I drive a mom car

...and I love it!

Hello, Toyota

Goodbye, Mazda.

I don't miss my old car.  I loved that car and we had 7 good years together, but it wasn't a good fit for our family anymore, so hello mini-van, welcome to the family!  I'm sure I will miss my Mazda 6 when winter comes and I no longer have heated seats, but I think I will survive ;)

And here is a recipe for your Friday afternoon--easy, tasty, and great for entertaining (which we did last night, when I made this):

Slow Cooker Kalua Pig

• 5 pound Boston Butt roast, preferably local
• 3 slices of bacon
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Alaea Red Tawaiian Coarse Sea Salt
• 5 peeled garlic cloves

 1. Line the bottom of your slow cooker with 3 slices of bacon.
2. Cut into the meat with a knife and tuck in the garlic cloves.
3. Rub the outside of the meat with the sea salt.
4. Place the roast on top of the bacon.
5. Cook on low for 16 hours.
6. Shred meat and enjoy!

Truth be told, I used a 3 pound chuck roast because that's what I had...and cooked it on low for 8 hours.  Super yummy!

And what did I do with the rest of my bacon?

Roasted Broccoli and Bacon

• 2 bunches, organic broccoli
• 5 peeled garlic cloves
• 4 slices of bacon cut into bite-size pieces
• a few good glugs of avocado oil
• salt & pepper

 1. Wash broccoli and cut into florets (hubby likes the stems, so I leave as much of the stems on as possible).
2. Toss broccoli, garlic and bacon into a gallon zip-lock bag until ready to roast.
3. When you are ready to roast, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. Add avocado oil and generous amounts of salt and pepper to the zip-lock bag and shake.
5.  Pour onto a foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer.
6. Roast in oven for 30-35 minutes, flipping the broccoli every 10 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

Both of these recipes are "Paleo."  I had not heard of Paleo until recently, but I'm finding that the recipes are both yummy and easy to make :)

Summer Vacation #3: Emeral Isle, North Carolina

 On Sunday evening, Brian and the kids picked me up at Raleigh/Durham Airport around 11:30pm.  I had a great weekend away, but was so glad to see them.  I woke the kids up to give them hugs and they went right back to sleep :) Then we headed to Emerald Isle, North Carolina for a week-long vacation with the Wolf side of the family (Brian's parents, his sister Lisa, her husband Kenny, and their dog, Rocko).

We arrived in Emerald Isle around 3:30 a.m.  My in-laws graciously woke up to welcome us and help us bring in all of our stuff!  The kids transferred to their beds nicely and slept the rest of the night. We were exhausted, but thankful for a smooth arrival!

Audrey LOVES Rocko.  This what they looked like pretty much all week.

Tuesday morning, we went to Swansboro for breakfast and shopping.  We had  apple fritters with our breakfast, although they are probably better suited for dessert than breakfast.  Either way, they were tasty! And, on the way back to the house, we stopped at a surf shop to buy life jackets for the kids and an inflatable boat!

Ethan & Audrey in Swansboro

 

Brian and Audrey

Taking the boat out...

The kids loved being out in the water on their boat (which Ethan named 'Kayak Boat').

Brian, Audrey and I (love those two!)

Brian and I had a yummy anniversary dinner at Saltwater Grill on Wednesday night.  We sat outside on the covered deck, overlooking the water...and thank goodness it was covered because it was pouring rain/lightening (if you know Brian, then you know this was a plus for him).  Thanks Grandpa & Grandma Wolf for babysitting so we could celebrate!  Happy 6 year Anniversary, Brian!

On one of our days in NC, we took a break from the beach to visit the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.  The otter and the penguins were Audrey's favorite.

Our family at the aquarium...notice Audrey's baby penguins.  The kids were each allowed to pick a gift at the gift shop.  Ethan chose a sea life animal toob and Audrey chose two stuffed baby penguins.

This trip was my first time at the beach in North Carolina--and let me say, it was beautiful and the water was so warm, you could stay in all day.  We had a great time.  Thanks Grandpa & Grandma Wolf!

Summer Vacation 2.5: MOPS Convention Dallas!

Last week I had the opportunity to spend four days in Dallas, TX at MOPS International Convention with 7 amazing women from Annapolis EP MOPS!

The weekend was filled with speakers, musical performances by Christy Nockles, Matthew West and Plumb, and good conversation with amazing women who love MOPS and the women we reach through this awesome ministry.  I left the conference refreshed and excited for the year ahead (first meeting is Sept 7th!)

  

Gaylord Texan Hotel

Our group (these women are seriously awesome!): Brenda, Lisa, Jenny, Colleen, Me, Julie, Francine, & Mary, wearing our pink "Annapolis, Maryland" t-shirts (thanks, Jenny, for the t-shirts and the awesome story behind them!)

Mens restrooms at the convention center, converted to accommodate all of the MOPS moms!

Matthew West performed on Friday night--truth be told, I didn't know who he was until he started singing.  As it turns out, I know most of his songs from the radio.  Great performance--and SO funny.  I am a fan :)

Julie and I at Mom Prom on Saturday night.

Another highlight of the weekend was spending Saturday morning on the Lazy River at the hotel water park, floating and taking with Julie & Jenny.  I don't have any pictures because I left my phone in the room, but the weather was gorgeous, we went early and had the whole river to ourselves for a while.  Perfection.

And where were the kids?  At home with super-daddy!

While Mommy was away, Daddy bought the kids new PJs.  Love these two!

Audrey Catherine

I say he is Super-Daddy because not only did he do a great job caring for the kids while I was gone, he also loaded up the car and drove them for 5 hours to Raleigh/Durham Airport to pick me up on Sunday night so we could head to Emerald Isle, NC for vacation--and on top of that, when we got home from vacation, the house was surprisingly clean :)  Thanks, hubby! 

Summer Vacation #2: Ocean City, New Jersey

We spent last week in Ocean City, New Jersey with my family (minus Uncle Chris and Aunt Allison, who are expecting their first baby at the end of August!)  This was our third year taking the kids to the beach--they LOVE the ocean!

Miss Audrey having a snack in Grandmom's beach chair.

Mommy, Audrey & Ethan

Daddy & Audrey

Audrey at Revel in Atlantic City (love the girl and the chair!)

 We had a blast at the beach--ate WAY too much salt water taffy, ice cream and Johnson's Popcorn...and loved every minute!  Thanks, Grandmom and Pop, for an awesome vacation!

My mom and I each brought a meal to eat while we were there (we ate out the other nights).  I made taco salad---here is the recipe:

TACO SALAD:


Lettuce, any variety, washed & chopped
2 Tbsp Olive Oil or Butter
1 small Onion, diced
1 lb Ground Beef, preferably locally raised, grass-fed beef
2 Tbsp HOMEMADE Taco Seasoning (once you make your own, you will never go back)
1 can Black Beans, rinsed & drained
Corn Tortilla Chips
Grated Cheese (I use raw cheddar)
Diced Tomatoes
Corn (fresh, if it's in season, or frozen, thawed)
Avocado
Sour Cream
Lime
Cilantro 

1. Melt the butter/oil in a medium-sized sauté pan over medium heat on the stove. Add the onions and cook for several minutes until they start to soften.
2. Add the beef to the pan. Break it up with a spatula while the beef browns. Season the meat mixture with homemade taco seasoning.
3. While the beef is cooking, spread the lettuce out over a large serving platter then top it with tomatoes, corn, avocado, cheese, black beans, and sour cream.
4. Top with cooked beef and crushed tortilla chips.
5. Sprinkle entire dish with fresh cilantro leaves and some fresh-squeezed lime juice. Serve immediately and enjoy!

BTW, summer vacation #1 was our trip to San Diego in June (pre-blog) to see Aunt Carol & Uncle Mark (and Brian worked a few days while we were there).  It was our second visit to SD (Audrey's first) and I hope we go again sometime--we so enjoyed our time with Uncle Mark and Aunt Carol, especially our trip to the San Diego Zoo!  (Although giving dog treats and ice cubes to Luke was pretty high on the kids' list of awesome things we did there).

Bitter-Sweet...

The past few weeks have flown by...so let's catch up!

Friday, July 20th was a bitter-sweet day for the kids and I. We said a tear-filled goodbye to our friends, the Beekers, who are currently making their way across the country to their new home in Las Vegas. (Ok, Sheri and I cried, the kids were just...the kids.) But, on the bright side, we were able to spend a lot of very sweet time with our friends before they left.

Abigail, TJ, Ethan, Caleb, and Audrey

TJ, Ethan & Caleb (We really need to work on Ethan smiling with his eyes open!)

Funny Faces!

This is how the boys are most of the time when they're together--in a pile on top of each other with big smiles on their faces.

Does it get any sweeter than these two?

Sheri and I met 3 years ago in Claire Reddig's MOPS group, but I feel like I've known her forever.  For the last 2 years, I've had the privilege of leading a MOPS group with Sheri--and let me tell you, she is an amazing wife, woman and mother.  I have learned so much from her!  We are especially thankful for this past year because they were supposed to move after 2 years (Sheri's husband, Kevin, is in the military) and got to stay for 3 :)  MOPS won't be the same this fall (and I know I'm not the only one who feels this way), but we are excited for their Vegas adventure!

We love you, Beeker Family!