What's Up Wednesday - August 2017

It’s my first time linking up with my favorite blogger Mix and Match Mama for What’s Up Wednesday.  We answer a bunch of questions every last Wednesday of the month.  We postponed this from last Wednesday to today but really it's still an August post (the linkup hosts paid tribute to the Hurricane Harvey efforts last Wednesday instead and rightfully so). 

Here are the What's Up Wednesday questions:

I’m digging this blogger life, and I couldn’t resist joining in on the fun of this linkup.  So here goes!

What We’re Eating This Week…

Photos courtesy of HelloFresh.com

Hello Fresh is back in my house.  I chose to skip two weeks of delivery due to travel and dining out plans and I seriously missed it.  Felt great to get this week’s delivery.  So far, I’ve made Potato Cod Cakes with lemon garlic aioli and also Crantastic Turkey Burgers.  That cranberry mayo jam though!  Both were delicious and as usual, easy to make and easy to clean up.  I remain a Hello Fresh fan.

What I’m Reminiscing About…

Bobby Wagner #54

Jimmy Graham #88

Seahawks Training Camp last month.  We had a great time sitting in the grass watching the guys practice on the field.  Then for the last half, I got to move to the special viewing area with my cousins and OMG after the players left the field, a door rolled up and BWags and Jimmy Graham were weight training right behind me! 

I'm also reminiscing about, and craving, this Oli Bun that I had at Chick 5 in Seattle last month.  It's a donut bun, filled with handmade ice cream (I chose Rocky Road) and rolled in fruity pebbles.  The fruity pebbles didn't make it too sweet, they were added for the crunch and totally worked!  And yes, I had to have it with fries.  I have to have salty after sweet.

What I’m Loving…

Quiet time in my reading room.  The other day, I looked up from my book and I loved this view.  My 3 littles were watching a movie together in the loft and the pups were with them too.

What We’ve Been Up To…

Fun summer stuff as the season draws to a close.  Kiddie pool, making ice cream, sleepovers at my house, playing at the park.

What I’m Dreading…

I'm dreading my cable bill.  Lol!  I suspend cable on the football offseason because there’s nothing else I care to watch that I can’t watch online.  I love skipping a cable payment for 8 months.  Football is back though, folks, and so is the bill (until I decide how to fully break up with cable).

What I’m Working On…

Building a Park!  I was selected for a 7-member committee to help design and develop the 15-acre Huckleberry Park in my neighborhood.  Our committee has met three times now and we are making progress.  We’ve chosen the top 10 amenities we want to add with our $1.9M budget and I’m excited to be serving my community this way!

What I’m Excited About…

Football Season!  Cheering on my Seahawks, hosting football parties, watching live games, all things football!  I've already hung the wreath I made last year...

What I’m Watching/Reading…

Watching:  Lion – A story of a boy lost from his home in India who was adopted by an Australian couple.  I enjoyed the movie!

Reading:  Plain Truth – This is my second Jodi Picoult book (after loving Small Great Things which I reviewed in July).  I just had to check out another one of hers and I enjoyed it.  I posted my August Book Review last week.  Check it out!

What I’m Listening To…

This American Life Podcast – this is my favorite podcast, and I just finished episode #623, “We are in the future."  It was about Afrofuturism and it includes an excerpt of a play where the character experiences merging past and contemporary times as a slave.  I found myself sighing and “hmmm-ing” out loud in my car as I listened.  My favorite quote from the podcast, "I am my ancestors' wildest dreams."

What I’m Wearing…

Flowy tops and jeans have been my thing this summer.  I really went all #bloggerlife with the mirror selfies of two of my favorite outfits recently.

What I’m Doing This Weekend…

Managing my Fantasy Football team - woot woot!
Also headed to the Puyallup Fair in Washington State,
and of course watching my Seahawks with my Seahawks-loving family.

What I’m Looking Forward To (This) Month…

The baked potato at the Puyallup Fair!

I'm also looking forward to Season 2 of This Is Us.

Did you see the Season 2 teaser?  Be still, my heart.

What Else is New…

I’ve been taking a class every Thursday night since August 17 that lasts for 7 more weeks.  More on that later!

Also, I’m figuring out whether I want to cut cable for good and switch to Sling.  I love Sling's price point, but I’m so worried about how I’ll survive without the NFL Sunday Ticket and not having every single game at my disposal. Can I live with just the games aired on regular network and Amazon/NFL Network this season?!  Gasp!  If anyone has opinions on this, I’m all ears.

There was also a bonus question this month: 
What are your best back to school lunch ideas and/or tips?

When I make the girls' lunches, I always put a love note on their napkins.  I was touched to find out that they were keeping all my notes.  So sweet!  So now I have to pack two napkins.  One blank for actual use and one with a love note for keeping.

Well, that’s What’s Up this Wednesday.  Thanks for checking out my list!