July 4, 2013

It's Independence Day

 

We woke up too early on a holiday and our day off to run the Firecracker 5k.  Skylar & I put on our festive socks & ate our PB&J sandwiches for breakfast then hurried everyone out the door for our race.  It was a pretty gloomy morning with rain in the forecast, but it held off until after the start of the race.

 

The gun went off at 7:30 on the dot & we were off.  Skylar & I ran this race with ZERO training so I wasn't sure how we would do.  I figured we'd run the whole thing together, but I was wrong.  When we started running, I thought she was running a bit fast so I told her, "make sure you pace yourself, Sky."  Her exact words, "I am!  This is slow for me, Mom."  Then, she was gone.  I didn't see her again until she had made the turn around and she passed me on her way back to the finish line.  She saw me and said, "Good job, Mom!"  My 10 year old, kicking my butt on the run!  She ended up finishing in about 30 minutes & I finished in about 40.  Official times aren't in yet, but I am so proud of her!  She blew Creag & I away.  Creag said he was so shocked to see her come in that early.  She ran the entire time and got $20.00 from Creag for beating me. HA!  Track star in the future?  Maybe! 

 

It had started drizzling in the middle of our run & didn't really let up at all.  The Kids Fun Run followed our race, so Wyatt, Skylar & Hank all lined up for that.  It wasn't very organized & a few of the kids took off before they were supposed to and then a bunch of kids followed.  Hank started really late and ended up winning the race!  I don't know how he did it, but that boy SPRINTED.  He was on a mission to win & he did!!!  I guess he thought maybe he would get $20.00 too?

 

 

Following The Fun Run was the parade & it was pouring by then!  We actually took a vote to see who wanted to stay, and who wanted to skip the parade & leave.  We told them that it had to be unanimous & Wyatt wanted to stay, so we braved the rain & stayed for the parade.  No one was going to rain on his parade.  I'm actually glad we stayed because we ran into Tami & Mike, our neighbors who actually ran the race, too & we ended up hanging out with them at their Aunt's house.  The kids really enjoyed themselves and got a lot of goodies!

 

After the parade, we were starving so we went to Friches for breakfast.  We were soaked and the sweet manager offered us warm towels & turned the heat up for us.  Very, very nice of him!  We stuffed our faces with the breakfast bar & then headed home for long naps!  After our naps we got ready for our 2nd Annual neighborhood 4th of July Party! 

I don't have too many pictures, but we grilled out, the kids swam in Phil & Becky's pool (the rain wasn't going to stop them) & then our men let off fireworks that night.  It was a lot of fun & I'm so glad that we're becoming so close with our neighbors & can't wait to do it again next year!  We're off to the River tonight to continue the holiday festivities.  The weather's not looking great, but we'll make the best of it!

 

 

 

 



 

July 3, 2013

Pre Race & Pizza

A few weeks ago, after coming to the revelation that Skylar & I need to do more one on one things together, I signed us up for a 5K.  The Firecracker 5k, is a race that Tri State Running Company puts on every year on the 4th of July.  It's followed by a Kids Fun Run & then the Parade immediately follows that.  Wednesday, immediately after work, I stopped by Tri State to pick up our race packets & then picked the kids up from Silverlake. 

 

 

After I got the kids all loaded into the truck, and Skylar checked out her T-Shirt & race bib, we headed over to meet Creag at Dewey's Pizza for dinner.  We didn't feel like cooking & you gotta load up on the carbs the night before a race, right?  We decided on a half Caprice & half Bacon, Sausage & Peperroni Pizza.  Dewey's of course never disappoints and the pizza was excellent!  After dinner, Creag took Hank grocery shopping with him & I took Sky & Wyatt over to The Children's Place.  We found a few good deals & headed home.

 

 

 

After getting all of the grocery's put away, I thought we were going to just relax & go to bed early since we had to be up & out of the house by 6:30AM the next morning for the race.  I was wrong!  The 4th is Creag's favorite holiday & he just so happened to find a box of fireworks from last years party so boys will be boys....they started blowing stuff up in the street.

 

 

Skylar was the smart one, knowing she had to be up early the next day she just stayed in & watched a little TV before I tucked her into bed.  Outside though, one by one, neighbors started coming out of their houses to check out the commotion.  I hung out outside with them for a bit, but had to eventually make myself go to bed to get some sleep before the big race the next morning!

 

 



July 2, 2013

Tournaments

 

 

Last Wednesday, Hank was cleared by his ENT to play baseball, just in time for the end of the season tournaments.  His first game was Thursday evening at 6PM and they won 13-3!!  They advanced and also played Friday night under the lights at 8PM.  There's just something about a night baseball game under the lights and we were so excited to watch him play.  We got a little bit of rain on the way to the game, but it stopped & he was so relieved that they got to play.  He hates when they have rain outs and they had their fair share of them this year for sure!   

 

Creag & I were there to cheer him on, obviously, along with Nana & Papaw, Mamaw Bert & his Dad.  Friday's game was a close one, but they ended up losing by a run or two.  The tournament was a 2 & out, so their next game was Saturday morning at 10.  The boys were tired and unfortunately lost that one too.  It was a great season.  Hank really improved & made a lot of great plays & we're very proud of the little athlete that he's becoming.  On to Football he goes!



June 28, 2013

Layered Oreo Dessert

 

Ingredients:

1 Pkg. of regular Oreos

1/2 C. Butter

1 lg. box of Instant Chocolate Pudding

2-8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened

1 C. Powdered Sugar

 

Directions:

 

1.  Crush the whole package of cookies either with a food processor, or in a bag with a rolling pin.

(As seen above, I didn't do either & made a huge mess)

I need a food processor, obviously!

2.  Save 1/2 C. of the crushed cookies to sprinkle on top of the dessert when it's done.

3.  Pour remaining crumbs into a 13x9 pan.

4.  Melt butter and pour into crumb mix.  Stir it up good & press crumbs in the bottom

of pan to make crust.

5.  Make the chocolate pudding according to package directions & let set up in fridge.

6.  In a mixing bowl, blend cream cheese until nice & smooth & then add powdered sugar, mix.

7.  Fold in 1-8 oz. container of Cool Whip.

8.  Top Oreo Crust Layer with the Cream Cheese Mix, then the pudding, then your last 8 oz.'s of Cool Whip.

9.  Cover & refrigerate until ready to serve.

10.  Before serving sprinkle with remaining Oreo's & Enjoy!

 

 

This was a very delicious, light dessert that we served after a cookout.  I had enough leftover

to take in the office the next day & everyone loved it!  I will definitely be making

this again!

 

June 27, 2013

Sammie & Daddy

Father's Day 2013

 

 

Oh Sammie, I hope you remember this one day and realize just how much your Daddy loves you.  You were away on vacation the week of Fathers Day & being without his little girl just wasn't an option for your Dad.  He booked his flight & hotel way in advance so he could pick you up in Panama City, Florida & spend Father's Day with you!  These types of things that your Daddy does, makes him the best Father out there by far.  I'm not sure too many other Dad's would've done the same, so you're one lucky girl!!  He picked up his rental the night he got in and picked you up the next morning which was Father's Day! 

 

 

 

I wasn't there, so I can't tell you exactly what you guys did, minute for minute or even hour to hour.  I do know though, that you took a cruise over to Shell Island, where they had a bunch of blow up bouncy slides & such.  They had snorkeling & you also took a dolphin cruise afterwards.



 

 

 

 

 

After the Cruise, you headed back to the hotel room to clean up for dinner.  You guys ended up eating Shrimp & your Daddy had A LOT of oysters!  You got to sit at the bar & they let you play the symbols that were hanging up to a song called "Sail".  After dessert, you headed out for Putt-Putt.  Looking at the score card, it looks like you may have had some trouble towards the end.  26 for one whole?!  It looked like lots of fun, for sure! 

 

Your Dad had to drop you off the next day to fly home, and from what he tells me, he had some trouble with it.  He told me over a text that "I had so much fun with Sammie this weekend, so why was it just so hard to drop her off?"  My guess was that he worked so hard to get to you, that it was just so much more bittersweet to say goodbye, even though it was for just a short amount of time!  Do your Dad a favor if you can help it, and never leave the state for Father's Day again... :-)

 

 



June 25, 2013

Roasted Chickpea Tacos

 

I've seen this recipe on two different blogs and had to try it.  They turned out amazing & I'll definitely be making them again.  Creag was a little apprehensive about a taco without meat, and I've never been so excited to finish cooking & try a taco in my life.  Tacos are just tacos right?  Not these!  They turned out delicious & we even used the left over roasted chickpeas in our salad the next day for lunch & I got excited all over again!

 

 

To make the Roasted Chickpeas:

 

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons water

1 (15 oz.) can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

 

For the Tacos:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 bell pepper, sliced (I just used red)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

Salt and pepper, to taste

Juice of 1 large lime

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

 

For serving:

Corn Tortillas

Diced tomatoes

Avocado slices

Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (we were out so I added Salsa)

 

Directions:

 

1. To roast the chickpeas: preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, lime juice and water. Stir in chickpeas. Place seasoned chickpeas on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring once during cooking, until chickpeas are slightly crispy.

 

2. While the chickpeas are roasting, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onions and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.

 

3. Spoon roasted chickpea and vegetable mixture evenly down into the taco shell, and garnish with tomatoes, avocado slices, cheese (just a pinch), and Greek yogurt. Serve!

 

And because they were so healthy and we got a little antsy at home, we headed over to ruin our healthy dinner with a little Fro Yo!   Maybe we'll skip this part next time?  Or maybe not!

 

 

 



June 24, 2013

The Sun and the Sand

And a Drink in my Hand

 

 

The first weekend of Summer for us was simply amazing.  We had a great mix of fun & productivity so I'm feeling very good on this Monday morning!  Friday night, our neighbors threw a pool party so we started off the weekend right with some BBQ & relaxation at the pool.  Best part about it, we could just walk home afterward!  Another side note that I found awesome was that my toe nail polish matched their pool liner.  I love when things just come together like that. 

 

 

Saturday morning, we packed up, went by Creag's shop to pick up our boat, then made a pit stop at Lowe's for some supplies & McDonald's for a little lunch & then headed to the River for the rest of the weekend.  We were so excited to finally get some good boating weather.  Michael met us there & we put the boat in the water & cruised up to the Manchester Islands for the day.  It was our little piece of Kentucky, Florida!  Sandy beaches & boats galore.  We had a blast.  We left around dinner time & stopped off at the Boat Club for a bite to eat.  The wait was a lot longer that anyone would've ever want to wait for food, but as always, the food was great.  The best Pizza Hoagie you'll ever get IMO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since the wait for dinner was so long, it was dark when we finally pulled into the marina to dock the boat & fish were flying out of the water all around us.  It was the craziest thing I've seen in the creek for sure.  We finally put two & two together that the Asian Carp had finally made their way over to our neck of the River and we were all pretty devastated by it.  These fish are no joke & they say they could wipe out all of the fish & boating all together.  They can get up to 100lbs & jump in your boat & seriously injure you.  I hope to God this isn't the case because that would be AWFUL.  We love boating & want to continue for a LONG time.  Sunday morning, we went to breakfast & then came back to the house to work, work, work.  We got most of our Bedroom finished in the Cabin with just a few little odd ball things to do & a little decorating done.  I tried my hand & refinishing furniture & painted our nightstand white. 

 

 

I went with the white wash look & think it turned out pretty good.  I'm going to do the same thing with the bigger cabinet in the room this weekend.  We'll see how well it holds up, because I didn't sand it down or anything before painting it.  I really didn't have the time & since it's just our weekend house I didn't want to put too much effort into it because it won't be use a whole lot.  I think our room looks great & I can't wait to tackle the rest of the house!!