#gardenlife: an update.

It’s been just over 1 month since we planted our garden, and good news!  We didn’t fail, (yet)!  In fact, I can’t believe how much it grew in such a short time.  See my first garden post, here.

Most of our plants are flourishing & it’s so fun to watch their progress. We did have to replant our cucumbers & zucchini because OUR DOG ATE the original plants, but we’re back in business.  In fact, we picked our first zucchini yesterday & I promptly made this zucchini bread… it’s delicious – I’ll share more on that later this week.

Take a look, at how our garden grows:

This gardening thing really is fun… Zac & I care for the garden together (though admittedly, him more than me), and I love seeing our work pay off.   It’s also SO nice to be able to go the backyard & pick an onion, or cut some lettuce for supper.

Happy gardening, friends!

Impromptu backyard picnic

The older I get, the more I realize that sometimes the best times in life aren't planned.  This is something that I need to remind myself of more often, since I am a major planner...

I have a tendency to over-analyze, over-prepare, & want every last detail to be picture perfect.
But you know what?
Forget expectations.
Just enjoy.  Enjoy the moment.  Enjoy your company.  And cherish the memories.

All that to say that I unexpectedly got to pick my favorite kiddos (my niece & nephew) up from daycare the other day & decided that we needed to take supper outside because it was way too nice to stay indoors.

Enjoy, scenes from our totally spontaneous, unplanned, backyard picnic:

Sippy-cup cheers!  To backyard picnics!

The menu was frozen pizza & fruit, upon request.

Tunes to set the mood....

"Look!  Trattor, Trattor!!

Hershey's for dessert.

This Fujifilm instax mini camera is SO fun -- Elena loves it.

I highly encourage everyone to have an unplanned backyard picnic at least once this summer.

It takes hardly any work & makes a regular weeknight feel a little extra special.

Current Happenings.

Post idea inspired by Emily's 'Five Things' posts, at Cupcakes & Cashmere.

(a great way to stay active behind the camera, to document the little things)

Homemade banana bread -- my momma's recipe.

Though I HATE spiders, their webs are awfully pretty after freshly fallen rain.

Fratelli Saraceni sparkling wine purchased from our trip in Italy & gifted to our loved ones.
P.S. I entered this photo in a contest & I'd be forever grateful if you took the time to vote for it HERE,  thank you!!   #SomethingBlumond

Freshly picked peonies

A fun maternity photoshoot I did -- the couple is expecting twins!!

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.