Our First Family Road Trip

Hi friends!  We just got back from our first family road trip and I wanted to make a post about it so that I could look back on all of the wonderful memories and that I would be able to talk Tate into a future trip because this one wasn't that bad. :)

Technically, this is our second trip.  But the first one almost scarred Tate and me for life because Daphne was about a month old and screamed for approximately one hour straight in the car.  I honestly think Tate debated scheduling a vasectomy the next day.  Fast forward almost three years later and here we were, about to embark on our second car trip longer than three hours.  I think both of us were nervous since our first experience was less than pleasant.  

One of my best friends just moved to a house on a lake up near Madison, Wisconsin.  When I say just moved, I really do mean just moved....as in about 2-3 weeks ago.  But, with best friends, there are no boundaries, right?? I've gone to visit her on a couple of girls trips but this time I wanted the whole family to go.  Madison is such an awesome town with so much to do, whether it be a girls weekend or a mini family vacay!

We arrived at around 5 o'clock in the evening.  Her hubby was grilling burgers and hot dogs while we unpacked the car.  We pretty much immediately went down to their amazing dock that has a view of the capital building along with the pretty skyline.  It was so peaceful and relaxing.  After dinner, we tried our hand at fishing off the dock and Libby was bound and determined to catch a fish.  Somehow, she managed to catch about four fish and they would seriously finagle their way off the hook somehow right as she was pulling them up to the dock.  She finally got one though and she was so excited! 





Shortly after that, there were a bunch of ducks and geese around the dock.  Daphne and I went down to check them out since they were so close and she loved it.  I love listening to her talk to the animals. She talks with such authority sometimes.  She kept saying, "Get ova herrrrrrre ya duck!" and "Do you want some cackers (crackers) duck?"   We finished the first night with s'mores around the fire and several thousand of our mosquito friends decided to join the party.  I think my friend and I probably had around 50 bites between the two of us (I wish I was exaggerating).



The next morning we went to this little playground on the beach.  It was so cute and the real show stopper was a two person swing that the girls and I loved. WHY DON'T THEY HAVE THOSE EVERYWHERE?!  Seriously, it was so much more fun getting to swing with them than having to just stand there and push.  After the playground and beach, we came back for lunch.  She had originally planned for BLT's but the guys added turkey, and we decided to one-up them and add turkey AND avocado.  Game changer.  I'm not sure I will ever have a regular BLT ever again.  Tate usually goes the BMT route--bacon, mayonnaise and turkey whereas I go more traditional.  Are you Team Tate or Team Chelsea when it comes to a BLT?  If you aren't Team Chelsea then GTFO my blog.  Kidding.  
My friend knows the way to my heart and she made sure to plan a stop at the world's best (and probably only) bait + ice cream shoppe.  Of course the girls picked out the darkest color of ice cream.  I'm thankful it matched their dresses to camouflage the stains.  It was bath night even if it wasn't bath night.  If you don't want ice cream while you are buying bait, what kind of a monster are you?  I think all specialty shops should just start selling ice cream.  Sporting Goods + Ice Cream.  Shoes + Ice Cream.  Swimsuits + ...okay wait, scratch that idea.  I'm not sure about the worm selection, but the ice cream variety at this place was second to most.  Haha, I laugh at my jokes so often and they aren't even that good.  I wish you all could see how many times I giggle after typing something that only 3% of readers will find funny.  I'm also joking about the shop, the variety of ice cream was good.  I ended up getting a vanilla with fudge, chocolate and caramel swirled in because I'm focusing on perfecting my mom body.  Tate copied me because he always does and the girls picked out a pomegranate Greek yogurt variety. #Proud    They didn't pick it out for the health benefits, they WANTED RED ICE CREAM....WIF SPRINKLES.  Daphne yelled that several times while we were in there.  I just acted like she wasn't my kid.













The next day, we took the kids to the zoo.  It is a free zoo and it's actually pretty good!  When my friend told me the zoo was free, she heard the tone in my voice of my reaction and had to defend it saying, "It's pretty good!"  Tate was making comments that they probably only had one animal so I said, it must be a shih tzu. And he looked at me like I was the most unintelligent person on the planet.  Sometimes I wonder if he doesn't get my jokes or just really doesn't find them funny.  It's probably the latter.  Anyway, the free zoo...I had my doubts, but my friend was right.  It was great.  Daphne calls all tigers "Shere Khan"...as in the mean tiger on the Jungle Book.  It is seriously her favorite Disney character.  I mean, why couldn't it at least be the nice, gentle tiger from Aladdin? Seriously.











We had such a wonderful time and our host and hostess couldn't be better.  Time with good friends, their kids and of course my family is something I will always cherish.  There were definitely some wonderful memories made on this trip and I can't wait to do it again!

"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." - Benjamin Franklin

Life Lately + Dealing With Loss

It has been six months since I last posted.  The past six months have easily been the hardest of my life after losing my dad.  I miss him every hour of every day.  The first few days and weeks were nothing but a flood of tears and an ocean of emotion (channeling my inner Dr. Seuss there).  I feel very grateful to have had a father as wonderful as him and these days lately, most of my emotions are dealing with missing him and also a great sense of gratitude to have enjoyed so many years, moments, and memories with him.

I find myself wanting to do more of the things that he loved, although we have always shared similar interests; namely painting and drawing, fishing, and enjoying a tall can of cheap beer.  I'm still trying to acquire the taste of Jameson.  Someday.  Never.

I decided to dry some flowers that we had on display at his visitation and funeral so that I can make a special keepsake for myself and my family members.  

The weather here is finally changing and I know it is exactly what I needed for my heart to feel full again.  The new growth and change of the seasons is a reminder that although life ends, new life begins and it is a beautiful thing.  The only advice I have to offer to someone dealing with loss is don't always focus on what is missing, focus on what you have.  If you keep that perspective, it will help you make it through the hard times.

As I get older, I find myself more at peace being outdoors.  The girls have been quite the little flower pickers.  I love every single one they give me.  It has been wonderful being outside again.  The cabin fever was real in the Christensen house this winter. 

 

Tate had a day off on Sunday.  We had such a good day of family time.  After lunch, we went to the ball fields and Tate helped my nephew with batting practice while all of us fielded the balls (from the outfield for safety).  After that, we went to the park and watched the kids go down the slide several thousand times before hitting up our local ice cream shop that will be the death of my hot summer bod.  From there, we went down to the river to throw rocks in the water.  The kids love it, I know it sounds kind of lame haha. I found three shells by the river and Libby wanted to keep them.  Towards the end of the day she took a picture of her shells using Tate's phone.  I was so impressed.  I think I am going to print and frame it as a reminder of our perfect day.

 

Libby had to relax on the porch swing after our long, adventurous day.  Some upcoming projects we have on the docket for our house include updating our dining room (I can't wait to show these blown up old posters of our parents) and also transforming our treehouse!  Now that life is getting back on track, I will be posting more.  Thanks for reading. XOXO.

"If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive." -Eleonora Duse

Homemade Body Butter + Where Did October Go?

Hello Friends!  I cannot believe Halloween is this week!  For us, October was filled with beautiful weather, a puppy named Duke joining our family, a trip to the apple orchard, a couple of park dates, and we finally managed to buy some pumpkins a couple of days ago to set on the porch. #MomFail

Lately, I've been very into essential oils and reading about some of the benefits they have to offer (sorry if this doesn't interest you, skip to a lower paragraph haha).  I decided to try and make my own whipped body butter after seeing this recipe..  It only has 3 ingredients (more depending on how many essential oils you mix in). I decided to use 8 drops of grapefruit, 5 drops of lavendar, and 2 drops of Ylang Ylang.  It smells so good!  This was super easy and took about ten minutes to make from start to finish.  For the container, I just used an old candle container.  Does anybody else buy candles to try and re-use the container?  My inner 80-year-old lady is BEAMING with pride.

It is a little greasy because of the coconut oil, but I need to let it harden in the fridge.  There are so many more recipes out there, I will be making more in the near future!  Also, if you don't feel like making your own, these would be the ones that I would buy (and plan to buy at some point).  She also just started an organic + mineral make-up line that I can't wait to try!

Early in October, a new boy joined our family.  He is a mini goldendoodle and his name is Duke (after John Wayne of course).  We decided to get a puppy because we are insane.  That is literally the only reason.  Oh, and we thought it would be good for the girls since they were terrified of anything with more than two legs.  He has been good for the girls and good for us.  Make sure you listen to people when they tell you puppies are like a newborn.  Because they are. :)   I love listening to Daphne call him "Dukey Bear" and telling him that he's a good boy.  That girl has a lot of love to give. 

 

I have one confession, I've been listening to Christmas music one or two times a week since the beginning of October.  I know, I know.  Don't hate me cause you ain't me.  Just kidding.  I love Halloween and this time of year--I get such a sense of gratitude.  Thankful for all of the family time, thankful for a safe harvest (we have lots of farmers in our life), and thankful for all we have.  I hope everyone has a safe and fun trick or treat night!  All of the candy is hard on my mom body.

Indian Summer

I needed to be thankful for this unseasonably warm weather we were having.  In the bitter depths of winter, all I want is to be outside at the park or the pool with the girls.  But I just wasn't having it this time.  I was ready for a fire in our fireplace and snuggling on the couch wrapped up in the softest blanket, watching one of our favorite Halloween movies.  I was ready for fall, and it finally came!  We filled up the little pool one last time this past weekend and the girls were thrilled.  It is not too often they will be able to swim at the end of September in the Midwest.

There are a few things to me that mark the end of summer.  And one of those is the last great tomato harvest.  My tomato plants did not do very well in my garden bed.  I think they need to be in more sun so I will try and put them in a different spot next year.  Tate's grandma was gracious enough to give us a large box full of fresh, ripe tomatoes.  I never met a free tomato I didn't like. 

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with all of these bad boys.  I had two thoughts: eat a sh*t ton of BLT's or turn it into sauce.  I made sauce.  Although a BLT sounds lovely right now.  *Second guesses choice*  We have been making this creamy chicken/spinach/tomato pasta every other week so making a sauce was the more practical choice.  I tossed the tomatoes with olive oil, minced garlic, basil, salt/pepper, and Italian seasoning. Then I roasted them for about 4 hours @ 250 degrees. 

After they were done roasting, I let them cool for a bit and then tossed them in a blender with some sugar to reduce the acidity.  It turned out good and went great with the recipe linked above.  

We've been fighting sickness already in our house. Libby's face in this picture cracks me up.  Whatever we were doing, she was over it.  Her favorite thing to say to new people she meets is, "See my finger, see my thumb, see my fist...you'd better run!"  Then she giggles.  It may be a youngest child trait, but Daphne doesn't give two sh*ts about anything (except suckers and obtaining said suckers).  The other morning I was in such a hurry to get out of the house, but she was nonchalantly taking her time brushing her teeth and rinsing off her toothbrush.  Not a care in the world.  The girl runs on her own time. #RESPECT

I hope you all have a great rest of your week and a restful weekend!  I'm excited for margaritas, soccer, football, and pumpkin donuts (in that order)!  XOXO, Chelsea

She is water.
Powerful enough to drown you.
Soft enough to cleanse you.
Deep enough to save you.
-Adrian Michael-

F-O-U-R

And just like that, she's four.  Libby Lu, you have the biggest heart, the blondest hair, and a great love for your family and friends.  Shine with the stars baby girl.  We love you so much.

Tate made Libby confetti cupcakes with strawberry frosting and sprinkles.  For supper, we had her favorite meal of chicken nuggets and french fries.  She opened her presents first thing this morning.  The very first thing she said when she woke up was, "Daphne can open one of my presents, Mom."  It melted my heart.  I hope Daphne realizes how lucky she is to have a big sister who loves her the way Libby does.

At supper, I asked the birthday girl a few questions:

Favorite color? PINK!

Favorite food? Brownies

Favorite movie?  Hercules

Favorite song?  Anna & Elsa songs

Best friend? Laney

What do you do for fun? Uh, play.

What makes you smile?  It's my birthday!

What do you want to be when you grow up?  Ummm, a grown up.

Know any good jokes?  A funny word you don't know....HAHA!

"When I met you, I knew we would shine together."      XOXO, Mom

Sunday Thoughts + The Finished Barn Door

Ahhh Sundays.  I love Sundays.  Our intentional family time day, football watching day, napping day, baking day, and bed making day.  I only make our beds on Sundays.  Let's be real, I can barely manage to walk out the door on time while giving the girls a banana + granola bar for breakfast...so bed-making most definitely isn't happening during the week.  But what is it about crawling into a nicely made bed that is so comforting?

Last week, I wrote about this old door that had been sitting out in my parent's shed for 30+ years.  I love giving old things new life.  Our old house is a perfect canvas for projects like that.  I love how it turned out!  The door didn't fit the width of any of our doorways, so a sliding barn door was our only simple option.  I stole this idea from a friend who used an old door similar to this for her pantry and I love how it looked.  We ended up cleaning the hardware with ketchup.  I know, I gave Tate a really grossed out look when he suggested it.  But, it worked!  We let it sit on the hardware for about an hour and it really took almost all of the grime off.  I always get hungry for hot dogs when I am near this door now though....kidding.  

 

Daphne will not stop opening and closing this door.  She basically gets into everything we tell her not to.  I thought I would try the ole "reverse psychology" trick.  She's onto me.  She still won't leave the door alone.

The rest of today, we plan on going to the park and then watching our nephew's football game.  Yesterday, Libby had her first soccer game of the season.  It was SO FUN watching all of the little kids play.  Libby is on the same team as two of her best friends, so she is loving it so far.  During the game, one of her friends went over to play with some blocks that another kid sitting on the sidelines had brought.  We had to remind her to focus. :)     

After Libby's game, the girls and I went down to mom and dad's to finish moving most of the big stuff.  If your area is ever in a drought and desperate for rain, just plan on moving large pieces of furniture on an open trailer. I guarantee it will rain.  Most of their furniture survived, however we lost two couches due to a yellow tarp staining the couch.  I was joking with mom last night about the stained couch incident saying that the slogan for mine and my brother-in-law's moving service would be "We hope you don't care about your shit."  It was a lot of work, but it is nice to have most of the big pieces done.  My sister was there.  I'm not sure what all she did.  She likes to take three 20-minute breaks per hour while moving.   She's going to hate me when she reads this. 

I better wrap this post up because the natives are getting restless.  Looks like it is time for lunch and then off to the park we go!  I hope you all have a great rest of your weekend. 

September Happenings + Life Lately

Hello everyone!  It has been so busy around the Christensen house lately.  My parents decided to sell their house and are in the process of packing things up, so that has been keeping us busy on weekends when I usually try and write!  I am SO excited for them to move closer.  Of course leaving the house they have been in for over 35 years is bittersweet, but we are so excited for more memories in the new place.  I plan on posting soon about all of my "treasures" that I have found during the move.  It is so fun to see everything mom and dad have kept over the years.

Mom has been finding old dresses from when my sister and I were little and also some of her own dresses.  It is so fun because the girls fit into most of the outfits that were saved, so I have been trying to get their pictures in as many of those outfits as I can!  The pictures below are of the girls in my mom's dress and my grandmother's dress.  Libby is wearing my mom's and Daphne is wearing my grandma's.  I will always cherish these pictures!

This weekend was our big in-state rivalry football game.  It didn't end up going in my favor.  My husband and I actually root for opposite teams, so one of us ends up mad every year--usually me.  We had my family over for the game.  I cooked up a big pot of chili and made some cinnamon rolls.  If you have not tried the chili/cinnamon rolls combo, you MUST!  I never make chili the same and rarely ever follow a recipe.  This batch turned out pretty good.  I ended up using a ground beef/ground turkey mix.  I also used up the rest of the onions from the garden and most of the peppers (I have jalapenos, mini bell peppers, and banana peppers).  One thing I did differently this time was add in a can of Busch's brown sugar/bourbon flavored baked beans.  It was so good!

We are still elbows deep in house projects.  Right now, we are working on clearing out a couple of rooms so that my parents can have their own space while they live with us until their new house is ready.  About a year ago, I was in their back shed and found this old door sitting in there.  It had beautiful etched glass in perfect condition.  The door needed a little TLC.  Tate has sanded and stained it for me and I am in the process of cleaning the hardware.  We are going to make it into a sliding barn door that goes from our eat-in kitchen to the dining room.  I cannot wait for it to be done! I love adding old pieces to our home.

I kind of like the distressed look.  I have been using Brass-O to clean these.  I should have taken a before picture because they were pretty black!  I will try and remove a little more of the grime, otherwise I am pretty happy with them.  I like the mixed metal look.  I can't wait to show pictures of the finished project!

We have been trying to eat pretty healthy here during the week.  Tate started the same exercise program as me.  I am so proud of him!  He's been really committed and it's been paying off.  I can't wait to see his progress pictures at the end of this session because I think we will both be surprised.  Every week, I have been planning healthy suppers.  I have found that meal prep doesn't really work for us for a couple of reasons.  1)  I cannot eat the same thing all week.   I just can't even (said in the most basic girl voice).  2) I don't think my kids would enjoy that.   Meal planning has really worked for us!  I write down 4-5 suppers each week and then write out all the ingredients we need.  Tate usually does the shopping.  It has been working out great.

On this week's menu:  

• Shrimp Fried Rice
• Thin Crust Breakfast Pizzas
• Spinach/Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with a side of pasta
• Tacos
• Baked Fish & Sweet Potato Fries

I know what you are thinking...that menu doesn't sound that healthy.  But there are ways to make your favorite dishes better for you!  For the fried rice, I will use brown rice instead of white.  For the pizzas, I will use these thin crust protein crusts + egg whites.  In the pasta, we have switched over to wheat or whole grain pasta and I will add in spinach to the tomato sauce.  There are a lot of little changes we have made over the past several months without feeling restricted.  And that works for us!  After all, we are not trying to be body builders...just trying to live a healthier lifestyle! :)  

That being said, fall is my favorite time to make allllllllllll the comfort foods.  I hear apple crisp calling my name.  Weekend splurges are good for the soul, right?  Hope you all have a great week.  XOXO--Chels