Am I really this old???
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Suzie Homemaker
On this edition of Suzie Homemaker, we feature a quick and light summer meal I made last week that lasted for a few days. I have now mastered making a salad from US Pizza at home :-) I do cheat and get the dressing from the restaurant still, but it's only $1.50. With what I spend on the makings of enough salads for us to eat for a few days a few times a day, I would only get one salad for each of us from the restaurant. Smart savings :-) I coupled the salad with a recipe that I found on Pinterest for Ham and Cheese sliders. I altered the recipe a little, but it was still really good.
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The Boss
I swear I don't know where she gets that from.... :-) I bet Kelvin would say he does though!
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Hot Fun in the Summertime
So, all 3 of the girls had a play date at our house this past week and we had a blast! Usually the girls all see each other over at Mama Pat's house, so whenever it happens here it's always extra special to me. They finally got to have the grand opening of their Clubhouse Cafe and they really went all out. They served up donuts, pizza, hamburgers, and ketchup. Their special of the day sounded like it was Mac and Cheese, but whenever we would order that we'd end up with something different on our plate so maybe it was just a code word for "whatever we decide you are going to eat".
Once the cafe was closed for lunch, Daddy/Uncle Kelvin set up the pool and slip and slide. The girls were a little apprehensive about it, but he was all in. He also gave sharp shooting lessons with the water gun.
They ended the day with lunch and freeze pops and watching the Fresh Beats go Gabba Gabba episode on Nick Jr. Brooklyn slept for 3 hours after they left! It was all worth it!!
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The Newest Members of the Loring Family
We have 2 new members of the Loring household! No, I'm not pregnant with twins! Everyone please meet "Sugar" Loring and "Boy" Loring. Brooklyn's first pet goldfish :-) I think Kelvin and I are more pleased with them than Brooklyn. She was very excited though when she realized we were taking them home. "Sugar" was the first addition. "Sugar" is very mild tempered. She likes to just lay around and not really do a lot in the bowl. So, we thought she might be a little lonely. Being the compassionate people we are, we went back to Walmart and got one of her friends out of the tank. So, along comes "Boy". He is very very different from "Sugar"! He is all over the place! He yells when he talks and talks all the time. He also has the bigger appetite. I think "Sugar" might have been a little inconvenienced by this addition. We thought she would be swimming for joy but she was really non-chalant about the change.So, there we go---2 new mouths to feed. The joys of family :-)
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Happy Father's Day!!
Father's Day was a big success this year for all of my special guys :-) We are all so blessed to have Kelvin Loring, Michael Wiley, and Murry Loring in our lives! Brooklyn celebrated the actual day by taking her Daddy, Papa, and Grampa out to eat at Outback Steakhouse. We were joined in celebration by Brandi, Aubrey, and Presley so it was even more special! Needless to say, with 3 toddlers on a just an hour nap by 6:30pm and a 45 minute wait at the restaurant-- the night was a chaotic occasion. At least the dads enjoyed themselves though. In terms of gifts, it was a total DIY Father's Day this year. Of course with Pinterest in hand, I put a lot of thought into trying to make great gifts. I must admit I cheated for my father-in-law and had his gift embroidered professionally. However for my Daddy and Kelvin, we made t-shirts this year!! It was a fiasco at best. I can understand why some people charge a lot for customized shirts. It's especially tough not to get paint everywhere when trying to get a 2 year old to put her hand prints on the shirt then back away as quickly as possible and not touch it again. Thank God Mama Pat was there because it was definitely not a one man job...lol! Enjoy some pics of the gifts and the outing:
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Road Trip!!!
Kelvin and I had to go on a road trip to Kentucky Father's Day weekend because he was in a wedding. It was almost like a double date road trip because we tailed and hung out with another couple friend of ours who also has a small child (a newborn, that is which we definitely don't have...lol). Anyway, it was a really relaxing weekend. Kelvin and I hadn't been anywhere for more than just overnight since before Brooklyn came along, so it was a great way to get our feet wet before we get away for our 5th wedding anniversary coming up at the end of the year. Here are some pics of the time away:
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Happy Birthday Mama Pat!!!
June 15 was Mama Pat's big day. Unfortunately, I had to go out of town that day so I made sure I pulled out all the big guns in the days leading up to it :-) I've started a little tradition of taking birthday treats to Mama's job (like I take birthday treats to Brooklyn's preschool) for her birthday. She loves it! It's no secret to anyone at the VA Pharmacy in Little Rock when Pat Wiley's birthday is. This method just involves them in the celebration of it---like it or not...lol!! It makes me feel good to see her feel good though so I must admit it's as much for me as it is for her. This year, I did assorted Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast on the morning of the 13th. I couldn't let the birthday attention at work end with that though. I secretly took some flowers, a birthday crown, and a birthday sash up there on the morning of the 14th for them to decorate her work station with so that when she came in on her birthday she would see that I was still there in spirit. She loved it!
As far as how I celebrated with her, we took a little one day vacay to Hot Springs on the 14th. I had her take the day off work and we went and spoiled ourselves and took a little walk down memory lane. With Brandi and I being 5 years apart, it was just me and Mama for a while. From what I can remember, we've always been besties :-) She used to take me to do so many things that I still love to do to this day- one being going to that pitiful wax museum in Hot Springs. We also walked the strip down there and did a little light shopping for you know who (the girls). The main event was our spa time at the Arlington Hotel. We had neck, hand and feet massages as well as pedicures. After that, we had lunch on the lake at Fishermen's Wharf. The atmosphere was perfect!!! They have an amazing outdoor eating area on the water that I would recommend to anyone who's going to Hot Springs. We ended the day in Hot Springs with a special tasting tour which I'll leave at that for now :-) Mama went on and on all the way back and for days after about how amazing that day was to her which made it worth every penny to me!! We ended the day by pulling Brooklyn in on the celebration complete with birthday cupcakes and candles :-)
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Natural Hair Journey
I must admit, I'm getting a little tired of the journey. It's so much work compared to what I'm accustomed to doing to maintain my hair. Also, my thin edges really take away from some of the looks I'm going for some times. I'm still doing my Women's Rogaine and I'm using it off label in the fact that it really isn't for the edges. It says it takes up to 4 months to really really see results so I'm going to stick in there with it for at least that long. This past weekend though, I had officially had it with the dull look without me putting the time in so I went and bought a new half wig. It was really cute but really dramatic compared to what I'm used to seeing myself in so I'll keep it for as needed emergencies only :-)
