almost there...

In a few short hours, 

my week of vacation 

officially starts.

(It does start with a work 

related event, which seems 

a little counter-intuitive, but the

 beach is involved and I get

 to take the hubs along, 

so I'm going with it.)

Although the week before

 vacation is always extra crazy,

 this one has been a marathon.

Poor hubs broke his nose on 

Monday night playing basketball,

so we've been seeing plenty of 

doctors and trying to give his

body a chance to rest. 

God is amazing though, 

and things have worked out 

in incredible ways.  My sweetie

will be totally fine, and I've had

amazing peace & strength to

juggle the craziness at home 

with busyness at work.

But, I've got to tell you...

this girl is ready for a vacation.

See you in about a week!  :)

*image

coffee genius

I think this takes the prize 

for the most clever idea 

I've seen all day...a 

nifty little coffee station!

I love that there's a specific 

area designated just for one 

of my favorite substances on 

the planet.  Amazingness.

Want coffee?  Pull out the

whole thing for easy access.

Don't want coffee?  Just

shut the door and it's gone!

Pretty neat-o, right?

And seriously - how cool is the

pot filler built into the cabinet,

so you never have to bring water

over to your coffee maker?

The only problem I see?

I could never fit all my mugs

on those two shelves.  :)

*from here

yes, i am drooling

Ever since I found this recipe for

 Beer Battered Grilled Cheese,

I've been dying to try it...so if you

beat me to it, please let me know 

how it goes!

{You'll need}

6 slices hickory-smoked bacon

4 slices rustic white bread

2 slices provolone cheese

2 slices cheddar cheese

1 egg

3/4 cup pale ale 

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1 tablespoon butter

{Start to finish}

Cook bacon to crispy, drain.

Make 2 sandwiches - each with

1 slice provolone, 1 slice cheddar,

and 3 slices of bacon.

Heat griddle to 375°  

or skillet to medium-high.

In a shallow bowl, beat egg,

beer, flour & chili powder with 

fork until smooth.  Dip each

sandwich into the batter, giving 

it a few seconds on each side

to absorb the batter.

Melt butter and place sandwiches 

on griddle.  Cook 3-4 minutes

 on each side until golden brown.

*from here

a theme...

I was browsing through my recent

pins on pinterest the other night,

and noticed a definite theme...

...lots of black & white!

I'm a sucker for the simplicity 

and elegance that black &

white can bring to an outfit, 

space or photo. 

 

Happy Friday!

Hope you get to enjoy

some beautiful things too.  :)

*1, 2, 3, 

4, 5, 6, 7, 

8, 9, 10, 11,

12, 13, 14, 15

 

 

new strength

Because sometimes 

don't you just need

fresh strength?

Thank goodness for

our generous, kind

Father - the giver

of all good things.

*via

vt adventures

Last week I had client meetings

up in VT, and the hubs came along 

so we could make a fun day of it!

The day couldn't have been

more gorgeous for a drive, and

the windy back roads were a

great way to see all the scenery.

After finishing up the work

 portion of the day, we had 

lunch at a local brewery.  I had 

the best panini of my life - 

bacon, apple, cheddar & mustard 

- all grown & made in VT!

And my handsome goofball

took some awesome self 

portraits.  Why not, right?  :)

 We ended the day at

Quechee Gorge, which was

spectacular.  The wooded trail

down to the water was pretty, 

and we had tons of fun climbing 

around the rocks and playing

in the rushing cold water.

Hurray for summertime

& fun adventures together!

*photo editing

 

joys of summer living

{ Pool time }

The giant city pool behind 

our casa is open, so we're 

constantly hopping in & out.

 

 (I've pretty much given up on

putting our suits away...they just

 hang out on the porch ready

for the next little dip!)

{ Grilling }

Nearly every meal revolves

around the grill these days.

 The other night we even

grilled fish - amazing!

 

 

{Day Trips}

Since the hubs is on summer

vacation, we've been taking 

advantage of his flexible

 schedule to sneak extra 

time together.

 

Last week he came with 

me on two work trips, 

which gave us plenty of 

time for adventures!

 

{ Naps }

I'm usually a terrible napper,

but have recently enjoyed some 

quiet afternoon snoozes with 

my sweetie.  Bliss!

{ Ice cream }

We can walk to a local ice

cream shop, so have been using

that as an excuse to take long

meandering walks around

the neighborhood.

Added bonus: we met a sweet 

couple (and their pup) who 

live a couple streets away!

*image