Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

This week… not so good. Everything always seems to hit the fan at the same time.
Brighter note: I secured a babysitter for Sunday so we can go see Hamilton!!!
I know it’s only September, but I’m already feeling the reading challenge crunch. Still my reading has been crazy lately!
Birthday party planning is entering into the final phases. I have a growing pile of supplies that have been delivered. I have a food list created. Working on finalizing our activities and waiting for RSVPs.
Starting to make October’s spooky reading list. I love Halloween time so much!
Bought a sparkly pumpkin sign for outdoors and Q has to say hello to it every time we come home.
Found some great clothing pieces at the Goodwill this week. Can’t wait to wear my new fall clothes.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Grilled Cheese Adventures: July and August

Part of my 2019 goals is make a different Grilled Cheese recipe each week. I find grilled cheese to be so comforting, but just cheddar or Colby gets boring after awhile. So, I checked a few books out from the library and make a Pinterest Board with lots of options. Here’s what we ate:

Week 27: Chrissy Teigen’s Brie and Peach Grilled Cheese

Back on track… This one was nice (loved the peaches!), but I think I put on too much brie. Next time, I will go a bit easier on that or choose a slightly different cheese.

Week 28: Nacho Grilled Cheese

Decent, but we needed to add some hot sauce after cooking to really make it good!

Week 29: Three Cheese Pesto and Avocado

Kinda lackluster. This definitely needed something to kick it up a bit.

Week 30: Pesto, Artichoke, and Havarti

I used dill havarti and feel like it made a world of difference. Pretty good.

Week 31: Pizza Grilled Cheese

I left off the extra layer on top. Even without this one was good.

Week 32: Kale and Sweet Potato with Dill Havarti

This was different and yet really good.

Weel 33: Spinach and Feta

The addition of red pepper flakes really made this sandwich.

Week 34: Pulled pork and cheddar with green onions

Great way to use up some of the leftover pulled pork .

September 2019 Life Goals

Let’s check in on August's goals and my progress.

Have a successful first week of school for Arthur! - Success! We’re still all adjusting, but things are going well.
Create a schedule for Quentin - I’m going to call it a success… We have some activities lined up and are figuring out our other days.
Restart our Romp n Roll membership - Success! Q adjusted well to going back to classes. We even added in a few Parent’s Morning Outs.
Read 15 books - Success! I ended up reading 22 books this month.
Finish Lucifer S4 - Success! Finally caught up.

September’s Goals:

Read 15 books - Knocking some more out this month.
Visit Vala’s - We bought season passes this year and I am going to take advantage.
Create a rotation of activities/places - I need to stay organized better.
Plan/prep for the birthday party - We’re thinking the second weekend in October for the actual party so I need to get moving.
Clean out the kitchen boxes - Seriously they need to go!

Next up on the TBR list:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Spent 30 minutes yesterday making a giant to-do list. All the swirling task in my head are on paper. I feel better.
I want to bake all the things! Unfortunately I’m sick and have no energy…
Spending two days resting at home (in between home and childcare tasks of course) has allowed me to catch up on some television.
I love smooth writing plans.
This year’s birthday party theme is fun on paper, harder to translate to real things. Really need to work on the activities…
I can’t wait to dive into my September TBR stack this weekend. I think I have some real winners in there…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List Update #3

Arthur’s officially in school, but we still have summer weather to enjoy. 10/25 completed.

Read 50 books - 40books read so far. I’ll complete this goal, no problem.
Have an appetizer night ✓
Tie Dye Shirts
Weekend trip to the Cosmosphere
Try 3 ice cream places 3/3 ✓
- Coneflower - Oh so yum! I got Rhubarb Crisp, Arthur and Quentin got Dark Chocolate, Alex got Mint Choc Chip, and J got Coffee, Mint Choc Chip, and White Choc and Basil. I think the winner was Coffee.
- Ted and Wally’s - A favorite in Old Market! I got Almond Joy, Arthur and Alex got vanilla, Quentin got chocolate, and J got Guiness and Fudge Brownie German Chocolate.
- eCreamery - I tried the green apple sorbet and the raspberry and strawberry sorbet. So yummy! J had the lime sorbet, also very good, and the kids had the chocolate ice cream.
Go on 5 picnics 3/5
- One at the splash pad before school started
- One at another splash pad
- One at Chalco Hills Regional park
Visit an outdoor cinema
Make s’mores
Go to 3 movies 2/3
- Lego Movie 2 - I took the littles to the weekday $1 showing of the second Lego Movie. Love the cheap movies!
- The Grinch - Another cheap weekday movie!
Make sangria
Find and complete a new puzzle ✓
Visit 2 other library branches
- Swanson Branch - For book sale and library browsing
Complete the summer reading program ✓
Visit Mahoney State Park
Check out Pirate Putt and Medieval Putt ✓
Visit 5 Nebraska Passport spots (1/5)
- It’s All About Bees - A cute little bee themed store in Omaha. I picked up some honey for our house and for a care package.
Try a new food truck ✓ - The Durham Museum had food trucks for their Back-to-School Party. I had yummy pork tacos from The Churro Truck.
Go on a brewery tour/tasting
Run through the sprinklers/splash pad ✓
Ride a Ferris Wheel
Go to a concert (indoor or outdoor)
Go tanking
Try 2 new-to-me restaurants 2/2 ✓
- Barchen - J and I had a date night at this German beer hall and restaurant. Food wasn’t amazing, but beer was good.
- Yum Roll - We had dinner at the fancy food court and I tried the Korean BBQ bowl. Decent, but I think the taco place next door is better.
Visit Hollywood Candy in Old Market ✓
Complete a series ✓

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Arthur’s first week of Kindergarten is going well, but may goodness the schedule change is drastic.
So close to finishing S4 of Lucifer. If only I could find an hour here or there.
Need to go to the library and pick up holds again. My never-ending task.
I should make a cake this week. Got a recipe for a lemon pistachio cake that looks pretty amazing.
The lawn is getting a bit wild.
I should make a Q and I bucket list for this fall while Arthur is in school.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List Update #2

It’s hot, the twins are here, and we’re right in the middle of our summer! Let’s get to our summer bucket list:

Read 50 books - 25 books read so far
Have an appetizer night ✓
Tie Dye Shirts
Weekend trip to the Cosmosphere
Try 3 ice cream places 2/3
- Coneflower - Oh so yum! I got Rhubarb Crisp, Arthur and Quentin got Dark Chocolate, Alex got Mint Choc Chip, and J got Coffee, Mint Choc Chip, and White Choc and Basil. I think the winner was Coffee.
- Ted and Wally’s - A favorite in Old Market! I got Almond Joy, Arthur and Alex got vanilla, Quentin got chocolate, and J got Guiness and Fudge Brownie German Chocolate.
Go on 5 picnics
Visit an outdoor cinema
Make s’mores
Go to 3 movies 1/3
- Lego Movie 2 - I took the littles to the weekday $1 showing of the second Lego Movie. Love the cheap movies!
Make sangria
Find and complete a new puzzle
Visit 2 other library branches
Complete the summer reading program ✓
Visit Mahoney State Park
Check out Pirate Putt and Medieval Putt ✓
Visit 5 Nebraska Passport spots
- It’s All About Bees - A cute little bee themed story in Omaha. I picked up some honey for our house and for a care package.
Try a new food truck
Go on a brewery tour/tasting
Run through the sprinklers/splash pad ✓
Ride a Ferris Wheel
Go to a concert (indoor or outdoor)
Go tanking
Try 2 new-to-me restaurants 2/2 ✓
- Barchen - J and I had a date night at this German beer hall and restaurant. Food wasn’t amazing, but beer was good.
- Yum Roll - We had dinner at the fancy food court and I tried the Korean BBQ bowl. Decent, but I think the taco place next door is better.
Visit Hollywood Candy in Old Market ✓
Complete a series

Next up on the TBR pile:

August 2019 Life Goals

Let’s check in on July's goals and my progress.

End of Summer Plans - Success!
Schedule a Kansas Trip - Fail… we just didn’t get around to it at all.
Stop adding books to my library holds! - Success! My holds list for the library is now down to 18 books. This is a great number as it was 34. Hoping to continue this trend.

August’s Goals:

Have a successful first week of school for Arthur! - He starts Kindergarten on August 12th!
Create a schedule for Quentin - With Arthur at school, we need to figure out a weekly schedule for Q and I.
Restart our Romp n Roll membership - As part of our new schedule, Q and I are going to restart our RnR classes.
Read 15 books - I’ve been reading somewhere between 15 and 20 books a month. Aiming for a slightly less number as this month will be busy.
Finish Lucifer S4 - I have eight episodes left in this season to catch up completely.

Next up on the TBR list:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Loving the slightly cooler temperatures this week.
My reading momentum is huge right now!
I finally got a new Stampin’ Up! order and I’m hoping to dive in today.
Takeout Thai food last night was the best choice.
I need to reassess my wardrobe for fall.
Arthur can’t wait for school to start. I feel the same! He needs time away from me and his brother.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #12

Reading: Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Watching: Finally starting binging Lucifer and I love it! I’m already up to the midpoint of S3!

Listening: Along with NPR UpFirst, I’ve been listening every weekday morning to The Indicator.

Making: So many lists. Story of my life.

Feeling: We’re driving home today and I have really been missing home.

Planning: Working on planning dinners for the next two weeks or so.

Loving: Last night we got peanut butter cup mixers from Culver’s and it was oh so good.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Ugh, The Bachelorette! Luke P is so manipulative. I don’t even want to see him come back next week. And I’m so afraid that Hannah is going to be pick Jed. Argh!
Not looking forward the to the next couple of days. Temps are going to be in the high 90s and low 100s. I’m so hot all the time.
On a happier note, I’m taking the littles to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum today. I haven’t been in over 10 years. Super excited!
My to-do list needs to be revamped. Working on that today and tomorrow.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Summer Bucket List Update #1

It’s hot, the twins are here, and we’re right in the middle of our summer! Let’s get to our summer bucket list:

Read 50 books - 14 books read so far
Have an appetizer night ✓ - Instead of grilling out for the Fourth of July, we did an appetizer night! Crab rangoon, shrimp cocktail, pumpernickel pretzel pouches, jalapeno poppers, garlic zucchini, watermelon, blueberry lemon upside down cake, Reese’s PB cup cheesecake bites, and hushpuppies.
Tie Dye Shirts
Weekend trip to the Cosmosphere
Try 3 ice cream places 2/3
- Coneflower - Oh so yum! I got Rhubarb Crisp, Arthur and Quentin got Dark Chocolate, Alex got Mint Choc Chip, and J got Coffee, Mint Choc Chip, and White Choc and Basil. I think the winner was Coffee.
- Ted and Wally’s - A favorite in Old Market! I got Almond Joy, Arthur and Alex got vanilla, Quentin got chocolate, and J got Guiness and Fudge Brownie German Chocolate.
Go on 5 picnics
Visit an outdoor cinema
Make s’mores
Go to 3 movies 1/3
- Lego Movie 2 - I took the littles to the weekday $1 showing of the second Lego Movie. Love the cheap movies!
Make sangria
Find and complete a new puzzle
Visit 2 other library branches
Complete the summer reading program ✓ - Alex, Arthur, and I all earned rewards for completing 10 hours of reading.
Visit Mahoney State Park
Check out Pirate Putt and Medieval Putt ✓
- Pirate Putt - Loved this one.
- Medieval Putt - This one has some great hole designs.
Visit 5 Nebraska Passport spots
Try a new food truck
Go on a brewery tour/tasting
Run through the sprinklers/splash pad ✓ - We bought a sprinkler for the backyard. The boys love it!
Ride a Ferris Wheel
Go to a concert (indoor or outdoor)
Go tanking
Try 2 new-to-me restaurants 2/2 ✓
- Barchen - J and I had a date night at this German beer hall and restaurant. Food wasn’t amazing, but beer was good.
- Yum Roll - We had dinner at the fancy food court and I tried the Korean BBQ bowl. Decent, but I think the taco place next door is better.
Visit Hollywood Candy in Old Market ✓ - Lots of fun stopping in after lunch in Old Market one day. I loved all the crazy items thrown into the store. The boys got a basket of candy to last for the rest of the summer.
Complete a series

Next up on the TBR pile:

Currently #11

Reading: The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones on the recommendation of Reading Glasses podcast. Loving it so far.

Watching: Finally finished S5 and moving into S6 of The 100!

Listening: Slowly making my way through the bonus episodes of Unobscured S1 podcast. The bonuses are the uncut interviews with the various historians. Right up my alley!

Making: Cleaning out some of the leftover card kits to have some non-birthday cards for my stash.

Feeling: Surprisingly calm right now. There are tons of spinning plates in the air right now, but I’m actually pretty calm.

Planning: We’re leaving again next week for a short Indiana trip. Getting everything organized.

Loving: We’ve been hitting the 1/2 Happy Hour at Sonic a few times this summer so I can get my Cherry Limeade fix.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

Anxiety is high once again… I hate waiting on other people to do things so I can move forward on my tasks.
Making my playlist for when J is in Romania for work. Piling on all the romcoms and period pieces.
Need to buy more beef bulgogi bowls from Costco. They are surprisingly tasty with some added Siracha.
My July TBR is ridiculously large. No way I’m going to get all those, but I have high hopes for what I am going to read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Grilled Cheese Adventures: May and June

Part of my 2019 goals is make a different Grilled Cheese recipe each week. I find grilled cheese to be so comforting, but just cheddar or Colby gets boring after awhile. So, I checked a few books out from the library and make a Pinterest Board with lots of options. Here’s what we ate:

Week 19: Gouda, spinach, and mushrooms.

Needed more flavor! Next time, I think I’ll switch up the type of mushrooms I use.

Week 20: Mango chutney and white cheddar on hearty Italian.

Pretty good! The chutney wasn’t quite as spicy as I would have liked, but I enjoyed the taste combination.

Week 21: Honey Banana with Mascarpone

We had this for our breakfast with a side of fried eggs. Arthur approved!

Week 22: Trainwreck Grilled Cheese

Maple whiskey glazed bacon with gouda and caramelized onions. I burned most of my onions and the bacon didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to. We’re going to try to this one again soon with different bacon.

Not Pictured - Completely forgot to take a picture before eating. Our house was crazy that night…

Week 23: Havarti Chipotle and Gouda Grilled Cheese

This wasn’t very good and not a taste combination that I really enjoyed.

Not pictured - Really just forgot to take a pic.

Week 24: Dijon Chicken and Gouda with a Spinach Salad featuring Pepperoncinis

The spinach salad may have been just a bit too much. If I make this again, we’ll scale back the salad portion and just put some regular pepperoncinis on it.

Week 25: Honey Peach White Cheddar with Bacon

Decent enough, but not wowing us over here.

Week 26: Bacon Blackberry Jalapeno Swiss

Our jalapenos were a bit too rare and not spicy, so next time we’ll work on that. The rest of the sandwich was really good and we’ll definitely make this again.

July 2019 Life Goals

Let’s check in on June's goals and my progress.

Finish summer plans - Fail. We’re still trying to figure out the end of summer and getting the twins back to Indiana.
Finish Road trip plans - Success! It was so much fun!
Have fun on the road trip!
Pick at least one activity with the twins and littles each week - Success! So far we’ve been doing at least one big activity a week.
Have three date days/nights with J - Fail, but so close! We went out to a concert at the beginning of the month and had a nice dinner and drinks on Friday night. Two dates is better than nothing…

July’s Goals: Another month of taking it easy and enjoying the summer.

End of Summer Plans - The twins will be going back soon, but we don’t have a specific date yet. Need to figure all this out. Complicating matters is the fact that J will be in Romania half this month.
Schedule a Kansas Trip - We want to go to the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson to see the Apollo 11 exhibit.
Stop adding books to my library holds! - Seriously, it’s gotten out of control and I need to read the books that I own.

Next up on the TBR list:

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

We need to work in an ice cream parlor visit, but our days are a bit crazy right now.
I have a backlog of magazines to read this month.
My mint plant is flourishing and I’m so excited.
Thinking I need to try a new dinner recipe soon.
Maybe set up a playdate for Arthur?
Oh Hannah B! When are you going to admit that Luke is just a trash baby?

Next up on the TBR pile:

NE-SD Road Trip Day #5

A few weeks ago, I had an idea to go one a two day road trip out to west Nebraska and back using the Nebraska Passport program as a guidebook. J chimed in questioning how much farther it would be to visit Mount Rushmore. Umm… like another 5 hours driving. This conversation continued and evolved into a 5 day, 4 night road trip through Nebraska, up to the Mount Rushmore area, back through South Dakota, and down hone. After deciding on a big plan, I got to work finding lots of optional activities and sites to see. I’m huge into weird roadside attractions and offbeat sites and made sure to include a ton in my planning. We just got back from our trip this weekend and now it’s time to document our trip. I plan on doing a mini scrapbook album with pictures and ephemera, but first I’m going to document our travels here.

Day #5: Sioux Falls, SD to Home

Stop #1: Des Plaines Zoo, Sioux Falls, SD - With our Omaha Zoo membership, we got 50% off admission here. It’s a nice little zoo although J and both remarked on the lack of planning when it came to walking paths. Lots of dead ends and views behind the scenes. We probably would have stayed longer but it was ridiculously hot so we moved on.

Stop #2: Falls Park, Sioux Falls, SD - We passed through SF on our way to California 7 years ago, but didn’t stop at the falls. Very impressive sight! Even with the flood damage evident. We made sure to get a pic of Arthur right at the edge of the water.

Stop #3: Bank robbed by the Dillinger Gang, Sioux Falls, SD - I popped out of the van to check out this historical marker. Fascinating story!

Stop #4: Lunch at Cherry Creek Grill, Sioux Falls, SD - No pictures. Not amazing, but decent bar food.

Stop #5: Ice Cream at Stensland Family Farms, Sioux Falls, SD - J immediately spied this option on the itinerary and made sure we stopped. Such incredibly good ice cream!!! We each got something interesting and delicious: Tobe - Lemon Poppyseed Scoop, J - Wake Up Call (coffee) Scoop and Key Lime Scoop, Arthur and Quentin - How Now Brown Cow (chocolate), Nick - Salted Caramel Pecan, Alex - Udder Me Mint Chip.

Stop #6: Marker at the corner of Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota - Had to check out this random marker and stand in three states at once!

Stop #7: Sergeant Floyd River Museum, Sioux City, IA - This dry-docked boat has become a welcome center and museum to boating along the Missouri River and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The real Sergeant Floyd was the only member of that expedition to die during the years exploring the west. Great little museum!

Stop #8: Mural of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Tekamah, NE - Once last random roadside attraction on our trip.

And we made it back home! Such a great road trip! I wonder what we will do next summer?

Summer Bucket List 2019

It’s hot, the twins are here, and we’re right in the middle of our summer! Let’s get to our summer bucket list:

Read 50 books
Have an appetizer night
Tie Dye Shirts
Weekend trip to the Cosmosphere
Try 3 ice cream places
Go on 5 picnics
Visit an outdoor cinema
Make s’mores
Go to 3 movies
Make sangria
Find and complete a new puzzle
Visit 2 other library branches
Complete the summer reading program
Visit Mahoney State Park
Check out Pirate Putt and Medieval Putt
Visit 5 Nebraska Passport spots
Try a new food truck
Go on a brewery tour/tasting
Run through the sprinklers/splash pad
Ride a Ferris Wheel
Go to a concert (indoor or outdoor)
Go tanking
Try 2 new-to-me restaurants
Visit Hollywood Candy in Old Market
Complete a series

Next up on the TBR pile:

Spring Bucket List Update Finish Line

Spring is done and we’re on to summer. I ended up completing 13/25 activities. A very respectable number this past season.

Read 50 books ✓
Eat at 3 new-to-me restaurants ✓
- Zios - Good family pizza
- Brasa (Minneapolis) - Loved this restaurant! I got the pulled chicken and gravy with a side of rice and beans and collard greens.
- Sushi Train (Minneapolis) - Super fun sushi place with good rolls.
Attend two theater performances
- Dragons Love Tacos @ The Rose
Make fun cupcakes
Create an Easter Egg Hunt ✓
Make a planter for the front porch ✓
Find two good parks
Host a cookout
Have fun at OnStage! ✓
Tie Dye Shirts with the boys
Check out three new museum/zoos ✓
- SAC Museum in Ashland — We do enjoy our Air and Space museums!
- Joslyn Art Museum — We went for storytime, but did check out the galleries while there.
- Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines — Fun zoo on our way to Indiana!
Check out The Makery
Create a spring Spotify playlist
Buy a sprinkler for the yard
Smoothie month
Mini golf family night ✓ - We visited Prehistoric Putt and had a great time! Next time we’ll have to check out Pirate Putt in Council Bluffs.
Make a rain gauge ✓
Buy and fly a kite
Go berry picking ✓ - The little boys and I went strawberry picking at the beginning of June. We had a great time and picked over 3 pounds of berries.
Sign Arthur up for summer camps ✓
Find a Farmer’s Market
Make a trip to Peacetree for root beer and beer ✓ - The boys and I stopped at the new Des Moines store on the way back from Indiana.
Go on a hike ✓ - We’ve gone on a few short hikes this past month.
Visit Old Market ✓
Redo my hair

Next up on the TBR pile: