Happy Friday!

Hi there!  I'm thoroughly looking forward to the weekend.  The cooler weather has finally set in around here, so it'll be a windows open, fall candle burning kind of weekend.  

This weekend, I also plan to make up some freezer meals for the colder months, along with a couple of loaves of homemade bread.  Nothing is better than having a meal ready to go after a long day of work.  
 

Last weekend we were in Kansas City for one of Chase's cousin's wedding.  Chase has a huge extended family, so it was a fun time getting together with everyone.  It was a beautiful outdoor wedding, and they could not have asked for better weather for their special day.

We, of course, enjoyed some of the best KC BBQ while we were there, spent Saturday morning shopping with my sister-in-laws and Chase and I ended the weekend running around Lawrence for a bit!  It sure brings back memories of a fun four years returning to that beautiful town and campus. #Rockchalk!

Another bonus from last weekend?  We're still enjoying this welcome tin full of cake pops that Chase's aunt and uncle put together for the guests in the hotel!  There are only two left, but it has been such a nice, sweet treat all week.

We celebrated our two year wedding anniversary on Monday with a great meal at home of grilled filet mignon (can't beat farm fresh beef), garlic mashed potatoes, fresh sweet peas and toasted garlic bread.  For a little something sweet, we had brownies (thank you, mom!) topped with a scope of vanilla bean ice cream.

  It's hard to believe that two years has already passed since our wedding day, but what a great two years it has been!

Thank you for stopping in! I look forward to sharing some fall-themed posts next week because, HELLO FALL!  

Friday!

Is anyone else looking forward to the three day holiday weekend?  I know we are.  The past five weekends we have been away from home either at the lake, Denver or last weekend's wedding, so this weekend... We have zero plans, and I cannot wait! 

It has sort of been a crazy week with our sweet girl, Maci.  The past couple of months we have noticed that she didn't have as much energy as she normally does, but we were attributing her energy levels, or lack thereof, to summer heat.  Her coat is so thick, and as much as we brush her, it still doesn't offer her much relief.  After she spent the night at my parent's farm over the weekend and hearing my entire family comment on her unusual behavior (lack of energy, almost even lethargic), I knew it was time to take her to the vet for a checkup.  She was due her annual booster shots anyway, so while she was there we planned for our vet to do a routine physical.  Chase dropped her off before work, so she could spend the day at the vet for observation.  When you visit our vet, you weigh your pet as you enter the office.  Chase called me after he left and told me she had a twenty pound weight gain.  TWENTY pounds... I was instantly in shock, and I felt horrible about myself.  How could I not have noticed that much difference in her weight?  Because we had taken her to the vet after a toe injury earlier this summer, I knew she had only put on that weight in two months.  Cue me feeling even worse... Two months and twenty pounds later.  After our vet completed her physical, she didn't notice anything abnormal other than her weight gain, and she suggested that we just work with her to lose the extra lbs.  I immediately suggested a blood test.  (My mom and I began an online search after Chase called about her weight and discovered dog's thyroids can be the cause of some of the symptoms Maci had been showing.)  Her food hadn't changed, the amount of food hadn't changed and she was still getting regular walks and exercise.  To me, that's basis for something more going on.  So, as it turns out, Maci has hypothyroidism.  She was put on a two-pill regimen for probably the remainder of her life.  We take her back in at the end of the month to make sure her dosage is working and to make sure her hormone levels are getting back on track.  The good news?  Hypothyroidism is not a life-threatening issue, and we should start seeing a change in her energy levels in no time, especially as she starts dropping some of that weight.

 On another note, our fall decor is unpacked!  I'll share a fall inspired post within the next few weeks-- once the weather actually feels like fall.  I will add that I picked up four bundles of these cute little pumpkins and pine cones from our local Dollar General for $3.00 each.  Such a steal!

 For my mom's birthday celebration last Sunday, I made and decorated a white cream blueberry three-tiered cake with lemon buttercream.  It was the perfect addition to a great meal and wonderful family time.

I'm going to start making a better habit out of meal prepping at the beginning of each week.  It makes weeknight meals so much easier to grab already washed and cut up veggies and fruits.  And, that means after putting in all of the effort to do that, I won't be as likely to let it spoil in the veggie or fruit drawer.

It's been a good week, and I am so thankful we were able to get things figured out with Maci.

Enjoy your weekend!

Friday Favs

How is it already Friday?  This week flew by for me!  Here is my weekly recap of some of my favorite things and moments!

1. As I wrote about earlier this week, Chase and I got away last weekend for a spur of the moment trip to Denver.  We were able to get some shopping done, have some good eats and just enjoy the perks of city life.

 

2. I have had the new fall home décor I picked up last weekend sitting on our dining table all week because I’ve been contemplating putting it out.  I haven’t unpacked my other fall stuff from storage yet, but if I do some, I feel like I should go ahead and do it all.  I still have American flag décor out from the summer months, but it’s time to put those away.  Is it too early to put out fall stuff?

3. I am still enjoying the homemade granola I made earlier this week.  It is such a simple recipe!  I plan to make another batch within the next few weeks but this time with peanut butter.  Who doesn’t enjoy some good peanut butter granola?

 

4. Some of the jewelry I picked up from Charming Charlie last weekend has been on constant repeat this week.  I purged some of my old jewelry, and I'm looking for ways to better organize my things, particularly my jewelry drawers.  It always feels good to reorganize things.  I plan to do our hallway closet this weekend and start pulling out fall clothes from the back of our closet.  I also like to rewash some of my pieces, especially scarves after they have been stored/hung for so many months.

5. We have a wedding to attend this weekend of some old high school friends.  It will be a fun evening filled with wedding love and chatting with old friends!  It also brings to the forefront that we are only one month away from our two-year wedding anniversary!  Where does the time go?

 

Along with looking forward to the wedding Saturday, my oldest brother who lives in NYC is heading home for the week.  We’re celebrating my mom’s birthday, which is on Monday, and having an early celebration for my dad’s birthday in October.  Adam's trip home also falls on his birthday!  So, lots of celebrating going on over here!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Xo.

Five Friday Favorites!

1. This week I began shopping for some of the fall birthdays we have in our family.  Chase and I are the only ones in my family of six (soon to be seven with my future sister-in-law joining the fam in May 2016) to have a birthday that doesn’t land during the fall months, and we have three nephews, on his side, with birthdays coming up soon too!  I like getting a head start or at least a good idea of what I plan to purchase.  I sometimes struggle with gift ideas for kids, but I’ve found that checking with the mom helps tons.  Chase and I like to give gifts that will be used and/or are needed rather than something that’ll break within the week or be tossed in the corner in no time.  Getting some ideas from the parents always = a great route to go! 

2. We are loving the veggies we’ve been getting from my mom’s garden.  Every spring and summer she plants a HUGE garden, and we’re lucky to be able to snag some of her excess produce!  I look forward to the day that we have enough room to plant a big garden of our own.  You cannot beat fresh produce. 

3. Speaking of my mom sharing her wonderful produce… We also got our first pumpkin of the season!  She accidentally knocked it off the vine, so she passed it on to us.  Since it is still pretty warm outside, I’m leaving it inside so the sun doesn’t start spoiling it.  But, I do plan to put some on our back patio and some on our front porch once the fall season gets underway.

4. I shared one of our favorite meal recipes yesterday.  The recipe makes so much extra that I’ve been eating leftovers for lunch the past two days.  Chase took the rest in his lunch today too. #perfectleftovers 

5. Chase had the afternoon off from work on Wednesday because of their company requirement to get so many hours of “rest time”.  (He worked during the night on power outages in our area.)  Since we work in different towns and we never get the opportunity to have a lunch date, Chase headed my way and took me out to lunch.

We are off to Denver for the weekend for some QT and a little shopping!

It’s been a great week, and I hope you’ve had one too! 

Thank you for stopping in!  

Friday Favorites- Top Three!

I have tossed around the idea of blogging for a few years now, and I finally decided to take the leap.  Whether or not this blog goes anywhere or if it is just a site for my family and friends to visit, it is a great place to compile and share our life happenings.  

I’ve had a stressful busy few days learning and researching different ways to design the site, and I am loving that I finally feel like I’m getting a hang of this blogspot stuff!  Hang in there while I still work through some kinks.   

I am linking up with Andrea, Narci and Erika to share my Friday Favorites!

1.  Chase’s family has a place at a “nearby” lake, which is rural Kansas talk, (it is actually more than an hour away) that we’ve been visiting since we started dating in high school.  Some summers have given us the opportunity to visit a lot more than others, but this summer we made it our goal, early on, to go as much as possible.  We’ve spent a few weekends there with family and some time there alone, but today we’re heading there as a group again.  You cannot beat the views from the bluffs, and Maci’s love for swimming and any and ALL things water is in full swing!

(This photo of Cedar Bluff from the bluffs was taken this spring.  Thanks to a lot of wonderful, summer rain, it's much greener now!)

2.  In preparation for our weekend away, I baked Andrea’s monster cookies last night.  They are the perfect cookie to binge snack on, and so unbelievably easy to whip up!  I know our three nephews will enjoy nibbling on them, as well as the adults. 

3.  We bought Maci a Serta dog pillow from Sam’s Club, and she.is.in.heaven.  She sleeps in our sunroom that connects our house to the garage, but we leave the pillow inside while we are lounging in the evenings so she has somewhere comfortable to lie down.  You cannot beat the price and the cover is machine washable, so it’s a win, win! 

Thank you for stopping in; I'm so glad you did!  Next week I plan to share a special 25 Things About Me for 25 Years.

Enjoy your weekend!