Life Lately...........

Alright Monday, I'm ready for you.   Here are a few photos from the last 10 days or so.....

I spent last Saturday at home the entire day.  It was glorious not having to go anywhere and I cannot remember the last time that happened.  I watched a Hallmark movie and got caught up on some magazine reading.

Avery began a bathroom floor remodel, which I will blog about in a few weeks.  I spent some of my Saturday doing some painting while he installed new tile.

Isabella's car she drove had troubles , so I had to rent a car for a few days.  Sadly, her car didn't survive any repairs so now we will do some car shopping.

Buying my favorite fall snack helped make Friday better!

My girls attended an 80's Tacky Prom over the weekend.  The back of their dresses had ruffles and trains.

I am so looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday and having an extended time off work.  In the meantime, I am grateful to have a few days of cooler weather to dream of fall!  

Fly Away Day Trip to the Game

Happy Friday!  Oh I am sad I don't have another 3 day weekend, but this is how we spent our extra day this week and is definitely my Friday Favorite.........

Avery and I had a day trip to see the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox play Monday.  

We were both off work for Labor Day and headed to the airport that morning.

We had the VIP treatment with the Delta 360 club and the Sun Trust Club.

We traveled with some co-workers.

We had pretty close seats....like the 2nd row!  Avery enjoyed ballpark hot dogs.

I enjoyed some lobster mac-n-cheese.  We had unlimited food and drinks.  I am talking for food we had crab meat, lobster, tenderloin....and there was typical ball park food as well to enjoy in the clubs.

Mookie Betts....one of the top players in Major League Baseball right now on the team with the best record.  I am a Yankees fan, but I am not going to lie, it was fun watching the Red Sox.  They are so good this year!

I was served this delicious frozen lemonade smoothie, which was good for a hot day.

So was ice cream delivered to us on a silver tray!

Atlanta Braves players...We were this close to them.  This is without a zoom!

And we were so close to the Boston Red Sox dugout as well!  I was so intrigued and found myself staring over there most of the game.

Inside the club, we saw Golden Glove awards and a baseball signed by Hank Aaron.

It was a great day at the ball park!

There was a beautiful rendition of God Bless America sung during the 7th inning stretch and I was able to meet him right after that.

We left the game at that time to head back to the airport for our flight home.

Even on an airplane, I found some episodes of The Office to watch!

It was a whirlwhind of a day.....12 hours door to door with 2 flights and a ball game, but it was fun!

Fall Favorites ~ Crock Pot Meals

I am loving that it is already Wednesday and I am linking up with a fall themed blogpost.  

I do love using my slow cooker, however, like most people, I use it more in the fall and winter.  These are 3 of my go-to quick recipes.  For more recipes, check out my slow cooker board on Pinterest.  Can't wait to read others recipes as well!  

**On a side note, before I cook any meat in my crock pot, I spray it with cooking spray to make a clean up a little easier.  

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen

1 1oz Envelope Taco Seasoning

6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, thawed

1 16oz jar Salsa

Dump all ingredients into a crockpot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. You do not need to add any water to the taco seasoning. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, guacamole, lettuce, shredded cheese and/or sour cream. This is very versatile and can be used for enchiladas, nachos, quesadillas, etc. Any leftover chicken can then be used for tortilla soup (make it the next day or freeze the chicken to use at a later time).

Pulled Pork

Pork loin

BBQ sauce

BBQ seasoning

Add pork loin to crockpot.  Pour bottle of BBQ sauce over meat and sprinkle BBQ seasoning over meat.  Cook on low for 8 hours and shred meat.  Serve as BBQ sandwiches, for BBQ nachos, or over salad to make a BBQ salad.  

Easy Tortilla Soup

Chicken - 1 lb. thawed chicken breasts or 2 large cans of chicken in water

2 cans of cream of chicken soup

1 can of rotel

1 can of corn, drained

salt, pepper and garlic to taste

*can add a can of beans if prefered

Add ingredients to slow cooker and cook on high 6 hours or low 3 hours.  Shred chicken.  Serve with cheese, avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream or other options.

* To thicken base of soup, at the end of cooking, you may add 1/2-1 cup of milk and blend with an immersion blender.  

TBB Asks ~ September Edition: How Do You Cozy?

Happy September and Happy Labor Day!

I am starting this month's blog posts with a link up to The Blended Blog all about being cozy.

1.  Slippers:  Yes or No?

Yes!  I just received my UGG slippers for a Christmas gift and have them on as I type this.  They are so comfortable and I think will last a long time.

2.  What is your favorite blanket? 

 I am good for any cozy, soft blanket really.  

3.  Thin or thick pillow? 

 I would say a thicker pillow.  We just bought these new pillows at the beginning of summer and like them so far.  We bought these when we bought a mattress, so they were discounted on top of a sale they had for Memorial Day weekend.

4.  Favorite warm beverage?

 hot chocolate for sure

5. Robe:  Yes or No?

  I have a cozy robe that I like, but rarely wear it because you can usually find my in my blardigan.  I recommend looking for these on sale at the Nordstrom yearly anniversary sale every July or on black Friday.

6.  Favorite comfort snack foods?

A warm dip and chips come to mind.  Check out some of my favorites on my Pinterest page.

7.  Movies or TV series binge?

In this category, I would say Hallmark or Christmas movies. Regarding tv, we binge watch The Office a lot.

8.  Actual PJ's or leggings?

I do like my pajama pants but they are for sleeping and lounging.  I do like my leggings too, but I wear those outside the house all the time in the fall and winter.

9.  Do you cozy up on the couch or a chair?

I don't have a strong preference, but I do usually end up in our chair.

10.  Hoodie, t-shirt or sweater?

If I am thinking of being cozy, I would say a sweatshirt or long sleeve t-shirt.  I have a few sweaters that I like and are comfortable, I just don't think of wearing these when I want to be cozy!

Enjoy your holiday!  We are off to do something fun, which I will blog about later this week.

Nashville

Woo hoo!!!  Happy Friday!  And it's a 3 day weekend!  Last weekend, we went to Nashville for the night to meet my in-laws.  They live in North Carolina and were going to be in Nashville, so we drove to meet them Saturday.  Before we met up with them, we had another reunion with a sweet friend we met when we were living in Bogota.  Larissa is a missionary kid and served in Bogota for a year.  She is now back in the states and it was great to spend a little time with her.

We met at a mall (notice the Tiffany and Co in the background :)), and this mall had a Nordstrom.  I have only been in a Nordstrom a few times in my life, so of course, it was fun to go in an actual store!

We had a great dinner with my in-laws, did some shopping and also went to see a movie, Crazy, Rich Asians.   It was a good movie and we really enjoyed it.   We also played some cards together, so it was a fun visit, but no pictures from that :(.

On  our drive to Nashville, we did the old fashioned thing and packed a lunch.  We stopped at a rest stop to eat, which is something we rarely do.  Normally, we would stop at a fast food restaurant, so this was a nice change to eat healthier and save money.

On the way home, we had an hour and a half delay due to a fatal accident on the interstate, which was so sad.  Thankfully, we had snacks, a book, magazine, beading, and a deck of cards to pass the time.  

We have a weekend full of activities planned.  Hope you all enjoy your weekend and Labor Day holiday!

What's Up Wednesday ~ August Edition

 Here we go with another edition of What's Up Wednesday!  We made it (almost) through August!

What we're eating this week............

Monday - frozen pizza

Tuesday - chicken alfredo, salad and bread

Wednesday - church

Thursday -  I really need to plan....I have no idea

Friday - probably pizza again :)

What I'm reminiscing about...............

Wearing boots and long sleeve shirts....counting down until fall weather!

What I'm loving..............

I love getting off work at 2:30 and being home in the afternoons with my girls. 

What we've been up to............

We have been in school transition stage this month.  Brook began high school, Isabella began her senior year of high school taking classes at a community college, and Avery began taking a class to work towards a masters degree.

What I'm dreading...............

I am dreading a little more heat until fall temperatures are here to stay.

What I'm working on...............

My mom and I are hosting a wedding shower for my niece next month.  

What I'm excited about.................

I am excited about an upcoming long weekend! I am also looking forward to fall, pumpkins, pumpkin bread, fall candles....you know, all that stuff!

What I'm watching................

As a family, we enjoy watching you tube clips from late night tv shows and will often watch episodes of The Office.

What I'm listening to...................

On my way to work, I listen to Greg Laurie of Harvest.org every morning.  On the way home, I listen to either another podcast or 80's radio.  When I am in the car with the girls, we listen to top 40 music, Harry Styles or Elvis. 

What I'm wearing............

I wear jeans 3 out 5 days to work.  I am thankful for a casual dress code!

What I'm doing this weekend...............

Our plan is to tear up some bathroom tile and install new tile in the guest bathroom and hallway.  I also will do some painting in the hallway.  

What I'm looking forward to next month.............

2 days off work!!  The upcoming Labor Day holiday is a day off for me and also we have another weekend trip planned for September.....our first college visit for Isabella!

What else is new...............

I am just extremely proud and thankful for my family and they way they transition to new things.  The past 4 years have been full of transitions for our family.....moving to another country, learning a new language, making new friends, leaving a country, moving back to the USA, starting over with a new home, Isabella driving, me going back to work full time, Brook starting public school, Avery starting graduate school and Isabella starting her senior year classes at a community college.  Y'all...that is a lot.  It hasn't been easy.  It's been with hardships, tears, financial stress, yet it has also been filled with laughter and growth.  Of course, we owe everything to God's provision and faithfulness to us.  He has never forsaken us along the way.  Just wanted to share how thankful I am that the Lord has helped to persevere through these transitions.  He is a good, good Father.

Weekend, well.....Last Week Wrap Up

It's Monday!

Instead of a weekend wrap-up today, I am really catching up some life because I was out of the blog world last week.  Some weeks, working such an early shift and having activities in the evening just take up most of my time.  Last week, was one of those busy weeks.   Here are some highlights from last week......

In the last 2 months, I have began watching Pioneer Woman again.  I have always been a fan, but just didn't have Food Network until this summer.  I watched an episode Saturday and tried this recipe Sunday morning.  This was so good and easy!!  I used low carb tortillas, frozen cut green peppers, scrambled eggs, avocoado, shredded cheese and microwave bacon for our breakfast quesadillas.

We took a trip to Costco last weekend which forced me to clean out our freezer.  I found snow from this winter :). 

A sweet friend of ours we met in Bogota came to see us this week.  She moved to Bogota about 3 months before we left Bogota.  We haven't seen her in a year and a half, so it was so good to catch up with her.  She even brought us a bag of Colombian coffee! 

I bought some decorations for one of my co-workers who turned 50 this week.  She is a joy to work with and has been such a help to me at work.   She is a bright spot at work for me. 

We had open house at Brook's school this week.  It was so good to see her classrooms and meet her teachers.   

Friday night, we took Brook to her first high school football game.  She had a friend from church with her, so that was good and our team won! 

We finished up our weekend with a road trip to Nashville, but more on that later. 

Enjoy your day!