Disney Junior Field Hockey Tournament {Part 1}

As you might remember, if you are a long-time reader, B was picked to be a part of her field hockey club's "elite" team back in early spring. Even since making this team, B and her teammates have been working non-stop to improve their game for the last tournament of the season. Why were they working so hard - because their finally tournament was the Disney Junior Field Hockey Classic! 

So last Thursday B and I got up at an ungodly hour and got on a flight to Orlando. (If you knew me in real life you would understand that getting up before 5am was partially a miracle for me!) We had a nice flight down and got to our hotel before lunch. Which was great since I wanted to get B settled in before her big day on Friday. 

This was the first tournament that B has ever been in that had three days of "play". Three games on Friday and Saturday then Sunday was a "sudden death" round. If you ask me the fact that this was the longest tournament at the nicest facility these girls have ever played at means there was a lot of pressure put on these U12 girls. Luckily B and all of her teammates rose to the challenge!

They had a great first day; 2 wins and 1 loss. Due to how well the girls played the first day they were placed in a higher pool the next day. An honor and challenge rolled into one!

The second day was definitely harder with 1 tie and 2 losses. But since the girls kept all of the losses close they finished in the upper half of all teams combined.

I would be lying if I said that I was not stressed about the last day. The first game was close but they won! Unfortunately they did not win their second game but they played so well. The fact they never gave up was wonderful to watch as a parent!

B is such a competitive girl that she has definitely been bitten by the "Disney Tournament" bug due to its higher level of play. So I have a feeling this is not our last time at Disney Field Hockey Tournament!  

Wiped Out!

B and I are finally back from her tournament at the ESPN's Wide World of Sports. We had a wonderful time. The girls played their hearts out and it was a joy to watch them.

I sure you are not surprised to hear that B is wiped out from three solid days of games under the Florida sun. What I am counting on is that you also understand that I am wiped out too! Please give me a day to get back to normal (plus go through over 250 pictures) and then I will tell you all about the tournament.

A Night At The Fair

How did you spend your Thursday summer night? Well my family spent theirs at a county fair while B and I were away! I hope you enjoy Amy's, my SIL, guest post.....

I'm so happy to be guest posting on my beloved sister-in-law's blog. During the school year I teach kindergarten, but in the summertime I get to do things with my own kids I wouldn't normally have time for...like a rodeo! The clouds cleared away just in time to enjoy a beautiful night with my daughter and nephews. The kids had so much fun looking at all the prize-winning pigs and chickens, but the best part was the professional bull riders.

One look at those massive animals and you could not PAY me to ride one! I think I'll leave it to the cowboys! The stands were packed, but we managed to sneak the kids to the front. It was pretty amazing to hear that one of the cowboys had received ten stitches in his jaw the night before, but would still be riding this evening. Ouch!

Of course, after spending money on admission, the favorite activity of the night was good old-fashioned tag and hanging out by the tractors. You can't beat a beautiful night at the fair with family!

Happy Summer to all you Lobster Meets Peach readers! 
Amy

Southern Welcome

Hello Lobster Meets Peach readers!  I’m Amie (aka “Former Blogger A”)... a daughter, wife, mother of two, former blogger, and lucky local friend of our dear Eileen.

Ei recently asked me if I would write a guest post for her lovely blog, and I couldn’t be happier to oblige.  Since this is my first entry to Lobster Meets Peach, I first want to say a big Thank You for welcoming me to this beautiful little corner of the internet.  It might be a virtual one, but it’s a neighborhood all the same and I am honored to be a part of it! 

To carry on the welcome theme, I thought I’d share how our family recently welcomed our new next door neighbors to the community. I always love taking fresh baked goods to families who are just getting settled in their new homes.  This time though, we took a different route.  We still included sweets, but they were provided by our favorite local shop, Joy’s Dream Bakery.  Joy makes the freshest, yummiest confections.  We picked her white chocolate raspberry and tiramisu cupcakes. 


  
My sweet almost nine year old son made handmade a card, which my sassy little six year old daughter decorated with a picture inside. 

We capped off the gift with fresh wildflowers from our backyard garden, placed in a mason jar that we filled with stones to anchor the delicate flower stems.  Truly, is there anything a mason jar can’t do?!

What’s your favorite way to welcome someone to the neighborhood?

The Wonderful World of Disney

B and I are off to the wonderful world of Disney but not for a vacation. We will not go on a single ride. We will not see a single show. We are going for one reason only - field hockey. When B made her travel team back in March we knew that they would be attended a national tournament at the very end of the season at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. 

Our bags are packed and we are ready for this big event. B and her teammates are all so excited, as they should be! They have all worked so hard and I really hope no matter what happens, win or lose, they enjoy this tournament.

While B and I are away I have some wonderful friends who will be guest blogging for me. Then I will be back on Tuesday to fill you in with all of the details. 

Go Rapids!!!

"One Plus One"

Our library does a pretty good job of keeping up with bestsellers from the New York Times. Being the clever people that they are, they knew that everyone wants to read "it books". So they started the "Hot Seven" category which is so genius. If  book is new and a bestseller it can only be checked out for seven day and may not be renewed. In other words, if you want to read this book you better read fast!

When I saw Jojo Moyes' latest book on the "Hot Seven" shelf I knew I had to pick it up. I had never read any of her previous books but I have heard nothing but praise for her works. 

According to Goodreads:

Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied and your math whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess’s knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Math Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages . . . maybe ever.

 One Plus One is Jojo Moyes at her astounding best. You’ll laugh, you’ll weep, and when you flip the last page, you’ll want to start all over again.

If you are like me you read what Goodreads had to say and are still not sure. I mean it does sound a little out there and it is, but this book is so worth your time! It is a fast read because you will really come to love all of the characters, faults and all. By the end of the book you will have laughed and cried. And if you are anything like me you will love this novel since the main character is always optimistic. 

At the end of the day if we all kept our chin up the world world be a better place!

Plain Jane Ice Cream

My sweet mother-in-law bought me a lovely ice-cream maker for my birthday maybe seven or eight years ago but I am ashamed to admit that it was not used for years. I wanted to use it but I was letting our food "issues" get in the way. B was allergic to dairy until after her sixth birthday. Plus she was allergic to eggs and when she outgrew her egg allergy we found out that little L was highly allergic to eggs. 

Most chefs will tell you that you need cream and eggs to make a proper ice cream so my poor ice cream maker just sat and sat for years. Then I just went for it! Maybe it is because I am an "allergy mom" or even just a mom that I decided that I could care less about "proper ice cream" and more about home-made ice cream. It might not be fancy ice cream, in fact it is just plain vanilla, but it is good!

Plain Jane Vanilla Ice Cream

1 cup whipping cream

2 cups half & half

3/4 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extra

Combine the whipping cream, half & half, sugar and salt in a sauce pan. Heat the sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until all of the sugar has dissolved. 

Take the sauce pan off the heat and stir in vanilla.

Place mixture into a seal-able container and place in the refrigerator. It is best if mixture can sit over night to chill.

Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and follow its instructions. (I left my machine running for about 35 minutes but each machine is different.) Then freeze your ice cream until hard, at least two hours.

Enjoy!

Anniversary Get-Away {Part 2}

After our lovely afternoon, we got dressed for our night out on the town. But before we got to our first stop I made Hubby take a little detour. We acted like many other tourists that night and headed up to the White House.

And being the sweet wife that I am, I forced Hubby to take a selfie with me. I promised not to post this picture to Instagram but I never said anything about the blog!

Our first stop was at the P.O.V. bar. P.O.V. is a roof-top terrace and bar at the top of the W Hotel. We had heard from family and friends that P.O.V. had the best views in DC. And I have to agree with them!

After we enjoy a drink and the beautiful view, we were ready for dinner. Since this was a "wing-it" kind of a get away we had not made and reservations. I must say at first things were not looking good. The first restaurant that we tried had an hour and a half wait. Luckily our second try, BLT Steak, was much better - no wait at all! 

So here is will you will have to forgive me. I have no pictures from dinner. Hubby was so over me taking pics with my phone and in all fairness he was right. I happily put my phone away since I was on a date with Hubby and not with other bloggers. We enjoyed a lovely meal and were reminded that we really like hanging out together. Not too bad if you ask me!

Fun In The Sun

The kiddos and I have been really enjoying all of this beautiful summer weather. We are just simply trying to make the most of it.

I hope you are too!

Anniversary Get-Away {Part 1}

Hubby and I were able to get-away this past Saturday due to the fact that I have wonderful and kind in-laws who offered to watch our kiddos for the night. It was a totally last minute trip that just came together perfectly. We didn't even have a hotel reservation until last Friday morning and that was it. Yet some how the stars aligned for us!

We spent the night at the DC St Regis and it did not disappoint! This hotel has it all; location, decor and over the top service. The only downside was that I was not able to fit their gorgeous chandelier in my bag on the way home. 

My sweet mother-in-law mentioned that the National Portrait Gallery had a a new Civil War exhibit, "Grant & Lee" and with that we had our plans for the afternoon. Normally Hubby is not an art museum kind of a guy but the promise of an exhibit based on history was all he needed to agree to head over. I even got him to wander through a couple of other exhibits.

After we walked back from the museum we had a surprise waiting for us in our room. A very thoughtful friend of my family had a bottle of champagne sent up to help us celebrate our anniversary. I am not going to lye to you...sipping champagne while getting ready for dinner is not bad at all!!!

Lucky Number 13!

Thirteen years ago today Hubby and I got married. Without a doubt that was the smartest thing I have ever done in my life!

So far spending my life with my best friend has been such a joy and I know it will only get better!

Thunder

The weatherman lied! The sky did not stay sunny and a thunderstorm chased us from the pool. But if that is the worst thing that happened to us, I would have to say it was still a great day!

Hope you are loving summer as much as we are!

"The Tao of Martha"

I believe the first time I heard about author Jen Lancaster was from the blog Summer is a Verb which is totally fitting because Jen Lancaster started out as a blogger herself. Jen has turned the art of blogging into a wonder career as a New York Times bestselling author. (I may or may not be a little bit jealous.) So when I saw her latest memoir at my library I knew I had to check it out.

According to Goodreads:

One would think that with Jen Lancaster’s impressive list of bestselling self-improvement memoirs—"Bitter Is the New Black"; "Bright Lights, Big Ass"; "Such a Pretty Fat"; "Pretty in Plaid"; "My Fair Lazy"; and "Jeneration X"—that she would have it all together by now.

One would be wrong. 

Jen’s still a little rough around the edges. Suffice it to say, she’s no Martha Stewart. And that is exactly why Jen is going to Martha up and live her life according to the advice of America’s overachieving older sister—the woman who turns lemons into lavender-infused lemonade.

"The Tao of Martha" is a great summer read. My own home is far from "Martha Organized" but I am trying so I found it quite humorous to rad alone as Jen takes one year to get her home perfectly organized. I also truly loved reading all about Jen's beloved dog, Maisy and the little life lessons one can learn from their pets. 

I am be bias since Jen is a former Jersey-girl, like myself but if you are in the market for a good read I would have to recommend this one!

Perfect Summer Salad

There was a time when my girl friends and I would get together and try and have conversations while chasing our toddlers. We all said "this will be so much easier when they are older". Um what were we thinking!?! Between the worst winter and all of our children's different sports teams we have not seen each other in forever. Honestly I would pay good money to run after a wee-one if it meant I could have a chat with my friends in person more other. We really didn't know how good we had it!

So when a friend sent out a text saying lets have a little happy hour before the 4th, we were all in! All we had to do was bring something to share and something to sip. So simple yet so perfect. I will admit that I just brought some cupcakes, nothing worth blogging about. But Former Blogger A brought a salad that was so good I asked for the recipe. Being the wonderful friend that she is she said I could past the recipe along to you!

Asparagus, Tomato & Cumber Salad (from Prevention Magazine)

8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and roughly chopped into bit sized pieces

2 cups sliced english cucumbers

1 large tomato, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced

3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the asparagus in a pot with a steam basket. Steam for about 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Immediately plunge the asparagus into a bowl of cold water, drain, and lightly pat dry.

Place in a large bowl. Stir in the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and feta.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oregano, oil, mustard, and pepper. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables and toss well.

Trust me, you need to try this salad!

Small Town 4th

We might have been teased by a family member or two when we moved out to the western part of our county but on days like the 4th of July I say tease all you want! The 4th of July parade is one of the awesome perks of small town living. Main Street is always lined with neighbors and friends and the parade is also filled with friends and neighbors. It really is a whos-whos of small town living!

While I might love the 4th for its small town charm, my kiddos love it for the candy! All of the floats in the parade throw candy at the spectators.  What child would not love that!?!

It really was a wonderful way to celebrate America. And B must have felt the same way since she even took a picture with me. She might have even let me hug her in public. That is what I call "winning" when your daughter is a tween!!!

I hope you and your family had a safe and wonderful 4th! God Bless America!!!!

Prioritizes & Accessorizes

I don't think that I am alone in my love of Instagram. What started as a fun way to share pictures with friends and family has also turned into a way to see a little bit more of some of my favorite bloggers. Lately, for me, it has turned into much more! Instagram has turned into a great place to find unique buys.

Via

 As you know I do love taking pen to paper but who knew that Instagram would help me make sense out of all of my lists. And how could I not think the Lemon Drop "Priorities" Notepad is something that I need in my life!?!

Via

And if that find was not enough, I also found High Street Market on Instagram. High Street Market seems to love Blue Willow china as much as I do. Don't you just love the idea of your pens being stored in a Blue Willow cup? High Street Market is also having a sale! All of their "vintage" pieces are on sale until midnight on the 4th of July. Just enter code "VINTAGE25" and enjoy 25% off.

What unique finds have you found via Instagram? 

Before & During

I bet you thought B and I just sat on the sofa and eat bon-bons while the boys were fishing. Maybe you thought we were at the spa getting pampered. Or reading John Green books poolside but you would be wrong on all accounts.

B and I spent our Sunday giving her (and the boys') bathroom a little make-over. It all started because all three of my children seemed completely incapable of using their towel rack. All of the damp towels that I was picking up at the end of the day was starting to give me a nervous tick. So my grand idea was to take the offending towel rack down and replace it with three hooks. Easy right?

Before

After Hubby took the towel rack down I repaired the holes in the wall. As I was sanding my patch job, I was reminded of how much I dislike white walls. And since I was going to have to re-paint the walls anyway, why not re-do the room? I have a feeling this line of thinking is the reason Hubby rolls his eyes every time I say "but it will be a little project."

During

While I made a huge mess during the process I think the kiddos' bathroom is coming along nicely! The holes have been repaired and painted. The brass hardware was replaced so it now matches the faucets and the new shower curtain has been hung.

Now I just have find some nice accessories and hang those hooks!

You can also find me at A Stroll Thur Life