Out and About

 

Hi! Happy Tuesday. A cool front came through last night, bringing much lower humidity and temperatures. Yay for some nicer weather! I'm planning to take a walk later today.  

Thank you for all the nice and thoughtful comments on my last post. They are very much appreciated!

Recently, we spent a late afternoon/early evening in uptown Charlotte. We visited the Modern Art Museum along with the Mint Museum. It was a scorching day, and we were looking for something cool to do, and this worked out perfectly. The museums were so nice and cool. I didn't get any pictures inside, but there was so much to see. After we finished up at the museums and walked around uptown for a bit, we stopped in a new-to-us, adorable French restaurant. We weren't very hungry from all the heat, so a charcuterie board and an Aperol spritz were the perfect summer dinner. I love the energy of being in a city. It really energizes me. What about you? Are you more of a city mouse or a country mouse? I'd say I'm more of a city mouse for sure. We live in a suburb of Charlotte. We are about a forty-minute drive from uptown Charlotte. It was a great way to spend a hot, summer afternoon!

August

 

A stormy August sunset, a sweet and cuddly Rosie, and our favorite chocolate chip cookies! That about sums up August so far. We are at that point in the summer when I'm ready for school to start back soon. Charlotte is ready, too. Online homeschooling actually begins on September 3rd. I miss having a schedule. Some days I have to ask myself what day it is. I love summer, but August has been very hot and humid, and so has July. I'm slowly getting ready for fall and some cooler weather. I actually like fall, just not what comes after it - winter. What about you? Are you ready for a new season?

This summer has been very different for us without my mom around. Charlotte and I spent a lot of time with her, especially during the summer when school is out. There's definitely an emptiness there. And it's hard to believe it's been five months since she passed. She's very much missed, that is for sure. 

I had another post planned today from a recent day out and about, but I just felt like venting and sharing what's on my mind and how I'm feeling at the moment. Thanks for listening, dear friends. I'm very thankful for all of you!

I have an acupuncture appointment tomorrow, which I am looking forward to, and we have a fun day of shopping and lunch at Charlotte's favorite restaurant - BrickTops planned for later this week. Be back soon!

Baked Ziti Recipe

 

Hi! Happy August! I wanted to share this easy and delicious baked ziti recipe with you. I hope you make it soon. It's perfect alongside a salad or toasted baguette. It makes a lot which is great for leftovers the next day. 

What are you up to this weekend? Charlotte has belt testing for karate tomorrow which is exciting! This time tomorrow she will be a Blue Belt. She's very dedicated and has worked very hard - we are so proud of her!

Have a great weekend!

S'mores Bars Recipe

 

Here's the recipe for S'mores bars I promised to share this week. Okay, I know this is not a great photo, and I only took one as we devoured them as soon as they came out of the oven! These are made with maple syrup, coconut sugar, and coconut oil. They are a healthier version of S'mores bars and they are delicious! You can make your own marshmallow topping or just buy them. I used these as they are free from corn syrup, gelatin, and artificial flavors. I hope you make them! My daughter is begging me to make another batch. They were a big hit! 

Hope you have a great day! It's pouring rain here as we've had so much rain lately and I'm missing the sun!

My Summer Garden

 

Hello! Happy Sunday! I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend. How's the weather where you are? It's warm and very muggy here, with afternoon thunderstorms most days. I love summer, and I'm not bothered by the heat; the humidity is another story. My wildflowers are loving this weather, though. I planted all of these from seed. They are really showing off this year! Flowers bring me a lot of joy. It's also nice to have a cutting garden out my back door. 

I wanted to share a recipe for homemade S'mores bars. However, my laptop is being stubborn and will not download the photo I wanted to share. So, I'll share it a bit later. Have a great week! See you here again soon!

Happy 4th of July!

 

Good morning and Happy 4th of July! I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating. We will grill hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner and make homemade chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches for dessert! Then later this evening we will go watch the local fireworks display.

Have a fun and festive day!

God Bless America!

What I've Been Cooking Lately

 I hope you are staying cool wherever you are. It's 90 degrees where I live today. We are still in the middle of a heat wave, with highs expected to reach around 96 degrees on Wednesday, then cool off a bit on Thursday. Although it does cool off some in the evenings, so we can sit out on the front porch or back deck, as I'm doing now. I love sitting outside and hearing all the sounds of summer. Currently, I hear birds, crickets, and cicadas. Oh, and I see a few fireflies flying around. I love that it's 9pm and there's still some daylight! The AC can't seem to keep up with the high heat, and the house is relatively warm, especially when I turn on the oven.

As you can see, I have done it a few times. I made our favorite meatballs, which are pretty easy, and I don't have to turn on the oven for this one. I tried a new pasta dish from my new cookbook. It's a corn pesto pasta, and it was just okay. The corn made the dish too sweet, and I'm not a fan of anything sweet with my pasta. I probably won't make this dish again, but it wasn't bad. I don't have Valerie Bertinelli's new cookbook yet, but I plan to pick it up soon. I came across one of her recipes from the book here. It's the four-cheese baked ziti, and it was delicious. Everyone loved it, and we had leftovers for dinner the next day - even better. I also whipped up a very easy cheesecake from Smitten Kitchen, which was quite good. I know it's not the best picture, and it's supposed to get very dark on top, but it was nice, light, and silky, and was delicious topped with a drizzle of homemade hot fudge, our favorite; seriously, I could eat this stuff by the spoonful, and I do! Other things pictured here - I still like to have a cup of hot tea most days, even during a heat wave! I picked up some peach iced tea bags, which are perfect for these hot summer days. Peach tea just says summer to me. It was not homemade by me, but a delicious loaf of cinnamon raisin bread from the farmer's market. So, how are you staying cool these days? Are you doing any cooking/baking/grilling? If so, what are you making? I'd love to know. 

Charlotte and I have a girls' day planned for tomorrow—pedicures, lunch, and some shopping. It'll be really fun, and we are looking forward to it. I hope you have a great week!