Five on Friday

1. End of Summer

Over these past couple of weeks, we have been trying to soak in the last few days of summer!  Andrew absolutely loves being outside, and all things water-related.   

We had a fun play date (along with 1/2 of Princeton) at the Splash Pad this week, and it was so much fun!  I'm kind of sad it was our first (and probably last) visit this summer, but I know we'll be back next year!

We also usually take daily walks to our complex pool, which we both have been loving. 

(my daytime cocktail of choice!  mango la croix!  yum!)

2. Mad for Plaid

And as Summer comes to an end, I've got the fall fashion itch.  Specifically for plaid.  

I scooped up these two tops this week (on sale!) at http://oldnavy.gap.com/. 

Can't WAIT for them to arrive to pair them with cutoffs now, and skinny jeans later!  

red and navy plaid flannel 

boyfriend buffalo plaid shirt

3. Parents in Princeton

My parents arrived in Princeton yesterday!  They are here for a couple of days before we head off to the Poconos for Labor Day!  

Andrew is just a little excited to have his grandparents here!  ;)

p.s. you would think after all our fun in the sun, Andrew would have a little color.  nope. white as a ghost!  ;)

4. Lookalike

Check out the necklace I'm wearing above!  It arrived this week, and I'm officially in love!  

I had been eyeing the gorgeous Kendra Scott necklaces for awhile (after falling in love with her earrings!), but just had a hard time justifying the splurge!   

kendra scott rayne necklace

So when I discovered Style This Life on Instagram, I immediately hopped on over, and scooped up this one in hot pink!  It's a lookalike for a fraction of the price!  It's perfect for that trendy or statement piece that you may just not want to shell out the big bucks for.  

5. Cabin Fever

So excited to head away with the family for a week in the mountains!  I'm dreaming of coffee and breakfast on the back porch, lake swimming during the day, snuggling up with a good book, playing board games til 2 in the morning, and of course, lots of s'mores :)

how dreamy is this reading nook??

Speaking of a good book...any suggestions??

I was thinking about "Gone Girl", "The One and 

Only", or "Love Does".... and maybe "The Fault in our Stars"??

Hope y'all have a WONDERFUL weekend!!

{linking up with Amanda today!}

Weekending: NYC, Zoo, and Peanut Butter Pie!

I officially need coffee.

And a nap ;)

We had a crazy, fun, and busy weekend!  

Friday, John took off work, and we hopped on an early train into NYC for the day.

Our good friends, Katie and Russell were in town for a wedding, and we had so much exploring NYC with them:

Pit stop for a delicious lunch at the "Rouge Tomate" food truck in Central Park

Andrew's first Carousel ride in the park!

Lunch break for Andrew!

Love my little fam ;)

Then we were off to the Central Park Zoo!

It was wonderful - I highly recommend it!

After a full day, we decided to dine al fresco at Dos Caminos  

(via)

We LOVED the guacamole and platter of tacos - delish!

Saturday, needless to say, we slept in...

 Andrew helped John with chores around the house ;)

Then we headed out to lunch with my cousin's family, 

(wearing all the summer clothes I can before Fall comes!)

watched some soccer, 

and let the kids play together.  They had so much fun ;) 

Sunday, we had church and then went over to John's coworker's house for lunch. 

I was asked to bring dessert, and I decided to try this recipe out....

Peanut Butter Cookie Pie

y'all - it was SO yummy!  (I may or may not have had a slice for breakfast this morning - eek!)

If you like peanut butter, cookies, or chocolate (preferably all three at the same time), then you must make this.  It is suuuuuper easy and quick too, which is always a plus.

YIELD: one 9-inch pie, 8 to 10 servings

 

PREP TIME: 5 minutes

COOK TIME: about 26 minutes

 

TOTAL TIME: about 1 hour, for cooling

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
1 large egg
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
heaping 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
pinch salt, optional and to taste
12 to 14 mini peanut butter cups
about 2/3 cup Peanut Butter M&Ms

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9-inch pie dish with floured cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large, microwave-safe bowl melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power.
3. Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don't scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, peanut butter, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
4. Add the flour, optional salt, and stir until just combined; don't overmix.
5. Turn batter out into prepared pie dish, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
6. Evenly insert the peanut butter cups into the batter, pushing them down so the top is almost flush with the surface of the dough.
7. Evenly insert the M&Ms into the batter, pushing them down to anchor.
8. Bake for about 28 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.  If your pie has risen in the center, it will deflate as it cools. Allow pie to cool in pan for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving; however, for optimal results, cool overnight because it gives the flavors a chance to marry and the pie to really set up fully. Pie will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months (color may leech from the M&Ms if you freeze it).

Hope y'all all had a deliciously sweet and fun weekend too!

Linking up with Biana and Leeann!

Heaven's Smile

Heaven gained the most beautiful, brave, determined, loyal, and joyful angel yesterday. Sam- your smile was one of my favorite things on this earth and you will be missed by so many. I know you are running and dancing and kicking that soccer ball with Jesus today...with the biggest grin on your face. I am so proud and honored to have known you… My life is forever touched and changed because of your spirit and soul. You have been and always will be such an inspiration to me and to so many others.

Friends- please hug your family and loved ones a little bit tighter today. 

Tell them that you love them.

Never take a single day for granted. 

Laugh hard, love deeply, be thankful. 

And smile.  No matter what. Always smile.

Lately...

I'm headed out for a day full of errands - but I wanted to jump on really quickly and share a few pics!  

What we've been up to lately:

In honor and memory of my sweet grandmother, 

I made a batch of her famous peanut butter cookies :)

It's been a week since we said goodbye to her, and I miss her so much.

Wasn't she a beauty?

Embracing the last few weeks of summer, by donning my favorite "pom pom" shorts!

Watching this boy get bigger and bigger every day!  I feel like the "baby" stage is almost over!

sniff sniff

Checking out the new "burger joint" in downtown Princeton!

And going to a concert in the park with my boys!

We are soaking up all the sweet summer days we can!

(sorry for the lack of posting lately...our laptop bit the dust!
on the market for a new one -
any suggestions?  also, does anyone blog from their iPad??)

Hope y'all had a good weekend!

linking up with Biana!

Weekending: 7 Months, Fried Catfish, and Celebrating Life

It's Monday, and you know what that means :)

Time for a recap of the weekend, and I'll be honest, this one was a little bittersweet.

We started out celebrating Andrew's 7 month birthday!  

It was actually while we were in Florida, but we had to take some pictures once we were back and settled (and of course with the chalkboard frame!)  

I'll be posting a 7 month update for him on the blog, but for now, a few of my fave pics from the photo sesh...

I've also made a habit of taking a few "bathtime" pictures each month.  It will be fun to go back and see how he's grown and changed, in his cute little tub.    

I had a lunch date with some friends from my "Moms" group, which was so much fun!  We had Mexican (my fave), and bonded over dirty diapers and sleep deprivation.  

my ootd: 

Saturday was relaxing, and we spent the day by the pool and taking our favorite long walk down by the lake.  Our neighbors just got some sheep - and it's been so much fun to show them to Andrew!

Saturday night, I picked up some fresh catfish at the grocery, and we decided to fry those bad boys up.  We don't do a lot of fried food 'round here, but we were just in the mood for some ;)

It was SO good!

I also whipped up this coleslaw - delish!

Sunday, we went to church, and just hung out at home, 

reading books, and watching a Scandal marathon (I've got John hooked!)....

You're probably thinking..."so why was the weekend so "bittersweet"?  It looked pretty good and relaxing to me!"

Well, it was sweet.  And it was bitter.  We lost my grandmother this weekend.  

She lived a VERY long, full, and wonderful life.  Her body, soul, and mind are now fully restored, and she is with Jesus in Heaven.  Playing bridge, eating peanut butter cookies, and having a nice scotch cocktail, right about now, I hope.  

She was a beautiful woman, so kind, gracious, fun-loving, classy...with just the perfect amount of wit.  I am so thankful that I grew up knowing her, and spending every summer at the North Carolina Outer Banks with her.  She will be missed, so greatly.  

It's funny how we sometimes don't celebrate life until someone is taken from us.  With my grandmother's passing, I am reminded to live each and every day celebrating my own life, and the lives of my loved ones.  Being thankful for the gift of life, and to not take a single day for granted.

Thank you to all of you who have called, sent emails and texts, and most of all, prayed for my family during this time.  It means so much!  

Love y'all - hope you had a wonderful weekend!

(linking up with Biana today!)