Wednesday Wonder: This Date Each Year

 

Hello All!

Happy mid week to you. 

Thank you so much for all of the kind comments on my last post for Aaron's bday wishes, and for Annie headed back to college. Big days for both of my kiddos and I'm so proud of them. :) 

You also sweetly commented about some of the food I shared and I will share some recipes tomorrow!

But today I thought I'd share a few pics on this date over the past 5 years. I find it such a neat thing about smart phones... that it's so easy to look back at a glance over the past years and all the photos are labeled by dates. 

So here are the photos I took on this same date over the past few years:

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

Do you ever look back at the pics in your phone like that? Just a glance back by date? 

You can tell some things never change for me - loving the bay, flowers, kiddos, and Ruby and Bubba. Lol 

Thanks for going down this memory lane with me! 

xoxo

Happy Homemaker Monday

Happy Monday dear Friends!

Getting to this a little late as Annie & I were out to lunch and running around. 

I hope your week is starting gentle and lovely. 

It's a gray cloudy one here and looks like rain is on the way. 

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. We celebrated for Father's Day. First Matt on Friday evening. My kiddos wanted to do a pizza party - so we got pizza from Matt's favorite place.  And the kiddos gave him the sweetest (& some goofy) gifts, as well as such meaningful cards. Annie's especially made both of us cry. I gave him some funny things too. And Aaron's partner, Jill, even made him a homemade card and gave him some gifts they specifically picked out for him. 

We played games all night and Matt told me he just felt so moved and lucky to be step Dad to such great kiddos...and that he sure felt loved. 💗

Saturday was Jill's birthday so we got to give them gifts this weekend too; even though Aaron and Jill were doing things with Jill's parents Saturday. 

Also Saturday Annie & I went to a grad party of one of her besties. Matt and I went to church that night and then brought dinner & gifts to my step Dad & my Mom.

Then Sunday the kids went to see their dad and Matt & I had my Dad and  step Mom, Mary, over for a BBQ. We had fun appetizers. Then Matt grilled ribeyes and I made a Mexican corn salad and a green salad with blueberries & blackberries, feta cheese, walnuts and a homemade lemon honey viniagrette. I also made apple hand pies and vanilla bean ice cream for dessert. We taught them a card game Matt grew up with that we play at the lake. We also watched the US Golf Open. It was another wonderful day! 

And the partying continues as we are going to be celebrating with Matt's Dad this coming weekend. 🎉😁

*And on a special side note - last week I went to lunch with Mrs. C and I was able to snuggle up baby Thea! It was the best 💝

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

iced coffee with pistachio cold foam (yum!) and a little sweet treat as we had extra almond kringle left from the weekend 

*sometimes your week needs to start with sweetness 😉

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

going to lunch with Annie & my step Mom, help Annie pack for a Europe trip, Matt & I are going to a fundraiser dinner with friends, errands, groceries, hospice work 

THINKING ABOUT:  

that I can't believe it's mid June - the summer is already flying by and is always so short in the northwoods

 

THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY:

back rubs from Matt!! 💗

CURRENTLY READING

been doing more crafting instead of reading...and I'm not one that likes to listen to books but prefers to read them. And I have a pile waiting for me!

ON THE TV TODAY:

 Americas Got Talent, Jeopardy, TWD catch up, Vacation House Rules & Castle Impossible (HGTV), The Last of Us, Just Like That, we started watching Stick on Apple TV, I'm watching The Art of Vintage - it's a series on Max with a designer that does people's spaces using lots of vintage and repurposed things and she's in Stillwater MN which is only a few hours away from me

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY - weekend leftovers

TUESDAY - out to dinner for a fundraiser 

WEDNESDAY - brats on the grill, asparagus, melon

THURSDAY -  "breakfast salad" - green salad with roasted sweet potato, avocado, veggies and topped with a chili crunch egg and we will have a side of melon/fruit

FRIDAY - leftovers or out for dinner

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

work on projects, read

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

FROM THE CAMERA:

Sometimes it's the little things and joy is just a new adorable lemon air freshner/nightlight. :) 

I forgot to take pics on Father's Day but I did grab a few when I was just starting to set the table to show you these sweet blueberry placemats for summer. I found them at Home Goods. And I also snapped the cute card Jill made for Matt.

Mrs. C and I met baby Thea & her Mom in the park... and I got to snuggle her for an hour!! It was bliss.😍  And right across from us were penned up goats that they had fenced in there to eat the weeds and invasive species. They were so cute too, especially the little baby goats in the mix. 

The grad party for Annie's bestie was so cute. They had a bagel bar with smoked salmon, different cream cheeses, salads & fruit. They also had cake and these adorable ferrer rocher grad caps. Plus, we got to snuggle up one of their pets - a giant maine coon cat named Sebastian. 

makes Bubba look so little in comparison 😂

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 all the division and chaos going on in this country. 

For Christ's Light and Love to cast out the darkness everywhere and help the world find its way. 🙏🏻

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

I thought you might like a little summer inspiration. ☀️

 I'm sharing this with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM. Have a blessed week ahead dear Friends. xo 

Happy Homemaker Monday

Happy Monday!

How are you Friends? I hope the sun is shining wherever you are and that you feel refreshed after your weekend. 

We had Annie's grad party as I mentioned in my last post. So a lot of our weekend was spent tidying up outside and inside. So other than running some errands, grabbing groceries and going to church and out for dinner - our weekend was all about that. 👩🏻‍🎓 

It was a wonderful party. We got perfect weather and it was so nice seeing family and friends and celebrating our Annie. I missed lots of photos of folks but caught what I could when I wasn't visiting or replenishing food. We probably had about 40 people come throughout the afternoon. A big highlight was when Annie's favorite teacher she ever had (she was one of her grade school teachers) surprised her! I had sent her an invite to the party but didn't tell Annie in case she couldn't make it. She showed up and Annie was sitting out on the deck and I filmed her teacher going out and surprising her! Annie got emotional and was SO shocked. It was awesome! She hung out at the party for an hour talking to Annie and catching up on everything. So grateful that she popped in!! 

 I can't believe it's another grad party in the books and an end of an era now. No more sports to run to and cheer at, projects to help with at her school, helping her with homework etc  She will be down in Florida for college (so far away from the northwoods) and it's sure going to feel like an empty next for a while. This Momma heart is so excited for her, but aches a lot too. 

Now that we got through her graduation, the big trip, and now her party - it's time to get back to more wedding planning things. But I'm also planning to truly enjoy some sweet slow summertime goodness too. June felt like an absolute blur. So now it's time for reading in the sun out on the deck, pontoon rides, evening fires with s'mores, golf outings, visiting his folks at the lake, mini golf and fun with friends, long walks with Ruby, pickleball in the driveway, and watching the sunset snuggled on the deck swing together. Bring it all on! ☀️

*PS: I will work on some posts about the trip this week! 

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE THIS MORNING:

sugar free iced coffee (fasted)

ON MY TO DO LIST THIS WEEK:

Help my Mom with some things, getting together with my Dad & step Mom (belated for Annie graduation), finish wedding invites and mail, get ready for July 4th weekend ahead, errands, hospice work

THINKING ABOUT:  

Nothing today - just cleaning up from party but taking some chill time to now think or do today too! 

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE

Still some of Annie party remnants, but I've cleaned most of it up already. Matt was SO wonderful and did so much to help set up the party and clean up too - so it never felt overwhelming and was just a lot of fun! Sun is shining in and it just feels like the first day of summer for me - all the "homework" is finally done! Lol 

CURRENTLY READING

I read an old book I hadn't finished on my kindle on the trip. So I have the new Nora Roberts trilogy I dowloaded to read this summer. Magazine catch up too! 

ON THE TV TODAY:

AGT, House of Dragons, Grantchester, some other taped shows to catch up on, HGTV shows too

ON THE MENU THIS WEEK:

    MONDAY -  sandwiches, fruit, chips

TUESDAY - party leftovers with my Dad & step Mom (maybe a pontoon ride after) 😊

WEDNESDAY -  maybe breakfast for dinner?

THURSDAY - not sure yet, but might BBQ something up?

FRIDAY -  out for dinner

  

TO RELAX THIS WEEK I WILL:

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

TIPS OR SOMETHING TO SHARE:

Not sure how accurate this is? But good knowledge for Target loving folks if it is. :) 

FROM THE CAMERA:

Set up before the party:

on the right is pina colada dip that turned out so yummy! I will share the recipe soon. 😋

I made a pineapple upside down cake too, and a pineapple bbq sauce for the pulled pork sliders. We did the Hawaiian pineapple theme as Annie wants to go to Hawaii one day (big bucket list one for her) and she LOVES pineapple anything. So it fit to do the Aloha Grad theme for her party. :) We also had mac & cheese, ham or turkey sandwiches, a cheese tortellini pasta salad I made up, potato salad, pineapple coleslaw, veggie & fruit trays, chips and pineapple salsa, several desserts, a raspberry lemonade station and coolers filled with drinks. 

I got this shirt dress on the Amalfi coast and I just love it! And it worked well with the theme. :) 

Video of Annie's teacher surprising her:

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 wonderful future ahead for my sweet Annie boo 🙏🏻

PRAYER, INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OR DEVOTIONAL:

I hope you're getting time to read, lounge in the sun,  and enjoy whatever summer past times you enjoy! I'm sharing this with Sandra of Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.