And we are back for more fun down South! We left you in our last post with some very yummy bbq. Next day we took a day trip down to San Antonio to see the Alamo.
A model I am not. Lol
This was arguably our favorite part of the trip. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I mean it was crowded and there were people everywhere but the whole mood around the church was so respectful. It reminded me a lot of our visit to Westminster Abbey.
Then we strolled along the River Walk and had some lunch!
After that we booked it back up to Fort Worth and crashed in our hotel.
The next day brought an early morning trip to the Fort Worth Zoo. Guys this zoo was fantastic! If you even remotely have the chance to visit you should totally do it. The animals were so well cared for and the zoo was well maintained.
Tay was so happy!
After lunch we headed north of the city to the Stockyards.
John was everywhere at the stalk yards.
We ended the night with a steak dinner and another movie and crash at the hotel. The next day we flew home. It was a great trip!
This trip was amazing! The weather was beautiful the entire we were there. The food was amazing and of course we got to do all the things!
Downtown Fort Worth, TX.
Our trip included a visit to Fort Worth, Dallas, and San Antonio. We went to the Depository, the Dallas Science Museum, the Alamo, Fort Worth Zoo and Stockyards. A very packed trip as per usual when I plan them. I am always very ambitious.
Me and my brother’s hound. Isn’t he gorgeous?
We also of course visited my big brother(the whole point of the trip) and his school TCU.
Fort Worth was very pretty! And like I said earlier the weather was perfect. Mid-70’s during the day and nights got down to the mid-40’s.
And then there was the ginormous monster that was Dallas, TX. And we’ll have to do the rest of the picture recap tomorrow! See ya then!
Did I drop off the face of the earth? I might as well have- I am so sorry I have been absent from the blog scene. My life went from on direction to another and another in a matter of weeks and I am still reeling. But this is my attempt to catch up and put all my runaway thoughts in order.
Firstthings first…
Texas Trip
The last you guys heard from me was that my sister and I were taking a trip to Dallas/Fort Worth to visit our brother. And that trip(though is had it’s ups and downs) was fantastic success. And I will be doing a recap of it next week. So stayed tuned!
Second!
Culinary Cooking Challenge???
I will be doing a wrap-up next Monday, the challenge is coming to an end. I will be replacing it with a new and exciting content but I simply don’t have time for it. I will of course still cook and bake for fun. But for now the Culinary Cooking Challenge is on an indefinite hold.
Third-
Cafe au Paír and Bakery
That’s right I am starting a bakery!!!! (Internal freak-out) Right now I am strictly doing local pies for Thanksgiving, but I am opening my bakery’s full menu(breads, rolls, cookies, scones, muffins, hand pies, etc.) up in December. So if you guys live in the south-Eastern WI area get excited! I will be doing a full post in the coming weeks.
Lastly… Er fourthly…
I bought a house!
(More internal screaming!!! And maybe some external) This rapid development is what really threw me for a loop! My parents(who are moving to WI) and I bought a house together! They’re gonna live upstairs and I am going to live downstairs. And I am so excited and so happy! And I just can’t wait!!
I know that’s a lot- it’s a lot for me too. Just a lot. (Stress and excitement in equal measure) Anyway obviously more will come in the coming weeks but yes- God is good and moving and just all kinds of things. Until next time…
Happy fall! Yes I am still on that kick and will be till December(or just right after Thanksgiving)
This weekend I made a much needed but quick visit down to my Mom and Dad’s. We relaxed by eating and watching old black and white movies; and going to the Apple and Pork Festival in Clinton, IL.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day! Sunny and warm but with the customary stiff breeze of rural Illinois. We had an absolutely amazing time.
Giant pots of ham and beans- yum!
We of course got a pork chop sandwich and apple fritters. Though it wasn’t a very “apple-ie” Apple and Pork Festival. We would have thought there would have been more apple related stuff… Apple pies, donuts, cider etc. Oh well!
Nothing says fall like visiting a local apple orchard. Even if the Sunday afternoon you choose to go is the one Sunday in the whole month where it was 90 degrees… oh well we still pretended it was fall with hot apple cider and warm apple donuts.
Oh how many apples!! Did you guys do this every fall as a kid growing up? Being homeschooled if was one of our field trips we took. I still remember running from goats and chickens and getting all sticky from the amazing donuts.
This was the first time visiting Peck&Bushel Orchard in Colgate, WI. But it was beyond cute. From its organic orchard to it’s very impressive gift shop(Christmas gifts anyone?) and locally sourced- everything. I can’t wait to go back!
So will you be heading to any orchards this fall? Or to a pumpkin patch? (Which we will be doing too!)
Happy Labor Day! (Or by the time you are reading this post-Labor Day) My sister and I had the day off, which since we both work for the same family does not happen often. And with adventure calling we headed north to Door County.
Us early in the morning(after snagging coffee) ready for the 2 1/2 hour drive north.
Our main goal for the day was to explore Cave Point County Park(a County park inside of a State Park) and paddle board up the coast of Lake Michigan.
We accomplished our goal! It was an absolutely gorgeous day with a warm sun and cool breeze. The water wasn’t freezing, which it normally is and it was crystal clear.
I’m Queen of the Rock!
After our paddle board adventure we are our packed lunch(Swedish leftovers of course) and then hiked the park.
By 2pm or so we were headed north for coffee and some shopping in Sister’s Bay.
We enjoyed our visit immensely. And after some our light shopping we continued northward for some Ice-cream!!
The pumpkin ice cream and homemade waffle cone was amazing!Tay enjoyed her cookies n’ Cream as well.
We kept heading north all the way to Gills Rock. Before we turned around for the long trek home. We stopped in Egg Harbor at Shipwrecked Brew Pub for some much needed supper and we were home by 10 pm.
If you stop at the Shipwreck Brew Pub I highly recommend the Clam Chowder- Delicious!Lots of love guys!
Welcome to a very special edition of the Culinary Cooking Challenge! Over twenty weeks ago(read here) my sister and I started on a grand adventure of cooking. And while we have missed a week here or there for various reasons for the most part we have stayed on task and created some amazing dishes!
With this being a milestone of epic proportions!(I mean come on! Twenty weeks is pretty impressive) We both decided to do something extra special and have Tay do the cooking. But before we get to Tay’s creations let’s do a brief recap of our weeks so far…
I’m not saying that’s a crap ton of food- but it is… It really is. And now for the recap of-
Week Twenty!
Shirley Temples 7 out of 10
Taylor is the unofficial queen of mixing nonalcoholic drinks. Remember Caribbean week(here)? Anyway these shirleys were no exception. Very yummy.
Cinnamon Streusel Muffins 8 out of 10
Okay so in all honesty I made these- it has been a crappy week here and I needed baking release. So this streusel muffins were a necessity.
Steak Meal 9 out of 10
If you could only smell it! Steak strips, yeast rolls and steamed broccoli. All the things that make me happy. Tay’s meal for the week was very delicious.
French Loaf out of 10
Again I made the bread because that was thing Tay was not comfortable attempting.
Chocolate Chip Cookies 4 out of 10
Yeah so this was an epic cookie fail. Don’t let looks deceive you these chocolate chip cookies were actually… not the greatest. But In her defense she’d had a wonky evening and is super stressed about college starting up when she made these, so I think she did pretty darn well.
Our next word is Pizza!
Lots of love,
Tally
By the by Tay tried again and rocked these cookies!! 10 out of 10
Last weekend was the 50th Annual Arts Festival in Oconomowoc, WI. and my first time visiting the event. Oh boy did we have a blast!
Giving you some background; Oconomowoc is probably the cutest town in south eastern Wisconsin(in my personal opinion) Situated in the heart of lake country this classic American small town always has something going on. And this charming collection of local and far flung artists is no exception.
So one glorious Sunday afternoon Tay, her baby beardie and I headed out in search of culture and the unexpected,
The event did not disappoint in either category. There was so much unique talent represented and displayed.
We were told that normally the event is much bigger and yet given about a hundred vendors it definitely was well attended. These pictures are just a few of the works that stood out to me.
And of course I couldn’t go to an art event without coming home with a friend. Isn’t he glorious?
I’m finally on the move again. Traveling- ah how I have missed you! So every year my sister and I try to plan a fun get away for the two of us(though others have been dragged along with us) and this year was supposed to be a driving tour of Iceland. However due to COVID this trip has been postponed to maybe next year. Instead we decided to plan a trip to New Orleans(which was to be last year’s trip-) Though we might shuffle it for a different trip… still deciding.
So when my Mom suggested a quick trip to Tampa over Mother’s Day I was ready to sign up! Here’s just a quick recap of our adventures in the sun…
Madeira Beach, FL.
So we stayed at an Airbnb rental across the street from the fabulous white sands of Madeira Beach. Neither of us had been to this particular beach before and kinda went in blind. And we were in love- Like we’re already planning next years trip!
The view from our door.The rental’s pool- which we spent a lot of time beside and in.
Day #1
Was the dreaded(just because it’s exhausting) flight from O’Hara Airport to Tampa. We got into our rental at like 7:30pm and decided just to stay in and order delivery from Glory Days Grill. Which was very yummy. The main reason we ordered from them is we wanted a gallon of ice tea to keep at our room and which lasted our whole trip.
Day #2
Our second day was gorgeous! (In fact weather for the whole trip was fabulous! Upper 80’s no humidity and a very pleasant breeze) We started our day by walking down the street to Sweet Brewnette Coffee Shop for coffee(obviously) and breakfast.
Highly- highly recommend Sweet Brewnette. We came here every morning and enjoyed everything we tried. Plus the ladies here are super sweet.
After breakfast was a walk down the beach…
Then we dashed back to the room, threw on our swimsuits and packed a cold lunch for a day on the sand and in the water.
I got my Mom and me matching swimsuits from Albion Fit. We rocked it! #twinning #winning
So we may have gotten a little too much sun but after a brief nap and pool swim back at the room; we walked down toward’s John’s PassBoardwalk. Basically a super cool village of shops and restaurants. We popped into a few shops, but then headed to Mad Beach Bar and Grille for supper.
Our table overlooking the waterfront.If you go there we highly recommend the Beach Girl drink(we got ours nonalcoholic) So good!And the fish feast! Crab, mussels, shrimp and clams. Plus corn on the cob, potatoes, and sausage!Save room for a piece of Key Lime pie. Our tummies were very happy that night.
Day #3
The next morning we once again headed for Sweet Brewnette where we got their Tropical Smoothies for breakfast and then trolled the beach.
Bridge from Madeira to Treasure Island.
After our beach walk we went shopping!!
Tea and Spice Shop… may have spent too much money here.Also spent a bit here, but I mean it’s gourmet popcorn and they give you free samples… which cause you to buy a little of everything. (Though Birthday Cake and Strawberry were my favs)
For a lunch break we head to Pirate’s Pub for some gator bites.
We loved the gator by the way.
Then we headed back to our room for a swim and a nap. With plenty of leftovers for dinner we did walk down the street to The Candy Kitchen for something sweet.
A Lemon Italian Ice. So refreshing.
To end our day we headed back to the beach to watch the sunset.
Day #4
Keeping with tradition we once again made our way to Sweet Brewnette.
And then back to the beach for some sun time. And a few surprises!
When you see it… Yeah not a shark, but dolphins! They swam right up to the beach chasing fish. It was sooo cool!!
After the dolphins we did some last shopping and then headed to the Friendly Fisherman on the broad walk for lunch.
Tropical LemonadeFried Calamari… umm amazing!Corn fritters, coleslaw, scallops, shrimp and gouber over a bed of rice. So good! Like crazy good.
Then it was pool and nap time. Before we headed down to the Candy Kitchen for ice cream and the beach for the sunset.
Day #5
We had a mid morning flight home, which allowed one more trip to Sweet Brewnette and a stroll on the beach.
And now we’re home and I miss the sun and the sand, but it’s nice to be back. This trip was absolutely perfect. Everything from the flights to the stay to the food; was just what we had imagined(even better) And I can’t wait for the next adventure!
Hello all my wonderful readers! As I write this post(which you will get next week as perusal) I am laying in my bed on my yearly work trip to Pittsburg, PA.
We usually visit the Steel City in the summer, but because of the crappy year formally known as 2020 it got pushed back all the way to 2021… yay…
Being a live-in can require traveling with the family you work for, which I have covered here. As well as a bonus post about being a nanny when just the parents travel(here) This is probably one of my favorite things about nanny hood. I have always been up for adventures and exploring new places and to do that for free? And to get paid to boot!(not that there’s not work involved- there is) Such a cool and rewarding experience.
So without further ado here are some of the picks from the trip. Hope you enjoy!
We brought the snow with us from WI.Macaroons from Oakmont Bakery… to die for!When in Rome late night snacks are allowed.More baked goodies from Oakmont Bakery.
Not a lot of pics mainly because the family I work for just visited family and everything else was pretty much on lock down. But it was a really nice trip.
Also guys be sure to check out my “Nannyhood” section on the website for even more info on my dream job. Or if traveling is more your thing(wanderluster over here) then check-out all my many travel blogs and look books.
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