Monday, July 29, 2013

Weekend Update

We had such a nice weekend. It rained on and off so we cooled down a little bit. We went shopping on Saturday and ordered Joe a new wedding ring (this is his 3rd one, they keep falling off and getting lost.) He got a size smaller this time. We also purchased a Belgian waffle maker and it is AWESOME! Guess what we had for dinner on Saturday night =)

We went to go see World War Z finally and took Isabel with us ( I know, I know but she slept through 3/4 of the movie) yup it was her first theater experience. Joe and I really liked it! My sister and her boyfriend Sam took Jax to go see Turbo and they said it wasn't as good as they had hoped but Jax had fun eating almost a whole Large popcorn bucket!

Sunday was just a nice lazy day. We decided to go get some fresh peaches and spent a few hours driving around to different fruit stands picking up fresh goodies. The red barn in Palisade has an amazing Plexiglas enclosed beehive with over 60,000 honey bees. Jax was in awe and I'm not going to lie I was too! They also give kids a free honey stick when they come to check out the bees!

We stopped outside for a quick family shot but Isabel was not feelin it =)

We had a late lunch at Texas Roadhouse and came home to get some yard work done. Perfect end to the weekend =)

XO Jen

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Fashion on a budget

Since we are getting towards the end of summer there are some really great clothing deals out there and I couldn't control myself when I saw the prices at Loft so I made a few spur of the moment purchases (at these prices I have no regrets!)

Racerback Jumpsuit

Crochet Lace Shift Dress

3/4 Sleeve Lace Top

Striped Sheer Boatneck Sweater

$14.93! but they ran out of my size before my order went through =(

They should be here next week, can't wait! =) If you have been watching instagram you know that I also scored some adorable clothes for Isabel this last week and even at just 4 1/2 months old she was pretty pumped! =)

XO Jen

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Family photos

I am constantly dropping the ball when it comes to family photos - usually our Christmas cards feature a hurried "get your best clothes on, we need to get the cards ordered tonight!" kinda photo. =) This year I'm putting a little more thought into it because I really want to have a "perfect" family photo. I think I want to do a more boho photo shoot this time because it would be totally different for us and FUN! I have been searching on pinterest for some good ideas and these are a few of my favorite boho shoots.

Via laurahernandezphotography.com

via fawnoverbaby.com

via jackieculmer.com

XO Jen

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Pinterest Challenge

There are so many fun crafty things that I constantly admire on Pinterest but never take the time to try and actually do them, so I have given myself a timeline of 3 days to get at least 2 of my crafty pins done. Here are a few I think I am going to try. Jax goes to daycare tomorrow so that might be my only chance of getting these done...

Those spray painted metal chairs would be seriously adorable for the BBQ/Movie night we have planned for the end of the summer...

XO Jen

Monday, July 22, 2013

Zoo Day

We made a trip up to Denver this weekend and had such a good time bonding with family around nightly backyard bonfires. We went to the Denver Zoo on the second day and all of the cousins had a blast! Not gunna lie, it was HOT and I forgot to charge my camera battery so these are just pics from the beginning of the zoo trip =/.Jackson's favorite movie right now is Madagascar so he was pretty stoked to see Alex the lion =)

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Office Thoughts

I have been debating turning my office (the formal dining room) into a play space for the kids. Their bedrooms are pretty small and that's really the only flex space in the house (I will be posting house pics soon.) PLUS! I really want to get them some fun pretend play things for Christmas this year like a play kitchen, work bench and a little teepee. I think I will use a blank wall we have between the dining and living areas as my new "office" and get a secretary desk. I have my eye on this one from Ikea =)

What do you think? Then I would turn that front room into a fun colorful "playroom" for the kiddos with some more stuff like this:

Throw in some fun curtains, a new light fixture and goodness I can not wait! We have some LONG winters and this room will be so nice to have so the kids aren't ~~completely~~ tearing up the family room. I hope to have this done soon and pics up cuz, at least to me, that's the best part!! So stay tuned =)

XO Jen

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Fireworks Essentials

Fireworks Essentials by jennifermarie-970 on Polyvore

Edric Multi-Coloured Wool And Silk Throw
$120 - habitat.co.uk

Sagaform Camping Chair
$41 - occa-home.co.uk

FILTERED Monogrammed Camelbak Water Bottle. by SouthernSassGSU
etsy.com

We had such a fun night last night just watching some fireworks for the county fair Jax was running around playing with all of the other kids and Isabel was just in awe and I pretty much got eaten alive by mosquitoes (they love me, don't know why but they do =/ ) and it made me think of some of the things that make watching them just a little more comfortable! Hope you like it =)

xo Jen

Image via http://becauseitsawesome.blogspot.com/

Never give up! You are an amazing person!

10 Things That Make Me Happy!

via evieivy.com

1. Morning Coffee
2. My husbands smell (actually I love pretty much everything about him)
3. Jax's laugh (every time he laughs I can't help but smile)
4. Thunderstorms
5. The color pink (I'm not sure it's my favorite color but it sure does make me happy)
6. Painted nails
7. Talking with my sisters
8. Camp fires
9. Flowers! (I'm pretty sure they make everyone happy!)
10. My baby girl's smile =)

Monday, July 15, 2013

Delicious Zucchini Lasagna

This is the yummiest lasagna recipe EVER! I try to cook this at least once a week, my husband loves it! The recipe is originally from skinnytaste.com but I have done some tweaking to it. Hope you like it =)

You will need:

1 lb ground chicken breast
1/2 onion
garlic salt
salt and pepper
2 jars of marinara sauce
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
4 medium zucchini, sliced thin
15 oz part skim ricotta
16 oz part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 large egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cook meat and season with garlic salt. When cooked, add olive oil and onion. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, pepper and 1 jar of marinara sauce. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Slice zucchini into thin slices. Cover lightly in salt and set aside for about 10 minutes - the salt draws out the excess water in the zucchini. After 10 minutes, blot excess water with paper towels, then place zuchinni on grill (I use my George Foreman - the best thing ever!) Grill for about 3 minutes (flip halfway through.)

In a medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese, parmesan and egg. Stir well.

In a 9x12 casserole dish, spread meat sauce on bottom and cover with zucchini, then pour on some ricotta mixture and then top with mozzarella and repeat once more. Top with extra marinara sauce and mozzarella and cover with foil.

Bake 45 minutes covered, then uncovered another 15 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Jen =)

Great Birthday Weekend!

This weekend was just perfect! Joe and Sam ( my sister's boyfriend) set up the misters in our backyard and we were actually able to enjoy our patio bar in this crazy 100 degree weather. We celebrated Joe's birthday twice with two small BBQs and two birthday cakes! Then we ended the weekend with a fun trip to the potholes. They are natural swimming pools carved out of sandstone and they are gorgeous! We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful place! Here are some pics from this weekend, enjoy!