10 things worth noting from the long weekend!

1. Started Friday off right with one of our favorite local bluegrass bands, Blue Grama.

2. Saturday morning started bright and early with a little bathroom demolition. We were trying to hold out for a complete bathroom renovation but decided to do a mini DIY reno instead. Totally digging it so far.

[before]

3. Butcher block counters are very affordable and quite easy to work with. Especially when you buy a butcher block desktop at Ikea and cut it down to use as a counter. Instead of buying their 6-foot kitchen butcher block counter for $129, the desktop cost $79!

4. Backsplash flashbacks. However, this was much easier and only took about 1 1/2 hours to complete. I used 2x4 white subway tiles [from Home Depot ~$2.50 per 12x12 sheet] and cut each sheet in half [6x12], which meant I got 2 uses out of each sheet. Then I finished the top row with a rounded bull nose tile [2x6 $.75/tile]. Extremely affordable for a very clean look. Grout will be applied tomorrow and then the sink installation is next!

5. Graduation doughnuts for my cousin Elizabeth! Hip hip!! Lemon Cake + Vanilla Bean, both of which will be in the book!

6. My hands have been covered in paint for 3 days straight. We're making a few other mini upgrades inside as well.

7. THIS potato salad from Thug Kitchen is worth your time. I doubled the recipe, used apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar, and added 1 1/2 cups chickpeas. Pretty sure I ate 6 servings in 24hrs and even dumped the last serving over a green salad.

8. FREE rhubarb > $6.99/lb rhubarb

9. Solo Monday bike ride. Everything is unusually green right now and I'm loving it.

10. Monday night margarita. Well earned.

Bathroom update coming soon! Hope you enjoyed the weekend!

Ashley

1. I was totally planning on posting a recipe today until something pretty cool happened Friday night that I just had to tell you about. As mentioned, my mom is in town for the week. We went to meet my uncle, aunt, and cousin for dinner Friday night. Totally normal. Nothing seemed peculiar. My mom and I walked in while Chris was parking and made our way to the table. We see my uncle there to greet us and out of nowhere my dad springs out from behind a wall. My mom and I about passed out from the shock! My mom had NO clue my dad was planning a secret trip to Colorado so she was just as stunned as I was. As we tried to collect ourselves and question how all of this happened + how he was able to keep this from my mom, I turn 180 degrees to my right and my BROTHER steps out from behind another wall! WHAT! We were stunned to say the least. My brother hasn't been able to make a trip out to visit since we've lived here so this was definitely exciting.

Such a fantastic surprise to have my whole family visiting in one trip! My brother + dad only came for a long weekend and are sadly going home Monday. But, as you will see below we packed in quite a bit in a short amount of time and have had a fantastic time together.

2. I'm not sure if my dad came to visit Chris and me or his grand-dog, Dakota. These two are pretty much best friends and have been since we first got Dakota nearly 8 years ago. She likes to glue herself to my dad's hip whenever he's in town. And let me tell you, he does not mind one bit.

3. My brother was absolutely thrilled to be able to get in a cold river plunge at my uncle's property in the mountains. He plunges every single Sunday through the cold months of winter, no matter the temperature. He's actually organized quite a big group of friends over the years that now join in. Pretty amazing to watch. I believe the water was just over 40 degrees Fahrenheit today.

4. We finally saw a bit of spring pop through when we were in Boulder. We ate at Under the Sun, which is a fairly new restaurant that I now highly recommend. Kale chips are on the menu and man were they delicious!

5. I have a thing for tulips.

6. I finally decided I should start actually wearing aprons to avoid getting grease + food stains on my clothing.

7. Sunday brunch. Wish you could have joined!

>> recipe for Baked Oatmeal from Super Natural Every Day -- absolutely delicious!

Coconut Tres Leches Pancake-Cake obviously made an appearance.

Along with a giant veggie-packed frittata and a bowl of fresh fruit.

Nothing better than brunch.

8. My uncle's property is tucked in the mountains and incredibly peaceful. I always love heading up there for a visit. My mom, Josh, and Kenna joined while Chris + my dad stayed back to do some yard work.

I told my mom she looks good in the woods. It's not exactly her element. ;)

But it's clearly where Kenna belongs!

9. Dad + daughter with some brightly colored rain gear.

10. Sunday night was finished with dinner at Tasty Harmony. Obviously. Hands down my favorite nachos of ALL time. They just so happen to be vegan and were enjoyed by all.

chips + black beans + cashew cheese + vegan sour cream + marinated jackfruit + guac + salsa