A Little Life Lately....

Happy Thursday friends! We have made it through the first week of February and gosh this has been a busy month for us. We have a sunny getaway planned soon, but we have a couple busy days leading up to it! Ella is in her school's play next week and they have had a lot of practices before & after school, so between that and a hectic work schedule, my mornings have been starting out with lots of coffee and my favorite dry shampoo!

Here is a little bit of life lately with my crew.

Last weekend we had plans to hit up the art gallery and then grab dinner. We got home from school & work and it was F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G!! I mean the kind of cold that just hurts your face. And the thought of the walk from our car to the art gallery just made me shiver. So we skipped it and just went out to eat! We went to an "new to us" spot....Hertel Avenue Poutine & Cream. They are known for their poutine and some wild milkshakes.

That's Ella with her Cookie Monster Shake. 

 Poutine is a Canadian dish that consists of french fries covered in gravy then cheese curds. #notahealthydish

This spot makes them with a twist, adding pulled pork or making them with nacho toppings.

We just got a couple orders to split. And it was so good!

Luke got the Cake milkshake and yes, that is a cupcake on top of the milkshake! 

I think the kids favorite part was writing on the walls with a dry erase marker. A fun restaurant feature for sure. 

The next morning Paul and I got rid of this beast of a TV.  A little backstory on this. We have had this TV for a long time. It has made the move with us to three different states. It has sat in our basement since our last move 9 years ago and it was time to say goodbye.

I am pretty sure it was the largest and heaviest tube TV ever made. And it is also not something you can easily get rid of, because first of all it weights one million pounds and second you can't just put it out to the curb. So when we saw a local electronic recycling event we were pretty pumped. 

 Apparently everyone else was too! After Paul and I somehow got that beast up the stairs (with Ella standing by ready to call 9-1-1) and then got it in the back of Paul's car, he was in traffic trying to drop it off! Yes, traffic snaked around the block and through the parking lot with folks trying to dump their old electronics. So if you are looking to dump some old electronics, search your area for an electronics recycling event. A great, usually free and safe way to get rid of these items!

Luke and Paul have been having lots of fun in their first basketball season together and we have had fun watching him play. 

I have been busy getting ready for Ella's play too. I volunteered (or maybe I was encouraged😉) to head up the makeup team for the 5th grade play. I did not think it would be too involved, until I realized 127 kids needed makeup for 4 performances! 

So my nights have been spent organizing my makeup teams! 

We had lots of fun watching the  SuperBowl and we all had someone to cheer on.

 And this week we have gotten more snow....but the dog doesn't mind it as she waits for the kids each day.

So that's a little life lately around here.

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

xoxo

Genevieve

All About Love....A fun link up!

Well friends...this sums up my thoughts about today...

I am fighting some kind of bug and feeling a little worn down. But I can make it... vacation and sunshine are coming soon!!
Today I am linking up with some friends over at The Blended Blog for their monthly TBB asks. A series of random questions for the month. I thought it would be fun to link up and answer these, so here we go.....

Super Bowl Fun!

Whether you watch the Superbowl for the game...or the halftime show...or the commercials...or just come for the snacks....the Superbowl is a fun night!
I think it's fun to get together with friends and family to watch and always hope for a good game. I will never forget watching my Buffalo Bills go to the SuperBowl 4 years in a row. While we never had the outcome we hoped for, it was fun to watch and root for them.
We are a loyal fan base and it was still so fun to watch them make it to the playoffs again this year.

Our Superbowl return is coming.....soon😉
I love to have people over for the Superbowl and you know I love a good theme! Our local donut shop makes donuts for the Superbowl and the past couple years I have gotten them for the kids.

They are somehow always rooting for different teams!
Luke loves football. He loves watching the game and can quote players and stats and would wear a football jersey everyday of his life! He really started getting into it about two years ago. He was a big Carolina Panthers fan.

He still loves Carolina, but has a few other teams listed as favorites too (note- they most likely have winning records!).
For his 7th birthday we had a football themed party. It was a fun party and I kept all the football decor and bring it out for Superbowl parties!

If you have a little guy who is wishing for a football party, I shared all the details here.
Luke loves to have people over and is a big fan of  "decorating" for a party. Last year he set out this spread for the SuperBowl Party.

This year he was so excited to see I got plates and balloons for each team!

I got a football cookie cake and Luke added the team helmets from his collection.

This year the Superbowl had a little something for everyone.....

We get lots of yummy snacks and I always search for free printables for the teams. I use them as drink labels or cupcake toppers. And candy in the team colors is always a fun idea!

Most of us were rooting for the Eagles, but Ella had her Aunt Emma standing with her and the Patriots.

Every year I dip strawberries in milk chocolate and then add some white lines to make little footballs. Cute & delicious!

It was such a great & exciting game this year. Ella was tired by the third quarter so she went to bed (confident her Patriots would win). Luke stayed up and he was so into the game.

With just two minutes left, he got so nervous and came to sit with me and Paul on the couch. He held my hand and just kept hoping the Eagles would win.

They pulled out the win and he could not stop smiling!

He laid his jersey right next to his bed.... obviously he would be wearing it to school.

It was tough breaking the news to Ella, but I reminded her how many Superbowl wins the Patriots had and this was the first one for the Eagles. That didn't help all that much, but hey..you win some and you lose some.

Another fun SuperBowl night for us!!

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

xoxo

Genevieve.

p.s. My favorite commercial was the one with Eli Manning & Odell Beckham and their rendition of "Time of My Life".... laugh out loud funny!!!

Something New For Your Family Table #4.....Golden Soup

Hi friends....and hello Superbowl Monday. Ugh. 

I think that today should be some kind of holiday (aka a non-work/school day) or they need to start the game earlier. Anyone else??
So after an afternoon and evening filled with lots of yummy snacks....and chips...and dips... and cheese..I am ready for some "good for you" food. 

I found this recipe for Golden Soup a few months ago and it has all the creaminess and flavors of a rich soup, but it's loaded with lots of good for you ingredients.

Cauliflower, cashew and turmeric are the three stars of this soup. And it comes together in less than 30 minutes. 

I can't leave out the topping... roasted chickpeas. Friends, I tell you this soup is so good & you will feel so good after you eat it.

You can grab the recipe for this deliciousness here.

If you need some other inspiration for dinner this week, you can check out this week's meal plan.

Five Meals for Your Family Table Week 4

Have the best week! See you soon, there's always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve

Friday Favorites....Groundhog Day Edition

Happy Groundhog Day! I finished up this post late last night, so as I write I am not sure what that groundhog saw but I am hoping it's not an extra 6 weeks of Winter!

As always, I am linking up with three of my favorite blogging friends,  Erika, Narci & Andrea to share some of my favorite things from this week.

Chocolate Chip Cookies...Made Better!

Well I am not sure about you, but warm chocolate chip cookies on cold winter days just feel like the right thing to do. When I saw a post from my friend Joanne over at My Heart Bakes featuring cookies made with both milk and white chocolate chips I put that recipe on my "to do" list.

Why have I never though to mix the two?

I mean just look at all this goodness!!

It was a simple recipe for chocolate chip cookies, but kicked up a notch with mixing the two different chocolates! This recipe should go in your "to make" file pronto!

And if you are looking for a fun treat for your Superbowl party this weekend, she shared the cutest football brownies!

Have the best Thursday friends!
See you tomorrow for Friday Favorites...there's always room for one more at our family table.
xoxo
Genevieve