he’s going to get up so early. Makes for a LONG day.

 

 

Did you know baseball season is over for Noah? Apparently Park and Rec doesn’t see the need to reschedule the games we had canceled due to rain or excessive heat. Noah is not happy the season is over. Sounds like there will be a fall league though so he is looking forward to that. Connor still has three games this week.

 

 

Did you know my latest obsession is this Dear Photograph site? I can’t get enough of it.

 

 

Did you know my new favorite restaurant when we make a jaunt north is Porter Creek Hardwood Grill in Burnsville? I ate there with my parents and have been back three more times. GREAT food, especially their house soup (a chicken vegetable) and salads.  They have a wonderful patio area to dine in which I suggest if it’s not too hot. I am getting together with a friend for some shopping Monday evening and I might just suggest this place.

 

 

Did you know my new favorite snack is hummus? Tammy introduced this to me when we were visiting her. I love the pine nuts one. I eat it as my lunch with low fat triscuits. Yummy! You can get it at Wal-mart.

 

 

Did you know I cleaned out the storage room this week?  I have never sweated in a work-out like I did cleaning that room. I bagged 11 bags of clothes to give to the Epilepsy foundation when they come around again. I have 8 empty storage bins stacked and ready for filling. That room has never been so organized. I even have a whole shelf for wrapping paper, bows, tags, gift bags, tape, scissors, etc. No more searching when we need to give a gift. Feels good.

 

 

Did you know our computer crashed and for about 4 days I thought I lost all my pictures? Yeah, that was a lot of fun. I had to re-download all my Pioneer Woman actions (which was so hard the first time I did it, but not so hard this last time) and the Photoshop software. Eventually the pictures were found. We seriously need to get an external hard drive.

 

 

Hope you are all having a great end to July!

LB

Benefits

There are so many benefits to living next door to Better Homes and Gardens…….

 

A Week of Stuff

So, Mike and Noah took off for a week in Canada fishing. They took my dad, nephew, and neighbor with them.  They go to a resort they have been to, but it was Noah’s first time. he was very excited to go and even skipped going to state for baseball so he could go on this trip! The 12 hours drive was a little tough on him, and maybe this SERIOUS fishing was a little much at times, but overall he had a good time. 

 

 

Cabins they stay in….

 

 

 

 

Gull Rock Lake, in Ontario Canada…..

 

Cameron…..

 

Dad….

 

Look close to see the eagle!

 

 

Noah….

 

 

 

 

While they were gone, Connor and I had some adventures of our own……

First, my online friend Kirsten came for a quick two day visit from Virginia (did I ever tell you our GPS’s name is Virginia?). We had a good time talking, eating, and a little shopping. We made a trip to the MOA and I went into both Minnesota stores they have there. Always interesting to see what those stores say is MN-like! Apparently it’s a lot of lakes, mosquitoes, and huckleberries (of all things?!). I didn’t take any pictures, which I know is sinful. Just didn’t whip out the camera for a photo session. Trust me, she’s gorgeous. I used to complain about the lack of restaurants (good ones) at the MOA. I have recently found two I really like. One is Crave (went there with my parents and saw Francisco Liriano). And the other was the place Kirsten and I tried….Twin City Grill. Yummy food at both places! I SO appreciated her taking the time (and money!) to come and visit me. It’s amazing how you can bond with someone you have only seen in person a couple of times.

Later in the week Connor and I picked up my mom and we headed across the border to Wisconsin to see my sister and niece. I had never been to their homes and I figured it would make a nice trip and a way to make the week go a little faster. We booked a waterpark to stay at and we headed out for the 4 hour car ride.

The hotel itself was super nice and super cheap. The rooms were spacious and clean. Very, very nice. The waterpark was small but enough for the short amount of time we were there. I even ventured down the biggest slide with Connor. I did not like it one bit! He turned to me at the bottom and said, “I am going again. Alone this time.” I am so glad that kid doesn’t need another person with him to have a good time! I think he realized I was terrified the whole time. The hotel does have very limited hours for the waterpark, which we kind-of got burned by, but we would definitely go back there again. I am thinking a trip this winter might be fun.

My sister made the yummiest dinner and my niece, Devon, and her husband joined us. It was such good food, I am not just saying that (my sister doesn’t even have internet and will never read this)! It was nice to see their places and catch up a little. The next morning we had brunch together and hit the road to get back home. The weather the whole way home was horrible. We basically drove in pouring rain the whole time. There were numerous times I couldn’t see the road. It was awful. Made for a long ride, but we made it home safe and sound.

Mike and the group were behind us about an hour. They hit a wind storm which ruined our boat cover and scratched up our motor. Lovely. May be an insurance claim in our future. It was nice to have the family back under one roof. Everyone slept in. Lots of laundry and Harry Potter for us this weekend and nothing else!

We are now gearing up for our last trip of the summer. We leave Saturday for four days in IN. I am venturing into unknown territory and I am going to attempt to only do carry-on! Noah had a game the day we get back and it we don’t check luggage, we should be able to get back in time to see the whole thing. So, wish me luck. I could possibly be forced to pack sensibly. Hmmm….