A Little Weekend Wrap Up.... Hello Summer!!

Well friends we had the best few days to officially kick off Summer here! The weather was picture perfect and we took full advantage. Here is a peek at our Memorial Day weekend fun.

Paul took off Thursday and enjoyed a mini vacation from work. We had a great day date with lunch on the patio while the kids were at school.😉

What is it about all food just tasting better outside???

Thursday night Luke had a baseball game. I tell you, Ella is a trooper. He plays an awful lot of games in a short period of time (the season is about 2 months) and she is there for almost all of them. And some of the games seem to go on forever!

They played under the lights, which is one of my favorite things ever!  

ps- that's my guy on first base

Luke had an awesome game with a few great hits, a solid stint as pitcher, and was so excited to win the game medal! 

Friday we hit the water in the boat for the first time this season. The air was warm, but the lake is still cool, so it was a chilly but sunny ride. 

These two got comfortable pretty quickly..... 

Paul got some bait to fish, but all the kids wanted to do was play with the little "crabs".  

It was a beautiful start to the boating season! 

We came back to the marina and Luke wanted to catch some fish with just a net. Paul said ok, but you are never going to catch anything with just a net! Well sure enough he did! And Ella was jumping up and down with excitement. 

And all Luke wanted was to hold his catch! 

Saturday was just a do what you want kind of day. I started my day with a run and coffee with my girlfriend. 

And the boys headed to the boat for some more fishing. 

Ella and I went grocery shopping, which I don't normally do on a weekend afternoon because it's so busy. She loved it, because they give out all the samples on the weekends. Here she is with some sushi and strawberry shortcake! 

FYI.. cherries are in season here and they are so good! But also pricey.. I went to weigh my bag and had like $20 in cherries! 

We had a clambake and I think Luke ate half of the clams! I shared my recipe for how we make this clambak. It's pretty simple and a fun Summer dinner.

Clambake Dinner 

Sunday we did the playground with friends, went our for ice cream and had dinner at my parents. 

Monday the kids went to help my parents with some gardening (or maybe just out for ice cream😉) and Paul and I went out on the boat for a bit. 

It was a gorgeous day!! 

And then we got a last minute invite for a BBQ and swimming with our neighbors.... 

......and we could not resist! We are officially in Summer Mode!!

I hope you guys got to enjoy the best of Summer this weekend too!

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

xoxo

Genevieve

What's Up Wednesday.....May Edition

Hi friends! Is tomorrow really the last day of May??? As I sat down to write my blog posts this week I realized it was What's Up Wednesday...how the heck did we get through May already?  It was a fun and busy month, so I have lots of good stuff to share with you all today! 
As always, I am linking up with a few of my favorite blogging friends, 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......

It is officially feeling like Grilling weather here, so we have been grilling all the things! Last weekend we did a clambake on the grill and it's a favorite Summer dinner here. I shared how I do it in a post yesterday. It's so simple and such a fun dinner!

Clambake

I am also a big fan of burgers in the Summer. I like to try a new and different one each week.

You can see my 12 favorites from last Summer here.
I also made this Grilled Mediterranean Eggplant and it was amazing!!

Grilled Mediterranean Eggplant

What I'm reminiscing about.......
Um this adorable little man in his bow tie...

I mean he was just the most handsome guy making his First Communion.
We had a sweet party after to celebrate and I shared all the details here.

What I'm loving.....
After the longest Winter ever, I have been LOVING the weather these last few weeks!

I mean hello boat weather!!

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

Gosh, May seems to hold all the events for my kids....
Ella had her chorus and orchestra concert....

 and Luke has played all the baseball....

What I'm dreading....

These are the last few weeks of Ella in elementary school. She is off to the middle school next year. As much as I love watching her grow up, I am dreading the last day of school, when she and Luke get on the bus for the last time together...

I mean I just put her on for kindergarten like a minute ago!

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

Right now I am working on this blog. I lost my job about a month ago and have really been enjoying the break.

I shared my thoughts about this next chapter , and so for now I am working on me😊

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

Next weekend we are heading to see Thomas Rhett in concert with some friends and then Zac Brown a few weeks after that! I was not into country music until a few years ago and now I am hooked on a great Summer country concert with great friends!

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

I read 5 great books this month and I will share my book review on Tuesday. But if you can't wait and need a good one for the weekend, I would grab this one....

Or you can check out my last book review here.
And we need something new to watch. Paul and I like to watch a series together and are looking for suggestions for what to start next. We have loved Homeland, Billions, and Ray Donovan. We just finished Ozark and tried Game of Thrones but just could not get into it!
So if you have any suggestions, let me know!! I have heard good stuff about The Crown, and after watching the Royal Wedding I think I might start that one!

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

We have two bird nests in the trees by our patio and I love listening to the babies everyday!!

What I'm wearing......
I have been loving  this sleeveless top  and it is so much cuter on that it is on the hanger. I love the pop of pink with the olive. It looks great with light or white denim!

Olive top
And those are my favorite Sperry shoes that I have in grey and blush!
This wrap front tank is so flattering! It wraps across the front and is stitched at the chest so you don't have to worry about it being too low. The back is a bit longer and I'm telling you, you need to grab this tank. It's under $15 and comes in three colors.

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

We had fun plans for a little getaway this weekend, but it looks like the weather is not going to cooperate... bummer! But we still have some fun things going on, Luke has 2 baseball games and Ella is celebrating her friends' birthday at a "Slime" themed party. She is so excited!

What I'm looking forward to next month.....
Ella has her dance recital and I can't wait to see her. She loves dancing and just shines when she is on stage, so it's always a fun weekend.

Lots more baseball, boat time, visits to my parents pool, later nights playing outside, school getting out, concerts... pretty much all the Summer things!!

What else is new.....
Did I mention we have been loving the warmer weather? Here we are last weekend, on our maiden voyage for this boating seaon!

 Maddie got her haircut. There are some dogs that can pull of tiny bows in their hair and some that cannot. I think she is the latter.

She had that look like "Mom, please take these out!"

Bonus Question.... What's your favorite Summer Salad??
I am not big on a lot of typical Summer salads, with the exception of my mom's tuna macaroni salad.
I love fresh Summer fruit in my green salads though... peaches or berries...now that I love!!

I shared a post last year with all my favorite salads, in case you need some salad inspiration!
Favorite Salads

And that's a wrap on What's up with me! 

See you soon....there's always room for one more at our family table.
xoxo
Genevieve

Something New for Your Family Table Week #18....Clambake!!

Hi friends! We are coming off a great long weekend, one that was filled with all things Summer! We made one of our favorite Summer dinners and I wanted to share it here with you.

We love steamed clams and I found a way to make them that is pretty easy and cooks the whole meal together. 

Friday Favorites... Summer is Here!!

Hi friends!!! I am so excited for this weekend that is staring today!
Paul is off today and the kids just had a half day, so we decided to start the holiday weekend now! So if you need us for the next 4 days, we will be here....

We have no kids' activities, 80 degree temps and have waited like 8 months for this weather to return!

My favorite season is finally here!

Burger Time!!!

Hey friends!!
I love a good burger and last Summer I made it my mission to create some fun burgers. Delicious burgers... with a twist. With Memorial Day coming this weekend and the official kickoff to Summer, I thought it was the perfect time to share my favorites.
I pulled together my top twelve...so you can try a new burger every week for the next three months!
And I just want to throw in there that all of these are amazing without the bun! Put the burger on top of a bunch of greens and you can get all the great flavor without the carbs 😉
Now let's get grilling.....

one
Let's start with something everyone can agree on... tacos and burgers!

These Taco Burgers got two thumbs up from everyone around our table! And they are so simple....a simple dinner that everyone loves... I'll take it! 

Mix 1 1/2lbs of ground turkey with 2 TBSP of taco seasoning and form into 6 patties. Grill for 15 minutes. Now for the fun part! We topped ours with all the regular taco fixings... lettuce, tomato, salsa, avocado, black bean spread, shredded cheese. Ella said "It tastes just like a taco but it's a burger!"

So, so good! And easy to just put on top of a salad and skip the bun!

Something New for Your Family Table Week #17...Grilled Mediterranean Eggplant

Hey friends!! The weather here has been beautiful and I just want to grill something everynight! I am on the hunt for some great meatless options for the grill this Summer. 

This Mediterranean Grilled Eggplant was amazing and has such a simple ingredient list. Like 5 ingredients simple.

Friday Favorites

Hey friends!! My goodness I don't know where this week went?? I feel like we were just celebrating Mother's Day and here we are ending the week.
So let's get to some of my favorites from this week.
As always I am linking up with three of my favorite blogging friends, Erika, Narci & Andrea to share a few of my favorites from this week.

one

We had a nice, low key Mother's Day.  I opened the sweetest homemade cards from the kids,we had a nice breakfast at home and spent the day enjoying the beautiful weather. Luke had a game that night and the boys took their moms out on the field and we each got a rose. I mean this picture of him taking my hand was the perfect ending to the day!

Love this boy of mine!

two

Ella had her dance pictures this week and well this right here is my favorite costume this year ( I have 4 to choose from!)

The dance is beautiful to watch too, as all the girls have black and gold fans.... I just love it!

three

 I took myself to the library this week and let me tell you, one of my favorite things to do is to wander around the library. Book stores and libraries I just love! These are the four books I grabbed. So many people recommended The Wife Between Us and I love Beatriz William and was excited to see her newest book there!

four

Straw bags seem to be everyone's favorite this season and I saw  this one at Target. It is perfect for a night out in the Summer! I love that it has the wristlet option and the tassels are adorable. It looks white in this picture, but is more of a cream/light tan in person. For less than $20 I thinks it's a great option for a Summer trend bag.

Tassel Wristlet

five 

The other night I made this Meditteranean Grilled Eggplant and it was amazing! It was pretty simple to make and I will be sharing the recipe here on Monday, so be sure to stop by to check it out.

six

Can you believe Memorial Day is next weekend??? I am so excited for the official kick off to the Summer season. I shared some of  my favorite red, white & blue gear for the family this week. 

Perfect for Memorial Day and 4th of July parties.

Patriotic Summer Styles

We are off to dinner with some friends tonight and then we have a free Saturday!! Then back to the ballpark on Sunday.

Have the best weekend friends! See you on Monday, there's always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve