Flashback Friday: Muskoka

Summer vacation is on my mind and that means my favorite place in the world is Lake Muskoka! Here are some old pictures, I really wish I had a scanner so I could share more!

Corbin and Mere

Galen, Me, and McQueen

 My lovely bridesmaids! McQueen, Meggie, Me, Mere, and Galen

Me and Mere

Me and my cousins daughter Chayley 

I am super excited to take Hudson this year for the first time! The friends that I have made in Canada have been the best a girl could ask for, these girls have been there for me through thick and thin and I would do the same for them. When I'm not there and my family is I can't even talk to them on the phone because my heart aches so badly for this little piece of heaven. :)

H's Future Swagger Wagon

So I am a car girl, can't help it, I love cars. It just so happens that I am married to a car guy, who subscribes to no less than 6 car magazines a month. In the almost twelve years we've been together we've gone through at least 15 cars!

M now works for a very large car company that's US operations are based here in TN. We knew he would be getting a car allowance that would allow him to get a new car, he ordered an Altima coupe and had a Juke until it was ready. 

I've been dying over the new Infiniti JX and even tweeted the other day about how I got to look inside it while up at M's work on Thursday. Well fast forward to that afternoon & M comes home early...I'm in the middle of working out when he tells me to check my phone...this is what I saw...

It took me a minute to realize that this indeed was my driveway! M's department had gotten the JX and then you had to wait until your name was pulled to see if you got to have it for a night! Needless to say we all piled in and drove all around town!

Let me tell you, if you are looking for a new car this is it (rumor has it this will also be the new pathfinder body)! I have never driven an suv that felt more like a car in my life, there is absolutely no road noise, front and back cameras, and it sounds an alarm if you veer off the road or swerve. I apparently I swerve a lot when I drive b/c I had that thing going off more than once!

Hudson was in heaven, from the huge moon roof to the headrest dvd player the kid wanted to stay in the JX all night. I totally would have stayed with him! The second row seats slide up on both sides to allow access to the 3rd row, M who is 6'2 didn't have any problem getting into the back. I fit pretty comfortably in the 3rd row, I mean I wouldn't sit there for a road trip but I would if we were just going around town.

Our lab fit very nicely in the back. Oh and I almost forgot, the front seats are not only heated but air conditioned!!!! Overall I love this car and hopefully come fall it will be the new Lindsey family car, I don't care whether it's the Infiniti or Nissan!

M and Hudson took the JX back Friday morning while I was at my job interview. H told M that he didn't like the Nissan (M's car) and wanted the Infiniti....boy knows what he wants!

*In no way was I compensated for this by Nissan North America, this is solely my opinion! 

Menu Monday, Recipe, and A Call To Action

Happy Monday! It turned cold here in TN which is making it very difficult to get moving today ;) I am linking up with Rachel over at In No Simple Language for Menu Monday, go check out the recipes....

Sunday:  Smoked BBQ Chicken and Mashed Potatoes

Monday:  My Spaghetti...not nearly as homemade as M's

Tuesday: M's Smoked Chicken Salad on Toast

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday:  Chicken Quinoa and Brown Rice

Friday:  Parent's Night Out :)

Saturday: ?

Last week I got a new cookbook in the mail, Southern Living What's For Supper, here is the recipe for 1 of the meals we tried!

Cheesy Chili Hash Brown Bake

makes 8 servings 

hands on time: 12 min    total time: 57 min

1 1/4lb of ground beef or turkey                1(15.5oz) can sloppy joe sauce

1(15oz) can chili with or whithout beans    1/2(30oz) package frozen hash browns, country style shredded

2cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Preheat over to 425. Lightly grease 8(10oz) ramekins*. Cook ground beef or turkey in large skillet over medium high heat, stirring often, 7 to 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. drain. stir in sloppy joe sauce and chili.

2. Spoon chili mixture into prepared ramekins. Top with hash browns. Place on baking sheet

3. Bake, covered at 425 for 30 minutes ; uncover and bake 10 minutes or until browned and crisp. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake 5 more minutes or until melted.

*I used a large corningware dish instead of ramekins and I only used 1lb of turkey

A Call To Action

Saturday I was flipping channels and came across Food Networks new documentary about childhood hunger, HUNGER HITS HOME. This program really got me thinking about how we are the richest nation in the world and yet we really sweep the fact that 16 million children are hungry under the proverbial rug. The fact that good hard working people in this country cannot afford food for their families is troubling, entire neighborhoods that don't have access to fresh produce, I could go on and on.

So I am challenging my blog readers to do something, whether you take canned food to a donation center or donate a dollar at the grocery store we can all help to stop end childhood hunger. Kroger has an amazing program where you can buy already bundled foods that they will then donate, Publix has a donation program, so there are ways to help.

Sorry for the long winded post but I had too!

Randomness

I have a million posts running around in my head but today all I have are pictures from the past month! Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

M and Hudson having breakfast before our nature walk!

my boy playing in the dirt

 couldn't believe he actually wore the bunny hat we made at parent & tot!

 baseball game with his best friend Graham, who we pray for every night! along with his sister Lucy

Vacation Recap

Hello Hello! We just got back from a great little trip back home to VA! We managed to hit up a lot of our old haunts and enjoy friends and family :)

We flew into Norfolk and decided to stop in Williamsburg where we lived for 2 years. M had to have a Cheese Shop sandwich...or 2, we walked H through Colonial Williamsburg to see the animals, I stopped by my old job, and we drove by our old houses :)

Our next stop was dinner with friends from B school on our way to the river. Of course I didn't take a single picture :( H ran their little boy Conner (15 months) around and around until he was red in the face! We also went on a little boat ride on their lake.

Finally that night we made it to my parents river house :) H's first words when we pulled up were "where is papa?" Although we could only stay for 1 night and it happened to be freezing I wouldn't have traded it for anything! My dad came down the next morning and he and M put the boat in. All of his brothers and their wives came later that afternoon for the weekend, it was Daddy's 60th bday celebration! H had fun meeting one pair of great uncle and great aunt for the 1st time. He of course had many of them eating out of his hands :)

That night we headed up to Richmond to babysit my youngest cousins for the weekend. Again I can't believe I didn't take any pictures :( 

Saturday I ran the kids around to various activities. I met one of my oldest friends in the world for lunch with H and then picked up the kids. We then had M's parents over for dinner, along with my brother and his gf, and some other friends. No pictures b/c there was a small house fire 2 houses down that caught our attention and made us lose our power.

Sunday we headed down to M's parents for the day. I got out of the house for a much needed pedicure! We then headed to Norfolk to spend the night since we had an early flight the next morning, it was awful, it took us almost 4 hours because of accidents!

the pictures are out of order, sorry :(

running around in the garden at CW

the horses at CW

M and H

 M and H in front of the Governor's Mansion at CW

Our favorite old house :)

H found a deer antler in Papa's truck

 Hudson and Papa

Me, Hudson, and Papa

driving the boat

fire trucks! 5 showed up and poor H had fallen asleep watching Cars 2!

my boys

Hudson with my cousin Mallory

Papa, Hudson, and Mimi

4 Bedell boys and 2 Lindseys

the house :)

 the view

M, Papa, Hudson, Reg (front), Woody, and Alan