Loving Lately

Loving Lately ☕

Loving Lately: Coffee

I cannot take credit for any of these photos which were found courtesy of Pinterest.

Now that that is out of the way…

I love coffee. I started drinking it at a very young age, a watered down version that would make an appearance every Sunday morning along side donuts, at a fellowship gathering we would have at church before services began.

I love it in the morning when the air is cool…

a397cd3248b57a4f6b3e34f71eebc8e2

 

I love to have a cup with my breakfast.

dffcb80ca94e1805fca02575c28d2f4e

 

And any time of day to accompany dessert.

9760a8c0e24ae7a6c10a8ab0c823ee02

 

I take mine black, but do not object to the creamy froth that (depending on the process) can accumulate on top.

9736bea930025d17439a178642f0b019

I love to talk with friends over a cup of coffee, at home or catching up at a café…

11519975779f21a3dfb64900c051e424

I probably have a dozen apparatuses for coffee preparation. As far as I’m concerned there is really no wrong way to prepare it (as long as it’s good, and done properly. ?)

fbcbdc08cb7dd5a1d0a4aeb66ad9dc10

I can even drink it cold…

2ace513f37e9ef92ff742734fb238543

And all by myself.

ce2f0386a21a0e9e618f4849b19a3cff

The moral of the story is…

ba1059a1979c736cd0392e2c2a6d14f5

Loving Lately ☀

Loving Lately: Family Vacation

I’ve been really behind on my blog reading recently… but for good cause.

IMG_4834

We’ve been soaking up the sun!

I just love quality family time.

I love making memories with my babies big kids.

IMG_4867

It goes by so fast, life… childhood… vacation… dessert…

IMG_4898

Gotta go…

IMG_5040.JPG

Loving Lately ?

Loving Lately: Honey

My husband has a great boss name Jason; who happens to be friends with a guy named Terry; who happens to be the president of the Michigan Beekeeper’s Association. Recently Jason gifted us a beautiful large jar of Terry’s Lazy T’s honey. How fortunate are we?

Honey, also referred to as liquid gold, has been used in the kitchen as a natural sweetener for ages. But did you know that it has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties that have made it extremely useful for medicinal purposes as well? Many people believe it is a viable solution in dealing with allergies. Bees collect pollen which is then used to make the honey. The small traces of pollen that remain in the honey are comparable to vaccinations in that once consumed your immune system builds antibodies to the pollens. This is just one of the reasons why buying local honey is so important. It can help you build up tolerances to common allergens in your own area!

The sweet nectar in honey is loaded with antioxidants that have been linked in studies with promoting healthy brain function and boosting memory. In addition, honey has been successfully used as a cough suppressant and topically useful for treating minor burns and wounds. No wonder it’s considered so valuable!

For more information about the Michigan Beekeeper’s Association and keeping bees click on www.michiganbees.org

Loving Lately ?

Loving Lately: St. Patrick’s Day

One day a year it is perfectly acceptable to eat and drink green food and beverages; and my mother makes enough corned beef and cabbage to feed a small army. I just cherish holidays that have sentimental food attachments.

In honor of the special day, I’ve collected a few fun recipes that represent the notion.

How Sweet Eats’ Irish Ale Potato Cheddar Soup with Beer Battered Leeks

cheddar-ale-soup-I-howsweeteats.com-10

 

The Metal Pan’s Guinness Empinadas

st-patrick-guinness-empanadas

 

My very own, Sadie’s Nest’s Shepherd’s Pie

IMG_1374

 

And a little something to wash it all down… The Pioneer Woman’s Guinness Float

9025428782_998336da9c_z

 
Happy St. Paddy’s Day! And thanks a mil for joining me, you’re grand!

*Featured Image and Irish blessing courtesy of the internet.

Loving Lately ☔

Loving Lately: The Rain

2b359932dcdb3e0e2f454a9a51f464ef

Confession: I love the rain.

4b9fc92cfafe5c546d6fe2fa4e3cc9e8

I love a warm rain that I can walk in.

fbeb046e147ba2046059731d860ebcd4

I love to curl up and drink something warm during a cold rain. On a blustery wet day, I love to build a fire and look out the window.

2a6ca207376a7b779bcd94efac6e6b57

I love rain so much that I gave it as a middle name to one of my children.

9ab52e25efc65d5bfcdffffba105332b

It’s a blessing: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater…” Isaiah 55:10

86f0dda6547e3beb9cdb82fa9e1622eb

So long for now, I’m going to take a stroll in the rain.

(And I cannot take credit for any of these photos, which you can find on Pinterest.)

Loving Lately ?

Loving Lately: A Camper

I can leisure camp with the best of ’em. I’ve camped out through nights so cold that I slept with my shoes on and the only thing sticking out of my mummy bag was my frozen nose. I’ve lived the joys of camping in weather so hot that you can hardly breath- let alone sleep. I know what it’s like to have the rain dripping inside of the tent because you’ve managed to come into contact with the canvas. And I’ve experienced hardly being able to get the pop-up off of the lot because the torrential downpour turned your space into a mud pit. I remember having to call the trip short because the mosquitos were so relentless outdoor activity was not possible. And I don’t want to think about the dangerous levels of Deet I’ve sprayed on my skin. Call me crazy… but that’s the good stuff! (Once you’ve gotten home, bathed and slept.) Because it makes for a lifetime of memories and naturally makes you appreciate all of those perfect days with sunshine and gentle breezes.

DSCF2341

My niece: Bad mosquito year of 2009

We’ve been shopping for a camper (aka travel trailer) for the fam, and I’m so excited I can hardly sleep at night thinking of the possibilities. We’ve visited some RV lots and have been perusing the web for ideas. I think we’ve narrowed in on what is going to work for us. Of course we need a 6 sleeper, and I’m partial to something with a hard frame…

021_19A

Setting up Camp 2007

I’ve done the tenting thing. I appreciate the simplicity and the ruggedness of it. But we stopped with that after baby number two. I was pregnant with baby number three, sleeping on a blow up mattress, crammed in a space growing tighter by the minute, hoping the weather would hold off. I want a trailer we can tow, so that getting around town wherever we land is a cinch. And I’m not looking to “air out” a pop-up after having to pack it up wet due to rainy weather. I want something that can go at any minute, and is ready to sleep in as soon as we hit the brakes… no matter how late we roll into camp.

DSCF2343

Gotta have firewood (this picture makes me laugh out loud every time)

I’ve already been contemplating the pots and cast iron pans I can contribute from the house. I’m envisioning the acrylic plates and glasses I need to buy that will travel well in the cupboards. But most importantly, I’m thinking about the places we’re going to see and the experiences my kids are going to have on the open road. From the Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, the Black Hills of South Dakota to Yosemite National Park in California… I’m ecstatic with anticipation. I want to take them down Highway 1 and across Route 66, I’m nostalgic that way. And I’m certainly not above tourist traps like the world’s biggest ball of yarn. Lookout road, here we come!

IMG_4927

Fireside 2015

Loving Lately ❄

Loving Lately: Snowy Days

I’m a Michigan girl all year round. I love getting the full experience of all the seasons.

a9c9675ecb94e8b428a2c09073619feb

And when it comes down to it, I love the snow. And if it’s going to be cold, you might as well have snow. It’s beautiful.

b46247574b3acae50a8713cdc588cf65

 

We’ve not really had a lot of snow this year, but the last couple weeks I’ve really enjoyed our blanket of white.

4ab65487f23bd1f20dc9f06d2968850e

Although, I’m not enjoying my week long head cold-turned sinusitis… I actually could have done this week’s Loving Lately post on over-the-counter cold medicine.

72d6b7e3addfdb8fbba4afdc7d9f3852

But I’d rather focus on something lovely. And I have so much fun sharing my favorite Pinterest pictures. (For which I can take no credit)

Loving Lately ❤

Loving Lately: Valentine’s Day Ideas

The cute ideas are endless. I think I have saved every Valentine’s Day issue of Martha Stewart magazine. Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration. But you get my point. I’m crazy about this stuff. These are just a few favorites from the many great ideas I found on Pinterest.

540b668f1434a14720e3c0dda741a0e8

Are those the prettiest pancakes you’ve ever seen?

4030f77f0b3830bae699920ec40b096b

I love cute and playful door decor!

…And just one more, because how cute is this popcorn snack?

71c515d05123c0d07ba53ed8a9179440

With all my heart, 😉

Sadie

Loving Lately ?

Loving Lately: National Chocolate Fondue Day (February 5)

I feel that it is my patriotic duty to observe as many National Food Holidays as possible… when I remember to check what they are. But National Chocolate Fondue Day is not one that I take lightly. I like to celebrate it often, just in remembrance, because I love chocolate fondue. In fact, even if it were not a holiday, I would celebrate it on many days; as I have for many years, before I knew it was a holiday. And even though we don’t grow the cocoa bean here in the US, we know how to appreciate it, so by jove some thoughtful man or woman took it upon their civil duty to petition to have a National Chocolate Fondue day, and I think we owe it to them to celebrate it… everywhere! Don’t you?

I’m proud to say someone else in my house thinks so too. I found my little patriot, as I often do, celebrating all by himself.

img_6651

An easy recipe for a great chocolate fondue:

6 oz of milk chocolate chips melted with…

1/4 cup chunky (or creamy) peanut butter

Dip fruit, graham crackers, marshmallows or whatever else you’d like!

Is there a National Chocolate & Peanut Butter Day? I’ll check. Because I’d like another reason to celebrate that too.

 

 

Loving Lately ❤

Loving Lately: Take Out

Enough said, right? Because if I had time to write this post, I’d have time to make dinner.