What's Up Wednesday

Yesterday was the last Wednesday of the month and I meant to get this post up yesterday, but it just didn't happen, so I'm linking up today with Shay, Mel, & Sheaffer.

What we're eating this week

Any and everything easy.  We've had pulled BBQ chicken.  We've had tacos, and last night we had pizza.  I'm thinking burgers tonight might be easy.  If it's not easy, it's not happening this week.

What I'm reminiscing about

Gracie turned 14, yesterday!  I've been reminiscing about all the years that we've had with this sweet girl, and how fast the years have flown by.

What I'm loving

I am loving the weather that we've had this week.  It's been HOT!  Which means it's time to start playing on the water this weekend!

What we've been up to

Lots and lots of camps.  Basketball camps, a school camp, and then Emma is getting ready to start 2 weeks of swim lessons.  Plus open gyms have started for Gracie up at the high school.  Lets just say, I've been busy chauffeuring my busy kids around.  :)

What I'm dreading

All of the back to school ads, that I feel will be coming out anytime.  I don't even want to think of such things. 

What I'm working on

We're headed out camping again this weekend, so I've been working on getting groceries, laundry caught up, and the camper cleaned out, and set up.  I'm ready to set up my chair and enjoy the weekend.

What I'm excited about

I am super excited to wrap up basketball camp and summer school this week.  Next week, Emma starts swimming lessons, but that's it.  I'm hoping to get a few things done around the house and then play in the sun with the kids.

I'm also excited that Jesse is coming home today!  He's been up in Kalispell with Dan's parents since last Saturday.  He's been going to a basketball camp up there, and I can't wait to have him back home!

What I'm watching/reading

I've been watching Friends as usual, along with The Bachelorette still.  Besides those two, I don't watch much for TV.  I don't even like to watch the news.  It's just too depressing.  I'd rather end my day with some humor.

As for books... I read Lady Of Eve and loved it!

So now I've started on her other book called, Lady At Arms.

What I'm listening to

Since I've been in the car with the kids a lot lately, Hits 1 has been on more than normal.  Otherwise it's pretty common to find The Message on.

What I'm wearing

Shorts, tanks, and flip flops.  Just the way I like it! 

What I'm doing this weekend

We'll be celebrating the 4th by camping, boating, swimming, eating good food, and shooting off fireworks.  I can't wait!

What I'm looking forward to next month

  Hopefully a little quieter pace...  only time will tell.

What else is new

Haying season is in full swing around here.  Besides allergies, I love haying season, since there is always a lot happening around the ranch.

Do you have plans for this weekend?

Friday Favorites

Today, I'm sharing my favorites from this week, and I'm linking up with Andrea, Erika, & Narci.

~ONE~

 On Wednesday, Gracie had an orthodontist appointment in Missoula.  My younger two already had plans for the day, so we asked my niece Belle if she wanted to go with us.  It was a fun girls day, with a lot of laughs.  You should never expect anything less with a couple of teenage girls.

~TWO~

  You guys, I know swinging through Target, probably isn't a big or maybe even a fun experience for you all who live near stores.  But I'm telling you, when you finally go to Target for the first time in months, and pick up an iced tea and get to shop for a bit... it's fun!   It's probably a good thing for my budget that Target is 2 hours away.  :(

~THREE~

This book!  

Seriously, if you need a fun easy read... try this one.

It is one of the best that I have read in quite a while.  I could not stop reading it.  I started it around 10:00 one morning, and finished it that evening around 6:30.  I had warned my husband before he got home (which is always good to do) that I had found a great book, I wasn't making dinner, and I hadn't done a single thing that day except pick the kids up from camp.  He's a good guy, so he just laughed at me, and everyone ate what they wanted to for dinner.  

~FOUR~

This Hurraw chapstick is the best!  My sister has some and I tried hers, and I'm sold.  I'm going on Amazon today to order some.  What's so amazing about it?   I'm not sure yet.  I need to figure it out, but all I know is it left my lips feeling amazing!  

~FIVE~

I feel a little or a lot late to the game.  Heck, my parents used to wear them all the time when I was a kid.  Well, I got my first pair of Birkenstock's and I love them!  I know they are a bit of a splurge, but I figured I will have them for years to come, and we've got to be good to our feet, right?!  ;)

One of my favorite things at the moment though, is knowing that I have the whole weekend free!  No basketball, no summer school, no anything.  Summer months get a bit busy with all the fun things that we want to do, but I'm telling ya, being at home relaxing with my people is one of my most favorite things to do.

What are your weekend plans? 
I hope you all have a great weekend!

XOXO

Weekend Happenings

 Friday evening, my younger sister came into town and offered to watch my kids for the night.  Dan and I didn't need them to twist our arm, so we packed a quick overnight bag and left.  We headed over to Couer d' Alene, Idaho.  It's about an hour and a half drive this time of year.

Dan surprised me, by booking a night at the Couer d' Alene Resort.  It is a gorgeous resort, right on the lake.  We had breathtaking views from our room.  I just wish we could have gotten over there sooner during the day, so we would have had more time to enjoy it. 

 We got checked in and then headed over to the restaurant since Dan surprised me again, by having dinner reservations.  When someone offers a quick night away for us, my man is quick on making things happen.  :)

 I'm not a big fan of seafood, but I love good calamari.  All of the food there was great, especially the salmon.

 They brought out a cotton candy dessert with ice cream in the middle, which was very sweet of them.

 The sunset was beautiful.  Phone pictures never do it justice.

And this was the view the next morning.  Seriously, I could have stayed here for days! 

When we got home, our house was full with siblings, nieces and nephews.  We all sat down and played cards and just chilled the rest of the day.

Yesterday for Father's Day, we kept it pretty low key.  We went to church in the morning, and then Dan watched some golf.  Before we headed over to my sisters house for a BBQ, Dan and I headed into town for a margarita. 

This man right here, is my pharmacist, my church elder, my mentor, my role model, my favorite person to debate with.  He's the first person I call when I don't understand something in scripture.  He's my Dad... and I couldn't be more thankful that he is mine!

I hope you all have a great start to your week!

XOXO

Show Us Your Dining Room- Home Tours

I'm linking back up to Kelly's home tours.  Today is show us your dining room.

I thought about skipping this weeks home tour, because we don't actually have a dining room.  It's more of a breakfast nook, but it is in fact where we dine... so I thought I'd share it anyways.  It works for us, and it's really all that we need.

We found our table and chairs from Pottery Barn right before Christmas last year.   I've been looking for a round table ever since we built this house 9 1/2 years ago.  This is the first time that I've come across one that I've loved.  I think Dan was just as thrilled as me, that the search was finally over.  ;)

The round decorative bowl in the center of the table is something that I picked up at an estate sale a month ago.  It was only $10.  I'm trying to think of something pretty to put inside of it.  I thought about putting scented pine cones in it this fall and winter, but until then I'm not sure what to do with it?  Any ideas?

 If you are interested in linking up with the home tour, below are the dates of the upcoming rooms.


 To see last weeks post where I shared my living room, click here.


 I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

XOXO

15 Years

15 years ago today, I married my best friend and the love of my life.

 I often feel like, "Wow, we've been together a long time."  Then I'll talk to an older couple who have been married, 45 years, and I'm thinking, "15 years is nothing." 

Dan swept me off my feet, and continues to surprise me all the time.  He knows me better than anyone.  Even when I think he isn't listening or paying attention, he's proven that he is.  It takes a special person, to put up with my "crazy"!  ;)

I can't imagine living my life with anyone else, and I am blessed to call him mine.

XOXO

Delilah: Treacherous Beauty

Delilah's life is forever changed when her stepfather dies, leaving her mother and her, at the mercy of her stepbrother.  After struggling with the wrongs that were done to them, she is determined to seek revenge.  But seeking revenge, means that she will have to give up something very dear to her.  In the end, does revenge ever taste as sweet as it was thought to be?

Samson, wants all the things that other men want.  He wants a wife and a family of his own.  The problem is, Samson wasn't born an ordinary man.  He was born to help deliver Israel from the Philistines.  He knows what his calling is, but he can't help but feel different and feel that nobody understands him.  That is, until he meets Delilah.

Angela Hunt's novel Delilah, comes from the story of Samson and Delilah.  It was a fun read, based on the scriptural events found in the bible.  The author kept the facts, while adding fictional characters and details to this story.  The writing gives you a visual as to what people were wearing during that time, and really helped the biblical story come alive.  This would definitely be a novel that I would recommend.

  

* I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House Publisher, in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.

What book have you been reading lately?

Show Us Your Living Rooms- Home Tours

  Today, I'm linking up to one of my favorite link ups, through Kelly's blog.   It's Home Tours, and today is, "Show us your living rooms."

I love house tours.  Yes, some people are going to have grander houses than others, but that's not the part that I like.  I love to see how we all decorate the spaces that we have.  I don't feel that interior decorating is a talent of mine, but I want our home to feel homey, so that's my main goal when trying to decorate.

I would love to find a few things to decorate my mantle with, but until then I just have a couple of knickknacks on it, so it wouldn't be too bare.  Fall and Christmas seem to be easier to decorate than the rest of the year.  Anyone else struggle with decorating a mantle?  Especially when you have a TV to decorate around?

 We set up a card table in the corner for now until I can find a nice wooden game table to put there.  We love playing cards, and board games, and I think it's nice to be able to still play in the living room, around everyone else.  Plus that leaves my kitchen table, clean.  :)

Our house isn't fancy, but it's home.  It's lived in, and we love it.

If you are wanting to link up in the future, here are the upcoming dates.
 

Enjoy your weekend!

XOXO

Life Lately

I have learned something about myself in the last couple of weeks.  I simply can not blog if I am crazy busy.  It just isn't going to happen.  A lot has been going on, and I would love to post pictures and share through out the week, but when I'm running around and my house isn't staying picked up, I have a hard time justifying the need to sit down and blog.  So, if you've noticed the silence, I'm sorry!  I'm hoping the worst of the busy is over and that I'll have a bit more time to spend here.

I decided to throw everything we've been up to, into one post, and then I'll be caught back up.  If you could care less, skip over and come back tomorrow.  ;)

My friend Sunny and I, try and make a trip into Missoula every couple of weeks.  This trip, we needed to get a few last minute things for our camping trip over Memorial Day weekend.  Our trips in are always fast and furious.  We leave right after we get the kids to school and then we are usually hurrying to get back home in time for dinner.

While we were in there, we had t-shirts made for Melissa's birthday.  Melissa wouldn't commit to doing anything for her 40th birthday, and since we don't take no for an answer, we showed up the next day with the t-shirts, sombrero's and and margaritas to her nail appointment and surprised her.

Her shirt said, "Nobody puts crazy in the corner."  Ours said, "Crazy's friend."  It's our own little personal joke, but we've decided we can always just rotate the shirts if one of us is being a little more crazy than normal. 

Memorial Day camping trip...

If you are the first one up at camp, you make the fire and the coffee.  I actually love it, because it means you get to enjoy the quiet, all to yourself.  At this point my brother in law was up and had added wood to the fire, which I was thankful for.  I don't split wood, so I just use what's available.

Camping was a lot of fun, and we had the best food. 

  We don't skimp on food, just because we are camping.  You can eat a hot dog if you want to, but we definitely had better options this trip.  Fajitas on the grill for dinner, with a side of Spanish rice.  Yum.  I had to take a picture, because it just looked so pretty!

Speaking of pretty... we walked a mile up to our family's cabin, and this is the view standing by the porch.  This view never gets old, and it's one of my absolute favorite places to go.

I spent one evening with some of the Moms of the 8th grade class, getting the gym set up for graduation. 

Each kid had a poster hung on the back wall.  Definitely a trip down memory lane.  Gracie's nickname came from her team this past year during volleyball, and it's one she's very proud of.  :)

On the day of Gracie's graduation, Emma also had a class play.  Thankfully, they were at separate times.  I tried to sneak a picture of her as they were getting ready.  My kids don't love having me take their picture, so I have to be sneaky and quick to get anything.  You can see she doesn't look to impressed.  Haha!

Then we were off to Gracie's graduation.

Dan and I are so proud of this girl, and how hard she works.

I love this picture of my girls and I, along with my sister and niece, who also graduated from 8th grade.  I couldn't be more thankful for my family!

In other news, Summer may not be officially here on the calendar, but in our house it is.

 Coffee on the front porch.

 Kids at home to help clean.

 Fruit salads,

 Iced teas, and fresh salsa,

 Horseback riding,

 Trips to the green house,

And quiet time reading in the backyard.

My favorite time of year!

I hope you're all having a great week!  The weekend is almost here.
 

XOXO