Where did summer go?

Is it me or has this summer flown by? It's not quite over- but almost!

Remember that last post where I mentioned that it was so nice to be at home for a few weeks in a row? Luckily, we had that while we did because I feel like we've been on the road ever sense!

A few weeks ago, we spent an entire week in North Carolina. But not before I took my sweet husband out for his birthday on Friday, the 3rd :) We went to Flip Burger Boutique and not only enjoyed burgers (duh) but also a smores Milkshake. Yum! We left Saturday morning for Salisbury and stayed until Thursday. I spent time with family while Thomas worked in the Concord office. And an added bonus was that some of my extended family was in town visiting also. From Saturday to Monday, the house was packed full of Tinsley's, Moorefields, Tuck's, and Jaeger's. 15 people to be exact! I think that come Monday, my Dad was ready for everyone to leave! He'd had quite enough company for one weekend.
Also- amidst this crazy week, my Mom adopted a new puppy from the Animal Shelter. Her name is Maggie Blue.. and she has been a great addition to the family!

On Thursday, we headed to Hillsborough. We stopped in Burlington on the way through to see Meredith and Ben's newly renovated house (which looks fabulous) and then we managed to surprise Lorraine and Tommy (Thomas' parents) for their birthday dinner. The rest of the weekend entailed shopping, fishing, The Campaign, a Mexican Fiesta, and lots of laughs. Not to mention the gathering of  8 grand dogs!

We arrived back home on Sunday. And then I left the following Thursday to go see my family at the beach for a few days. Thomas wasn't able to come this year because of their annual trade show at the convention center downtown.. so I decided to use some airline miles and make the 45 minute flight to Myrtle Beach in lieu of the 6 hour drive. I think it was a great choice. Who wants to drive that far alone?

We had a really fun time at the beach. It was a lot of fun getting to see Clara playing on the beach and splashing in the water. At this time last year, she was too little to fully appreciate the beach. So this year was extra special. And luckily my Dad took a mere 800 photos to capture all the action. Surely there are a few good shots in there somewhere. Here are a couple photo's from my phone-

Applying of the sunscreen- her FAVORITE! Cant you see the excitement in her face? :)

Beach Baby!

This past week and weekend has been super crazy for Thomas. A lot of preparation went into the trade show.. and Im relieved that he's finally finished. For about a week and a half, he was driving downtown daily (leaving at 6:30 and sometimes not getting home until 8 or 9 at night) and it was definitely starting to take a toll on his body!  Nothing another beach trip cant fix :) More to post on that later!

I wasn't sure what to do with my low key/husband-less weekend. So I decided to get some sewing done. I haven't had a lot of sewing time available lately so it seemed like a great idea. I've had this tunic/shirt pattern that I've been wanting to undertake for months. It took me ALL day but it is finished and I think it looks fabulous. Only I could point out the minor mistakes.. and there really aren't many. I think Im definitely ready to take on more clothes. Here's a photo of the finished product- disregard the cheesy setting!

That's it for now! Time to shower and get ready for dinner out with our friends Kalee and Matt!

Hope that all the (NC) teachers had a great day back today! And hopefully everyone has a great week!

2012 Olympics

Ive been totally useless this weekend. I love the Olympics and have been taking full advantage of watching as much as I can. Swimming and gymnastics are my favorite but I really end up watching most everything :)

 We've had a really nice couple of weeks. We're known to travel quite a bit so it's definitely uncommon for us to of been in town some many weekends in a row. And not only that- but Thomas hasn't traveled in several weeks for work either. Long story short, it's been really nice! We've had several low key weekends that include nothing but trips to the park, grilling out, dinners with friends, and yard work/gardening. All of these things are (in my opinion) what the weekend SHOULD include.

 I finished up my second (intermediate) sewing class. It was a lot of fun. I learned a lot of new skills (adding interfacing, ruffles and pleats, and invisible zippers) and we made several fun projects including an elastic waste skirt, a make-up zippered bag, and an apron. I enjoy the classes a lot but it's quite hard getting downtown due to afternoon traffic. The location of the classes are definitely not ideal.. Especially to where we live.. But this shop in particular is so fun! If you live in the area or are ever passing through, you should definitely check it out. It's called Whipstitch Fabrics.

Thomas' birthday is coming up next weekend. He's been telling me for awhile that he would like to have a new driver (the golf club.. Not a chauffeur). So we spent most of yesterday shopping around and making the purchase. It took him forever! But he finally narrowed it down and decided on a club. He took it to the driving range today to give it a test run and he seems very pleased with his decision. And if he isn't, I told him I wouldn't be venturing back to the PGA Superstore. One day was MORE than enough for me :)

We've started attending a new church that we really enjoy. It's called Gwinnett Church. Before moving to Texas, we were attending a Methodist church in our community. And then while in Texas, we fell in love with a church that we were attending there. Once we moved back, the Methodist church here just wasn't really calling to us anymore... So we've been on the search for several weeks. And after trying out several different ones, I think weve found one that we're really happy with. 

We've got several fun upcoming weeks planned for the rest of August. We'll finally be making a trip to North Carolina to visit family. And we've also planned a long weekend away to Hilton Head for our Anniversary.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week!

Happy 4th's Eve!

The dogs and I are relaxing this morning. Wendy and I are both lounged out on the new couch and Im enjoying my second cup of coffee. I have most of the week off.. so I've been trying to get a lot of stuff done around the house. Except for right now that is. I intend to sit here awhile longer and most likely have another cup of coffee :) And maybe read for a few also!

Our new couch has finally arrived. It was delivered around 8 o'clock on Friday night. One of the recliners is a little messed up and seems like it may of been stuffed with the wrong padding (its much more stiff than the rest of the couch) so we'll have a technician come and check that out. But other than that, we're really happy about our purchase. Now we're just waiting on our Sofa table and Coffee table! It should be here by the weekend or shortly after. 

We've realized that Wendy's new favorite spot is under the recliner once its popped up. So we've found that we have to continuously ask each other "Is she under mine?" "No, is she under mine?". I guess we'll get used to it. She's always enjoyed laying in little sneaky spots. 

I had an extremely productive day yesterday. I don't know what came over me! I got so much done. I guess I just got on a mission and ran with it. My mom had given us an old metal file cabinet that was rusted and painted a lovely shade of khaki. So I decided to sand it down and spray paint it. Sounds easy, right? Except that I had to do one side at a time and then wait for it to dry. So in between my painting sessions, I managed to reorganize our pantry, move some furniture around and tape off where our new tables will go, 4 loads of laundry, a trip to Home Depot, the dry cleaners, the bank, and Publix.. AND I watered the flowers/garden and picked up dog poop (my personal fav). On top of all that, I organized some of my recipes and cooked us a homemade meal for supper! Which, by the way, was delicious- here's the recipe for that:

Zucchini and Rice Casserole

3 cups Chicken Broth

1 Zucchini sliced

1 medium Onion chopped

2 Bell Peppers chopped (any colors will work)

2 Jalapeno's chopped and seeded (or leave the seeds in if you want a little more spice)

1 cup of Corn (frozen- thawed or fresh)

1 1/2 cups of milk

2 cups jack cheese

4 oz. cream cheese

1 1/2 cups brown long grain rice

3 tbsp all purpose flour

1 lb turkey sausage

Pre-heat your oven to 375. Chop up all your veggies (except the jalapeno) and pop them into a casserole dish. Add your dry rice as well. Pour your Chicken Broth into a pot and bring it to a boil. Then, pour the broth over the veggies and rice. Cover the casserole dish and pop it in the over for 40 minutes. Remove the foil, give it a stir, and then leave it uncovered to cook for an additional 30-40 minutes. 

In the meantime, brown and rinse your turkey sausage (I chopped the jalapeno here and let it sautee with the turkey) Also, once the casserole is close to coming out of the oven, mix your milk and flour and bring to a boil on the stove (I just re-used the chicken broth pot!). Simmer on low until thickened (continuously stir with a whisk!) and then add in the 2 cups of jack cheese and 1 cup of corn. Pull the casserole out of the oven and add in your sausage and cheese mixture. Also add in your dollops of cream cheese evenly. Stir the entire dish well. 

The recipe didn't call for it.. but I added a cracker topping. I melted 2 tbsp of butter and crushed up several club crackers, mixed them together, and then crumbled them over the top. The casserole goes back into the oven for 10-15 minutes and then its complete!

It seems like a lot of steps, but it was relatively easy. And I think it'll make for a great leftover's dish as well. And luckily, with this recipe, I was able to get rid of a Zucchini and 2 Jalapeno's from our garden! I love cooking with fresh ingredients!

Thomas and I are headed to a braves game tonight to see our FIRST game of the season and enjoy their fireworks display. And tomorrow, we'll be spending the day with some friends. We're looking forward to a little creek time, good food, and more fireworks. 

I'll head back to work on Friday once the kids are back in town. And Thomas will be in town for the next 3 weeks! He's been traveling so much lately.. it'll be nice to see his face a little more often.

Next week, I'll start my next session sewing class so I'm really excited about that. It should cover a lot more skills and hopefully I'll be on my way to making lots of fun new projects. It'll meet Monday and Wednesday (7-9:30) for 2 weeks. It'll be a lot.. now that I've started back to work.. but I'm still really looking forward to it.

Hope that everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July!