Friday Faves!

It's that time of the week...Friday Favorites! Let's just dive right in!

Number 1:  Bath time
I used to dread bathtime, but as the boys get older, I like it more and more.  It's nice to have some one on one time with each of them where we can chat and laugh (even if it is only for 10 minutes).  And how could I not enjoy it when this much fun is going on?!

Number 2:  New jewelry
A couple weeks ago my friend invited me to her online Paparazzi Accessories party.  I had never heard of Paparazzi but thought I might as well check it out.  I'm so glad I did. Every piece of jewelry they sell is $5.00! Yes, $5.00!  Obviously it's costume jewelry but a lot of it is really cute and on trend.  I wore these 2 pieces to work this week and got a ton of compliments!

Number 3:  My newest bee picture
Yes, it might be kind of weird,  but I like taking pictures of bumble bees.

Number 4 and 5: Getting outside and family bike rides
The weather the past 2 nights has been absolutely gorgeous! Sunny, upper 70s and low humidity.   Just perfect.   We've been eating dinner on our deck and going for family bike rides/walks.  It's so nice to get outside, get some exercise, and tire the kids out!

There you have it!  Now on to the weekend! Saturday we'll  be heading north to visit the inlaws for the day.  We don't really have anything else planned,  but I would like to take the kids to see the new Minions movie and hit the Farmers Market in Sunday.  What are your weekend plans?

Linking up with the awesome ANDREA for Friday Favorites

I made it to Alaska! OK, it was just New Hampshire

I'm telling you though, it felt like Alaska!  We went to pretty much the most northern part of NH there is.  Lots of pine trees, lakes, rivers, and mountains!  AND... that's about it!  The town we stayed in, Errol New Hampshire, has a population of 291 people.  There is an elementary school on the main street, which I later read has 13 students attending.  There is a working payphone (cell service was super spotty- we drove about an hour and a half with no signal) in the center of town, which also houses a convenience store, gas station, and a sporting goods store called L.L. COTE (sound familiar??).  For such a small place, there were quite a few restaurants which I found surprising (I highly recommend the turkey club at Northern Exposure Restaurant and Pub), however if you are looking to eat dinner after 8pm (or get gas, or milk, or a candy bar), you're pretty much out of luck.   Basically, if you are looking for night life, shopping, and fine dining, this is the exact place NOT to go.  If you are looking for amazing 4 wheeling, snowmobiling, kayaking, wildlife, or just all around beauty and tranquility this is THE place to go.

The NH trail system is absolutely amazing.  I am going to let the pictures do the talking, but I do have to tell you about one of the towns we went to, Berlin, NH.  This place is like nowhere I've ever seen.   The town itself is surrounded by mountains, and you can drive your 4 wheeler (or snowmobile) on the roads alongside the cars and trucks!  We came off one of the trails, drove our ATV into town, parked, and had lunch at a charming little restaurant.  Crazy, right??  I'm sure this is commonplace for some of you, but where I live, you just don't see 4 wheelers and snowmobiles driving down the road beside you!

Berlin, NH (not my pic)

I was REALLY hoping to see a moose on our trip.  I SO want to see a moose in the wild!  And since we were smack dab in the middle of moose country, I thought my chances were pretty good. Apparently the moose know how much I want to see them, and are therefore deliberately denying me a sighting!  Yup, no moose.  We did, however, see a very large black bear which was pretty cool (thankfully it was running away from our ATV and not towards it).  So, my quest to see a moose shall continue...

OK, lets get down to the good stuff.  Here is a review of our trip in pictures.  I hope you enjoy!

Our little lakeside cabin

 

 

 

On the way to the waterfall in Berlin

Jericho warming hut

 

The payphone!!

Windmill farm

Gorgeous trails!

Life Lately

Is it really the 2nd week of July already?  Where does the time go?  I feel like summer hasn't even started yet and here it is half over! 

Here's a recap of our life lately...

4th of July weekend
We started the festivities out on Friday night at my aunt's party.  The kids had a ball running around, riding bikes and eating S'mores. 

We had plans to head to the state park on Saturday for some beach time and a picnic.  However, the weather did not cooperate.  Rain, rain, rain.  Most of the day was spent inside playing with Legos and watching movies. We decided around 5pm to head out for some pizza and ice cream (the rain also put a damper on our grilling plans).  Then guess what... it cleared up!  After dinner we headed down to the riverfront to watch the fireworks.  We were lucky this year that our little town was doing their own fireworks show so we didn't have far to travel!  This was Alec's first real experience with close-up fireworks.  You can tell from the picture he was not too impressed!

My attempt at a patriotic snack

Sunday ended up being a beautiful day so we made it to the state park after all!  The kids LOVED the lake and playing in the sand.  Before we left, we stopped at the playground to try and tire the boys out just a little more.

Sunday night I stayed up late because, drumroll, I am on vacation this week!!  Our daycare is closed this week so it's been just me and the kids.  I had all these plans to take them on little day trips but you know what they say about the best laid plans...  Instead, our week so far has been pretty low key.  Monday we went out to lunch and saw Inside Out.  Tuesday we made cookies, colored pictures, played dress up, and watched movies.

Can you guess who decorated these??

Today the plan was to go to Animal Land, but it's raining.  So I'm not quite sure what we will do.  I DO know that a Target/Starbucks trip will be in our near future.  Alec has been up since 4:30AM and this mama is TIRED!!  I also need to get packed for my little getaway with the hubby.

So friends, that's pretty much what we've been up to.  Since I'll be out of town on Friday, I won't be doing a Friday Favorites post this week.  But definitely stop back on Monday for a post about our 4 wheeling trip!

Have a great rest of the week and a wonderful weekend!

Friday Favorites- Happy 4th!

Happy almost 4th of July friends!  Since I'm sure we're all super busy and can't wait to get the holiday festivities started, I'll keep it short and sweet this week!

Number 1: Starbucks Cool Lime Refresher
OMG, this is sooo good!  Even better than the Very Berry Hibiscus!  How have I not tried this before?!  And seriously, how cute is the flip flop on the cup!

Number 2:  Sidewalk chalk
My boys can entertain themselves for close to an hour with this.  And that's a LONG time at my house!  Bonus:  Look how thin I look in this picture!  I'm the one on the left if you can't tell...  :)

 Number 3: THIS

So true.

  

Number 4:  July Sister's Style (Jamberry)
LOVE this new wrap! And yes, I have already ordered one.

Number 5:  VACATION!!

I am off for a week!  Woo hoo!!   The kids and I will be doing some fun day trips for the first part of the week, then at the end of the week the hubs and I are taking a little trip to New Hampshire.  This is what we'll be doing (well, something very similar).... 

There you have it friends!  So tell me, what are your plans for the 4th?  We have a family party tomorrow night, then on Saturday we're hoping to head to one of the state parks to enjoy the lake, playground and a picnic.  Then Saturday night will be fireworks!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

As always, linking up with Andrea at Momfessionals for Friday Favorites