Oh Summer!

Just thought I'd pass along my standard summer visiting teaching treat!  It's inexpensive, easy, and you will love the leftovers. 

It's otter pops!  And since they come unfrozen, you can just leave them that way, and they can freeze them on their own.  My mom and I do this every year, just add a personalized note or message, and you're set! 

And I just love having my patriotic decor out, it makes the house feel nice!  With Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day, it's a fun and festive time and a time to feel grateful for our freedom. 

I've always loved the colors red, white, and blue--they were even my high school colors.  Can't wait to get our little babe a cute red "toro" t-shirt, he'll make it just in time for football season, yay!

The Newest Addition To Our Family...

...is our adorable new pup named "Cub"!

She is hard to resist, and I have never cared and worried so much about anything non-human before!

We got her from the Justin and Jocelyn Allred family down in Willcox this past weekend, their dog "Bear" had 7 puppies, all equally as cute!  Our neices and nephews named her, and we thought it was too cute to change (and it is fitting seeing how her mama is named "Bear").

Her coloring and characteristics are similar to a rottweiler puppy, and although she may have a bit of rottweiler in her, she is just a big mix of a lot of different breeds that we aren't sure of (she's a farm dog!). 

She is a sweetheart, and loves to play.  Brett affectionately calls her "Cubby" as she scampers around the yard following him while he feeds the chickens, mends the fence, or grills our dinner. 

She is an outdoor dog, but we (mostly me), just can't resist those puppy dog eyes and little whines, that she is in the house often!  Brett doesn't love it too much, but he did bring her in this morning while I was still in bed--see, we just can't resist! 

I personally like the company of her while I am doing chores around the house!

 

Yes, that is bling on her collar, I like to take care of my girl.

And I used my metal stamps and washers, to give her some identification!

We are now pet people...and loving it!

What We've Been Up To...

At the Sugar Bowl with some great friends!

Brett, Me, Jacob Camille, Alexis, Clint



An intense water volleyball game at Brown Family Home Evening Swim Party

You can tell Carson went to Japan on his mission--the peace sign :)

 Took a spin in Haley's new car!  We took a little drive to Sonic during Happy Hour!



typical sisters

 Loving the netflix mailer as a replacement for a broken taillight

A Fun Twist on a Summer Treat

My Great-Grandma Meldrum had a favorite treat--cantaloupe and ice cream. 

She would cut it in half and scoop out the seeds which creates a bowl.  Then, fill it with ice cream!

Brett and I decided to try it last week.  It was actually really yummy!  You just scoop up a bit of cantaloupe with your bite of ice cream and yum! 

I still haven't perfected the art of picking out melons, so it would have been even tastier if I had picked a better cantaloupe.  And the cantaloupe was huge, so we opted to share!  We would recommend this fun semi-healthy treat to take advantage of the produce that is in season!

Mason Jar Meals

Lately the heat has been getting to me.  117 degrees isn't what you'd call ideal weather.  And after the infamous "haboob" dust storm hit the valley and no rain has followed, the weather is even nastier (if you can imagine that!).

So I have been dreaming of going on a picnic.  And while perusing the internet, I came across the coolest thing ever: Mason Jar Meals

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Is that not the coolest idea?  The possibilities are endless!  You could even make a beautiful parfait with shortcake, strawberries, and whip cream layered (although it would get soggy quickly, so it would need to be made right before the picnic).  There are so many creative ways to make a mason jar meal, and they are perfect for a picnic.  Throw these in a picnic basket with a few mason jars full of lemonade and a couple filled with ice to keep things chilled, and you have a phenomenal and fun picnic!

To see how to assemble them and for more ideas, check out The Decorated Cookie Blog, here.

I had to post these so that when it is picnic season here (come mid-November), I can try these out with Brett.  Maybe my fellow cousins in the Utah area can give these a shot, since picnics aren't impossible in the summertime!

Bahamian Honeymoon

A couple of months before we got married, Brett handed me a packet titled "Honeymoon Itinerary".  It was full of the hotels we were staying at, our flight information, and cruise information!  (Does he know me well or what?  I love having an "itinerary"!).  I was ecstatic!  We went on a 5-day, 4-night cruise to the Bahamas on Norwegian Cruise Line. 

Upon returning to Mesa following our wedding festivities, we ate, did a little last minute packing, and slept for an hour and a half and then we were honeymoon bound!  We stopped by Wal Mart at about 3 am to get a few trial and travel size things (we did not check any bags, so our luggage had to follow the "liquid" guidelines that the airport requires for carry-ons--what a pain!).  Here we are at 4:15 am, already through security and just waiting to board!

We had a short layover in Houston and then arrived in Ft. Lauderdale in the early afternoon.  We took a cab to Miami to the ship where we boarded.  After the mandatory safety meeting, you can probably guess that what we did next was CHOW DOWN!

 This is Brett's first bite on the ship, it was a yummy BBQ

 The boat leaving Miami

Eating breakfast over-looking the Bahamas

Our first stop: Freeport, Bahamas.  We walked around the small shops and then we were on our way to go on a jet ski tour!  Once we got there (that was an adventure in and of itself), we had an absolute blast!  We were so glad we chose to do this day trip.  It was a really fun and exciting way to see parts of the Bahamas. 

 The water was gorgeous! 

That night we dug into steak and pasta.  It was pretty cool to finish our meal and just be able to leave without waiting for a check.  Before knowing Brett, I had never known anyone who gets so excited about steak.  So you can imagine how much he loved free steak!  (I guess it is technically "pre-paid" but it felt free!). 

The next day we spent as a "beach day" on the cruise line's private island.  We lounged, napped, read, swam, visited.  So relaxing and enjoyable!  The weather and water were the perfect temperatures!

 And look at the fellow honeymooners we ran into a few times!  Thomas and Taylor!  So fun!

And of course, lots of eating!  (Hopefully Brett doesn't kill me for posting all the eating photos!) 

The last full day, we were at Nassau.  This is home to the famous Atlantis Resort.  If you have never heard of the Atlantis, it is so beautiful!  We went through the amazing Aquarium there, and wandered around trying to soak it all in. 

Sorry for the long post and picture overload!  We had a great time!  Now we have been home for about a month, and we just love being married!