Bread with the Brisels

  It's Friday, AND it's the last day of school before summer break. YAY! I have to return next week for 2 work days, but in my mind, those don't count. :)  I'm linking up with  Andrea  and  Erika  to share a few favorites from my week.  It's been a busy one - packed with tball, and all of the last minute craziness that comes with being a teacher in May.  Sammy had his first two tball games, and oh my goodness was it adorable to watch! When I asked him after the game what his favorite part was he said, "I liked sitting in the dugout with my friends."  Jack enjoyed a stroll through Target on Sunday, and I enjoyed pushing him while he sat up like a big boy! He was so content to sit and check things out around him.  Pasta salad? It must be summertime. :) And one last quick favorite: a "girl dinner" action. Dustin had leftovers one night after tball, but I opted for some sourdough topped with a tomato and fresh mozzarella. Yum!  Have a w...

I made up this recipe over the weekend when I wanted a little something special for lunch. Dip totally constitutes as a well-rounded meal, right? 😉   Dustin took one bite and said, "this tastes like something we'd eat when we're outside on the patio!" Thus, "Patio Party Dip" was born. I hope you try this recipe!  Patio Party Dip  Ingredients: 24 ounce container of sour cream  1 package ranch dressing mix 3/4 package of reduced sodium taco seasoning mix  1 green pepper, diced 3 green onion, sliced finely 1 can of black beans, rinsed and patted dry  1 can of rotel, drained  2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese  1 cup of frozen corn, thawed and rinsed Directions: In a large bowl, combine the sour cream and ranch/taco seasoning mixes. Mix together very well until combined.  Next, mix in the green pepper, green onions, rotel, black beans, corn and cheese, Stir everything together really well.  You can serve immediately, or store in the fridge f...

It's the last Wednesday and May, and at 1:45 on Friday I'll be a teacher that's done with school for the summer. Those two things make me a very happy girl. I'm linking up with  Shay and  Sheaffer to share a little bit about what's up in my life right now!  What we're eating this week... Here's what is on our menu this week: Monday - we grilled brats and had pasta salad on the side Tuesday - tball night! We had leftovers Wednesday - my aunt is moving to Iowa, and closes on her house tonight. I'm anticipating we'll all grab something out together.  Thursday -  Crockpot BBQ Chicken  will be cooking away!  Friday - I think pizza will be just the perfect way to celebrate the end of the school year 😉 What I'm reminiscing about... Baby Jack turns one on Saturday! Over the weekend I looked all of the sweet pictures on my phone from last summer.  This picture of the boys meeting each other for the first time is one of my very favorites. Look at that j...

Happy Tuesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  Can you hear me cheering from over there? It's our last week of school and this teacher is doing the happy dance! Last week I caught a spring cold, Sammy had preschool graduation, we had a "flood day" (yep, you read that right...a flood day), and a 2 hour late start due to no power on Friday. Needless to say, I was running on fumes by the time Friday came around. 😉 I thought I'd do a little catch-up to share all the things from over the last week.  Starting with... Preschool Graduation.  Sammy had Preschool Graduation on Thursday, and it was precious! He sang two songs and got called across the stage to receive his "diploma" and a bible. We are so proud of him! Preschool was a wonderful experience for him. If you ask him if he's ready for Kindergarten he would tell you, "no, I want to have summer first." 😊  The boys had their last day of childcare on Friday, so their summer...

Hello, Tuesday. 😊 The weather in Iowa is feeling very summer-like, and I swapped out the boys' clothes to match the season. When Sammy outgrew clothes, I folded them away and saved them in hopes that if we had another child he would be able to wear them.  Sammy would have worn these clothes during the summer of 2019, or when he was 8-10 months old. Jack is wearing the same clothes as an 11 month old and it's bringing me quite a bit of joy.  I never could have predicted seeing these clothes again on our sweet Jack when I put them away 5 years ago, but I couldn't be any happier that I saved them. XX

Sammy has his last official day of preschool today, and I'm feeling all of the feelings about it. He has had a wonderful experience attending preschool over the last two years, and we are so thankful for the love and attention poured out on him by his teachers. Not only has he grown physically, and academically, but the faith-based school experience has been wonderful for him. He has grown in his faith and it has set a great foundation for his education.  He is very much looking forward to summer fun and some time at home with me. I'm excited for him to be at home with me, too. 😊 I am so thankful for technology and the ability to record a photo or a video at any moment using my phone. Last night I was looking through pictures and videos (and having a little cry about how big he's gotten). I have so many moments or videos that I had captured that I just really don't remember - they weren't core memories. Much of my videos and photos are captured during everyday mome...

  Yay for Friday! I'm linking up with  Andrea  and  Erika  to share some favorites from this week. Here we go! It's been a busy week in May. I'm not sure where school gets out where you are from, but in Iowa we have about 2 weeks left. These next 2 weeks will be filled with field trips and all the end of school year "stuff" so I am looking forward to a restful weekend!  Last weekend I made the yummiest sourdough bread. I mixed in blueberries and made a "paste" with butter, cinnamon and granulated sugar. Oh my word, a slice of this bread alongside some eggs has been my favorite part of waking up this week.  Look who learned a new trick! On Thursday I placed Jack in his crib and went to make my bed. When I came back he was standing up, looking quite proud of himself. 😉 Sammy has preschool graduation next week, and my heart can't take it! This picture came home last week and I've been emotional all week thinking about the end of preschool. I'm ...

  I'm just a teacher in May, which means that... ...this is basically my whole personality these days. 😉 We've got 13 more "wake-ups" + 2 teacher work days ahead of us before it's summer. I am ready! Tuesday morning Jack was fussing as we hurried out the door and it made me so excited to have some slower mornings ahead of us.  In honor of us being in the home stretch, here's a few of my favorite teacher funnies... That's it for today. If you're a teacher, I hope you got a chuckle. If you aren't a teacher, you should find a teacher and tell them thank-you. 😂 See you tomorrow! 

I wrote the date on the whiteboard at school, and couldn't believe that May is (nearly) halfway over! In some ways it feels like May will last forever, but in other ways, it seems like this school year has flown since returning from maternity leave in September. I figured it was time for another "life lately" to share a bit about what's going on in our life.  The days of preschool are dwindling down for the year for Sammy, and I am finding myself feeling pretty emotional about it. I'm not sure that I want this chapter to be closed! He is seeming so grown up these days. This picture is from the beginning of the shcool year, and I think he's grown 2 inches since then.  Sammy is excited about summer, but I know he'll miss his preschool friends and childcare friends. He shares that he's excited to be at home with me over the summer, and I'm excited for that too. He's been very into Spiderman lately, and I love it. Haha.  Sammy starts t-ball tonight...