Intentional Life Project: Improving the Mind & Soul

I have been horrible at this month's goal for the Intentional Life Project.  Seriously, horrible.  My goal this month for improving the mind and soul was to read for 20+ minutes a day.  I did it twice this month.  That's it.  I love to read, so I don't know what my excuse is.  I usually read before bed, but this spring/summer has been busy and when I go to bed, I'm too tired to read.

I'm hoping that now that it has started warming up, I can spend some time sitting out on the deck reading in the sun.  And hopefully at the beach a few times this summer too.  I love reading and I have so many books on my "to read" list that I really want to get to.

Be sure to link up your Intentional Life Project post with Bre and Ginny and be eligible to win a prize!  I'm co-hosting next month for "time with your loved one/spouse" so make sure you remember to link up so you can win :)

My goal for June is to have QUALITY alone time with my husband at least three nights per week.  We are busy in the summer, which is good and fun, but it's nice to have a little bit of time together just the two of us too.  We love to go on walks with the dog after work and it's a great way for us to talk about our day and have great conversations.  So whether it's going on a walk, eating dinner outside together on the deck, or going on a date, I want to make sure to create that good quality time even during the craziness of summer.



Do you like to read?  What are some of your favorite books?  What's on your summer reading list?

Weekend Recap: Cincinnati

I hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend.  We spent ours in Cincinnati visiting Kevin's brother and his wife.

FRIDAY:  We left at 6:00 a.m. to make the 6 hour drive to Cincinnati.  We actually made it in about 5.5 hours because there was zero traffic, so that was great.  When we arrived in Cincinnati, we headed to Jersey Mike's for lunch and then spent a little time at the casino.  Kevin and I lost quickly, so we grabbed some Starbucks and then walked around the casino until everyone else was ready to go.

For dinner on Friday night, we headed to one of my favorite places, Joe's Crab Shack.  I love seafood, and we don't have a Joe's anywhere near us, so I love going there whenever I get the chance.  I got the Orleans steampot, which includes shrimp, crawfish, corn on the cob, sausage, and potatoes.  It's my favorite.  I also ordered a super yummy drink that I can't wait to try and recreate this summer.  It was called Fireball Punch.  Sooooo yummy!

SATURDAY:  We got up early Saturday and headed to Graeter's for some breakfast and then went to the zoo.  We always have fun at the zoo and the weather was perfect for walking around outside!  After the zoo, we walked down to Taste of Cincinnati for lunch.

After lunch, us girls went and got manis/pedis and did a little shopping while the boys went golfing.

Saturday night we went to the Red's baseball game.  They didn't win, but it was a fun game and again, perfect baseball weather!

SUNDAY:  We went to an early movie on Sunday and saw X-Men: Days of Future Past.  It was really good and made me want to go back and watch all of the old ones.  We went to Taste of Cincinnati for lunch again so that we could try the rest of the things that we didn't get to on Saturday.  Saturday afternoon we made a trip to Ikea (we got two new nightstands-yay!) and then headed to dinner at Pompilios.  They have amazing Italian food.  And the best Spinach & Artichoke dip I've ever had.

MONDAY:  Us girls went shopping for a little bit before we all went to Hot Head Burrito for lunch.  After lunch we said our goodbyes and started our 6 hour car ride back home.  Thankfully, traffic was bad on the way home.  I had to go pick up Admiral from my parents after we got back, so that put me in the car for almost another 2 hours.  It was a long day of driving, but was totally worth it for such a fun weekend in Cincinnati!

Five on Friday

Linking up with Christina, Darci, April, and Natasha and you should too!

We were up bright and early this morning to head to Cincinnati for the weekend, so I might still be in the car as you read this...or if it's after noon, I'm probably enjoying some warm weather good company!

ONE.  I know it's not actually Memorial Day until Monday, but I'd like to thank everyone who has served our country, and their families.  Without you, we wouldn't be able to enjoy the wonderful freedom that we have.  So thank you.

Free printable found HERE.

TWO.  If you remember, Admiral got sprayed by a skunk a few weeks ago, so I just had to get this skunk dog toy for him when I saw it at the store.  He loves it.  And at least this one won't spray him in the face and stink up our house.

THREE.  I picked up a couple of new shirts at Marshall's on my lunch the other day for this weekend and for Birthday Bash in a couple weeks.  It really made me want to go on a major shopping spree...maybe that will be on the agenda for this weekend while the boys are golfing :)

FOUR.  My peonies are getting ready to start opening and I can't wait!!  Maybe after we get back from this weekend trip to Cinci, I'll have some opening up for me.  Peonies are one of my favorite flowers, so I was really excited when I realized there were a few of them at our house when we moved in.

FIVE.  Our first wedding anniversary is one month from Thursday!  I can't believe it has almost been a year already!  We didn't plan a fancy vacation, we decided to save our money.  I do want to do something special though, but I haven't decided what that is yet...any fun anniversary ideas??

I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy your extra day off from work (if you get one)!!

Crocheted Chevron Baby Blankets

Over the winter, I crocheted two chevron baby blankets for two of my friends who were expecting little girls in April.  If you crochet, you'll have to try this pattern.  It's great for beginners, because it's super easy.  It's just chains and single crochet, which are the two easiest things to do. However, since it is all single crochet, it does take a while to complete, but totally worth it.  

I was able to give the purple and white one (my favorite) to my friend Lindsey last night for her baby girl, Adalyn.  I hope she'll be able to get some use out of it this winter :)

The pattern can be found HERE, on eat, knit, &d.i.y.  I didn't finish my ends like she did in her pattern, I left them pointy because I liked the look of it.  

Do you crochet or knit?  What kinds of projects do you do during the winter?

Linking up with:
Tatertots & Jello
Morganize with Me

Weekend Recap: Yard Sale, Relay for Life, & Spider-Man 2!

Happy Monday friends!  Last week I had Friday off because I had a yard sale, and this week I have Friday off because we are heading to Cincinnati for Memorial Day weekend.  Yay for four-day work weeks!  Here's what I was up to this weekend:

FRIDAY:  I got up early and put up signs for our yard sale and then started setting up.  My mom and Kevin's mom were there to help (and they brought stuff for the yard sale too).  Luckily the rain held off, but it was cold!  Highs were only in the upper 40's.  We did pretty good at the yard sale.  I spent the rest of the night just hanging out at home.

SATURDAY:  I got up early again to get everything set up for the yard sale.  My mom and Kevin's mom were there again to help.  I was very thankful for no rain again on Saturday and a little bit warmer temps.  Saturday was another decent day sale-wise at the yard sale.  We got rid of lots of stuff and made a little money in the process.  I'm calling local donation center to come pick up the rest of the stuff this week.  I can't wait to have my garage back!!

Saturday night I went to my hometown to walk for Relay for Life.  My mom raised $670 all on her own for the great cause!  We walked some laps and turned in her money before heading home for the night.

SUNDAY:  Kevin and I slept in, which was awesome.  We did a few things around the house and then decided to go see The Amazing Spider-Man 2.  I thought it was really good.  I made crock pot salsa chicken (find the recipe HERE) for dinner and Kevin and I both really liked it.  It was super easy and will be on my list to make again.  Sunday night was spent cleaning up around the house and watching TV.

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What were you up to this weekend?

Five on Friday!

Linking up with Christina, Darci, April, and Natasha and you should too!  My five are totally random today, so be prepared :)

ONE.  We are having a yard sale today and tomorrow.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for no rain!  I can't wait to get rid of all the stuff that has been piling up in our garage for the past year.  Anything that doesn't sell is getting donated and then we can clean/organize the garage.  Yay!

TWO.  Other than the yard sale, we don't really have any plans for the weekend and I'm pretty happy about it.  It's been a little chilly here (highs in the upper 40's yesterday and mid 50s today), so we probably won't be doing any yard work.  Guess that means I'll have to tackle some indoor projects.  After seeing this amazing office/craft storage on IHeart Organizing yesterday, I'm determined to get our office organized and pretty!

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THREE.  We are going to Cincinnati for Memorial Day weekend and I'm pretty excited about it.  We will be going to a Reds baseball game, enjoying A Taste of Cincinnati, spending a little time at the casino, maybe heading to the zoo, and of course eating some delicious food.  Do you have any fun plans for Memorial Day weekend?

FOUR.  My cousin makes cakes/cupcakes and they are amazing!  She did our Detroit Tigers groom's cake for our wedding as surprise.  If you live in Louisiana, should definitely check her out.  Click HERE to see all of her awesome creations!  And trust me, everything tastes just as good as they look :)  Here are some of her adorable creations:

  

FIVE.  My sister and I signed up for the local Color Run in August.  I've never done the Color Run before, but I hear it's fun, so I'm excited to do it for the first time!

Hope you have a great weekend!

My First...

Today I'm linking up with Helene in Between and Venus Trapped in Mars for the #firstsTOTALSOCIAL!

Today I'm sharing my first time going to North Carolina!  It was also the first long vacation that Kevin and I took together.  It was back in August 2008 and I loved it!  We went with his mom, his brother, and his brother's girlfriend (they are now married).  We stayed in a condo right on the beach (we were at Carolina Beach), and it was beautiful.  We basically just hung out for the week and enjoyed the beach, great weather, and some shopping.  I'll let the pictures do the talking.

What was one of your firsts?

Make sure you linkup and share on any form of social media using the hashtag #firstsTOTALSOCIAL