Fourth of July Recap

Good morning everyone (nearly afternoon already!). Finally the weather cooperated for us and the sun was shining all day long and there is no rain in the forecast for a whole week! Practically unheard of in this neck of the woods!

Tuesday evening we left the kids with my parent's and headed to a nearby lake where they put on a fireworks show. We got together with some friends and just relaxed by a bonfire. Before we knew it, it was 1:00 am!

Needless, to say we were each dragging a bit the next morning but at least we had a chance to sleep in a bit since the kids were at my parent's.

We picked up the kids and headed out to a local island where Brandon's entire extended family get together every year on the 4th for a parade and bbq.

The tide was out quite a ways.... I guess they consider these the flats. By the end of the day it had started to come in.

This year the family decided to actually put a float in the parade instead of just talking about it. :)
The plan was for the four of us to ride, but Jax didn't want to. What a surprise! So, Kendra and I did. I was surprised with how great she did. She tried so hard to throw the candy far enough to reach the kids but she couldn't quite make it. :)

What is so great about this parade is that it such a small community so the parade isn't full of politicians and big businesses trying to advertise. It is just a community coming together and having fun. In years past there have been floats with water cannons and bystanders with water guns. It is just a good time. :)

We spent the majority of the day out at the beach and headed home around 4:00. The kids promptly nodded off and slept about an hour; long enough to pick a few little fireworks and make the drive home. After that we had our parents' over for a late bbq and smores and just spent the evening in the backyard.

 Pretty much my only requirement of Brandon when picking out the fireworks was to get lots of sparklers. They are my favorite part of the 4th and the kids really enjoyed them too.

However, as soon as the bigger, louder things started going off I got an inkling of Jaxson's unease.

He was very unsure and kept wanting to go inside. Kendra on the other hand was completely entranced (just like I thought she would be) . Brandon ended up sitting inside with Jaxson while Kendra and I sat on the back deck curled up in blankets. She was so excited and kept chattering on and on and then pretty soon fell silent. She had fallen asleep. Poor thing was so worn out from such a busy day.

Fireworks are legal in our city limits so people go a little crazy. It was about one when I finally nodded off and didn't get woken up again.

All in all, it was a fantastic day! What did you go?

Friday's Letters On A Sunday

Dear Readers,
You guys are amazing! You left me some of the sweetest and most encouraging comments. I really took what you said to heart and followed your advice! I am happy to say I stepped out of my comfort zone and let my insecurities go (kind of :) ) and invited that mom over the very next day. I am so glad that I did. I know I don't need to be perfect, and that really no one expects that but me.

Dear Weather,
Seriously?! Rain! Still? I am so sick of the rain. We have so many fun festivities going on in our small town and you are putting a damper on it. I mean, we have missed the kiddie parade, chainsaw carving competition and the rodeo (yes, I live in a small logging town). We were supposed to be attending a first birthday today at the park and now it has been moved inside. My kids and I are craving some vitamin D from the sun!

Dear at home iced coffee attempts,
Why do I find it so hard to replicate the goodness that is Starbucks? I have been trying and trying for just the right combo of perfect iced mocha. I have yet to figure it out. Sometimes my experiments result in gagging and not even being able to drink it. Today's isn't so bad. So, if you all have a secret recipe please share it with me!

Dear new chicken salad sandwich recipe,
You blew me away! A little experimenting and "tweaking" to a recipe turned out great! I can not wait to share the super easy recipe with you guys. :)

Dear Magic Mike,
I can not wait to see you! Enough said.

Lowering my expectations

I expect way too much of myself and I know I have said before that I am my own worst critic. Well, that is for sure.

Let me give you an example. There is a mom I know. Our kids get a long great and she has had us to her house before for a playdate. Her house is beautiful. Immaculately decorated, big, beautiful yard and stunning views. She is a also a great person. She is so nice and so welcoming and I do not feel any jealousy at all toward her, honestly. I do however feel a bit intimidated and that I don't measure up.

She has never made me feel this way; I make myself feel that way. I have low self esteem and lack confidence and that prevents me from things all.the.time.....

For instance, I would love to have them over to our house for a playdate. However, I make myself feel inadequate. I know this. I know it is my own doing. Is she really going to care that my counters are so stained and that their are chips of paint peeling off the bathroom door or that  we have virtually no landscaping in the front yard? Nope. I don't think so. So, why do I care so much?! I know it isn't healthy and the people in our lives love us for who we are but I am constantly comparing myself to other moms and feeling like I don't measure up to some ridiculous standard that I have seemed to set for myself.

It's not just mothering either; it is everything. I think "oh, she's skinnier, she is prettier, she reads to her kids more, she cooks everything home made, her kids don't have processed foods". I know these thoughts are unhealthy and I am doing the best for me. Now, I don't begrudge these women anything.... it's just that I sometimes feel I am not good enough.

I don't want to pass this mindset along to my children, truly. I need to stop with the negative view of myself so I can teach my children confidence and self love.  I hate that it sometimes prevents me from doing things that I would enjoy. I let my lack of confidence stop me from things and then somehow convince myself that it is okay, even if it is not.

If any of my friends told me they were feeling this way I would tell them they were crazy. I need to learn to heed my own advice!

Our Summer Bucket List

I have seen so many fun bucket lists floating around that it inspired me to do one for our family. The entries in red are the things that Jaxson suggested. :)

SUMMER BUCKET LIST:

1.) Go to beach
2,) Go to park
3.) Roast marshmallows

4.) Jaxson helping make breakfast 

5.) A trip to the zoo

6.) A picnic at the park
7.) Getting ice cream from the ice cream truck

8.) Taking a train ride

9.) Buy lemonade from a stand
10.) Take a day trip to the Seattle Pacific Science Center
11.) Make raspberry jam using all of our raspberries
12.) Host a BBQ here for friends and family
13.) Watch the city fireworks
14.) Start reading a chapter book to the kids
15.) Finally get Jaxson completely potty trained! (this has been a nightmare)
16.) Go the local aquatic center
17.) Play mini golf
18.) Get updated family photos taken
19.) Go for a short hike
20.) Have a garage sale
21.) Take Jaxson to his very first movie!
22.) Walk to the farmer's market in town
23.) Go to a u-pick berry farm
24.) Do a nature scavenger hunt
25.) Go to the local speedway at least once
26.) Sleep in a tent in the backyard
27.) Take a ferry ride to the islands
28.) Fly our kites

What We Have Been Up To

Mother nature up here in the Pacific Northwest can not make up her mind! One day it's sunny and gorgeous and even reaches 70 and then the next it's pouring down rain again. I can't stand it! Whenever the sun DOES make an appearance we try to take full advantage of it. We had such a fantastic day yesterday soaking up every last little ray of sunshine we could. I apologize to anyone who follows me on instagram because they are all the same photos. :( 

As much as I complain about the weather there is no where else I would like to call home! Look at these views!

We spent some time scouring the tide pools for crabs, fish and other creatures.

We played at the playground and had a picnic while watching the bald eagles in the trees and even a seal in the surf. :)

We found a fun little ice cream shop that had the best waffle cones. Jaxson enjoyed his bubblegum ice cream and so did I. ;)

The kids sacked out on the way home and we were hoping they would take a decent nap but as soon as we pulled in the drive they woke up.

We decided an impromptu trip to the local farmers market was a good idea so we loaded the kids in their wagon and walked the 2.5 miles there.

Kendra would not let go of the loaf of bread we purchased. She kept trying to open the package.
We also picked up two blueberry plants but we had no room to get them home so Brandon had to drive back to pick them up.

They are the perfect edition to our garden. I can't wait till they are ripe because there is nothing better than fresh blueberries. I keep having to tell the kids to not pick them and eat them yet. At the rate they are going we may not have any left.

This is what my kitchen counter looked like last Saturday! We didn't have anything planned and figured we would have a baking night. We made four dozen chocolate chip cookies (froze most) , three loaves of banana bread, two plates of cherry cheesecake dip, and home made banana ice cream.

I just love having baking and cooking nights. We don't do it often but when we do we figure make and freeze as much as we can. It's always nice to have bread or cookies when company comes over. :)

Popcorn Snack Bars

Oh My Goodness! I am not a huge fan of popcorn but when I  came upon  this recipe the other day  for the popcorn snack bars I knew I wanted to try it. It looked simple and yummy, pretty much my only two requirements when it comes to cooking and baking. :) Plus, it helped that I had all the ingredients on hand. I improvised a little and omitted a few things from the original recipe and added some chocolate chips. In my opinion, most things are better with chocolate!

Popcorn Snack Bars

- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
- 8 cups of plain popped popcorn
- 2 cups of  old fashioned rolled oats (do not use the instant kind)
- 3/4 cup honey
- 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 and spread your coconut on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until slightly toasted (about four minutes), stirring once. Transfer it to a bowl to cool.

Add your chopped almonds onto baking sheet and baked until golden brown (about 5-6 minutes).
Add to coconut to cool

In a large bowl combine your popcorn, oats, coconut, almonds, and chocolate chips.

In a small pan over LOW heat, combine the honey, brown sugar and salt. Cook about 5 minutes (while stirring) until the sugar dissolves.

Pour the honey mixture over the popcorn mixture, being sure to cover everything and that there are no dry spots.

Transfer to apx a 9x13 baking dish.
It is easiest to press the mixture down if your hands are slightly moistened. Press firmly to pack it down.

Refrigerate for about 30 mins- 1 hour before you cut into it!

 Hope you enjoy them as much as I did, which is probably a little too much!

My Two Week Menu (and a recipe)

Alright, here goes again. Here is our menu for the next two weeks, plus I wanted to share a recipe with you that I threw together on Saturday and was really quite happy about.

Monday:

Twice baked potatoes and leftover Greek Couscous salad (recipe below)

Tuesday:

 dinner @ Mom's

Wednesday:

White Chicken Enchiladas (double batch to freeze some)

Thursday:

Chicken spaghetti with feta and parmesan and pesto

Friday:

Tortelinni vegetable soup

Saturday:

Black bean burgers and fries

Sunday:
porkchops and baked potaotes

Monday:

Crescent roll hot dogs

Tuesday:

tatertot casserole

Wednesday:

@mom's

Thursday:

Meatloaf and mashed potoatoes

Friday:

turkey chili

Saturday:

leftovers

Sunday:

BBQ


                      

Greek Couscous salad:

Let me preface this by saying that I had two recipes I was kind of following and then throwing in some of my own ingredients along the way. Overall, I am quite pleased with how it turned out, but next time there are a few things I would do a bit differently. 

  Ingredients:

one box of couscous (I like the Near East brand)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. Tabasco
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
One can chickpeas, drained
1 tbsp. olive oil 
diced tomatoes
kalamata olives and reserve juice to add some in
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
4-5 stalks of chopped green onions


Prepare your box of couscous and add everything together. As simple as that. I added a little juice from the olive can to give it a little bit of extra flavor.  Next time I plan on adding some diced red pepper and some cilantro. I had parsley on hand but my hubby doesn't care for it.