a weekend of therapy......

a weekend of therapy ☀️🌊 Thursday | Friday • we did our annual White Marlin Open day in OC and while we lucked out and had the most beautiful weather/temps at the beach, the wind kept most of the boats in on Thursday! We tried subs from Primo Hoagies for lunch - very good [but Anthony’s subs are still our fave]!🤤 Dinner at Crab Alley 🦀🙌🏻 and a room with a [bay] view🌅 a much needed overnight getaway. We were also able to see Mom both days and had a little Kamry visit.❤️

Saturday • unexpected days are the best! We ended up taking Logan back after the funeral and got to visit Mom again❤️ It was such a gorgeous evening we ended up going to dinner at Ray’s Shanty before heading home.🌅 

Sunday • we watched church and had a quiet day at home. Dinner on the grill today: chicken/bacon/bbq skewers & grilled cabbage and fresh tomato/mozzarella/basil w/balsamic. 

A boat day.....a little getaway.....being with family.....cooking.....these are some things that are therapy for me! What's your therapy? (we checked an item off of our Summer Bucket List ☑️ beach day in OC) @oakridge.live @craballeywoc @white_marlin_open @oceancitymaryland @comfortinngoldcoast @primohoagies #refresh #therapy #summer #summervibes #sunset #boating #boatdays #ocmd #whitemarlinopen #oceancitymaryland #beachday #grilling #raysshanty #freshseafood #craballey #roomwiththeview #comfortinngoldcoast #primohoagies #weekendvibes #littlevisits #lifeinpictures #thisisus #lifeisgrand

Mom Tip: Christmas Budget Hack

                 MOM TIP: Christmas Budget Hack

                            I am so doing this!!! 

~ I'll start in SEPTEMBER (2025) so I'll have a year's worth of gift cards to shop before the holiday season next year (2026)! (or you could do JAN-NOV like the suggestion) 

~I'll do a check in every few months to keep me on track with this!

~ Let's set our savings goal and pick up a gift card each month! 

JULY 2025

JULY 2025 🌻☀️🇺🇸

July was full-on SUMMER - we started the month with a week full of cousin time, playing and hanging out at Nana & Pop Pop’s house, family dinners, and celebrating the 4th of July! Then boat days, the heat wave, crabbing & catching minnows, the big yellow duck, fresh picked tomatoes, and all the good summer eats!

#july #summer #summervibes #thisisus #lifeisgrand #grands #family #boatdays #crabbing #crabs #softshellcrabs #tomatoes #freshpicked #allthingssummer

Happy 63rd Birthday!!

06.29.25 • Celebrated Peter’s 6️⃣3️⃣rd Birthday in one of his favorite places!! 🎉☀️🌊🦀 

ocean views 🌅 

late lunch at Crab Alley 🦀 

sunset on the boardwalk🎡

and we ended the day on our balcony with Flagship subs from Anthony’s.🤤 

@hiltonhotels @craballeywoc @anthonys_liquors @oceancitymaryland

Menu Plan Monday: January

hello January: MENU PLAN MONDAY 🗓️

I love all the winter dishes like oysters and ducks, collard greens, soups and stews. Just give me all the comfort food!
I love cooking and having everyone gathered around the table. I also love little helpers!! ❤️ Kamry always likes to help me cook, Rowen loves to help with the dishes, and for now, Kole is just here for the FOOD! 😊

MENU • [DEC 29-JAN 31]

12/29 • duck dinner - this one is a family fave. We don’t have them as often as we used to, but Logan is the hunter in the family, so we still get to enjoy them! 🤍

12/30 • order out

12/31 • Peter cooked a huge pot of collard greens using a recipe he had seen online. 👏🏻 They were delicious and he is now the official greens cooker 😊 we had our first single fried oysters oysters of the season to go with them!

01/01 • Hoppin’ John, Collards, Rice, & Cornbread (I made enough to share with the whole family!) We were never huge fans of black eye peas until a few years ago when I discovered @thepioneerwomanrecipe for Hoppin John!! It’s now one of our favorite meals - (Peter said I need to make it more than just New Years!)

01/02 • TikTok Pasta w/shrimp, Salad, & Garlic Bread

01/03• pan grilled chicken breast with dipping sauces & salad

01/04 • Mushroom & Swiss Burgers, fries, and cucumbers in sauce

01/05 • Crabcakes, roasted asparagus, and applesauce

01/06 • order out

01/07 • Pork Roast w/Carrots & Potatoes, Rolls

01/08 • Tuna Melts + Fries

01/09 • breakfast for dinner 

1/10 • Breaded Pork Chops (oven) + Roasted Brussels

1/11 • AWAY - lunch: Chick Fil A dinner: Harpoon Hanna’s 

1/12 • AWAY - breakfast: at the hotel lunch: Arby’s dinner: chicken sandwiches (chick fil a = Aldi copycat❤️)

1/13 • soup & grilled cheese (Aldi tomato & sweet basil soup is the bomb! 🙌🏻) 

1/14 • brunch: (Brie) charcuterie board dinner: steaks + pasta salad 

1/15 • antipasto charcuterie board 

1/16 • chicken salad (sr. fundraiser) and crab soup 🦀 

1/17 • Butter Chicken over rice, spinach, and Naan bread 

1/18 • boiled fish, hash browns, biscuits, fig preserves, cheese, & coffee 

1/19 • Hungry Jack Casserole 

1/20 • pizza & fries 

1/21 • Meatloaf, Potato Salad, broccoli 

1/22 • single fried oysters 

1/23 • leftovers | meatloaf 

1/24 • Chicken Alfredo & garlic bread 

1/25 • sautéed crabmeat in butter 

1/26 • Derek’s birthday dinner - Lasagna 

1/27 • soup fundraiser 

1/28 .• Beef Steak w/gravy, mashed potatoes, sautéed cabbage, & rolls (family)

1/29 • pigs-n-blanket l, mac & cheese, applesauce 

1/30 • Neapolitan Casserole + Garlic Bread 

1/31 • order out 

2023 WORD OF THE YEAR: FOCUS

H A P P Y N E W Y E A R ✨2023


• My word for the year is FOCUS…..

Focus more on what’s really important and stop sweating the small stuff.
Keep focused on my daily walk with the Lord. To really focus on what I’m reading and studying when doing my morning quiet time. Focus on a task and stay motivated. I’m such a procrastinator and I have great intentions of doing all the things but I can get so sidetracked. I want to work on staying focused on my goals and what I’m striving for and actually accomplish things. Focus on relationships- with my family and friends - 2022 was a rough year for our family - big things like cancer and heart surgery - lots of emotions and worry I’ve never dealt with. I got so wrapped up in all the feelings that I lost focus at times. I get ahead of myself and worry about what might happen when I know there isn’t anything I can do about it (except pray!). I need to focus on now, and enjoy each day that I’m given. 🤍 Focus on making time for my best friend @wandap4No excuses not to get together more than a few times a year 😞❤️ it’s therapy for me - I must make more time for this!! Focus on my marriage. We are coming up on our 40th anniversary this summer!! We are definitely in a different season with grown children, grands, aging parents, and an empty nest, but we really are at one of the best stages in our lives and I want to focus more on that - on us and enjoying all the things we can. I’ve seen first hand that life changes quickly, so I want to enjoy as much as we can while we can.❤️Lastly, I want to focus on taking better care of me - it’s classic [Mom] syndrome - to be always doing and thinking about everyone else - I don’t think I know any other way and that’s ok. But it’s also ok to focus on your own well-being, your health, your happiness, and time for yourself. Self-care isn’t selfish - it’s very important! I keep reading the statement “how can you do a good job caring for others if you aren’t taking care of yourself first.” This is a hard one for me but I’m hoping to stay focused on that and try to take my own advice. 
#focus #wordoftheyear #stayfocused #newyearsgoals #goal #happynewyear #2023

{Memorial Day Weekend 2022}

I do believe this is my favorite time of year! Bring on SUMMER☀️

it’s been the best day!!! ☀️

(despite missing a gorgeous boat day (railway delay due to all the dreary weather😞) 

Coffee and devotions on the patio for the second morning in a row • a wonderful message online @oakridgebc • a little visit with the family • TI’s Memorial Day Service 🇺🇸 • and dinner full of all our favorite SUMMER foods!☀️WE had bbq wings, pasta salad, Cole slaw, jello salad, and watermelon. 

and always a favorite pic from 2020.....

Peter and Rowen putting up the flag at Pop Pop Junie's grave. 

(This wasn't a staged picture, which makes it even more touching.)