My Darling Days

Recap: Fourth of July Weekend

The Fourth of July -- besides being a wonderful holiday where we celebrate America's Independence, it's the perfect mid-summer break to enjoy with family & friends. For most, it means no schedules to adhere to, no work to attend, & the perfect excuse to eat & drink until your heart is content.

Our Fourth of July weekend was exactly that.

Thursday we went "up north" as we say, to Crivitz area, & enjoyed a couple lazy days with Zac's family at their cabin. This meant big, homemade breakfasts (think: blueberry pancakes! french toast! bacon! sausage!) & suppers (think: side pork! beef roast! brats! porketta roast!), trips to the lake nearby to float & fish, volleyball games, & campfires.

*I apologize in advance for the quality of the below photos; they were all taken with my cell phone.

Friday mid-morning, we hiked Thunder Mountain for the first time... my husband had the idea & we had no idea what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised. There are grass cut trails & it's a really easy hike through the fields & forest that offers beautiful views.

*shout-out to TrueNorthCollection -- their handbands are amazing!

It would be a great place to picnic as well -- there are 3 look out points with scenic views & picnic tables to enjoy a packed lunch (watch out for ticks though)!

Saturday we came back home & attended a "tiki hut" party by Zac's Aunt & Uncle. Their property is basically like a resort. They have a big, beautiful home on a hill & down below they built a tiki hut that sits at the foot of their sand volleyball court, which hugs their pond. Basically, why would you ever leave? We lounged pond-side & ate Belgian Trippe until our bellies were content, and then headed to Green Bay to watch the downtown fireworks.

Sunday was a lazy day -- we slept in, went to breakfast, did some housework, then kayaked the afternoon away at Krohns Lake & even caught a few fish!

It was lovely weekend indeed, and now we're back to reality.
Friday... where are you??!

DIY: Freezer organization

This may be the simplest DIY that I ever post, but it's one of those things that when it's done you think, why didn't I do this sooner? So I thought I'd share.

Let's talk freezer organization.

We have a small chest freezer that resides in our basement. It's the perfect size for the two of us, but I often find that I have to dig & dig & dig to find what I'm looking for. And, I end up buying duplicates of something already in the freezer, because I didn't realize we already had it.

These are the foods that we always have in our downstairs freezer: a variety of meats, fish, shredded cheese, homemade pasta sauce, homemade strawberry jam, & garlic bread.

Since it's cheaper to buy meats in bulk, we generally do, and then put them in portion-sized freezer bags with the help of our FoodSavor -- this is a must have kitchen gadget, in my book.

In an effort to alleviate the pile-up/completely unorganized frozen goods mess in our freezer, we simply purchased 4 inexpensive plastic storage containers.

We then separated our meats by box: Beef, Pork, Venison, Fish/Wild Game (my husband is an avid hunter & fisherman, so yeah -- that explains the venison & wild game). Homemade pasta sauce, homemade strawberry jam, & garlic bread get their own space on the freezer ledge. Chicken & shredded cheeses get their own space in the built-in basket.

Viola!

Such a super easy DIY that is a complete no brainier, but will certainly make our lives easier. I would encourage everyone to take the 10 minutes it takes to organize their freezer. It will save you time, money, & headaches in the future.

Happy Sunday.

Have you seen this article for 10 naturally perfect places in Wisconsin? Sign me for all of them, please!

Adding this DIY terrarium to my list!

You better believe I'm going to be making this double chocolate zucchini bread once our garden goods are ready -- YUM!

Gallery walls are intimating -- see these helpful tips for creating a modern gallery wall.

How adorable are these DIY flags, using up old fabric scraps?! Love.

Girl's Day: Door County

Because my mom is impossible to buy for (when she wants something, she just goes & buys it), we often times opt to spend the day with her versus buying her gifts for special occasions. As was the case for this past Mother's Day. We wrote in her card for Mother's Day to keep Saturday, June 6th open & to wear comfy shoes... that her present was a surprise (she's hates surprises...)

We picked mom up & headed north, to Door County. There's a plethora of things to do in Door County, and we really didn't have an agenda. We first stopped in Sturgeon Bay, at the farmer's market, to sample some Renard's cheeses & peruse the handmade goods from the street vendors. Then we walked through the shops that line Third Avenue, viewing unique clothing, gifts, & art, while taking in the aromas of coffee & candy shops.

We couldn't walk by without sampling some fudge -- the butter-finger was amazing!

Next, we went to Egg Harbor for lunch at The Bistro Bar & Grille & had ginormous club sandwiches the size of our heads. It was a beautiful day in Door County -- not too hot, not too cold, with a little breeze, so we were able to sit outside while we enjoyed our lunch & drinks.

P.S. Their strawberry-lemonade is SO good!

After strolling around Egg Harbor for a bit, we went further north & stopped in Fish Creek for an obligatory photo on the oversized purple adirondack chair at Julie's Park Cafe & Hotel.

*cell phone photo

We got a couple crazy looks when we all hopped up there & busted out my selfie stick, but we just laughed & had a wonderful time!

Our next stop was Ephraim. One of my favorite spots in Ephraim is The Hardy Gallery building. To be honest, I've never actually gone inside, because I can't get past how cool the outside looks. It's fun to photograph & makes a wonderful backdrop, if you're lucky enough to get there without crowds. I love reading all the names & messages that people have painted in the past. We counted at least 4 wedding proposals & I'm sure there are a lot more!

*cell phone photo

We couldn't leave Ephraim without ice cream from Wilson's. None of us were hungry, but like I said, you can't go all the way up to Ephraim without stopping at Wilson's!

We each got 1 scoop, which FYI, is really like 4 scoops, so consider sharing. I had butter pecan, my sister & mom got Mackinac Island Fudge. We sat on the bench across the street that overlooks the bay & watched tourists paddle board & kayak.

To end the day, we stopped at the Wood Orchard Market on our way back down the peninsula, and we were so glad that we did. They have the cutest mix of gifts & local eats & treats for a reasonable price. I definitely recommend stopping there if you're in the area, especially if you have kids. They have some fun outdoor play activities for the kiddos to play with & doodle on while you shop.

It was a wonderful girl's day -- we made memories that I will treasure forever & it was better than any tangible gift that we could have given her. Happy Mother's Day to the best mom & friend... you are so loved!

You can read about our last girl's day here.

Create: DIY Indoor Herb Garden

Browsing the web, I came across this lovely idea for an indoor herb garden. I immediately used it for inspiration & decided we needed an indoor herb garden, stat. I even added 'make an indoor herb garden' to my summer list.

I love the idea of being able to cut fresh herbs for cooking dinner, right from our kitchen table. I also want to try my hand at drying out the herbs, to use for later.

Here's how we made our indoor herb garden...

Supplies

- Various sized soup cans -- we used all the same size

- Seeds -- we planted basil, parsley, & oregano since those are the herbs that we use the most
- Large terra-cotta saucer
- River rock
- Potting soil
- Hammer
- Nail
- Ribbon
- Card stock

To begin, remove the labels from your soup cans & make sure they are washed well.

Then flip the cans over & put several drainage holes in the bottoms of the cans with the hammer & nail.

*make sure your dog is supervising...

Next, fill the cans up about an inch or so with small river rock or pebbles. Honestly, I grabbed some stones from the landscaping around our house & they worked swell!