Weekend Inspiration

Try: This weekend, I hope, will be a lazy one. Last Mother's Day, Ray woke up really sick so all of our plans went out the window and I was left feeling.. less than celebrated. This year, I just want to relax at home with my family. And maybe some flowers. Flowers would be good. ;) I'm picturing slow meals outside while Emmett plays, basking in the afternoon shade.

My hair is really long right now and in desperate need of a good haircut, so I've been looking for new styles to try that keep it out of my way while still looking put together and cute. I'm planning to try this one over the weekend.

Buy: I need a swimsuit! It's already summer here in AZ, and we're heading to a friend's pool for the first time tonight. I've been avoiding the idea of a swimsuit with all my might, but it's time. I loved this one from Madewell- so bright and fun and flattering, maybe. It's on the expensive side (aren't all good swimsuits!), so I'll be looking for something like it, but less expensive. :)

Make: For a weekend like the one I'm hoping we'll have, crock-pot meals are perfect. Low energy, low effort, big results. BBQ is on my mind these days. Summer seems to do that to me. So I plan to make this delicious looking Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed pork tomorrow morning to last us through the weekend.

Bake: Every good weekend needs a little baking. Ray plans to head over to the condo tomorrow to finish painting the last bathroom that needs painting (praise the Lord), which leaves plenty of time for Emmett and I to make cookies. :)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and a Happy Mother's Day!

Weekend Inspiration

Try: With Cinco de Mayo coming up, I'm looking forward to celebrating with friends in the back yard. I'm picturing twinkle lights, kids playing water games, and fresh margaritas made with citrus from our trees. Ray usually just wings the recipe, but this one is pretty good too. ;)

Buy: Spring seems to just be showing it's pretty face in most areas of the country, but here, it's Summer already. The high over the weekend is supposed to be 100, which means 110 and 120 are just around the corner. I'm not excited about any of that, but I am excited about shorts. These are on my dream list.

Make: Speaking of Cinco de Mayo, a version of these are on the menu for a little party we're having on Saturday. I'm hoping to share the recipe before Monday. We'll see if I get to it! ;)

Bake: I've been craving these insanely delicious salty-sweet bars for weeks, so I'm hoping to make a big batch in the morning. Yummmmmmm.

Have a great weekend friends! I hope your weekend involves cooler weather than mine will!

Weekend Inspiration

Try: This weekend the weather is supposed to cool down a little bit. I'm picturing cocktails in the back yard with my husband while Emmett plays before bed. I love anything with cucumber in it, and we have grapefruit growing in our side yard, so these grapefruit cucumber cocktails are the perfect drink to try!

Buy: Speaking of lounging in the back yard with a cocktail.. Ray and I have been toying with buying a hammock . I'm thinking it's time we go for it.

Make: I bought a pizza dough from Trader Joe's on Monday that we've yet to use, so tonight I'll ask Ray to grill a pizza for us. This one from Martha Stewart looks amazing. I'll probably add ricotta because I'm obsessed with ricotta. And maybe a little basil from our garden.

Bake: I want to be one of those moms who bakes bread. I love the smell of bread in the oven, and I love freshly baked bread so much. But I have to admit I'm intimidated. I think this weekend I'll start with a simple recipe like this one, and if it goes well, I'll try something a bit more labor intensive next time.

Weekend Inspiration

Try: I am not crafty. And Emmett isn't really old enough to get into dyeing eggs with me.. Right? But I'm determined to try, if only to keep the tradition alive in our family. We always dyed eggs when we were kids, and I want that for Emmett, too. And I can't resist adding glitter, if I'm going to be crafting anyway.. So I'll try to mimic these pretty eggs.

Buy: I know, I know, I keep talking about how tight money is. And it really is y'all. But again, I'm all about keeping up with family traditions, and that means Easter baskets. We played with these amazing fruit toys at a friend's house yesterday and Emmett was enthralled! He sliced those fruit and put them back together over and over again all day! That's a toy I want in our house. So I'm thinking instead of candy and a few small things, I'll pick this up for Emmett's basket.

Make: I'm a big, big fan of Thai rice and noodle dishes. I could eat them every night of the week, no problem. But I've never found a recipe I could make at home that really, truly hit the spot. I found this one on Pinterest and it looks amazing! I'm thinking I'll add chicken, and enjoy it with a cold beer and my husband in our backyard.

Bake: Have y'all seen Mary Beth's (of Annapolis & Company) insanely beautiful recipe series on The Wiegands? I drool over every recipe, and every photo. Mary Beth is my food photography hero. This recipe in particular looks so easy to make, and I know Emmett will scarf that peanut butter granola down so fast at snack time. I can't wait to bake some tomorrow! I might even let him help. ;)

Have a wonderful weekend, and a Blessed Easter!

Weekend Inspiration

I made these cheesy potatoes a while back, and oh my goodness they were good. I ended up finishing them off with club crackers, because as we all know, every starch just needs another starch to go with it. The blasted weatherman ("sunny, then sunny and hot, then hot and even more sunny") is predicting rain for this weekend. I'll believe it when I see it, but just in case, these are going in the crock pot first thing tomorrow. They are the perfect thing for a rainy day!



I want my hair to look like this. All.The.Time. Alas, I don't have perfect hair and no matter what I do, my braids always look like a 2 year old did them so it's probably never gonna happen. That's not going to stop me from trying to achieve this look this weekend!


Speaking of this weekend... We got a call from our new landlord on Thursday telling us the house is ready for us to move in right away! We are a little bit in shock, a lot excited, and more and more ready to start moving in. I haven't packed a thing, and it may or may not rain on our moving parade, but I'm taking deep breaths and telling myself it's all going to work out just fine. I can't wait to start organizing all of our things again. Hoping it turns out a bit like that photo above. :)


One of the things I'm looking forward to the most is starting fresh with Emmett's room. I almost called it a nursery, but he's a kid now apparently so let's just call it his room. I'm thinking lots of animals because he's obsessed with them, tons of books, and a little reading nook in one corner.

I'm hoping all of you have a wonderful weekend ahead, just maybe not as busy and hectic as ours will be. Happy Friday, friends!