Hi Friends! It is the start of a brand new month and pretty much my favorite month of the year...so I am off trying to make it a great one!
In the meantime, I am linking up with Jennifer and talking about what is happening here Currently...we are covering the following...Loving, Looking Forward To, Savoring, Celebrating, and Remembering.
Here we go...
Loving
My Summer Walks...especially the ones with my girl XO
Looking Forward To
Floating...on this bad boy...in the pool...
Savoring
These hot summer days....and all of the blooms...
Celebrating
The fact that real estate is trending upwards- more homes sold again- higher sale prices- good news at the macro level for sure!
Remembering
Our trip to Italy last summer and how much it was like a true dream...the tea flavors at Fuel Good this week are giving me a pain in my heart...
When I heard that Zach and Zoe were coming home for a visit, we agreed on a night for dinner and I decided to really dial things up. If you have been following along for awhile then you know cooking for people is a way I show my love so I will often go overboard ;)
I thought there was no better time for an Italian Summer Dinner Party and I made some dishes that I want to remember and share here so I can refer back to these wonderful recipes. I hope you will give them a shot as well!
But first....our VIPs :)
After the hugging attacks, we enjoyed some Market Basket Spinach Pie and Stuffed Grape Leaves while I got everyone a drink. I didn't do anything fancy for drinks but it would be the perfect meal for an Aperol Spritz ;) We stuck with water, seltzers, sodas and wine.
Here is what our Italian Summer Dinner Looked Like
This is a fairly simple recipe and just dials steak up a bit. The sauce consists of tomatoes, olives, capers and onions and peppers- so colorful and delish. I served the sauce on the size in case anyone didn't like it but it tastes even better when the steaks are sitting in this deliciousness
Caprese Salad
Kept this one pretty straight forward- the only tweak I made was to add some little golden tomatoes as well
Next, I whipped up a Mediterranean Orzo. The recipe calls for Shrimp in this yummy dish but I omitted the shrimp since Zoe doesn't eat fish. Rob and I agreed the shrimp would be a nice addition or you could serve this with lamb kabobs OR even by itself- it truly could be a meal in itself and it is SO GOOD
So yes...it was a delicious night BUT the highlight was hearing Zach's stories...we had some real good belly laughs and quality time...I cherish these times more than anything :)
Hi Friends and Happy Monday! Sarah and I are so glad you are here! If you wrote about your weekend fun, grab our graphic above and link back up with us below! C'mon it'll be fun;)
Ok...it is July 1st...my favorite month of the year...let's make it a great month!
I am rewinding to Thursday night so let's get to it....
Thursday
We celebrated Denise's Birthday with a dinner at Copper Door- she has lots to celebrate right now- not only was it a big birthday BUT she started her own business- a staffing company- true inspiration to me!
Rob sent me this pic when I was at dinner- someone was waiting for me to come home and snuggle in bed- he is the CUTEST- ha!
Friday
It was time for mass first thing and a quick coffee with Suzanne :)
At lunchtime, we headed to Eva's camp performance for Ovations Theater Camp. She played the Mouse in Frog and Toad. She did such a great job and had a blast at camp last week :)
After that we headed home and we got some more work done. That night, I headed to my first open house to observe my boss. It was a really cool mixed-use property and I learned so much and had fun!
After that, I met my little fam at Zachary's- Diana was working and was able to catch up with us a bit and we decompressed over dinner
Saturday
Rob and I headed to a wake/funeral first thing for a member of our hockey family.
Then we headed home, enjoyed breakfast with the girls and took Eva to see her hockey pal Aiden as he was testing for his Black Belt in Karate....some of the team showed up to do the same and we all cheered big! These friends are like family- just grateful!
Aiden was awarded his black belt on Saturday Night- yeah!
After that, Eva and I had a special afternoon- just the two of us- so overdue and sooo fun...we took her gift cards that she got for her birthday and enjoyed spending them at Ulta and Nike and then we had lunch at Chipotle...such a blast :)
While we were out, Daddy took Diana to a voice lesson with Carlos- we all missed him- dance had become so consuming that she has not been able to get to a lesson in awhile- BUT she is back- and they celebrated two years together :)
That night, Diana headed out with Alexis, Eva headed down to hang out with Papa and Rob and I headed to Misty's son's graduation party for a little bit
Then we scooted out and enjoyed an impromptu date night
Sunday
It was mass for me first thing then I took Diana to Nutrition Corner for a quick tea and dropped her off at work.
Then it was time to meal plan and blog and watch some more Friday Night Lights
I was admiring these blue hydrangeas from our very own yard!
Later on, Daddy took Eva to a birthday party and I made our first batch of strawberry jam this year. We missed out on strawberry picking due to Driver's Ed, Theater Camp and work but we hope to make it out to blueberry pick this summer at some point!
Pals!
Last night we crashed early! Today and tomorrow I am powering through and getting everything done before I can enjoy my favorite holiday of the year!
