I hope you all are enjoying your weekend! We celebrated a friend’s birthday yesterday and today we’re going to church and then a family bike ride before a celebratory end of school dinner and ice cream. We’ve been continuing with a loose school schedule through the summer but I want to make sure we take the time to celebrate some of A and C’s big achievements – Augustine finished Good and the Beautiful Level 1 Math and Corinna finished her Kindergarten Prep. I’m so proud of those two. We’re all looking forward to a little break from lessons before we start up again in September.

WHAT WE ATE

I plan to share the meals I made the previous week, with links if possible, as some inspiration for your own menu planning.

MONDAY- Corn Chowder with Chile, Lime, and Cotija– so delicious and felt perfect on the night of a surprise summer storm. We’ve been loving the leftovers all week.

TUESDAY- Beets and Greens Phyllo Pie- I’ve had this package of phyllo dough sitting in my freezer for the last several months so I was so happy to find this recipe in a favorite cookbook. The combination of beets with feta and brie cheese in a crispy phyllo crust was so yummy!

WEDNESDAY- Spicy Stir Fried Pork with Green Beans and Tomatoes – also from this cookbook, although if you have an NYT acct I saw it here. This dish came together incredibly fast which makes me think it will definitely be a repeat! Plus, the flavor was so good and reminded us of a delicious takeout meal.

THURSDAY- Gourmet Hot Dog Bar with Oven Roasted BBQ Potato Salad and Watermelon – we had friends over and this was a great, easy summer dinner! The potato salad is so good and different because the potatoes are roasted so they hold their crunch without being mushy.

FRIDAY- Meatloaf and leftover potato salad- another repeat of ours because the kids will eat it all up!

SATURDAY- an easy pantry pasta for the kids and then a late night date night sushi for me and Matthew

SUNDAY- Grilled Fish Sandwiches with tomato, avocado and tartar sauce

That granola bowl above has become my favorite mid-morning snack. Strauss yogurt + pecan granola + raspberries and nectarine + local honey and bee pollen

My neighbor made the most delicious almond flour chocolate chip cookies for us the other day and she used the Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate baking chips…wow so so good!

SALES TO NOTE

American Eagle– 30% off all Jeggings and Slim Jeans + 25% off all Jeans

Ann Taylor– 30% off your full-price purchase

ON MY MIND

I’m getting my hair cut this week and I’m so looking forward to it! My thoughts right now are that I’m going to get bangs again, but I’m also a little worried that maybe my post-partum hair growth might make them look odd. So we’ll see what happens there. I haven’t been in over a year so it will be nice to just sit in a chair for a few hours and read a book/listen to a podcast.

Last week we had a few days that felt like fall (including that random storm day). It made me realize I’m so not ready to say goodbye to summer. This upcoming week we’re supposed to have a few 100-degree days so I’m hoping to take the kids to the splash pad at the park (finally!)

This week is going to bring some change too. My mother-in-law who has been living with us this past year will be back after being gone for the past 6 weeks, and then Matthew will be heading out of town for work. We’re going to miss him so much since it will be the longest time he’s been gone for at least the past 3 years. I know the kids will be happy to have some grandma time, though, so that will provide a little distraction.

Our chickens are now all laying! I didn’t mention this little project of ours that kept us busy this spring, but we raised chicks. It was actually a lot more work than we expected but it was a light during the end of winter bleekness and something we’ve wanted to do for a long time. The eggs have been so cute and tiny but are starting to get a little bigger.

I’ve been keeping up with my elliptical workouts which has been so good for me. I’m using that time to watch bits of a show and even though it takes multiple workout sessions to get through an episode, it’s just the motivation I need! When Downton Abbey came out Matthew and I loved it so much but for whatever reason (maybe we weren’t able to stream it?) we stopped watching after Season 2. Over the years we’ve heard some of the big spoilers so I didn’t feel as big of a desire to start watching it again, even if we could have. Just recently, though, I noticed that all the seasons were available for free on Amazon Prime Video so I picked up again where we left off. I am so happy I did because, even with some of the spoilers spoiled, it’s still so enjoyable!

Have a great week!!

xox

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend! Yesterday was probably my favorite day of summer so far. From start to finish it was so special that I hope I never forget it. We were invited to our friend’s property to pick blackberries so we started the day in the dreamiest garden. The blackberries were the most amazing ones I’ve ever had – so perfectly ripe that they basically melted in your mouth.  Then Augustine and I went on a bike ride together, just the two of us, which we have been talking about doing for so long. I haven’t been on a bike in years but it was “just like riding a bike.” For dinner Matthew made the best cowboy burgers ever (loaded with cheese, onion, cilantro, paprika, and garlic) and then I made a blackberry thyme cobbler for dessert.  I was able to sit out on our porch after the children went to bed and enjoy the sunset while eating my dessert. It was such a treat!

WHAT WE ATE

I plan to share the meals I made the previous week, with links if possible, as some inspiration for your own menu planning.

MONDAY- Garlic Butter Creamed Corn Chicken– This was really flavorful but did feel a little rich for the summertime. I can’t wait to make it again in a cooler month, and I think frozen corn would still taste great!

TUESDAY- Sheet Pan Jalapeño Pineapple Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Garlic Sauce– This was delicious and so easy! It will definitely be a repeat over here.

WEDNESDAY-  Cauliflower Shawarma with Green Tahini and Fried Halloumi– this came together easily because I had made hummus. We all love halloumi because of how sweet it gets when fried/grilled.

THURSDAY- Ginger Sesame Crusted Salmon Bowls– this was good but we all prefer this salmon bowl more

FRIDAY- Herby Avocado Steak Salad – from this cookbook

SATURDAY- Cowboy Burgers (this recipe but with ground beef) We’ve made this several  times with turkey but we couldn’t believe how much better it was with ground beef.

SUNDAY- Spaghetti Vongole with fresh sourdough and a caprese salad

a strawberry mint mojito and burgers outside! Long live summer!

I made a lentil spaghetti for the kids the other day and while they thought something was different, they still ate their whole bowls. Success!

WHAT I WORE

I got a few pieces of clothing from Darling which are so darling. Do you remember their magazines? I was so excited to hear how they’re doing and they have put together a very versatile capsule wardrobe collection. They sent me this tank and this slouch cardigan. I braved the heat and tried both on with my favorite Everlane white jeans (here’s a similar style).

With our 90-degree days, shorts outfits feel like a must around here. I’m thankful we haven’t had too many 100-degree days but August is coming!

SALES TO NOTE

J.Crew– 30% off Wear Now Styles with code SHOPNOW

Abercrombie– 25% off almost everything

Nordstrom– Anniversary Sale is still going strong! Have any of you shopped the sale?

ON MY MIND

We’re still in the middle of summer but I’m also working on planning our fall schedule. I’m currently reading the book Know and Tell and getting excited for Augustine to start his first year of formal homeschool lessons.  I feel like each year we’ve added to our curriculum from our Teach your Child to Read book, to our Math curriculum and then this year will be History, Geography, Natural History, and more Literature. I’m following Ambleside Online’s program which is modeled after Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education which I have really connected with over the years. Corinna is also going to be doing ballet again and Augustine is going to continue with his music lessons which will make for a fun fall.

For the past 3 Augusts we’ve spent time in San Diego and we’re all missing the salty beach air more than we can admit. I wish we could make a trip out this summer but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Maybe in Fall, but hopefully for sure in winter when we need a break from our cold weather!

My evening walks have been so incredible and life-giving! I look forward to this time so much and I’m going to miss them come winter. The two photos right above were taken around 9:15pm if you can believe it. I haven’t really loved our late summer sunsets because it’s hard getting the children to bed, but with them not taking naps, they’re asleep earlier so I have time to sneak out for these walks. I love how much cooler it is and, oh, our beautiful Idaho sunsets are something else!

I hope you all have a lovely week ahead as we say goodbye to July and hello to August!

xox

Happy Sunday y’all! Getting this post up a little later than usual. We’ve been celebrating Matthew’s birthday all week which has been so fun. I feel like I love Matthew’s birthday week as much as my own. It’s just the best to celebrate our favorite guy. To make things extra special, I made his favorite recipes all week, and two birthday desserts: his forever pick of a mud pie, and also this strawberry pretzel cake (but with Biscoff instead of gingersnap cookies although Matthew would love that too I’m sure!)

Here’s a recap of our week:

WHAT WE ATE

I plan to share the meals I made the previous week, with links if possible, as some inspiration for your own menu planning.

MONDAY- Honey Garlic Shrimp and Corn and Bacon Avocado Salad – one of our favorite summer salads!

TUESDAY- Pulled Pork with Coleslaw

WEDNESDAY- BBQ Chicken Salad with Avocado Ranch– so yummy and easy to put together

THURSDAY- Sourdough Pizza with leftover pulled pork, red onions and bbq sauce (and a margarita pizza for the kids!)

FRIDAY- Spicy Orange Sesame Chicken– tastes better than takeout in our opinion!

SATURDAY- Grilled Skirt Steak and Orzo with the best basil vinaigrette ever – seriously make that vinaigrette and put it on everything!

SUNDAY- leftovers

If you haven’t made fried eggs with oregano yet, you’re missing out! This is my go-to breakfast that I have most days of the week.

New favorite summer dessert: the big pie crumb bars from the Smitten Kitchen’s Keepers cookbook. SO good! I used a combination of plums, peaches, raspberries, and blueberries. I wish the recipe was available online but trust me, this cookbook is worth buying!

Scrambled eggs with fresh herbs will always make me think of family holidays because it’s a simple breakfast but feels special and fancy. I love to make this for Christmas morning to go along with our coffee cake, but it’s just as delicious as any other time of year!

The strawberry pretzel cake I mentioned above. I have a feeling it will be another new summer staple. Very kid-friendly too!

WHAT I WORE

This white button-up shirt has been a staple for me for the past several years. I found it on sale here! It’s such an easy pick for any denim outfit, but I also love it with linen shorts.

Staying cool in this hatch tank and these linen pants. This is a weekly favorite for me. I really love the beige and black color combo outfits right now, although I know it’s not very summery.

SALES TO NOTE

The Anniversary Sale is happening! It’s kind of crazy to think back on how much time and effort I put into those sale posts every year. It was a lot of work, and while I enjoyed it, I’m happy not to be spending that much time on it this year. I thought I’d just highlight a few favorites:

• a lip set you will reach for daily ! (or could give as a gift)
• my favorite bra, and favorite strapless
• my go-to hair styling tool
• iconic jeans
• wishlist item

Gap– 50% off!

Wayfair – Outdoor Clearance

Banana Republic– Big Summer Sale- I am loving BR these days. Everything is so good and this sale is one to take advantage of!

ON MY MIND

We’ve been taking it easy today because Augustine stepped on a wasp the other day and his foot has been so swollen. Thankfully it’s looking a lot better but it’s hard for the boy to get around. It sounds like it can be swollen for a week but we’re praying it doesn’t take too long.

I know I mentioned this book to you a few months ago, The Mission of Motherhood. I really enjoyed it so I’m looking forward to reading it again with my friends for our Book Club. It’s a book that would be so encouraging to go through with other mamas. By the way, have you seen my Amazon Storefront? I have a section for favorite books on there, as well as homeschool resources, favorite books for kids, etc.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and stay cool! It will be another hot week for us so I’m seeing some splash pad and pool days in our future. Oh and naps too!

xox