Golf Addicts

Two weeks ago, before it got hotter than hades, Andy took the boys golfing.  Those boys had an amazing time!  Ever since then, every time we drive by the golf course here in town, Brennan tells me about golf etiquette and asks when Dad is going to take him golfing again.  The kid is hooked!  Every time he goes outside he grabs his set of clubs and golf balls and hits them around the yard.  He really cracks me up.  He does a kind of run and jump-hop thing when he’s ‘teeing off’.  I don’t know how he even comes close to connecting with the ball!

Aiden, on the other hand, is a very good golfer, for only having gone out to an actual course one time.  He lines up his shot, keeps his eyes on the ball, and follows through with his swing.  We have a nice, large yard, but he is already hitting the ball from one end to the other.  I’m waiting for the day he hits the ball over the fence and conks our elderly neighbor in the head while he’s out there looking at his garden.  Whoops! 

On another note, yesterday I received my issue of Country Woman magazine. I started reading the Editors Letter and she was talking about Thanksgiving.  I thought “why is she talking about that? It’s 3 months away.”  Then I flipped to cover and saw that this was the October/November issue.  Say what?  It’s not ever September yet, and they’re sending me their Oct/Nov THANKSGIVING issue already?!?  All it did was get me all excited for T.giving, which is still 3 months away, and make me irritated that they are pushing the seasons like Wal-Mart and other stores do.  Don’t get me wrong, I get very excited to see the new holiday items out in the store, but I do not believe we need them out 2 and 3 months before the actual holiday.  Mid-September would be plenty early to have Halloween stuff out.  Then, instead of skipping one of the best holidays in my opinion (Thanksgiving), lets give it some shelf time starting in Mid-October.  Mid-November, pull out the Christmas trees!  I guess what I’m saying is, when I’m Queen of the World (yes, this WILL happen someday) this is how the order of things will go, so prepare yourself.

Have a great, wonderful Labor Day weekend!  Be safe on the roads!  I’m heading out the door now to go to the big craft show with my mom, aunt, grandma and cousin.  Talk soon!

Erin

Ho Hum Post

Good morning!

Brennan had a great day at school yesterday.  He had all kinds of good stuff to talk about.  My favorite was that he made new friends!  It melted my heart when he told me that.  One’s name is Aiden, the other he couldn’t remember.  I am sure if this Aiden wasn’t name Aiden, Bren would not have remembered his name either, ha ha! 

Last night was our Aiden’s first flag football game.  It was HOT.  96 degrees, out in the blazing hot sun with no shade to be found.  I do believe it should have been cancelled.  We made sure Aiden drank a lot of water.  I also took a wash rag, soaked it with cold water and wrung it out just so it wasn’t dripping, then I stuck it in a baggie and threw it in the freezer for about an hour (should have been longer but I ran out of time).  Whenever he’d come for a water break I’d have him rub the cold cloth on his face, neck and head and it helped cool him down.  I also took one for Bren, he loved messing with it.  We survived the hour but I never want to sit in that heat again! 

The other night I made the most amazing, delicious Alfredo Sauce.  It was a Pioneer Woman recipe.  HERE’s the link, I highly recommend you try it!  Brennan loved it, too!

Tonight is our last night to sleep in our double bed.  Waaa!  I’m going to miss that bed.  I still haven’t found a new comforter for the new QUEEN bed (sounds huge), but that might be because I haven’t looked yet.  I’m just not that excited about the task, it can be such a pain.

Welp, I suppose I should get moving.  It’s almost 9:30 and all I’ve done so far is put away the mess from breakfast and fold a load of laundry.  Have a great day!

Erin

Smiles and So What’s

Well, today is Brennan’s first day of 4 year old preschool.  He was so dang excited!  Bouncing off the walls, asking all kinds of bizarre questions, walking around with his back pack on for 20 minutes before it was time to leave.  I’m so happy it is like this with him and not tears and screaming and clinging.  That would kill me.  Plus we can’t both do that!  He’s pretty good at getting me out the door without too much craziness.

I left him at the table coloring with his friends.

So today I am saying So What if…

* I had to keep my head down when walking all the way down the hall and all the way out to my car so no one would see me crying my eyes out

* I called my husband and cried to him and asked him why he made me do that all by myself

* I so glad my boy doesn’t do the crying thing because I don’t think I could handle that and would probably just take him back home with me

* I’m so happy he’s back in school using his smart little brain and making new friends again.  After all, it’s good for the little buggers.

* to calm me down I opened a can of fully leaded Mt Dew and chugged it.  I’m allowed some caffeine while pregnant, give me a break!  At least I didn’t open a can of beer!

* I’m so excited for my friend, Shelli, who’s going to start student teaching next week but so sad for me because we won’t be able to email back and forth during the day anymore.  Her emails get me through most days and always seem to come in just when I need them.  Good luck Shelli!

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Today is the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech.  It gives me chills every time I hear it.  The passion behind the man’s words is so inspiring.  Thank God for that man and for all who have worked so hard to end racism and segregation. 

Because of this important day I want to share this video. First of all, I love Bob Dylan’s voice and I love this song.  But the images in this video are heartbreaking at times and make me want to shake people who think they are better than anyone else and think it was/is okay to treat people like this. Think of all those who were scared to walk out their own front door, or who were afraid to attend their own school or church or to go to work.  This makes me cry angry tears.  We are better than this!!!  Let’s be better than this!

Let us all show an act of kindness today to someone we might otherwise overlook. 

Love,

Erin

My First Cara Box Reveal

I participated in my first Cara Box exchange in the month of August.  If you aren’t familiar with Cara Box you can read about it HERE, then sign yourself up and participate, it’s so fun!  Condensed version, it’s a blogger gift swap.  It is a quarterly swap so you get more time to get to know who you’re swapping with.  So fun!

The gal I I sent my box to was Rabia over at The Liebers.  It was so fun to email back and forth and to read her GREAT blog so I could get to know her enough to send her a meaningful box.  And her blog is GREAT.  I love reading it every day! 

Haley from The Chandler Family is who sent me my box. (So you get to know 2 different bloggers each swap!)  She is super sweet and has such a cute little boy!  And she sent me one heck of a box!  I’m excited to share it with you!

Each item Haley chose for me was so ‘me’! She was super thoughtful.  Here are a few highlights.

A PINK rubber spatula, because I like to cook and bake and I like the color pink.

This candle smells amazing!  The scent is Lemon Meringue.  It is surprising more of a fall scent than I expected!  And it made my whole main living area smell good, which I love in a candle!

Because I love to garden Haley got me a gardening magazine.  I devoured it in one sitting!

Scrapbooking/card making supplies!!!  These little clothespins are adorable!  I can’t wait to make some cards and pages using them!  Adorable!

And this sweet, sweet note.  It really brightened my day!

Thanks to my new blogging friend, Haley, for the great Cara Box!!!

I hope you guys join in on the fun and sign up for the next quarter.  You can sign up the first week of September so get on over there and do it!

Erin

Book Review

You know when you finish a good book and you just want to find someone else who’s read it so you can gush over it together?  I just did that with 2 books over the last week and a half.  I loved both of these books I’m going to tell you about today.  I hope you give them a chance.

‘A Garden In Paris’ by Stephanie Grace Whitson

If you look at my book tab (at the top of my blog) you will see that this is the 3rd book by this author that I have read and her third book that I am recommending.  She is definitely one of my favorite authors.

This book is a romance, but there is no smut.  Shocking for me, I know!  But it was such a sweet romance.  In addition to that there was family drama, always a good read! 

Mary Kathleen Davis finds the framed motto in the back of a dusty antique shop, and it haunts her. After 26 years as the trophy wife of a powerful man, Mary is a widow with no sense of identity. She finds herself wondering ''what might have been,'' and torments herself with guilt over her treatment of an old flame. She has the notion that if she can return to Paris with her increasingly distant daughter, perhaps she'll be able to reconcile with the past and find a new future. The trip to Paris will change everything for these two women, in ways neither could imagine.

 

‘The Castaways’ by Elin Hilderbrand

Elin Hilderbrand has become one of my go-to authors.  I love all of her stories, all of which take place in the Nantucket area.  This one was written so neat.  Not in chapter form but from 6 different people’s point of view, and when it’d change point of view it’d be like starting a new chapter.  There were 8 couples who were close friends, but one couple died in an accident at sea.  The book is the story of how the remaining friends/couples cope with their loss and how they all blame themselves for their friends’ death.  It is so good!

One couple's secrets cast six friends adrift...

With rumors of infidelity straining Greg and Tess MacAvoy's marriage, the couple head out on their sailboat one early-summer day to celebrate their wedding anniversary, hoping the roughest waters are behind them. But in an accident off Nantucket, they mysteriously drown, leaving behind two small children as well as the three couples who have long been their closest friends.

Tragedy brings to the surface long-simmering conflicts and emotions, and the MacAvoys' six grieving friends find themselves unprepared for the revelation of secret upon secret as they struggle to answer the question: What happened to Greg and Tess?

The Castaways probes the boundaries of friendship and forgiveness as it tells a page-turning story of passion, betrayal, and suspense, filled with the perfect details of summer island life that have made Elin Hilderbrand's novels beloved bestsellers.

 

Happy reading!

Erin

Musical Monday

I’m excited to be taking you on a journey though some of my most favorite songs of all time!  On this journey you’ll be travelling through the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.  But mostly the 60’s and 70’s, my favorite decades!

Today’s song makes me feel so mellow and relaxed.  I crank it up and blast it though my speakers whenever it’s on the radio. And sing really loud.  So no one else in the car feels relaxed and mellow, ha ha!  I hope you listen to the whole thing and give it a chance, it’s a goodie!  It’s original release date was in 1972.  Ahh, that was a good year.

SEALS & CROFTS

Summer Breeze lyrics

See the curtains hangin' in the window
In the evening on a Friday night
A little light a-shinin' through the window
Lets me know everything's all right

Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowin' though the jasmine in my mind

See the paper layin' on the sidewalk
A little music from the house next door
So I walk on up to the doorstep
Through the screen and across the floor

Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind

Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom
July is dressed up and playing her tune
And I come home from a hard day's work
And you're waitin' there
Not a care in the world

See the smile awaitin' in the kitchen
Through cookin' and the plates for two
Feel the arms that reach out to hold me
In the evening when the day is through

Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind
Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind

So, what did you think?

If you’re like me, certain songs take you to a place, a moment in time, or make you think of a certain someone.  This song reminds me of Saturday mornings, before I was old enough to stay home by myself, when I had to go to town with my folks to run errands.  We’d always go to the feed store where the grown ups would sit around and gossip and I’d be bored to tears! But, my parents always bought me a GLASS bottle of pop from the medicine cooler (the cooler where they stored the animal medicine, think that’d pass code today?).  Now I wish I would have sat down and listened to what they were all talking about.  So the reason it reminds me of that? I believe it must have been playing on the radio when we were in the truck driving to town.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Erin

Fun Friday

It’s Friday, lets lighten things up around here!  I was on Pinterest last night and found these.  Enjoy!

 

And this one is just because I love my husband so much.

Happy Friday!  Have a great weekend!

Erin

And We’re Off!

Aiden’s first day of school went great!  He said he likes his teacher, had a good lunch and he had fun playing at recess. I  made him his breakfast of choice, Egg In a Hole.  Sounds like a good day to me!

Gosh that boy is getting so big!!!  Where has my little pumpkin pie gone?  Well, he’s still my little pumpkin pie, always will be.  He was in such a rush to get in the car and get to school this morning that I didn’t get to give him a hug.  I felt awful about it all day.  I kept thinking of that school shooting this week.  So when we got home that poor kid was squeezed and hugged and held onto for a long time!  He loves me so he takes it. [smiley face]

With Aiden gone I had my love bug Brennan back.  He was super cuddly and loving, like he is when Aiden’s not around.  He was also a tad naughty and sat in timeout two times in 30 minutes!  I don’t know what’s happened to this kid but he sure does have an attitude!  Andy says he knows where he got it, then wiggles his eyes at me.  Uh huh, whatever.  I know I’m sassy but I can’t be totally blamed for this, can I? LOL!

Did anyone see the Blue Moon 2 nights ago?  A Blue Moon happens once every 3 years or so.  It’s when you have more than 3 full moons in one Summer season, OR 2 in one month.  Either counts.  I took some pics last night but they didn’t turn out so great.  I needed a zoomier zoom lens.

I love weather and weather-type things.  I think I used to be a meteorologist in another life.

I canned 17 pint of green beans last night.  I have probably about that much more out in the garden.  I gave up picking in the morning when my mop bucket was overflowing.  I was out there by myself, my back and legs were hurting so I said the heck with it.  I’ll go out again today before it gets too hot. Then I’ll wait for Andy to get home from work to help me snap them again.  It’s a lot of work when you’re doing it by yourself.  I get bored.

Hope you have a wonderful Thursday! Tonight we are doing our Fantasy Football draft.  Well, Andy is going and doing it for both of us because I have to take Aiden to football practice again.  No fair!  I have what Andy is calling a weird strategy, we’ll see how it pans out.  This is my first year to participate so I don’t know a ton about strategies so I’m just going with what feels good. Ha!  Watch me either finish dead last or winning the whole thing. 

Talk soon, friends!

Erin

SWW

Today is Aiden’s first day of 2nd grade!  We met his teacher last night and I instantly liked her!  He’s going to have a great year!  First day of school pics will be up tomorrow (or you can check Instagram today: homemadehappenings).

Now for So What Wednesday!

So what if…

• I finally gave in after 11 years and agreed to get a Queen size mattress. Which leads me to
• I have been perfectly happy sleeping on a Double mattress with my loving husband all these years.  We practically sleep on the same side of the bed anyway so why do we need a Queen when we will waste so much real estate?
• we watched the first half of Gone With The Wind for the 50th time last night.  It was on TV.  It’s been awhile since we’ve actually watched the 2nd half, tho.
• I am looking forward to our first tailgating of the year, which isn’t for 2 1/2 more weeks, because I know there will be a ton of awesome food there!  Yes, I’m excited to see our friends, too, but hello folks!  Pregnant woman at a buffet?  Watch out!
• now that Aiden is starting school I feel like I can say I’m anxious for Fall to arrive and Summer to go.  Yes, I love Summer but I am over it.  Especially now that the heat and humidity is back.
• after having 2 babies I have finally caved in and bought a body pillow.  My very good pregnant friend Shelli finally convinced me.  I used it last night and it was a little tight in that small Double bed.  Ha ha!  But I think it’s going to be awesome!
• I bought a set of Queen sheets for the new bed that arrives next Friday but am waiting to buy a comforter because I don’t want to rush into anything and buy one I’ll hate later.  Wish me luck, buying comforters is such a pain!  I can never find one I absolutely love.  Any suggestions on where to look?

Tomorrow I’ll let you know how Aiden’s first day went!

Erin

The End of Summer

Today is the last day of summer vacation for us.  Tomorrow Aiden starts 2nd grade.

Waaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!

It seems that summer has flown by, but when I think back to early June it seems so far away.  As a kid I used to obsess over how many weeks I had left until school started again.  Only 10 more weeks!  Oh no, only 6 more weeks!  Only 17 more days!!!  I always loved school, I loved buying all new school supplies every August.  But the thought of saying goodbye to summer always bummed me out.  I wanted it to last forever (who doesn’t?). 

So the ending of our summer has gotten me thinking.  What have we done this summer? Have I given the boys a fun-filled summer that they can write about in a ‘What I Did This Summer’ report?  Well, Friday I was uploading pictures to the online storage site I use and my question was answered. 

Looking back on all of those pictures, I saw all of the awesome, fun, amazing things we did this summer!  Did we go on some amazing week-long vacation? No, but we filled our days and nights with a lot of great things! 

Here is my photo montage to the Summer of 2013!

Wow, I think we had a pretty awesome summer!  And this doesn’t even show all of the park play dates we had, all of the family bike rides, all of the time we spent outside enjoying the nice weather. 

I think we did the Summer of 2013 up right!

Here’s to a GREAT 2013/2014 school year!

Erin