{ Recipe :: Lemon and Summer Fruit Salad } ::

 

 This salad is soooo good! Even Tyson thought it was so delish and is asking me to make it again for dinner. yeah, that good! 

 Honestly you could add anything to this salad. The recipe suggested adding blueberries, but we used strawberries instead and it was great, and we baked chicken and put it on top. YUM! But really you could add apples, and dried fruit. It would make an awesome Fall salad with apples, pears, and dried cherries. oh yum! Try it, you won't be sad! 

LEMON & SUMMER FRUIT SALAD 

Ingredients::

1/2 C sugar 

1/2 C fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp minced dry onion 

1 tsp Dijon mustard 

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 C canola oil 

1 Tbsp poppy seeds 

romaine lettuce and spinach

1/2 C shredded Swiss Cheese

1 C cashews

1 C raspberries

1 C blueberries

Instructions::

In a blender combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard, salt and process until well blended. Add in oil and mix until thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds and process for just a few seconds. You don't want to pulverize the seeds. Toss together the lettuce and spinach. Added cheese, nuts and fruit and top with dressing. 

 And remember that one time I used to do THIS all the time! I always debate starting it back up again. 

And...while i am at it, these are two of the Best most easiest desserts ever!! go HERE and HERE to see for yourself. yum, yum, yum! 

 Happy Eating!!!

{ that one day in august } ::

remember that one day in august? eight years ago today! just three days shy of even knowing one another 3 months, we were apart almost half of that and then we got married! i think we'd both agree, it sure was the best decision ever.

 it's crazy how every year we hit some sort of new mile stone in life. we definitely live for adventure! life together has taken us to so many places and so many directions, but the best part is that we've always done it together. it's just how we roll. always together. there really is nothing better is there? i picked you and you picked me and i'd do it over and over and over again. i love that about us!

 happy eight years to us! high five, hugs and kisses! and it's always fun to go back to some of my favorite post about us...like here, here, here, and here! and of course with any post pictures are always a must...so you know, i just picked out a few that i love. so us!

   

 kinda crazy that was eight years ago! time does fly when you are having fun! ...

 

here's to so many more fun times! i love us and love you xoxo!

oh and let's not forget our wedding video...

{ brody's little sister} ::

on friday after this went down, we got to go to the doctors to find out that we are having a GIRL! 

we couldn't be more thrilled and excited! brody wasn't too impressed with us when we were all in the ultra sound room together watching baby sister on the tv, only because from the get go, he's been telling us were were having a sister or a girl! so he was like 'yup guys, i told you!'. well he was right! and i know he is super excited and happy too! he's going to be the most amazing big brother! his favorite thing is to hear her heart beat! he is already so in love with her, as are we! our sweet litte baby girl is measuring right on and still has the estimated due date of december 28th. we seriously can't wait!!

 

{ Hooray Hooray! } ::

{ 8:30 wake up call } ::

on Friday morning I got a phone call from Tyson...usually when he calls it's to plan a lunch date or for him to tell me he can't do lunch. no biggie. but when i answered and he said he had "bad news", i thought he was calling to tell me he wasnt going to make it to a doctors appointment i had later that day due to a meeting or something work related. WRONG! 

 Tyson was calling to tell me that he rolled his ankle while playing basketball that morning. He went (hobbled) into Capital One's health center and they iced him and drugged him and then wanted him to go and see an Orthopedic surgeon. awesome! 

Tyson kinda doesn't have the best of luck with basketball...remember this time and this time? oy! 

 Brody and I just woke up, so we hurried and got dressed, ate some breakfast super quick and then we headed out to pick Tyson up and take him to the Doctors. 

 Let's be honest, we always know how to have a good time! ;) ha!

   

 waiting to be called back to be looked at...

   

 we were lucky and didnt have to wait long at all. we got taken back to an exam room, the nurse took his stats, and took him to get xrays and then we had to just sit and wait for the doctor to come in. this is what we do while waiting for the doctor to come in...

   

 doctor brody made sure his dinosaur was wrapped properly and being iced. such a good doctor.

 

practicing for there future bobsled team. USA! USA! USA!

 

A family that goes to the doctors together stays together! 

 Finally the doctor came in and checked tyson out - he was pretty sure he just has a really intense sprang. so they have him a nice brace to wear for the next few weeks and if it doesn't get better, he will go back in. good times! Lucky for us we got to take him home and he stayed home with us the rest of the day! and bonus he was home to come with brody and i to my doctors appointment. winning!!! so boo for tyson's foot and ankle...but at least it was friday and he had to weekend to relax.

   

 and no worries about brody, he was totally entertained all day by his new "flippers". 

 All in a days fun!!

{ Farm Days...} ::

i've posted before about going to the farm. but it's kinda a part of life now. brody can never get enough of the farm. we are lucky to live close to a historical farm that is open to the public every day. usually when we go, we are usually the only ones there (pretty sure brody thinks the farm is there just for him) and usually it's just the two of us, sometimes we get lucky and go in the evenings and tyson comes with us. 

we always check out the animals, collect sticks and rocks and play in the dirt. we can spends hours at the farm. 

 last week we got lucky and friends joined us in the farming fun!

 

brody and beck checking out the "horses" aka mules. but dont they look like cute pretty horses?

 

the boys checking out the cows and what's more fun than boys with sticks playing in the animal poop.

 

and we may have taken a second trip to the farm during the week. brody HAD to go see the chickens. so that's what we did. but he was really into the turkey this time. it took everything to keep him from trying to hug that turkey.

 

and lucky for brody, one of the farmers was out so he got brody some food to feed to the sheep. he was in heaven! it's all way a good day on the farm!

{ moving to the country...} ::

gonna eat me a lot peaches! mmmm peaches! fresh, ripe (well almost ripe) right off the tree peaches! we went peach picking with friends last week and it was fabulous! 

 every since we've moved to Richmond, tons of people have told me that when fall comes around we just have to go up to Carter Mountain Orchard and pick apples. well if you know us, we love picking apples, like here, here and here. But i thought, what fun it would be to pick something else, besides apples. so i got on carter mountains website and found that they had peaches to pick! so picking peaches is what we did! another first for the brody bear and i!

 

it was a hot hot HOT day! but we were lucky to have such great friends who wanted to join us for the fun! it all started with the idea that pushing the kids in the wagons was a good idea, maybe for like the first 2 minutes until they all decided it would be more fun to walk, and of course brody (love him!) ran, because he doesn't know how to walk. it was a good 10 minute walk (hike) up to the peach tree orchard. we were lucky to have our friends the Garners get there before us and we met them up there. Emily had already picked, so she showed us where to go. Lots of yummy peaches! pretty sure everyone loved it!

 

we seriously picked for maybe 10 minutes?? maybe 15 minutes but seriously no longer than that, because we were all so hot and sweaty and sticky from smashed peaches all over the ground. so after our speed picking we made the walk, (hike) back to the country store to pay for our peaches.

 

we paid for our peaches and bought some yummy treats and ate them in the shade. nothing taste yummier on a super hot day than peach ice cream! it was quite tasty!! and it doesnt hurt to eat a peach donut as well. double yum!

 

we finished off our adventure with checking out the beautiful view one last time, seriously so beautiful!! to be honest...it was HOT! i can't say that enough. haha! but we all endured and i am so happy we did! and i am so glad that we did this! we've had some very yummy peachy treats to enjoy and i would do it again! 

and have i mentioned how much i love this little guy? i may of had to yell his name a million and one times to tell him to stay with us or not to throw or roll the peaches... i'm SO happy that he's mine and that we love doing such fun things together. he's the best little partner ever!! and look at that face! you can't not smile. love!