I thought after two years, it was time to do a post about what Melody’s nursery looks likes now. It has changed quite a bit.
Kitchen Renovation
For a while, Brad and I have talked about wanting to get granite countertops in our kitchen. Then in the last year, we have discussed changing our cabinets. We really wanted a vintage white. So we approached different companies looking at the best route to take in our renovation. We looked into someone painting the cabinets, but it was literally going to cost close to the same amount. We ultimately found a local company that could replace our cabinets and countertops within our budget.
Garlic Butter Salmon
I haven’t made salmon in quite awhile, but we were wanting something other than tilapia. So I looked and found a new recipe to try along with it. See it below.
#1 Family Ribbon
For Mother’s Day this year, I made this for my mom as a gift from Melody. I used my Silhouette Cameo, but this would be something you could do by hand if you wanted. You may have some trouble cutting the intricate detail of #1 Nana, but you could always handwrite this.
Peanut Butter Cheerios Clusters
In an effort to find a healthier snack for Melody, I decided make some cheerio clusters. They were filled with everything Melody loved, so I thought for sure they would be a hit. Unfortunately, Melody didn’t care for them. I thought they were delicious, but I couldn’t finish them all myself before they went stale. Oh well!
Stain Removal
While at dinner one night, I got ranch dressing on one of my favorite shirts. I went about removing it using ordinary stain removers, but that' didn’t work. So I researched some other ways and improvised. See what worked for me below.
Summer 2018
Unfortunately with the Alabama heat and bugs, we have not spent near as much time outside this summers I would have liked. But we did make the best of it!
Beach 2018
Brad and I were planning to try and go to the beach around Labor Day. We really wanted to go back to Tops’l in Destin, FL. My parents were hoping to get to do a beach trip with us as well, so we decided to share a condo with them and my brother at Tops’l. We ended up going August 20-24 because it worked best with everyone’s schedules.
Grilled Zucchini
We were grilling steaks a while back, and I had some zucchini I bought for a side dish. We make zucchini a lot but I wanted a new way. So I last minute googled a recipe to grill zucchini. I knew I could just throw them on the grill, but I wanted a good marinade or seasoning. Check it out below.
Huntsville Botanical Garden Summer 2018
So earlier this summer, Emily and I decided to become members at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. It is something we started discussing last summer, and neither of us really jumped on it. So one day in May, we just decided to go! Because of the crazy Alabama heat, we haven't visited but a handful of times this summer so far. We are really hoping to visit more this fall, winter, and spring when the weather cools off. However, below is a sneak peek of our trips so far!
Toddler Chore Chart
While looking through the dollar section of Target one afternoon, I ran across some different charts for children. I found one that was for chores. It was only $3, and it had a spot for 5 chores and came with a handful of magnets and a marker. I had been wanting to come up with some sort of chore/responsibility chart, and this was perfect for what I wanted to do.
Tennessee Aquarium
One of the things we wanted to do when visiting Chattanooga for JoeCon was the Tennessee Aquarium. Brad and I went about 7 years or so ago, and we thought Melody might enjoy it.
Brussel Sprouts
So I am weird and LOVE brussel sprouts. Brad always tells me how much he hates them. Well for Mother's Day him and Melody gave me the new Magnolia Table cookbook. In it was a yummy sounding recipe that Brad agreed to try. I have recently found out I have a pork allergy, so I did use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon. I didn't care for the turkey bacon in this dish, so next time I would leave it out. But I am certain regular bacon would be amazing in it. I also adjusted the recipe a lot for what we like. So below is MY version.
The Ice Cream Show
During my research of restaurants in Chattanooga, I found two places we could potentially go for dessert near our hotel. One of those places was The Ice Cream Show. We decided to go visit it on Friday night after having dinner at The Blue Plate. It appeared to be an easy walk from both our hotel and the restaurant.
The Blue Plate
Before going to Chattanooga, I did some research of a few restaurants near our hotel and the convention center. One of those restaurants was The Blue Plate. The menu looked very intriguing, and it was only two blocks from our hotel. After our first full day of JoeCon, we decided to go here for dinner.
Weekend with Nannie and Bob Bob
A few weekends ago, Brad's parents {aka Nannie and Bob Bob according to Melody} came to town to visit. They live about 3.5 hours away, so we don't see them near as much as we would like. It has become really hard the older Melody gets. Traveling with a two year old just isn't easy. So we were super excited when we found out they were traveling to us!
Creamy Lemon Chicken
Creamy lemon chicken is a name Brad and I made up for this recipe. This is a recipe he actually got from his mom, and I am not sure of her source. We don't make it enough because I honestly forget about it. We tend to get in a rut and just eat the same things over and over. But this really is a great chicken recipe to have in your back pocket.
Seasons Restaurant
While visiting Chattanooga back in June, we ate at our hotel restaurant Seasons. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn. We ate here because it was our arrival evening, and we wanted something quick and easy but semi-nice. So we thought the hotel restaurant would be just that.
Last Day Before Preschool
So I was struggling with the idea of being away from Melody when she started preschool. Even though it is only 8 hours a week, it was super hard to come to terms with. But it was needed for her. So on her last day before school, I decided to have a mommy and me day.