Summer Days

Summer days are the best, and lately we can't seem to get enough of them!

Last week we dropped our kids off with Dan's parents and then we headed over to Idaho.  We stayed at the Coeur d'Alene Resort, which is beautiful!  Dan needed to be over there for business, and I nominated myself to hold down the pool situation... because someone needs to.  ;)

To get to the pool, you can take the shuttle boat service.

The pool is over by the golf course and clubhouse.  This was my view when I arrived.  It was so pretty!

 And this is where I sat every morning until later in the evening when I had to go back to the room to get ready for the evening.  This end of the pool was roped off, since it was needing a few repairs.  It was actually perfect since it detoured people from using this side of the pool as an entrance, which kept this side a lot quieter.  :)

What's not to love about an infinity pool!  It was the perfect spot to hang out and enjoy the weather.

 The last night that we were there, we took a cocktail cruise with all of the business associates and their spouses.  This was the view as we pulled away from the resort.

 After cruising for awhile, they brought us over to the clubhouse for dinner.

 And this man of mine got 1st in net for the golf tournament that they'd had that week, and won a new driver. 

We had to have at least one picture together.

The next morning, we left the Coeur d'Alene Lake, and headed up to Flathead Lake to spend the weekend with our kiddos.

Weekends away with Dan are some of my favorites, but we always love coming home to our babies.  Even if they aren't babies anymore.

Fresh cherries out of my in-laws orchard.  Yum!!!

I ended up bringing home 2 buckets worth.  It doesn't get any fresher than right from the tree.

These pictures are a good chunk of the reason why this blog has been so quiet lately.  We're just busy living life and enjoying our warm sunny days.

I hope you are as well! 

XO,

High as the Heavens

This is the first book that I've read by Kate Breslin, and I have to say that I enjoyed her style of writing.  It's easy to read and I was able to picture the scenes in the book quite well.  That being said, I did have a harder time trying to picture some of the main characters.  They just didn't come to life as much for me as I'd hoped.  With danger around every corner, I rooted for the characters, but didn't feel nearly connected to them as I'd like to have been.

The plot of this story was fun and interesting.  The main character Eve, is a nurse as well as a spy, all while trying to piece her family back together during WWI.  This gal has a lot going on and if she's not careful she'll be killed along with all those she cares about.

Overall, I'd give this book a 2 1/2 stars out of 5.  It was somewhere in between okay and good.  I think it would have been a bit better to have peppered more action into the whole book to keep the readers on their toes.  Towards the end of the book things start to pick up a bit more, which was my favorite part of the book.

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


How is your summer reading going?  Are you getting anytime to yourself to sit and enjoy a good book?

Daily Habits

Good morning!
I'm linking up with Erin today and sharing 10 of my daily habits.  I had written about my 5 daily habits a year and a half ago, and seeing as how they are still the same, I'm using them again while also sharing 5 more.

 

I'm always trying to listen and watch to see how other women and mom's do things.  When I see someone succeeding in an area, I'm all ears.  Whether it's keeping up on house work, parenting, making meals, organizing, etc.  I don't believe that any of us are perfect, and I don't believe that any of us have it all mastered.  I know, I certainly don't.  I feel like us ladies can learn so much from each other.

I don't have any monumental habits, but these are 10 that I've made into a routine over the years, and they help me start my day off right. 

My daily habits:

1.  I run my dishwasher every night.   If I forget just one night, I feel so behind the next morning.  Running my dishwasher at night allows all my dishes to be washed and ready to unload in the morning.  If I'm cooking in the kitchen, I want my dishes available.  I don't want to start a project and remember that my favorite spatula is in the dishwasher unwashed.

2.  I make sure my coffee pot timer is set for morning.  I love waking up in the morning, knowing that my coffee is waiting for me.  Yes, I could wait and do this in the morning, but then it's just one extra thing to do when I'm still groggy from sleep.


3.  I like to start a load of laundry first thing in the morning.  I instantly feel on top of my game if I know the laundry is going right away.  It may take me a little bit to wake up, but at least things are getting done.

4.  I make my bed.  Why does a bed all made up instantly make the house feel more put together? 

5.  I fill up my water bottle.  This is definitely not monumental, but I think it's important.  It holds 32oz of water, and I try to drink 3 of them a day.  If I don't start first thing in the morning, it's a lot harder to get in all 3.  Plus, drinking a bit of water before I drink coffee, seems to help me feel not so jittery.  This water bottle is the one that I use and love.  I also have this one for when I'm traveling as it's slim enough to fit into my cup holder, and it also holds 32oz.  You can get them off Amazon, but I've also found them at Walmart.

6.  I sit and work on my bible study and spend about 15 minutes studying God's word.  I am so much better about making time to do this when I have a plan.  Which is why I love being apart of a study and having the accountability of knowing I have to get my homework done.

7.  I love to enjoy my first cup of coffee each morning while checking up on my favorite bloggers, reading the news, and checking the weather.


8.  In the mornings, I take some kind of meat out of the freezer for dinner.  I don't stress over what we're having for dinner as long as the meat is out, so I'm not trying to get it thawed out at the last minute.  When I remember and make a weekly menu, it helps even more to know exactly what meat I want and for what day of the week.  Making a weekly menu is something I'd like to work on being more consistent with.


 9.  I love having my kitchen picked up, so every morning and evening I make sure and wipe my kitchen counters down and sweep the kitchen floor.  In the summer, I usually pass these 2 chores onto the kids.


10.  If I can find the smallest window of opportunity, I'll find a quiet place in the house and read.  I would much rather read a good book than watch a show or movie on TV.  I scurry around the house trying to get everything I need done for the day, with the hopes that I'll get some good reading in at some point.

What is a daily habit of yours that you do everyday to make your day run smoother?

Enjoy your Monday!

XO,

Our adventures this last week

Last week we drove over to Idaho and spent a couple nights at Triple Play, since Dan needed to be over there for business.  It worked out perfectly, since it was also Gracie's 15th birthday. 

We brought our nephew along for the ride.  Here we are, all loaded up and on the road.

As soon as we got there, the kids started rock climbing,

riding bumper cars,

and climbing on this huge jungle gym.

It was so big!  I loved that they braved it!

On Thursday, Gracie opened her birthday presents, we sang Happy Birthday, ate birthday brownies for breakfast and then headed out for some fun.  We knew we'd be busy playing all day, so we did all the birthday things in the morning.

 The kids spent most of the day swimming and playing games.  I found a chair by the wave pool and made this our home base.

Emma started off riding the go carts with me, and eventually moved onto riding with her Dad.  I guess he's more fun in the driving department.

On Friday, we checked out of our room and made the drive back home, where we exchanged our overnight bags with our camping bags, and headed over to the river to camp.  We camped all weekend, and then into this week, since Dan had a couple days off of work.   5 days camping with family and friends, plus tons of fun, makes for some happy but very tired people.  ;)

A gorgeous view, with a hot cup of coffee definitely makes me a happy camper!

Snuggles with this little guy later in the day made me even happier.  :)

One evening a few of us adults loaded up in the boat and tried to do a little fishing.  I didn't catch a thing, but it sure was a gorgeous night.

We ended our adventure by watching a few fireworks from down the river.  We've been a bit busy and even though, I feel slightly behind in so many areas of my life, we are taking advantage of the nice weather and the fun summer days.  Before we know it the kids will be back in school, so we're trying to live it up while we can.

I hope you all had a happy and safe 4th!

XO,

Friday Favorites and Life Lately

Hey there.

I took a little break from blogging over the last couple of weeks.  It was unintentional, but much needed.   I'm hoping to get back into my groove now.  All is well, I just needed to prioritize a few things in my life, and once again this blog moved to the back burner.
 
On to better things!  Today, I am sharing a few of my favorites which also happen to be a few things that we've been up to lately.

#1

I signed up on LifeWay to start Beth Moore's newest study, Entrusted.  We are studying 2 Timothy.  My bible study group takes the summer off from doing a study together because of everybody's crazy schedules, so I thought I'd jump in and try one by myself.  I'm always surprised when a study hits home and is exactly just what I needed.

#2

My friend Melissa came across this shirt, and bought it for me.  I love it, and her!  It's fun when you're friends know you so well.  :)  Gilmore Girls and coffee... yes, Ma'am!

#3

Camping season is in full swing over here and we are loving it.

Morning coffee

Games for everyone.
 

And a little fishing.  You wouldn't know by her outfit that this was the middle of June.  Crazy Montana weather.

When camping, we want easy and quick meals that don't consist of hot dogs.  We made this one night and I'm not even sure what you'd call it.  We cooked up steak, onion, potatoes, and sweet peppers.  A little seasoning and we were done.  We had everything cut up ahead of time except for the potatoes.  It was so simple and so good.

#4

Jesse went up to stay with Dan's parents for the week so he could attend a basketball camp.  I love that my kids have opportunities to go and do fun things, but what I love even more is having my family all under one roof.

#5

Dan and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary on June 16th.  I believe that every year is one to be celebrated.  Marriage isn't always easy or pretty, but it's definitely a blessing and one that I'm thankful for.

Okay, that's it for today.

I've linked up with Andrea, Erika & Narci.

Have a great weekend!

XO,

Hello Friday!

 Hello Friday!

We've had a busy little week around here.  The kids last day of school was on Wednesday, and we are loving our new relaxed schedule.

~ONE~

My #1 favorite today is my Mom.  Today is her birthday, so she tops the list!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

~TWO~

Last weekend we went up to Kalispell and got the kid's new bikes.  With the nice weather arriving, we're encouraging them to be outside more.  #newbikesforthewin

~THREE~

My niece came back for a visit, and I got to meet my newest great nephew.  He is the calmest, sweetest baby.  He was content to let me sit and hold him until my arms ached.  I loved every minute!

~FOUR~

My graduates...  I claim these girls as my own, and fortunately they haven't figured out how to get rid of me.  ;)  They've invited me to visit them at their dorms, and said I can go to the college parties with them, so they aren't trying to get rid of me too hard.  ;)

 Such sweet girls!

~FIVE~

Speaking of graduates... here's a little humor for you.

You're welcome!  ;)

I've linked up with Andrea, Erika & Narci.

 Have a great weekend!

XO,