Meh Monday

Spring Break is over.

Let's all cry.

Now, let's pull on our big girl panties and grab the bull by the damn horns.

We had a terrific spring break.  The weather was fantabulous!  Yes, fantabulous.  We enjoyed playing outside nearly every single day.  We also had enjoyed a visit to the Winston-Salem Children's Museum.  The kids were so enthralled and the place is so great I could allow them to run around like banshees.

April is all but finished.

It has been a great month.  Seriously, good weather, great experiences, just a fun month!

Now it is time to focus on getting it done so we can have a great summer break.  We have 6{ish} weeks until the last day of school for the year.  Six weeks isn't anything, it will fly by.  Truth be told the summer will fly by even faster huh?

Then my Kindergartner will be a First Grader.  Oh.my.God.

Have a good Monday.

5 on Friday!

Really?  This week is already closing up shop?  Uncool.

Pin it?

Yep, it is.  I always hated this saying but it really is a good filler.  This week was spring break and boy was it AWESOME!  I did some house crap, took the kids out for fun, enjoyed the sunshine, relaxed....ahhhh.  Now its nearing completion and well all I can say is....It is what it is.

Pin it?

Ahhh this view!  So over sb I decided we needed to go to the beach more than twice a year.  I'll just be honest I really could have used some palm trees, salt air, and sand this week to make it the cherry on the top.  So I'll be reconfiguring our budget in the coming months to include more getaways and less just dreaming.  

Pin it!

True, Mae West.  Sometimes we let the little things get in the way of living our life to the fullest.  We only get one trip around the sun and for many that trip is cut short.  For others they spend their olden years just awaiting and begging for death.  I want to live it up right now and enjoy every single drip of a second.  I will not look back and cry for what I should have done but cry out of laughter for what we did do!

Pin?

Since the mercury is creeping upwards....yes this outfit please!!!!

Pin!

We need this.  Like yesterday.

{I Think} Thursday...

  Yep thinking cap time....





I think I am so glad that we bought some Jamai-can-me-crazy coffee at Sam's Club.

I think this spring break is an amazing gift from heaven and I'm stoked I get to feel that way again.



I think it will be hard to go back to work next week!

I think I fell off my water drinkage amounts this week.

I think I increased my alcohol consumption this week.

I think the lillies I planted will be gorge {if they freakin' come up}.

I think I will never work an optional day ever again.

I think I need to renew my Southern Living subscription.



I think I will cry every day until my hair appointment.



I think I should de-friend everyone on my time line who is posting about the bond referendum.

I think I'm over people who you always have to make plans with but they never take initiative to make plans with you.

I think I need to go get a piece of my mom's pound cake.

I think Porsha should have beat the lights out of Kenya.

I think that started an I Think Bravo moment, get ready.

I think that RHOC needs to get rid of Vicky/Vickie/Bitchy.

I think I'm totally depressed I missed the last episode of Southern Charm.



I think I love that Charleston accent.

I think I really don't watch t.v. anymore but my blog says differently.

I think that's the end of this week's I Think Bravo portion.

I think something is up with me for not seeing any of the new Mad Men that is out.

I think I need to go to the beach more than twice a year.



I think if I didn't have t-ball this weekend I'd go to the beach for the day.

I think I really love my t-ball kids and I'll miss them when our season is over.

I think I want to go shopping.

I think I'm so ready to grill some more.

I think I'm going to miss my Diva while she's at the beach this weekend.



I think I am also highly jealous of my six year old for going to the beach this weekend.

I think I am excited at seeing some friends we haven't seen since September this weekend!

I think you're awesome for checking my blog.

Tasty Tuesday: Grilling

Spring has sprung in NC.  We're having beautiful, warm weather now.  That means we get to enjoy our new deck and our new STOK grill even more.



This isn't a paid post.  But man I wish it was.

We LOVE to grill.  In the spring and summer we make our entire meal on the grill.  Yes, sides and the main course.

We recently put our Char-Broil Infrared Blah Blah Blah grill to rest.  I'll just be honest....it sucked.  It was horrible.  The meat was guaranteed to NEVER burn and trust me, it didn't because it never got hot enough to cook anything in a reasonable amount of time.



Last month we saw the STOK grill at our local Target.  It was nifty.  It looks a little old school but has some great features like inserts (wok, pizza stone, veggie tray, smoker, cast iron kettle, roaster, rib rack, etc).  But we moved away from it.

Then we were on our mini vacay and we saw another group of them while out shopping.  Of course when we went back to the hotel room the hubby started researching this grill.  Turns out there was a dud but there was also one that had high ratings!

Before we headed home we purchased the one with high ratings.

We haven't been upset yet.  The cook time is fabulous.  We can cook our veggies (last night was asparagus and mushrooms) while our meat is cooking (last night was chicken breast in a whiskey marinade).

The steaks we have made have been tender and juicy.  Please do not get me started on how wonderful the burgers are.  The only thing we have left to try (traditionally speaking) are some big fat Ahi Tuna steaks (my favorite!).  

I also am planning out trying the pizza stone this weekend.

Grilling is fun and affordable and allows you to get the hell out of the kitchen....grill on my friends.

Brownie's Favorite Grilling Products:
Weber Grill Mates
Weber Grill Marinade Packets
Nature's Place Chicken from Food Lion

Easter 2014 was....

Absolutely perfect.

We were bad southerners and did not attend church.  Instead we had breakfast together and then played together in the yard.  For the dyed in the wool you're-going-to-hell-for-not-going-to-church-on-Easter people....get over self proclaimed high and mighty selves.

This year I became a bit reminiscent of old Easters.  I have fabulous memories of going to eat at my Mammaw's after Sunday service on Easter.  We'd stuff ourselves full of good food and then hide some eggs.  I would give anything to bring those traditions back.  However, I cannot do that.  My Mammaw is long gone.  Family has changed.  Life circumstances are much more different than they were twenty-five years ago.  So instead of opting to go to Outback with part of my family I decided to channel my Mammaw and do what I love.....cook.

We had a good (little) spread.  Pork roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, deviled eggs, bread, and cheesecake.

It was yummy!  The fact my six year old helped make some of it was icing on the proverbial cake.

Eggs were hidden several times in the back yard.  Summer lillies were planted along the fence. The kids enjoyed a lot of play time in the spring time sunshine.  My husband worked on a new water line for a new outside spigot (trust me he enjoys this kind of stuff).  It was honestly a perfect Easter.

Spending time with my family and enjoying the sunshine and green grass (yes, its coming up) is often times more powerful than a wooden pew and making a grocery list on a bulletin.

----

Easter baskets of my childhood were bubbles, chalk, candy, and a cheap stuffed animal.  I usually got a Bible along with some cream eggs.

In 2014 this isn't common anymore...

Today's Easter baskets are out of freakin' control.  Once again people are letting the marketing and ad departments and materialistic nature take over another piece of their lives.

I saw kids get stuff for Easter that, to me, just isn't warranted.  Save that crap for birthdays or Christmas.  Teach your kid not every holiday is about gimme gimme but maybe more about enjoying the gift of family.

Love is never wrapped with a bow and stickered with a price tag.

----

I heard about Easter dinners that were less than appetizing because of the upcoming election in this county.

I am so over every bit of political anything.

I have written posts about how I am for the new high school.  If we don't build it now then we'll just be voting on it again at a higher price.

One thing I am against is giving idiots money.  It is obvious no one in a political office in this county is capable of appropriately handling and budgeting money.  Honestly, it sickens me.  Perhaps these were kids given huge gifts at Easter, 4th of July, and Columbus Day and now they have no clue at how to balance a check book let alone the value of a dollar.



To all the folks whose Easter dinner went sour due to all the election clucking....I truly am sorry.  Your day shouldn't have been tarnished by such stomach turning talk.

This election is pulling families apart.  I'll be so glad when it is long gone and folks can find normal lives again...or semi normal lives.

For future reference:  If you have an upcoming family events talk about the damn weather, your garden, or your neighbor's dog that keeps shizzing in your yard.  Leave the politics and debate in the glove box.  Its too hot for gloves anyway.

Book Review: Summer Rental

Time for another, very brief, book review!

I just finished up Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews *yes another of her books!*!

I enjoyed this book but not nearly as much as I did Spring Fling.

This book is about three best friends who reunite for the month of August in Nags Head, NC.  One is married and fading from modeling, one is a work junkie who has been laid off, and one is a teacher who still lives in their hometown of Savannah, Georgia and has a bit or marital drama going on.  The book isn't what you expect and you get some interesting monkey wrenches as you read along.  It is a good read.  I did enjoy it.

Here's the link to read the review from Google.

5 Minute Friday

I haven't done this in a while.

1...2...3....4....5

What holds me together?  Coffee?  Wine?  A good book?  Silence?

No.

They may aid in the idea I have of what keeps me going.

But they alone do not keep me going.

What holds me together?  What is my concrete?  If I were a structure what would the civil engineers say is the base that holds me up and keeps me going day in and day out?

Cells.

Billions of cells.

Water.

Blood.

The metabolic cycle.

Yes, I agree.

But maybe we need to go deeper.  What keeps me functioning and smiling and making it through the hard times and laughing through the good times?

What is my glue?

My blessings.

The man I married.

The two babies I was gifted.

Good health.

A full tummy.

But lets go even deeper.  There is still something more that holds me together and keeps me in motion...even when I do not want to move.

My faith.

My belief that indeed there is a God and indeed he made me and indeed he refuses to let me fall if I just rely on him.

My glue is celebrated this weekend amid the bunnies and chicks and baskets and chocolate.

My glue came to this Earth, walked alone, tried to show so many the way, and then was hung on a splintered cross.

His blood poured out to become my glue.

5 on Friday

This week I'm linking up with the ladies.



My five:

1.  Easter Egg Dying & Snack Making

Well if you read the blog on Monday then you know that I was ready to dye the eggs!  I found {on Pinterest} a way to dye them with shaving cream and food coloring.

Let's just call this a fail.

And let's just say its my fault...haha.

I have chickens therefore I do not wish to purchase eggs.  My chickens lay brown eggs.  Brown eggs and dye just aren't the best of friends.

However, we did try it and had fun with it.  Then we got the markers out and decorated them with some color!
Easter snack making...Yet again I was on Pinterest.  Yet again I shared on Monday a pin for a snack that was Eastery.  This was a score!
Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures.  But this was easy and yummy and good to do with a six year old.

  

2.  Blog Post of the Week....

I just happened to stumble upon a jewel of a blog called Cupcakes and Crossbones.  I really like this blog - it is so helpful!  Since I know many of my local readers are getting ready to spring break it up {and that means do a little house work} I recommend checking out that link.  She tests out some household cleaning trends to see if they work.  Let me just say with the markers in this house I better stock up on white toothpaste!

3.  Easter Outfits

Remember when you were little and your mom or grandma would take you to get a special Easter dress to wear on Easter Sunday?  Those days are long gone for me but I enjoy buying my kids' Easter apparel.  Oh by the way, I scored both kids' outfits at Gymboree this year....here they are in all their Easter goodness....



4.  Pictures!

A couple weeks ago we had the kids' pictures made for Easter/Spring.  Guys if you are local you really need to check out Images by Brandi - she is very talented, patient, and priced to perfection.  We were very impressed with her work.

5.  I think this sums it up....

I Think (Thursday)

Ut oh!  I been thinkin'!  Hit the random button!

I think I absolutely love Southern Charm on Bravo.

I think I watch a lot of Bravo.

I think I'm glad Gretchen, Lydia, and Alexis are off Real Housewives.

I think I need to buy a bottle of cheap wine.

I think I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow.

I think I'm over this cold snap... it is a month into the spring right?

I think I need a haircut but I keep getting compliments on this mess.

I think I think too much about getting a puppy.



I think I'm excited for Easter and I've decided to make a big lunch on Sunday.

I think I'm so over election season.

I think I'm sick and tired of hearing about high schools.

I think gas prices are stupid.

I think my son making the sound a kitty cat makes is hilarious (and I'm not a cat fan).

I think I'm over being told when my child needs a jacket.

I think I scored on a Pinterest idea.

I think I bombed a Pinterest idea 24 hours prior to the score.

I think Cameron Diaz is not a botox junkie and I respect her for that.

I think I need to get a jeweler to fix the clasp on my pearls (like STAT).

I think I'm getting my daughter some old school Taylor Swift for her Easter Basket.

I think its weird I'm saying old school and Taylor Swift in the same sentence.

I think its weird my child is such a Taylor Swift fan.

I think I eat too much candy.

I think I need to get a new book to read.



I think I'm stoked over Spring Break.

I think Thursday is cool.

NFTAD

NFTAD - Notes From the TA's Desk

Yep that's my desk....haha.  JK!

Here are some diamonds I have to share with you from my first two weeks at work.

1.  Those darn Republicans.

In an answer on a test a student wrote:  "The Republicans fought long and hard for their freedom."

Seriously? Oh man.

2.  Upon learning about different cultures and reading a story to go along with this theme it became evident that some kids believe that "Yiddish" & "Irish" are interchangeable.

Hmmm?

3.  The secret to testing?

For some students it is not reading anything but more of just putting random numbers and words in the blanks.  An example?  One question asked for the pattern of car colors the student wrote:  2.

Wow.

4.  Why didn't I become a ______________.

Boy band finder.  Really!  I have learned more about some Brit boy band and some Disney boy band than I ever cared to know.  This comes complete with a lunchroom concert from two students.

5.  Nine year olds __________________.

Pick, stare at, and then consume their nasal mucous products more than my six year old....and she does it a lot.

6.  Third grade today must be the equivalent of fifth grade from when I was in school.  It is amazing how much kids are expected to comprehend from the text book at nine years old.  I look a at the concepts and remember them being introduced my fifth grade year.  Go on smarty pants!  (Unless you are the kid(s) in number 1-3!)

7.  Middle school mentality....

A note was found in a computer lab that discussed some things that I was certain weren't hot topics until you were a puberty stricken annoying early teen something.  We're talking about a topic that I didn't know existed in third grade.  It made me want to vomit considering nine year olds are up to do date on wordage that needs to be eliminated until they are like 26.  Makes me want to helicopter my own kid a little harder!

8.  I really love _____________________.

My job.

Seasonal Breakfast Ideas for Tasty Tuesday!

Breakfast is my favorite meal.  I like to have a special breakfast on the big holidays.  I recently took to Pinterest to find some ideas for Easter weekend and Spring Break week for my family.  Here are some gems I found.

A great reason to hit up Krispy Kreme!

Yep, bacon!

More grown up....baked maple pancake "eggs"

Bunny Bum Pancakes