Month: June 2018

Summer Goals & Plans

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So, I am not really a “bucket list” person, but I thought it would be fun to put down everything I’d like to do this summer. As the kids get older I am very aware of the limited opportunities for summer fun together. I also thought that by getting some of these goals down, it may make them more concrete and therefore actually happen!

I stole the idea from my friend Jean at So Not Organized – since I’m trying to blog more, she suggested I check out 30 Days of Summer on  her blog, and I do think if you’re stuck for topic ideas, you’ll definitely find some inspiration!

30 Days of Summer

Here in the Hudson Valley, the kids don’t go back to school until after Labor Day, so we still have two whole months ahead! I wonder how many of these goals I’ll check off at summer’s end?

Family
Go to a drive-in movie
Go canoeing
Take a family photo
Attend the Dutchess County Fair
Eat dinner on the deck
Hike someplace new
Swimming at the pond
Enjoy outdoor movie nights with friends
Entertain “just because”

Home & Garden
Repaint the dry sink
Pull up and replant the cotoneaster
Completely declutter the master bedroom
Replace old pots, pans, and towels
Knit/crochet new dishcloths

Personal
Read three books that are not work-related
Revamp my blog (design, broken links, broken images)
Practice self-care Sunday

Cooking & Crafting
Make homemade ice cream
Can jam and/or fresh summer fruit
Make frozen lemonade pie
Enjoy fresh, local tomatoes sprinkled with salt and basil
Get menu plans organized for the fall
Update and reorganize recipe planner
Make frozen margaritas
Finish my Atlanticus blanket
Finish my River Rock blanket
Organize knitting & crochet patterns

 

Hook ‘Em & Cook ‘Em

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It’s always fun when your boys come home from a deep sea fishing excursion at 2 in the morning and plop down two enormous bags of their catches on the counter! I kid you not, friends. Monday Jake and Noah went fishing off the coast of Niantic, CT with their Boy Scout troop and, well… I guess it was a good day for fishing!

I had never really heard of Porgy before, but then again I don’t cook a lot of fish at home, so I don’t venture further than cod, salmon, shrimp, and haddock. But, after dividing up 6 dinners’ worth of Porgy (nearly 8 lbs), I expect that I will soon be an expert on its preparation!

Deep sea fishing

Of course we had for dinner last night. It’s not often we have fresh-off-the-boat seafood, so I was curious to try it. First, I looked up the fish and was relieved to learn it’s a mild, delicate fish. Some people compare it to Red Snapper. I’ve never tried that, so I can’t agree or disagree.

The fish do have a LOT of little bones, even though they were filleted at the dock. Luckily they aren’t too hard to pick out and we got most of them.

For my first time preparing Porgies, I decided to go super-simple. I just seasoned with salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash, then coated them with seasoned flour, an egg wash, and crushed corn flakes. Then I baked the filets until they were flaky

Baked Porgie

Baked Porgie

Baked Porgie

I served them with lemon wedges and tarter sauce… nothing fancy!

Baked Porgie
So, the question is… What do Porgies take like? Well, they are pretty mild, but “fishier” than, say, haddock. Personally, they’re not something I’d go out of my way to get but they were better than I expected. Noah loved them, actually.

I think these Porgies would be yummy deep-fried, and maybe I’ll try that at another point this summer. Have you ever had them? What’s your favorite way to cook porgies? I’m all ears!

Summer Break is Here

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Happy Monday everyone! It is our first full week of summer vacation here, so I’m trying to stick to a new schedule. We have lots going on this week, so I need to stay on task. Thought I’d get in a quick blog post before I start my running around, though. Linking up with Happy Homemaker Monday, hosted by Sandra at Diary of a SAHM!

The weather | It’s kind of an odd morning here. One minute the sky looks like it may start storming, the next the sun is out. At least the temperature is comfortable (for now). Later this week we are looking at the 90s and I am not looking forward to that in the least.

Right now I am | Sitting in the living room, typing this up. I woke up very congested and honestly don’t feel that great. My husband has been suffering with a cold for the last week and I have a bad feeling I’ve caught it.

Thinking | Today the boys are going deep-sea fishing off the Connecticut coast with Boy Scouts, so I’m hoping they have a safe trip and a lot of fun on their excursion.

Something fun or interesting that happened | A while back, Drew bought a banjo on eBay and Noah decided he was going to learn to play it. And learn he did! The kid is getting pretty good! Yesterday afternoon Drew, Jake, and Noah jammed outside for a while while we had some family over. It was really fun!

Untitled

Untitled

On my reading pile | I’m finishing up Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler and it’s a fun read, especially if you know anyone who has worked in the restaurant biz. I just saw that they made it into a TV series. I will have to check it out once I’m finished with the book.

On my TV | Nothing really at the moment. I do want to start watching “The Staircase” on Netflix, though.

On the menu for this week |
Monday – Taco salads
Tuesday – Grilled pork chops, steamed veggies
Wednesday – Chili dogs, fries, cole slaw
Thursday – Spinach and roasted red pepper stuffed chicken
Friday – Burgers, green salad
Saturday – Out at a party

Sunday – ?

On my to do list |
Finish up laundry

Organize medical forms for upcoming camps

Reorganize craft desk

In the craft basket | I decided that I wanted to enter my Atlanticus blanket in this year’s Dutchess Co. Fair. Of course, that means I have to finish it, so I’m trying to crank away on that. Unfortunately I need to rip back a round or two because my stitch count is off. Ugh!

Looking forward to this week | Celebrating Drew’s aunt’s birthday on Saturday. Hoping for a nice day!

Looking around the house | It’s not looking too bad. I deep-cleaned the kitchen yesterday morning. The living room could use a tidy and of course, as always, a vacuum. Hoping the kids will make some progress on cleaning their rooms this week. Now that school is out — no excuses!

Hoping you all have a great week!

Suddenly It’s Summer!

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Well I think that’s a new record. I managed to go an entire season without blogging. What can I say? Anyone with kids knows how busy the months of April, May & June are. I was driving to high school musical rehearsals, attending functions, and beaming with pride at a seemingly endless number of school concerts (three kids, three schools, all of whom are involved in every possible musical opportunity). I have been really busy at work, really busy at home… it’s called “living” right? And it’s just been a busy season (literally and figuratively in our lives.

But now it is summer! The kids are out of school. Extracurricular commitments are at a low. I can’t say work will slow down, but I think I’m in good shape there. Let’s try this blogging thing again. I just got my domain renewal notice in the mail today. Going on 18 years at this little space. I don’t think I can stop now!

So I’ll dust off the cobwebs, spruce things up, and try to get back so regular posting. In the meantime, I’m here! I’ve been thinking about all kinds of posts. I’ve been reading so many articles on the importance of journalling and documenting the days. I’ve been remembering how much fun it was when I was really into scrapbooking and taking photos and getting it all down. And that’s how I want to spend my summer. Soaking it in. Getting it down. Sharing it. Hopefully some of you are going to stick around.