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Good morning, and happy Sunday! We’re wrapping up another full week complete with travel, summer fun, a birthday celebration, and lots of good eats. All of the highlights, along with each of our dinners, are included in today’s roundup of Our Week in Meals!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
For those of you who are new to the blog, Our Week in Meals is where I share a little bit about what we’ve been up to over the past week — as it relates to our dinners each night. This series gives you a glimpse “behind the scenes” at some highlights from our life, shows you how I balance a busy schedule with feeding my family, and offers a few new ideas for your own weekly meal plan. Now, let’s back up to last weekend…
Sunday morning started with a batch of blueberry streusel muffins,
followed by an early walk at Mollie’s farm.
We spent the afternoon at the pool, and then came home to a delicious steak dinner. Keith grilled New York strips,
which we paired with baked potato wedges,
plus a Caesar salad and a tomato salad. Have to take advantage of those good summer tomatoes while they’re available! I used the basil and chives from my garden in lieu of red onion this time.
Monday was a busy one! I met my friend Barbara for an early walk that morning, took Casey to the orthodontist, and then headed south to Nelson County to visit my parents.
We had lunch, took a quick spin with my dad through my favorite antique shop near their house, and went for a bike ride around the neighborhood. We don’t have paved paths anywhere in Madison County, so it was worth the effort to haul their bikes down there for the afternoon!
Keith was gone that night, so I kept our dinner really simple and kid-friendly: mac and cheese and tomato sandwiches when we returned home.
Mollie stopped by for a visit on Tuesday morning after dropping her kids off at camp, but it was otherwise a quiet day at the house. My goal was to pack our suitcases and get our house organized for our next out-of-town adventure.
The hostas are blooming in the yard, which always makes me happy! A true sign of summer around here…
Dinner was a blog favorite — “egg roll in a bowl” — which I serve with a side of rice, since it’s a lighter dish that otherwise wouldn’t fill up my crew!
Wednesday was a full day of travel, as we flew from Richmond to Orlando for a visit with my brother’s family.
We stayed at the Sapphire Falls resort (where Keith had spent the previous two days for a work conference), so my brother, sister-in-law, and their 4 kids came over for a swim that afternoon…
…and joined us for a poolside dinner. Fish tacos with slaw hit the spot!
We spent Thursday morning at Andretti’s riding go-karts and playing laser tag (a huge hit with the boys!),
took the water taxi to the City Walk for lunch at Margaritaville, and then eventually made it to my brother’s house for an afternoon of swimming.
He grilled salmon, burgers, and hot dogs, and Jackie set out a delicious spread of pasta salads, Caesar salad, and fruit.
Followed by key lime pie for dessert — the perfect Floridian summer treat!
A stack of blueberry pancakes and plenty of coffee from IHOP on Friday morning…
…and later, Casey and I found a new favorite doughnut shop!
We met the cousins for a round at Topgolf, went back to their house for lunch, and then the older kids went to see the new Minions movie.
Meanwhile, Spence entertained himself with scooter-riding through their neighborhood and swimming in their pool…
We had a big family birthday dinner for my niece that evening, which included pizza, salad, and this triple-layer chocolate cake that was specifically requested by the 5-year-old!
None of us were happy about a 4:00 a.m. wake-up call on Saturday morning to catch an early flight back to Virginia; however, the boys’ day was made when the kind JetBlue pilots gave them an extensive tour of the cockpit. Honestly, I didn’t even know this was “allowed” anymore, but it was a welcome surprise!
We made it home shortly after lunch, so we had time to get settled, unpack, start laundry, and eat an easy supper before crashing for an early bedtime. I had made a batch of meatballs last week to stash in the freezer, so I just reheated those and paired them with spaghetti,
as well as garlic bread (also prepped earlier and stored in the freezer) and steamed broccoli.
And that’s it for now, friends! After two weeks full of travel (North Carolina, then Florida), we’re home for most of July, and looking forward to a quieter summer schedule. Thank you for being here, and have a great 4th of July!🎇
Wow! That was some vacation all of you had. Always doing something and and on the go.
That tour of the cockpit of the plane sure was thrill for the boys ; you can see this by their happy grins.
Vacations like this are made to be made into wonderful memories for families.
I still remember when when my family went to Canada for a week so many moons ago with just about the whole family. So much to see there too.
Have a great week to “rest up” !
Sandra W.
Thanks, Sandra! Yes, we were SO exhausted by the end of it, but glad to have gone. You’re right — so many memories made! 🙂
Looks like a really great trip. Good memories for sure. I am SUCH a mother hen! I guess you and yours feel like family to me now! Somehow I got the notion that YESTERDAY was Sunday and I didn’t see your usual Sunday update so I was worried. I kept telling myself “It’s the holiday weekend”. Maybe they’re traveling. Maybe her computer is down. But I never thought to check if I had the right day of the week until last night. Lo, it was Saturday, not Sunday. What a relief! Silly me! Anyway, I’m glad your trips went so well. Great memories and it is GOOD that you keep in contact with your extended families. I knew my mother’s family very well but hardly ever saw my father’s and since my mother died I see little of my brother and sister. Love and good wishes!
Thank you, Marion! It warms my heart to know that you care enough to worry about us when you don’t see a post. Thanks for your support, and have a happy 4th of July!
Blair
Happy 4th! I know you were busy traveling and making memories – just wanted you to know I missed your book recommendations! I love your recipes, hearing about the family and your beautiful pictures but also look forward to your book recommendations. Most of my Amazon buys are books and by far the great majority of them are made on Sunday morning after reading your email! HA! So I saved a little bit of money this week!! I HAVE gotten better about checking my local library’s website to see if a book is available but still . . .
Take care!
Thank you, Cathy! I know — I realized this morning after publishing the post that I had totally forgotten to share my recent books. AHHH! I’ll give you twice as many good recommendations next week! Thanks for following along… 🙂
I really enjoy your recipes. Last year you had a recipe for Damson Preserves and you sent me the name of the orchard you got the damsons from. I misplaced it and wonder if you would e mail it to me again before they begin to ripen.
thanks
Hi, Ann! Yep, I’ll send you an email right now!
I love your Sunday wrap-ups! I feel like it is a nice little visit, sitting in the sun and drinking coffee while reading your family’s antics….you are a special family! Thanks for sharing life with us (and GREAT recipes!!).
Thank you so much, Connie! I appreciate that. 🙂