Thursday, April 29, 2021

Monthly Musings: Spring Cleaning Edition (April 2021)

 



Hi Friends and thanks for stopping by! Hope you will join Patty and me as we talk all things Spring Cleaning...we are going to answer the questions below...

 

Disclaimer: I am not a Spring Cleaning type person but I am so looking forward to getting tips and advice from all of you!


 1. Am I doing a spring cleaning this year?  

 

See disclaimer above.  We actually have a Cleaning Lady and she and her team come twice/month...it is a luxury that we have built into our budget as we both work full time and just can't clean things as deeply as we would like!  So I may pay her a little extra and have her do a deep clean but we shall see

 

2. Favorite Cleaning Products?

Clorox Wipes- no joke- have been using them for years

Love Windex for mirrors and windows and

409 or Lysol for my bathrooms and kitchen! 

 

3. Must Clean Every Spring?

The Windows and then when I get to open them and let the fresh air in....I feel like it is truly Spring!

 

4. Any garage/shed cleaning tips?

I am going to look to YOU ALL for advice in this department- our garage needs it BIG TIME

 

5. Pack Rat or Marie Kondo?

Pack Rat all the way unfortunately...I get sentimentally attached to so many things...sigh...

 

6. Best Cleaning Hack?

Clorox Wipes- yet again

They clean and disinfect EVERY surface...appliance...area of your home

 

7. Do I have help house cleaning?

See #1 Above

 

8. Favorite Cleaning Appliance?

Our Wet Vac/Mop...vacuums up and mops all in one...genius...especially with a dog!

 

9. Run the dishwasher every night or only when full?

Every night

 

10. Favorite way to donate or purge un-needed items? 

 

Good Will- we make several trips a year- very liberating- love helping others AND it is a tax write off

 

CANNOT WAIT to read all of your tips, tricks and advice!  

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

What's Up Wednesday- April 2021

 




Hi Friends!  WOW!  It is the end of April already...how did this happen?  Well if you  know me, you know I am not complaining....bring on the sun...the spring...the outdoor time....who is with me?

 

Linking up with Sheaffer and Shay HERE and sharing What's Up With Us!

 

 

What We're Eating This Week

 

This is one of those weeks of "making do." It is school vacation week here in NH so we are keeping things simple and heading out of town towards the end of the week so the kitchen is essentially closed this week!  Here is what the week is looking like:

 

Monday- Leftovers (Chicken Broccoli and Ziti for Kids and Wings for M&D)

 

Tuesday- Kids at Mimi and Papa's for first sleepover since before COVID!  M&D heading out on a date night- woohoo!

 

Wednesday- Gluten Free Chicken, Broccoli and Ziti- Kayla and Marshall are coming to stay while we are away- they will be watching Remi and housesitting :) (using my recipe and substituting gluten free pasta in)

You can find the traditional recipe HERE

 


Thursday and Friday- Dinner Out as we are on VACATION- SOOOOO NEEDED!



What I'm Reminiscing About


Past April Vacations and how much fun they have been...Florida...Niagara Falls....Pennsvlvania Dutch Country...Road Trips chalk full of fun memories...and looking forward to finally getting away again to make more memories with our girls!






What I'm Loving


Longer Days....Praise God....give me all of the SUN!




What We've Been Up To



Rob and I both got fully vaccinated!



We got to fully enjoy Holy Week and Easter with our families- so grateful to be able to celebrate together again!





I have been really enjoying working out at the gym but getting outside to walk with friends and my hubby still remains a fave!







Speaking of the gym...it finally moved to the new facility and it is overwhelming!




We have been seizing the moment any day that turns out to be super warm and sunny and enjoyed dinner outside on a balmy 70 degree evening a few weeks ago!


We enjoyed seeing Rob's new band outside too!





Remi continues to be our little baby that we shower with attention and love....he started school...thank God!  We can't wait to walk him with him not pulling and choking himself!  Sigh....





Eva started softball and is OBSESSED- she can't get enough!



We celebrated Lea's 50th Birthday in Portsmouth!



and we celebrated Sweet Eva with her friends...



 

and then her family! (and JFK) ;)




What I'm Dreading


Not really anything...just trying to balance it all right now and as things get busier, I get stressed but trying to keep things in prospective




What I'm Working On


Balance- Health- Family-Work

 


 

What I'm Excited About

 

Being in the sun on a beach tomorrow- can't come fast enough! 

 


 

What I'm Watching/Reading

 

Good Girls, A Million Little Things, Greys Anatomy, This Is Us and Big Sky....oh and I am also binging Real Housewives of NYC- finally gave in...yup...on Season 3 now! 

 


My two books for April were a Self-Help Book on avoiding toxic relationships and then "Hello Summer"by Mary Kay Andrews...really enjoying this one and will finish it on vacation!  Perfect Beach Read!

 


What I'm Listening To

 

I made a play list for Lea's birthday chalk full of the dance tunes that she loves and I have been enjoying listening to it

 


 

What I'm Wearing

 

 Lots of workout gear.....biz caz 1-2 times/week....and more fun stuff on the weekends.....can't wait to bring out the Lilly this coming weekend!

 



 

What I'm Doing This Weekend

 

Spending as much time outside...in the sun...in the water....dining al fresco with my little fam and the BFF's fam...cannot wait to get away and decompress!

 

 

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month

 

Celebrating some besties's bdays and Memorial Day Weekend...the Start of Summer! 

 

What Else Is New?

 

I am heading back to my office on Tuesday and cannot wait...I drove in yesterday to grab a key as we moved....I got really emotional on my drive down...our business is based on people and relationships and I have missed that human connection so much...I love talking with people and looking them in the eye and collaborating...can't wait to get that back! 

 

 

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Thursday is Monthly Musings!


 

 

Hi Friends!  Thursday is Monthly Musings!  Hope you will join Patty and me as we talk

all things Spring Cleaning!

 

 

Though I am not a big spring cleaning person, I am sooo looking forward to learning all about your tips and tricks.  Hope to see you there!  We will be answering the questions below...

 


 

Monday, April 26, 2021

Eva's 7th Birthday- A Very Presidential Celebration

 

Our little Eva is 7 years old!  She turned 7 on Saturday...how can this be....



Wasn't she just born?





or turning 1?




or 2 in Disney?




or 3 and using her favorite word...Caution? ;)





or 4 making cupcakes with her pals?




or 5?




or 6?  Wanting to be a police officer.....




and now our Eva (a.k.a Pidge) wants to be President of the U.S!

She loves studying about the US Presidents, playing Ro Blox with friends, playing softball, hockey and soccer and doing anything her Big Sis Diana does.....




We celebrated with her friends on Thursday afternoon with bowling, dinner and an awesome Ro Blox cake.  You can read about it HERE 




and on Saturday, we celebrated in a VERY Presidential way!

 

 Even President Kennedy showed up for the shindig!



 

and our amazing Cake Lady Kat, made the most patriotic cake!



It had an edible picture of Mount Rushmore on the top layer.....






and it was just as delicious as it was beautiful-  a rich dark chocolate cake with marshmallow flavored buttercream

 



The accessories I snagged on Amazon were a big hit- especially the mustaches ;)

 


 

Snagged these yummy pretzels and dipping sauces on Goldbelly- made for a unique and fun appetizer....


 

A Charcuterie Board made up of ingredients from Trader Joe's of course!



We kept things simple and had our lunch catered by 33 Hilltop- one of our local faves.  We did a classic sandwich platter, a gluten free wrap platter and Greek Salad.  I whipped up a gluten free pasta salad and fruit salad as well

















 


Happy Birthday Pidge!












That night, once everyone was gone, Rob headed over to Mike's with some guys to sit around the fire and catch up and a few of my gal pals came over to decompress with me....the festivities continued for Pidge of course ;)






Such a wonderful weekend for our little lady- Hail to the Chief!





Linking up for Hello Monday HERE