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Whew…this week flew by in some sort of crazy way, and I never really felt like we were in a routine or in our groove. Ah well, it may not have been my most productive, but I sure have plenty of pics to share in today’s Weekend Recap! Here’s how we stayed busy over the past 7 days…

First of all, when I went to get a few photos off of Keith’s phone to use for this post, I came across this:

Classic.

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Sunday was a relaxing day. The weather was beautiful and we didn’t have too much on our schedule. I enjoyed my first iced coffee of the season (on the porch)!

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And in the afternoon we went for a walk along the Rapidan River.

 Despite the look on his face, I swear he was having fun!

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For dinner that evening Keith grilled some Mahi Mahi that I had picked up from Costco, and I served some leftover salad from the night before:

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along with these new-to-us tater tots:

The sour cream and chives caught my attention at the grocery store!

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Everyone loved the meal! Keith used some cajun seasoning on our fish, but just put garlic salt and olive oil on the boys’ fillets. Everything was devoured!

Monday was really sunny and warm, so while Casey was in school for the morning Spence and I went on a walk with Margeaux.

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When we got home I put a chicken in the Crock Pot for supper since cooking last-minute dinners on soccer practice nights can be tough. In the bottom of the pot I put 4-5 chopped carrots, 1 chopped onion, and some cubed butternut squash. I stuck another onion inside the cavity of the bird, and then seasoned the outside of the chicken with some garlic, salt, parsley, onion, and paprika. I cooked the 6 lb. chicken on low for about 6 hours and it was perfect — big hit with the kids and SO easy!

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After school, Casey and Spence spent almost the entire afternoon outside building “bug nests” and playing in the trees,

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stopping only briefly to eat snacks on the front porch.

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Iced tea for me!

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Tuesday morning started with an early session at the gym with Mark. We did some great strength exercises — my pull-ups (still assisted) are sloooooooowly but surely coming along! And here’s a great option that you can try, too: a single arm chest press on the stability ball…

dumbell press on stability ball

And speaking of workouts, this seems like an appropriate place to briefly share my thoughts on working out, fitness, and HOBBIES IN GENERAL as a mom. I’m willing to bet that many of my readers and friends can relate…

My friend Maggie, who lives here in Madison, recently started attending some of Mark’s training sessions at the gym. When we were out at dinner last week she mentioned that she had put her regular workouts on “pause” while having her babies, but since getting back into it recently she said, “I feel like ME again!”  That’s exactly how I feel — after a “pause” to earn a law degree, marry my husband, start a career, and have 3 babies, it’s nice to finally get back to something that I love. As Maggie so succinctly put it: “I feel like ME again!”

And speaking of other things that I love…READING! It was a good mail week when new reading material arrived at my door. Can’t wait to dive into these! It’s been really nice to get back into a daily reading groove this year, too (whether it’s novels, nonfiction, cookbooks, or magazines…I love them ALL)!

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After we dropped Gibbs off at school on Tuesday we made a quick run to Walmart for some groceries and art project supplies. The boys had breakfast #2 of the morning courtesy of the bakery (a.k.a. “bribery” for sitting through a shopping trip)!

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I found these “gems” in the produce section and snagged them! I rarely see pomegranate seeds around here, and we love adding them to yogurt, salads, or eating them by the handful. So good!

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After lunch Hannah arrived to watch Spence and Casey while I headed out to the monthly preschool Board meeting. We were so excited to learn that our recent Silent Auction fundraiser was a huge success this year (I guess that means that Keith and I spent enough $$$). ?

{Wearing some new makeup from Bare Minerals, which I’ll give you the full scoop on in another post when I have a chance!}

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Soccer practice that evening from the sidelines…

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and our late post-practice dinner was chicken sandwiches made from the leftover chicken the night before. Always a popular choice, and quick and easy!

On Wednesday morning we went on a field trip with Casey’s preschool buddies in preparation for Earth Day. We headed over to our favorite local nursery, The Market at Grelen, which includes 600 acres of gorgeous trees, flowers, and pick-your-own fruit, as well as walking trails, a cafe that serves locally-sourced food, and a gift shop.

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For my garden-loving Nature Boy Casey, this was the PERFECT field trip. After a quick Earth Day discussion, the kids went on a “hike” around the nursery and ran off some of their energy.

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When they were tired and hungry, the kids headed back to the patio at the cafe to enjoy Grelen’s homemade Lemon Blueberry Ice Cream (made from Grelen’s own blueberries). MAJOR hit with all of the preschoolers (and two-year-olds)!

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The weather and the scenery were gorgeous! Such a fun way to spend a morning with these little ones!

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And after all of the excitement and fresh air, Spence CRASHED in the car as soon as we pulled out onto the road! ?

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We spent the afternoon in Charlottesville, where we made a quick stop at Costco…

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and hit the sample jack pot! You know it’s a good day at Costco when you get there around lunchtime and the kids could practically eat an entire meal from all of the free hand-outs. This was my favorite (obviously)…

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Then a walk with Aunt Barbara on a pretty afternoon before heading home to pick up Gibbs from school!

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Keith was out of town that evening, so this tired mamma didn’t cook. The boys requested cereal for dinner and that’s what they got!?

Casey doesn’t normally have preschool on Thursday mornings, but we had to join the other Board members there this week to help with the thank you notes from our recent fundraiser…which meant that the younger two boys were dragged along with me. Before heading home for lunch, we also made stops at Target and the grocery store. It was NOT a pretty scene. The boys were not interested in running errands (surprise, surprise) and would have been much happier at home in the yard. The one photo that I did take, though, shows Spencer smiling (don’t be fooled)!

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While Spence napped that afternoon, the older boys and I worked on a project that we’ve been talking about for ages. I call it an “Indoor Fairy Garden,” but the boys call it a “FOREST.” Because there’s not a single fairy in this house, and they don’t want anything that’s associated with fairies. Whatever you call it, the kids had a great time putting these together (it took about a grand total of 30 minutes!), and I’ll be sharing a full blog post with real (non-cell phone) photos and instructions soon!

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Dinner that evening was regular pasta + “Zoodles” (zucchini noodles) + marinara sauce + the kids’ favorite meatballs! Garlic breadsticks on the side, because the boys love ’em!

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Here’s a shot from the end of Friday morning’s workout — Assisted Tricep Dips (and some VERY tired arms)! Pro tip from Mark: if you’re just starting out, grab a thicker, stronger band to assist. As you gradually get stronger, you can decrease the thickness of the resistance band and let your muscles do more of the work!

Assisted Tricep Dips

Keith worked from home on Friday, so he took Spence out for a walk mid-morning, which gave me some unexpected quiet time at home while Casey and Gibbs were both at school. I baked some Blueberry Muffin Bars to photograph for an upcoming post and got a little bit of work done on the computer. Yesss!

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We picked up Friday Night Pizza for dinner, and then later that evening I made a veggie and cheese frittata to use up some ingredients in the refrigerator before they went bad. Easy to have on hand for breakfasts and lunches!

Before baking:

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We spent Saturday morning on the soccer fields…

Game #1

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Game #2

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Sideline Selfies!

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#1 FAN!

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On Saturday afternoon we piled in the van and headed out for errands…Keith and the boys went to Lowe’s to buy the supplies that they needed to finish the fire pit, which Keith built towards the front of our property near the old General Store building:

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while Spence and I popped into Walmart next door to grab some last-minute ingredients for dinner.

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Keith grilled some Beer Can Chicken (you can see his recipe in this old guest post HERE!), I made some coleslaw to have on the side, and some baked potatoes rounded out the meal.

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While I was waiting for dinner to cook, I also threw together some more Mason Jar Salads to have on hand for easy lunches over the next few days (speaking of which, did you catch my post last week with my recipe for Chicken Taco Mason Jar Salads?). This week’s combo was chicken, feta, and watermelon salad in a balsamic dijon vinaigrette. I added some cucumbers, bell peppers, and mixed greens to the jar as well!

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And that’s all I’ve got! We had a quiet Saturday evening on the couch and we’ve got a pretty clear calendar today. I do have a fun workout get-together with some girlfriends later today, so I’ll be sure to share those details in a later post. Have a great week ahead!

blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

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Square overhead shot of hands serving a chicken pot pie recipe with biscuits
Overhead image of a bowl of chili mac on a dinner table with cornbread
Hands serving a platter of sheet pan sausage and potatoes

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Comments

  1. Wow ! what a week… sometimes I wonder how do you manage to post almost everyday with all these. You are a super mum Blair !! It will be great if you could share your tips on how you manage to post with a busy schedule .

    1. Thanks, Ruwani! You’re so kind! I’m not sure that I’m the best at juggling all of it — some days are definitely MESSY. I love your idea for the blog post, though…I’ll have to remember that!

  2. Hey Blair, I think it was great weekend for you and your family. You have presented whole weekend story in this article with beautiful pictures, it’s really an excellent presentation. 🙂