Ten on Tuesday [No.58]

It's so wild to think that I haven't put together a Ten on Tuesday post since April!
That feels like honestly a million years ago & yesterday all at the same time.
I think having a baby will do that to you.

In all seriousness though, Charlie is at such a fun age now-each month gets better & more fun in my opinion. However, each new month also comes with its own challenges.
Right now he's becoming increasingly mobile and I'm constantly going from thing to thing making sure he's staying out of trouble.
Most days, it's all I can do to keep the house from being a total wreck and occasionally throwing a load of laundry in the wash, while keeping him fed and occupied-but I know these days will fly by too, so I'm trying to just enjoy each second!
And along with that...I'm going to try to return to Ten on Tuesdays, at least a little more frequently 😉
ONE

It seems like forever ago now, but in May Christopher & I had the opportunity to visit the Capital and meet with our legislators and Governor.

We were recognized on both the House & Senate floors as well as in the Governors office for our recent wins within the Alabama Farmers Federation & the American Farm Bureau.

I want to do a full post about this ASAP, it's just getting it put together that's got to happen!

This photo is from us on the lawn on the State House.

TWO

This succotash recipe sounds so good right now!
It's the perfect summertime side (for your Fourth of July gathering, perhaps?)
It's got okra, bacon, red onion, corn, tomatoes, fresh basil, and more-so many yummy things!

THREE

Typically, we don't actually really celebrate my birthday on my birthday.
I usually get presents & we will grab takeout from a local restaurant, but there isn't usually a full date-fortunately that worked out to happen this year, so that was really exciting!
We left around 3ish, leaving Charlie with my sister, and headed toward one of my favorite cities-Auburn!
We took in the farmers market, stopped by the University's meat lab to grab some summer sausage, link sausage, and pork chops, and then headed to downtown Opelika.
We strolled through a consignment shop I had my eye on and took in a few beers at Red Clay Brewing (this hard cherry cider is brewed in house & was AMAZING), and then we finished with dinner at my favorite restaurant, Acre.
Highly recommend if you're ever in Auburn.

FOUR

I love a good, simple lunch recipe like chicken salad.
This Southern Living honey chicken salad sounds like a fun spin...but I would leave out the celery 😉

FIVE

This little guy has been growing like a weed!

We started baby led weaning when he was about 6-7 months old and haven't looked back.

He's taken so much ownership & independence of his own eating and we love how much he's tried-simply because he wants to!

He will try almost anything and loves so many different foods.

SIX

I have gone on a total binge of the show Bones on Hulu and I'm not even a little bit sorry.
I remember watching it a little bit when it was still on tv, but never really getting into it.
I'm just now starting season 11 out of 12 and I'm so not ready for it to be over!
If you watched Bones (or Castle or Body of Proof) let me know of some other similar shows I might like!

SEVEN

I still have early mornings sometimes with Charlie, but I'm not usually as on-the-go as I used to be, so now I typically take the time to cook a real breakfast for Charlie and I.

But when I am trying to be speedy, this is a typical breakfast for me as I run out the door.

I ice down a Venti Starbucks cup, pour up a caramel Premier Protein (that's been refrigerated overnight), and then I'll either add coffee if I have time to brew my own-or I'll pour in one of these High Brew cold brew coffees in salted caramel.

Then I'll just mix it around with my straw and sip it as I rush through my morning, it's delicious and will keep me full 'til lunch.

EIGHT

I recently was wandering around Ulta (dangerous, I know) and had a 20% off coupon.
I decided to add this rose lip balm to my basket & I have adored from the moment I tried it.
It's so hydrating and the rose isn't too overpowering. It feels a lot more luxurious than the price tag.

NINE

 Each year, my back porch garden grows more & more.
I started out with just four pedestal pots and now I've added four planters that sit on top of the rail, four hanging baskets, and countless other small potted plants sitting around.
I've branched out from just flowers to herbs as well.
It's one of the biggest things that I gather peace and pleasure in during this time of year & it's been so fun to see Charlie enjoy it this year as well.

My plants have grown and changed a lot since I took these pictures, but they all still look beautiful!

TEN

I haven't gotten a chance to share many of these family pictures we had done, but I wanted to at least share one right here because I just love them so much!

This is our farm where we'll one day build our forever home & we were able to have Forrest in these pictures as well which is so special to me.

I can't wait to do more pictures when Fall rolls around, family pictures just are so precious and my husband tolerates me so well.

Well y'all, that's all I've got for right now but I would love to hear you sound off below with something new that's happening with you!

Until next time. . .

xoxo,