Two problems you will face when handing over your camera...and a couple of other little things.

"That's nice, that's really nice..." said the man in the fancy, tucked in shirt with the tight, gray pants.

"You're going to like these...they are nice..."

Weeeelllll....the above photo was the best of the best.
I think I will call the photo...'My Son in The White Shirt is Not a Murderer'.
That, or...'My son in the red stripes is not a chipmunk"...I haven't decided yet.

I guess I should have told him to focus..I assumed everyone knew.
But...it was nice of him to offer to take all of us together.
and we have this grand photo to stash away to remember the day for years to come.

I spent Tuesday in the city with just the boys...doing mostly boy things.
{we did stop at a farmer's market..that is not considered a boy thing around here}

Things we did.

...Ate bacon cheeseburgers.
......Walked through a high end car dealership...Lamborghinis, Teslas...
...you know, cars we all have parked in our garages.
....Visited all sports stores along the way. {didn't realize how many there are!}

These were all things I have never done before.

Concerning the title...when you hand over your camera...
Let's just say...I don't remember doing a car photo shoot.

It was fun to be with them...I actually am really enjoying the teenage years.
{and the toddler years...again! Ha!}

Have a great evening.
XxOo

P.S. If any of you want to see a neon green Lamborghini...let me know, I have a few hundred pictures.

5 little facts and a million {or so} pictures to go along with them.

{What an incredible blessing...my daughter was able to work alongside her Great Grandmother?}
Allison was quite excited to be a part of the busy weekend.

Saturday we fed 200 people at one of the prettiest weddings I have ever seen.
The wedding was held on a gorgeous farm....it was one of the most romantic setting ever!
It was perfect, just perfect.

So here are those 5 facts...
1. My grandparents are in their 80's and still can work like crazy!
Jeff and I are hoping to be just like them when we grow up.
2. My dad and brother's sausage is the best! Seriously. So good.
3. My grandpa's meatballs...to. die. for. The man has talent.
4. No one makes bread as good as my mom! Her rolls are perfection.
{so are her chocolate chip cookies}
5. Family is awesome and I love mine.


And here are those million {or so} pictures...

Hope you're having a good week so far.
XxOo

Just a few pictures.

My kids have been asking if I can put a table back into the kitchen.
So after we finished painting we took the shelf and island cabinet out and put the table in.
It's been nice to have people sit in there with me while I work.

Does your heart still skip a beat when you catch glimpses of your spouse?
Mine does. I've known him for 22 years and I still could stare at him all day long.

 

The Franks.
Frank #1 giving Frank #2 chocolate. Frank #2 was pretty happy about that.

It's market season again and I will be blogging and sharing over at Twin Gardens.
There are a couple of lettuce wrap ideas on the blog now.
We have some exciting things planned this year including a new website and
a farm to table dinner! {more on this later...I am super happy to be a part of it all!}

Happy Wednesday.
XxOo

Do they have an app for staying focused?

Lake Michigan in the Kenosha Harbor is our view every Saturday morning from now until October.
Summer perfection.

The lazy days of summer do not always apply to our family.
For many years we have provided people with the necessities for their lazy day meals..
...whether it be home grown vegetables and the world's best sweet corn or
{starting this year} pizza! Our weekends are not always our own.

But really..if you have to work over the weekend...could there be a better job to have than mine?
{well...maybe a lifeguard on a beach in Hawaii...but then there's sharks and volcanoes and yeah...
...who needs Hawaii anyway....}

Despite my plate being really full this season....I am determined to stay focused,
on track and not get distracted. I need to make sure my family remains in the number one spot
on my priority list. These years are fleeting and I don't want to waste them!

The nicest thing about my job....my family is with me! {most of the time}
Not only my little family...but my extended family as well...siblings, parents, grandparents.
My kids spend time with their cousins and aunts and uncles...etc.
It's a blessing...a big one.

To stay focused one must be organized...that's {so not} me!

But I have a nice little calendar/day planner book...which drives my husband crazy.
Poor Jeff, lover of technology has a wife who loves her pen and paper and
still writes checks at the grocery store. {but only sometimes...}

"There's an app that can do that"....a phrase often heard from husband to wife in our home.
Have I ever told you about the app he used while I was in labor?
Seriously...Apple timed my contractions. ;)

Back to being focused...
See...I can't even stay focused on writing this post, which is supposed to be about staying focused!
Yep..organized. Even on my blog.

I was trying to take pictures of chives and tomatoes...
these three kept eating my vegetables and getting in the way...Which made for a WAY better photo in my opinion.

Happy Midweek.
XxOo

Colds in small towns while painting.

Don't you just love the fresh, lush green smell after a summer rain?
Today it was chilly and rained almost all day long.
In between showers we went for a quick walk down the road to see the horses.

Meanwhile inside, my kitchen and downstairs bathroom were getting
a much, much needed coat of fresh paint. {one day project turned into...hopefully two..}

Teenage boys are great to have around the house, let me tell you.
I didn't even ask them to paint...
Tyler actually took the day off work and asked what he can do for me today.
Painting the kitchen was his idea! Thank you child of mine. I appreciate it more than you know.

I tried taking a picture ....a raised brush was all I could get.
Good enough.

My house is of course taken apart and a disorganized disaster...part of the painting process.
This kind of mess doesn't bother me because a fun project is being accomplished. Haha.

 My back gate...where the hydrangea bushes will soon be full of blooms.

Have I introduced you to our chickens? We have four.
We've had them since April. Here we have Vader and Sunflower.
Very deep and meaningful names.

 Clingy-mama-wanting baby ...we'll just throw him in the Tula.

I spy a little girl in the window... too sick for a quick walk.

We have very bad colds {complete with fevers and sore throats} going through our house this week.
It smells like an essential oil factory around here.

You know how you know it's coming and you feel tired and blah...that's me today.
I figured it would be a miracle if I didn't catch it....
I've been covered in Frankie sneezes for the past couple of days.

"....someday we will live in the country and you will have horses of your own."
Her dad told her this when she was nine...she clings to his words all the time. Haha.

Meanwhile we are happy living in our small town,
surrounded by farm fields and other people's horses.

Do you have big plans for the weekend? It's going to be sizzling hot around here.
We will be making pizzas in Kenosha..if you're around come see us!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
XxOo

A little catching up. An exciting adventure and I hate broken phones.

My iPhone....it died completely. Black screen. No power. No hope.
I have to wait a week for my new one to come..in this instant day and age? a week? Ha Apple!
However, I am very thankful for warranties.

Our family is outside 90% of the day now that the weather is nicer.
Which means my house stays a whole lot cleaner! A clean house makes me happy.

It's also hard to sit down and blog when it's 75 and sunny outside...
.... which is why I haven't been on here in...what?...a whole week!? Yikes.



So here's to catching up....

This morning's laundry soap maker....{sort of}

Better than a bouquet of flowers....oh pretty basil you smell so good.

Sorry to the neighbors who abandoned their house but planted a rose bush the year before they left...
....my girls thought it was fine to cut a few roses.
I told them we really shouldn't....but I did happily put the few on my table.

I wrote on Facebook and Instagram about my sister Dana and her husband's brick oven business.
They bought the oven a while back and now have it mastered...so this their year!
Jeff  has always been in love with brick ovens...we are both so excited to be working with them.

Saturday I catered a beautiful wedding with Dana and Caitlin.
The above picture is part of our fruit/vegetable spread.

The lovely Margherita. SO pretty and tastes even better than it looks.

*an old Italian tradition...an olive placed in the center of a pizza means perfection.

....and this breakfast pizza. ....I know where you can get one!
The Kenosha Harbor Market ......where we will be making them every Saturday morning.

That's all for now. Happy Tuesday to you.
XxOo