Weekend Update

 

Hello Friends! 

Happy weekend to you. :) 

I just wanted to pop in a give a quick update about about the trip posts. I had hoped to get to them before the weekend, but I've been busy catching up on hospice work at home. And also up to my eyeballs in pics like this:

Getting things ready for Annie's grad party this weekend. So of course that requires frequent stop breaks to reflect on how fast life passes by and to weep until I need to lay down and think about finding a big glass of wine to numb the pain. 

Okay, that's pretty dramatic... but I have had lots of sniffles with all the smiles it's giving me going down memory lane. 😢

We're doing an "aloha grad" party as Annie has also always wanted to go to Hawaii. We're already talking plans for our next big trip to be there! (maybe in a few years - I think we all need a break after the epic Europe trip! Lol). It's one of Matt's favorite places too and we almost planned a destination wedding there!

Plus she loves everything pineapple. So think pina colada dip with fruit and nilla wafers, pulled pork sliders on hawaiian buns with pineapple coleslaw, pineapple salsa with chips etc. So all roads led to thinking the Hawaiian theme would be a lot of fun for her. 🍍🌸

I found fun decorations and things like this where folks can write some advice to her. 🙌🏻

So I'm off to grab some more groceries, dig through more pics, and clean and decorate. Wish me luck! Jet lag has been a THANG this week. 🙈

Blessings on your weekend ahead. 

xoxo

Wednesday Wonder: It's Getting Real

 

The invitations are here and being sent out. I'm really happy with how they turned out as I used a site where I could kind of design them a bit myself. It sure makes it all feel real and like it's right around the corner! (insert my palpitating heart here) The invitations are folded and open up vertically. 💌

I love the vintage feel to them. And the colors fit perfectly with my bouquet of sunflowers and some navy flowers thrown in. I know it's more "modern" to do a website and use technology more. But our wedding is going to be very small. Very us. And I love the romance of paper things that I can keep and hold on to forever. 🌻💛

FRONT

MIDDLE

BACK

😊💕

Love sharing all of these details with you, my blogland besties. If I could - you'd all be there too. Just know you're in my heart and will be there that way. Curious though, what would you pick for dinner? Lol

PS: dessert includes a small white almond wedding cake and buttercream frosting with sunflowers on it. And chocolate mini cupcakes with peanut butter frosting (Matt's favorite flavors), cookie butter cake pops (my favorite, especially for Fall), and chocolate covered strawberries. 

😋

Happy Homemaker Monday (on a Tuesday and Europe trip recap)

Happy Tuesday Friends!

I feel like it's been a minute since I've had a chance to visit blogland. Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments on my last few posts before I left. 

 Matt and the kids and I just got back from an amazing trip to Europe where we took a cruise through the Mediterranean. We hopped on the Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean cruise) in Barcelona, Spain. And then toured the south of France, Tuscany area of Italy, and the Amalfi Coast of Italy. It was truly a trip of a lifetime and I will treasure the memories we made forever! I will share some pics here and I will do a future post with more details and pics. We packed a lot in and the weather was HOT, but it was all just wonderful!! Of course, like any trip - it is always nice to get home and sleep in your own bed and love on the furry babies we had to leave behind. 

I will come around and visit when I'm able and look forward to hearing what you've all been up to these past couple of weeks. 💗

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

toast with a little butter & jam, sugar free iced coffee

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

reschedule Annie's dental appt (she caught a bad cold on the trip), groceries, work on things for her grad party coming up, laundry and catch-up after trip, hospice work

THINKING ABOUT:  

Scattered thoughts all over the place: How nice it is to be home, but need to catch up on life around here. Still a little jet lagged but overall feeling better than I thought I would! Lol 

How I need to work on some projects to get ready for Annie's grad party around here. How grateful I am that they got lots of rain here while we were gone on our trip and the water is definitely up enough to put in the pontoon! Yay!

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

I see some of the chaos of getting home from such a big trip - but 3 loads of laundry done already and overall the house is still pretty tidy from all the cleaning I did before we left. 

CURRENTLY READING

I finished one of the books on my kindle on the trip. I put a trilogy of books on there I haven't even jumped into yet.

ON THE TV TODAY:

Need to catch up on the taped shows while we were gone. I see also taping this week is AGT, House of Dragons, Grantchester, and some HGTV shows

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY -  

TUESDAY - 

WEDNESDAY -  

THURSDAY - 

FRIDAY -  

* not sure about any of this yet this week...however my neighbor Bestie, that watered my flowers for me while I was gone, just popped by with food she made for us! Such a sweetheart! She said she didn't want me to worry about not having anything when we got home. So she made us a chicken pot pie bake, pulled pork with coleslaw, a romaine and strawberry salad with homemade dressing, and rhubarb cake! 😋💕

  

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

read, catch up on shows with Matt, enjoy sunshine on the deck

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

FROM THE CAMERA:

It was so nice to have seats that turned into beds on the way over. 

Some shots from Barcelona:

Some shots in Provence, France:

Some shots of La Spezia, Italy where we docked to go into Florence.

Florence, Italy shots:

Some shots in Rome, Italy:

Some shots of the Amalfi coast (specifically Amalfi & Sorrento, Italy)

Aaron let me take a pic of his lemon sorbet. The Amalfi and Sorrento lemon flavored things were amazing! They had lemons everywhere and some as big as your head!! They weren't as sour like ours and so delicious.

💗💗💗

PRAYER LIST:

 For an end to the conflicts all over the world and anyone living in war & fear. For peace and unity in this country, especially from hate and shootings or violence.  For anyone sick, suffering, in pain, fear, loneliness etc ... that God bring them comfort and peace. For His Light and Love to cast out the darkness everywhere. Gratitude for the gift of our new little family and being able to enjoy such an epic trip with them. 🙏🏻

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

I hope you have a blessed rest of your week. I'm sharing this with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

Pickle Pizza and a Quick Strawberry Dessert

I had been eyeing up some different pickled pizza recipes for a while now. My daughter & I both love pickle flavored things. So I kind of took what I remembered from different recipes and decided to make one up with what I had around here. It turned out pretty great and Matt loved it too! I think it was just as yummy cold the next day. You can find lots of specific recipes online or pinterest. But the basis to most of them is alfredo sauce, mozzarella, pickle slices and dill. 

I just used an easy store-bought pizza crust. I brushed the crust with a little olive oil and chopped garlic and pre-baked it per the tube's instructions.

Look at those yummy pickles and all that dill! Mmmm

I then took the pre-baked crust out and put on some alfredo sauce. I topped the sauce with some dill weed spice and dill pickle chips. Then topped it all with shredded mozzarella cheese. Topped with a bit more pickle chips and little sprinkle more of dill and shredded cheese. I baked it the time it said for the crust to be done. 

By the way, I adore these pickle chips we get from Costco. They're so fresh and the brine is filled with fresh dill. They're a very fresh crunchy and cucumbery kind of pickle, if that makes sense? I think the jar of them smells like a garden. So yummy! 

We topped our slices with some parmesan cheese. Such a yummy dinner with a little side salad. 

I also made a simple dessert with just store bought dessert cake cups that I topped with berries and whipped topping. I forgot to get pics of final results. But the strawberries turned out so delish! Just slice strawberries in a bowl. Sprinkle sugar all over the top. Add a little pinch of salt. A little drizzle of vanilla and I also did some almond extract. Stir it together and let it macerate on the counter for an hour or 2. I added some lemon balm from my garden too - but even if you just end at the drizzle of vanilla these turn out great!

 I also added some of the store strawberry gel once it was all macerated together well, and then chilled it in the fridge until dessert time. Such a fresh summery dessert. 

Enjoy!

xoxo