Spring Gardening, Outdoor fun with a Toddler, & All the Meals!

I didn’t realize how long it had been since I last wrote a recap blog until I loaded all the photos. Or maybe I just took a lot of photos in the past two weeks! We’ve been doing SO much more now that the weather is gorgeous and spring is officially here. With temperatures in the mid to upper 70s, we’ve been enjoying outdoor walks, garden projects, water games, and farm visits. And since my son has been done with naps since January (trust me, i’ve tried everything) we have about three extra hours to spare in a day.

Today, I’m sharing another recap blog filled with spring gardening projects, toddler fun, meals we’ve eaten, and everything we’ve been up to! It’s a long one, so grab that coffee!


Even with pollen levels outrageously high, we spend nearly every ounce of our afternoon time outside. Luckily, we’re not too affected by it—I blame the excessive amount of local honey we eat!

A few weeks ago, we had our very first 80-degree day, so I made a charcuterie board for an outdoor picnic, which, for some reason, my toddler LOVES. We spent the day organizing outdoor toys, donating the ones we no longer play with, and watering all around the yard.

We even shared some warmed-up healthy blueberry crumble after lunch! Of course, I had my coffee to go with it.

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bring the recap to life with the video clips from our week:

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Lately, I’ve been LOVING my steak cooked in the Dutch oven on high heat with avocado oil, sea salt, and black pepper. I sear each side with the Dutch oven lid on top for about 1 ½ minutes, and I love when the outside gets so crispy!

For some reason, I’ve always loved eating my steak with homemade guacamole. I also made some homemade roasted French fries on the side—so good!

Since my mom was coming over on a Thursday morning to hang out, I took advantage of the opportunity and joined a workout class with a good friend. We tried a new Pilates studio in town, and I really loved it!

When I got back, I picked up my mom and son, and we headed to our favorite brunch spot—Poppyseed! I had the breakfast plate with roasted rosemary potatoes, eggs, and bacon. So delicious!
On Thursday night, after my son went to bed, I stayed up late putting together this stunning entry table I found on TikTok Shop! They sell the same one on Amazon, too. I love how it looks in the space—it’s so long and sturdy!
 

The next day, I made another batch of chicken salad for the week and a fresh batch of healthy blueberry crumble since everyone was eating it up so fast! 😊

It was another hot day, so we spent the entire afternoon in the bounce house and had lunch outside! I also did a little casual seed sowing.

The next morning, we went on a walking and playground date with his friend, grabbed coffee at one of our favorite coffee trailers, and then had a double date with the toddlers at Costco! My go-to order is always an oat milk cappuccino. I also like their matcha lattes and golden lattes with maple syrup.

On Saturday morning, I did another Pilates class with my friend, and we grabbed brunch at The Wine Shop. I can’t get over how good their food is every time we go! This was my first time having breakfast there, and I will definitely be back. I had their steak, eggs, and potatoes—YUM!

That afternoon, we had to test out our new chalk! Lately, he’s been super into planets and space, so I took advantage of chalk time to teach him all about them (which meant I was Googling everything since I know nothing about the planets! 😂)

Later that afternoon, we went on a long family walk since there was no way we were staying inside with this gorgeous 70-degree weather. I’ve been loving the warm days—we always get to do more things together outside as a family!

We had a no-school day on Monday, so I made some healthy banana bread (recipe coming soon!) and then we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa’s to play outside and visit the farm. We love going out there on days off. I also enjoy it because it gives me a little bit of time to hop on the computer and blog!
That afternoon, my mom asked me to show her how to make the frosted banana bread bars, so we used my recipe and got to baking! Her and my dad love these bars, and they truly are so good! I love how easy and quick they are to make.

My little cuties after their groom 🙂

Getting in all the protein on a “need to restock the house with groceries” day! I had a bunch of work to do on a new backyard project, so I was just making it work with what I had!

If you’ve been reading the recaps for a while, you know I mention all the time how much my child loves to dig in the dirt or sandboxes. It’s one of the reasons we always go to Bush N Vine—they have a huge sandbox, and we sit there for hours while he digs with all the fun shovels and trucks.

I decided to buy a sandbox, put it together myself (I’ve started a new leaf of putting things together on my own without asking for help from my husband, and it’s been so rewarding!), and fill it with sand as a surprise for him. Those 50-pound sandbags were SO HEAVY! I did two trips to Lowe’s, but oh boy, my back was definitely feeling it the next day.

My son is so lucky to have a grandma who has a hard time staying away—she pops over all the time, and we love it! She joined us for a park and lunch date at our favorite spot, you already know, Ilios!

All of the cherry trees were in full bloom the past few weeks. Last year, we got hit hard with spring freezes, and a lot of our trees and plants died. This is the first time in two years that it’s been consistently warm, and everything is turning green so fast—the blossoms are just gorgeous. The only downside is that the pollen has been so bad this year, and that can really affect a lot of people! When I go out for my morning walks, there is a small layer of yellow on all the roads, and the bottom of our stroller tires are yellow. 


While my son was at school, I got to work on putting together the sandbox (by myself! I never had the patience to do it before and always gave up, but now that I’ve been doing well putting things together, I’m like… what can I buy and put together next?). It truly wasn’t too hard. I do have a hard time focusing sometimes, but I managed to power through. I was just so excited for him to come home and see it—I knew he would be so happy!

I placed it next to my garden bed so he could put all of his trucks, which he’s been using to dig through my garden rocks, back into his own little sandbox. That way, when I’m gardening this summer, he could play in the sandbox.

I bought some new shovels, jewels, and set it all up for him!

One of the first things I did was rinse the sand with water a few times to get rid of all the extra dust that goes up into the air, then I added a bunch of cinnamon to act as a natural pest spray. I also sprinkled some around the perimeter.

The sandbox I bought was super affordable and and easy to put together! (here is the link if you’re interested!)
When he saw the sandbox, he looked like he was going to cry for joy. He just kept saying, “Thank you, Mama! I love my sandbox so much.” I’ll include a few clips in the recap video on this blog. It’s been a few weeks since I built it, and he still LOVES it. He spends so much time playing in it, and he always asks to play in it as soon as we get back from school. If you have a little digger in your household, this sandbox was such a good investment.

I told you I felt unstoppable when it came to putting things together!

I bought a matching picnic table for outside lunches and dinners this warm season. After I sent him off to school, I had a few hours to get it put together. It had a lot of pieces, but I really enjoyed doing it. I don’t know why I was so afraid to read the directions and do something myself before, but now I’m loving it! I also did a pretty good job if I do say so myself!
When he got home from school, I had the picnic table set up and ready for a lunch board, the pool inflated, and the sandbox all set up for an afternoon outside!

How cute is this table!?

His snack plate had honey mustard pretzels, turkey slices, raspberries, peppered cheese, fruit snacks, jalapeño chips, and a juice box.

We spent all afternoon outside. I wanted to walk Leo around the block since he didn’t walk that morning, and when I put my son in the stroller, he fell asleep. This kid hasn’t napped since January, so it was shocking to see him finally tired out! I think this summer we’ll be trying for naps again since being outside can really take it out of you. We do a lot of pool mornings, and he’s in a six-week summer camp this year, so I’m hopeful we can bring back those naps!

He woke up at 5 am today, I took him out around two for a four mile walk and he sprinted almost the entire time and I had no luck of him falling asleep in the stroller. If you are a mom, when did you child stop taking naps?

The tulips are coming up so fast now that it’s been rainy and warm! Wait until you see the updated photos later in this post.

How fun is it that they had a petting zoo come to their preschool? You know it made this little animal lover excited.
We’ve been having a lot of meals out on the new table. I picked up his favorite, Ilios, and we sat outside listening to Danny Go songs and eating the best Greek food in town!

My husband has been grilling me chicken for the week, and the marinade I put on this makes it taste like a restaurant. I put that recipe on my Substack. I will be doing a lot of extra content over there!

I stopped at the flower nursery for some plants and spices before we headed to the Purrfect Cat Cafe. My son was absolutely IN LOVE with this place. He’s been begging me to go back ever since we left! It’s in Rock Hill, SC, and it’s one of the coolest cafes. You pay to go in and spend time with adoptable cats, who are living their best lives in that space! Honestly, I don’t know if I’d want to leave either if I were a cat.

He’s the biggest animal lover and has a huge soft spot for cats. He’s always asking me for one, and I always say yes. It’s his dad we’re working on! We do have a plan to get a cat in the future—not sure when, but it’s going to happen. I love how gentle he is with animals, and he really knows how to respect their boundaries. I feel like we’ve done a great job raising him to respect animals, especially since he was born into a house with Leo and Tux!

Oh, and their coffee was really good, too!
While at the nursery, I found Peggy Martin Roses. They were a little pricey, but that’s pretty normal for a Peggy Martin rose. If you Google them, you’ll see what I’m working with here—they are GORGEOUS! They grow so well on a trellis and bloom stunning pink roses in the spring, summer, and fall. I can’t wait to see them on the trellis this year! Right now, they’re in a bit of transplant shock, but I’m hoping they bounce back soon.

Since I was on a planting roll, I just kept going. Do you remember the peonies I found down in the woods last year? They were from when I tossed the old roots over the fence because they weren’t growing in my garden, then dirt got dumped on top, and they started to bloom (if you haven’t read that, you can find it here!) Well, I decided to go down into the woods and dig them up and pot them. I found them, did it, and now they’re thriving in the pots!
Another Dutch oven steak night, this time paired with a Costco salad kit and roasted green beans! Simple, delicious, and so satisfying. I’ve been upping my steak a lot lately to try and get my iron levels elevated.

We did a four-mile Saturday morning walk while my husband did his weekly meal preps (yes, he still does them every single week!). The weather was gorgeous, and I love making it to the top of the hill in the neighborhood for the sunrise. One of the best ways to keep my son in the stroller is by packing his breakfast to go, letting him get out to walk next to me for a bit, and then letting him get back in when he’s ready. It’s the perfect way to start the day!

Later that morning, we planned to go to a market in uptown, but it was so crowded, and we couldn’t find a parking spot. We weren’t in the mood to fight the crowds, so we decided to head to the mall to walk around some stores instead. Of course, we had to make time for the mall’s playground, play in the Lego store, and toss some coins into the fountain!

On Sunday, we headed to one of my favorite spots, The Union Exchange. Oh gosh, I was so happy to have them open for the season! This is one of our favorite places to spend the day, especially with kids. They have everything—the best sandwiches, a coffee shop, desserts, playground, animals, arcade, pond, live music, and the list goes on! We like to stop at the Waxhaw park to play and then head over to The Union Exchange for the best afternoon ever! I’m so excited to spend our summer and fall here.


Anyplace where I can drink coffee and pet horses, you know I’m saying yes to being there !


The best part is you don’t have to pack lunch! They have everything you need for the perfect picnic. We brought out blankets, sat by the water, and enjoyed food from the eatery. We got a variety of sandwiches, chips, an oatmeal cream pie, drinks, and just soaked in the beauty of nature!

After lunch, it was back to the playground, and after spending hours at the farm, you’d think he’d be ready for a long nap on the drive home, but nope! I wasn’t kidding about this kid being anti-nap.
Off to school on Monday in his new Paw Patrol set from Target! He’s obsessed with Paw Patrol, and this “only buying beige things” mom is obsessed with buying all the Paw Patrol things!
After school pickup, I had a lunch packed for our three-mile walk! I’ve managed to fit in a walk every single day this past month. I got into a funk during the winter and dreaded walking, but now I love it again!
Once a week, we make these almond flour chocolate chip cookies! We can’t get enough of them. They’re made with almond flour, maple syrup, and taste so good for not being traditional cookies.

One of the things I’ve noticed when making these is that the almond flour matters. We’re currently trying to use up the almond flour from Costco, but they turn out so much better with a super-fine almond flour. The taste is just as good, but the texture is more like a real cookie when the almond flour is finer.

After every rainstorm, we make it a tradition to fill the driveway with chalk art again! I’ve been collecting photos of all our creations to feature in a big chalk inspiration blog post. This time, he requested another space design. Since we just had a storm a few days ago, that means today’s theme will be sports!

This time, we created another round of planets, a rocket ship, and a UFO with an alien! I always make sure to restock our chalk supply from Amazon—my favorite is the Felizroca set because it comes with 20 colors and is super vibrant.
This little guy has basically become part of the family these past few weeks! He’s been absolutely relentless about trying to get into our house—constantly flapping at the window because he either sees his reflection and thinks it’s a mate or just gets confused by the sky. I’ve tried everything—covering the window, blocking it with objects—but nothing stops him. He’s there all day long! I’ll include a video of it in the recap roundup vlog.

Now that it’s mating season, our yard is full of birds at the feeders and in the birdhouses, and I love how beautiful they are! Fingers crossed they help take care of the Japanese beetles this year.
Afternoon lunch walk! I’m soaking up these beautiful afternoons while I can because soon, the heat will be intense, and stroller walks will only be tolerable at 6 AM.

Salad bowls for dinner! Lately, my favorite dressing has been a simple mix of organic olive oil, Arctic seasoning, and balsamic glaze—so delicious on fresh mixed greens. I topped the salad with grilled chicken, strawberries, and sharp cheddar cheese for the perfect balance of flavors!

The dahlias I potted are starting to sprout! I have more on the way, and once the tulips are ready to be pulled, I’ll plant the dahlias in the beds along with zinnia seeds. I can’t wait to see the garden in full bloom!

I made a new recipe to go with our grilled chicken for my hush puppy-loving kid, and I’m so happy to share that they were a hit! Hush puppies are super easy to make, and homemade ones are so much better. They’re fried in avocado oil, sweetened with honey, and I made a big batch to store in the freezer. Now, whenever I’m making dinner late for my son, I just pop one in the air fryer, and it comes out super crispy!

Look at how orange those farm-fresh eggs are! I picked them up at the farm when we were out at my parents’ house, and there’s something so delicious about farm-fresh eggs. They just taste so much richer and more flavorful! (read more on my substack!)
There’s a new spot in town that does acai bowls, and I thought my son would love it since he’s a smoothie guy and a big fruit fan. I picked him up from school and we went in together. He took a few bites and said, “Good, but where’s my real food?” It cracked me up because he totally sounded like his dad! So, we ended up heading to Ilios for his chicken and rice before our Costco trip.
When I got back from Costco, I whipped up a delicious cherry crumble using organic frozen cherries! Oh my goodness, it was so good—like biting into a summery cherry pie. This recipe is a twist on all my other healthy crumble recipes on the blog! It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and vegan. I’ll be sharing the full recipe on the blog soon, but it’s already posted on my Substack if you want to grab it now!

I used to share what my son was having for breakfast, but it’s been pretty much the same for months now. I make him pancakes using mashed bananas, vanilla protein powder (we like the vanilla organic Orgain), Kodiak pancake mix, extra eggs, and milk. I’ve had a bite, and they’re actually so delicious—no wonder he eats so many of them! Since he’s a bit of a picky eater, finding something with substance is key. These pancakes are packed with protein, which is great since he’s not a big fan of meat. He does, however, eat chicken sausage! For his smoothie, he gets a blend of frozen blueberries, strawberries, milk, a little protein powder, almond butter, frozen spinach, and local honey. I also give him vitamins and elderberry syrup before meals. The key is making a ton of these pancakes in advance and storing them in the fridge for the week. I heat them up in the air fryer or microwave. Oh, and he loves dipping them in organic maple syrup. Who doesn’t?
How fun are these birdhouses my dad built to look like him and my mom? I’m thinking I need to commission him to build some that look like my family too! They’re just too cute, and it’s hilarious that birds actually use them. My dad loves his birds—he has houses all over and a bunch of feeders. We’ve even started sending each other bird photos now. Oh, and it’s almost hummingbird season, so I’ve got my feeders all ready to hang.


My husband works from home a few days a week, so we do our best to get out of the house on the days when we don’t have school. My son loves to pop in on his calls and things like that, so it’s just easier to spend the day out and about doing errands, visiting parks, checking out farms, or stopping by to see Grandma and Grandpa. We had a special request to head over to Bush N Vine to play on the tractors and get ice cream!

I also needed to pick up some Arctic seasoning for my Substack giveaway. We were driving through downtown York, SC, and noticed this cute new bakery, Bites! We decided to check it out before going on a little walk. It was the cutest little pink cookie shop, and we couldn’t resist popping in!
One of my favorite things to do is walk down the old streets in York because the houses are so big and beautiful.
Is this not a sign? Hear me out (since my husband won’t listen). We were walking by this gorgeous house, and you can tell it was recently renovated—it’s nothing like it used to be. It literally took my breath away, and the symmetry of it all is just so therapeutic to me. I told my mom, “This is my dream home. If it ever goes on the market, I would want it so bad.”

Now, get this—THE VERY NEXT DAY, a for sale sign appears in the yard! Is that not meant to be? And because it’s in a smaller town, not a crowded suburb like where we live, it’s actually affordable.

Here’s my question: HOW do I convince my husband that we need this house? It’s almost three acres! Can you imagine all the flowers I could plant there? Please send me all your good wishes as I keep working on him to go look at this house lol
The inside is almost like a blank shell so you could do so much to the inside! I’ll keep dreaming tho. 
For dinner on Friday night, I had a tossed salad with grilled chicken, kumato tomatoes, and rosemary fingerling potatoes. I dried out kumato tomato seeds a few months ago and I need to start them now! This just reminded me to get those growing.

Saturday morning, we headed to Five Blossoms Farm for tulip picking!

What a dream their tulip fields were! I’m always so inspired by everything they do – from their honeybees to their farm-to-table events, the flowers, and just how hard they work!
I’ll put all the photos from our tulip picking in a separate post soon on my Substack!After visiting the tulip farm, it makes me laugh looking at my little mini tulip boxes, but hey, they make me happy!  
I’m still contemplating on staining the beds this summer. What do you all think? Maybe wait on more season?
We had some wild storms coming in on Monday, so I made sure to pick a bunch of the tulips and put them in vases to save them from going to waste in the storm. I plan to do a separate blog post just about tulips soon, sharing photos and the varieties I bought!We are on year five for these peonies! I’m hoping this is the year they just really thrive. It’s jus tso funny to me that the ones I dumped in teh woods killed it, and these ones I planted suffered. We shall see!

I need to plan out more tulips for next year! I’m absolutely in love with having them all around the house. And of course, another week means another batch of jalapeño pepperjack sourdough bread! I slice it up and freeze it, then my husband takes it out and pops it in the air fryer to toast. My son loves it too—he’s all about the spice!

I’m sure you’ve seen me talk about my backyard mud pit in previous recaps. Well, I just couldn’t look at it anymore, so I called my dad for reinforcements while Kyle was away. We came up with a game plan, knocked it out in just four hours, and I can’t wait to share the final pictures! I always love doing these projects with my dad because he teaches me so much!

To thank my parents for coming over to help, I made a delicious pasta dish! I used gluten-free rigatoni, tossed it in Trader Joe’s tomato basil marinara (the best pasta sauce I’ve ever had), added fresh Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, and cooked kielbasa. It was so tasty and a perfect way to show my appreciation!

I’ve got a ton of delicious recipes coming your way on both the blog and my Substack soon!

I hope you made it to the end of this post—it ended up being quite the long one! I’m thinking I need to start posting more often!

And don’t forget to follow me on Substack for more updates! 🙂

Questions for you!

1. What’s one project around your house you’ve been meaning to tackle?
2. Do you make any sourdough recipes?
3. What’s something you’re looking forward to this week?