Back to School Brinner 2026

 

We had our annual back to school brinner this week and it was just as sweet as ever. I MAY have cried when G asked if Luke would get to do this with us next year, but other than that it was PERFECTION!!!

Three Things - First Day Edition

 

- LAST ONE, BEST ONE-

Well. Here we are. I'm still processing #allthethings but as I was taking these photos Luke goes, "I guess this is the last time I'll take these pics" and for some reason that made it all feel super real. Forget senior sunrise, senior retreat prep, senior car window painting, painting his senior parking spot... this was what did me in. Bittersweet is really the only word I have for it!

Easy weeknight meals

   Today is the first day of school and it feels appropriate to share some of my family's favorite weeknight dinners that are QUICK, easy and yummy.  These are meals that I like to pull out on super busy nights where we have practices, church, games, etc. and there's minimal time.

Amazon Lately

 

This homework folder has been a back-to-school staple in our house for YEARS. My kids use it to keep homework papers in - it's an easy way to keep what needs to be completed/turned in separated from everything else and makes bringing things home a little easier/simplified.

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, friends! Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

First up - our FAVORITE guy turns FORTY THREE tomorrow and we snuck in a celebration earlier this week before the wee got too crazy!

Camp Recap 2026

 It's taken me a couple of weeks to go through camp pics, get them ordered, and get this post together but I'd be remiss if I didn't recap another amazing year of camp for all three kids. 

Griffin was part of the Morph leadership program in Van, TX and had an absolute blast. She said that it was her favorite year EVER. 

Back to School Touches

 

Well... believe it or not summer is coming to an end! I went back to work this week and my kids go back next week. A couple of weeks ago I packed up the red, white, and blue and got out my back-to-school bin. I'm not ready to commit to Fall decor since it's not even close to being Fall but I can definitely get on board with some school-related decor ;) 

Up first is this banner that I had made years ago (the Etsy seller no longer exists - sorry!) that says "Who and Whose". Growing up my mom would always tell us to remember who we are and whose we are and it always feels fitting for back to school.

Weekend Recap

 

It's been a minute since I've done a weekend recap. because, honestly - summer kind of feels like one big weekend BUT this weekend was extra fun so here we go ;) 

We pickleballed....

Friday Favorites

 

Happy Friday, friends! Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

Happy Friday, friends! This was my last week of summer break and I seriously CAN NOT BELIEVE IT!!! This week was full of errands and last minute fun and trying to soak up the last bits of summer.

Back to School FAVES

  Well... it's undeniable at this point and as much as I hate to admit it, school is coming whether I like it or not.  All my kids are all home from camp and we're in the home stretch of summer.  SIGH.  In the spirit of back-to-school I'm sharing some of our FAVORITE things for this season because if you have to go back to school a fresh pair of sneakers eases the pain just a bit ;) 

A couple of years ago we converted over to Owala freesip bottles and love them so so so much!  Love that the lid just pops up and you can drink from a straw without actually putting your mouth on a straw. I also love that you can throw them in a bag and they don't leak!

What's Up Wednesday

   Today I'm linking up with  Shay and  Sheaffer to talk a little bit about what's been going on around here! I started this post Tuesday afternoon and then was IN BED AND ASLEEP by 8:30 Tuesday night and never finished! So here we are ;)

All the soft foods because Luke had his wisdom teeth removed yesterday ;) PRAISE hands for mashed potatoes and gravy!

Here's a pic of Luke on the way home from the oral surgeon sending an ill-advised selfie to his cross country group chat because "I FEEL FINEEEEEE" ;) hahaha Griffin confiscated his phone immediately after this. hahaha

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

 

This breakfast casserole has become my family's favorite and I love it because you can mix and match your meat and cheese, add veggies, AND prep it the night before you want to bake it.

I didn't take a pic after it was baked before I served it but here is what was left after I served it to our group of counselors on Saturday morning ;)