Beech Bums!

Last Tuesday, Branner and I packed up and headed west—to Beech Mountain! We met Kiki and Coco there for several days of fun, cooler temps, relaxation, food, and more fun! I grew up taking trips up to that area, and it's so nice to be able to share and experience it with B. There are tons of things to do that are kid friendly, so I highly recommend it as a great location for a weekend getaway for families!

We made several visits to the Beech Mountain Rec center park, had lunch at Dunn's Deli, went on walks, played, colored, enjoyed the weather, and, the kicker—took B's very first trip to Tweetsie!!! It was another amazing trip; we just wish Daddy could have joined us!

A few pics of our park adventures:

 

Tweetsie pics to follow! They need their own post, maybe two! Happy Monday!

Geese, Mommy!

We had lunch at the Arbo with Big Papa this afternoon, and as soon as we pulled up, Branner said, "Geese, Mommy!" I guess he remembered from our last visit to the pond there way back in April (?!)! So we walked down and saw the geese and ducks before and after lunch. I promised him we would go back with some bread and feed them soon. With his memory, I'm sure it will be in the next few days!

Pool Day

We're just in from spending some time at the pool, and boy is this mommy pooped! We played, swam, waded and floated our way through the morning. We ate our lunches (and a soft pretzel!) there, then splashed in the "big boy" pool and put in some time at the playground. Fun in the sun! We love Summer!

IOP via Instagram

We spent the week of the fourth with Jason, Kendra, Devyn and Courtney at Wild Dunes/IOP. We had a blast! Between boat rides, tubing, swimming, shell hunting, beachin' it, island hopping, sunning, reading, napping and playing, we enjoyed the company of some of our most favorite people on Earth!

Starfish—Tidal Pool

Yummy ice cream cone!

DELISH!

Dribbles!

Boat ride to see fireworks! Two halves of my heart!

Boat ride scenery—sunset.

Full Moon Fourth // Happy Independence Day!

Building a sandcastle with Daddy!

Summer, Summer, Summertime!

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It's officially summer! YAY, my very favorite time of year is here! I love to make a bucket list each season of things I'd like to do/take Branner to do/do as a family. We've already spent one week at the beach, but are going to Charleston for a week starting next Saturday. With everything going on with our new house, that might be the last family vacation for a while (other than the week my sister-in-law, Kendra, and I plan to spend with the kids in the mountains). Not to mention Barry is a straight workaholic, so I highly doubt we could convince him to take more than a day or two more off of work, anyway!

To-Do This Summer:

*Go to church more*

*Spend lots of time by the pool*

*Get back to our family tradition of having breakfast at Phil's on Sundays*

*Read*

*Soak up the sunshine*

*Take naps*

*Take Branner to Tweetsie*

*Go to the Farmer's Market often*

*Eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies*

*Try new recipes*

*Make homemade ice cream*

*Take the boat out more*

*Learn to wakeboard???!!!*

*Go on a picnic*

*Potty train Branner (waiting until after move—too much turmoil right now, although he's VERY interested!)*

*Phase out the paci*

*Take Branner to see an outdoor movie*

*Go to POPS in the Park*
*Take Branner to Discovery Kids*
*Take more pictures*
*Look into enrolling Branner in an art class*

I'm sure I will have tons to add to this in the near future. This is just what popped into my head today. What's on your summer bucket list?

Quinoa Summer Veggie Stirfry

Fresh Veggies!

My current food obsession: quinoa. It really is the perfect food (if you aren't a low-carber)! You can do so much with it, and it is just so darn good for you! Last night, I modified this recipe to make a delicious stir-fry.

Quinoa Summer Veggie Stir-fry

1 c quinoa, cooked according to package directions

1/2 yellow squash

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 handful of fresh green beans (or asparagus) trimmed and broken into small pieces

1 c baby bella mushrooms, chopped

1 1/2 cloves garlic, chopped

sea salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes

dash of hot sauce (I used )

1/2 T soy sauce

1 T balsamic vinegar

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, cook until translucent. Add garlic, cook for about a minute. Add remaining vegetables. Season with sea salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Add soy sauce. Stir-fry until tender. Spoon in quinoa and add balsamic vinegar. Stir to combine. Again, season with sea salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. I served with a simple salad. Enjoy!

Beach Trip, Part I

Holden Beach, Day 1

Samurai Hair

Playing in the sand!

Toy time!

Pursed lips, concentrating hard!

Swingin'

Evening boat ride

Happy Memorial Day!

Shaved ice

Beach week numero uno of our summer is well underway, and we are enjoying ourselves immensely! There has been lots of fun, lots of sun, and lots of beach playing. We've been on tons of boat rides, relaxed, and put some time in just swingin' away. We've grilled out, lunched out, went on bike rides, and sampled some delicious shaved ice. Gigi left us today, Aunt Kiki arrives tomorrow! Can't wait to have even more fun!

Sundays are for...

• Sleeping in (thanks, Barry)!
• Yummy brunch out with a sweet baby boy!
• A little neighborhood scouting (hello, Bellemeade)!
• Tractor rides (see below)!
• Beach music!
• Baking banana bread!
• Trips to the pool!
• Grilling out with friends!
• True Blood and Real Housewives of New Jersey!

C25K

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Remember my list of things to accomplish this summer? If so, you know one of my goals is to train for a 5k. I was waiting until I got back from vacay #1 to start, and I decided yesterday was the day! I am so excited to get back into running; a million years ago I ran track and loved it! I'll keep you posted on my progress. I'm not having any problems with the first week's workout, but we'll see what the future holds. Wish me luck!

Oh, My! It's July!

We're halfway through the year! Here's what we're looking forward to this month:

• Celebrating the Fourth of July!
• Upcoming Birthday Parties/Celebrations!
• Branner's Half Birthday and 18 month Checkup!
• A Wedding Shower!
• Boat Rides!

Happy July, y'all!

HBB

As of about 12:00 today, Branner and I are Holden Beach Bound for the next 8 days. I may or may not update from vacay. Hope everyone has a great week!

Sunshine and Summertime

Ahhh, my favorite time of year is upon us. To celebrate what is, in my opinion, the best season, Branner and I will be packing our bags and heading to Holden on the first official day of summer! How fitting! So, other than our extended June stay at the beach, here are a few other things on our list to accomplish this summer:

• Make homemade ice cream.
• Train for a 5K.
• Lose the 7.5 pounds keeping me from my goal weight.
• Read. A lot.
• Make trips to the pool. We've already been every day this week, so we've got a head start on that!
• Shop at the Farmer's Market as much as possible.
• Eat more fruits and veggies! Find a way to get Branner to do this as well.
• Spend a few weekends at Beech and the beach with friends.
• Enjoy Music on the Green with B.
• Go to an outdoor movie.
• Pack a scrumptious gourmet picnic and go to POPS in the Park. Drink wine there with friends.
• Make a trip to Discovery Place.
• Go to storytime on occasion.
• Take B to the NC Zoo.
• Go strawberry picking and make homemade strawberry shortcake.
• Make a homemade blueberry pie. Kendra, I'm going to need Lee's recipe!
• Take boat rides and spend time at the lake.
• Have lots of cookouts with friends. We'll need help eating all the fabulous desserts I plan to make!
• Make an awesome summer soundtrack for my iphone.
• Set up a party for my girlfriends at Painting With A Twist.

That should about do it for now. I'll keep you all posted on my progress. Any big plans for summer? Leave a comment, would love to hear what fun things are on your to-do lists!!!

Welcome, June!

I cannot believe it is already June! We welcomed the new month and the promise of sweet summertime (my FAVORITE season) by:

• Going to the gym/Childwatch.
• Making a Target run.
• Taking our first trip (of many) to Sardis Swim and Racquet of the season and "swimming" in the pool. This mostly consisted of Branner playing with the fountain in the baby pool and running in between the two pools designated for those 3 and under.
• Serving B chicken pie for lunch for the first time, and realizing that he loves it!
• Playing outside after an extra-long afternoon nap for B. This has been our ritual for a couple of months now when the weather is nice. We pass the time by blowing bubbles, riding in the wagon or cozy coupe, visiting Jake--the dog across the street, creating beautiful sidewalk chalk drawings and exploring the yard.

Looking forward to all this summer has to offer!!!

Another Reading List

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Alright, y'all. By now you know how much I love to read, so I've put together my summer reading list from friend recommendations. For anyone that's interested, here it is:

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell

Family Trust by Amanda Brown

Meg Cabot Novels

The Politician by Andrew Young

Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule

Book Ends by Jane Greene

The Trials of the Honorable F. Scott Darcy by Sara Angelini

Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant by Jenni Ferrari-Adler

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

The Dead Don't Dance by Charles Martin

Maggie by Charles Martin (sequel to above)

I'm still taking suggestions, so if you know of a great book, leave a comment and let me know! Summer's almost here, and I love it!!

Summer To-Do List Update

Ok, sooooooo, about the summer to-do list... Well, after getting off to a really good start on it and marking off several things early-on in the season, it kind of fell by the wayside. It's not that I forgot about it. No. It's just that traveling and, well, life, got in the way. I thought about marking things off. I even talked about it, but I did not accomplish everything I set out to. I accomplished maybe half. Here's what I did get done: There were many days that I napped while Branner napped. Afternoon naps top my list of great things in life! I took Branner to the pool many times over the course of the summer. We went to Holden, Beech and Blowing Rock over the course of the season. We had a wonderful time at each place! I kept up a good exercise routine all summer. I hit the gym at least 3 days a week every week; more like 5 most weeks, which leads up to the next accomplishment... I was bikini-ready for the Holden Beach trip. All of my hard work payed off! I was so proud of myself for acheiving my goal! I plan to look even better next summer! Boy, did I read! I was never without a good book on my Kindle all summer! We went to the Farmer's Market several times. I really LOVE the Farmer's Market! I made several peach cobblers. Yum, yum, yum! In regards to a hobby... This blog has kind of become my hobby. I am also working on learning how to use my new camera so I can take good pics. I did have a summer signature nail polish-- Essie's Enuff is Enuff. Perfect color for summer! While I didn't make it to AA5, Barry and I did go to the outdoor concert series at the Whitewater Center one Thursday, so I am counting that as done. What I didn't get around to: Doing the 5 Factor Diet. Oh, well. Obviously, not too sad about that. Updating Fab Eats. I would have liked to have updated a lot more than I did, but it just didn't happen. Going to POPs. It didn't start until after Branner's bedtime. What can you do? Having a luncheon for my girlfriends. One day, I will make this happen. I didn't make homemade ice cream. Now, that makes me sad! My guest room still looks the same. This is not for lack of trying. I just haven't found a bedspread/duvet that I like yet. Never caught an outdoor movie. Again, didn't fit with Branner's sleep schedule. Maybe next summer. I didn't visit a museum. I still want to!!! Look for my Fall To-Do List very soon. I've decided this is going to be a seasonal thing. I can't wait to try again. Maybe I will do better this fall at marking things off!

Holden Beach Trip

We are just back from spending 10 days at Gigi and Big Papa's beach house. We had so much fun! Between splashing in a baby pool with Branner and swinging him in his swing at the house, hanging on the beach, relaxing in the sun on the back deck, reading, boat rides, wave runner rides, tubing and yummy lunches at the Provision Co., the trip was a success! Unfortunately, Branner got completely off his normal schedule and was asleep by 6:00 or 6:30 every night and up by 6:00 or 6:30 every morning. Mommy does not function well that early in the morning! The one plus about being up that early is that I was able to make time for exercise 7 out of the 10 days we were there, taking Branner on 3 or 4 mile walks before it got unbearably hot out. We will be working very hard this week to get back into our regular routine. We are hoping to make a couple more weekend beach trips before it gets too cold. We love warm, lazy days at Holden!

Fourth of July

For the fourth of July weekend, we had big, important plans. We attended the wedding reception for Barry's brother, Chris, and his partner, Shawn, in Winchester, VA. We packed all of our stuff and Barry's other brother, Jason's, up and hit the road Friday morning. After driving all day, we arrived at Chris and Shawn's mountain house late that afternoon ready for a weekend full of fun and family. We had a blast!


We enjoyed hanging out and a fire on Friday night as everyone arrived from locations throughout the world. Saturday morning, we took Branner on his first hike. The reception was Saturday evening, complete with an awesome fireworks display compliments of Lori! What a great night! We are so blessed to be surrounded with so many wonderful people who we truly love. We are lucky to be able to consider the Gardner's family!


On Sunday, we had a nice little lunch date while Branner spent time with his Aunt Kiki, Uncle J, Devyn and Courtney, we were back at Chris and Shawn's for more food and more fun. Branner, Devyn and Courtney and I ended up going back to our cabin early so that Branner could go to bed and the girls could splash around in the hot tub while I watched fireworks from two other cities on the deck.


After we finally got everything packed up, we began the trek back to Charlotte on Monday morning. All I can say is that long car rides with an almost six month old can be exhausting. I've been so tired all day. I did make another significant dent in my reading list this weekend, but I need to work on crossing a few more things off my summer to-do list this week. I think the making homemade ice cream and starting to plan my girlfriend luncheon sound like good tasks to tackle. Hope everyone had a great July 4th!

My ReKINDLEd Romance with Reading

Ok, I am really hard at work on my summer to-do list! I'm marking more things off by the day! Last week, I enrolled Branner in the Shrimps swim class at the Y I have been talking about. This week, I have found my summer signature nail color (Essie--E-nuff is E-nuff) and am working on trying to figure out what I want to take up as a new hobby. I am thinking about signing up for tennis lessons at the moment. I have been updating my recipe blog more frequently, and I think this weekend would be a great time to make some homemade ice cream!



As you know, one thing on the list is to read more. I've been reading every spare minute I get. So far, I have finished The 19th Wife. I then started on All We Ever Wanted Was Everything. However, Barry had a little surprise planned for me. Yesterday afternoon, an amazon.com box showed up on my doorstep. Inside was something I've been wanting for months--a Kindle! Anyone who loves to read knows what an awesome surprise this was! So, he downloaded me Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. last night. I finished it tonight. I dove into it while he had the boys over for poker night since there isn't anything good on tv right now. It's hilarious. I plan to read Chelsea Handler's other two books this summer as well. I just downloaded The Help. Is my passion for reading obvious yet?

Here is my summer reading list so far:



All We Ever Wanted Was Everything by Janelle Brown
Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. by Chelsea Handler
My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
Chelsea, Chelsea Bang, Bang by Chelsea Handler
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume (my all-time favorite book--I read it every year)
Kings Of The Earth by Jon Clinch
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin (one of my favorite authors)
The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell (SATC remains my all time favorite TV show and movie-enough said)
Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
All Sookie Stackhouse Novels by Charlaine Harris (I'm a huge True Blood fan)

A Big "To-Do"

Enjoying the swing at Sardis!

Daddy loves playing with me!


First time at the Farmer's Market

Homemade Peach and Blackberry Cobbler

What a great weekend! This whole to-do list thing is so fun! I dove in head-first to marking fun things off of my list. So far, what has been accomplished:

*Branner went to the pool 3 times last week. We are going again today.

*Exercise--Branner and I did our greenway loop on Saturday and Sunday, making my grand total of workouts last week 5.

*Reading--I picked up 2 new books from Costco yesterday: The 19th Wife and All We Ever Wanted Was Everything. I am currently engrossed in The 19th Wife. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good summer read. I should also note that I find polygamy morbidly fascinating, hence why I chose this book.

*Farmer's Market--We took Branner to the King's Drive market on Saturday afternoon and loaded up on fresh fruits and veggies. I really love the Farmer's Market!

*Homemade Peach Cobbler--I baked my first cobbler last night. It was delish, and I think this is going to become a weekly activity at my house! I plan to experiment with different types.

*Bailey went on a walk on Sunday morning.

I have already made a few additions, which you can see below.

Summer To-Do List--Volume 2

*Nap when Branner naps as much as possible. I feel like summer time is a time to indulge yourself, and what better indulgence is there than a nap?

*Go to the pool and have fun with Branner splashing around in the water and swinging him in the swings.

*Make several trips to Holden/Beech Mountain. I love summertime in both places, such truly different yet perfectly wonderful experiences.

*Find a signature cocktail for the summer to enjoy outside at dusk. Make it often. I'm thinking this will involve champagne. Yummy.

*Exercise often. I'm already doing this, but need to continue. I exercised 6 times last week and 3 this week so far. Yay, me!

*Follow the 5 Factor Diet for 5 weeks as closely as possible.

*Be bikini-ready by time for the annual Cox/Derrick beach trip in August.

*Reward myself for getting bikini-ready with a fabulous new bikini and a(nother) pair of designer sunglasses.

*Try new, healthy recipes and update my Fab Eats blog regularly with them.

*Read more. This is one hobby I have had to slow down on lately, but I am definitely eager to get back to!!!

*Go to POPs. Bring wine and yummy treats to enjoy. Listen to the symphony.

*Have a luncheon just because for my friends and do all of the cooking myself.

*Go to the Farmer's Market often.

*Make a peach cobbler with fresh Farmer's Market peaches.

*Take Bailey on more walks.

*Enroll Branner in a baby swim class.

*Make homemade ice cream.

*Go to a local museum. In my many years here, I have visited very few of the museums. I will change that this summer!

*Find a new hobby to release creative energy.

*Go to AA5. Just once will be enough, but I want to go to make myself feel like a young, hip mommy.

*Find a signature summer nail polish.

*Redecorate the guest room.

*Go to an outdoor showing of a movie.