4th of July Celebrations, Summer Recipes, & Mom Life Recap

Happy Sunday! I just got back from a fun shopping afternoon with my mom, and since my husband and son are at the pool right now, I figured I’d sneak in some blogging. I am so excited about this week of blogs. I have toasted coconut cookies, almond blueberry cookies, sourdough pizza, and sourdough bagels on the lineup! I wanted to post this recap quickly to make time for the new ones. I make a lot of desserts for my markets during the week, and I will start sharing some of those recipes with you all!


Monday through Wednesday, I run around at the park and the pool, doing errands and playing with my son. I don’t start market prep until Thursday afternoon. During his naps (if he naps), I try to finish up blogging. I’m usually exhausted at night, so I’ll read my book and fall asleep. Time management is key when you’re a full-time mom trying to work, and I’m not always that great at it. 

Last week, we went to his favorite park almost every day, blew up the bounce house pool, played inside in the afternoons since it was up to 100 degrees, and made sure to fit in all our walks. He also helped me mulch the trees in the front yard. He’s down for anything related to dirt, a shovel, and a trip to Lowes. He’s in that fun toddler phase that wants to help with whatever I’m doing, which makes it easier for me to get things done. He thinks putting clothes in the dryer is the funnest thing ever. I wish that were something that would stick with him forever.

My brother was in town last week, so I visited my parents’ house to see him. Of course, on one of the hottest days, we decided to play 20 holes of frisbee golf. I never thought I’d like this sport, but it’s fun, and I’m not too bad at it. I only play it when he visits, but I wish I played it more often. 

On Saturday, I set up at the farmer’s market (I had someone working the morning for me) and then headed out for some drop-offs. I picked up coffee at Olives Mud Puddle to bring back to the market. I had a maple oat milk latte for myself and ordered a chai latte for the girl running the market for me!

Later Saturday, I worked on filming content for the sourdough bagels, which I will have live next week! I made jalapeno cheddar, cinnamon raisin, plain, and everything bagels. These are even easier than making bread! I also wanted to make a bunch so my brother could have them on his drive. 

We headed to my parents’ house on Saturday night to make sourdough pizza. I was so excited about this! I was inspired by the pizzas we had at the flower farm a few weeks back and have wanted to make sourdough pizza ever since. I thought having my brother in town would be the perfect excuse to make a bunch of dough and do a build-your-own pizza night. I brought produce from my garden, the farmers market, and the prepared sourdough for pizza night. 

I took photos and filmed the entire thing for an upcoming blog! We have talked about purchasing a pizza oven, and I think this recipe finally convinced us to do it.  This was the white sauce pizza with tomatoes, basil, peppers, onions, and mozzarella. It was so good! I made a kale Caesar salad for the side, and it was such a fun night making pizzas with the family and trying everyone’s creations. 
This one was the supreme pizza! 

I attended the Fort Mill Independence Day celebration in the park on Wednesday night. I had a lot of fun making desserts for the 4th of July and watching the band and fireworks.
 
We had our friends over the next day for the 4th of July. I put out some leftover desserts on a tray, and to make it easy, I just ordered pizza from a new spot in town, threw together a salad, and cut up some fresh fruit. I was so tired from the night before since I didn’t get home until midnight, and after days of baking, I was zonked. I usually love to prepare a bunch of food for company, but I didn’t have it in me, and I needed to last past 9 pm for the fireworks show. 
It was so hot out that we blew up the bounce house pool for the kids, and they loved it! This has been the best summer item yet! 

They played for a good few hours before calling it quits, and anything that keeps a toddler entertained longer than five minutes is a big win. 

All cleaned up and ready for the fireworks show! 
 
He didn’t make it past the first boom before running inside. Maybe next year! 


My new hobby (as of Friday) is making homemade sushi rolls. The first one I attempted had rice, cucumber, avocado, smoked salmon, and seaweed. I can’t wait to pick up sushi-grade tuna and make spicy tuna rolls. I’ve been looking all over Pinterest for sushi recipes! I don’t know why I thought it would be so intimidating, but it’s actually pretty easy and so fun! I think I’m going to have to plan a girl’s DIY sushi night soon. 

Nothing is better than Saturday mornings on the porch with coffee and a pretty sunrise! 

After my son woke up on Saturday morning, I made breakfast, and we headed for a super long walk! I try to never to miss my morning walks. They are my main source of exercise these days. And even though walking doesn’t seem like much, I live in a super hilly neighborhood, and it’s much more challenging with a dog and heavy stroller. 

I’ve been enjoying turkey spinach wraps with Caesar marinated kale, avocado, and cucumber for lunch lately.
 
For dinner, I roasted spaghetti squash with turkey marinara sauce and baked it with mozzarella. No one in this house likes spaghetti squash, so I’ll have it for dinner for the next few days! 

Early morning breakfast walk on Sunday! 

When I got back, I had an Ezekiel English muffin with butter, avocado, and turkey. On the side, I had fresh local peaches and Greek Yogurt! 

I spent the afternoon shopping at the outlets with my mom. We needed a girls’ day, and it’s fun to hang out and shop when it’s just the two of us. I got so many cute things, which was nice because I haven’t shopped for myself yet! 

I had my spaghetti squash and turkey wrap for dinner when I returned! 🙂 

Thanks for stopping by to read my blog. I can’t wait to share all the yummy recipes with you next week!

Questions for you!

1. Are you traveling anywhere this summer?
2. Did you have a fun 4th of July?
3. What recipe are you looking forward to most?