Time Away

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind up in here.

First, we spent last weekend on a mini-vaca with the hub's family. It was a total blast!

We pulled in and our first stop was this really great old-timey candy shoppe that also serves milkshakes and other yummy ice cream dishes.

They also make taffy at this place. I swear I could sit and watch that machine spin that taffy round and round for hours. The guys that make the stuff always throw out free samples to people, which is super fun too! While we there, they made toffee and handed out samples of that, too. Y'all. I wish there were some way to convey the aroma of that blessed stuff being made. Forget all the fake candle smells that try to make you think of toffee... This stuff was the real deal, and I only wish I had somehow bottled it up to save for later. So dern good!

The super fun cousins (and their parents) met us down there the next day. We may or may have not gone for a 2nd sugar high the next day at the same candy place. It's just too fun and too yummy not to hit up!

After we gorged ourselves on candy and burgers, we headed to Pleasure Pier. The bumper cars proved to be the Brantner girls favored ride! And their mother may or may not have encouraged them to ride a ride that got them completely soaked! Yeah, totally thought it was going to be like those rides at Astroworld that say you could get wet.. but you actually just get a tiny sprinkling of water on you. Nope. We were drenched. Head to toe. Between that and the chilly weather, we all brought home fun little viruses as souvenirs! Jade spent the following week getting over the flu. Bella suffered from an ear infection and HFM disease. And Jo, well he was actually pretty healthy considering.

Not sure why, but our kids rarely sleep when we're on vacation. They rose before the sun both days we were there. We did our best to keep them quiet, but by the 2nd day, I couldn't stand being cooped up in the room. I did my best to sneak them out quietly. We made a donut run.. and to get coffee for this caffeine addict. Then, we had a bundled up picnic on the beach watching the sun rise.

It lasted a total of 5 minutes. Between the kids feeling crummy, the cool weather and them inhaling their donut holes, it was a quick adventure.

We were still back in the hotel room by 8, where I apologized to the condo full of late sleepers.

Thanks to my early risers, we were on our way home at a record breaking time. The kids fevers rose throughout the day as my pulse quickened. You see, I don't handle sickness well.. and the hubs and I had plans to leave town in 2 days! Ack!

By the next day, our feisty first grader was pretty lethargic. I whisked them all to the Dr as soon as we could get in. She confirmed my sneaking suspicions for the various illnesses.

And for once, my ability to overreact paid off! The kids had their meds in less than 24 hours of being sick, and by the next day were on the mend! Hallelujah- the kids were feeling like warriors again and our trip was still on!



We rolled into Austin on Tuesday, excited to have a bit of a reprieve from all responsibilities and to have time to soak in the Word together. Also. I was excited about Austin food.

We spent the next 2 days sitting under some pretty awesome teachers, eating lots of great food, and making some new friends.



We also got to check out these guys, Courrier, live. It was a fun, intimate show! They're highly entertaining and they make great music! Our kids have even enjoyed jamming to their stuff in our cars, too.



Then, this happened during one of the breakout sessions. The heart behind the breakout sessions were to have a more intimate setting with a leader and gleam from their wisdom of leading the Church. This particular session happened to be on the patio of a great little coffee place. Yall, I swear I tried my hardest to choke back the hysterical laughter rising from my belly. I have no idea why I find Segway tours so entertaining. But they CRACK ME UP!!

We ended up having to head back pretty early the next morning. Our kiddo's ended up going into a little bit of regression with their illnesses. But we so enjoyed our time learning and retreating!

So, there you have our last couple of weeks. 2 short trips, 2 viruses, 1 infection, 2 colds, 1 clogged tear duct, and lots of good food!

(**This is the part where I say "Carla OUT" and drop the mic like a boss, and walk off the stage. At least in my imagination, cuz that's what I do when I blog. I imagine me saying all this stuff and all these different scenarios.)

Crockpots FTW

I love busy weeks, the hustle and bustle of life. But I also love the calm weeks... and the way they soothe my tired eyes after all the hustle and bustle. 

Last week was a week for the record books. And this week, I am soaking in all the unmarked days on our calendar. Glory.

Our forecast shows lots of rain, which I'm hoping will trick my mind into thinking its a blistery cold out... instead of the humid, muggy, and warm it really is.

To celebrate my week of rest, I will be taking full advantage of my crock-pot. What better way could there be to rejoice in the freedom of a scant calendar than with a 1-pot-clean-up dinner time?

First in line, is Skinnytaste's Kid Friendly Chili! Not gonna lie. I'm a wee bit nervous. I've always, ALWAYS used a tried and true Chili Kit to make chili. But, my kids have NEVER liked it. I'm curious to see if they'll appreciate this version more.

Next, I had planned on making a Not-So-Skinny Ranch style pork-chops. But, just discovered that we left the entire package of pork in the hubster's truck over night. So. There goes that.

And last, is Skinnytaste's Picante Chicken and Black Bean soup. I'm pretty excited about this one! It's pretty similar to a chicken taco recipe I make that our entire family gobbles up. So, I'm pretty sure everyone will enjoy this one too!

Come at me with full force, Lazy Week!!! I am ready for you!