Lake weekending

You know the old saying, the days are long but the weeks are short? I think it generally refers to any amount of time spent at home with your kids, but I find it also applies to blogging... It never feels like much time is passing and then I look up and it's been 6 weeks since my last post. Oops.

The truth of the matter is, when I started this blog, I was semi-fresh out of college, working a job that wasn't entirely fulfilling, used to be super busy, and feeling like I had no hobbies or creative outlets. I still don't have a ton of hobbies and I'm no longer fresh out of college, but I obviously have enough going on to fill my days that I don't need blogging as much as I used to. That's not to say I don't still enjoy it when I do it - writing has always been good for me and special for me. So this little corner of the Internet will remain open for whenever I decide to pop back in. Like now. Hi. 

We went to the lake this weekend and had such a nice time. C took off on Friday and so we hit the road early after the baby woke up and ate, and we were at the house by lunchtime. My mom greeted us with BLTs for lunch, which is always awesome. C and I took the jet ski out while the baby napped, and we had a delicious steak dinner and watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Truthfully, the steak was actually awful, but the rest of dinner was delicious. Isn't it disappointing when you just get a terrible cut of meat and there's no way to solve it... Or eat it? C'est la vie. 

Quiet coffee on the screen porch on Saturday morning during the baby's nap - amazing!

Two of my high school girlfriends joined us on Saturday and it was wonderful to catch up with them. Normally our girls' weekends consist of wine and a fancy dinner in one of our hometowns, but this time around I invited them to join us at the lake and was so happy they obliged! We got lucky during a rainy, gray weekend and got a sunny afternoon, so we got to enjoy a boat ride and dock time with cold beers. As Lizzy said, this is actually the life!! We took the baby on the boat, and he promptly fell asleep the minute we left the cove and didn't wake up until we pulled back in. Apparently that is the best kind of white noise!

C put on his chef hat and whipped up homemade mozzarella sticks and chicken Parmesan for dinner, and my mom made peach pie for dessert. I do love eating good food with good people. 

We squeezed in one more boat ride on Sunday before heading home, and the baby actually stayed awake this time - and he loved it! He couldn't stop jumping up and down and squealing in delight - I do believe we are raising a water baby. I love these memories we are already making with him! 

In case this weekend sounds like it was all roses, I will have you know we experienced a major poop-splosion 15 minutes before we were heading out the door to go home... But then again, maybe it WAS all roses, because 15 minutes later and it would have been a car-poop-splosion, which is so much worse. Parenting wins, my friends. It doesn't take much. 

Bleaks-burg Game Day

Earlier in the summer, C & I made plans with my sister & her husband to head down to Blacksburg in October and attend a Virginia Tech football game. We did the same thing last fall over Halloween weekend, and had such a great time that we wanted to do it again. Needless to say, it was a little bit of a different plan since I am currently Sober Sally, but a day at VT is a day at VT and I won't pass that up! We bought our tickets and a parking pass to secure a tailgate spot, and planned a fun weekend. Last Saturday was game day, and I could not wait to return "home" - even sporting this basketball-stomach I've currently got going on.

Little did we know, after a long, dry summer, the rain would start (and not stop) the very weekend that we were scheduled to head to the home of the Hokies. In case you were living under a rock last week and didn't know, Hurricane Joaquin and a gross nor'easter both made their way to our area and dumped a massive amount of rain on most of Virginia. The weather forecast leading up to the game on Saturday was obviously quite poor. We are dedicated fans, though, and we committed ourselves to a very wet day in Blacksburg. My beloved college town certainly earned it's nickname that day - it is known locally as Bleaks-burg most of the winter, as it turns gray and sad for a long time in the cold winter. That was just weather we got for the only game we are going to make it to this season! Boo.

We headed from the lake house at Smith Mountain Lake to Blacksburg early on Saturday morning, and set up our tailgate in the pouring rain. My sister and I ventured downtown to the bookstore to pick up some new maroon & orange gear - I needed something to wear the rest of the season since none of my VT shirts fit this fall! I settled on two different scarfs, and found a pair of dress socks for C - grown-up Hokie gear. AND I managed to avoid buying Baby W one single piece of Hokie gear - it was hard, but I restrained myself. We have baby showers coming up!

Let me tell you - tailgating, sober, in the pouring rain, is not exactly my idea of "reliving my glory days." It is definitely not that much fun watching everyone put their beer blankets on while you sit shivering in the rain drinking hot apple cider (not that apple cider isn't delicious, but it's NOT THE SAME) - and it also didn't help soften the misery when our team played terribly and lost the game. Sigh.

We did enjoy ourselves, though, and C & I had a blast hanging out with my sister and my brother-in-law. I am thinking maybe we will make this an annual tradition - and next year we can bring Baby W!

This might be a sign that we are getting old... but I'm pretty sure the best part of the day was driving back to the lake house, where we promptly all took naps before watching a movie and eating a comforting dinner of grilled cheese and tomato soup. It was certainly not the same as bar-hopping in Blacksburg, but it was a great way to spend the evening after being cold and wet all day! Even with the horrible weather, we all agreed that we had a wonderful weekend, and would do it again in a heartbeat. Now, if only my football team could figure out a way to win games for a change... sigh.

A Little Lake Weekend

When we opted out of going to the lake for Labor Day weekend, we knew that we would want to fit in a different fall weekend for some relaxing lake time before the weather got cold. We made great progress on our nursery projects, and the opportunity presented itself for some down time. We took advantage, and headed down to the house on Friday afternoon to meet up with my parents.

The weather on Saturday was absolutely gorgeous, and we had a picture-perfect day. After a leisurely morning, my mom and I went for a long walk. Several miles later, we returned to the house to whip up a pan of homemade macaroni and cheese with bacon - it was scheduled to go in the smoker for a bit before dinner, and it turned out really perfectly. For lunch, we took the boat out for a long ride and ended up at the Portside Grill & Bar for Cuban sandwiches and grilled wings. Delicious!

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching our Hokies beat up on Purdue (my favorite kind of game!) and smoking the mac and cheese and some chicken thighs for dinner. (PS - if you have a smoker and have never tried smoking things other than meats, you really must. The flavor on the mac and cheese was AMAZING!!)

On Sunday, we spent some time with coffee and books before another boat ride - have to take advantage while the weather is still nice!

We watched the Redskins game and had lunch before heading back home, (personally) feeling very rested and rejuvenated. After a busy few weekends, and several more coming up, it was so nice to be able to get away and have some quiet time. Our lakes weekend are limited while it is just the two of us still - I know there won't be many more trips before our party of two becomes a party of three!

I am so ready for fall weather, but it was great to take advantage of one of the last "summer" weekends. In case you are wondering, yes, I did manage to get a bit sunburnt on the boat on Saturday... even with SPF50 on! It never fails.

4th of July at the Lake!

We had such a fun 4th of July weekend... so much fun, in fact, that we extended it extra long!

Happy 4th of July - from the three of us!

Our regular plans for the 4th were not to be this year - usually, C's parents have a huge shin-dig at their house, complete with pool party and water balloon fight, but they decided this year that they weren't able to do it. No worries - we moved the party to the lake!

My favorite place <3

We packed several of our favorite couple-friends into my parents' lake house for the weekend, along with my parents and my sister and brother-in-law, C and I headed down to the house on Thursday night to meet up with my parents, and everyone else came down on Friday afternoon. We got so lucky with the weather - it was overcast with some rain on Friday and Sunday, but Saturday was sunny and perfect. What more could you want?

The whole crew! Dogs included, kind of.

C got a smoker for his birthday, so for our patriotic feast, he and his friends smoked ribs and chicken wings, which we paired with baked beans and macaroni and cheese. Is there anything better than the smell of hickory smoke alllll daaayyyyy long? I think not.

Men at work

We spent the weekend playing corn hole, floating in the lake and jumping off the dock (not this girl, ever), laughing our way through a few hilarious rounds of Cards Against Humanity, and SUPing around the cove. My sister just got this stand up paddle board as a gift for her husband, and we all put it to good use! It was ultimately determined that the girls are far better at using the SUP than the boys are... we all managed to stay standing while they all ended up in the lake. Winning!

C and my dad put on a fireworks show down by the water once it got dark. There were fireworks being set off all around the lake, and listening to the booms echo down the water was kind of amazing. We couldn't really see any except our own, but we had a soundtrack going the whole time.

My aunt and uncle flew in from California on Saturday night to spend the week at the lake with my parents. C and I planned to head home on Sunday with the rest of the crew, but we made the executive decision to stick around one more night and visit. I'm so glad that we did! There was enough sunshine on Sunday to take a long boat ride to get lunch at one of our favorite lake restaurants, and I managed to get my first sunburn of the season. Whoops. We rounded out the day with dinner at some family friends' house and watching the USA crush Japan in the World Cup final - does it GET any more American??

Freshly painted boat-house doors! USA!

I was bummed to have to head home on Monday afternoon, that's for sure - I would have loved to spend the rest of the week with the fam hanging around the lake. Not in the cards this time, but it was definitely wonderful to get to spend several full days relaxing and visiting with friends. It was a great way to spend the 4th of July!

cookies, steak, and stick-to-your ribs meals

Since we had yesterday off work, C & I took ourselves down to the lake for a long-weekend getaway. It was the kind of cold weather and cozy weekend that just screams for delicious meals, and we certainly delivered. I've got to say, we did some of our best cooking over the last few days! #winning

We both got home from work a little early on Friday, and loaded up the car and headed down. We took our time getting there, stopping for dinner and to grocery shop as we went. We also popped into an adorable little wine shop, which we've passed a million times and never stopped at. As it turns out, In Vino Veritas does free wine tastings on Friday night, so I got to start the party early!! We picked a couple of bottles that we liked, and splurged for a Valentine's Day treat. We don't do V-Day gifts, so wine is good for both of us!

On Saturday, we made a leisurely breakfast, then hung out relaxing by the fire for a few hours. Valentine's Day breakfast calls for mimosas. I have my priorities in order: cheap champagne and expensive orange juice. The perfect combination.

Have French press, will travel.

After an excursion to The Fresh Market in Roanoke for some fancy dinner supplies, we settled back in at the house and enjoyed a little happy hour.

We cooked steaks and scallops as asparagus for dinner and proclaimed it one of the top 5 meals we've ever made together. We loosely followed Kristen's advice for cooking the steaks and making a red wine pan sauce, and the filet mignon was just absolutely buttery. We actually made baked potatoes, too, but ended up putting them back in the fridge! We were stuffed from the rest of the meal. Very successful Valentine's Day, if I do say so myself!

On Sunday, my parents and my uncle joined us at the lake. It was miserably cold, so C made chicken Philly cheese steaks for lunch, and we watched movies all afternoon. For dinner, I made a big batch of Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew.... possibly another top 5 meal! I served it over garlic mashed potatoes instead of noodles, and it was the perfect stick-to-your-ribs meal for a cold night.

Yesterday, we headed home much earlier than usual, because it was already starting to snow at the lake. It's a good thing we did, because it snowed the whole way home, and the roads and traffic got worse and worse as we muddled along. A drive that should have taken us 3.5 hours took almost 7! C and I were almost ready to kill each other by the time we got home... we pulled into the driveway just in time to save our sanity.

Thank our lucky stars, they decided to just go ahead and make the announcement to close the government today before 10 PM last night, and we were able to relax and go to bed knowing that we got to sleep in a little. We don't get snow days, just telework days, but it was still nice to not have to get up and mess with trying to go to work! We got about 6" of snow, and I know my team members in Boston are just laughing at us. Sorry, guys!

There should actually be a porch railing there... we came home to some wind damage!
We were going to replace it this spring anyway.... guess that will be sooner rather than later :(

I always try to bake on snow days, and after looking through the pantry, went with two different types of cookies. I have the dough for Nutella cookies with white chocolate chips chilling in the fridge, and the best ever chocolate chip cookies are baking as we speak. I halved the chocolate chips and threw in rainbow sprinkles for the rest of the add-ins. They are going to be amazing.

Snow days call for hearty meals, so I'm going to make a batch of my mom's chicken and dumplings tonight for dinner. I got my workout in earlier this morning by shoveling the driveway, so I'm looking forward to just settling in in my sweatpants and letting other people deal with driving. No, thank you! Mom sent me pictures of the recipe... aren't the best ones pulled from old, wrinkly cookbooks with food spills and stains? I take that as a sign that they are well-loved recipes. I'm already excited for dinner. It's been years since I've had this!

Hope you are staying warm and dry, wherever you are. What is your favorite hearty, cold weather meal? Comfort food is the best.

Loving lake life

Happy day-after-Memorial Day! Hope you were able to spend some time with friends and loved ones, and took a moment to remember those who've served, who the day is really about. We enjoyed a lovely long weekend at the family lake house on Smith Mountain Lake, and flew our American flag with pride.

hashtag no filter.

The weekend was filled with idyllic sentiments of summer: sunscreen, burgers & hot dogs on the grill, morning (and afternoon) boat rides, Firefly and lemonade over ice, country music playing on the iPod. We were finally able to spend some much-needed time together as a family, the first that we've had since April, before either of my grandparents had passed away. It was nice to unplug for a few days and find a little peace and quiet.

We were joined by my friend, Michelle, and her husband, who finally got to see the house and the property for the first time. I was so glad that we got beautiful, sunny days to enjoy with them - any time at the lake house is great, but it's so much better to have nice weather. We had so much fun, essentially doing nothing - sitting on the dock, eating and listening to music, just enjoying the company of those around us. Whoever really takes time to do that?

It was glorious.

And then my mom dropped her phone in the lake on Monday morning. It now resides under 20 feet of water. Sigh. No perfect weekend can be too perfect, right? Gotta keep it real!

hearts, hockey, and Cady Heron

Someone please tell me that it's not just me who's feeling a little disjointed today? Between two snow days last week and a long weekend (yay President's Day!), it's no wonder that I'm a bit out of sorts. Five days out of the office was a delightful little mini vacation! We should always get a week away in February. Can that please be a thing?!

We had plans to head to the lake on Friday afternoon, but the snowstorm had other ideas for us. We ended up staying home Friday, cooking a little dinner and hanging out with my sister and her husband. Not our original plan for V Day, but still fun! C surprised me with flowers that he bought when I wasn't looking, and we traded cards - we have a tradition of buying two each for everything, a funny one and a serious one - so we've got Valentines galore at our house.

typical.

We woke up early Saturday morning to watch the USA Men's hockey game vs. Russia - who else watched?? If you didn't, you missed out on some serious excitement. What a game! My sister made us a round of Bloody Marys for good luck in the third period... it must have worked!!

We left for the lake later than planned since the game went on and on, but still made good time and met my parents at the house by early afternoon. With Monday being a holiday, we still had plenty of time to relax!

The rest of the weekend looked a lot like this:

Sitting by the fire, watching movies, cooking a couple delicious meals, getting sucked into several episodes of West Wing, and playing a million rounds of dominoes. My mama and I even got out for a long walk on Sunday afternoon - it was fantastic to get some fresh air! It wasn't too cold, but everything was still blanketed in snow, so we got to see some beautiful lake scenery while we walked. Though cut a bit short, it was just the weekend we were looking for!

We got home yesterday afternoon just in time for me to throw myself together and head out for a fun Monday night event: girls' night! Some of the girls I've been going to book club with had the great idea to make the most of the government holiday and plan an Italian-themed potluck evening, and were sweet enough to invite me to come hang out! I straightened my hair and put together some "Chicken Parmesan Chicken Nuggets" in a matter of minutes and then I was out the door.

BTW - I totally pulled a Sandra Lee with my contribution to dinner, but I really thought it worked - I baked some chicken nuggets, then topped each with a spoonful of marinara and a little bit of provolone cheese and stuck them back under the broiler for a few. Ta da... mini chick parms! It wasn't my finest cooking moment, but it was delicious... I'll definitely keep that "recipe" in my back pocket for a quick snack or potluck dinner!

We spent several hours chatting, eating, painting our nails, and watching Mean Girls... because why the heck not?! It was so much fun, and I enjoyed getting a chance to see some friendly faces. It was a great way to wrap up the long weekend!

Essie "Chincilla" plus a little sparkle

So tell me....

• Did you get a long weekend? How did you spend your day off?
• Do you have a go-to recipe for potlucks? Something easy to make, transport, and share? Help me out!
• What's your favorite brand of nail polish? I like the colors that Essie has, but I don't actually think it's very good quality... (I just heard several people gasp in horror. Sorry not sorry!)

So long, sweet summer

Happy day-after-Labor-Day!

Hope you had as fantastic of a weekend as I did, and sent summer 2013 off with a bang.

C was on a bachelor party trip to New Orleans this weekend, so I was on my own. On Friday afternoon, I headed down to the lake house to spend some QT with the fam, disconnected from the world.

It involved boat rides, beers, and smoked ribs courtesy of my sister and brother-in-law. And birthday cake. Completely winning combination, if you ask me.

Everything is still so green! Thanks to all the rain we've been getting this summer

Decked out our dock :)

Puppy-brother! My sister's puppy enjoying the boat ride with me

Smoking away!

 

Photo-bombed!

My daddy, the captain

   

I spy our dock!... down there on the right

I came home slightly sunburned and very exhausted, but also completely relaxed. Even though it stormed every afternoon, we still got to enjoy lots of time out on the boat, and lots of fun and laughs. Just wanted I needed! When I got home last night, C and I wrapped up the weekend with a quick trip to the grocery store & dinner from Chipotle, then several episodes of the Big Bang Theory. Couldn't have asked for a better evening!

Let's be real though - I, like every other girl / blogger / person on facebook, can't stop thinking about how much I'm ready for fall. I want it right now! I'm longing for pumpkins and football Sundays and tights. However, given that I was already sweating at 6:30 this morning, it seems like I won't be getting my wish for awhile. Summer is holding on for dear life, at least for a bit longer, whether we said goodbye this weekend or not...