Hot, Hot Weekend

These last few days have been the hottest ones we have had so far this summer. I'm loving it! I would take the heat, humidity & all that goes with it over the abundance of rain we've had for the last month and a half. Although, as I'm typing this, it's pouring outside...

Nate has had a really tough schedule the past few weeks. He's been working nights, so we have both had very little sleep or time with each other. But over the weekend we were able to relax & have some time together!

Saturday we went to the public market for fresh vegetables & flowers, then out for coffee at the neatest shop! Later we went out to eat & it was quite the letdown. We heard really great things about the place we went to, but we were not impressed at all. Afterwards we went to this late night light show. It wasn't at all what we expected, but we found some really awesome looking restaurants to try out, so it was a win.

Sunday we went to the lake for a picnic & to enjoy the sunny weather. Joey is kind of a wimp when it comes to the water. If you go with him he really enjoys it, but the moment you leave he runs out of the water like a mad man. So, I took him into the water & made him swim on his own; I wouldn't allow him out until he did! He really loved it & wanted to jump in every time we were near the water.

It was a great weekend indeed & I hope you all have a great week! :) XO

Summer Fun

It has been a really good summer so far & we still have a lot of fun things to check off our bucket list! One thing that was not on our bucket list however was stand-up paddle boarding. I have always wanted to do this, but we've never lived in an area that had it available or if we found a rental on vacation it was crazy expensive! 

Now we finally live in a city with water in all directions! We found a rental place & they had such good prices that we just couldn't pass it up! I was excited & a ball of nerves at the same time. I'm a pretty big chicken when it comes to any body of water that isn't a pool, so a lake definitely fits into that category. I hate not knowing what is below me because lets be real here, anything could be at the bottom of a lake... ew. But after realizing I had impeccable balance & seeing, for the most part, to the bottom of the lake I really, really enjoyed it! It's actually easier than I thought it would be & insanely relaxing, plus a great work out. It's something we hope to do a couple more times before the summer is gone. If only we could train Joey to sit on the board with us...

I've recently added some new prints to my shop. So be sure to check them out! 

Have a happy week! :) XO

Holiday Happenings

Our parents came to town for the holiday weekend & it was such a great time! We traveled to Lake Ontario on Friday to spend the afternoon in the sun & watch the boats roll in. Saturday we hiked & showed our parents around the cutest little towns before traveling into the city. We ate dinner at the neatest BBQ pit & over-stuffed our faces with all their delicious food, only to go to a brewery & over-indulge there as well! We ended our night with a walk around the city, listening to the free concert & taking in the pretty fireworks display.

Nate begins a really tough rotation this week, so we've been trying to take in as much of the city as possible. It has finally started to feel like summer this week with super hot days & zero rain, so we have plenty of outdoor activities in the near future. We have paddle boarding planned for this upcoming weekend & I couldn't be more excited! 

Have a happy ending to the work week! XO :)

Fourth of July

It's crazy to think that the biggest Summer holiday is already here! The Fourth of July is probably one of my favorite holidays; it's so patriotic & full of fun, fireworks & BBQ. It's also a little extra special this year because it is the first holiday that will be celebrated in our new home! Our families will be coming in to town for the weekend, so we're really looking forward to showing them around!

I've rounded up a few festive dresses to get the ladies in the spirit of the Fourth of July!

Stripe Maxi Dress // Printed V-neck // Eyelet Shift Dress // Tie-dye Cami Dress

I also think this cobbler looks delicious! I may have to try it out!

We will be indulging in way too much festive food, brews & fireworks!
What are your plans for the Fourth? Hope you have an amazing weekend! :) XO

Summer Bucket List

Summer is officially here! I thought it would be fun to put together a summer bucket list to explore our new city some more. So while the days get hotter, we have a fun list of things to do & many memories to make!

1. Homemade popsicles

I have been wanting to do this for a while & Pinterest is popsicle central.

2. Food Trucks

I have seen countless people go to food truck festivals & we finally live in a city that has one! I'm so excited & it will be the first thing we are checking off our list.

3. Beer Festival

Nate's obsession with craft breweries is an understatement. Naturally I had to add this to the list because there are countless breweries & wineries around us.

4. Lake

This was a no brainer. We keep mentioning to each other that it feels like we live in a beach town. Could it be because we have about 5 lakes surrounding us?

5. Baseball game

Duh.

6. Fireworks

We've heard there are fireworks throughout the summer at many of the lakes.

7. Buffalo Bills mini camp

Last year we went to the New York Jets mini camp & it was so much fun. Now we are living in Bills country & their summer camp is down the road from us.

8. Picnic

Did I mention we are surrounded by water?

Nothing makes me happier than adventures with my two guys, especially if they involve ice cream with ridiculous amounts of sprinkles & lots of laughs.

We Have A Place to Call Home!

We have an apartment! Finally! A real, true, newly constructed, pretty, pretty apartment! 

It has a garage, a fireplace, new appliances, a washer & dryer (like legit, none of that stack-able nonsense), hardwood floors; I could go on and on and on and on and on... but I won't bore you with all the glitzy details.

We couldn't be more excited. It's in a great location & did I mention it's brand new? No you say? Let me say it again, it's brand new!!!  And it's all ours! Pinch me.

We get to shop for new furniture too! You know, all the big stuff... sofa, table & chairs, bed, entertainment center. I can hardly contain myself. Literally. I might pee my pants from all this excitement!

A photo to show our enthusiasm! 

We live so close to basically everything. The city is a hop, skip & a jump, there are trails galore & any type of restaurant you could possibly dream of. It's been raining cats & dogs since we moved in, but we can hardly wait for the nice weather to come so we can explore our new city.

Side note: We saw Mumford and Sons a week ago on Coney Island & they were ah-mazing!

Another sidenote: I've added a new chalkboard print to my shop along with 2 original painting prints! 

Happy Wednesday! :) XO

Who Doesn't Love A Fiesta!

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo & it was a gorgeous, sun-filled day! Nate & I made slow cooker carnita tacos with apple salsa & quenched our thirst with a couple Coronas! The tacos were ridiculously easy & delicious! I also spiced up our table with an easy Cinco de Mayo "floral" arrangement.

Ingredients:

For the Carnitas

2 pounds of pork tenderloin

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 orange, juiced

1 lime juiced

1/2 cup beer

1/2 cup green salsa

Flour tortillas for serving

For the Apple Salsa

2 apples, diced

1/2 cup red onion, diced

3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 lime, juiced

Cook the pork in a slow cooker for 4-6 hours with all of the spices, orange & lime juices, beer and salsa. When the pork is cooked, shred it with 2 forks. Serve the carnitas on flour tortillas & top with the apple salsa.

(c/o Spoonful of Flavor)

Happy Wednesday friends! :) XO