Weekend Snapshots

Happy Tuesday!! For those who don't know, thanks to the Hubs' work schedule, our weekends run from Sunday to Monday, although this weekend, he had an early day on Saturday, which almost made it feel like a three-day-weekend.

Like most weekends, we were pretty slammed, trying to fit it all in. To be productive and have fun at the same time. The kiddo has really been teaching us a lot about parenthood (and patience)...which is the nice way of saying that she's been testing and trying us as much as she can...with plenty of cute and wonderful mixed in. 2 ½ is the best and the worst age! 

We started the weekend with Z's half birthday celebration. Unbrushed post-nap hair, half a cake (chocolate with marshmallow frosting filling and chocolate buttercream), and this year, because her real b-day was a little pathetic,  Z got some presents...none of which were wrapped because we are total bums. But, I don't think she minded. 

bristle block set | basket of play food | basket of veggies 

Iggy Peck, Architect | Rosie Revere, Engineer

My brother is away for work, so my sweet sister-in-law came to dinner with their puppy. He's tripled in size since we last saw him, and Z is every bit as smitten. 

And since I can't have a pic of Ares without adding one of Scout...

The rest of the weekend was pretty typical...Sunday pancakes (with sprinkles for Z's half b-day, of course!), signed up for swim lessons, Home Depot, grocery, and plenty of project work and playtime. 

Checking out the rec center pool

This is what you get when you say "Make a silly face!"

Watching the neighbors' dog run off the zoomies

Hope you all had a great weekend! We've got lots going on around here, starting with some great end of summer weather! Perfect for working on some projects for Z's big girl room...but more on that later! 

Strawberry Pickin'

Well, after having our WiFi fritz out on us, and losing a day and a half after updating my OS, and just being super busy, I finally have a post about our weekend...last weekend. 

Last weekend, we finally did something I've been excited to do since we moved here...we went strawberry picking! The Hubs & I both have fond memories of doing this as kids back in Florida and we were super jazzed about taking Z. The kid love loves strawberries. Loves them. I blame myself. I mainlined strawberries when I was pregnant (and pretty much still).

The Hubs noticed a sign at one of the local farms announcing the start of picking season, and since the weather was just about perfect, well, how could we not go? Ten minutes from the house, friends. Back home, it's a haul to the you-pick-it place. But ten minutes. Actually, ten minutes in two different directions. This place is lousy with strawberries. Who knew?!

We rolled up thirty minutes before they opened, so we thought we'd get some froyo to kill time. Unfortunately, not a single froyo place nearby, so we hit Wendy's for Z's first Frosty instead. #win

Once we got to the strawberry patch, we grabbed a bucket and got to picking'. We put Z in charge of the bucket, and she had a ball running up and down the aisles, pointing out and grabbing berries. 

Z's shirt | shorts | Chucks | necklace - old American Eagle

Strawberry picking was not without excitement. The patch isn't far from the road, with just a gravel parking lot in between. We were all bent over picking and having fun with our families, when all of a sudden we heard screeching tires. I looked up to see a guy on a motorcycle losing and regaining control of his bike as he tried not to hit the car in front of him, veering off into the grassy ditch. He would have been fine at that point, had he not hit the driveway, which launched him and his bike into the air. He flipped, ass over tea kettle, at least 15 feet in the air, and landed flat on his back in the ditch. It was so unreal. Like something we've seen a hundred times on Ridiculousness. Super slo-motion, then in fast-forward as the poor guy fell back to the ground. Thankfully, he was ok. Had on his helmet and landed well. But good gravy-he gave us all heart attack! 

We all took a breath and got back to picking as EMS arrived. The weather was perfect and there were so many berries!

As soon as we got home, (and after a bath and a nap) we washed our berries and enjoyed them with some leftover fresh whipped cream (extra from a key lime pie I made a couple of days before). 

Sooo goooood!!

We've also sliced them over ice cream and thrown them in the freezer and added them to our morning smoothies. (My favorite recipe, chocolate FairLife milk, frozen strawberries, a banana, handful of baby kale, teaspoon of chia. Holy moly! Probably the best thing ever!) I'm dying to try this frozen treat and these coffee cake muffins with our next batch of fresh picked berries. 

I would love to do this every weekend, and, in fact, we're planning to hit the Strawberry Festival tomorrow, which includes more picking!!

Our Extra Long Weekend

Happy December, friends!! The holiday season is officially upon us and I couldn't be more excited!  Over here, we're already listening to holiday music and getting ready to start cookie baking! Hope you all had a delicious and relaxing Thanksgiving. If you're like me, you're probably just coming out of the mashed potato and pie haze. 

Our Turkey Day began the way it always does: bright and early in the chilly temps for Bacon Fest.

tunic - Gap (sold out) | skinny jeans - Gap Outlet (in store only) | boots

What's that, you might ask? Well, our street is on the route for the annual Running for the Pies 5K, and one of our neighbors sets up a tailgate tent, brews some coffee, mixes mimosas, and fries up a ton of bacon. Neighbors gather to cheer on the 1500+ runners as they fly by at the start & end of the race. Every year the Hubs & and I swear we're gonna run "next year", and this time was no exception.   Next year is gonna be our year!

Once the runners passed, we headed back to our place for breakfast, peppermint hot chocolate, and the parade, then started prepping for the big meal. We were super excited to have my brother in town for the holiday, since we haven't seen him since Easter. I'm just bummed that I didn't get a pic of all of us together. (I managed to lose my camera charger about a week ago and still need to replace it. I keep hoping it will magically appear before I shell out $$$ for a new one. Grr! That also means no pics of our decor or table and only selfies and one tired iPhone shot of the three of us at the end of the night. Boo.) Zoey pulled a Beyonce and had several wardrobe changes thanks to the changing temps throughout the day. 

bunny dress

Friday was a lazy day for Z and I. The Hubs had to work (boo!), and I'm not much for Black Friday crowds, so the kid, Scout, and I snuggled in and spent most of our morning under a quilt on the sofa before braving the cold wind for a long walk around the hood. 

striped tee - Gap (old) | skinny jeans | gray Chucks

We actually ventured out on Saturday to watch a little Gator football. The game ended terribly (but not surprisingly), but we had such a good time seeing old friends and watching Zoey play with their dog (this kid love loves dogs!) and another little girl her age. She actually cried when her new friend left. It was so sweet!

striped tee - Gap (sold out- similar here)

Sundays usually mean errands, and this weekend was no different. We hit Target, had lunch at Moe's, one of Zo's favorites, hit Home Depot, and started the hunt for our Christmas tree. Along with everyone else in Palm Beach County. 

The weather was beautiful, and the day started out so promising, but this is where it took a turn. We checked two places for trees and came out empty handed. So we decided the tree could wait, and turned our focus to putting lights on the house. In our old house, we really did it up. But the place we're in now is kind of limited, landscaping-wise, as far as places to actually put lights. So we keep it on the simple side, which is tough since we trend more towards the Griswold side of things. And in true Griswold fashion, most of our lights had gone kaput, so we foolishly braved our under-construction walmart in search of a few new strings of lights. And that's the last time I go anywhere near that joint until construction is done, and maybe even after! We got a few strings up before dinner and settled in with a little Christmas Vacation before bedtime. Not a bad way to end a crazy day! 

And today...we finally got our tree!! Zo had way too much fun running between the trees and made it impossible for me to get a decent pic. 

Lights went on tonight, ornaments later this week. Once you get the tree, it really starts feeling (and smelling) like Christmas! We are hosting Christmas this year, so we really had to find the perfect one. Z even helped with the lights! 

pjs - Gap (sold out - similar here)

It's amazing how a lighted tree can make your whole house feel cozy. I think Clark would agree. 

Have you guys started decorating yet? 

Our Weekend

I don't post too many weekend updates these days, cuz, honestly, our weekends are all pretty much the same: football (bonus if the Gator game kicks off after the Hubs gets home from work!), brunch and laziness on Sunday, a project around the house, pool or beach time, and trips to Publix and the produce market on Monday. Not too exciting.

This weekend was a little bit more eventful. My mom was visiting, and during a break in the lousy weather, we decided to take Zoey to the public library for the first time. Holy wow! She was in heaven! It's well documented that the kid loves loves books and being read to. She goes nuts in Barnes & Noble and the library was no different. Running up and down the aisles randomly pulling out books and DVDs. She was so cute!

On Sunday, after a late night and triple overtime in the Florida game (Gators FTW!!), the Hubs, Z and I needed to get ourselves out of the house. So what if it was minutes from nap time (parents of the year, folks!!)? Since it's still so hot here (no fair to everyone enjoying gorgeous fall weather right now), we bummed around the mall for a while. Exciting stuff, I know.

After the mall, we headed to our favorite little froyo joint. This was Z's very first taste of froyo...with rainbow sprinkles to match her dress, of course! I think we all know that the froyo was a hit.

To our surprise, Z zonked out in the carseat just minutes from home. Typical. So we cruised over to the inlet to watch the boats, though the people watching is way better. (I once saw a woman walking a cat on a leash there. Who does that?!)

We headed home and watched a little football before the power went out - during the last quarter of the Packers game! With no way to cook, it was Jersey Mike's and PB&J by candlelight.

Z didn't appreciate the romance of a candlelit dinner. Not sure if she was freaked out by the dark all around or the flickering candles, but she just wasn't having it. The FPL guy walking around out front with a headlamp and flashlight didn't help either.

Thankfully, the power came on after a while and life was back to normal. Bed time for the bambino and vegging out in front of the TV for us. Life is good!

Any excitement in your weekends? Football, froyo, and power outages spell excitement for us!

Our Fourth of July Weekend

Ahh the Fourth. One of my favorite holidays. Sunshine, activities on/in/adjacent to the water, grilling out, and fireworks. Sounds pretty perfect to me (if you ignore the oppressive Florida heat, overwhelming humidity, and bloodthirsty mosquitoes). The Hubs always works on the Fourth (and this year the day after, too), but we usually find a way to enjoy the pool and a delicious dinner before the festivities begin.

But not this year. This year it rained. It rained a lot. All weekend. The monsoon rain started on Friday around lunch time, and I knew that all my plans for festive fun with the bambino before the Hubs made it home from work were not going to happen. Pool time and her first taste of bomb pop would have to be postponed. No biggie. We would try again on Saturday.

No. such. luck. It has rained every damn day since Friday. Nasty "tropical" kinds of rain. Thunder, lightning, and, you guys, just so much rain. In fact, as I type this post, it's raining. And there's more coming tomorrow.

The Fourth started with a festive breakfast. A patriotic waffle. I thought the kid would devour this -waffles are practically the only breakfast food she'll eat. But the cream cheese and strawberry jam, two things she loves btw, really threw Z for a loop. She ate the banana and blueberries, but insisted on her usual waffle toppings - lightly buttered with cinnamon. So I ate the festive waffle and it was delicious!

It wasn't long after breakfast that the clouds rolled in. So we treated the day like every other, hoping that tomorrow would be sunny enough to hit the pool. We got a little punchy...

The Hubs grilled burgers in the rain, and we enjoyed these yummy drinks, and had strawberry shortcake s'mores for dessert. (Grilled poundcake topped with Hershey bars, toasted marshmallows, and sliced strawberries. So amazingly wonderful!)

And although the rain had finally stopped, we decided to skip walking over to the bridge to enjoy the fireworks like we do every year. We figured the humidity hanging in the air would make them tough to see so we kept Z up late and watched some of the Macy's show, dancing along to the music. (Sorry for the poorly lit shot. Such amateur hour here! Jeeze!)

We took another shot at holiday fun on Saturday, and by Sunday, I was going stir-crazy. So between storms we went to lunch and stopped by Jupiter Inlet to run around before the rains started up again. Zoey loved watching the boats and jet skis run by, and of course, all she wanted to do was walk back and forth along the jetty.

On the short ride home, I'm talking ten minutes tops, the Nothing rolled in (ya, I just hit you with a Neverending Story reference!), and we were trapped in our car, in the driveway while a small tropical event happened around us. Once we made it inside, a festive snack made us all feel a little bit better.

Finally, on Monday, the sun was out long enough for the Hubs to get some wood cut for a project we're working on and for me to set up the kid with her new water table. She loved it, as we knew she would, but after about fifteen minutes, the rain started again AGAIN! It was light at first, so we played with the rock box on the porch, but eventually the porch flooded and we were sent inside, where we stayed for the rest of the day. Boo!

So. Not the perfect holiday I had planned. No pool time, sparklers, or fireworks. The bomb pops are still in the freezer (I'm thinking they're more of an outside treat). It was a mommy blogger fail. But we somehow managed to still have a decent weekend, even if we were trapped indoors the whole time. The rain forced us to slow down and just be lazy - something that doesn't happen nearly enough around here. And the good news is, although its rained 28 of the last 31 days, there is sunshine in the forecast later this week. Hallelujah!