The flowers were in full bloom out in Holland, Michigan this past weekend for the ever so popular Tulip Time Festival. This year the event celebrated 90 years! We beat the crowds and headed towards the lakeshore first thing in the morning to walk the gardens, see some dancing and check out the carnival. In years past we’d gone out mid afternoon and found the lines for things to be unbearable. But this year we got to the carnival right at opening (11am) and found that most of the time our kids were the only ones on the ride. We made lunch reservations at Boatwerks which was the last day of the season until they become first come, first serve for the summer months and it was excellent. Then we walked the parade route back towards our cars before heading home.
Yesterday we celebrated Mother’s Day with Jeff’s family over brunch. It was the first time the entire family has been together in one place since December so it was great to catch up with everyone. And last week I got to have my very first ‘Ladies Tea’ with Natalie at her preschool (aka Muffins with Mom) where she gifted me a homemade vase of flowers. She’s since reclaimed her gift as her own and is now pretending the flowers are magic scepters. Jeff told me to treat myself to a new Mother’s Day gift of my choice and I might just take him up on that. Momma needs a new pair of sunglasses!
Despite the brisk weather lately, porch season is back in full swing over on Rosewood and we’re happy hosting church group, donuts & coffee and neighborhood happy hours. We love this time of year. As soon as we can start spending time in our outdoor spaces our house basically doubles in living space which is a very good thing when you’ve got kids at home. I think I mentioned back in April that we’ve given up on growing grass in the backyard (not enough sunlight) and we are embracing the ‘dirt patch’ route this year. The kids have been putting their gardens tools from their Easter baskets to good use which means we’re back to the daily tubby-time schedule.
Another reason we love this time of year (and this is no secret)… GOLF! Lots of golf. Moving forward Jeff and I both take one night a week to ourselves for our individual mens/women’s leagues and we do our best to spend time together on the course as well - mostly on Sunday afternoons after church during the kids nap time. Last week Jeff played in a tournament with a team of 4 and they came in 2nd. Alternatively, at women’s league last week I had my worst score of the season thus far. Luckily, his is the one that mattered because again, Momma needs some new sunglasses! Pictured below is me and Shirley Hollman from last week’s Wednesday night league - 84 years young and she still walks 9 holes!
Two weekends ago we checked out the Boutiques of West Michigan event at DeVos Place and were blown away by the mass attendance. The fashion show was pretty fabulous and I loved seeing all the newest treads available here locally at our nearest stores. The shopping afterwards was a touch overwhelming and could be improved upon next year by simply spreading out the displays around the room. Overall it was a fun event that seems to be growing every year.
Two weeks ago I took Friday off from work to be with Natalie on her preschool field trip to Bolder Ridge Animal Park. But before hitting the park with the kids (siblings were also allowed so Thomas got to enjoy the visit too!), we had a couple unfortunate stops to make after Natalie’s failed attempt at jumping from the couch. Our pediatrician did a quick exam first thing in the morning and ‘unofficially’ diagnosed her arm as broken, put her in a splint and sent us to Blodgett for x-rays to verify his diagnosis. Natalie was determined to make her school trip and the doctor granted us permission to still go with her arm in the splint and Tylenol. He called us mid amphibian exhibit to let us know it was in fact, not broken, and instead it was something called Nurse Maid’s Elbow. They scheduled us back for a second appointment to reset the arm. The day was a bit more eventful than I had planned on but I was pretty glad I had already taken the day off from work. She’s doing much better this week.
I had a great time out with the ladies at Waitress the musical two weeks ago. We grabbed dinner and drinks before hand at Roam which is just across the street from DeVos Performance Hall. We shared a few plates and thought the food was just ‘okay’ but the location was perfect for meeting up before hand. The show was really entertaining and I liked the fact that the band was on stage the entire time instead of in the pit. You could certainly tell the music was written by Sara Bareilles because of the style and tone and there was one character in particular, Ogie, that had the entire audience in stitches!
ON DECK - Things we’re looking forward to:
Cirque Du Soleil’s, Crystal is coming to town this week and we cannot wait to take the kids! Tickets are still available here. The entire show is on ice which greatly excites me because I, along with my brother who played hockey, grew up on the ice rink.
Jeff and I are running in the One in Five Marathon Relay with 3 other friends this coming June. I’m not a runner so this is a big deal for me. If you’re interested in joining the race too or if you just want to donate to the cause you can find out more here.
This Sunday afternoon you’ll find us meandering the Fulton Street Farmers Market for the 2nd Annual Rummage Sale! We’re big fans of the farmers market and go often on Saturday mornings but we missed the rummage sale last year. We’ll report back soon, or we’ll see you there!
POSTSCRIPT - A couple things worth mentioning:
Dessert Hummus -I’ll say it again, Dessert Hummus! Recently found at Aldi - Vanilla Bean. It’s very tasty!
Lemon Ginger Bourbon Fizz - credit to my mother-in-law Mari for introducing me to a great new summer cocktail. I’m usually a strict vodka girl so this is something I’m really looking forward to adding into the rotation this summer.
Flowerland for all your home gardening needs! The kids and I stopped last week for some items to round out our front porch. They’ve got everything AND I used a $10 off coupon that I got in the mail. Bonus.
