Picnic...

I am craving a little picnic in my backyard this weekend with my luvs...

I think we will throw down a giant blanket...

bring out our pretty plates and napkins...

{...I have an obsession with pretty napkins...}

sit down and munch on some great food...

{thinking grilled bread...fresh cheese...thinly sliced apple...little piles of spicy sopressata...fresh Summer tomatoes with a drizzle of balsamic...a little olive oil...

and a good bottle of wine...yummm}

enjoy the sounds of Summer...

and

being together...

Happy Friday everyone...



Super Safe...

I was driving the other day and hear E playing with seatbelts in the back...

so I turn around and see him with all 3 seatbelts wrapped around him!

I started laughing

and he says "Now, I am SUPER safe"!

hahahahaha!

kids!

For ladies only...(just a warning!)

What is it about your *ahem*...excuse me...period!

that can make you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo CRAZY???

Seriously...

I used to be so proud of the fact that my personality never changed month to month!

{at least I thought so...}...

but in the last year, I am a FREAK the day or two before!

I literally cried listening to the Bare Naked Ladies song "If I had a Million Dollars" this morning..

WHO.DOES.THAT.?

No, really...

WHO.DOES.THAT?

Yesterday, it all began when I had to explain myself to the 1-800-Hansons man at the fair WHY I didn't want him to come to my house and give me an estimate on NEW SIDING!
Craig said..."you don't have to explain yourself...just say Not Interested"...
WHAT?  You don't understand anything.
I can't say that.
He doesn't get me...

Then...I was so mad {and sad} that the dogs ate Ethan's ball and I had to pick up a zillion

pieces out of the grass...{cause that makes total sense to be sad about this, right?...RIGHT?}

and

about lost it when I noticed how many weeds were growing through our deck...

WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS TO ME???

and how the lawn really needed to be mowed!

WHY ISN'T THE LAWN MOWED????

WHY are my baseboards so dirty???????????????

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

My house is a pig sty!!!!!

How come we have SOOOO many bills????

I literally had to go into my bedroom and read a book just to remove myself from any additional situation setting me off!

Which led to sitting on the floor trying to find inner peace...

but, all I heard was my husband and son cheering on the Tigers...

and Ethan randomly calling out "MOM" just to make sure I was still there!

Just to let you know...

no.inner.peace.was found last night.

Today I seem to be fine.

No really I am...

so far.

Just Browsing...

So...

we cut up our credit cards a while back so we could get a movin and pay those

suckers off!...

which is great.

but.

I CAN'T BUY ANYTHING!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...

I am desperate to pretty up my home!

So...

in the meantime...

I will just look at beautiful pictures of spaces I love!

hahaha!

images via: www.pinterest.com

Food Truck Fun...

Last weekend my hubby and I took E and his cousins to Fabulous Ferndale to visit the

Food Truck street fair!

If you know me, I have Food Network on CONSTANTLY...

it's actually pretty ridiculous.

Anyhoo...

Craig noticed that some food trucks were coming into town so naturally we jumped on the chance to try the food out!

So, we piled everyone in the car and headed out for some Saturday fun!

They had a little craft table for the kids where they made magic wands...ate ice cream...sampled some kiddo tacos...and Fin got his arm painted!

The Detroit Derby Girls were there working the Beer station and of course we had to support them!...

so we got a couple local beers while the kiddos ate ice cream!

Craig and I sampled a couple trucks out...Perogies (delish!)...and a couple mexican food trucks called El Guapo and Taco Mama Detroit where we shared a korean beef taco with spicy sweet slaw...and a shrimp enchiladia.

It was a wonderful way to try some new foods...and have the kids experience a local food festival!

There were an awful lot of cops for this really laid back event! 

Just Wait...

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried; quietly patiently, lovingly God replied. I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate, and the Master so gently said, "Child you must wait."

"Wait? you say 'wait'," my indignant reply, "Lord, I need answers. I need to know why! Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard? By faith I have asked and am claiming your Word. My future and all to which I can relate hangs in the balance, and YOU tell me Wait?"

"I'm needing a 'yes,' a go-ahead sign, or even a 'no' to which I can resign. And, Lord, You promised that if we believe we need but to ask and we shall receive. And, Lord, I've been asking! I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate. As my Master replied once again, "You must wait." So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut. And grumbled to God, "So I'm waiting...for what?"

He seemed, then to kneel, and His eyes wept with mind, and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign. I could shake the heavens and darken the sun. I could raise the dead, cause the mountains to run."

"All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be. You would have what you want, but you wouldn't know ME. You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint; you'd not know the power that I give to the faint. You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair; you'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there; you'd not know the joy of resting in ME, when darkness and silence were all you could see.

You'd never experience the fullness of love as the peace of my spirit descends like a dove; you'd know that I give and I save (for a start), but you'd not know the depth of the beat of my heart, the glow of my comfort late in the night, the faith that I give when you walk without sight, the depth that's beyond getting just what you asked, of an infinite God, who makes what you have LAST.

You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee, what it means that "My grace is sufficient for thee." Yes, your dreams for that loved one overnight would come true, but, oh, the loss...if I lost what I'm doing in you!

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see that the greatest of gifts is to get to know ME. And though my answers seem terribly late, my most precious answer of all is still "WAIT."
From: http://mareandreid.blogspot.com

First Day of Summer...

Did you take advantage of the first day of Summer...?

The longest day of the year...?

My son is going to Vacation Bible School all week with 2 of my besties kids in the morning and then my wonderful friend Christa...who has 3 of her own...is taking Ethan home with her to swim in the pool and play all day while I have to work...{Thanks girl...you ROCK}

When I got home...we drove over to watch my husband's evening softball game with some of my girlfriends and their kiddos!...

It was so fun...and HOT!...the kids ran around and played tag...and somehow managed to

entertain themselves with a drinking fountain for an hour! 

{how do they manage to do that!!!?}

I got to chat a bit and watch most of the game...

{don't ask the final score...it was not pretty...}

Came home and just enjoyed the rest of the evening with my E...

It was a lovely first day of Summer...

What did you do...?



First Tooth!...

 E lost his very first tooth on Father's Day this year!

That little guy worked on that tooth for a couple days...

wiggling it...pushing it back and forth...and showing us about a thousand times

how loose it was!

It was so cute!

I totally remember those days...

So, on Father's Day we were all outside playing and E just pulled and pulled

and OUT came that little tooth right in the backyard!!

He handled it so bravely!

I remember thinking how much it was going to hurt if I pulled it out...

but boy, he never blinked an eye!

That night I pulled up the story of the Tooth Fairy on our IPad and we sat down

(baby tooth in a container) and read the story...

it was so cute!

They have a section where the Tooth Fairy answers questions from kids like

 "How old are you?"..."What do you do with the teeth?"..."Where do you live?" 

It was really fabulous to be able to answer all those questions straight from the tooth fairy herself!!!

What a magical time losing your first tooth...

Congratulations baby...you are growing up fast my love...

Dad's Day...

Father's Day was so fun!

Had our wonderful family over for some great food and luckily the sun came out so we got to play a game of baseball after dinner!

It was a BLAST!

On the Menu:

Rainbow Fruit Kabobs

Sun dried Tomato Dip 

Cheesy Onion Dip w/ Flat bread Crackers

Stuffed Peppers on the Grill (yummy!)

Grilled Steaks w/ Homemade Blue Cheese Sauce

Barbecue Chicken

Roasted Potatoes

The Best Ceasar Salad Ever w/ Homemade Croutons

Lemon Zucchini Bread

"Make Your Own" Root Beer Floats

Team Michigan State ~ (Ethan was Captain #1 and picked his team and his name)! 

 Team Tigers ~ (Griffin was captain #2 and picked his team and name!)

 My beautiful sister-in-law loaded up G-pa's Ipod with tunes at our house...so he proceeded to

keep his headphones on the ENTIRE time we played the baseball game...!

Randomly singing with the songs he loved!

It was pretty funny!

All in all a great time had by everyone!

I am lucky enough to have the best men in my life...

My Husband...who I can't imagine my life without...He is the most amazing Father and gives 100% ALL THE TIME...Love you baby...

My Father - in - Law who is the BEST father in law in the world...we get along fabulously and I adore him!

My Brother-in-Law...who is a wonderful Uncle to E and such a caring guy to all the rest of us! 

Lastly...

My Dad...who I don't get to see because my parents live in another state...but, I am forever shaped by his love for my family...my wonderful memories of him ALWAYS there...playing...cheering...laughing...and loving us...

and if you know me...you know how much I love my Dad and how special he is to me...

I do know that God handpicked this man to be my Dad...

and boy did he pick me the BEST!

Love you Dad...

Happy Father's Day...

Hope everyone had a great one!



Summer Pasta...

Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Herbs and Lemon Marinated Chicken and Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:
3/4 Box of spaghetti pasta (cooked al dente)
1 pound chicken breast fillets (sliced into 1 inch chunks)

For the chicken marinade:
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (if using dried, use half of the amount)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt (not table salt)
½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (to sauté the marinated chicken)

- Add all the marinade ingredients into the chicken and marinade for 20 minutes (if making this dish pronto) or overnight (if making this dish the next day… much better).
- Saute the marinated chicken in extra virgin olive oil until cooked (about 4-5 minutes) then set aside.

For the garlic gravy:
½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups chicken stock
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup parsley, chopped (to sprinkle/finish the pasta)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups whole cherry tomatoes

- Place sauté pan over medium heat and add butter and olive oil.
- Saute garlic until fragrant and soft.
- Add the flour and cook for a minute.
- Add chicken stock and simmer gravy until thickened then add the chopped basil.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the sauteed chicken in the gravy then toss the cooked spaghetti into this sauce.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and finish the dish with the chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese
   (serve extra on the side).

Makes 5-6 servings.


Recipe via:  http://godofscrumprecipes.tumblr.com/post/21100317594/spaghetti-in-garlic-gravy-with-herbs-and-lemon

Field Day...!

Remember Field Day!!!....

ahhhh...the memories...

Having races (50 yard dash I was particularly good at)...long jump...shot puts...jump rope champion...(my husband held the title at Ethan's school for many many years...and he will NOT let anyone forget it!...not that he should...it's QUITE an accomplishment...;)

Someone took him down in early 2000...or they were just sick of seeing Craig Hill up there!

ahahahahaha!

just kidding babe...

You are SO the jump rope champion in our minds...

Anyway...

They used to give out RIBBONS!

You know, cause you WON something.

I worked my TAIL off to win the 50 yard dash

I mean, it was fun to win!

It sucked to lose...and we all lost at some point...

but, the feeling of beating everyone else was FABULOUS!

They don't do that stuff anymore.

No one wins...no one loses...

Say WAAA?

Come on...

I mean, I get it...

a little bit

No one wants to lose...or their kid to lose...

but, isn't that the part of the point of growing up?

Learning how to win and lose...

and

how to channel both those feelings into something positive?

Now...everyone just plays...

hmmmm...

I am not sure how I feel about that...

too many complaining kids (or probably parents actually)

Oh well.

They have a blast anyway!

Ms. Shafers Kindergarten Class

I worked the "GO FISH" station which was basically where the kids came and cast their reels

 (real fishing rods by the way)

out into the field to try to get them into the hula hoops or a random canoe or kayak...

and I have to say...

a huge majority of the kids were fantastic!

I couldn't believe it...

Cause, I really was terrible...

couldn't do it.

After the K-2 kids were done...

Ethan's teacher had us have a pizza party outside on blankets...underneath a giant tree!

It was sooooo nice...

chowing pizza...grapes...carrots...juice boxes...and the cutest ice cream cone cupcakes

(darn...I should have taken a picture...)

then Ms. Shafer gave them all bubble wands!

It was a wonderful day that I am SURE all the kiddos will remember forever!

and I am sooo darn lucky to be able to help out and see his smiling little face!

YAY for Field Day!

It was a blast!!!

For All You Lemon Lovers...

Ok...let me start this by saying...

I WORSHIP LEMON...

Lemon Cakes in particular are my absolute weakness...

so, when I found this recipe I about fell over!

I cannot WAIT to make this!



LEMON-ZUCCHINI LOAF WITH LEMON GLAZE by NancyCreative
Makes one 9×5″ loaf

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup grated zucchini (you don’t need to peel the zucchini before grating it)

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Grease and flour a 9×5″ loaf pan; set aside.
In large bowl, blend flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In medium bowl, beat 2 eggs well, then add canola oil and sugar, and blend well. Then add the buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and blend everything well. Fold in zucchini and stir until evenly distributed in mixture.
Add this mixture to the dry ingredients in the large bowl and blend everything together, but don’t over mix.
Pour batter into prepared 9×5″ loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (if your oven tends to run hot, check the loaf after 40 minutes). Cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely. While loaf is cooling, you can make the glaze…

LEMON GLAZE

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon (or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice)

In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until well blended. Spoon glaze over cooled loaf. Let glaze set, then serve.


Recipe via:  http://nancycreative.com/2012/03/25/lemon-zucchini-loaf-with-lemon-glaze/

Donate to the Cause! - Ali's Army

Donate to the Cause! - Ali's Army

I just read about this little girl and just needed to spread the word...even if it is just to a few of you...

I can't even imagine living this nightmare...

Please take a second to read and donate if you can by clicking on the link above. 

Alexandria was born with a very rare genetic disorder, called Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), that has taken her large team of doctors more than 5 years to diagnose. While she suffers daily from stiffness and pain she wakes up every morning full of life and greets everyday with a big smile. Ali is truly an inspiration to everyone around her. She is proof that a disability does not define the individual, the individual defines the disability.
"If you are a parent, you probably can't even imagine for one second, watching your child suffer, not to mention watching it helplessly, knowing there is nothing you can do to help them. It's a parent's worst nightmare. One we are living through. As if this nightmare isn't bad enough, we also have to watch our other 3 children try to adjust emotionally to their little sisters fate. After watching Ali grow and learn to walk and play and run for 5 years it is something that not even our oldest, who is 15 can comprehend. Our lives have changed forever, and nothing will ever be the same again. The only thing that we are able to do is fight to raise awareness and to help fund the research that could discover a treatment or God willing, a cure, and fight we will. We need your help. We aren't asking for handouts, we are asking for support. Please go to the army tab on this website and join for free Ali's Army. Join our fight to raise awareness. Join for this beautiful little girl so she can continue to walk, talk, run, play and draw. And the next time you see someone in a wheelchair, smile. Say Hi to them, ask them how their day was. They can't control the disability they have to endure, and they do have feelings. Ali is 1 in 2 million, support the 1. Never underestimate the power of 1. You are 1. You can help make a difference. Just as Ali was given to us for a reason, you were brought to us for a reason. I AM ALI'S ARMY!....Will you be?" ~ Ali's mommy

I Gotta Wear Shades...

Now I loooove me some basics...

a white blouse...a pair of jeans...but...I ALWAYS love a POP! of color somewhere in the mix

of those neutrals...

Some "go to" outfits for me are a pair of jeans...or a basic pencil skirt...paired with a funky tee and some bright heels! 

The pop has to be in there somewhere!

Loving these pieces for Summer!

images via: www.pinterest.com