Chicago

Brian and I just got back last night from a wonderful trip to Chicago for one of Brian's best friend's weddings. He was quite honored when he was asked to be one of the best men in the wedding, and I was quite thrilled when my in-laws agreed to come stay with the boys while we attended the wedding...alone!

Don't get me wrong, I love my kids. I adore them. But it's so healthy for a husband and wife to go travel by themselves every once in a while. And it was healthy for this mamma to have a couple days to do whatever I felt like doing! Pure heaven!

Brian arrived on Tuesday and spent a few days with the wedding party doing "bachelor things" like attending a White Sox baseball game and eating countless amounts of sausage, Italian beef and Chicago style pizza. I'm sure they also had deep meaningful conversations about what it's like to enter into the sanctity of marriage too... oh wait, these are guys we're talking about.

Anyhow, I flew in on Friday morning (woke up at 4:30 a.m. - yikes!) and my sweet father-in-law drove me to the airport at 5:30 a.m. (double yikes!)

But when I arrived, I just knew it was going to be a super fun trip!

 First things, first... we headed out to one of Brian's favorite pizza places "Papa Passero's." He used to go there after Little League games and grew up ordering take-out from this place. It did not disapoint!

That evening we attended the rehearsal dinner at yet another famous pizza joint called "Gino's East." Again... fabulous food (sorry, I forgot my phone at the hotel, so no pics).

After dinner, we retired back to the resort where we met up with most of the wedding guests at the hotel bar. We hung out, swapped many stories, laughed so much, and really enjoyed ourselves.

The next day, Brian had many wedding-related duties to attend to, so I was on my own all day. Fortunately, for me, my hubby is extremely thoughtful and booked me a 2-hour spa treatment complete with a mani/pedi.

Heaven! 

(This is me soaking my feet while enjoying my coffee.)

 After that exhausting spa experience (ha... ha...) I went downstairs and got some yummy lunch. Then went back to my room, cuddled up in out big cozy bed and watched a movie. It was SO NICE!!! I never get to do that, so I felt completely pampered...and truly relaxed.

After leisurely getting ready & dressed, it was time to take the shuttle to the wedding. I hopped on board with a bunch of Brian's sweet friends and off we went! 

The wedding ceremony took place outside in this quaint little brick courtyard. It was such a beautiful setting. The weather had cooled off to a beautiful, breezy 84 degrees and everyone looked so amazing.

Check out that handsome hubby of mine in his tux!

 The bridesmaids carried yellow & white pinwheels instead of flowers and the groomsmen had matching yellow & white pinwheel boutonnieres. It was such a simple, clever touch.

Then Brett's niece & nephew came walking down the aisle carrying this sign:

It says "Uncle Brett, Here comes your Girl"

How cute is that?!?!?

 The ceremony was so sweet and special. The couple looked so incredibly happy!

 Congrats Brett & Krystyna! We're so happy for you!

The reception was held inside right next to the ceremony site. There were floor-to-ceiling windows and the view was of a beautiful river.

And of course the reception was a time to cut loose and have fun with all of Brian's buddies from high school:

 

 I even got to steal a dance or two with this handsome guy...

 We really had such a great time. It was so fun to just relax and enjoy each other's company.

Of course, I was missing my kiddos too. And worried that Grandma & Grandpa would be pulling their hair out by the time we got home. Boy, was I wrong!

They took the kids to the mall for lunch:

 Played in the play areas and rode the carousel:

Played countless games of stacking cups, Elmo, Wii and who knows what else!

 Bought & set up a huge pool in the backyard:

Snuggled LOTS!

 And maybe enjoyed a chocolate doughnut or two...

I was afraid the kids wouldn't even want to see us when we got home they had so much fun without us there! :)

But fortunately for my sensitive soul, they were very happy to see us!

Grandma even made a big dish of her homemade macaroni & cheese cooking in the oven when she left. And MAN did these kids chow down on it!

 

Thank you so much Mom & Dad for allowing us to take this wonderful trip. We had such a great time, but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun if we didn't know that the kids were enjoying themselves just as much as we were. You guys were amazing! 

We love you!!!

Beach Therapy

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. We've been busy around here! Fortunately, part of that busyness included a 3-day trip to Long Boat Key with our dear friends Rachel & Lilly.
As most of my family knows, Payton & Lilly have been friends since they were babies, e.g. Rachel and I have also been friends for 7 years now. It's so nice to get away for a few days with friends that you are so comfortable with. Here are some highlights from the trip...

The first night, Rachel made "octo-dogs" and shells for dinner. The kids LOVE this meal - especially at the beach!

 

 Although Parker has been coming to their condo since he was a baby, this was the first time he could really get out on the beach and play. He loved it every bit as much as his big brother!

 

Rachel had so many fun activities planned for the kids. One neat one was a shell hunt, followed by making a wind chime out of the shells they collected.

 

Of course there was lots of playtime too:

 

 And Popsicles...

 

 And chillaxing at the beach:

Rachel was nice enough to take the kids for ice cream on the way home:

 And I got to take this tuckered out boy home to his much-missed crib:

 It was another wonderful beach trip with incredible friends. 

Thanks so much for having us! We love you guys!
Check out this little video I created...

Longboat Key July 2012 from Stacy Heckman on Vimeo.

Organizing Inspiration

My organizing skills have been neatly tucked away thus far over the summer break. I haven't done any projects around the house that tidied up, purged, or made room for anything. Instead, I've been shoving things into cabinets and drawers and hurriedly moving on to the next item on the agenda. 

Then one of the blogs I follow gave me some inspiration. She organized her craft cabinet.

It was like someone took my blindfold off and I realized how out. of. control. my craft cabinet had become. Which also meant, the boys craft table had become quite messy and overcrowded.

Here are some lovely before pics:

 Can you even see the crafts stuck WAY back there? Nope, I can't either!

  Okay, I'm almost embarrassed that I actually just shared those pictures with you. BUT, now you know that I'm not always the most organized person. :) I mean really... doesn't this look more like a food storage cabinet rather than a craft cabinet? Out. Of. Control.

So, I emptied out the entire cabinet and gave it a good cleaning. Since there was so much food shoved into the cabinet, this also forced me to clean out my pantry and re-arrange some stuff in other cabinets in order to make room for this extra food.

I love it when I can turn a huge package into a much smaller storage space. For example:

 You can see in this picture all of the storage bins laying on the floor, ready for me to clean them out. But you can also see all of the cardboard boxes that I was able to get rid of in the pantry making way for SO much more space!

 This picture also shows how messy the counter above this cabinet had gotten. It was a real "catch all" for miscellaneous items. YUCK!

Okay, now the fun part! The "after" pictures! 

(Yes, I know I'm an organizing nerd. I accept it.)

That bin on the top shelf is practically empty! I just stuck the dog food in there for the heck of it.

(Side note: that grey accordion file on the top left is where I put art projects that Payton does throughout the summer. Then when we move into the fall, I will wrap a rubber band around it, label it with the date, and put it with the rest of his masterpieces. It's a quick and easy way to keep kids' art organized.) 

 Ahh... isn't that better? All labeled and properly organized! Everything in it's place!

 Even the counter received some TLC.

Now that I've accomplished that project, I'm ready for the next one. I think I'll tackle the linen closet! Fun times! :)

 

Funny

I saw this on another blog I follow and I just HAD to repost it! Every single thing in this is so very true about me! Enjoy!

Recipe - Easy Cheese Ravioli Casserole

I had to go back through my blog and make sure that I didn't already post this recipe. It's become an easy "go-to" for me because it only takes minutes to make, you assemble it in advance, so it makes dinnertime a breeze, and it is full of things my family loves.

Basically, it's store-bought ravioli topped with sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli & cheese then you pour an egg mixture on top which binds it all together during the cooking process. I usually serve it with an additional veggie and some biscuits, so the kids (and Brian) get double veggies and don't even notice! (I'm so sneaky sometimes - ha!).

Here are the steps (ingredient list is at the bottom):
1. Spray casserole dish with Pam and place store-bought (refrigerated - NOT frozen) ravioli on bottom of dish.
2. Chop up sun-dried tomatoes and sprinkle over ravioli.

 3. Top that with fresh (or thawed if frozen) broccoli.

4. Then sprinkle with shredded cheese. 

5. Mix together eggs & milk in separate bowl.
6. Season casserole with salt & pepper.
7. Pour egg mixture over entire dish.
8. Cover and let sit in fridge for 2 to 24 hours.
9. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes until center is set (not gooey). Let stand for 10 minutes.

ENJOY!

Ingredients:

*** I cut this recipe in half for our family, but if you have lots of kiddos or want leftovers, then make the full recipe. ***

• (2) 9 oz. packages of refrigerated ravioli (any flavor will work)
• 1/2 of a 7 oz. jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 cups broccoli florets (thawed if frozen)
• 2 cups shredded cheese (colby or cheddar)
• 8 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• Salt & pepper to taste