This was Wednesday-a-week-ago's post. But it never happened because my flight to Denver that day was delayed several hours, and then I spent the next 10 days enjoying a road trip across Colorado, Wyoming and Montana with my love. So here we are!
What We're Eating This Week
So obviously I spent the last 10 days eating out. We actually didn't eat out a whole lot and were very conservative when we did. Seth's favorite was the elk meatloaf sliders at Tupelo Grille in Whitefish, Montana. I tried a bite, and I have to admit they were very good! Of course, it's my personal opinion that the sweet pepper relish totally made the sliders! Tupelo Grille was definitely our favorite restaurant. Their flash fried green beans with sesame-soy mirin vinaigrette were delish, too.
My favorite challenge in the kitchen recently was cooking for my cousin who is allergic to dairy. I've never had to prepare meals around this particular allergy before, and it was VERY hard. I didn't realize just how much dairy I use! But I learned that there are lots of options and ingredient substitutions (although I'm honestly glad I don't have to deal with that on a regular basis!). I somehow managed to make a dairy-free bread pudding. Having had the "real deal," I wasn't very impressed with it. But Denise loved it, and that's all that matters.
It's no secret that I love to cook, and I often spend a lot of time in my kitchen cooking rather complicated meals with lots of ingredients and lots of prep work. But that's going to have to change. I'm going to have to revert back to some classic, quick fix meals to accommodate our new school schedule. I'm not particularly looking forward to that. But it's easy for me to spend too much time in the kitchen.
What I'm Reminiscing About
Seth and I just celebrated 15 years of marriage. I've thought A LOT about these last 15 years, all the miles and memories in between. It seems like we've been married forever, yet it seems like only yesterday. The 10 days we just spent together on our anniversary trip were a dream!
What I'm Loving
Have I mentioned that Seth and I just spent 10 days exploring parts of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana? We went to Glacier National Park, the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. The entire trip, everything about it, was absolutely amazing! I'd never been to that part of our country before, never been any farther west than San Antonio or any farther north than Missouri (not including New York and the east coast).
What We've Been Up To
Well, July was super crazy and super fun. And . . . you know . . . ROAD TRIP. (I've only mentioned it three times already!)
What I'm Dreading
This one is super easy. Enough said.
What I'm Working On
School . . . HOMESCHOOL . . . begins next week! I've ordered curriculum, organized notebooks, joined a couple of homeschool groups. But I still have a lot of work to do. I need to nail down our daily schedule and put together some lesson plans for Ellie.
What I'm Excited About
As much as August is my least favorite month of the year, it means that my favorite season is just around the corner. FALL! I had the opportunity to wear blue jeans, leggings and long sleeves on our trip. I bought a new scarf. Yes, I am excited about fall. And football. And pumpkin spice everything. And cooler weather foods. And football. Oh. I already mentioned that.
What I'm Watching / Reading
I read three books in July: The Hiding Place, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Forgotten Garden. The first two books were required reading for Mason so we read them together. The Hiding Place was a very haunting book that evoked a lot of emotions for both of us. About half way through, Mason said he would never want to be so mean to people just because of the way they looked or what they believed. And then he decided that he hated the Germans. Yes, we talked about that. And, by the end, we were both teary-eyed. Mason said his favorite book this summer was Tom Sawyer. It was a difficult read, but I can understand why he would say this. Tom was quite a rascal! And The Forgotten Garden was for my reading enjoyment, and enjoy it, I did! This was my second book to read by Kate Morton. I took several books on our trip. I read only one all the way through. It was Greg Iles' The Quiet Game. There were things I liked about this book, but just as many things I didn't like about this book. I haven't decided yet if I'll read anymore of Iles' books. I'm currently reading another Morton book, The House at Riverton. And I'm loving it just as much as her other books!
We are still watching Food Network Star to see how our Louisiana boy does. We are a couple of episodes behind though.
What I'm Listening To
Christmas music! I had to go ahead and choose our Christmas musical for church so we can begin practicing.
What I'm Wearing
Nobody cares.
What I'm Doing This Weekend
Well, seeing as how I've been gone for 10 days, I came home to nothing in my refrigerator and pantry. So I had to do the one thing I absolutely refuse to do on the weekends. Go to the grocery store. It was just as horrible as I remember it being. I'm so thankful I have the opportunity to go grocery shopping during the weekday mornings. Next time we will eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before I go shopping on a Saturday!
What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month
I'm nervous about homeschooling. But I'm so excited, too! I'm also looking forward to seeing how Ellie reacts to dance lessons. Her little class begins on Monday, as does Hannah Kate's. I can't believe it's that time of year again already!
What Else is New
Homeschool. It doesn't get any newer than that!
