Back from the Beach

We just returned home from an 8 day vacation. We started out in Pennsylvania to visit with my Nana in Hershey and then we were off to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We stayed in a beach house with some of my family in the little town of Duck. It was a very nice trip. This is really the first family vacation we have taken with all the kids for more than 2 nights. I don't count going to Kansas as a vacation. :)

The kids really enjoyed the ocean and the pool in our little community. We all really had a great time!

We had our own room with an attatched bathroom. The kids slept in their sleeping bags and Joel and I took the queen sized bed. Jim, Joe, Josh and my cousin Brendan shared a room of 4 bunks. Then my sister Jess and husband Adam had a room, Julie and husband Andrew had their own room and my cousin Devon had a pull out sofa in the basement. Mom and Dad had the master suite. It was a beautiful beach house with access to the balconies from all the bedrooms. We had a hot tub to share, although I was usually too tired to enjoy it at night.

I realized that my siblings and parents were there to just basically do nothing and enjoy the time away from work etc... Our family is in a different stage than they are. I still had to do the same things I do everyday, but in a strange place away from the comforts of home! It was difficult to keep the kids quiet when they arose at 6:30 every morning! We usually ate and tried to leave for the beach early. Oh, to sleep in to 10am again. I couldn't even do it, if I tried. We made 2 to 3 trips to the beach each day and then swam in the pool in the afternoon. Bedtimes went pretty well mostly because the kids were worn out from all the days activities.

We did make a daytrip out to the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island. It was so humid and hot there we didn't get to fully appreciate it. It was very beautiful though. Then we went to the Aquarium on Roanoke Island. It was very nice as well. Luckily I realized after we had paid that we could recieve a discount with our Columbus Zoo pass. Usually it is only 50% off. Well. It turned out to be free! It was a nice surprise. The kids got to pet a ray and see some pretty big sharks there.

We had a long drive home yesterday and Collin, who usually doesn't like new situations etc... was very upset that we weren't going back to our beach home. He really took to the ocean and adapted very well to the beach house. Claire made several friends on the beach and Chloe was the timid one. She was a little scared of the ocean. All in all- we would love to go again and know that the next time will be even better!!

Summer Treats

I am not much of a hot drink person. I don't drink coffee and I don't really care for hot tea. Hot chocolate is okay- but I would rather have a cool drink. Joel on the other hand, drinks coffee every day and lately has been enjoying hot tea almost daily. Someone recently said that men don't drink hot tea, and I replied, "Joel does, and so does Captain Picard!" Joel will make me a cup of tea and it will just sit there and be forgotten because I don't like it hot! (My tea that is)

While I was in Wichita, we visited a little shop called The Spice Merchant. They specialize in Coffee's and Tea's. I knew we would be driving home on Father's day, so I decided to get Joel some tea. I chose their best seller- Apricot Brandy and the Iced Tea Blend. These are both loose leaf, which Joel has been into lately. Little did I know, I would get to share in the Delicious flavor of these teas as well!

Since I have been home, Joel has been treating me to fresh made Ice Tea practically every day! I really like the Apricot Brandy flavor. I know he isn't making the tea only for me, but we have both really enjoyed it. I just don't think of making drinks like tea or coffee, since I don't really drink them. If you come to my house, Joel is the drink maker. That is just how it is at our house. I take care of the cooking! :)

It is a special summer thirst quencher to have fresh made iced tea every day. Thank you Joel! I really appreciate your tea making ability ;)

What's for Dinner?

Am I the only one who finds that summer is a hard time financially? We seem to have several bills that fall in the summer months that tend to drain our account. We try to plan ahead for these, but you know how it goes. The $100 speeding ticket I got in Kansas last week doesn't help, nor does the $75 ER visit I chose to make since Chloe had a 102 degree temperature for 3 days while we were in Kansas. It turns out I was doing all the right things for her and all I got was a $75 peace of mind.

That being said, I have had to be a bit more creative with my meal planning the last week or so. I have been using things from the pantry and freezer that I have had for awhile. I am not sure how long they would be sitting in there if this wasn't the case!

Joel and I have a small garden in the yard and this year, I am going to use it! We have tried to have a garden before, and for some reason, I didn't want to eat the food we grew. What was wrong with me? Last Saturday, I picked some fresh spinach for a salad. I still wasn't convinced I wanted to eat it. I found a recipe for hot bacon dressing and made a great salad with hard boiled eggs and thin sliced red onion that everyone loved! I am no longer scared of eating our fresh produce!

My kids are at a really fun age and they enjoy helping to pick the spinach. It is so rewarding to eat something you just picked. I remember helping my grandparents in their garden when I was little and how much fun it was. I hope that my kids will have fond memories of picking vegetables and putting up corn. We have tomatoes and some various squashes and corn in our garden this year. Next year I hope we can add a little more to it!

Now on to the topic of the day- What is for dinner? I have some frozen Salmon in the freezer- from Aldi. They are actually very good. They come individually frozen- 4 in a pack. I plan on grilling them, maybe with a teriyaki glaze. Then I will steam some rice. I think I will just serve this all on a bed of fresh spinach so it just starts to wilt- I love that! :) A very healthy meal.