We made it to the Ice Cream Cottage!

We got home from Cape Cod yesterday and before I do my full vacation post (not sure when I will get to do that because today is extremely busy and tomorrow I start my new job), I wanted to post this:

                         WE MADE IT TO THE ICE CREAM COTTAGE!!!!!

The Ice Cream Cottage is Colleen's ice cream dream. Colleen and I have been reading each other's blogs for years.  YEARS!  You can read all about Colleen's history with ice cream and her family's dream to open an ice cream shop in Fairhaven, MA starting here. It's a several part series and it's worth the read - I always love a good blog series but I love even more reading how God works things out and is involved in all the tiny details of our lives.

 

I knew I wanted to try to make it to the Ice Cream Cottage to possibly meet Colleen but definitely to support her new business.  I knew in order to make that happen the visit would need to occur as we were either coming on the Cape or going off the Cape as Fairhaven is about an hourish drive from West Yarmouth where we stay on the Cape. 

 

I knew that after two days in the car, a stop on the trip up was not going to happen  and I knew that it wouldn't work stopping on our way home at the end of vacation because it would be too early.  We were going off Cape two times during our trip this year - on Sunday to visit Cathy and Eric in Newport, RI and on Tuesday to go to Boston for a Red Sox game.  It had to be Sunday because we were going to be leaving very early for Boston to visit Dan's uncle and his brother's family and we wouldn't be home until very late after the game.  So, Sunday was our only chance.

And obviously as you can tell by the picture - we made it!  It was about 5:45 on Sunday evening after a lovely visit with Cathy and Eric and a great day in Newport, and Dan said, "We're coming up on the Fairhaven exit do you want to see your friend's ice cream shop?"

Well, of course! So we decided we would get ice cream for dinner.  We pulled up to the Cottage and there were a few people in line.  We waited our turn and JP took my order and I could see Andrew scooping ice cream in the back (along with a lot of other busy bees but those were the only two face I recognized). I asked JP if his mom was there and he said that she wasn't.  :(

We got our ice cream (and it was delicious - but I knew it would be!) and after we finished eating it and headed to the car, there were at least 20 people in line (at 6:00 pm on a Sunday) getting ice cream!  I think Colleen and family are going to be in business for a very long time!

I was so glad we were able to visit. Meeting Colleen would have been the cherry on top but maybe we can make it work another year. 

An update!

 It's a new month and time for a quick update post.

On Monday, July 24th, my brother Brad and I went to Raleigh to move Peter from one room in his fraternity house to another.  It's a bigger room and he was excited!  

Dan was still in Ireland, so my brother, being the wonderful human that he is, took off work and headed to Raleigh to help us!  (And this is in addition to all the yard work and other various things he's been helping me with since Dan has been in Ireland.  Thank Brad! You're the best!)

It was hot in Raleigh and Peter's new room is basically in the attic so there was a lot of sweat but we got in done!  

Yes, there's a random door propped up by the porch, yes there's random furniture on the porch, yes there's trash that needs to be picked up BUT - they don't care!  (Sometimes as a mom, I just have to keep repeating to myself..."They. Don't. Care." And then like Elsa, let it go.) .This is during moving all of the boys (some in, some out, some to different rooms) so neatness on this day wasn't a priority.  (I am CERTAIN after everyone got moved in everything was immediately tidied up.  wink wink)

 

His new room is longer so he has an area for a futon and a TV and a desk on one end.

And there's a bed and a  nook that you can't see where he keeps two guitars and an amp on the other end of the room.  And the closet (which is door-less and can be seen in this picture) is almost twice the size of his old closet.  120 year old homes aren't known for their closet space!  

We paused for lunch and headed to The Raleigh Times where Peter has been working all summer.  I failed to get a picture of us there but the food was good and we met the general manager and one of Peter's fraternity brothers/co-workers. Then we headed to Target for a few items because is it even a move without at least one Target trip?

He has since bought some new posters and got some more things hung on the wall and  is enjoying his larger room and as long as he's happy, I'm happy!

Sarah  and the Basement (and a few other friends) headed to the beach last Friday for a long weekend.  They had a ton of fun - played on the beach, mini golfing, eating out, etc.  I'm so glad they got to all hang out together because everyone has been so busy this summer that they haven't been able to get together very often.  

I'm stealing these two pictures that she posted on her Instagram.  

So while she was off having a grand old time at the beach, DAN CAME HOME!!!  Yippee!!!  

We did normal weekend things - yard work, laundry, Mass, out to dinner, lunch at Mom's, etc.  It was a lovely weekend (the only thing that would have made it better was if the kids were home.)

Thankfully, Dan got home in time that we can all go to the Cape before school starts.  We were worried earlier in the summer that his stay was going to get extended even longer which would have meant  vacation without the kids.  That would have been a huge bummer.  But thankfully, it has all worked out! (My fervent prayers were heard!) 

Peter will be home today, Sarah and I are packing and running last minute errands and we are heading to the Cape tomorrow! I'm so excited to get to spend time with my family.

And in probably the biggest news of all......

 

 

 

I have a job!!  

 

 

Two weeks ago, I had a phone interview that went well. Last Friday, I had an in-person interview that went well.  Yesterday, I got the call that I had been hired!  

I start the Tuesday we get back from the Cape.  I will be working as a sales associate at a local gift shop and boutique.  I will also be training in other areas of the boutique - website management, merchandising, etc.  

I will be starting at 20 hours a week with the opportunity to add more hours in the future. Based on how bored I have become with no one at home, I feel like I will want to add more but I'm going to wait and see how part-time goes first. 

Also, management seems very interested in having me learn all the areas of the business so that excites me.  So even though this isn't a corporate job, it feels like there is lots of room to do different things and really figure out where I can add the most value.

So, wish me luck on my new endeavor and hopefully I will have lots of great Cape pictures to post on my return.

Let Freedom Ring!

We had a very lovely long 4th of July weekend! Sarah had to work a double on Friday so when Dan got home from work, we ate dinner, went to the park and walked a couple of miles and then came home and got caught up on a couple of our favorite shows.

On Saturday, Dan did yard work and I just did  things around the house and Sarah worked at the pool.  (She's co-manger now!) In the evening, Joe attended Mass with us and then joined us for dinner at 4th Street Filling Station.  Sarah had to work on Sunday so it was just me and Dan and Mom and Brad for lunch on Sunday but Peter came home Sunday evening after his shift at work ended!  

I'm happiest when all my birdies are in the nest!

Speaking of birdies - I took down the feeders on Friday to prepare for our little 4th of July cookout.  Birds make a mess of everything and I didn't want to risk anyone getting pooped on so it had to be done.  I felt bad for the birds because they kept coming by looking in the window with big hungry eyes. I've put one of the feeders back up but I haven't put the window feeder back up yet.  So many birds keep hitting the window that I think it's dangerous for them.  But the doves and the chipmunk hog the hanging feeder and the little birds aren't getting to eat as much.  Not sure what I'll do.  I'll probably break down and put the window feeder back up.

Here's a picture of our chipmunk Alvin.  He can jump into the feeder from here or he can climb up the little black post the feeder is hanging from.  It's fun to watch him eat - his cheeks fill up with food.  It's adorable.

We had our little 4th celebration on Monday instead of Tuesday so everyone could enjoy themselves without worrying about work the next day.  I made a few dips and Dan grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, my mom made baked beans and hash brown casserole and Jennifer brought two desserts!  I also made a big batch at Sangria that was pretty good!

My brother put on a fabulous fireworks display and before that, God gave us a little sunny shower and capped it off with a double rainbow.  I'll share the rainbow picture because my fireworks pictures never turn out...

This one isn't that bad...

On Tuesday, we all slept in and then Sarah had to work the afternoon shift.  Dan, Peter, and I headed to Pilot Mountain.

 

We also swung by Quarry Park and then had dinner at Hungry Palate.  And just like that, the long weekend was over and Dan was back at work on Wednesday.  Joe came over to hang out with Sarah and ate dinner with us last night and just like that it's already Thursday!

Peter is heading back to Raleigh today and I'm a little bummed but I'll be heading back to Raleigh in a few weeks to help him move into his new room.  He's staying in the same house with his fraternity brothers but some are moving out, some are moving in, and Peter's getting a bigger room.  He's excited!  

And then hopefully a little bit after that we will be heading to the Cape for vacation.  Fingers crossed that everything works out for that to happen.

What I've been up to for the last 24 days since my last post.

Well my efforts to blog more regularly have clearly failed so here I am with a "what I've been up to for the last 24 days since my last post" post.

Dan was in Ireland for almost a month and was set to return home this past Saturday night but was stuck in Newark in the great airport debacle.  His flight was cancelled and it appeared that the next one out was not going to be until Monday night so he and a coworker rented a car and drove through the night and made it home on Sunday morning!  I was very very happy to see him.  

He was originally scheduled to be home for one week then head back to Ireland for a couple of weeks and then come home so we could go to the Cape for vacation.  But, the project is woefully behind schedule so he's going to be home for a couple of weeks (not sure exactly how long) and then will go back to Ireland and return home so we can (hopefully) go the Cape in early August.  I say "hopefully" because the way this program is going, there's not telling what is actually going to happen.  We are hoping really hard that it does work out for an early August Cape trip because if it doesn't, that means the kids won't be able to go to the Cape this summer as school for both of them starts on August 21. 

So, what was I up to while Dan was gone?  Hmmmm....the area behind the kitchen sink needed to be recaulked so I got out the caulk gun and got that done.  I also did the bathroom sinks as well. I got better the more I did it because practice really does make perfect. 

My brother remounted our flagpole which had been down for several many years because of various issues with it and I just love having our flag up again! (Thanks, Brad!)

And it's fixed just in time for the 4th of July!  And thanks to the issues Dan is having at work, he will be home for the 4th instead of in Ireland as originally scheduled.  (I'm trying hard to look for all the positives with his work situation right now.  He's very stressed out and it appears things keep going south.)

I enjoyed a delicious lunch with Jennifer at Mozelle's while Dan was gone.  It was so nice to eat, laugh, and catch up with my bestie.  We don't spend nearly enough time together these days.  I really do miss all the  afternoons we spent at each others houses while the kids were younger.  When the kids were in elementary school we were together almost every afternoon doing the week.  Those were such good times!

I am doing the best I can with our little garden while Dan is gone.  We got everything in late (and less plants than normal) because of his schedule.  And the weather here has been weird.  It has finally warmed up but early July was very cool for around here and our garden is not thriving.  We had a hail storm on Monday night and the tomato plants look a little worse for the wear.  I'm still hopeful that we can get some tomatoes by the end of summer but I'm not too confidant.  

This picture was from two weeks ago so the plants are bigger now.  But usually by this time of year they are three times the size of this. 

Peter came home for a few days while Dan was gone.  It was so nice to have both kids home at the same time. We watched a lot of baseball - college world series and Red Sox, the kids played a lot of Speed and I even did a little cooking.  I made homemade Chipotle bowls and have perfected the Chipotle vinaigrette.  This is the recipe I use if you want to make your own.  Pour it over the top of the bowls or mix it with sour cream to make a creamy sauce and it will definitely elevate your bowl and make it extra delicious.

Speaking of Peter, he is working at a restaurant in Raleigh and I think he is really enjoying it.  Several of his friends work there so that adds to the fun.  He is a food runner currently.  I'm not sure if he wants to work his way up to waiter or not (I think he would actually be a very good waiter) but right now he's enjoying running the food.  I think his current plan is to continue working during the school year so we will see how that goes.  

Sarah has applied to work as a life guard on campus in the fall.  She said she's heard that there's always a lot of people that apply and limited positions so hopefully she can get the job. 

And speaking of jobs...no, I still don't have one yet.  I continue to apply to jobs I see that might be a good fit and continue to hear absolutely nothing back.  But I am hoping that something comes up that would work for me that I would be good at.  Sarah's going to be back in school soon and it sounds like Dan will be gone most of the fall for work so I really need something to do to keep me occupied!

I hope everyone has a nice weekend and a happy 4th of July! My brother is putting on his fireworks show so check back next week (maybe) for some awesome phone photos of fireworks! :)

Just catching up on the last two weeks. (And a 19th birthday!)

Two weeks have passed and I'm just now getting around to updating the blog.  When last I left you, we just had a lovely weekend with a visit from Cathy and a full table at Sunday lunch. Let's see if I can remember what happened after that...

The week of May 22nd was spent watching a lot of sports of TV. (Peter was still home.) We watched a lot of Carolina Hurricanes hockey and a lot of Boston Celtics basketball. Unfortunately, our time spent rooting for these teams wasn't fruitful as neither team made it to the final round of their respective playoffs. Oh well, better luck next year!

Sarah worked and Dan worked but we had lots of dinners together which I've missed with the kids being away in school. Saturday, May 27th we attended Mass. It was a rainy night so the pool closed early and Sarah was able to make it to Quanto Basto in time to join us for dinner. (The meat and cheese board was delicious!)

On Sunday, the 28th, we attended the celebration for the 125th year at Enterprise Moravian Church - the church I grew up in and the church that my mom and brother still attend.  There was a delicious potluck and it was so nice to see everyone.

Monday, the 29th was Labor Day and it was raining and cool (we've had a really weird spring - very cool and very rainy) so the pool didn't open which meant Sarah was able to spend the day with us.We headed to Greensboro with my brother and had lunch at Mac's Speed Shop and went to Edward McKay's, a very large used book store.  Later that evening we grilled hotdogs and watched a movie. 

And then last Tuesday, Dan headed back to Ireland and Peter headed back to Raleigh.  We took a quick family selfie before they left.

Dan left early that morning which is why Sarah looks sleepy and Peter is shirtless - we got them both out of bed to say goodbye.  (And I appreciate them indulging me with the selfie.)

Peter was home for three weeks and Dan was home for two and I will tell you, I enjoyed every minute of the 2 weeks when everyone was home.  The cooking, the cleaning, the laundry, the grocery shopping, the bickering (yes, the two adult  siblings still occasionally bicker), the sports on TV, the movies, the dinners out, the laundry (yes, I listed that twice), all the vacuuming due to Peter's allergies - I considered it all JOY!  It was such a blessing having this time together as a family.  

Wednesday, May 31st was my mom's 80th birthday so I took her to lunch at Firebirds to celebrate! It was delicious but I failed to get a picture of her.  Later that afternoon I had my annual visit to the OB/GYN. I also did not get a picture of that! :)

The next day I went to the plastic surgeon to have a basil cell carcinoma removed from my forehead.  You can see the divot above my eye (in the picture above) that was leftover from the biopsy I had 2 months ago.  I'm hopeful that the place above my eye will be less noticeable now that the plastic surgeon has stitched everything up.  I go back later this week to have the stitches removed. Hopefully instead of a small divot, there will just be another line to add to the growing number of lines on my face. 

On Thursday evening, I had my monthly get together with my Cistas. We met at Lisa's house this month and her husband made us all pizzas in his new pizza oven.  Such a nice evening!

 

On Friday, I had lunch with Jennifer at her work and we got all caught up on all the things!  You can see I've been trying to keep myself busy while Dan's gone. I think I'm doing a pretty good job.

Sarah worked all day on Saturday but made it home in time to join me at Mass and then we went to Yamas for dinner.  Yamas is the local version of Cava and it is soooooooo good!  

And then yesterday was my sweet girl's NINETEENTH birthday!!!  I still can't even fathom that my baby is 19. She was originally scheduled to work on Sunday but there was a schedule change so we made the most of it!

Mom, my brother, Sarah, and her boyfriend Joe, and I went to lunch at 2520 Tavern and then came back to Mom's to unwrap presents and have cake. Mom made this beautiful and delicious pink cake!

Last night, Sarah and her friends went to dinner at Don Juan's in Kernersville and when she got home we watched the first two episodes of Shiny Happy People (the Duggar Documentary) and here we are back to Monday and now you are all caught up! 

A lovely weekend.

We had a very lovely weekend.  On Friday evening we cooked out and then went to Sonic for dessert.  We wanted to watch a movie and after much discussion to find a movie we could all agree on, we landed on Smokey and the Bandit. I know, odd choice, but we enjoyed it even though a lot of the dialogue would be considered politically incorrect today.  

On Saturday, I finished my uncle's birthday cake and Dan and Peter mowed the grass and Dan's sister Cathy arrived.  She wanted to come for a visit to see Sarah for her birthday but on Sarah's actual birthday no one will be home (Dan will be in Ireland and Peter will be in Raleigh and Sarah will be working).  Luckily, it all worked out that she could visit on Saturday and join us for our annual end of school year celebration at Tokyo!

After she arrived, she and Sarah went to one of the local strawberry farms and picked up a bunch of strawberries.  Cathy uses them to make jam. Then we had lunch (tomato, bacon, quesadillas which I realized later I accidentally left out the bacon - they were still delicious) then  we headed to the local garden shop to get some tomato plants.  

Dan and I have been going back and forth about the garden this year. Normally by now we have tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapenos and bell peppers planted. But Dan's been traveling and is about to head out again and will be gone essentially the whole summer so he won't be here to tend to the garden.

I can't stand the thought of no homegrown tomatoes so we decided at the last minute to plant a few tomatoes and a couple of jalapenos.  I will be in charge of watering them and hopefully keeping them alive.  There won't be a big crop but hopefully enough that I can get some sandwiches!

After the trip to the garden store, we planted them and then we all showered and got ready for Mass.  After Mass we headed to Tokyo for dinner.

And yes, my brother loves to mess up our photos by making faces!

This is the best one I could get.

And then one of me with Sarah since I wasn't in the group shot.

After dinner, we came home and spent the rest of the evening around the fire pit chatting and listening to music.  It was such a nice evening.

On Sunday morning, we discovered that something had come through the garden and eaten some of the tomato plants!  We planted 7 plants and several of them were completely gone!  This has never happened before in all of our years of gardening.  We had a couple extras that we had left over so we planted those and later discovered that they had been nibbled but were still basically there. If this continues, I may be going to the farmer's market for my tomato sandwich tomatoes this year!

We had Sunday lunch at my mom's and for the first time in a very long time, we had a full table!  It was so nice I had to take an awkward selfie...

And we celebrated my Uncle David's 88th birthday with cake!

It was a great weekend and I am thankful that we all got to be together.  I am currently enjoying one last week of everyone being under the same roof. Savor the little moments, folks!

More bag talk, more bird talk, a science experiment, and a recipe!

Happy Friday!  

I have been up to my eyeballs in laundry (Dan brought home a ton of it with him and most of it required ironing.  Plus with both kids home there is more laundry in general!), vacuuming (Peter is allergic to our cats and when he lived here became sensitized ((or is it desensitized?)) to them. But when he comes to visit I have to  vacuum a lot to keep him from sneezing for hours on end because he's no longer used to them), and cooking (Kids are home so meals must be planned and cooked!).  

Please note - I am not complaining about being up to my eyeballs in laundry, cleaning, and cooking.  I AM THRILLED TO BE DOING ALL OF THIS!!!  I am sure there are many blog posts in my archives where I was complaining about doing all of these things.  Now I am thankful that I get to do them. 💜

In my last post, I mentioned the beloved blue bags.  Suz wanted a picture of them.  Here they are in action when we moved Peter into his dorm freshman year. 

 

That was all we needed to move Peter.  All his clothes were on hangers in those bags and all of his desk stuff, personal items, shoes, everything else. were crammed in there as well.  So handy! So convenient!  

I originally ordered two Ikea Frakta bags from Amazon to see if I thought they would work for moving.  The Frakta bag is the one you can see with the yellow zipper. After I got those two, I decided I definitely needed more for the move and when I went back on Amazon I found some non-Ikea bags that were cheaper and I like those equally as well.  The Ikea Frakta bags do have shoulder straps on the bottom if you wanted to put the bag on your back and carry it like a giant backpack.  I guess that might make it easier but I never used that function as I am not a pack mule and found that carrying them by the top handles worked just fine.

Peter opened the garage fridge yesterday and called for me to come out and look.  "What's this weird brown icy looking stuff?"

I had put a pack (still in the cardboard box) of mini Diet Pepsi's on the top shelf of the fridge.  Things have been known to freeze on that shelf but I assumed since the drinks were in the cardboard box they would be insulated.  I WAS WRONG!

One of the drinks had frozen, the ice expanded in the can so much so, that the top of the can shot off and WENT THROUGH THE CARDBOARD BOX!!!!!!

Y'ALL!!!!! Look at this...

The box was INTACT when I put it in the fridge.  Do you see the giant hole??  And do you see how the entire top of the Pepsi can looks like it was literally sliced off??  

I had been in the kitchen the day before and heard a loud noise/knock/pop sound.  I thought someone was at the door but no one was there so I just brushed it off as a random household noise.  I am now thinking that what I heard was the physics experiment happening in the fridge in the garage!

The kids have been keeping busy.  Peter went to the driving range to hit balls with one of his friends from high school yesterday. Sarah has spent a lot of time with Joe the last few days.  He got home from Ireland and heads out of town again this weekend for a graduation.  So they hung out a lot on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  She also started working at her pool.  She has been cleaning it and getting it ready to open next weekend. She sent this to to family group text...

Look under that bush!!!! EGGS!!!!

She was cleaning the lazy river (it does look filthy!) and noticed this pile of duck eggs underneath the bush.  She also said there was a mom and dad duck swimming in the big pool! 

We googled last night and duck eggs take 28 days before they hatch and she said these eggs definitely weren't there last weekend when they first started working on cleaning the pool.  And the pool opens next Friday so these won't be hatched by then.  She's working again this afternoon and her supervisor will be there so she's going to ask her what to do.  

I just googled it and found this on the US Department of Fish and Wildlife Service's website:

Mallards are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. It is illegal for any person to take, possess, transport, sell, or purchase them or their parts, such as feathers, nests, or eggs, without a permit. Active nests with eggs or chicks may not be touched or destroyed without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Inactive (empty) nests do not require a permit to destroy. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not issue permits to remove Mallards, eggs, nor nests that are occupying a pool or an enclosed yard.

Who knew???

It's been a minute since I've shared a recipe.  Peter loves Chipotle and when he's home, I always make homemade Chipotle bowls.  I make fresh guacamole, rice, seasoned black beans, lettuce, seasoned chicken, pico de gallo , and serve it all with sour cream and taco sauce.  

But this time I wanted to spiff it up even more and I made a homemade version of Chipotle's Honey Vinaigrette.  I didn't even know Chipotle had a dressing but I saw people talking about it online.  And I saw people mixing it with sour cream and adding that to their bowls.  I've done that and it is delicious.  I found a recipe online and IT WAS SO GOOD!  So, if you make homemade Chipotle bowls, you need to make this vinaigrette.  Heck - this stuff is so good that you should make it even if you don't make burrito bowls at home. It's great on salads and is good as a dip when mixed with sour cream. The chipotle peppers add such a nice smokey flavor and the honey keeps it from being too spicy!  DELICIOUS!!!

The recipe I used comes from Once Upon a Chef and can be found here.

All right.  I must get to work! Dan's sister is coming for a visit this weekend and the guest room needs some attention and it's my Uncle's birthday and he will be joining us for Sunday lunch and a cake must be made! It's not a birthday without a cake. :)

Have a great weekend!

 

Full nest, full heart!

Ahhhhhh...my heart is happy!  My nest is full - for the moment and I am enjoying every minute of it!

On Thursday, Brad and Peter and I headed to Charlotte to move Sarah home for the summer.  Thanks to the big blue bags, we made quick work of it!  If you aren't using the big blue Ikea (or similar brands from Amazon) bags to move then you are doing it wrong.  These bags are life savers.  I purchased 8 of them before we moved Peter his freshman year and am not looking back.  You can pile/shove/cram so much stuff in these bags and they zip up and stack so well when they are full.  We don't even take clothes off of hangers.  We just fold them in half on the hanger and put into the miracle bag.  It makes moving a dream.  (Well, moving is never a dream but it definitely makes things run go much smoother.)

The obligatory empty dorm room photo.

 

On Friday, I helped Sarah sort out clothes from her closet and got rid of things she didn't wear any longer and helped her sort through the pile of stuff in the bonus room.  The pile of stuff being everything previously contained in said blue bags.

On Saturday, I had lunch with Jennifer at the Village Tavern. It was so nice to catch up with her. We've made a date to do it again in June!  

On Saturday evening, I put Peter in charge of the grill and as he cooked burgers, Sarah and I hung out with him and we listened to music.  It was such a beautiful evening, we ate outside.  It was so nice and the burgers were delicious.  And then around 8:00 PM, Dan got home from Ireland!!!!!  Finally, everyone was home.

I woke up to a nice little treat on Mother's Day...

Cards, flowers, and earrings! My first stop in the morning is always at the Keurig so they  put my cards and gifts there.  :)  

We went to Mass and then headed to my Mom's to celebrate Mother's Day with her. 

Me with my babies.

My mom with her babies.

Later that afternoon, Dan and I headed to Goose and the Monkey to enjoy an adult beverage and to catch up on all the things he had missed while being in Ireland.  

Yesterday was another busy day.  After I got groceries, I ran errands with Sarah.  We took a big bag of her castoffs to Plato's Closet to see if they would consign any of them.  They kept some of the items and we left with an extra $21.50 in our pockets and came back home with a bunch of the stuff they didn't want. I will try to list some of it on Poshmark and the rest will go to Goodwill. She also needed a few things - shoes to wear at the pool, sunscreen, socks, etc.. so we headed to Starbucks and Target.  Then we came home and finished sorting through all of her stuff and organizing it so that we don't have to do that in August when it's time to move her back.

And now it's a cloudy Tuesday.  I will hopefully getting in my 3 mile walk and catch up on laundry. It's funny how you don't mind laundry, errands, grocery shopping, and cooking when all your people are at home.   Peter heads back to Raleigh in two weeks and Dan heads to Ireland again soon so I am going to enjoy every last little chore and every moment spent together while everyone is home.💗 

My house has a revolving door, the birds are all grown up, a good book, and my new favorite spice!

Dan left for Ireland again on Saturday.  He will be back this Saturday and home for two weeks, then will be gone for a month.  Then home for a week and gone for two.  Then home to go on vacation then back to Ireland.  In other words, he will be gone for most of the summer.  :(

But in good news, Sarah came home on Friday afternoon as she had training/orientation at the new pool she will be working at this summer.  She headed back to Charlotte on Sunday afternoon to finish up her exams.  Peter, who is done with finals, came home Sunday night and will be here for a little bit before he heads back to Raleigh to look for a summer job. It's starting to feel like the front door is revolving...

My brother and I along with Peter will be heading to Charlotte on Thursday to pack up Sarah and bring her home for the summer.  I know she will be busy with work and friends most of the summer but it will be nice to have someone home(ish) with me while Dan is gone.

Sarah got home on Friday before I did. I was out running errands with my mom and as soon as I walked in the door, Sarah  said, "Are those new glasses?!"  I knew she would notice my new (and totally different looking!) glasses!  :)

Peter sent me this photo on Saturday...

He was telling me that the parents are spending less and less time with the babies.  And then on Sunday, he sent me this one with the caption of "My babies are all grown up."

And let me tell you, I felt that caption. I responded with some crying face emojis and saved him from a discourse on how hard it is to watch your babies leave but that they have to because it's how life works - it means the parents have successfully done their job. I also failed to mention that Empty Nest Syndrome is real and will leave you feeling a little sad even though you've done your job well. 

We are both wondering if the birds will come back to the same spot nest time they have a brood.  I was googling and doves attempt 2-5 nestings a year up until September. He may get to see another set of babies as doves typically use the same nesting spot if they had a successful brood there.

I just finished Defending Jacob, a book that was recommended to me by Gigi. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was well written and there were a couple of twists and turns at the end that I did not see coming.  My only issue with it (and I have this issue with a lot of books) is that 90% of the book is the basis of the story and then the last 10% is twists, turns, wrapping things up, etc and you are left reeling a bit.  So I needed some time to process the last couple of chapters but it was a great book and even though it was long, I read it in a week. Thanks, Gigi!  

Before I go (I need to get my walk in before it gets too hot - it's supposed to be 84 today), I wanted to share this spice with you...(Sorry for the screenshot.  I'm too lazy to get up, go to the kitchen, take a picture, upload it to the computer etc....)

This stuff is so good!  I enjoy salads but have trouble eating them without a ton of dressing so I've started putting this on my lettuce and it adds so much flavor that I hardly need dressing.  

The ingredient list is as follows: Salt Crystals (Earth and Sea), Hydrolyzed Soy Protein (No Added MSG), Soy Granules, Mellow Toasted Onion, Nutritional Yeast, Garlic, Orange Powder, Dill, Kelp, Horseradish, Mustard Flour, Orange and Lemon Peel, Celery Granules and Powder, Sweet Green and Red Bell Peppers, Parsley Flakes, Celery Root Powder, White Pepper, Turmeric, Rosehips, Summer Savory, Onion Powder, Parsley Powder, Mushroom Powder, Coriander, Fenugreek, Basil, Cayenne Pepper, Spinach Powder, Cloves, Cumin, Ginger, Marjoram, Oregano, Thyme, Tarragon, Cinnamon, Safflower, Paprika, Tomato, Rosemary, Celery Seed Ground. 

Have you guys ever used it?  Does anyone have any other tips on how to eat less dressing on a salad - because to me that's the best part!