Weekend Happenings

To start out... Here is a picture of Ty and I on Friday morning.  Just a regular old Friday morning before work, right? Wrong-o! We are standing in the snow... in May... in Arkansas. You can't really tell because we were taking the picture of ourselves, but at least it is documented...

Ok, so you can't tell that it is snowing at all, but here is what our front yard looked like...

Of course the snow really wound up all of my kids and made for a rather long day. At what age do people's behaviors stop being affected by weather? I mean, come on! I love my sweet babies, I really, really do!

After work on Friday, Ty and I headed to Branson for a fun weekend with my Nana, Pa, Jerry and Pam (Jerry is Nana's cousin and Pam is his wife - they are so sweet!).  Friday night we all had dinner together and visited until bedtime.  Saturday we spent the day shopping and then saw a magic show last night.  This morning we woke up, had breakfast together and then Ty and I headed back home.  It really was the best weekend full of fun, family and relaxation. 

I didn't take many pictures (we were too busy having fun), but I did take a picture of my new sunglasses that I absolutely love.. leather + aviators = best idea ever.  I got these at the Fossil store on sale and I can tell I will live in these all summer...

When we got home today we relaxed some more, grocery shopped and cooked up a fancy Cinco de Mayo feast.  Weekends like this remind me how blessed I am. Blessed to have a family like mine. They really are the most special thing in the world to me.

I was thinking on the drive home today and it hit me that I am living in the days I used to dream about and hope for. I remember thinking in college that I couldn't wait for Ty and I to be married, in our first home and working a "real" job. I still have to pinch myself periodically to make sure I really am teaching in Bentonville (the best district in the state...yep, I'm proud).  I know that's cheesy but I'm just amazed at all of the blessings I've been given.

Who wants to see this Cinco de Mayo feast? If you don't? Too bad, so sad!

Here's to another week... only 3 more to go!

 

Our Screened In Porch

Ty and I moved into our first home last August and we immediately had the idea of screening in our porch.  We already had a covered patio, so screening it in should be easy, right? Well, props to Ty and my Nana and Pa who made this all happen. They also had great helpers along the way including my Dad and some of Ty's friends - thank you all!  We finished the porch in early November so we didn't have much time to enjoy it before it became bitter cold.  Fast forward to now... We've been hard at work cleaning, decorating and getting this gem of a porch ready for spring!  We finally finished all of our tidying and decorating this weekend.

Our screened in porch is one of our favorite aspects of our house by a mile! I never considered us DIYers but my husband is slowly showing me he can do just about anything... :)

Before

This is a picture right before they started building, and this is how the porch looked when we moved in.

No lie... This is how our porch looked all winter. It was too cold to be outside for very long and I wanted to brainstorm the possibilities for decorating...

After

Ty also built this fountain inside of our porch. Go Hubs Go!

We are in love with our new space and have pretty much lived out here since getting everything finished. There's nothing like working on your first house and accomplishing a big project together!

The Perfect Protein Shake

So, this whole working out + eating healthy thing does something to your body. It makes you lose weight.  Well, losing weight wasn't my intention but it happened. In an effort to make sure I consume enough calories, I started adding in a protein shake. I never dreamed it would taste like something straight from heaven.

I searched the internet and combined a couple of recipes and this is what I got:

The Perfect Protein Shake

1 banana
1 cup fat-free milk
1 scoop of Peanut Butter Chocolate Whey Protein Powder (from Walmart)

1/2 TBS. peanut butter (I like the Smart Balance kind)

4 ice cubes

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix for 30 seconds.  Pour into a glass and enjoy! 

This amount filled my mason jar up perfectly to the top!

This shake tastes almost exactly like the Peanut Paradise smoothie from Tropical Smoothie. If I was blind-folded, there is no way I would be able to tell the difference.