Thursday, July 7, 2016

Friday Favorites!

Seriously, the week after a vacation AND a holiday is rough.  I have spent the whole week unpacking, doing laundry and trying to entertain my children that are still coming down from their vacation high.  I have said, "Stop touching each other" no less than 6,936 times this week.  The only child inside of me is in major need of quiet time.  Enough of the "poor me, I just got home from vacation story" let's get to my Friday Favorites!


Speaking of vacation, if you missed my vacation recap, make sure you check out our adventures from last week on Wednesday's post.  



On Thursday, I linked up with Katie for A Sentence A Day in June





Celebrating our country's birthday was definitely one of my favorite's this week.  We started off our morning by attending the 4th of July parade in the tiny town where my grandparents were raised.  I came to this parade when I was young, and now my kids look forward to it every year.  





This is retired Secret Service Agent, Mike Howard.  He served on President Kennedy and President Johnson's staff.  In fact, he was with JFK in Fort Worth, shortly before he was assassinated in Dallas.  I had the pleasure of meeting him and hearing him speak a few years ago and it was amazing!  I am fascinated with all things JFK, so to hear the stories from someone that knew him and Jackie personally, was awesome.  I could have listened to him all day long!  Here's a little bit of his story.



If you're a Trim Healthy Mama, then you've probably tried (or been intrigued) by Good Girl Moonshine.  Basically, it's a fizzy drink that can help you overcome soda cravings, plus it has ginger and apple cider vinegar in it, which aid in digestion, detoxifies, clarifies, alkalizes your body, and helps with in weight loss.  The original recipe on the Trim Healthy Mama website is a little blah to me.  There are lots of recipes on Pinterest to jazz it up a bit, so I thought I would mix up a concoction of my own.  


 I really liked how it turned out.  It was light and summery!  I filled my jar with ice, then filled it with sparkling water and added a serving of True Lime Watermelon.  I squeezed in just a bit of lime juice, too.  Then I added in about 1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, and a sprinkling of ginger.  


When I went to stock up on my Joseph's Lavash Bread and Pita's this week, I noticed these Tomato Basil Tortillas, and knew I had to try them.  I love Tomato Basil anything...and these are low carb!  


I made a Kale Cesar Salad and added chicken to it for lunch a few times this week, and even ate my burger in it one night this week.  I'm looking forward to trying the other flavors next.  




I'm ending my favorites with one more "vacation-ish" post.  I was so impressed with my kids on this vacation.  They were troopers, even when it was hot, even when it was raining, even when they were exhausted.  

Kendall consistently impresses me with her love for her brother and sister.  She always volunteered to ride the kiddie rides with them and was so helpful.  She was also the perfect ride partner on the "thrilling" rides with me and the zip line.  Unfortunately, Mark's love of country music rubbed off on her, and I was out numbered when it came to music choices on the road trip.


There is nothing this guy won't try.  He loves swimming in the ocean, the lake, the pool...wherever!  Jess is also a fan of roller coasters and water rides.  He can't wait until he is tall enough to ride the "big" rides.  


If there's one thing I learned about Jentry on vacation, it's that it is possible for a two year old to go seven days without a nap!  She was a trooper!  Even though she was NOT a fan of water rides, and most of the time while she was riding rides she looked miserable, she always got off the ride and said, "That was fun.  Let's do it again!"


 That's all I have for you today!  I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Emily

I am linking up:





32 comments:

  1. The post-vacation/post-holiday hangover is no fun. I celebrated the 4th of July by coming down with a cold and a fever and it's still here! I'm about ready to go crazy having a fever in 90 degree weather!
    Your kids are too cute. I'm glad they behaved so well on vacation. XOXO

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    1. Thank you! Being sick in the summer is no fun! I hope you're feeling better!

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  2. This week has gotten me all out of whack, too! Looks like y'all had a great holiday weekend and vacation!
    I have never heard of good girl moonshine, but know I want to try it :)
    and I love the sentence a day! I am going to look into that link up!

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    1. Thank you so much, Heather! I hope you had a great weekend!

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  3. Your drink recipe sounds so refreshing! I am going to have to try that soon. I loved your sentence a day post - so cute. Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!!!

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    1. Thanks, Jessica. The sentence a day was fun! I've already started keeping track for July. Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

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  4. That drink does sound good! Love the post vacation recaps on each of your awesome kids!

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    1. Thanks, Dara! I loved making memories with my kids on vacation & soaking it all in. Hope you had a great weekend!

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  5. Hubs and I are both on vacation next week, so this has been the longest 4-day week of my life! It's felt like a fiver!

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    1. It's funny how the short weeks always seem so long! I hope you have a great vacation. I can't wait to hear about it!

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  6. That drink does sound yum...wonder if it would be good with vodka in it. haha..guess that would defeat the purpose!

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    1. It would defeat the purpose of a healthy drink, but maybe the apple cider vinegar and the vodka would just cancel each other out. ;)

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  7. Those tomato basil tortillas look delish! Looks like you guys had a great holiday weekend!

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    1. Your should definitely try the tortillas. They're yummy! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you had a great weekend.

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  8. Ok the moonshine recipe looks like a definite winner. Sounds like you had a great vacation. As far as JFK, while I live in Maryland, I was born and raised in Massachusetts, JFK's mother Rose attended church at my high school church. When I was about 11 I heard Ted kennedy speak, too young to have an opinion and unfortunate reputation often haunted him. As far as Jackie, I visited her family's summer home of Hammersmith in Newport, Rhode Island...not a small home but compared to the Newport mansions, it was a small cottage. Have a great day!

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    1. Oh wow!! I love this, but I love all things JFK! I would love to get up to that part of the country. It looks beautiful and it's so historic!

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  9. How have I missed your vacay recaps?! I loved the sentence a day post yesterday - definitely a linkup I will have to remember. Don't you just love small town holiday traditions?! They make for the best memories, so glad your kids are enjoying the same events you did as a child!

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    1. I'm such a small town girl, I love the traditions, the community, the people...everything! I'm so blessed to be near family, too! Hope you had a great weekend!

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  10. That drink sounds yummy!! I have to try it!! What a great 4th tradition too! Have a great weekend!!

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    1. Thank you, Katie!! I hope you had a fabulous weekend, too!!! :)

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  11. I've been doing the same thing, unpacking, cleaning and all that for what seems like forever! I hope the weekend brings some fun for both of us =)

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    1. Yes!! We definitely had a few outings this weekend after being in the house so much this week. Hope you had a great weekend!

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  12. Awe your kids are fabulous! Ok time to whip up that wrap!!!

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  13. I have a tomato basil love too. This summer I've been slicing them up, adding mozzarella, and a little basil then broiling in the oven to melt the cheese. It is so good! Being able to go outside and pick my own tomato is so great. I also love JFK and wrote my term paper on him in high school. So cool that you were able to get a first hand account on his life. Happy Sunday!

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    1. Oh my goodness...that tomato, basil, mozzarella concoction sounds amazing!! Have you ever grown your own basil? I've always wanted to do my own herb garden.

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  14. That vacation meme made me lol. Russ is always a party pooper like that though. He never lets me post any details while we are gone. He has no idea how hard that is for me :(. All those beautiful IG photos I am missing out on :P.

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    1. Russ & Mark are seriously so much alike! Mark wouldn't let me post anything on my personal Facebook or Instagram while we were gone either. Thank goodness I now have a blog to post all the details on!

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  15. I so need to make that Good Girl Moonshine! It looks so refreshing and anything that can kick the sugar craving is a plus in my book. hehe

    What a lovely recap. You kids are adorable. I am so glad to hear they enjoyed the rides.

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by & for the sweet words! I like the Good Girl Moonshine, but my mom & daughter didn't, so maybe it's an acquired taste. Definitely give it a try though!

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  16. Your kids are so cute! Found you through Amanda!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by! Don't you just love Amanda! She's so funny!! :)

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