ahhhhh....relax

This summer has been the summer of relaxing! On Sunday we took a family trip to the bay and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, sailboats were racing all over, and there was no sign of stress or worry in sight.  We enjoyed the day playing games, kayaking, reading, and eating.  We are so fortunate to have family close by, and spending time with our nieces and nephew is priceless!

Silly Alli

Kayaking like crazy!

Daniel being so helpful with Sarah, not!

Tired and rested after a long day at the bay.

 I'm not going to lie, we were both exhausted at the end of the day.  Our day started super early as we hung up shelves in our classroom before heading out to the bay, so by 7pm this was the sight on the couch:

Too cute!

DIY chalk jars

So I decided to get my craft on for Andrea's wedding shower last month.  What goes better with a backyard/bbq themed shower than mason jars?!?  I do have to admit that I didn't come up with it entirely on my own.  My dear friend, Alyssa, made the same jars for her rehearsal dinner.  I just couldn't get over how stinkin' cute they were and was so happy when given the chance to recreate them. 

I ordered my mason jars on Amazon since I needed about 60.  Then, I headed to Home Depot for my chalk board paint.  I'm in LOVE with this paint.  Currently I'm trying to figure out what I can turn into a chalkboard, maybe in my classroom????

To achieve the darkness I wanted on the jars I painted three coats of paint.  Luckily, Kylee helped out and painted about two of the coats for me.  I just did one side to keep it simple.  We also painted the inside of the lids, these needed two coats.  

 Once they were dry, they were ready for assembly.  I mean, just look at the above picture.  How cute are they?  All you need next is some pointed chalk, fun party people, and cold beverages and you're set to use your new chalkboard mugs.  They were a nice touch to the shower, and almost everyone took theirs home.  

They're also the perfect size for some flowers that need a little trimming.  Perfection!

pizza perfection

My husband loves my cooking, especially all the healthy stuff!  Really?!?!  (I know you must think I'm joking right now!)  He does love my cooking, but I think he is just more excited that someone actually cooked for him so he doesn't have to do any work.  One thing we make together that he absolutely loves is pizza.  We have perfected it beautifully.  Or so we thought.  My dear friend Colleen is always raving about her pizzas she cooks on the barbeque.  I figured we had to give it a try.  Our pizza making just got kicked up a whole new level!  

We started with the best ingredients:

 Marinara sauce

TJ Chicken sausage

fresh basil

asiago 

sauteed zucchini and peppers

sun dried tomatoes

mozzarella cheese

While I worked on the ingredients Daniel rolled out and tossed his pizza dough (TJ Whole Wheat dough).  Then we fired up the grill and got it pretty hot.  We followed these directions.  

Once one side was done cooking, it only took 2-3 minutes, we pulled it off the grill and added the ingredients.  The pizza went back on the grill, uncooked side down, and grilled it for 4-5 minutes.  Just long enough for the cheese to melt and the dough to turn a nice golden-brown color.  

 Daniel was slightly skeptical about the whole process, but when he open up the grill he had the biggest smile on his face!  

Daniel's finished pizza:

 I actually made a gluten-free pizza using Udi's dough.  It is one of the best doughs I have tried yet, and it turned out perfectly on the grill.  We had ours with a side of mediterranean quinoa salad.  I LOVE this salad that I found at The Daily Garnish!  Daniel even liked it, too.  

The grilled pizzas were our best yet!  They were quick and easy.  I love using the outside barbeque this time of year because it makes less of a mess in the kitchen.  Plus, while Daniel is outside at the grill I can clean the dishes inside.  When we finish dinner the only dishes we have left are our plates!  Also, the pizza crust was nice and crispy.  We prefer thin crust pizzas, and grilling it made the crust turn our perfect!