Adventures in Strawberry Picking

We started the week by crossing something fun off of our summer bucket list.

We went STRAWBERRY PICKING!!

It was our first time and I can safely say that the girls loved it.  We headed about 25 minutes north of our city to a cute little farm town with friends.  We happened to pick the hottest day of the week, but the skies and views were gorgeous.  These strawberries were definitely the favorite part of our week.

We sunscreened ourselves before we left home which worked out great.  We didn't have to apply it in the hot sun or wait for it to soak in.  Then we picked up our baskets and waited for the tractor to pick us up.  I didn't realize we'd get to go on a tractor ride so Olive was thrilled.  The tractor was too loud for Fletcher's liking so this picture perfectly captures our feelings about it - girls loved it and Fletcher wished it was quieter.  Lucky for him it was a quick ride.

We got dropped off with our friends and got busy picking.  Olive did a pretty great job picking the deep red berries, leaving the mushy ones behind and not eating too many.  She ended up with a strawberry mustache and it was so fun to see her learning the best way to pick berries.

Poor guy was mad about his shoes, mad about walking on the hay and all of his usual favorites were not making him happy.  I even brought our little stroller to keep him in the shade.  I guess I could have tried to wear him, but it was super hot so I doubt that would have been much better.  You win some, you lose some, I guess.  Olive and I picked fast and headed back to the car.  Fast forward a few days and three new teeth popped through his gums.  Guess it's hard to enjoy strawberry picking when your mouth is really hurting.

These two are best buds and they kept stopping to compare their baskets and snack.  It was so sweet :)

Waiting for our tractor ride back to the car.  Olive was so proud of her berry haul.

We scoped out the cherries, blueberries and the apples for Fall.  Can't wait to come back to pick some more produce!!

We got almost a whole basket full of berries and polished them off in no time.  They were so good and so fun to pick.  I think we'll definitely make this a yearly tradition.

Fletcher was back to smiling post nap, in the air conditioning stuffing his face full of strawberries.  His hair is looking extra strawberry blonde here.

We enjoyed strawberry salads, pound cake and strawberry snacks all week long!!

Have you been strawberry picking before??

Isn't it a yummy experiences :)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Linking up with

 ThoughtsforThursday,

HighFiveforFriday, FiveonFriday, and Momfessionals

What We're Reading Wednesday

I have a fun assortment of things to share with you today!  I've read a couple of books, tons of great blog posts and have some of my favorite bloggers to share with you today.  I also thought today was a good time to announce that I'm going to take Thursdays off from blogging this summer.  I have a long list of things I'd like to work on and read this summer so I think writing a little less will give me more time for that.

Hope you enjoy these reads as much as I did :)

BOOKS:

The Turquoise Table by Kristen Schell was a really inspiring read.  It's the perfect book for summer!  The book is gorgeous.  It is filled with pretty pictures and recipes throughout the story.  I loved the idea of going out of your comfort zone to notice your neighbors and to build real relationships in a busy world.  Her ideas to build community were simple, straightforward and really motivating.  Schell gives personal examples and many testimonials about the impact of these turquoise picnic tables in various communities.  

I had never heard anyone talk about hospitality vs entertaining before.  She drove home the point that hospitality is about serving others and entertaining is about putting the focus on yourself.  When your goal is being hospitable you don't have to stress about how clean your house is or all the party details.  You can just make plans to listen, care for and serve people.  I loved her message of slowing down, paying attention to the people around you and taking time to connect with others.  She didn't abandon her motherly responsibilities or do anything crazy - she just dedicated time each day to build her community.  I don't plan to put a picnic table in my front yard, but I loved her message of being front yard people and looking for ways to connect with the people around you.  I took notes and am excited to put her ideas into practice this summer.

*I was gifted a copy of this book from BookLook to review.  All opinions are my own.

I've been using my swimming lesson time to catch up on reading.  Olive is happily swimming, Fletcher is happily snacking so I'm trying to happily read.  Seems like a good plan to me.

I finished Unglued - Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotion - by Lysa Terkeurst this month.  It was a good read.  I appreciated her message and her talking about how to keep your emotions in check when you're busy parenting and doing life.  I think this book would be great for anyone with quick tempers or anyone who wanted to focus on taking control of their emotions.  It was relatable and a good read.  I didn't personally connect with the book so I would say it's best for more of a target audience.  I've really enjoyed other books by Lysa more - The Best Yes is one I'd HIGHLY recommend.

BLOGS:

I've tried many times to make a delicious Key Lime pie like we eat on vacations at the beach, but they never work out.  I'm hopeful that Sally's Baking Addiction Key Lime Pie will be my new summer go to recipe!

It's Never A Good Time to Invite Kids In gave me a lot to think about with neighbor kids and future play dates that are bound to happen.  What are our rules for play dates?  Where can friends play?  Is my house welcoming?

There's No Love Like Your Kids Have When They Are Small made me cry.  The days of parenting little people can be long and exhausting.  The kids are so needy and depend on you for so much.  This article was a great reminder that even though the days seem long, it won't be long before they've outgrown their neediness to some degree.  They'll always need you, but not the same way they do when they are small.  Great reminder to savor the moments now.

Cara's recipe for Pepperoni Pizza Lasagna Roll Ups sound amazing!  They'd have to be delicious combining pizza and lasagna and they're so cute!  Can't wait to give them a try.

I am really tempted to order these Women's Dillion Laser Cut Booties in taupe from Target!  My friend Courtney looks so cute in them and I know I'd wear them a ton in late summer through Fall.  Should I bite the bullet and snag them now??

I love family photo shoots and I really loved seeing this one done at Elise Blaha's home.  It seemed to perfectly capture their life right now.  I think it would be fun to do a photo shoot at home some day.

This tradition of Skip Days from Shay sounded like so much fun!  I'm sure her kids will grow up with great memories of how they spent their skip days.

52 Thoughts // Unbranded from Jessica @ What I Wore was an interesting read about the importance of doing things that interest you and are interesting rather than trying to fit yourself into a specific box or character.

BOOK CLUB with the kids:

We set aside time each day for book club.  I turn off all tv, music and other distractions.  Each child picks out a handful of books they want me to read and then we take turns reading books from their stacks.  It's been a fun way to enjoy books together.  Here are some of our favorites:

What have you been reading this month???

It's time to link up for What We're Reading Wednesday.

Join us with all the things you read in May.

I can't wait to see what everyone has been reading!

Johannah: https://johannahsirois.blogspot.com/

Crystal: http://www.masonsmama.com/

Justine: http://www.littledoveblog.com/

Whitney: https://polka-dottyplace.blogspot.com/

Heather: http://www.myglitteryheart.com/

Keri: https://www.kerilynnsnyder.com/

An InLinkz Link-up

Best Strawberry Recipes

I've got strawberries on the brain this time of year!  They're just so delicious and we are going through a lot of them.  Every person in our family loves them so I try to stock up and make as many recipes that include those delicious red berries.  I thought I would round up some of our favorite strawberry recipes for you today:

STRAWBERRY PIE

I've tried a few different recipes, but my favorites always have strawberry jello in them.  I'm hoping to make another one this month, tweek my recipe just a bit and then share it with you.  I always use my trusty homemade pie crust recipe so stay tuned for the filling recipe soon!

CHICKEN SUMMER SALAD

You can find the recipe here and easily add in a few other berries to the mandarin orange + strawberry fruit base.  It's such a delicious, refreshing salad.  And it's a salad that my husband requests for dinner during the summer.  It's SO GOOD!

WATERMELON SALSA

You can find the recipe here.  Trust me on this one... this salsa is amazing in the summer time! It's packed with strawberries and watermelon and it's SO GOOD.  I didn't think I'd love a fruity salsa, but I had no trouble polishing off a bowl of this stuff.

FRUIT NUT CHEESE SALADS
These are my favorite kind of salads.  We usually have mixed greens, red berries, pecans, Parmesan cheese and some type of vinaigrette on top.  Super easy side dish for summer.

CHOCOLATE DIPPED STRAWBERRIES:

These would be perfect for any summer gathering :)

SUMMER POUND CAKE
You can find all the details here.

And since we're talking about strawberries... here's Olive as a 1 year old strawberry for Halloween.

What are your favorite strawberry recipes this time of year??

It's time to link up with my favorite Tuesday Talk ladies.

Be sure to join us with a recent blog post.

 Beth at Our Pretty Little Girls | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Crystal at Hall Around Texas | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram  

Jessica at Sweet Little Ones | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
Stefanie at Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam, & Dylan Too | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Stephanie at Wife Mommy Me | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Becky at BYBMG | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
Lindsay at Lindsay's Sweet World | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
Sarah at Sarah E. Frazer | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Justine at Full Hands, Full Heart

Tina at Go Big or Go Home | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Whitney at Polka-Dotty Place | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

An InLinkz Link-up

Summer Pound Cake

I found THE yummiest summer recipe this weekend and I'm so excited to share it with you.  We had a fridge full of strawberries and I wanted to make a dessert with them.  I searched Pinterest and came across Paula Deen's Mama's Pound Cake  I had all of the ingredients so I knew it was the perfect treat to make.  I've always been really happy with her recipes and this one was definitely a keeper.  I made a few changes to the original recipe and have them listed below.

Summer Pound Cake

Isn't this a gorgeous cake!?!?!

This Summer pound cake was really easy to make and it was SO GOOD!  I'm definitely going to bring this to any gathering we are invited to or host this summer.  The bundt pan makes such a pretty cake and it travels really well since there isn't any icing.  I pulled out my late Grandma's strawberry napkins for this dessert and they were perfect.  Aren't they sweet?!?!

RECIPE:
1/2 t Clabber Girl Baking Powder
1/2 t salt
5 eggs
3 c flour
2 1/2 c sugar
1/2 c shortening
2 sticks room temp margarine or butter
1 c whole milk
1 t vanilla

Toppings:
powdered sugar to sprinkle on top
2 lbs fresh strawberries
granulated sugar
whipped cream

Cream together butter and shortening in a mixer.

Add sugar.

Add in one egg at a time.

Combine flour mixture in a bowl and then add whole milk.  Alternate adding in a little flour and a little milk until you've mixed it all in.

Add vanilla last.

Pour into a greased bundt pan.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour.  Make sure a toothpick comes out clean in the center when it is done.

Chop all of the strawberries, wash and then sprinkle some granulated sugar on top of them to create a little strawberry syrup while the cake bakes.

The cake smells amazing right out of the oven.  Let it cool for 30 minutes in the pan and then flip it over onto a pretty plate or cake plate.  Once it's cool, sprinkle powdered sugar on top and serve.  You could easily serve it without the strawberries, but it just feels so summer with the berries and cool whip on top.

ENJOY!!

I'm taking the kids strawberry picking with friends today so I'm hoping to have more strawberries to enjoy all week long.  Check back in tomorrow for some of our favorite strawberry recipes.

Favorite NEW Shoes

Happy Friday!!  Hope you had a great week.  I'm going to recap my 5 favorite new shoes instead of my 5 favorite moments of the week today.  I just couldn't wait to share these cute new shoes with you.  

My shoe size has changed again.  I'm a pretty consistent 9.5 now.  I went up half a size after having Olive and another half a size with Fletcher.  I know some people say that their shoe size goes back to normal after a while, but mine have yet to shrink.  So I decided it was time to do some new shoe shopping to get ready for summer.  I was tired of squeezing into shoes that did not feel good on my feet.

I'm excited to show you my new summer shoes!

// 1 //

Vionic Beach Flip Flops

I'm not a flip flop wearer, but my one pair bit the dust this year.  We picked these up from Bealls when we were in Florida.  Apparently Vioinic Beach flip flops are super popular.  I had no idea, but have been really happy with them.  They're a little more substantial with a half an inch sole, are super comfy and seem like they'll last a long time.  I love the tiny bit of texture on the sole.  I wear a 9 in these.

// 2 //

Rozalee Pink Born Pointy Toe Flats

I'm a huge fan of pointy toe flats and these are the prettiest shade of blush.  They're comfy, don't pinch my heel and I was excited to find them at Macys on clearance.  I sized up to a 10 for a little extra comfort.  I also love that the sole is pretty cushy and floral :)

 // 3 //

Gingham Tennis Shoes

I own a couple of pairs of the patterned Target tennis shoes.  They're great knock offs for Keds and come in so many fun patterns.  I have a floral pair from last year and I just couldn't pass up these gingham ones.  They are $16.99 and seem to go on sale regularly.  I wear a 9 in these Target shoes so I'd recommend sizing down.

// 4 //

Clark's Azella Theoni Red Slip Ons

These were from Macys and are new this season.  They come in several different colors/patterns/textures and they are SUPER comfy.  I tried on a snake skin version and the red.  My husband LOVED the red.  I LOVED both so I went with his favorite.  They have a fun braided edge and I think they'll be great for summer.  I bought a 9 in these so size down a bit.

// 5 //

BOC Persi Clogs

I've been on the hunt for some fun clogs and these fit the bill.  I loved the brown and black version, but went with the black.  They're really comfy, have a fun heel and I think they'll be really cute from now through Fall.  I plan to wear these with jeans, shorts, skirts and dresses.  I got a 10 in these so I'd say to size up.  These were also from Macys and there weren't many left in stock.

Which pair is your favorite???

Have you gotten any new shoes lately??

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  

Linking up with

 ThoughtsforThursday,

HighFiveforFriday, FiveonFriday, and Momfessionals

Birthday Traditions We Can't Do Without

I love celebrating the holidays.  Every single one of them.  I decorate our house, send out cards and make festive food to go along with them.  Birthdays are no exception.  I grew up with special birthday celebrations of my favorite cake, presents, party with our family and homemade dinners.  Those birthday memories are some good ones.

I want my kids to grow up knowing we have our own family traditions for birthdays and that they can look forward to the same, special things happening each year.

At our house, BIRTHDAYS mean...

1. Birthday Books

Every year we gift our kids a new birthday book.  It goes along with the theme of their party and as they get older I'm sure the birthday books will end up being favorite authors or favorite subjects.  We write a note, trace their hand print and ask the people who come to their party to sign it.  I envision sending my kids birthday books even when they are adults.  I will no longer trace their hand print inside of them, but they'll come to expect a handwritten birthday message inside their book from us.  I want them to grow up reading and loving books so I think it's fun to be building their libraries one birthday book at a time.

2. Special Meals

I always requested lasagna for my birthday meals growing up.  We let Olive pick her birthday dinner and the menu included: steak, corn on the cob, salt and vinegar chips, olives, cantaloupe and cupcakes.  She was thrilled to go to the store and pick out the things that sounded delicious to her.  We've done donuts for breakfast, favorite restaurants for other meals, etc.  Here's Olive's lunch of FOURS to celebrate her 4th birthday.

3. Thoughtful Gifts

I keep a running list in my planner of things I think my family would like for gifts.  If they mention needing a new item or if something fun catches their eye, I will add it to my list of gift options.  I also refer to this list when people ask for gift suggestions.  It's fun to surprise them with gifts they'd love.  I also try to ask for a wish list of ideas.  Everyone knows they're not getting all the things on their wish list, but it's nice to get an idea of what they are hoping to get that year.  Olive's current favorite show is Paw Patrol so she was beyond excited to get her own set of Paw Patrol pups.  

4. Homemade Cake

It's no secret that I love to bake.  I really enjoy baking for my family and making birthday cakes/cupcakes is an easy way for me to show them love.  Kevin always requests Buttermilk cake, the kids like Funfetti and I usually request one of those variety cheesecakes.  It's 

5. A Few of Their Favorite Things

Plan to do lots of fun things the week of their birthday.  For Olive's birthday we invited some of her best friends over to play, went to the museum, the library, the park, fed the ducks, went swimming and squeezed in tons of her favorite things.  It's always fun to be surrounded by your favorite family and friends.  We didn't do anything extravagant, but she sure loved getting to make plans to do all the things she loves during her birthday week.

6. Writing Birthday Thank You Notes

We write down a list of gifts we receive for our birthdays and make sure to promptly mail out thank you notes.  My kids are little so they still need a lot of help writing their notes.  I do the writing, Olive adds her scribbles while narrating what they say and then she decorates the envelope.  I'm working hard to lay the foundation for the kids to grow up knowing how to write thank you notes.

And a few of my favorite pictures from Olive's actual birthday.  I know it won't be long before the kids outgrow their tiny table and birthday themes so I am soaking in every minute of the days when they are little.  Time flies with little ones!!

What are some of your family birthday traditions??