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!
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?
Welcome back to the ole blog! I cannot believe that this weekend is July 4th. It frankly doesn’t even seem possible. And since weather in Wisconsin has been the equivalent to the rainy season in the tropics it doesn’t exactly feel like summer.
I realized I have never done a post dedicated just to nannyhood in the summer. It looks a lot different than nannying at other times of the year. Super busy and yet somehow laid back and more at ease. (Note: I have done a few nanny related posts last summer here and here but not one totally dedicated to the summer perspective) So here are four easy tips/tricks/things I have learned going on 4 years of being a professional live-in nanny!
Took the kiddos to a classic car show- Boys loved it!
#1 Never Ending Activity
I feel like summer is misleading. You naively think, “Oh, school is over! The calendar will empty!” Yeah no. Swim lessons, swimming, dance lessons, family visits, community events(outdoor movies, water shows, live concerts) and the list seems to go on and on and on.
For me personally this month next month and August are booked solid as far as work goes, which quite honestly has spilt into my personal life. So much happening!
My advice is to go with the flow as much as possible, but do not let yourself get burnt out. If it is getting to be too much say “No.” No I can’t cover an extra hour. No I don’t want to come the fifth pool party this month. (I mean seriously?!) It gets to be much. Even for people who are super sociable, which I am not. LOL
So allow yourself the grace to say, “No.”
Donut Stand at a live concert we went to- So yummy!!
#2 Don’t Forget to Have Fun
That’s my philosophy this summer. Whether I am working or not I intend to enjoy every second of this season. (I’ll let you know how it works out) so yes you’re gonna be crazy busy and the endless stuff can easily become overwhelming(remember it’s okay to say no) but instead of looking at the list of “to do” look at all the crazy, amazing opportunities you have!
One of the greatest benefits of being in this kind of profession is having the access to life experiences you might never have gotten to enjoy otherwise. I for one am extremely blessed for all of the things I have learned, heard and seen in my tenor as a nanny.
Paddle Boarding with the Kiddos
#3 Give Grace
To the kids, to the your boss, to your friends, to you… to the kids… to the kids… Emotions can run high in the heat and remember the overwhelmed feeling you have in your chest when looking at the calendar is the same exact feeling everyone else has. The kiddos especially are feeling the strain of long, hot days packed full of adventure. So allow yourself and them days where you do nothing. And if you can’t do that allow for mistakes, frayed emotions and quick tears. It’s gonna happen.
Days like these…
#4 It Won’t Always Be This Way
My final bit of advice is to remember that life is constantly changing. Moving. So enjoy this time, it’s ups and downs and quick turn around while you can. You have no guarantee of tomorrow. So have fun with those kids and yes go for that late night paddle board ride with your sister. This summer is going fast!
I debated with doing this post. Will they actually care about my plans for the blog 2020? In the end I decided since I am such a goal oriented person and love making lists and then checking things off my list that this post would be fun to make if nothing else. (Sorry my loyal readers but please let me indulge in my mania just this once- Who am I kidding?! I always indulge)
So what’s up with the blog?
Travel- Oh how I LOVE to travel. With at least two awesome trips planned for this year; New Orleans in March and Maine In October. Expect some awesome tips, tours and packing posts. Arguably one of my favorite posts to write I can’t wait to be on the go again!
Nannyhood- Continuing the original theme of my blog I will be passing on some of my advice to aspiring nannies, tips for my fellow nannies and my honest opinions for those of you who are just curious about nannies.
Monthly Media Favs- I love doing this monthly media rap up posts, so you can expect these to continue.
Nanny specific product reviews- We’re talking diapers, food products, clothes, toys, etc. All of my fav products for your perusal.
Diary spews- I can’t help myself when it comes to the random spewing of words. Sometimes we just need to set out our thoughts in order and in words, no? Hope you enjoy these, thankfully sporadic, views into my inner workings.
Exploring Milwaukee- I have lived here for two years now and yet still feel like there is so much about Milwaukee I don’t know. As I continue to explore my adopted home town(city) I will pass it on to you. *smiles*
Photo Dumps- I enjoy taking photos. I enjoy taking more photos than I actually need. Not only will I be continuing the tradition I started last year of a yearly round up of my favorite photos, I will also be doing photo style diary posts and so on.
Facebook Vlogs- I am the worst when it comes to vlogs. I promised you guys a vlog for my trip to North Carolina back in November and I still haven’t posted it. (I am a despicable human being) But I do want to add this kind of content to my repertoire. So I am going to take my Facebook page(link at the top of the page) and use it primarily for video content- Yay! So be sure to like the page so you can get notified when I post a video. (Also my long awaited video will be going up this week… I am going to say Friday)
No more fashion posts..
Now don’t freak out and think I am never ever going to make a fashion post again, because I probably will but only if it ties into another theme. For example, “what I am packing for a trip”. And if I keep using stitch fix I will do an unboxing post. However just stand alone fashion posts are a thing of the past. While I had fun doing them they’re not the direction I want to take my blog in. And plus they are a pain to create; all the links and most all of my clothes are outdated so they don’t sell them anymore, so then finding something similar- A pain! What I am thinking of doing is putting some fashion favs/collections on Instagram. So if you love my fashion related content it will still be out there just not getting an entire article about it.
Also I will be updating my sister’s signature look transformation(first started here) because yes it is still going on.
I just want to wrap this up by saying 2020 is going to be a great year for this site(I think so anyway) but I really want to know what you guys think. Are you excited about the content I have planned so far? Anything I should add? Lose? Please- please– let me know in the comments below. Don’t forget to sign up for email notifications and follow my Instagram account, plus like us on Facebook since a lot of new content will be coming through there as well.
The decade is ending and a new one is just beginning. A lot has happened since 2010. I’ve coasted through my teen years, muddled through high-school and graduated(crazy!). I got my first job and quit my first job. I got my dream job and moved away from home. I’ve flown across the country and across the world. I’ve bought two cars… Which sucks. I’ve been blessed with an Izzy Ellen and a George.
Look how little George is… he’s a baby fish.
I’ve started a blog(crazy again) and gone on some crazy adventures because of it. I’ve made friends and lost a few. I became an aunt!! I’ve cried over things I can’t remember and laughed so hard with loved ones that I’ll never forget. I’ve become obsessed with coffee and sitting in coffee shops. I’ve seen eight broadway musicals(I could literally die!)
I would like to say I’ve learned a lot; like being more comfortable with who I am and content with where I am(well not all the time, but I’m only human). I would like to say I’ve learned to know when to fight for myself and when to let things slide. That I’ve stretched myself out of my comfort zone and made myself participate with people. (Yuck! Just kidding) But most of all I want to say that I have grown closer to God and have learned more about Him. And I think the most important thing that I have learned in the past decade is no matter what, God is in control. He will do what He wants, when He wants to do it. And it‘s always more than I could have even thought of, or dreamed of having, or doing. Or how could that possibly turn out for good. Sometimes I miss out on something I think I surely should have and I may never know why. I guess what I am trying to say is God is all that matters. I don’t, my wants don’t, my timetable doesn’t- Only Him.
So yes the world around us is crappy and it is only going to get worse, but God is good and He never changes. So bring on 2020 and let His will be done.
So two weeks ago now I came home from church to see what I thought was a hawk of some kind creeping underneath the pine trees. I took a quick pic but then steered clear, not wanting to mess with a killer bird.
As you can tell from the picture it was a rainy, yuck day so I just thought the hawk was taking shelter. Again I didn’t want to mess with a wild animal so I walked away.
The next day after doing the school run I came back to the house to find my boss’s mom and my boss’s personal assistant outside looking at the ugliest chicken I’d ever seen, standing underneath the basketball hoop. My hawk hadn’t been a hawk after all(shocker I know). We have no idea where the the poor thing had come from as there are no farms close enough for it to just have wandered off. It was obviously half starved and cold. We fed it leftover stuffing and corn and left a box with a couple of blankets in it for shelter. We tried to corral it into the garage but to no avail. We did leave the garage door open that night for awhile, until it seemed hopeless and we had to close it in despair. We just knew our poor, stupid chicken was going to freeze to death.
The next morning brought school runs and no chicken sightings… She seemed to have vanished- When suddenly she was there again! Deep down we knew if we didn’t catch her today she would really die. Taking on the task to save chicken form her own stupidity, the two teenage boys managed to trap her in the garage and then careful grab her with a towel and put her in the cat’s cage. Yahoo! She’d been rescued.
I was given the immense pleasure of dropping her off at the Humane Society, who said they would take her. When I first brought her in they weren’t convinced she was a chicken, but of course when she started making chicken noises it was hard to dispute. They confirmed our fears that she was horribly under fed, so the first order of business was to plump her up and make sure she didn’t have any health issues, before they put her up for adoption or more likely found a nice farm for her to live out the rest of her days.
In the following days my boss tracked down what type of chicken she was, or at least her general breed; she’s a game chicken which is why she doesn’t have a crown on her head. I don’t know I am not a chicken expert I’m just glad this one didn’t die on our watch.
Well winter came in with a bang last week. Go to sleep and wake up to the beauty of fresh falling snow and fridge temps. It was too beautiful not to grab a pic or two.
Aren’t they gorgeous? 🙂My phone/camera was in the shop so I was forced to improvise. This is my two year old iPad… The photos aren’t as sharp but I kinda like it. Almost feels a bit like film.This is my Ravenclaw Scarf I purchased at London’s Harry Potter Studios. Along with my Ravenclaw Cardigan made with real Scottish wool. So warm!
Have you guys seen that “Travel Wisconsin” commercial where they subtlety brag about Wisconsin’s gorgeous trees and fall colors? Well it inspired me to go exploring… And they were right to brag it is gorgeous.
I took a lot, a lot of pictures.
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your in iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with loving kindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.”
“The Lord performs righteous deeds and judgements for all who are oppressed. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth…”
“… So great is His loving kindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the East is from the West…”
“… So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”
“As for man, his days are like the grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.”
“When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, and its place acknowledges it no longer. But the loving kindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him. And His righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep His covenant and remember His precepts to do them.”
“The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all. Bless the Lord you, His angles, mighty in strength, who preform His word, obeying the voice of His word! Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you who serve Him, doing His will. Bless the Lord, all you works of His, in all places of his dominion; Bless the Lord, O my soul!”
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