Fancy-Free Life: What I'm Lovin' Today!

Happy 4th of July!

I'm so excited to spend the day with my family.

I made a de-lish Strawberry Almond Trifle with an amaretto glaze and can't wait to have some later on. I'll share the recipe for it later this week.

Can you tell that Mom's fur-baby, BoBo (short for Rambo!), is ready to picnic?!

It's time for What I Love Wednesday! Linking up {{here}}.

1. Sidewalk Chalk. Gave my ELL kiddos some sidewalk chalk to play with the other day at recess and they loved it. At first they drew pictures, played tic-tac-toe, traced outlines of each other, etc. Then, they decided to grind the chalk into a fine powder on the black top... of course, HUGE MESS, but they loved playing in the "chalk dust." Everything came right off with water, so no harm done.

2. Rose Blooms. My mom got me a rose bush earlier this spring, and over the last week it has really started blooming. Love it!

Maybe I have a green thumb after all - ha!

3. Banana Boat Dry Oil. One of my pool must-haves this summer. Love that it's not greasy, and there's just enough sun protection to keep me from getting burnt while also helping me achieve a nice summery glow.

Sprays on easily... no messy hands :)

4. Good Music. Love the Pandora radio on my iPad.

The perfect mix of stations for a fun day of floating in the pool.

5. A "Real" Book. Don't get me wrong... I love the Kindle app on my iPad, which is where I do most of my reading. But aside from the fact that I can't read in the sun on my iPad due to glare (BOO!), it's refreshing to hold an actual book in my hands... to have the gratification of turning a page and finishing a chapter.

6. Packages. Love when packages arrive with my name on them! Even when I know what's inside, it's still exciting to rip into the box and find your treasures. In this case, some Tastefully Simple goodies were waiting inside of my box!

7. Summer Storms. Love a nice summer storm in the evenings. The weather around here has been hot and dry lately, so the farmers gladly welcome the rain for their crops (and I welcome the rain so I don't have to go out and water my flower beds - ha!).

8. The Calm After the Storm. The sky turns beautiful shades of pink and blue as the storm clears out. The temperatures cool off slightly, making it a great time for a run. ...Which brings me to my next love (see #9).

9. Couch to 5K. I started the Couch to 5K (C25K) program a few weeks ago. It's a program designed to help the non-runner build their stamina for running, so that at the end of the 8 weeks, you're able to run for 30 minutes (approx. 5K). I've never been a runner, unless I see a snake or am being chased by bees. However, this program might just be changing my mind about running. Check it out by clicking {{here}}.

Here are the stats from my run last night. Love how the app even uses the GPS on your phone to track your run. Burned 290-something calories in 30 minutes last night... not bad!