Friday Favorites.....Goodbye June

So apparently I blinked and June is over!?!?! How the heck did that happen?  I am so excited to kick off July with a much needed vacation week!!
I am linking up with some of my favorite blogging friends, Andrea, Narci, and Erika to share a few of my Friday Favorites. A few  things that made me smile this week!

one
The upcoming weather! We had a not so Summer like June and I took a peek at next week and it looks promising!! We are all ready for some sunshine and boat time.

And yes, I know this forecast will change 100 times between now and then, but for today it makes me happy!
two
Luke's love of reading. This kid is just never without a book. I popped into the library to grab some vacation reads and he jumped at the chance to go with me.

 

And then he and Paul did some reading out by the fire.

three

 Speaking of reading, I shared my book review yesterday and you know my love of  Elin Hildebrand... this one is my favorite from her to date.

Be sure to put this in your beach bag this Summer!
I shared my What's Up Wednesday post this week, so if you want a quick catch up on our last month, you can read all about it here.
four
Luke traded in his bat for some clubs last night and started his second season in golf.

I just love his golf look!
five
Some random kid pics this week. One night I was making dinner and Luke yelled out "I found an Easter egg!"

Yep... he found it....3 months later....gosh that bunny has some tough hiding spots!
We had crazy weather here Tuesday night and the kids were outside riding in their crazy carts when the sky opened up. They thought it was the best to be out in the pouring rain.

They were soaked!
Side note...there was no lightening...just lots of rain.
Have the best weekend friends! See you next week....there's always room for one more at our family table.
xoxo
Genevieve

June Book Review

It's the last Thursday of the month & time for my monthly book review!  I am linking up with Narci over at Grace and Love Blog for her monthly Carpool Book Club.  Be sure to check out her blog for all her picks too!!

                                       If you missed the last few, you can catch up below.....

January Book Review

February Book Review
March Book Review
April Book Review
May Book Review
Let me say this was a CRAZY month with both work travel and the kids' schedules.. so I have just two books to review. But fear not, I plan to catch up in July!
one
So Elin Hilderbrand has yet to let me down and this one is my favorite so far! The Castaways is about a group of 4 couples who are all good friends living in Nantucket, when one of the couples suddenly dies in an accident. The story that unfolds around the history of their friendships and relationships is just so good. As always, she has a way of writing that just makes you fall in love with the characters. This book needs to be on your Summer read list!

two
 A few months ago I read Husbands Secret by Liane Moriarty and loved it. I was excited to read another from her. I picked up Truly, Madly Guilty as my second book from her. I liked it, but I did not love it. This was about two couples, the wives have been friends since childhood and they spend an afternoon BBQ with another couple. There is a tragedy at the BBQ... which is speculated about throughout the first half of the book, but you don't find out what happened until 2/3 into it. I think that's why I did not love it. I just wanted to know what happened earlier in the book. So that's my thought... good, not great. However I still have What Alice Forgot from her on my list to read.

So I mentioned some serious reading happening in July. I started my first book last night. And if you have read any of my other reviews, you know I cannot get enough Beatriz Williams. I am so excited to read another one of her books!!

And here's a sneak peek of my stack I grabbed at the library last night.

Happy Reading friends!
See you tomorrow for Friday Favorites....there's always room for one more at our family table.
xoxo
Genevieve

What's Up Wednesday.... June Edition

Happy Wednesday friends!! It's time to link up with Shay. Mel and Sheaffer for What's Up Wednesday....May Edition. 

 A fun monthly post where we answer these questions....

What we're eating this week......

We are still all about everything you can grill and our latest obsession has been burgers....

Taco Burgers

Carprese Burgers

BBQ Chicken Burgers

You can catch our last few weeks of menus here.

Week 25

Week 24

Week 23

Week 22

What I'm reminiscing about.......

I am thinking a lot about last Summer. It was the perfect Summer... so dry and warm... my favorite.

This year has been so cool and windy. We put our boat in the water May 1 and have only been out two times! I am hoping July is a better month!

What I'm loving.....

These new flavors from Polar. I love sparkling water and Polar always comes out with the best Summer flavors. This Raspberry Rose is my favorite!

And if you want a lighter Summer cocktail, fill half a glass with Rose wine and finish with this. Its the perfect Summer wine spritzer.

What we've been up to......

Lots of kids activities! We had Ella's Dance recital a few weeks ago & she did amazing!

.

And Luke has been playing baseball....

LOTS of baseball....

And Ella just wrapped up her first soccer season...

What I'm dreading....

Nothing! Easy, breezy Summertime!

What I'm working on......

Just trying out some new formats for my blog. I would like a new design and I am not the most tech savvy.. but I am playing around with it 😉

What I'm excited about......

We are taking a staycation next month and I cannot wait to just chill around the house, get out on the boat and cross some things off our Summer bucket list! I shared some Summer plans in this post.

What I'm watching/reading.....

I need some help on what to watch! Paul and I like to watch a series together and we are all caught up on a few series we watch...Homeland, Billions, Ray Donovan and Big Little Lies. Honestly we haven't had too much time to watch much but are always looking for recommendations, so  if you have one, drop it in the comments.

I just wrapped up this book and it was a good one. 

I will be sharing my June Book Review tomorrow, so be sure to stop by and check it out.

What I'm listening to......

Loving the new ZBB cd!

What I'm wearing......

This camo tank I just love. I got it at Target and it is so comfy and perfect to throw on to run around.

It has been on repeat for sure.

What I'm doing this weekend......

We have one last baseball game and then we are finally getting out on the golf course with some friends. It's my first time out this season and  I can't wait.

What I'm looking forward to next month.....

Boat, sunshine and a visit from some of our bestest friends from Maryland. They come visit every Summer and it's one of our favorite weekends!

What else is new.....

I shared a fun post earlier this month titled 57 Facts about me. It was a fun random post! 

Luke is excited to trade his bat for some clubs and start his golf season this week!

Bonus question.... 
What is you favorite 4th of July tradition?

Let me tell you, next to Christmas, the 4th is my favorite! I love the warm day, the parade, all the kids in red, white and blue! I LOVE the 4th of July. We always celebrate with friends all day and then take our crew into town for our village parade. Here are a few pics from past years.

And of course I love the chance to make food look extra festive!

Hope you are having a great week!

See you tomorrow for our Book Review... there's always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve

Weekend Wrap Up.....Concert Weekend!

It was a super fun weekend for me! 26 years ago, my mom took me to see NKOTB and Friday night we went again! Never in a million years did I think we would be seeing them again in concert....but we did! It was the Total Package tour that featured NKOTB with Boyz II Men and Paul Abdul. It literally took me right back to 1990!

It was a blast and I could not get over all the women wearing their old denim vests with the big buttons from back in the 80's! My favorite part of the night was Boyz II Men, but I have to give props to NKOTB....these guys are pushing 50 years old and they were singing and dancing for nearly 2 hours!  And I also have to give props to the 9 guys we saw...it was pretty much all screaming females...all around 40 years old. My mom joked she was the oldest one there and Ella the youngest!

We did have the best time! 

Saturday morning we were off to watch Luke play ball! There is a new smoothie shop in town that we have been wanting to try out, so Ella and I grabbed one on our way. They were so good!!

We moved right from baseball to soccer. It was Ella's last game of the season and they celebrated with a pizza party after. That's my little #49!

It was her first year playing on a team sport and she did great!! So proud of her.

Then it was another baseball game... and I have to confess.....Ella and I skipped it. She has been to so many games and I just needed to catch up around the house! 

Sunday was the playoff day for Luke's travel team. They played their best, but lost in the first game. It was our first time in a playoff/tournament and I loved that the game started with the National Anthem.

He had such a great season with an amazing group of kids and coaches.

 

So proud of him!

The kids played in the yard and I finished up some laundry.

 Then Maddie's friend Arthur came over to play.....

And we were all tuckered out from a fun weekend!

Have a great Tuesday. See you tomorrow for What's Up Wednesday.....there's always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve

Five Meals for Your Family Table.....Week 25

Happy Monday friends! Can you even believe this is the last week of June??? The days are flying by! I am happy to have my dinners all planned out for the week...one less thing to worry about!

Here is what's on our menu this week.

one

These Shrimps Spring Rolls take a little work to assemble but they are so worth it! So fresh, light and simple.... a perfect Summer dinner.  You can grab the recipe here.

two

There is nothing better to me that a delicious salad filled with all the flavors of Summer. This summer salad with fresh berries is one of my favorites! I top some greens with all the berries of summer... strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Add some grilled chicken (or rotisserie), a sprinkle of feta and a drizzle of balsamic and dinner is done!

three

I love to throw some wraps on the grill. They are a quick dinner idea or you can wrap them in foil and take them on the go. These roast beef roll ups are just some roast beef, lettuce, a thin slice of swiss and some horseradish. I roll them all up ( I like the Flatout wraps) and grill for about 5 minutes. My kiddos are not fans of horseradish, so I just drizzled a little BBQ in theirs.

four

Can't beat a kabob on the grill and these Pork and Apple Kabobs are a delicious dinner ideas.

five 

Ending the week with a burger is my favorite!! This BBQ Chicken Burger is oh so good. You need to make this one soon! Season 1 1/4lb of ground chicken with 1TSP salt & 1/2TSP pepper and add 2 finely chopped scallions. Form into 4 patties and grill over medium heat for about 6 minutes per side. While the burgers are cooking, saute sliced red onion with some EVOO. When the burgers are just about done, layer a slice of smoked gouda cheese and cooked until just melted. Layer the bun with some fresh spinach, the burger, onions and your favorite BBQ. 

Have a great week!

See you tomorrow for our Weekend Wrap up!

xoxo

Genevieve