Sweet Tea And Sunshine

What's Up Wednesday

2016-07-27T20:26:00.001-04:00

I sat down this evening while things are winding down for the day to blog, and after staring at a blank screen for a few minutes I decided to go through my blog roll to get some inspiration - stumbled upon this so I joined up! Here's what I'm supposed to blog about:

What we're eating this week.

This pizza was UH-MAZE-ING. Seriously. It's a trendy little joint downtown on the Chattahoochee called Your Pie. Mine had sundried tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella, mushrooms, pepperoncini, and I'm probably forgetting something. It came with tofu, but I opted out because I truly enjoy a good veggie pizza.

Who doesn't love a good rice Krispie Treat? Especially when your husband makes them with your girls and brings you a warm, melty bite.:)

What I'm reminiscing about.

-- Always, always about days gone by. Days when my girls were babies. Days when Mike and I were in our first year of marriage and it was just us, living it up in England. when I was pregnant with my girls. When I was healthy and could live a normal life. Days before leukemia and cancer and premature babies wrecked our world.

What I'm loving.

-- Honestly? This is going to sound so geeky, but I'm really loving the new budget we creaed and are sticking to.

What I've been up to.

-- Pokémon Go. I know, I know. I caved. But we have SO MUCH FUN as a family! We go down to the Riverwalk every night that we can and walk (or roll!). Sometimes I sit with the girls at the splash pad/park while Mike rides his bike. It's really great.

What I'm dreading.

-- Starting back to school. :(

What I'm watching/reading.

-- The Bible. Honestly. That's all I have time for - or all that I make time for, anyway. I love audiobooks....I need to get a new one. And I'm not watching anything except YouTube.

What I'm working on.

-- Getting tings ready for the new school year!

What I'm excited about.
-- Our trip to Florida in September! Almost two weeks of vacation and I cannot WAIT!

What I'm listening to.

-- Honestly, nothing specific. Kids CDs or Adventures in Odyssey most days.

What I'm wearing.

-- Haha. Nothing great, for sure. Lots of lightweights because it's SO HOT here in Alabama!

What I'm doing this weekend.

-- Hmm....I think it will be a relaxed weekend. Saturday my mom and I are going to a big town yard sale a couple towns over - it's all inside, so I will have an easy time getting around. I love yard sales but can't really get out and do it anymore. The girls have karate. Sunday is the usual church and family time.

What I'm looking forward to next month.

-- Kicking off the school year. Seeing my cousin from Arizona. Having a yard sale to get rid of this extra junk!

What else is new?

Mike got his first pair of glasses (reading glasses from the Dollar Tree) yesterday! I think he's so handsome in them. He's been needing some for a while, especially to help a night while driving and reading. He's going to an official appointment to get "real" ones this week.

Menu Plan 7/25

2016-07-25T15:22:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday, ya'll! I'm back for another round of Menu Plan Monday!

Last week we did pretty good. Here's t he real life version of the planned meals:

Monday we enjoyed BBQ chicken (delicious!), cream corn and wild rice. Tuesday we had Pioneer Woman's Layered Saladand oh my goodness it was delicious! It lasted for one whole supper plus two lunches for my family of five. Wednesday we ate out because I had an appointment in Atlanta. Thursday I had potatoes that I scored for $1 for 5 pounds, so we made BBQ potatoes with all the fixings. Friday was tuna sandwiches and raw veggies (family favorite), Saturday was a birthday party, and Sunday we made hobo packs - hamburger patty, potatoes, onions, carrots wrapped in foil and baked in the oven. Another family favorite!

This week I've got more yummy things planned.
(I type this as my stomach is growling for lunch!)

MONDAY: red beans and rice with smoked sausage, cornbread muffins

TUESDAY: biscuits with sausage gravy and scrambled eggs

WEDNESDAY: chicken and dumplings

THURSDAY: Paula Deens Stuffed Beef Tenderloin and roasted brussel sprouts.

FRIDAY: Leftover night.

Saturday: out at a local Chik-Fil-A fo Princess and Prince Night

Sunday: grilled steak, scallops, and zucchini

I'm also making fresh blueberry muffins for breakfast and snacks this week.

Down Days and a Visitor

2016-07-21T14:38:00.000-04:00

Today has just been one of those days. For the past three or so days, my back/hip/legs have been hurting. Sometimes, when I'm in my wheelchair, the ache is too much and I have to get out. Which has landed me on the couch or in the bed a lot more than usual. But I'm working with it and ya'll know I do not give up. However, giving up doesn't mean I don't get down or depressed. Because I do. We all do, and you're lying if you say you don't. I get so frustrated that I am not the same mother I was a few years ago. I can't drive my girls to the park on a whim. Our outings are now carefully planned around my moms "rest time" (because she is our driver), doctors appointments, infusions, etc. I can't spend the a afternoon at the mall with the kids. I can't decorate my house the way I used to because I'm unable and we all know men could care less. I can't go grocery shopping or even on a carefree day of shopping with no specific plan because I have to worry about what stores are most important and how many times of getting the wheelchair in and out and how long will someone will be able to help push me before they wear out.

Ugh.

I'm done whining. So - on a much brighter note - these little guy was hanging out by the garden, chomping on a green tomato!

How cool! He's no stranger to our yard. I don't know where he comes from, but we've found him hanging out back there at east half a dozen times over the past almost 9 years that we've been here. He was going to town on that tomato!

Here in Alabama, it is HOT HOT HOT! It's ridiculous. Du to the heat, we've had a problem with ants. The pest control guy, miracle worker that he is and has been for several years, is on his way to my house right now to take care of the nasty little things. Bless him!

Stranded: Famous People Edition (link up with Mix and Match Mama)

2016-07-13T16:25:00.001-04:00

I'm linking up today with Mix and Match Mama for their "Stranded With...Famous People Edition" blog party! It's my first time, and I'm so excited! I had to REALLY think about this one. They host one every month and I'm looking forward to doing it again!

The first person who came to mind was Ree Drummond, for several reasons.

#1 - She's funny, so she'd keep me laughing while I was trying not to have a conniption fit.

#2 - She can cook. I mean, she can cook GOOD. She would be able to come up with all sorts of meals from things found on an island that I ever could.

#3 - She's go a lot of kids and often feeds a lot of people - she would be creative and organized.

#4 - She works with a wide array of big animals, so you know - if a hog or cow or something happened to swim the ocean to my deserted island, she'd probably know a little about how to clean it. And clean fish. Because I do not clean fish.

Uncle Si. For obvious reasons.

This has to be famous people, and my husband isn't famous. (well, in my book he is.)

Daniel Lissing is easy on the eyes, yes - but you know, he's strong, and me and Ree and Uncle Si are not gonna be all that strong. Obviously. ;)

If you link up, let me know! I'd love to read.

Have a great day, ya'll!

Friday Comparisons

2016-07-08T15:06:00.003-04:00

Hey ya'll! Usually on Fridays, I link up with Keys Korner for her Show Us Your Life series - but this week was on kids room and the girls room currently looks like Hurricane Opal (you Alabama 90's kids will get the reference) tore through there. Then I link up with the 5 on Friday group some but I have had a blah week and couldn't come up with 5 interesting favorites. The week consisted of a failed dental procedure (painful) and my back is giving me problems. That's landed me on the couch or in bed most of the time. I did get one big thing accomplished, though....I cleaned out the girls closet last night/this morning and now have to face the BIG task of listing it all for sale.

Sigh.

All I have for you today are these two comparison pictures. I noticed tem a few days ago but just got around to putting them together on Instagram.

This. This is the difference 5 years and a 120 pound weight loss brings.

Ignore the sticker on the sunglasses - I was trying several on and there was no mirror there so I snapped some pics. I bought these.

#tjmaxxaddict

Not even ashamed.

And THIS! My baby! The first shot is me packing for a several week hospital stay 3 years ago. She didn't want me to go so she decided she'd try to go with me! Second shot is her while we were packing for Stone Mountain the other weekend. Someone tell her to stop growing up!

That's all I have, friends. I hope ya'll have a wondereful weekend!

Stone Mountain 2016

2016-07-07T04:00:00.000-04:00

Last week we were able to go on an overnight getaway to Stone Mountain. I've only been once before and I don't really remember much. Mike grew up near there and went multiple times a week as a kid. This was our girls first time. And it won't be our last!

This is the view that greeted us:

I mean, seriously. Can this be my front yard please?

I didn't get a whole lot of pictures because I vowed that I would not spend so much time behind the camera and enjoy the time with my family.

The carving on the side of the mountain is HUGE. It doesn't look big at all fro the ground, but they say you can fit two school buses on the back of the horse. They also say a gown man can take shelter from the rain in the ear of the horse. That's huge!

First thing we did was take the skylift up the mountain. Had a picnic on the top of the mountain and enjoyed the beautiful view.

Later that night we enjoyed the free laser light show.

We headed back to the hotel after the show and hi the sack. The next morning we enjoyed a beautiful, delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel and then headed out for some sight seeing. They have SO many different attractions there, but we saved our second set of tickets for another time and just did the exhibits and nature trails All of which, by the way, are wheelchair accessible! I was so happy to be able to go do some things with everybody else! And - all of these things are free!

I think everybody can appreciate a good covered bridge!

Weeklly Meal Plan July 4-10

2016-07-05T04:00:00.000-04:00

I usually post with the linkup on Mondays, but yesterday was Independence Day and I wanted to honor that by itself, without including the weekly men plan. I decided to share it today instead.

Last week was a fail. One big, large, epic fail. Monday through Wednesday was great, then we took a very spur of the moment trip to Stone Mountain Thursday and Friday. W had a GEAT time -update coming soon! Saturday morning I woke up early and sat on the couch with my cup of coffee (okay, they say it's a sin to lie so I have to admit I was on my third...) when Mike called me to come to the bedroom. He had just gotten a phone call from his parents that his grandmother was in serious condition and within 30 minutes he was on his way to Tampa. As of today (Sunday) she is doing some better, but still in ICU and still on the vent. Please keep her in your prayers.

Then Saturday, my mom took the girls swimming at my cousins house and I stayed home ALONE! I almost didn't know what to do with myself. It was so.....WEIRD! Sunday we came to my hometown to spend the holiday here. So that blew our plan! But this is a fresh week and here's what we have on the docket.

Monday: cookout - we contributed fresh fish, hushpuppies, tomato pie, and Watergate salad

Tuesday: stuffed clams and roasted asparagus

Wednesday: sprig vegetable soup (third week on the menu!)

Thursday: black bean tacos and radish//carrot/cilantro salad

Friday: waffles & sausage

Saturday: lemon chicken pasta and French bread with garlic herb butter and feta

Sunday: macaroni salad with diced ham

I hope ya'll have a wonderful Tuesday!

Happy Independence Day!

2016-07-04T04:00:00.000-04:00

via Google

Happy Fourth of July!

I hope ya'll are all having a blast with your family and friends.

For those of you serving in this war, my prayers go out to you and your family.

I am proud to be a military wife and family member, and I know it's never easy spending these holidays away.

LET FREEDOM RING!

Menu Plan Monday 6/27

2016-06-27T15:52:00.002-04:00

I'm back today with another Menu Plan Monday! As usual, I'm linking up with Organizing Junkie for her Menu Plan Monday blog party! You should go check it out, and if you find anything noteworthy - let me know! I've been in a horrible meal rut lately. I plan great meals and then don't cook half of them. It's been difficult because due to the chemo, Mike won't eat much, or can't eat much, or the smells bother him, etc. But he finished is last treatment last week (AMEN!) and hopefully things wild go back to normal now.

Whatever normal is. I still haven't figured that one out.

Monday: egg salad on sandwiches or with crackers, carrot sticks and celery

Tuesday: spaghetti & meatballs in the crockpot - recipe from A Farmhouse Full over on YouTube. (She rocks. She's a mother of many and she's so encouraging!)

Wednesday: spring vegetable soup (shared last week)

Thursday and Friday we are going to be out of town overnight.

Friday: stuffed clams and roasted asparagus

Saturday and Sunday I have left open because I don't know what our plans are yet. we'll just have to see. :)

And as always, here's my YouTube video to go along with this post.

5 on Friday Linkup

2016-06-24T14:23:00.001-04:00

Hey ya'll! Happy Friday to you. Today I'm inking up with a great blog for 5 on Friday .

| O N E |

This is not the greatest picture, but I love this piece we have hanging above our bed. It was handmade by a dear man I have known all my life. He's known as a "junker" (picture the show American Pickers) and he loves making something out of nothing. He carved this and stained it for us. He signed it on the back. We rarely get to see him these days, but he is so special to us. This piece is especially dear because he's had a stroke and probably won't be doing much of these things anymore. This is one of my most treasured pieces in my home.

| T W O |

Looks silly, right? But this laptop is a lifesaver! We have a desktop but it's in an awkward corner of our bedroom and it's not comfortable to get to it in my wheelchair. Mike had to purchase this laptop for work last year & I had never even paid attention to it until I saw him use it one day. The screen rotatoes into a tablet and it's touch screen. I LOVE IT! It's so easy for me to use with my poor eyesight. This is why I've been able to get back into blogging more!

| T H R E E |

I scored this Michael Kors wallet in Atlanta. She's a pretty little thing and I LOVE it! My sister had went with me to one of my checkups there and afterwards, we went for lunch at The Cheesecake Factory (one of our favorites) and did a little shopping after. She convinced me into going to the MK store (not that I put up much resistance) and we both ended up with one of these! I think after the sales I paid about $45. It was originally about $110, I believe.
I don't know about you, but I consider that a win. :)

| F O U R |

Today is our eleventh dating anniversary! I can't even believe it. 11 years ago today, just before lunch, I wrote down what I wanted to say on a piece of paper and practiced it a million times before I called Mike's shop and asked for "Senior Airman O'Neill, please." I asked him if he'd like to get dinner and a movie later - and he said yes! And here we are, 11 years later. We have never celebrated this day before,, but we are this year. I ordered this awesome tie clip with the longitude and latitude of our first date on one side (in jolly old England!) and "143 2" on the back. I never knew 143 was code for "I love you" and so when he e-mailed me that while I was back in the States and he was still in England during our engagement, I responded bac with 143 2. Yes, we're nerds. Wouldn't have it any other way! I got this from Pink Lemon Design on Etsy.I love everything about it.

| F I V E |

I saved the best for last. I purchased this dress from Magnolia & Co. Boutique this week and I'm n love. I've known the girl who owns it for several years, way back when she and my younger sister worked together in high school. Such a sweet girl, very hard working, honest and humble. I left a lengthy review on her Facebook page and you should definitely go check it out. I'll say that it's completely perfect Don't think I'm saying that because I know her or because I'm affiliated because neither of those are the case. And while you're there, you should check out the inventory - you won't be disappointed!

Now! I'm logging off all social media for the rest of the evening so I can go get ready for a hot date with this handsome military guy that's pretty charming.
I think I see a future with him. Who knows? :)

Garden Update! June 2016

2016-06-23T14:24:00.000-04:00

This is our little raised garden beds. We started with 3, but we'll add more as time goes on. We purchased these from Home Depot, but I don't suggest doing that. They're very well made and fit together with a tongue and groove, but you can build your own for way cheaper. We bought these because, being a military family, we're supposed to be moving in a few months and want to take them with us. We've planted tomatoes, onions, strawberries, squash, cucumber, banana pepper, and bell pepper. Two of the tomato plants are out of the picture.

We also have a HUGE blueberry bush out front that we will be transplanting several cuttings from this fall. This was the haul from the other day. We used them to make homemade blueberry muffins yesterday - that recipe & blog post is coming next week, so be on the lookout!

We have gotten these cucumbers plus a few more. Take a look at big boy over there! We've been collecting and will be canning these into pickles tomorrow. I love canning season!

Another haul we've gotten. Our squash isn't growing as much as we'd like, but I'm not sure why. I'm going to can at least one jar of salsa and hopefully, providing we have enough, get a few jars of tomatoes canned. The squash and peppers will be cut up and frozen, as well as the banana peppers.

We all enjoy taking the time every morning/evening to get out in our little garden and check it out. this has been a learning experience for every one of us. I can't wait to do it again next year and make it a little bigger!

Fathers Day 2016

2016-06-21T14:48:00.002-04:00

HAPPY FAHERS DAY!

I'm two days late, but better late than never!

We had a really good Fathers Day this year. I was a little worried about how it would go because Mike just finished his last round of chemo.

#praisebreak

I told the girls - listen. No matter how we spend this day, we're going to have fun! Whether we stay home, eat watermelon (the only thing he's been able to keep down most days), and play cards, or go to the big shindig with the family, it doesn't matter. Daddy is here and alive and we're going to celebrate. Thankfully, he felt pretty good so we headed to church and then to my sisters house to spend the day with my dad, sisters and their families.

But ya'll, we're from Alabama. And Mike loves everything nature, everything outside, everything hunting, fishing, wildlife. So we cannot get through a backroad trip without stopping to look at something - and I love it. We have gotten ourselves into so many an adventures this way. Found so may hidden gems and just appreciated the handiwork of God,

So I wasn't surprised when he took a right turn onto a tiny road . I looked down to pull my camera up (this is not my first rodeo and I wanted to be ready). Two seconds, four tops, is all it took.

So imagine my shock when we hooked a curve and I looked up to this:

It may not look very surprising to you. But we were on the edge of a very sharp drop off! After I started to breath again, I realized how beautiful it was. I've heard stories about the generation before me jumping off the train trestles into the river. Those were the good old days. :)

Caught this little guy on the way in:

Then we got on to my sisters. We had so much fun! My dad, brother-in-law and nephew had been deep sea fishing and we fried/grilled those fish, fried some chicken, hot dogs, green bean bacon wraps, potato salad, slaw, cucumber/tomato/onion salad, deviled eggs and I don't remember what else. Food was good and company was GREAT! Got some good home videos and played a few rounds of Twister- always a good one in my family.

My two younger sisters. Kayla's 25 and Allie is 23.

Caught my beautiful niece taking selfies on my phone. Raven is 14 - where ha the time gone?

Niece takes selfies....Aunt Stephanie will post!

L-R:

Me (31), Daddy, Kayla (25), Allie (23), Elizabeth (35).

The Four ~~Crazy Ladies~~ Sisters.

Papaw and all his grandkids!

Sara (8), Will (12), Bradyn (18 months), Raven (14) and June (6)

Our family started as 4, and currently we're at 11 with one in a serious relationship. I hope to look back on this post in a few years and see how much we've grown!

We ended the day with a trip to Gander Mountain for Daddy & an ice cream run. This was literally the only picture of us 4! We were too busy having fun! My girls and I are so lucky to have this man in our life. I'm so proud of you for being the husband and father you are, for being more than required and for sticking by our side.

I hope all the single mothers out there had a great Fathers Day as well. My mama was a single mom for 17 years, so Happy Fathers Day to you too, mama!

Menu Plan Monday 6.20

2016-06-20T12:06:00.001-04:00

Hey everybody! I hope ya'll had a great weekend. We sure did! Saturday we stayed home all day and caught up on everything. Well, SOME things. I have decided to accept the fact that everything will never be done.:) Sunday we cooked out with my dad, sisters and their families. More on that later.

Last week we had a plan, and we somewhat stuck to it. You can see it here. Monday we had pesto ranch chicken thighs and leftover pasta salad. Tuesday we had sandwiches. Wednesday we had fish sticks and mac & cheese. Thursday we had Italian sandwiches and vegetables, Friday we had sandwiches again, and Saturday we had spaghetti - but we had some squash in the garden so I sautéed them up with garlic and onions and added it to the marinara - it was SO GOOD! Sunday we cooked out at my dads - all kinds of fish they had from deep sea fishing, green bean bacon wraps, cowboy beans, fried chicken, French fries, Cockof the Walk cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni and cheese....I'm sure I'm forgetting something but I'm still in a food coma. You'll have to forgive me.

Here's this weekends meal plan:

Monday: PorkChopand Pineapple Pie cucumber/tomato/onion salad, roasted asparagus

Tuesday: Rosemary chicken, faro, cream of cor

Wednesday: leftover boston butt sandwiches, pasta salad with peas

Thursday: Spring Vegetable Soup

Friday: out @ the base Independence Day Celebration

Saturday: Date night - Mawmaw has the girls!

Sunday: egg salad sandwiches, chips/fresh veggies

I hope ya'll have a wonderful week. This week I hope to have a recap of the last several weeks, possibly a health update and hopefully a recipe post up.

As always, I'm linking up with Organizing Junkie!

Check out my YouTube video on this:

Show Us Your Life Friday - My Real Live Dining Room!

2016-06-17T10:12:00.001-04:00

I'm linking up today with Kelly over at Kelly's Korner for her Show Us Your Life series (today it's Real Life Dining Rooms).

I literally have done nothing to this room since we moved in 8 years ago. We are on our third table (the table from my dads house when I was growing up) and the matching china cabinet is in the living room. I did add a table runner this week that I scored on clearance from Target (like I need another reason to love that store) for $8. A few months ago, out of necessity, I changed out my seasonal centerpiece for the convenience of having the napkin basket and salt & pepper shakers on the table 24/7.

Also, that decision saved the sure broken destiny of several pretty apothecary jars.

This is the view from the end of the couch in the living room.

Our house isn't very big - about 1400 sf - and it's all open.

I know the table is off center, and it drives me crazy But I am in a wheelchair and I need it placed like that so I can get the chair around it when wiping it down and sweeping/dusting/etc.

But still. It. Drives. Me. Nuts.

Here's a closer view of the table runner. It has the yellows, teals, and blues that I'm going with.

My kitchen is orange and we're getting ready to put board and batten up. I've got teal rugs in there. I'm still looking for mustard yellow accents.

Bakers rack in the corner. Still decorated the same as it was in 2007,...but now I'm noticing how awful the arrangement looks on the bottom. Time for something new! FYI - my sister gave us this bakers rack as one of our wedding gifts. I love it.

My favorite thing in the whole room. A picture of us that was taken after being married about 7 months., in Banbury, England. I really love this one so much.. Mike has a similar one in his office at work, but it's in color.We were so young and carefree. I miss those days, but I know I'll miss these busy days of school, work, housework, grocery shopping, shuffling children around even more.

Speaking of craziness, here's a VERY "real life" shot for you. Wild kids at 7:30AM! They were so energetic that I sent them out to play in the front yard right after this.

I hope ya'll have a great Friday! We are off to my aunt and uncles to go swimming.

Menu Plan Monday1 6-13 - 6.19

2016-06-13T14:08:00.002-04:00

I'm linking up with Organizing Junkie for the Menu Plan Monday!

Last week we didn't eat out AT ALL.

I can hardly believe it. But I set a goal to eat at home as much as possible for the next 30 days, with the exception of one date night (but I'll add on a day at the end.) Our eating out has gotten out of hand. I did cave today though, and suggested the new stuffed crust pizza from Little Caesars to Mike in hopes that he would actually feel like having it after his atrocious week of chemo, and he agreed! And he ate two pieces! YAY! So I'm totally justified, right?

| M O N D A Y |

Pesto ranch chicken thighs from How Jen Does It. These things are SO good and I"ve never made a bad dish from her. I'm serving them with broccoli that I toss in the skillet with garlic and a tiny bit of olive oil and brown rice.

| T U E S D A Y |

Fish sticks, macaroni & cheese, and peas.

Dinner of champions, ya'll.
Served mostly because I can't get to the grocery store til Thursday due to scheduling conflicts.

| W E D N E S D A Y |

Once around the fridge & cabinets

- AKA find what you can and get it down!

| T H U R S D A Y |

Spaghetti. Simple, fast, and....that's pretty much what we need on a Thursday night after a day of errands and grocery shopping with and 8 year old and a 6 year old!

| F R I D A Y|

dill and caper butter salmon served with orzo, a radish, carrots and cilantro salad and asparagus.

| SA T U R D A Y |

Italian sub sandwiches with tomato/onion/cucumber salad.

| S U N D A Y |

I messed up on the vlog below. I totally spaced that it was Fathers Day! We are going to my sisters house for Fathers Day lunch with my dad. We're having red fish and angel fish they caught deep sea fishing a while back. My sisters are pretty good cooks and I'm sure we will come up with something fabulous!

Five on Friday! 6.10.16

2016-06-10T14:18:00.002-04:00

Hey ya'll! I'm linking up with the ladies for their FIve on Friday post! Go check them out!

| O N E |

I LOVE summer - that's no secret! Two things I love about summer (among the oh-so-many) are sno cones (specifically the Fuzzy Navel or Pina Colada flavors) and Dippin' Dots, in pretty much ANY flavor except banana split.

Funny thing. I love banana splits, but don't like banana split flavored things...

I enjoyed several of these bad boys in the past week.

| T W O |

I signed the girls up for the Summer Reading Program at the local library.

We LOVE the library! Especially being a homeschooling family, but we would make use of it either way. We go to weekly story times, weekend story times, and pretty much any other activity they provide. Doesn't hurt that it's across the street from a small playground and free splash pad. :)

This week (first week) of the summer program was about reptiles. They had a tortoise named Shelly, a lizard with no legs, an African bullfrog named Bubba, a milk snake and a boa constrictor.

A boa constrictor.

Because I'm the nerd and chose to sit right beside the guy doing the show, I got front row footage.

Which mean THE THING ALMOST ATE ME.

Practically.

Anyway, do you see that snake heading for that poor mans head? It's not just the angle of the photo, either. It was really going (slowly) for his head. And he was totally ok with it.

I was not.

Sara and June LOVED it, though.

| T H R E E |

| F O U R |

I caught this sweet picture right here earlier this week. My sweet baby still takes naps almost every day. We all have quiet time and she generally falls asleep. We put the girls in bed by 8 or 8:30 every night, but she can never fall asleep right away. Neither can Sara. I think they read far longer than we think. I'm okay with that. :)

| F I V E |

And ya'll - this man right here finises his LAST five-day stretch of chemo today, FOREVER!

About two more weeks of shots and two small chemo doses and he is D to the O to the N to the E with chemo! God has blessed him so much. It's been neither easy nor fun, but he's bore it like a champ. This cycle was MUCH easier than last, and whether you want to account that to God or to a change in medicine is up to you. I'll continue to thank God.

I hope ya'll have a great weekend! Since Mike will be recovering, we don't really have any plans. May go to the library tomorrow, maybe play in the park and splash pad some. Lots of sprinkler/pool fun at home. And church on Sunday!

Meal Plan Monday 6/6-6/12

2016-06-06T13:50:00.001-04:00

I've been missing for a couple weeks, but it's because the first week Mike had his second round of chemo and I didn't care one lick about getting on the computer. The second week we went on vacation to Panama City, FL! My niece had a cheer competition (which they won several awards at AND have th eopportunity to cheer in the 2016 Orange Bowl! Go Panthers!) down there so my sisters on my dads side, their families, and my family went down for a long weekend. We had a blast! Pictures to cme on the Five on Friday post. Be on the lookout!

Go over to Organizing Junkie and link up!

This week is a slow one for the girls and I, but busy for my mom and Mike, because he has five straight days of chemo and she drives him. I'll be cooking all suppers, which is no big deal.

Monday: tomato basil chicken sausage sauteed with mini red bell peppers, fresh carrots, and pasta salad

Tuesday: seasoned whole chicken with onions and carrots in the crockpot, served with roasted new potatoes

Wednesday: cheese tortellini in alfredo sauce, green beans

Thursday: Not gonna lie - cheesy Hamburger Helper and peas on the side

Friday: spaghetti

Saturday: bean soup - basically black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, corn, diced tomatoes, onion and celery. Pretty much a meatless chili.

Sunday: again - not gonna lie - fish sticks and steamed veggies

We are recovering from vacation so I planned this weeks menu solely around whats on hand. No money spent + no grocery trip = great relief for a family dealing with a parent in chemo.

Have a great Monday!

P.S. Go check out my meal plan video on YouTube!

Meal Plan 5/23-5/29

2016-05-23T16:48:00.000-04:00

Last week we didn't really have a meal plan put together for the week. We had plenty of groceries in the house, it was a busy week full of chemo every day for Mike, and we just went with it. We did have (in no particular order):

- meatloaf, mashed potatoes, speckled butterbeans

- leftovers

- with asparagus

- chicken and dumplings with leftover chicken

- sausage & gravy biscuits

- grilled steak, goat cheese stuffed mini peppers (next time I'll wrap pancetta around it)

- smoked ribs with cornbread salad and roasted acorn squash

Here is this weeks!

Monday: lobster ravioli in alfredo sauce with broccoli

Tuesday: egg roll in a bowl

Wednesday: BBQ pork chops in the slow cooker, roasted new potatoes in a garlic sauce, steamed mixed veggies

Thursday: orange chicken, rice and peas

Friday: salmon croquettes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole

Saturday: spaghetti

Sunday: slow cooker steak fajitas

Head on over to Organizing Junkie and check out all the inspiration!

Five on Friday 5.20

2016-05-20T15:42:00.005-04:00

Ya'll know I love me some Five on Friday!

Head on over to check these great ladies out and enjoy the linky party they host.

It's a great way to discover other bloggers.

Here are my five things I have been enjoying this past week:

Fresh produce. I can't get enough of it! We have some sort of fresh produce almost the whole year here in Alabama. Our farmers markets or roadside stands don't shut down until around November/December, and will open up again around February. Some places stay open year round and will bring in things from Florida. Also, fresh eggs and local meats are always available.

Shop local, ya'll! Not only is it better for your body, but small businesses are the best way to go, hands down. They are vital to your community, no matter how big or small.

These girls are the best! I have two tomboys that can also be princesses - what better can you ask for? Not afraid to bait their own hook and are looking forward to climbing up in a tree stand with daddy one day, but also likes to wear big hairbows and dress up with mama. Best of both worlds. :)

This, my friends, is my new favorite breakfast. Steel cut oats with fresh berries and coffee. I've also been including a fruit smoothie, which is GREAT! I add in whatever fruits I have on hand, milk and a scoop of Reliv, and it helps fill me up!

We have been existing on snowcones lately. In other parts of the world, it may be known as shaved ice - but here in southeastern Alabama, it's snowcones! My favorite flavor is Fuzzy Navel, but my cousin had the Pina Colada flavor at her daughters birthday party, so I tried it. Instant love.

I sound like a lush, but I promise there was no alcohol involved!

And even way out here in the country, the ice cream truck comes by - on Sundays in the afternoon, no less! Here, Sundays in the summertime = relaxing in my lounge chair out back while my kids play in their little pool/sprinkler, reading a good book and at 2 pm, getting a strawberry snowcone delivered to me. :)

We completed our first year of homeschooling last week!

Sara finished second grade and June finished Kindergarden!

She didn't know she had a diploma coming and was so surprised and happy!

I'm so proud of both my girls AND myself for taking on this task and doing it with our whole hearts. Both got A honor roll!

Banana Nut Bread - SO EASY!

2016-05-18T09:48:00.003-04:00

Earlier this week, I made the best banana bread recipe I've ever made! You can find it on Pinterest, but I'll post the screenshot of it at the end.

First, you cream together your butter and sugar.

It will look similar to this when it's creamed.
It should come together nice and supple and shouldn't be too sticky or too runny.

Then add in 1/2 teaspoon of salt:

Your flour:

Pop it in the oven (see recipe below for baking instructions) and this turns out amazing. I added in chopped pecans, but you could easily add walnuts instead, or even keep it plain.
It was so good that we dug into it immediately and forgot to take a picture!
Womp, womp, womp.

Happy Wednesday, ya'll! Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday 5.9-5.15

2016-05-09T13:03:00.000-04:00

Hey ya'll! It's time for another Meal Plan Monday.

Last week, we didn't get to hardly any recipes I had planned.
Monday, my mom made copycat Chik-Fil-A chicken nuggets (SO GOOD!), green beans and rice. Tuesday we had Taco Bell. :o Wednesday we had an early Mothers Day tea at church, so we ate there. Thursday we had french toast and sausage. Friday was beef stroganoff and roasted cabbage. Saturday we had a birthday party that we ate at, and Sunday Mike took us out for Mother's Day to an amazing little Italian restaurant. I had the veggie linguine - it was so good!

DId ya'll have a good Mothers Day? I did. Mike got up before us and made my mom (who lives with us) and myself coffee, and he was making oatmeal with fresh berries on top for us when we stumbled into the kitchen. That was a nice treat. He cooks very well, but he doesn't cook often (other than grilling in the summer) so it was an extra special treat. That works out fine for me because I enjoy cooking. :) We spent some time riding country roads, had lunch at the great Italian restaurant mentioned above, and spent a little time at the pier on the lake. Then he planted some tomatos , I broke in my new lounge chair in the sunshine, and my mom rested. It was awesome!

Now....let's get on to yummier things!

Monday: potato leek soup (from Taste of Home magaine, but I can't find a link online)

Tuesday: tacos (with mine on red bell pepper wedges)

Wednesday: pasta with ground beef and a four cheese sauce, served with fresh snapped green beans

Thursday: BLTs with pasta salad

Friday: Gyros

Saturday: tuna noodle casserole with sweet peas on the side

Sunday: ribs in the crockpot and finished on the grill fried green tomatoes, mashed potatoes

I also posted a YouTube video on my channel about this - you can check it out!

And as always, go check out Organizing Junkie for some great inspiration!

Happy Mothers Day! 2016

2016-05-07T11:47:00.003-04:00

Happy Mothers Day!

I became a mama 8 years ago. I actually became a mama 9 years ago, when I found out I was expecting our sweet Sara Faith.

I have been blessed with this sassy little thing for almost 9 years now.

She is my first true love, the one who made me truly realize the feeling of realizing I would give my very own life for her to have just one more day on earth.

She was 23 months old when we found out we were expecting our sweet June Claire. I was absolutely thrilled to be having a second little girl, becuase I knew the best friends they would end up being. And they are. Junebug has brought us SO much joy. She is our comedian and we love her to pieces. From day one she has tried her hardest to be just like her big sister.

Today I'm celebrating my 9th Mothers Day.

Some have been harder than others.

But each one has been wonderful and so far, I have not missed one with my girls!

Spending Mothers Day 2013 at Emory University Hospital.

Of course, I wouldn't be a mama without these two people.

My mother-in-law and my husband are two of the best there is!

And this woman here is quite special to me - she's MY mama.

You are never too old to need your mama, and you should never be too grown to admit it.

Thanks to this woman, we're able to function as a family. She always, always gives up what she's doing at the drop of a hat to come help us.

I love you, mama. Thank you for teaching me how to be a good one to my babies.

Five on Friday! 5/6/16

2016-05-06T16:05:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday, ya'll! I love reading all of the Five on Friday links every week. It's a great way to kick off the weekend! I'm linking up this week and will spend my "down time" this afternoon reading the other links. :)

| O N E |

This sweet girl right here is my mini-me. Sara is 8 now and she is on FIRE!

I have apologized to so many people in the past few weeks for how I must have acted when I was her age. I"m still applogizing. I don't think I will ever be done. She is never still. She asks seven jillion questions every second and never stops creating ways to do things.

If I open a cabinet or drawer to see it changed and "re-organized" on emore time, I might scream.

Of course, this only annoys me because I AM JUST LIKE THAT. I want it organized MY way and rarely stop to consider that...someone else in the world may be like me. :o

| T W O |

This happened the other night. I have never had any tea other than sweet iced tea before in my life. Even with my years living in England. But I got a hankering for a hot cup of something, and I didn't want to have coffee at 8:30 at night.

And it wasn't bad. There's more of it in my future.

| T H R E E |

This boy right here has my heart. He is so strong! FIrst of all, he's put up with me for almost 11 years, and that right there is enough to crown him King of All Things Calm and Patient.

But he's going through chemo now, and still found the energy and wherewithal to cut grass this week. Last week he was in the bed sick 24/7, but this week he only had one day of chemo and seems to be feeling better. He'll be back to feeling awful soon enough, so we're enjoying the good days while they are here. :)

| F O U R |

I'm hooked on this breakfast lately. It's delicious!

It's scrambled eggs (or fried hard, I like to change it up), topped with salami I've warmed up in the pan with some spinach and mushrooms, topped with feta. I prefer it with fruit on the side,

usually a banana or berries.

Ya'll should try it. You won't regret it.

| F I V E |

I'm sooo excited to share this! Miss June Claire finished Kindergarten!

Both girls actually finished their school year yesterday, and I didn't get a picture of Sara, because as you can imagine - it was total chaos once I announced it was O V E R!

I think I've mentioned before that we started homeschooling this year and let me just be honest here, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to do it. It's not easy work and if someone ever tells you that it is, they are lying straight through their teeth. I have gained a whole new respect for public school and private school teachers now. I only have two students. They have around 20, give or take. I would have been in the psychiatric ward, I believe.

I hope ya'll have a great weekend!

Meal Plan Monday! 5.2-5.8 2016

2016-05-02T15:58:00.000-04:00

I'm back again! Can you believe it? (I can't.)

The weather today is a little dark because it's supposed to rain later this evening, but still a day with great weather. After school lessons were done, we got outside for a while. The girls helped me pull some weeds and pick up the yard (we filled up a whole "weed bucket" - aka an old Easter egg pail - and together we got the front walk and stoop swept off. Some of the wildflowers the girls planted are coming up in the flowerbed! Not big enough to get a good picture, but maybe in another week or two. We've got more bell peppers and tomatoes coming along in the back yard, and we have another packet of flower seeds to plan. Still waiting on the daylilies my mom planted for me to show through. I love spring and summer, especially here in Alabama!

I love menu planning. It is one of my favorite things to post and read. I've been following Organizing Junkie for years and I love following her Menu Plan Monday linkups. They're great! Go check her out, and if you link up, let me know!

Monday: Copycat Chik-Fil-A chicken nuggets with roasted cabbage

Tuesday: tacos (mine will be on red bell pepper wedges)

Wednesday: potato leek soup

Thursday: Baked egs with spinach and feta, sausage

Friday: BLTs and pasta salad

Saturday: poolside birthday party!

Yay for sunshine and fun with family1

Sunday: beef stroganoff, roasted brussel sprouts and sweet peas

I hope ya'll have agreat day! If your weather is good, get outside and enjoy the sunshine for a little while! If not, take a minute and play a card game with a friend or loved on. Just get up and do SOMETHING!

God bless!

Sunshine, vegetables, and nurses - oh my!

2016-04-29T21:01:00.000-04:00

Well, lookee here! I made it back twice in one week!

It's been a crazy week. Mike completed his first week of chemo (GO MIKE!) and while he's quite nauseous, extremely tired, and just feeling a bit down in the dumps overall - he's trucking on through like a champ. I'm SO proud of him!

I'm just going to do a cell phone picture dump for your pleasure, okay?

I came across this meme today:

Isn't it so true? I've never had an old dog to fail me, old folks just want to sit in the rocking chair and be loved on, and old ways have proven to be great.

This was Monday's selection of books to read.
We're still working on The Bobbsey twins.

Miss June loves to help me do my PT exercises every day during their PE time.

Love being able to do schoolwork with the big windows and enjoy the sunshine!

Mike came home from chemo not feeling very well,

but he decided to grill steaks anyway.

I'm so thankful for him. Yes, we fuss. Yes, he annoys me to no end.

But he is my #1!

Nurse June had to check him out with her doctor kit as soon as he walked in.

Here, she's checking to make sure his port is okay.

Sara is just snuggling up to him, happy to have him home.

June and MawMaw (my mama) having a "chat" (as June likes to call it).

Our first tomato!

And our first bell pepper!

Love this scene on a Friday night.

Can't say I'd have it any other way. :)