Win or Lose

Obviously, I wasn't thrilled about the outcome of Saturday's game.  I didn't really want to talk about my beloved Bulldogs on Sunday, or even Monday.  I was disappointed and sad, but I'm not a fair weather fan and regardless of the final score, we had one of the best game days ever.

We started game day and college football season off perfectly with a Bloody Mary on the beach.

Wills practiced his "touch down."

The morning was full of playing on the beach.  After naps and showers, we were ready to "tail-gate."

Wills knows the Dawgs are Number 1.

The weekend was even better with my sister, Tony, and Baby Maddi joining in on the fun!

Must have been a nail biter...

Wills stayed up past his bedtime to watch until half-time.  His daddy insisted.

Surrounded in the Lowcountry by Clemson and Carolina fans, we will always fly our Georgia flag with pride.

Win or lose, the Dawgs stole my heart a long time ago.  Nothing will ever change that. 

The Best

It doesn't get much better than this. I am thoroughly enjoying my day off and this gorgeous morning in the Lowcountry!

Happy Labor Day!

Open House

I think I jinxed myself with all this talk about fall; yesterday was HOT!

While Wills and I sweat our way through his open house, grocery shopping, and an afternoon walk, my parents sent me these gorgeous pictures.  They are camping near Cherokee, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and are having a blast with their best friends.

Look how bundled up they are!  I'm jealous. 

Wills' teachers requested an open house/first day of school picture of him.  What seems like a simple task, was nearly impossible with this almost 2-year old.  Here are our attempts.  This made me a little nervous about his 2-year old pictures happening in a few weeks.  I hope we can get some good ones.

He was so excited to be back in his Mother's-Day-Out room and promptly began to pull every dump truck, fire truck, tractor, and bulldozer off of the shelves.

After open house, I had a lunch date with two handsome boys.  William met us at Jimmy John's for a quick sandwich.

Other than the Christmas season, this weekend marks the start of my favorite time of year.  Go Dawgs!  Happy Labor Day!  See you next week. 

Salmon Salad and a Picnic in the Park

My friends in Charleston and Savannah rave about Whole Foods Market Wild Alaska Salmon and Avocado salad.  I decided to make it for lunch today.  I would have quickly run to the grocery store for the last three ingredients, capers, a freshly squeezed lemon, and red onion, but I promised William I would try to stay within our grocery budget and only shop once a week.  I'm not liking this agreement, but I am trying.

So, for now, this is what I used.  I improvised with the bottled lemon juice, and added a chopped roma tomato.  I used 2 tsp of olive oil mayo and 1 tsp of Dijon mustard.

All mixed together.  My fresh herb of choice was basil, of course.

Served with Fire Roasted Veggie crackers.  It was a perfectly simple, delicious, healthy lunch, and it kept me full for hours!

We met some friends for an afternoon/early evening picnic at the park.  This little boy was excited and insisted on wearing his daddy's filthy dirty Georgia Bulldogs hat.  I guess I can't complain.  We've been talking about them daily.

Our spread of grapes, carrots, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and broccoli (which I spelled incorrectly in my last post...oops) bites.  The broccoli bites were a huge success, by the way.  Especially when dipped in ketchup or ranch.

Wills shared his grapes with Mommy.

Two days until we are in Beaufort with my sister and Tony!  Bring on the tailgate party, salt air, sandcastles, golf-cart rides, boat drinks, guitar playing, and crabbing.  We can't wait. 

Broccoli Bites

I have a confession.

Wills will not eat a vegetable these days. Not one. Not a green bean with ketchup, not a sweet potato fry, not a plain carrot, not a carrot dipped in ranch. He won’t even look at a pea and immediately starts crying if I mention the word zucchini.

Thankfully, he can’t get enough fruit and loves almost any kind I give him.

This is it. This is the only vegetable he’s had in weeks. And they are expensive!

I put some sort of veggie on his plate every night, and every night he leaves them there.

I believe it’s time for more of these muffins with hidden veggies.

In the meantime, we have a fun picnic planned for tonight, and I’m bringing broccoli bites and grapes for the kiddos.

Here’s what I used.

Broccoli (thawed and drained) , 1 cup of bread crumbs, 2 eggs, and a cup of cheddar cheese.

I mixed it all together and baked them on 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Let’s hope they’re a success. They smell and look yummy to me.

Last of Summer

Summer days of watermelon, sidewalk chalk, and margaritas are quickly passing us by.  The changing seasons is one of my favorite blessings in life.  There's something nostalgic about putting away summer dresses for boots and scarves, daydreaming about my days in Athens, and gearing up for holiday season.  

Every year, it never fails, it only takes a bite of pumpkin, a cool morning, or the sound of a crunching leaf to send me into a romantic spiral of love, words, and reminiscing.  

I'm glad Jane Austin feels the same. 

“Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn--that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness--that season which has drawn from every poet worthy of being read some attempt at description, or some lines of feeling.” Jane Austin, Persuasion

I worked and ate my lunch on the back deck.  

My sister, who is seriously obsessed with Einstein bagel shop, gave me this sun-dried tomato spread.  It is delicious on everything from crackers, bagels, carrot and celery sticks, and today's egg sandwich on an English muffin. 

The first thing out of Wills' mouth when he woke up from his nap was "outside."  He would never come in if I would let him.  So, out we went.  

We spent the late afternoon and early evening practicing on his tricycle, coloring with sidewalk chalk, and blowing bubbles.  

If I leave fruit in the refrigerator like this...this is how it stays.

As soon as I take the time to cut it up, it disappears so fast.

I need to remember this.  When my hungry, sweaty boy comes in from playing outside, I would love for him to always reach for fruit as a refreshing snack.

I attempted to muddle some watermelon and basil for a watermelon basil margarita.

It looked pretty.

But with fall on my mind, I froze this for another day and quickly switched gears.

I'm thankful for days like these.