Sports Night Dinner

Weeknight dinners have been trying this Spring to say the least! Three kiddos and four sports teams means that I have to make sure everyone gets the right field at the right time with the right equipment. (I might have been overheard saying "you should never leave home without your mouth-guard" more than once.) I am happy to report that I have yet to drop a child off at the wrong field but making a wonderful dinner every night has been hard.

Yes Hubby grills when his schedule allows. Of course I use my crock-pot a ton. But the dinner meals that I have become my new "go-to" are sandwiches. With a little bit of planning everything can be prepared ahead of time and then once we get home from the fields all I have to do is assemble the sandwiches.

Our new favorite sandwich is mini meatball subs. I made the meatballs ahead of time (basically just balled sausage since they have to be egg and gluten-free) and add them to tomato sauce. Then when we got home I reheated the meatballs and sauce. Place them on mini-Italian rolls for the boys and a gluten-free roll for B. Topped all of them with fresh mozzarella cheese and placed under the boiler until the cheese started to melt. A little fresh basil and we were all set. 

So easy and so much better than chicken nuggets if you ask me! Do you have any "dinner" sandwiches that I should try?

Are You Watching GofT? (Slight spoiler alert if you haven't seen this week's episode)

When Game of Thrones first aired in 2011 I was not too sure about it. Hubby on the other was super excited for it. The show was, as promised, filled with blood and too many naked women but for some odd reason I really love the characters. Even the ones that I love to hate!

Season after season I look forward to watching with Hubby every week. It has become our Sunday night date at home. I know people talked a bunch about last season's "Red Wedding" but this Sunday's episode was one of the best of the full series! Peter Dinklage gave such a wonderful performance and really shined as the outstanding actor he is. Now I am wishing the week away just so I can see what happens next!

Do you watch Game of Thrones? Any other shows that you think I should look into?

Mother's Day 2014

After a ton of rain last week we were finally blessed with a beautiful day filled with sunshine for Mother's Day. And boy did we make the most of the sun!

Hubby and the kiddos came with me to pick out flowers for my new flowerpots. While we were looking for colorful blooms the kids really got excited by all of the potted fruit and veggie plants and some how I was talked into buying a pepper plant, watermelon vine and cilantro herb. All three kiddos promised to water and care for these plants but I am not sure how long they will last.

After all of the flowers were potted and watered, Hubby and I scrubbed all of the deck furniture. (I still can't believe that weather has been so rainy that we have not had a single family meal on the deck this year. Hopefully now that everything is cleaned and ready to go we will be able to dine al fesco next weekend.) After we were done scrubbing Hubby thought it was the perfect time turn the hose on L. Good thing L has a wonderful sense of humor because I don't think I would have been giggling as much as L did if the hose was turned on me! (Hubby's note- For the record he was already soaked from the water balloon fight/running through the sprinkler/water gun fight/spraying each other with the hose/general anarchy the neighborhood boys were all doing.)

After all of our hard work Hubby cooked dinner for all of us. I always think not having to cook dinner is a wonderful treat. And after our yummy dinner B gave me a real sweet treat. She baked me a carrot cake from scratch. I was so proud of her!  I know this will sound cheesy but it really was the icing on such a wonderful day with my family!!!

Welcome Home Meal

As you may already know, B had a field hockey tournament last weekend up in Pennsylvania. B and her teammates played well and more importantly they had a wonderful time. It might be just me that feels this way but win or lose the rides home from tournaments are soo long! The excitement is over and B always falls asleep on me. So I always enjoy driving into town and knowing we are home.

Coming home on Saturday was made even better by the scene B and I walked in on. Hubby and M were fast at work on some homemade biscuits. After a quick hug, L informed me that we were having ham and biscuits for dinner. I might be a Northern girl but I must have a little Southern heart because I was just over the moon!

Hubby and the boys followed Southern Living's recipe "Our Favorite Buttermilk Biscuit" from their May 2014 addition. These biscuits were tender and flaky. Plus the butter tang was spot on! While these biscuits would have been perfect by themselves, my boys took it to a whole other level.

Hubby cooked a country ham steak on a casket iron skillet. While the ham was cooking he sliced the biscuits then he spread djion mustard on them. He also sliced some extra sharp cheddar cheese. When the ham was nice and hot he pulled it off the pan and sliced it into bite sized pieces. Finally he added a slice of ham and cheese to each biscuit. Simply put... it was heaven on a biscuit!!!

And if you didn't think I was already too spoiled I should let you know that Hubby DVR'ed the Derby for me. Please don't tell me that I was the only one that loved Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski!?!

Not As Planned

I am a list maker. I make one for most days and today was no different. Lists are wonderful in my eyes because you can cross off all of the thing you accomplished in a day. It really makes me giddy to cross off a ton on my to-do list. But today I didn't get to cross off all I had wanted. 

L and I were going to go to the garden shop after preschool and get some new plants to replace all that was lost after our long bitter winter. After lunch we had planned to put together three of our new potted planters. Then after the older two got home from school there was homework to be done super fast due to the fact that tonight was a lacrosse and field hockey night. But none of that happened. 

A bunch of things on my to-do list were not able to happen due to the weather. Heavy thunder storms put an end to most of my list. But for once I was ok with it. There was no rushing around today. There was a ton of funny family moments filled with giggles. 

I might enjoy crossing things off of my list but I will never enjoy that as much as I love unrushed time with my children. 

What Color!?!

We have an unreal amount of dressy events in May and June. So of course I have taken this as an opportunity to do a little shopping. If you have a many events coming up you need a new dress, right!?!

I have done a little of online shopping and I as always I found a designer that I really love at Nordstrom. Adrianna Papell was not a name that I knew before I started my search but I am giddy that I know the brand now! Most of Adrianna Papell's designs have a Prince Kate feel to them but without the sticker shock. A design winner if you ask me!

Friends what color should I go with? I might be leaning toward the coral but B just told me I should get the dress in white (not pictured here).  Help me out please because I am all over the place!!!

Spring Flick 2014

This past weekend B had a tournament up in field hockey country - Pennsylvania. She and I packed up the car after school on Friday and headed up past the Mason-Dixon Line full of excitement. It might sound weird but we were both really looking forward to the weekend.

B was looking forward to playing with her travel team-mates. These girls have been practicing together for a year and it is wonderful to see how they have all grown as players. Personal, I love seeing how much they have learned to trust each other and empower each other.

I was looking forward to watching B play and not be distracted. For the past two rec seasons I have been B's coach. While I love it, it does mean that on game day I can't just focus on B. And I can't even take a single picture. So I was in heaven this weekend cheering on my girl and taking way too many picture!

And I am not going to lie, it was nice to have some alone time with my little girl. She is just growing up too fast and any time we have a chance to be alone is priceless to me.

PS...I didn't play at all but I am wiped out! Why is being a "travel parent" so exhausting!?!

Away Games

Friday after school B and I packed up the car and headed north of the Mason-Dixon Line for a field hockey tournament.

Wish her good luck!

Magic Carpet Ride

I started a job in a new city right after college. To say that it was an exciting time would be an understatement! I found a super cute one bedroom apartment in an adorable town north of Boston. While I had the rent money I did not have a ton to finish my first place. When my Gram and Pop heard that I was in need of pretty much everything they went up to their attic and filled their car with all the things they thought I could use.

I was beyond grateful for all of the goodies they brought me. Really their generosity helped make sure that I didn't go into debt while trying to make it on my own. That being said there was one gift that I really loved and still love. It was my great uncle's rug. This colorful and classic rug has been with me ever since that first apartment.

I fear it is way past its prime and that I need to find a replacement very soon. You can see how worn it is in the picture below. Now pretty much all of the edges are unraveling. With three energetic kiddos the rug is becoming a hazard. But I am really having a hard time letting it go....

I know that I should not be so sentimental about a rug that has seen better days but Pop was so pleased that I loved his brother's rug as much as I did. There is also the fact that Pop is no longer with us that makes this even harder for me. Pop was always so giving of his time and love and I have allowed this old rug to be a symbol of his generosity. 

But even my mother (Pop's daughter) let me know on her last visit that it really was time to get a new rug. She was kind enough to remind me that Pop would have been so happy that his granddaughter and his three great-grandchildren used this old rug for so long.

Have you ever had a hard time letting something go? And do you have any rug suggestions for me?