Wisco Trip (Part 1 of 2)

Monday has come and gone and I have no garden update because last week we were in Wisco and a little preoccupied visiting family and friends.

We made the trip in two legs.  On the first day we drove about 10 hours and made it to Lafayette, Indiana where we were blissfully unaware as to what time it actually was.  The clocks in the hotels were on eastern daylight time but I thought we had made it to central time so we had no real idea what time it was that night.  It didn't really matter...  we were on vacation.

Oddly, when we crossed the Wisco  line the next day it got really cold.  Our temperature gauge on the dashboard said it was only 57 degrees.... in the afternoon, no less!!  We had been dealing with highs in the upper 80's and low 90's with very high humidity for so long that it was kind of refreshing though I felt woefully unprepared.  I could have sworn to you that I saw forecasts in the upper 80's for the area before I left (and it was was by the way!).  Anyway, as soon as we got there I scrambled to find some jeans and a sweatshirt at Target to get me through.  I remembered to bring these things for the kids but not for myself... afterall, it was only a precaution.

You can see 57 degrees on the dashboard and no sun.

The sun refused to shine all week in Wisco until Friday but it didn't really matter.  We hit up some indoor water parks at Wisconsin Dells with heated pools and spent the remainder of the time visiting family and friends.

GreenEyes turned 3 on Friday and his aunt and uncle threw him a little party which was a lovely surprise.  GreenEyes started his big day off with a giant waffle, then some birthday cake, then some candy from a pinata thanks to his awesome auntie and uncle.

Ladybug hitting the pinata.

Their cousin M made this cute little happy face pinata.

We then traveled to Cedarburg, Wisconsin for a strawberry festival.  Below is one of my favorite pics.  It epitomized our Wisco trip...  fried cheese curds and a can of Wisconsin beer in the cubby holder.  You can't walk around with open beverages in VA like this, so I took this pic for sake of posterity!

Beach Vacation

Wow, what a wonderful break!  We just got back from the Outer Banks and I admit I've been a little grumpy pants.  After a week of amazing weather, the skies poured down on us on the way home and I was exhausted because the babe decided that she no longer wished to sleep through the night during vacation.  Last night she woke up at 2 AM, 4 AM and 6 AM this morning and I was bone tired.  It's a quick drive (just over 4 hours), but it was tiresome for this sleep deprived momma!  I had to mentally fight the mind numbing. repetitive sound made by the windshield wipers.  I couldn't wait to be home at that point.

Other than sleep, our little vacation was great.  We didn't get so much as a drop of rain (except as mentioned before, on our way home.) The ocean was literally just 10 or so feet from our window and the sounds of the waves lulled me to sleep the quickest in years...  We were so close to the water, it felt like we were on a boat.

 

the view from our window.

The house wasn't level and the cottage was cozy.  It didn't matter.  It was perfect and the best part is that the dog got to go with us.  We spent our days at the beach, making sandcastles, floating in the ocean, and just hanging out.  We laid out a little kiddie pool for the big kids and they were occupied pretty much the entire day....  envision Greeneyes with a freezer pop in one hand and toy in another here.  Good times.

We grilled out every single night except for the night we went out.  IT. WAS. AWESOME.  Grilling meant there were less dishes for me and it wasn't on me to slave by the stove either...  there is something much more appealing about grilling out on a deck with the wind in your hair and the ocean and waves crashing just feet away. 

For our lunches I made a giant batch of pork BBQ before we left and brought a large batch of deli meat for sandwhiches along with some sides.  Between that and the leftovers from dinner we were pretty much covered for the week.  Easy, peasy, good.

This was our nightly menu plan:

Sunday - homemade pizza (I brought homemade whole wheat thin crust pizza dough and fixins, took minutes and beats delivery!)

Monday - shrimp, potato, squash, and grilled peaches for desert

Tuesday - steak, potato, fresh veggies

Wednesday - went out

Thursday - split chicken breast, veggies, bbq beans, ice cream

Friday - lean turkey burgers, potato, grilled squash

Saturday - grilled brats and hotdogs, chips (it was our last day) and smores

What a yummy week!  Honestly, the night we went out for seafood I thought we did a better job preparing our seafood than they did...  I guess I'm picky.  Next time I think I'll pass on the fancy restaurant and make our own again.

the babe did sleep through the night the first night and I woke at 5AM.... hence these pics.

our sandcastle

We did do some other excursions, including flying kites on the dunes, visitng the Roanoke History Museum, visiting downtown Manteo and the pier...

but the best part was definitely the beach!

Monday Garden Update and Weekend In Review

First the Garden Update:

I haven't done much at all in the garden this week.  I was supposed to put the broccoli underneath the house in jiffy pots, plant the peas, weed the strawberries... but none of that has happened.   I was busy last week with my neice and nephews coming in to town.  The fun must have compromised my immune system because I came down with a nasty chest cold coupled with flu-like stomach issues a few days ago.  It has been a cripling combination. 

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My lovely niece modeling with some onions and a carrot

The garden work has really piled up in my absence.  The weeds seem to have taken over.  I had Nick pick out the onions and yet another giant batch of green beans today because I haven't seemed to have the energy to do it myself.  (I feel like a 90 year old lady saying that.)  The carrots are just about ready (see pic above) but my hope is that they will hold a bit longer and I'll get to harvesting them the following week.

Onions in the process of being cured

We've had enough tomatoes and basil and onion to make a giant vat of homegrown Roasted Tomato Basil Soup.  This has come in very handy with the recent round of illnesses.

Onto the Week in Review:

I had a tremondous time enjoying some one-on-one time with my niece and nephew.  I don't get this kind of quality time with them that much, so it was really important to me they spend a long weekend with us in the country.

While they were here, we played pirate ship on the hammock...

toured the grounds at UVA....

ate lots of pizza...

toured James Madison's Home....

ran a muck on the grounds and took scenic photos...

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We fed the horses.

and enjoyed the scenery.

We also played a lot of Uno and 5 card draw poker into the wee hours of the evening!

Monday Garden Update! and Weekend in Review!

There wasn't much going in the garden this week, mainly because we were a little busy preparing for an extra special GreenEyes celebration weekend.  He turned two last week!

G-ma came down to celebrate on Friday.  Then Saturday, we had a few good friends over for some debauchery...  a.k.a. some slip n' slidin' and barbequein'.  I'd include pictures here but I promised no posting of pictures without permission and I don't have permission, go figure!!  I'll just have to settle for my husband's grillin' pic...  *sigh*.

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Despite all the chaos, we did manage to get a little done in the garden.  Nick picked a giant tub of green beans.  This was only from the first bit I planted.  I planted about 4 times that so we will be expecting an onslaught in a few more weeks.  Needless to say we can't eat them all so I got busy preserving them today.

In other garden news, we have our first ripe big boy tomato!!  It's the first of the big tomatoes to ripen so we are thrilled!!!

I think that's it for us this week!  For more garden fun, check out Feet off the Table's Monday Garden Club!