Friday Favorites: Hello June!

Weather wise we had a beautiful introduction to June and I was so thankful for that.  With all the protests, riots, and looting going on in the world (even near our little corner of it) I was incredibly thankful for our escapes into nature.



Ian woke with a sore knee and that mixed with our cloudy skies meant no hiking on Friday.  We cleaned the basement instead.  Evan and I took a quick run to Target and then Alec and I settled down for some painting.  I painted a new slate for our garden while Alec put a sketch he's been working on on canvas.







In the late afternoon the sun was trying to shine through so the younger boys and I chanced a hike at the dam. We hiked for nearly an hour and just could not get over how quickly everything turned so lush and green!  (of course that made all three of us cough and sneeze as our allergies wen't nuts)






For dinner we grilled up some steaks and served them with rice pilaf, broccoli, and salad.

Saturday morning I whipped up my dilly potato salad and set some chicken in an italian herb marinade to cook on the grill for dinner.  I wrote up our weekly menu and prepared a shopping list before heading out to do another grocery store trip.



I spent much of my afternoon lounging outside reading a book soaking up the warm summery sun.  It was fabulous.  We've had lots of fun watching the birds too and saw our hmmingbird feeder getting lots of attention.



Even though only Evan and I were home for dinner (Ian and my husband went fishing while Alec went swimming and boating) I still cooked up the chicken and corn on the cob to go with our potato salad and tossed salad.

Sunday was absolutely beautiful-- sunny, 60, and windy so we headed out on a hike.  We tried a new trail at Buffumville.  It was a 6ish mile loop right near the water and it took us just over 3 hours to hike.














We stopped to get ice cream afterwards and we were rather happy we could sit at picnic tables outside to eat them.




For dinner I made homemade mac and cheese with fish and salad; the younger boys ate leftover chicken in place of fish.



Monday I stopped at Target to return one of the dresses I picked up on Friday (I REALLY need stores to open their dressing rooms back up-- I feel like I am returning 1/2 of every order everywhere I am getting clothes from).  And then we went for a hike; it's amazing how different some of our favorite hiking places look with all the trees in full bloom.



We grilled up some chicken kabobs and served them with rice for a summer stir-fry.

We worked on cleaning up our beach Tuesday.   Ian used the excavator to flatten out the beach so we don't have as a dramatic of a drop off as we did.  We raked the sand, scooped up old leaves/ seaweed and blew all the sand off the patio.  After lunch the younger boys and I headed to our library to pick up books curbside and then went on a nice walk/hike at the dam that we'd never tried before.  It was a pretty trail that led right out into the water.






Once home I cooked up some bacon and we had BLT grinders with chips and salad for dinner.

It was beautiful and sunny out on Wednesday but with rumors of rioting and looting in the area I wanted to just hang out at home.  I whipped up a chicken broccoli and rice casserole for dinner first thing in the morning while the boys went with their grandmother to pick up breakfast from Dunkin Donuts.



 I read my book and enjoyed my breakfast outside; staying out most of the morning and then watched the younger boys swimming (at a neighbor's).



It was a real cloudy afternoon so we stayed inside other than a quick walk to get the mail.

It was beautiful out on Thursday. I ate breakfast outside again and convinced the younger boy to go out on a kayak ride with me.  Ian stayed home working out in the field using the excavator.






My husband was working real late and wasn't home for dinner so I kept dinner nice and simple with burgers, hot dogs, salad, and homemade butternut squash fries (for me)/ french fries (for the boys).  We even ate outside!

Linking Up With: On the Edge, Fabulous Fridays, 



Comments

  1. Such beautiful trails as always...and I want to jump into the screen and eat that potato salad- wow! Have a great weekend :)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! It really hit the spot. I rarely make potato salad since it doesn't go over that well with my boys but every now and then I just really want some.

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  2. I love seeing all of your hiking pictures and your food looks delicious. Our pool just opened so we just added that in our daily activities!
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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    1. Oh I just love pool weather! I have been trying for 16+ years now to convince my husband we need a pool... not a great arguement to try and have when you live on a lake. LOL. However, I like seeing what I'm swimming with and am much more comfortable in a pool.

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  3. Isn't it crazy how everything was suddenly GREEN!
    I'm still celebrating!

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  4. I love seeing all the hiking - love those ladybug painted rocks so much! We were walking the other night and Gabbie sneezed, then she immediately announced "allergies!" as if she was defending herself. It was funny. I need dressing rooms to open too. I bought Gabbie two dresses because she couldn't try them on to choose one and of course she's keeping both!

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    1. We have been doing that too with any cough or sneeze!! Especially if we're hiking in public-- even if we don't see anyone.

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  5. The weather has been so beautiful!! And reading outside is one of my absolute favorite things to do. So glad you got to enjoy it a few times this week and the wonderful weather! Happy Friday!

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  6. Your family goes on such great hikes! I have not done any clothes shopping during quarantine, because I cannot shop without trying everything on and I don't want to deal with returns. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Ugh! I am struggling to buy clothes without trying them on but I truely had NOTHING to wear that was spring/ summer so I had to order like crazy and deal with returns galore. Not fun at all. I guess in hindsight I could have invested in a good belt and just worn baggy pants/ shorts for a few weeks but I didn't think of that until just now.

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  7. Such wonderful activities! Loving all the hiking you are able to do and the paintings look amazing!
    Thanks for sharing!
    Ellibelle's Corner

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    1. Thank you! I thought the paintings came out great too; even if I do say so myself.

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  8. Looks like such a lovely week. I still can't believe it's June. It's starting to get hot here so hiking is out for me unfortunately. I see so many folks kayaking lately. I'd really like to try that soon.

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    1. It's starting to get a bit hot here so we're trying to get out first thing before the heat of mid-day or on cooler, windy days because I am definitely a fair weather hiker.

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  9. You live in such a beautiful area...jealous! Hope you have a good weekend!

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  10. I am also ready for dressing rooms to open back up! It keeps me from buying things because I am worried about the fit and I am so bad at returning things!

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    1. I am awful at returns too and I seem to fall in between sizes right now so I really have to try things on.

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  11. Oh your nature pictures are so calming!

    Have the Best weekend!
    Patty

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  12. So many wonderful things in one post! I love your painted garden slate, those adorable lady bug painted rocks, the leave only footprints rock, and your chicken rice casserole! Thanks for sharing and linking up.

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

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