Bread with the Brisels

April was a great month of reading for me! I'm sharing the titles I read this month, plus a little review, if you're interested in adding a new title to your lineup. 😊 #1  The Many Lives of Mama Love: A Memoir o f Lying, Stealing, Writing and Healing I started the month reading this book and it was a heavy one. It's a memoir written by a woman who was addicted to a variety of drugs. It details her journey through recovery, including time spent in jail. I feel as if I live a fairly sheltered life, and am unaware of the ins and outs of jail, so I was truly shocked to learn about the amount of drugs done in jail. This book had a happy ending, which I needed. Overall it was a good read, and one I was happy I picked up.  #2  The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matter, Ditch What Doesn't and Get Stuff Done My recommendation: read this book ahead of a large to-do list or house project. Haha. It's a fun little read that will inspire you to live life like a genius. It gives i...

I need a weekend to recover from my weekend. 😉  It was a busy one!  This weekend we celebrated my cousin Caitlin with a precious Bridal Shower in Dubuque, and on Sunday, our niece and nephew were Baptized! I'm sharing a few pictures of the fun.  My sweet grandma flew in from Florida for the fun, and Jack was happy for some giggles before the party started. 😊 And while the girls had the Bridal Shower, Sammy John was living his very best life at the hotel waterpark. He's already asking when he can go back! After the shower we packed up and went to Peoria for the Baptism. It was a precious baptism for two precious little ones.  I'm also blogging over on Des Moines Mom today! I'm sharing what has most impacted my motherhood journey. Spoiler alert, it may not be what you think it is. 😉 You can read my blog  here . Happy Monday, friends! XX

  I'm so glad to see Friday roll around this week. There are 24 more school "wake-ups" until summer and that sounds pretty good to this teacher. 😉 As usual, I'm linking up with Andrea  and  Erika to share some Friday Favorites. Here we go!  My first favorite is our very  mobile Jack. He's been pulling himself up to stand on all sorts of furniture (or people), and he's also mastered the stairs. Sammy had zero interest in the stairs so this is brand new territory for us. I think baby gates are in our future. Haha.  We live in a fairly new houseing development, and there are several houses for sale a few streets over. On Wednesday there were open houses, and a taco truck was parked to bring more traffic to the area. We gladly took advantage and took a walk to grab our dinner.  Roo's little feet got tired, and she ended up riding most of the way home. Hahaha.  Sourdough continues to be a favorite around here. This past weekend brought us a pesto and...

Last night a Taco Truck was set up in our neighborhood [so fun!] so we decided to walk over for dinner. Sammy rode his scooter, Jack rode in his stroller, and Roo started out the trip walking... until her legs got too tired. 😉 Growing up I had a dachshund and she did this all the time! It made me smile so big to see our pup do the same.  While we were waiting for our food, Sammy was pulling dandelions in one of the lots. He picked up a "fluffy" dandelion and said, "I wish we can all stay together forever." Ugh - I love him!! Sunshine, warm temperatures and tacos for dinner - it was one of those nights where you just feel so darn fortunate.  I'll be back tomorrow for Friday Favorites! XX

Guys...it's May next week, and I couldn't be more giddy about it. I don't know where the month of April went!  I'm sharing a little bit about What's Up  in my life right now, alongside  Shay  and  Sheaffer . Here we go!  What we're eating this week... Here's what we've been eating at the Brisel house this week:  Sunday - we grilled steak, had baked potatoes and salad Monday - we grilled chicken and bacon (always grill your bacon, so much less mess!) and put them in a low-carb wrap with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and a drizzle of ranch Tuesday - we grilled sausages and had them alongside sweet potato tots and fresh veggies Wednesday - we're having breakfast for dinner this night, it's Sammy's favorite! Thursday - pork chops and broccoli  Friday - we'll grab something out I have been living my very best sourdough bread life, and we can't get enough of it. This weekend I mixed in pesto and fresh mozzarella, and got this:  Yes, please!  Th...

I love it when a side salad doesn't use lettuce as a base. This one uses broccoli, and it's best quality is that you are able to make it in advance and it will hold up really well. We had it alongside Chicken Bacon Ranch wraps that we grilled, and it was the perfect little side.  Broccoli Salad Serves: 6 Ingredients: 6 cups of broccoli florets, give or take, cut into bite sized pieces 1/2 red onion, diced finely  3/4 cup mayonnaise (Hellman's is what we use) 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar  1 tablespoon sugar 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 cup craisins  Salt & Pepper  Directions: In a large bowl, make your dressing. Mix together mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper.  Then, mix in your broccoli, onion, cheddar cheese and craisins.  Refrigerate well ahead of serving. This will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days...if it lasts that long. 😉

I 'm sharing some "happies" from our weekend today on the blog. 😊 We had a very low-key weekend which was exactly what my family needed. Pajamas were worn until lunch, I spent some time in the kitchen, and we enjoyed some time outside.  We hung up our infant swing and Jack got to swing for the first time! At first he looked shocked at what was happening. but then he couldn't stop smiling and laughing.  Using some sourdough discard I made some chocolate chip cookies... Spiderman approved. 😉 We grilled steak on Saturday evening, along with a simple salad and baked potatoes. This is one of Dustin's favorite meals that always seems to hit the spot.  And one last happy is this loaf of bread that I am very proud of. I made my normal sourdough bread, but mixed in pesto and fresh mozzarella. It was divine!  Have a great Monday! xx

Friday, it was so nice to see you this morning. This week had a lot of "stuff" and it left me beyond ready for the weekend. I'm off today for my yearly dermatology appointment (make those appointments, ladies - they're important!) and tomorrow we head to Illinois for a bridal shower. I'm linking up with  Andrea  and  Erika  to share some favorites from the week. Here we go! Did any other families LOVE watching the new Bluey episode this weekend? It aired on Disney + on Sunday, and we were giddy at my house. We've watched it several  more times this week and laugh and find new things we hadn't noticed each time. The story telling in Bluey is always a favorite of mine. 😉 Pictures of the boys during the day are also a favorite of mine. I can't wait to spend my days with them in the summer!  We celebrated Dustin's birthday on Sunday. He was off, the weather was perfect, and it was so fun to have everyone over for a meal to celebrate. I love this pictu...