Suzanne McGrath Photography

Six on Sunday

Hello!  Did you have a nice weekend?  We had a nice weekend, albeit a cold one.  I'm so ready for spring!

 

1.  I finished reading Nightingale by Kristin Hannah about week and a half ago.  (affiliate link)  I really enjoyed the book.  It didn't me more than 5 pages to be drawn into the story.  Plus, I am a sucker for historical fiction so it is not surprising that I enjoyed reading this one.  I will say it was a very easy read and I didn't have to think very hard.  I read somewhere that the story of Isabelle is actually the story of a Belgian girl during WWII.  I'm not sure if that is true, but if so, why not just say that?  Anyway, I did enjoy the book and read it very quickly.  

 

2.  Our weekends are nearly wide open these days and it's wonderful.  Now that we have two girls in high school sports, our weekends are much more free but our week nights are crazy busy!  But I am really liking this schedule, actually.  For instance, tomorrow the little girls each have a practice at 5:30.  Meanwhile, #2 has a soccer team dinner where I volunteered to help.  #1 is the only kid free after dinner!  Tuesday and Thursday are both crazy - #1 has a swim meet both nights and #2 has a soccer game both nights.  The only "normal" night will be Wednesday when #3 has soccer practice.  However, I will make the trade to have a nice, easy weekend.  

 

3.  #3 had a soccer game this morning and it was COLD!  I think the wind chill was around 25*.  Needless to say, we stopped for coffee and hot chocolate on our way home:

 

4.  I bought tickets for Paramore and Foster the People coming in July.  I am so excited!

 

5.  I spent the entire afternoon in the kitchen meal prepping for the week.  (It is the only way I will survive intact!)  Meanwhile, the hubby was upstairs assembling #1's shower door.  The poor guy, it literally took him the ENTIRE day to get it this far:

We got one door installed but the bolts kept stripping so he is at Home Depot as I type this buying replacements so he can finish.  Thankfully I love it!  I think the black looks so sharp.  (Oh, and he installed the concrete backer board on the floor yesterday so we can start tiling.  I am ready to just get across the finish line on this project.  I'm sure #1 is in agreement.)

 

6.  If you follow me on Facebook or Insta, you probably saw these pictures already but I am still going to post them here.  I took the girls to March for our Lives in Kansas City yesterday and I'm so glad I did!  The older girls really understand it but I had to explain it to the little girls in terms they could understand.  (That is more challenging than it sounds - it's hard to explain the gun debate to an 8 year old and an 11 year old.)

One of my friends also joined us and brought her two girls plus her older daughter's friend.  It was really inspiring.

I just googled it, and it looks like there were about 5,000 - 6,000 at the peak of the day.

 

 

 

All right.  That's all I've got for this week.  Have a good one!

 

Six on Sunday

Well, spring break is almost over.  The girls have tomorrow off and they go back to school on Tuesday.  Well, they're supposed to go back to school but the girls won't get home until Tuesday.  Anyway, now that spring break is almost over it feels like we're in the home stretch of school.  Two more months.  I think I can handle it.  

 

1.  This week actually flew by even though it was spring break and we were in town for most of it.  The girls really enjoyed each other's company for the most part which I LOVED!  They baked a delicious dessert one day:

They found the recipe in cookbook Half Baked Harvest.  (affiliate link)  

Tangent:  so I found Tieghan Gerard because her brother, Red, won the gold medal at the Olympics.  But let me tell you, she is the real deal.  Her photography is absolutely stunning!  And her recipes are delicious.  I ordered her cookbook on a whim and am so glad I did.  When I make one of her recipes my kids tease me and tell me I am feeding them like Olympians.  (She cooks for her family.)  Tangent over.

There was also a lot of this:

and this:

All that to say, there were some lazy days and it was all good!  

 

2.  So the big girls and the hubby left for Colorado last Thursday morning.  They drove out to Denver and crashed with our friend, Vicki.

 

They were up bright and early Friday and on the road for Fort Collins by 6:30am.  They toured Colorado State in the morning:

 

And the University of Colorado Boulder in the afternoon:

 

Here's what I know from the texts I received...#1 really liked both campuses a lot but actually liked CSU campus a bit more than CU.  And CSU has a swim program while CU does not so there is that.  (However, not sure she is fast enough??)  However, CU scenery is tops because they all felt a bit disconnected from the mountains at CSU.  So really, I know nothing.

They drove up to the mountains and stayed in a small condo in Dillon Friday and Saturday night.  Saturday they skied at Keystone and today they skied at A Basin.  They all agreed they don't need to go back to Keystone.  It's nothing special.  

Here's A Basin:

Yes, that made me jelly!  

They are in Laramie now and will tour Wyoming tomorrow.  I can see #2 ending up at Wyoming more than #1.  It's a big school in a small town and that feels like #2.  We shall see, though.  You'll have to stay tuned for next week to hear what they think of Wyoming and Laramie!

 

3.  Meanwhile, the Littles and I had our own adventure this weekend!  We high-tailed it down to Arkansas Thursday night after work.  Friday was absolutely gorgeous down there!  The girls wore shorts and T-shirts.  My mom took them for a hike after lunch since I was still working and they had a blast.

 

Saturday we all went shopping and had such great luck!  We all three found a pair of shoes we love.  The girls each got two pairs of shorts from Gap since they were having Buy One Get One Half Off.  #4 found a couple T-shirts to go with her shorts at Old Navy.  And #3 found an adorable 5th Grade Farewell dress at Dillards.  I even bought a super cute striped dress from Old Navy.  My mom found a fun long open cardiac, too!  All in all, it was a very productive afternoon.

Last night my mom took us all and her special friend, Jim, out for a Mexican dinner.  The food was great and it was such a treat not to have to cook OR do the dishes.  It's the little things, right?!  We had a lazy morning and then left around 11am.  It was nice to get out of town for a little bit!

 

4.  On Tuesday, one year in advance, we had to call to book our condo for next year.  And you know what happened?  WE GOT IT FOR SPRING BREAK WEEK!  Yes!  For the first time in four years, we were successful in reserving it for the week we want.  We are thrilled.  That means we won't be home for spring break next year but will be in Breckenridge.  Yahoo!!!!

 

5.  You know we are going to Washington DC next summer.  Well, I tried to get Hamilton tickets and sadly was unsuccessful.  They sold out to members of the Kennedy Center before I even woke up on March 1st.  Did I let that deter me from going to a production at the Kennedy Center?  Of course not.  I bought tickets for us to see Audra McDonald perform with the National Symphony Orchestra.  If you don't know her by name, she's way famous.  My kids know her as the Wardrobe in Beauty and the Beast.  I am just excited to see a performance at the Kennedy Center!   

 

6.  I tried a new recipe from Half Baked Harvest and it was delicious!  Sheet Pan Harissa Chicken with Chickpeas and Sweet Potatoes.  I couldn't find Harissa seasoning at Hy-Vee but the hubby was successful at World Market.  It's definitely got a kick to it.  If you like spice, use what is called for in the recipe.  If you're a little timid of spices, I'd half it.  After all, you can always add more but you can't take it away.  I particularly loved this recipe because it literally only used one sheet pan.  That was it!  I didn't get any bowls dirty and if you know me you know I don't serve things fancy but just put the sheet pan on the table.  Tada!  Dinner was served.  I used chicken thighs because that is what I had on hand and it was great.  Chicken breasts would work, too.  If you try it, let me know what you think!

 

Phew.  I feel like I had much more to say this week than last week.  Have a good one!

 

Six on Sunday

Hello!  I'm here on Sunday night so all is well.  

1.  It feels strange to be home for spring break.  It feels as if we are the only family still in town.  I know that's an exaggeration, but it kind of feels like that a little bit.  So I just have to remind myself that we had an early spring break.  And we really had a blast on our ski trip so it's all good!  As I said last week, the hubby and big girls are leaving on Thursday for CO.  I know they will have a great trip and I'm really excited to hear about the university tours!  Meanwhile, I am taking the little girls south to my mom's house for the weekend.  It will be nice to get out of town for a little bit and hang out with my mom.  I'm really looking forward to it!  We're going to take the littles shopping and hopefully fit in a hike if the weather cooperates. 

 

2.  #1 and I got back yesterday afternoon from her swim meet in Columbia, MO.  It was a big meet - Sectionals.  

She didn't do as well as she would have liked, but it was not a surprise at all.  She wasn't able to swim breast stroke for 6 weeks at the end of last year because of knee problems.  Then she missed nearly a week of swim when we went skiing.  And she missed several days during the "ice storm" period a couple weeks ago.  And one day out of the water is like missing a week of soccer practice.  

The good news is, she is more determined to take her training seriously.  While I'm not sure she will swim in college (she isn't fast enough for a D1 school and she is set on a big school), she wants to be the one to make the decision rather than have it be made for her.  That means she needs to get faster to have a chance to even make that decision.  We shall see if her resolve sticks or not.  After all, I can't make it for her.

If you want to watch her swim, I actually recorded her 200 breaststroke.  I don't normally record her events, but I figured why not?!  She is at the bottom of the screen in the light blue swim cap. It's about 2 minutes 35 seconds.

 

 

3.  I was really productive today and it felt good!  I made a couple meals for the hubby and big girls to take with them to CO.  (I think eating out every single meal gets old really fast!)  I also did a bunch of meal prep for the week.  I did so much laundry I lost track of how many loads I've done and I'm still going!  I painted two doors and tested two colors of stain for #1's bathroom shelves.  I helped the little girls make matching pillow covers for their room and they turned out really great.  Not to mention #1 and I made it to yoga class this morning, too.  I feel like I can start my week with a clean slate and I like that feeling!

 

4.  We are starting to get excited for our trip to Washington DC this summer.  If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears!

 

5.  I'm reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.  So far it's really good.  Though if I'm being honest, I hate the suspense and already read the last chapter.  So now I just have to get through the couple hundred pages in the middle! 

 

6.  I feel like I'm out of words tonight.  Man, that rarely happens!  So I guess you really only get five nuggets out of me tonight.  It's all I can think of to write about.  And with that, I'll sign off.  

 

Have a great week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make Up Monday

Hello!  I'm back.  I had a good reason to skip last night, though, so it's all good. 

 

1.  We celebrated a birthday last night.  #1 turned 17 years old!  I'm not even sure how that's possible??  I still feel like I'm about 35?  Alas, I guess not.  The math just doesn't work...

Anyway, my sister and her family came over last night so there was a big, rowdy group all here to celebrate.  I let my kids pick their birthday meal - anything goes - and #1 picked an Asian-themed meal.  We had spring rolls with peanut sauce, short ribs, roasted green beans and Brussel sprouts, and a Chinese New Year's cake for dessert.  It actually all turned out really well even though I had never made short ribs or a Chinese New Years cake!  (So the cake was more like flan and it took twice as long to bake as compared to the directions.  If you like flan, it was good.)

 

At 17, Cate is

• a total teenager.  Messy room, messy car, messy bathroom
• ditzy every now and then.  OH, I had you order a size 26 suit?  Oops, I meant size 24.  Can we get it in three days? 
• ready to be done with school.  She seems to have a case of Senioritis but only in her junior year.  Please hold me. 
• really funny with a great sense of sarcastic humor.  She, her dad, and #2 laugh about stupid vines ALL THE TIME.
• a swimmer.  We are headed to Sectionals this weekend for a swim meet in Columbia, MO.  She is super excited for high school swim to start!
• friendly and social.  She has such a great group of friends.

I really am excited for what the next year is going to bring for her!

Since the cake took so long to bake, it was still pretty warm when we cut into it.  That meant the candles started melting almost as soon as I stuck them into the cake.  And 17 candles is no joke - it took a little time!  Hence, you see the candles falling over in the picture.  It was all good, though!

 

2.  Friday night brought exciting news...#2 made the C team for her high school soccer team.  It was so exciting!  Soccer try-outs were all last week and I know she was nervous all week.  Who can blame her?  Soccer is a "cut" sport at our high school so she wasn't guaranteed a spot.  I am so excited for her to get to play a sport for her high school.

Their try-outs were tough.  They got graded on several skills:  juggling, headers, shooting, sprinting, and dribbling.  They also scrimmaged a lot and were moved around between two fields.  It was nerve-wracking for sure!  But she had her first official practice today so all is well that ends well.  I cannot wait to watch her play!

 

3.  We bought a new bed and got it all set up.  I feel like a grown up now!  I absolutely love the bed.  It is the Melina Tufted Grey Linen Wingback Bed.  The only downside to the bed as that it's a king and therefore doesn't fit between the windows.  However, there is NO WAY we can orient the room any other way.  We have a door to the bathroom on one side, a door to the office on another side, and the fourth wall is too short to fit the bed because the door into our room is at an angle and cuts off that wall.  But I really wanted a high back so I can lean back and get comfortable reading in bed at night.  I decided that was more important than worrying about the windows. 

(Forgive the crappy iPhone pics - I just took them a few minutes ago with ZERO light!)

 

4.  Next week is spring break.  It will be weird for us to be here during the whole week.  At least the little girls will be here with me.  The hubby is taking the big girls to "tour colleges" (ie go skiing).  They are driving out next Thursday, touring the University of CO at Boulder and Colorado State University on Friday.  They are skiing Saturday and Sunday.  Monday is up in the air because #2 isn't sure if she has soccer practice that Monday.  If not, they will all tour the University of WY in Laramie on Monday.  I'm actually really excited for them.  I think they will have a blast!

 

5.  Saturday morning #3 played her first 11 v 11 soccer game on the big field.  It was so fun to watch!  They played a GREAT game.  Their passing was just outstanding.  And the best part?  They won 4 -1.  That is a big deal because her team has always "played up" against much better opponents meaning they always lose - usually by a lot.  Well they are now in the correct bracket and it was really fun for them to actually win.  Plus, as a parent I can see the coach has a reason for what he has been doing and I think it is going to start paying off! 

 

6.  I tried a couple recipes from Half Baked Harvest last week.  This soup was a winner - Crockpot Tuscan White Bean and Lemon Soup.  If you don't love lemon, you might want to dial it down a bit.  And I cooked it for much longer than the recipe called for since I was at work.  It was still good and the quinoa wasn't mushy.  If you make it, let me know what you think!

 

All right.  That's all I've got for tonight.  Have a great week!