Good morning, everyone!
Can you believe August is almost over? Only a few more weeks until Fall begins! I have yet to grab anything pumpkin until the first day of fall. I’m soaking up the summer days, even though it’s so hot right now. At least the mornings are tolerable for walks and the evenings are tolerable for sitting outside with the dogs.
Ever since getting home from the honeymoon, I have been taking a lot of time to myself. 2021 was one of the most rollercoaster years with all of its ups and downs. I know the blogs haven’t been that exciting, and I have so much to catch up on, but I’m putting my mental health and family first. Instead of spending a lot of time behind a computer screen editing recipes or recaps, I’ve been reading, walking the dogs, organizing the house, and spending my time with family and friends. I will use the Fall for diving back into it, but I’ve so needed this little break to process all of the good and bad emotions of 2021. One of my favorite parts of the day is when Kyle and I sit outside with the dogs after dinner. Everything is just so peaceful. This is the part of summer I’m going to miss!
I have not missed one morning walk with Leo! We always get up around five to take Tux for a walk and let them play in the backyard, and after my coffee, I take Leo for a 3-4 mile walk just as the sun rises. It’s the most beautiful time of day, and the weather is still in the low 70’s!
I had a photoshoot to do early Monday morning after dropping Kyle’s mom off at the airport, but after that, I came home and had a banana and nut parfait!
On Tuesday, I headed to the Fish Market for lunch with my neighbor, and it’s tradition to always end our lunch with chocolates from the shop next door.
On Wednesday, I worked on baking my mom a lemon cake for her birthday! SHE LOVES LEMON, and I used another Sally’s Baking Addiction recipe because she’s the best.
I made bourbon salmon, coconut shrimp, brussels sprouts, salad, and roasted red potatoes for dinner!
The cake turned out so good! My mom and even my dad, who hates lemon, loved the cake. I have been obsessed with making cakes lately, and today I get to make a Frozen-themed one! We had the best night ever celebrating her birthday! 
On Thursday morning, after my walk, I made a spinach, ginger, mango, banana, almond milk, and vanilla plant-based protein smoothie!
On Friday night, Kyle and I headed to Lowes to pick up all the materials for our upstairs board and batten project. We have been putting off our upstairs for so long, but finally getting to it. We are adding a board and batten to this loft area which will be used for a hangout/movie room. We finally picked out a couch! 
We tried out so many samples, but my favorite has been the “Filmy Green” by Sherwin Williams! I think we will be going with that.
For dinner, we did Udi’s pizza, air-fried salmon, and salads!
On Sunday morning after my walk, I got ready and headed over to Caitlins with some gluten-free donuts for a girl’s brunch. It was so nice for all of us to catch up and to see Caitlin after her surgery! 
We ended our weekend with an evening show and Chopt salads for dinner! ️
