Weekender

Our weekend was pretty uneventful. But that was just what I wanted for Mother's Day weekend .... to do nothing except hang out with my family. We grilled out, played in the yard, rode bikes, and relaxed. Here are some weekend snapshots.

Our favorite slaw

Yard work

Rowe's big boy room is coming together (bedspread, bridge pictures from Zulily, and curtains)

The mint is going wild in the back yard. Oh and I got poison ivy from pulling it up. Yay. 

My husband's best friend

Rowe & Mo are besties (I know Mo looks scared but he loves Rowe. Promise.)

Silliness

Yep

Church Cookbook Bake

Is it just a southern thing to have a plethora of church cookbooks in the kitchen? I use my church's cookbook all the time. People don't put so-so recipes in their church cookbooks - they put the tried and true, real-deal family favorites, and that's why church cookbooks are awesome! One of our go-tos is the spaghetti bake. It's particularly good on a rainy, gloomy day (like today), when you just want comfort food.

The finished product. YUM.

The simmering sauce

The goodness that turns plain spaghetti into spaghetti bake

This is comfort food at its finest

FBC Spaghetti Bake

1 lb ground beef

1 med onion, chopped

1 tsp salt

garlic powder to taste (I use fresh garlic, 1-2 cloves)

pepper to taste

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 can (15 oz) crushed tomato

*Italian seasoning to taste 

*fresh herbs of your choice (I use rosemary and basil in season)

8 oz spaghetti noodles of your choice

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Brown onion and then beef. Drain excess grease. Add the salt, garlic, pepper, and tomatoes, seasoning and herbs. Simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile cook spaghetti according to package directions. In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese and sour cream. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Put drained spaghetti in bottom of casserole dish. Spoon meat sauce over spaghetti, then spread the cheese mixture over the meat sauce. Top with grated cheddar. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. (Contributed by Missy Alexander)

*These ingredients are not original to the recipe and are added by me to amp up the flavor even more. 

Enjoy!

L

Current Obsession - B & W

I think I may have a problem. It all started with this awesome umbrella I ordered for our patio last year. Then it spiraled out of control from there! I hope black & white stripes don't go out of style soon. 

JCrew shirt

Umbrella from Ballard Designs

Custom chair with the same fabric as the umbrella above. That's how much I loved it.

This little gem was a Target special.

Roadtrip - Lake Oconee

I. Love. Traveling. I get such a thrill out of seeing and experiencing new places. I especially love checking out quaint and beautiful Southern towns and scenery. Recently my husband had a business trip at a lake community in Georgia. It was the perfect excuse for a few days away.

I had never heard of Lake Oconee, but my husband had me at "Ritz Carlton." It's located between Atlanta and Augusta, and is known to be a golfer's paradise. But you definitely don't have to be a golfer to be happy here.

If you're looking for a weekend getaway, this is perfection. It goes without saying the amenities are top notch. I kept thinking about the movie Dirty Dancing - I felt a little like I was on the set of the movie. It just so happened to be 75 and sunny while we were there. My husband spent most of the time in meetings, so I laid by the beautiful pool ALL DAY. Rough day.

Lake Oconee is in Greensboro, Ga.

You know how when you go to a beautiful place, photos sometimes just don't do it justice? That's how I feel about this place. It was a wonderful, relaxing trip, and I highly recommend checking it out.

Where do you like to travel for a relaxing weekend getaway? Do tell!

L