Fantastic Weekend

This past weekend was, in a word, fantastic.

Friday after work Kevin and I headed to Eau Claire where we met two of my best girlfriends (we are talking friends forever, bridesmaids in my wedding, best friends a girl could ask for) Justine and Alyssia (Justine's boyfriend Derek also came, which Kevin was super happy about) out for dinner. We had Mexican food, drinks (water for the mommy-to-be, of course) and great conversation. I never feel like I see my girls from back home enough, and I was so happy we got to spend some quality time catching up.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early and headed to Wausau with my Daddio (Momma was already in Wausau) for my first BABY SHOWER! This baby shower was for my Momma's side of the family. Since most of them live in Wausau or the immediate area, we thought it would be nice to travel to them instead of asking them to travel to Eau Claire or the cities (which they all did for my bridal shower, which was amazing...I have a great family!). I was so excited for the shower because I love my Mom's side of the family but don't get to see them too often because of the distance between us. They are loud (in a good way, of course!), rambunctious, hilarious and a ridiculous amount of fun. My wonderful, amazing Aunt Verna and Cousin Carla threw the shower at their new house that they purchased just a few months ago. This also gave them the opportunity to show off their new fabulous digs. My Cousin also got married in August and had the chance to show the family her gorgeous wedding photos. They had the cutest "It's a Girl!" decorations up, and some tasty food for lunch. After kicking the boys out, the ladies and I ate, chit-chatted and opened presents. I got some fantastic presents, what a generous family I have! It was wonderful to see how excited everyone is for Kevin and I and how loved and supported we are. I cannot tell you how great of a time I had laughing and telling stories with my family.

A picture with the cake before we kicked the boys out!

On Sunday, we once again got up bright and early and loaded the party bus in Wausau and headed to Lambeau for the Packer game! I was SO excited! Kevin (although he is a Vikings fan), had never been to Lambeau, and I hadn't been to a game in years. We arrived at Lambeau field and got a bite to eat before the game. Then, after a mini-meltdown on my part (pregnancy hormones, ugh!), we found our seats. The Packers didn't play great, and I was bummed that several of my favorite players were out with injuries (Jordy Nelson, for one), but I was perfectly happy watching Clay Matthews toss his long, flowing locks around, Aaron Rodgers throw a TD pass, and my all-time favorite, Donald Driver, having a blast during the game, as he always does. The Packers won, and although it wasn't pretty, we'll take it. After the game we loaded the party bus for the trip back to Wausau. Once we got back, it was a quick stop at my Aunt's house for a piece of cake then Kevin and I hit the road for our 4 hour journey home to the cities and our sweet pupperdoo Diesel. Diesel was so happy Mom and Dad were home he could barely contain himself. Love warm homecomings like that! It definitely was a long day and weekend but it was all worth it!

Love that smile!

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Freezing our butts off but excited for the game!

My boys warming up! Go Pack Go!

On another note, I want to take a minute to express my condolences and send my love to those on the East Coast. As Hurricane Sandy (no longer a hurricane, but a very large, very powerful storm), rages through cities along the coast, I find myself constantly thinking about my sister (living in Washington D.C.) and her boyfriend, Trey (living in Virginia Beach), and hoping that they are safe and healthy. Trey evacuated his apartment, which is only 2 blocks from the ocean, and he isn't yet sure if it flooded or not. But, at least he is safe and has somewhere farther inland to go, and that's all that matters. My sister said that the storm didn't hit D.C. as hard as they thought it would, and that she is safe. Such a sobering reminder of the power of Mother Nature.

**Update: My sister and Trey are both safe and sound! Trey is back home after the power was restored. His apartment did not flood but the apartments across the parking lot, about 50 feet away, did, as well as most of the surrounding area. He has not ventured to the beach yet to see what it and the boardwalk/shops look like. Very happy they are safe! Still thinking of those who have a long road of grieving and clean-up ahead of them!!!

Hurricane Sandy! Yikes!

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Have a great week, everyone!

Xoxo,
Dory

It's a GIRL!

It's a GIRL!

We had our doctor's appointment this past Monday. Baby girl was MOVING around so at first the ultrasound tech wasn't totally sure if she was a girl or boy. After two more checks throughout the 1 hour ultrasound, the tech (and then our doctor, after reviewing the ultrasound photos) confirmed that they are 99% sure we are having a sweet baby girl!

Kevin and I are absolutely THRILLED! We of course would have been ecstatic either way, but I wanted a girl so badly and I am still in shock that I got my wish. I 100% thought we were having a boy, even calling baby "him" or "he" when we were talking about her. Kevin, however, thought it was a girl. Since Kevin NEVER seems to lose any "bets" we place, I secretly hoped that this time he would prove me wrong, and of course he did. Baby girl is measuring 3 days ahead of where she was at my first ultrasound. At my appointment, I was 19 weeks, 6 days. She measured at 20 weeks, 2 days. They aren't changing my February 26th due date as of now, though. Baby girl is breech, which at this time isn't a big worry, especially because she is so active. Doctor thinks she will flip all on her own. It was difficult to get good profile shots of her face because she was breech, and because she was acting like a contortionist in there. She was trying to put her fist in her mouth and the other hand was playing with her feet at one point, all while she was kicking away. She kicked all day that day. Yesterday (Tuesday), I hardly felt her kick. I think she was exhausted from showing off so much during the ultrasound.

Most importantly, Doctor says baby looks absolutely healthy and perfect. Heart looks "absolutely beautiful" and brain, bones and organs are developing just as they should be. Baby girl has a long spine so we think she will be nice and tall. It was so amazing to see our little girl's toes, fingers, ears, and every other part of her cute little body moving around healthy as can be. We are still on cloud 9.

Baby Girl with her long spine!

After our appointment, we went out for pizza because we both were super hungry. After that, we had to stop so Daddy could buy his little princess her first official "girly" clothes. Already she is ridiculously spoiled.

Last night, my Momma-in-law took us out for a delicious dinner to celebrate. She gave us the cutest onesies (one says, "I love Mommy", one says "I love Daddy", and one says "I love Grandma"), along with an adorable pink outfit with black patent leather shoes and two different head bands. So adorable!

Both sets of Grandparents are beyond excited. Both were hoping for a girl. My parents, because they had two girls and absolutely loved it, and Kevin's parents because they had two boys and have one grandson so have been waiting for a little girl to come along.

Such exciting news! We feel so blessed and could not be happier with our little bundle of joy!!

Xoxo,

Dory

Update and 5 Cheers For Friday

Ok, I know. Bad blogger again. Here is my attempt to update the craziness that life has been lately in a not-novel-size post:

First, WE ARE EXPECTING! I'm sure you may already know this, as it hasn't been a secret for several weeks now. I was 18 weeks yesterday and I feel great. I do feel huge already, but I'm so excited to be pregnant because we have been wanting this for a long time. We have an appointment in just under two weeks to find out the sex and I am beyond impatient and out of my mind excited. Kevin is going to be the best Daddy in the world and I can't wait until we have our little nugget here.

Here is our announcement picture...

So, that's my biggest excuse for being such a slacker on the blog. It's really not a good excuse since I've been extremely lucky and have had a super easy pregnancy, with minimal morning sickness and my biggest side effect being fatigue. Now that I'm in my second trimester I feel pretty great, but I feel like baby things have already taken over our lives (I'm ok with that!). I can't wait to find out if we are having a little prince or princess, so I can start buying! We've already put our "baby neutral" things on our registry, since we want to have two and don't want to have to buy another car seat, high chair, stroller, etc, so now we are just waiting not-so-patiently to add gender specific items. My sister is in MN for work, staying with us for a few days and I love seeing how excited she is to be an Aunt! She will most definitely be spoiling Baby H. It's so good to have her around, and I'm so thankful she is already making plans to be here when Baby H arrives and for as long as she can after that. Needless to say both sets of Grandparents are thrilled. This will be my parent's first Grandchild, and they are both so excited. We are lucky to have them so involved, and we know they will always be there to help us with the baby and anything else we need.

18 week bump!

So, that's by far the biggest news in our lives. Also, check out my "Book Reviews" and, shortly, my DIY section, as I've updated those with my latest reads and will soon put up my first DIY project on the blog! I've also found some time to cross off some of my "to-do's" from my fall to-do list, original post here.



And finally, here is my 5 Cheers For Friday:

1. Finally finding a moment to blog again. Feels good, and I'm vowing to try my best to keep up with it again.

2. Seeing my belly grow. I really feel like I "popped" this week, and I love knowing my little nugget is growing in there. I can't wait for our ultrasound to make sure everything is ok and find out the sex!

3. My sister being in town. She was in town for work and stayed with us Monday-Thursday morning. It was SO good to see her. I don't get to see her nearly enough, and I loved having her here.

4. The NFL ref's coming back. I was NOT happy about Monday night's Packer game. BUT, I really think that's the reason the ref's are back so quickly. Yes, I'm a football fanatic.

5. Looking forward to a relaxing Saturday at home tomorrow. I have big plans...cooking, baking, cleaning and some crafts. Stay tuned!


xoxo
Dory

Fall To-Do List and Five Cheers For Friday

Wow. I'm back. For a quick post. But I PROMISE that I will give a more detailed life update soon.
Kevin and I recently went on a trip to Virginia Beach to see my sister, Maggie and her boyfriend Trey, who is living there working a campaign. Can I just say that I am IN LOVE with that place?! Trey lives 2 blocks away from the beach that features the longest boardwalk in the world. It was hot, but the sun was beautiful, the sand was incredible soft and the waves were the perfect size for me to have fun but not freak out. Ok, not totally freak out...have I mentioned that the ocean scares me? Yeah, I'm a baby. Anyways, we spent the vacation walking the boardwalk, at the beach, eating amazing food (benefit of knowing someone who lives there!), playing putt-putt, going to a baseball game, going kayaking and going to do the naval base tour (largest naval base in the world!). The night life is so fun. There are street vendors and performers all along the boardwalk and along Atlantic Ave, the street right behind the boardwalk. Everything from guys doing crazy paintings with spray paint to a full-on street marching band who plays pop hits, dances around and has crazy colored instruments like blue trombones.

Old Time Photos!

My good lookin' hubs on the USS Wisconsion

And the both of us.

Biking on the boardwalk. Pure happiness.

It was the absolute perfect beach vacation. 5 days was not enough but we enjoyed every second of it. We were sad to leave my sister and Trey, since we don't get to see them enough with their crazy work schedules and living on the East coast, but we got to see them the following weekend at my only girl cousin Carla's wedding.

Carla was a beautiful bride. The ceremony was perfect, completely reflecting the couple. Maggie and I each did a reading and did pretty well except for my high heels that decided to make a horrendous sound on the floor of the church every time I stepped. So embarassing. Anyways, the dinner was awesome. Comfort food, almost like Thanksgiving. Ham, chicken, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing, coleslaw.....mmmmmm I devoured about three portions (more than my husband...oops!). The night was followed by an awesome photo booth, lots of dancing including an amazing tribute to "red solo cup", and family and friends. I love seeing that side of the family. They are crazy, wild, and so much fun. Unfortunately I had a killer headache the entire day and night so was battling that, but I wasn't going to let it ruin my time on Carla's big day. Now the only girl left in our little family of girl cousin's to get married is Maggie, and she caught the bouquet!! Sorry Mags, had to add that!

Beautiful Bride!

Photo Booth! So fun!

Anyways, BIG life updates to come very soon, I promise! The reason for this post is actually to type up my "to do" list for this fall, which includes fun things that I hope to do before good ol' winter hits. So, here goes...

• Go to the apple orchard/pumpkin patch : First orchard done 9/22/12
• Take at least one long scenic leaf drive
• Carve pumpkins with pumpkins we got from the pumpkin patch
• Make apple pie with apples from the orchard
• Decorate the house for fall done 9/18/12/Halloween/Thanksgiving
• Buy pumpkin spice chai tea for my chai tea lattes....yummmmm! Couldn't find pumpkin spice, but bought decaf (preggers) chai tea for my lattes!
• Buy more chunky sweaters/sweater dresses
• Set up my sewing station downstairs and start to sew scarves
• Take a crochetting/knitting class
• Make caramel apples with apples from the orchard
• Watch Hocus Pocus as Halloween approaches
• Take Diesel hiking at Taylors Falls at least once
• Make chili for a football game
• Watch every Packer game, even if I have to go somewhere out of my house (unfortunately this happens a lot in MN...grrr)
• Bake apple crisp with orchard apples for Kev (it's one of his favorite desserts)
• Bake banana bread, cookies or another type of sweet for the firefighters at the station down the street from our house
• Go the the MN State Fair done 8/26/12
• Go to the MN Renaissance Festival (neither Kev or I have ever been)
• Do the DIY Autumn blocks project I saw on Pinterest:
• Here.
• Here.
• And here.
• Dress up for Halloween

I will add more things as I think of them, and check off the things I do as I do them.

Finally, Five Cheers for Friday:

1. Kev and I had a fun date night that included going out for some pretty awesome pizza and heading to the theater to see "The Campaign". The movie wasn't quite as funny as we thought it would be, but the actors were great in their characters and there were several very funny parts. I would recommend seeing it!

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2. Paying off my credit card. I try not to use my credit card too much, or have too high of a balance (we are talking under $1,000 and usually under $500). This is mostly because having a balance on my credit card gives me anxiety. It makes me feel uneasy, like there are loose ends I'm not tying up, and I hate having the balance looming over my head, even if it is not a large amount. So, paying it off definitely felt good!

3. The cooler weather we had this week. Kevin and I had the air turned off and the windows open and it felt fantastic to be able to go outside without immediately sweating. I am definitely looking forward to fall and sweatshirt weather! The cooler weather also makes work much more comfortable for Kevin, who works at the dealership in the hot shop all day. Unfortunately, it's going to get hot again this coming week, but I will try to enjoy it while it lasts, before it gets TOO cold, because that will happen soon enough.

4. I had my first attempt at making my Momma's delish homemade tomato soup. It wasn't quite as good as my mom makes it (she's a pro, at this point), but it did turn out pretty well and Kevin really enjoyed it, especially paired with grilled cheese and his cheddar penguin crackers. Yummy!

5. Looking forward to great plans for the weekend. These include dinner plans with a good friend tonight, the State Fair tomorrow (checking things off my list!) with Kev and my parents, and a day on Sunday for the hubs and I to run some errands and just hang out together. By the way, my must-have food at the state fair is the cheese curds. My stomach is growling just thinking about them. Kevin's must-have food is his beloved Pronto Pup (for those of you not familiar with MN fair food, it's a giant corn dog).

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Xoxo

Dory

Denver!

Hi! It's me, the bad blogger. Life got crazy again, but I'm here to share some pics and stories about our Denver trip, which was um, amazing to say the least. Colorado is such a gorgeous state. It's also one that is burning right now. Literally, on fire. It makes me so sad to hear about all the fires and all of the homes lost. I just hope and pray the amazing firefighters working tirelessly day and night find some way to contain them. That being said, here is a bit about our trip...

This is how our trip started...

...a couple of wine flights before our flight. Hello Pinot Noir!

Kevin and I flew in Thursday night and met his mom at the car rental place. We were staying by the airport the first night because Chris and Holly were flying in early Friday afternoon. We went out to dinner where I promptly ordered a dirty martini (yummo) and a steak. So good. It felt so amazing to be on vacation. If I haven't made it clear in earlier posts, work has been crazy and this was sooo very much needed. Friday we headed over to Loren's house (the groom) to help with whatever was needed. Kevin and I pretty much had to drop Lori (momma-in-law) off and turn around back to the airport to pick up Chris and Holly. After we got them we headed back to Loren's and the boys tried on their tuxes.

...aww...something about my hubby in a tux...so handsome!

After a quick change at the hotel, Friday night was spent at the golf club for the rehearsal and back and Loren and Wendy's for some celebratory pre-wedding food and drinks.

Saturday...the big day! The boys (Kevin and Chris were both groomsmen) had to be to the golf club early so the girls spent that time sipping wine at the bar :). The ceremony was in the afternoon and was beautiful. Outside, overlooking the mountains. What a gorgeous setting. Wendy looked beautiful, Loren looked handsome and they both looked so happy. I love weddings!

Hubs escorting the "inside the ribbon" guests in

And there he is again...so handsome!

First kiss!

After the wedding we enjoyed cocktail hour. Here is me and the hubs...

After cocktail hour we enjoyed dinner, drinks and dancing. It was awesome to see how many people love Lauren and Wendy and are so happy for them! Holly caught the bouquet and Chris caught the garter...do I see wedding bells? ;)

On Sunday Chris, Holly and Lori flew out. After dropping them off at the airport Kevin and I headed up into the mountains to Estes Park. I had been there many years ago and was so excited to go back.

What an amazingly beautiful drive! The sun was shining and the wather was perfect. I am absolutely in awe of the mountains every time I see them, they are so gorgeous. We arrived in Estes Park early afternoon. We stopped at the Wapiti bar and grill and had some lunch. Then, we shopped a bit in town. If you've never been to Estes Park, the town is like a fairy tale. The Fall River runs through it and there are adorable little shops all along their downtown streets. The air is fresh and clean and the backdrop of the mountains makes it idyllic. We couldn't get enough. After awhile, we tore ourselves away and got back in the car, driving into Rocky Mountain National Park. We drove to the highest point in the park, a little over 12,000 feet, stopping all along the way to take pictures and enjoy the scenery. It was the perfect day for such a beautiful drive. After spending several hours in the park, we headed back down and got some pizza for dinner. We stopped at a local bar, played some pool and had a few cocktails, then headed to bed. We were zonked. We woke up bright and early the next morning because we had big plans. It was our one year wedding anniversary, and we were so excited. We both said that if it's true that the first year is the hardest, then we have nothing to worry about. We both can't believe it's been a year since our amazing, gorgeous, unforgettable wedding and we wanted to celebrate it by spending the day going on new adventures together.

We started the day off bright and early with straight romance...a ghost tour of the Stanley Hotel ;). Bright and early for good reason...I would probably never enter the Stanley at night, much less stay there. Ghosts...all I have to say. Kevin has the crazy idea that next time we go to Estes we will actually STAY there...as in him and I...as in ME. Hah! Doubtful! We spent the next 90 minutes listening about how the Shining (the book, not the movie) was born there, and about the ghosts that inhabit the hotel. Unfortunately, the movie the Shining was NOT filmed at the Stanley for a few reasons. First, the Stanley hotel is not out in the middle of nowhere like the movie made it appear. It's basically in town. Secondly, the producer didn't think that Estes got enough snow. So, the outside scenes were shot in Oregon, and the inside shots were filmed on a sound stage in London. Kevin loves that movie but already knew this piece of information so was not too disappointed. The tour, however, is very cool, and I would definitely recommend it if you're visiting Estes.

My hubs, the one who isn't afraid of ghosts like his wife is, at the Stanley.

After our hotel adventure we got a quick bite to eat then headed to the stables for HORSEBACK RIDING! I was so excited. I rode quite a bit when I was younger, but Kevin had never been on a horse. I couldn't wait for him to try it out and for me to get back in the saddle (literally). We had a 4 hour private guided tour through the lowlands of Rocky Mountain National Park (although in some pictures it doesn't appear that way because Kevin had quite a stubborn horse who made it a point to take his sweet time and refuse to cross any water for the first half of the trip, so another group gained on us). It was absolutely gorgeous. We went up parts of mountains, through fields and meadows, and through some forested areas. What amazing country. Kevin loved it as did I. My horse's name was Last Call and he was a cheeky little fellow. He decided on several occasions that we were going too slowly so he bit the guide horses butt. When Kevin's horse decided to actually get some get-up-and-go Last Call decided he was a bit too close and decided to give him a big ol' kick with both legs. As we were going downhill. As I almost face planted forward. Thanks, Last Call! ;) Luckily I've been on horses many times before and have learned to hold on when such things happen, so I didn't go rolling down the side of a mountain. That being said, we had an amazing time!

My cowboy!

After our ride we had to head back down toward the airport since we had an early Tuesday morning flight. I feel it's important to point out that we dined at Ruby Tuesday's and I had the most phenomenal steak with marinated zucchini and buttered and seasoned spaghetti squash. I have been dreaming of that squash ever since, so I think a trip to Ruby's is in order in the near future. We felt like we did so much in our short time in Estes and we both kept talking about how we both couldn't wait to go back. Seriously some of the most beautiful country you will ever see. We were extremely tired but extremely happy and thankful we were able to have such an amazing and adventurous anniversary. It was definitely unforgettable.

I promise I will post again soon!

xoxo

Dory













Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

I know...I know...I'm sorry for the hiatus...again. I've been a bad blogger. Between getting ready for Colorado (which means putting the same hours I alot for 5 days into 4 days) and helping some family members out it hasn't left me much time to blog. I haven't even seen my sweet puppy doggy in over 36 hours. Boo. But, I was thinking it was time for me to put a recipe on the blog, since it's been awhile. I made this awhile back but really liked it so thought I would share with you.


I saw a stuffed pork tenderloin on the cover of a magazine and decided to give it a try. I looked in my fridge and noticed that I had some ricotta cheese and some fresh baby spinach. I decided to improvise from there...

Start with your pork tenderloin. Don't worry...these are Mr. Herman's hands, not mine.

Butterfly your tenderloin. If you're not familiar with how to do this, look here.

Dice some onion.

Add the onion, your ricotta cheese (I also added some parm), salt and pepper, and grate some fresh garlic in a mixing bowl. (Sorry for the sideways picture)

Mix it up.

Add the mixture to the inside of the tenderloin, slightly pressing it down.

Place the fresh spinach leaves on top, then roll it on up. Brush the oustide with some olive oil then toss on the grill.

We also tossed one of our favorite side dishes (veggies with Greek seasoning) on the grill. Cook the tenderloin until the thickest part of the meat has no pink in it.

Voila. Yummy.

Close-up. Mmmmmm! Sorry for the horrible pictures...I promise I'll get better.

I really liked this recipe. Mr. Herman thought it was a bit bland. I think this is my fault, because being the health freak I sometimes am of course I used fat-free ricotta cheese (I know...I know...but that's what was in the fridge!). I think if regular fat ricotta was used it would be amazing. But, like I said...I actually loved it. This was a super fast and simple recipe perfect for a weeknight meal.

Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin (I think the ones I buy are just over 1 lb)

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove fresh garlic, grated

1 cup fresh spinach leaves

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Start but butterflying your tenderloin. If you're not sure how to do it, look here. Dice your onion, and add to a mixing bowl with your cheeses, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix it up. Spoon into the tenderloin, pressing down slightly so it gets in the crevices. Lay the spinach leaves on top. Roll up the tenderloin. Bind it closed (we used bamboo skewers that we cut). Brush some olive oil on the outside of the tenderloin. Toss on the grill, medium-high heat, for about 10-15 minutes or until the thickest part is no longer pink on the inside. Pair with your favorite veggies.

There are about a million different ways you could adapt this recipe, adding and taking away as you like. I plan to try several different ways to do this, but for my first attempt, it wasn't too bad.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Dory

5 Cheers for Friday

Oops! Almost forgot my 5 Cheers for Friday (Thanks for reminding me Holly!)...here they are:

1. Definitely the best thing that happened this week was my sister came into town. It's been so long since I've seen her, and it was so great to get dinner and catch up. Although we only got to see each other for a couple of hours, it was great. She even came to my work and was amazing with my residents while I finished some things up.

Here we are...isn't she gorge?

We went to Punch pizza for some amazing food and wine. YUM.

2. Being close enough to a mini vacation to count down the days (13!). Heading to Colorado with Kev, Momma-in-law, Chris and Holly for a family friend's wedding. Cannot wait. Kevin and I are staying a couple of days after to celebrate our wedding anniversary in Estes Park, which brings me to #3...

3. Looking at our wedding photos and realizing that we are about to hit our one year anniversary (18th of June). Where did the year go? They always say the first year is the hardest, and if that's true Kevy and I are in pretty amazing shape. I love that man more than ever. Looking at pictures makes me want to do the whole thing again, it was such a blast and so beautiful.

The LC Photography





4. Knowing I have this coming Monday off. Ok, so it's only because I have a dentist appointment in the middle of the day, but still. That's two 4-day weeks in a row, and the following week will be 3 1/2 days long for me. Although this makes me a little stressed because it means I have to get the same amount of stuff done with less time at work, I'm trying to only focus on the days I won't have to be in the office.

5. FINALLY getting my flowers and goodies planted. I'm not totally done yet, but I bought tomato plants, rosemary and a good amount of flowers on Memorial Day with full intentions of planting them that day, but the dining room floor (see last post) ended up taking longer than expected. I have put in 10 to 11 hour days at work this week, so I didn't find the time to plant until tonight. Lucky for me Kevin was feeling generous enough to help me, even though it's totally not his thing. What a sweet hubby I have! I'll post some pics once my little babies start to grow a bit more! I also need to pick up some basil and different kinds of peppers, which we also grow every year.


There ya go!

What are your 5?

xoxo
Dory

Memorial Day Weekend

Hi all!

Sorry for the hiatus, we have had a BUSY last few days. Here is a re-cap of our awesome Memorial Day Weekend:

Friday we both had a long day at work so we just hung out at home and got some rest. My parents arrived Saturday late morning for a visit. We spent most of the visit playing games and catching up. The day turned into a "Boggle tournament", as Kevin called it, between my Mom and I. We always end up playing countless games of Boggle (we are both super competitive) and leaving the boys to fend for themselves. Saturday night we went out to eat per my Dad's request to Texas Roadhouse. Yummy. I always get a 6 oz. steak, veggies and sweet potato. Super tasty.

Sunday morning after a few more games of Boggle my parents headed home. After getting a few things done (including Kevin taking me to Chile's for 2-for-1 margaritas) my brother-in-law Chris, his girlfriend Holly and our nephew Miles came over. We always love spending time with them, and we spent the night hanging out with them, having a couple of drinks and playing this fun game...

...love it!



Hello, cutest baby boy alive!

Monday morning Holly helped me put my spices into this shiny new baby...

...spice rack my Dad got me as a birthday present. Isn't it pretty?

After Chris, Holly and Miles left Kevin and I decided it was time for a home project. We had thrown around the idea of putting hard flooring in the dining room which was, at the time, carpet. We decided to just do it, putting the same laminate flooring in that we put in our kitchen/pantry/hallway/bathroom and bedroom/closet. We spent the rest of the day turning this...

...(sorry I didn't get a before pic with the carpet down, Kevin was so eager to start he just started tearing up the carpet before Chris, Holly and Miles even left)...

...into this. Ta da! Doesn't it look amazing? Just makes me so happy! So lucky to have such a handy hubby.

And of course it was most important on Monday to take time to remember Memorial Day and to remember those who have died serving our country. So appreciative to our men and women who have given their lives for our freedom, and to our past, present and future soldiers who have done, do, or will do so much for us.

How was your Memorial Day?

What did you do to remember our soldiers?

xoxo

Dory