Last week was a
good mix of fun and productivity, and today I’m recapping it on the blog!
Monday, July 11
Monday morning, we were up early, and I ran out to grab groceries. When I got home, I finished up a blog post
for the next day and then I got all of us packed for a little overnight trip to
Atlanta to see an Atlanta Braves baseball game.
B got off of work at lunchtime and we ate a light lunch at home, swung
by my mother-in-law’s house to drop something off, and then we hit the road! But not before photographing some butterflies in Nana and Poppie's garden!
We arrived in Atlanta mid-afternoon and checked in to our hotel first
thing. After we were all settled in and
freshened up, we took the hotel shuttle to The Battery across the street. We could have walked, but the intersection
was massive, and there was tons of traffic, so we thought the shuttle was the
safer option.
The shuttle ride was about five minutes, and the driver dropped us off
right in the middle of The Battery, so we set out to do some browsing. The Battery is the area surrounding the new-ish
Atlanta Braves stadium and there are tons of shops and restaurants and bars and
apartments. Everything is totally
walkable, and it’s seriously the nicest – and cutest – area.
Our first decision was where to grab dinner. The Battery was INSANE, so all of the
restaurants were packed which meant long-ish wait times. My cousin Shelby who lives in The Battery
highly recommended Superica, so we decided to do the 45-minute wait.
While we waited, we walked around The Battery for a bit, and we made a
stop in Sugarboo & Co. They have the
absolute cutest home décor, and I’d always wanted to stop inside one of their
brick-and-mortar stores so I was in heaven.
We ended up staying there for most of the wait, and although I saw a ton
of items I would have loved to bring home, I refrained. I mean, just look at that artwork behind the
kids. I have always been obsessed with
music, and I would love to have one of those prints behind the kids with all of
the song titles. You can customize all
of the songs and artists, too!!
After we left Sugarboo & Co., we walked back down to Superica to wait
in their waiting area. We only sat there
for about five minutes before we got the text that our table was ready, so it
was perfectly timed.
We’ve eaten a lot of Mexican food in our day, but Brian and I both agreed
that Superica was probably the best we’ve ever had aside from our beloved place
in 30A. They had an avocado salsa that
was to die for, and their queso has a really unique flavor that we both
loved. Their margs were good and strong,
but definitely not the best we’ve ever had.
Nothing compares to the margs at our place in 30A or Bartaco’s either.
The food was fresh and super delicious, though, and I ate way too
much. I was stuffed by the time we
left. We will definitely be back… I’m
going to want to go every time we go to Atlanta now. We may have to ditch Tin Lizzy’s and that’s
saying a lot since we love it so much.
By the time dinner was done, it was time to head to the stadium, and my
cousin Shelby met us outside just in time to take pictures at the sign.
The Braves won the World Series last year, and they were giving out World
Series replica rings to the first 40,000 people on Monday night, so the game
was sold out. It was craaaazyyyy. We got inside in time to get our rings, and
the kids were thrilled. It’s pretty much
the only reason Olivia wanted to go.
Haha.
When we got inside the stadium, we found our seats (which were bomb,
by the way – good job, Brian!) and then we went in search of beer for the
adults and snacks for the kids. We had a
wonderful time, and the weather was miraculously AMAZING. Y’all, it has been in the high 90’s and
hundreds for weeks here now, so for it to be 75 degrees with a breeze at 7 PM
was a true miracle. Normally at 7 PM
it’s still 99 degrees. It was just
perfect.
The game ended shortly before 10:30 and we ended up losing, sadly, but we
were playing the #1 ranked team, so I think it was expected. That sure didn’t stop us from having a great
time, though! Well, most of us… haha.
Poor Olivia was so tired by the end of the game… she did have a great time
but she was only there for the rings… and the snacks… and her beloved Shelby!
After the game, we walked Shelby back towards her apartment, and then we
turned around and went in the opposite direction to walk back to our
hotel. They had police directing traffic
across the crazy big intersection, and there were hundreds of people walking
back, so we were able to walk and not worry about finding the shuttle
again.
By the time we arrived back at the hotel, the kids were both exhausted,
and they both passed out almost immediately.
Brian and I headed to bed shortly after, and that was our day. It was such a fun one!
Tuesday, July 12
Tuesday morning, we were up by 7 because we had to be back home so I
could get to an eye doctor appointment.
My appointment had been on the calendar for a year, and when we decided
to go to the game, I tried to reschedule, but they couldn’t get me in until
October, so I knew I needed to just keep the appointment and make it work. Brian had scheduled himself to work a half
day anyway, so he needed to be back by noon, too.
We were out of the hotel by 8, and we stopped to grab donuts. We always love trying new local spots for
donuts, but the only ones that were semi-close were right in the heart of
downtown Atlanta, and we wanted to avoid that at all costs since traffic is so
terrible. We ended up settling for
Krispy Kreme, but the kids didn’t seem to mind.
A donut is a donut to them!
We ended up getting back with plenty of time for me to make it to my
appointment, and after my appointment, I grabbed gas and headed back home to
Brian and the kids. We had a light
lunch, and then we spent the rest of the day unpacking, catching up on stuff,
doing summer homework, and shopping the Amazon Prime Day sale. I found and shared so many great deals, and
we also got a jumpstart on our Christmas shopping!
Tuesday evening, we made breakfast for dinner, and then we all went for a
walk. After B and the kids went in, I
continued my walk, and it was a slow one again because my back was killing me
on Tuesday… probably from sitting so much in the car and at the game. I did get in a good arms workout, though!
After my walk, we watched some of AGT followed by an episode of The
Summer I Turned Pretty and some more of Stranger Things.
Wednesday, July 13
Wednesday morning, the kids and I were pretty lazy. They watched cartoons and I shared Amazon
Prime Day deals most of the morning. The
kids did some IXL and then we all had lunch together, and afterward, the kids
and I played a couple of board games.
After board games, the kids did some reading time while I tackled some
laundry, and then it was back to hunting down and sharing more Amazon Prime Day
deals with all of you on Instagram.
It was pretty dreary again all day on Wednesday, but we did all get outside
after dinner to spend some time riding bikes.
Olivia had a pretty bad spill, and for a split second, I thought for
sure she had broken another bone, but thankfully, she was just scraped up and a
little sore.
After she was all cleaned up, I got in a 2 mile walk and an arms workout,
we finished America’s Got Talent, and then B and I watched another
episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty and a few minutes of Stranger
Things. Those new Stranger Things
episodes are as long as movies, so I don’t think we’ve watched an entire one from
start to finish in just one sitting.
Thursday, July 14
Thursday morning, we woke up to dark skies and pouring rain. The kids watched some cartoons and I caught
up on blog reading under the twinkle lights in my office with some hot tea (I’m
so ready for fall, y’all! Although, I’m
not ready for the kids to go back to school…), and then mid-morning, we got out
of the house. We had a library book that
was due and my copy of The Summer I Turned Pretty finally became
available, so we hung out at the library for the rest of the morning.
By the time we got home, it was lunchtime, and then after lunch, the kids
did some more summer homework. It’s
never ending!
The rest of the afternoon was spent inside playing and hanging out, and
then we all headed to voice and piano lessons late in the afternoon. I started reading The Summer I Turned Pretty,
and I am loving it so far. It’s YA, so
it’s an easy read, and it’s just perfect for summertime as the book obviously
takes place during the summer.
The clouds finally cleared late in the afternoon, and then the kids got
outside for a bit while I cooked dinner.
B and I indulged in a rare weeknight glass of wine with dinner, and then
after dinner we all got outside to let the kids ride scooters. It started drizzling on our walk, and we
ended up having to cut it short because the rain started coming down harder.
After that, we headed inside, and the kiddos got ready for bed while I
did an arms workout. We started a new
show on HBO Max with the kids called Theodosia. I ended up falling asleep on the couch
(thanks to my glass of wine – LOL) but Brian and the kids LOVED the show. Each episode is short – only about 30 minutes
– and they all end on a cliffhanger similar to Secrets of Sulphur Springs,
which we all love.
After two episodes, we sent the kiddos to bed, and then B and I watched
some more of our shows before heading to bed.
Friday, July 15
Friday morning, I got some things done around the house while the kids
played, and then I met my friend, Shelly, downtown for an early lunch at
11:30. The weather was surprisingly
pleasant, so we sat and ate outside.
On the way home, I swung by Chick-Fil-A to pick up lunch for Brian and
the kids, and they dove right in as soon as I walked through the door. The rest of the afternoon was spent prepping
for back-to-school – measuring for uniforms, checking our current inventory,
and placing orders, and y’all, our uniform company is so backed up, our kids
aren’t going to have everything they need when school starts. Whoops.
While the kids played video games, I paid some bills, sorted some pictures,
and caught up on several things that have been on the backburner for ages. B got off at 5, and we decided to stay home
for the evening and get takeout rather than go anywhere.
B picked up dinner from our favorite barbecue place, and then after
dinner, we went back outside to ride bikes.
Both of the kids did so great, and we are now just patiently waiting for
Olivia to gain a little bit more control with her arms. She has a tendency to do everything hard and
fast, including her turns, and then she ends up turning too sharp, which
obviously leads to crashing. We keep
telling her that any slight arm motion on a bike can make a huge difference,
but she just keeps doing everything too hard.
Lol.
They rode bikes forever and I didn’t think they’d ever want to come in,
and I love that they are finally understanding the joys of bike-riding. All these years that we’ve tried to teach
them, they hated it and just got so frustrated, but now that they’ve got it
down, they finally know!
After the kids were ready for bed, we all watched a couple more episodes
of Theodosia, and while we did that, I spread my planner, folder, blog
calendar, and pens out all over the table, and I got to work getting organized
for the week.
The kids are in summer camp one more time this week, and I wanted to get
all of my to-do lists made for each day so I could make the most of the empty
house. There is a ton that I want to
tackle this week while they’re gone, and I’m hoping to get it all done so I can
just sit back and relax and spend all of the time with them for the last couple
of weeks of summer break.
After shows were over, the kids went to bed, and then B and I watched two
episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Y’all, I am loving it SO much!!
I’ve never read a book and watched the show/movie at the same time
before, so it’s interesting to see the differences between the two as I toggle
back-and-forth. It is a bit confusing,
though, remembering which things have happened in the book and which things
have happened on the show since they do differ quite a bit.
Normally, I read a book prior to watching a show or movie, but this book
had a long wait at the library, and I had to wait for it to be available.
Saturday, July 16
Saturday morning, B and the kids headed to the golf course to take
lessons at 9, and then after lessons, they played a round on the course. Brian said that Olivia decided that morning
that she’s not really all that interested in golf anymore. She thinks lessons are boring and playing the
course has gotten a little repetitive to her, too, apparently. She did tell him that she still loves going
and riding in the golf cart, though.
Lol. Just like her momma! I’m just here for the golf cart!! (And the drinks if there are any! Haha.)
While they were gone, I took full advantage of the empty house, and I
started deep cleaning the whole thing from top to bottom – scrubbing down the
countertops, cleaning the toilets, dusting everything, vacuuming every floor,
and mopping the hard floors. My back is
STILL killing me, so it was very slow-going, but while they were gone, I
managed to get in a light cardio workout and my arms workout, I did four loads
of laundry, I tidied up a good portion of the house, I got the dusting,
toilets, and countertops done, and I did all of my other various Saturday
chores.
When B and the kids got home, it was lunchtime, so we threw together a
quick meal, and then I vacuumed and mopped the whole house while B mowed, and
the kids showered and did their laundry.
It was a VERY productive day, and we somehow managed to have the entire
house deep-cleaned and tidied with clean sheets on the beds and the yard mowed
all at the same time. It’s pretty rare
that everything is clean all at once, so it was a happy accident!
My back held up fairly well during all that – probably because I took
things very slowly – but it was still feeling stiff and sore and a little bit
crunchy – so I grabbed an ice pack for the millionth time that week and iced it
while I did some blog work in my office.
The kids played video games while I worked, and mid-afternoon, we all got
showered and ready so we could head to my father-in-law’s house for the first
of several birthday celebrations for Jacob.
My sister-in-law also has a July birthday, and my niece’s is in early
August, so we celebrated the three of them together since this will be the last
time they’re in town for a while as school is starting back up soon.
My father-in-law picked up takeout and we all ate together, and then watched
the three birthday people open their gifts.
After that was done, we hung out for a bit, and then we had cookie cake
for dessert. It was a great evening with
family!
When we got home, B and the kids watched another episode of Theodosia
while I made some simple syrup for cocktails to have after the kiddos went to
bed. I’m still working on my Old
Fashioned skills, and I just can’t get mine to taste like the one we had at
Great Southern Café in 30A. The version I
did Saturday night was quite different than a traditional Old Fashioned, but it
was my favorite version so far. I’ll
have to share it on the blog eventually!
After the kids went to bed, B and I enjoyed our cocktails while we
watched two more episodes of The Summer I Turned Pretty… I can’t get
enough! It is the cutest show! And I’m also loving the book.
Sunday, July 17
Sunday morning, we slept in and had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and
then I interviewed Jacob for his birthday as I do every year. I sorted all of the dirty clothes, got in a
quick arms workout, and then it was time to get showered and ready for lunch.
We celebrated the same birthdays on Sunday at my mother-in-law’s and step-father-in-law’s
house, this time with a home-cooked meal and a chocolate chip cookie dough Dairy
Queen Blizzard cake for Jacob, and we were all SO STUFFED when it was
over. Seriously, I ate way too much, and
I felt almost as full as I do on Thanksgiving.
After all of the eating was done and the gifts were open, we moseyed out
to the garden. The kiddos had planted
corn at one visit with Nana and Poppie, and their corn was starting to come
in. There were also baby watermelons and
cucumbers and green peppers and tons and tons of other things starting to grow
in addition to the fruits and veggies that have already been coming in all
summer.
We ended up staying at their house until nearly 4, so by the time we got
home, it was pretty late. I got some
blog work done while the kids played video games and put together a new Lego set,
and then I got everything prepped and ready for camp on Monday.
My parents didn’t cook our usual Sunday dinner because they were out of
town, so our original plan was to go out for Mexican. B and I were still so full by the time
dinnertime rolled around that we weren’t even hungry. He and I polled the kids, and they weren’t
all that hungry either, so instead, we opted to stay at home and have a Sunday charcuterie
board.
I made the kids a little plate to share, and we let them eat in the
living room at the coffee table while we watched… Freaky Friday (the 2003
version, not the one from the 1970’s)! Do
y’all remember that movie?! I loved it
when it came out, and I hadn’t seen it in forever. It’s still so dang cute and funny and the
whole family loved it. I had forgotten
just how funny it is, too… there are several laugh out loud parts that had all
of us rolling.
B and I ended up not eating dinner at all… we got by with popcorn and
Moscow Mules. Lol. After the movie was over, the kids played a
while longer, and then after we got them in the bed, B and I watched the last
episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Ugh, so good! And the soundtrack –
amazing! #AllTheTaylorSwift
I’m already ready for season two!
Happy Wednesday, y’all!
