Pittsburgh PA

A Different Kind of Monday

We had a totally different kind of Monday than we usually do. We spent the day at the Pittsburgh Zoo with my family! We had relatives from New York visiting, so we took them to one of our favorite places in the ‘Burgh. 

Family at Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium

Real life pictures with a toddler ^^^

It had been over a year since we last took Sadie to the zoo, so we were really excited to see what she thought of the whole experience as an almost-two-year-old vs a nine-month-old. What a difference a year makes. She recognized so many animals, loved running around, and had a great time with her cousins! 

I was in awe of the sheer variety of creatures God has made. Of course I know tons of different animals exist, but to see so many all in one place really solidifies just how creative our God is. Amazing. 

Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium

Walking through different areas of the zoo felt like walking to different continents. The aquarium felt tropical, the elephant and giraffe area was like being on a safari, and seeing the tigers was like looking into a forest. 

The weather was perfect, there weren’t large crowds, and sharing the experience with family was the best part of it all. It was an awesome way to spend a Monday! 

Mother and daughter with masks at zoo

Family at the Pittsburgh Zoo

Father and daughter at Pittsburgh Zoo

Pittsburgh Zoo

Family at Pittsburgh Zoo

Pittsburgh Zoo

Friday Thoughts

1. Baking. Yesterday I made oatmeal cookies from one of my favorite cookbooks and whipped up a batch of challot (challah knots) earlier this week. I’ve been having the hardest time finding yeast in stores. Has anyone else had that problem lately? I used up the last of my yeast supply on the challot but they were so worth it!

Challot Challah knots

2. Fall Decorating. We’ve been having some rainy weather here in Pittsburgh the past couple of days and it’s making me feel like fall is slowly ushering its way in. Do you decorate for fall? I have in the past, but I don’t know if I will this year.

In a spurt of minimalism, I got rid of a lot of outdated fall decorations in 2018 and now I have just a wreath and one wall hanging. I enjoy decorating, but I don’t know if it’s worth the money end effort for fall. I like the idea of Sadie having warm memories of the house decorated for different seasons, though. Hmmm. What’s your opinion?!

3. Vlogging. I’ve been having so much fun vlogging lately. There’s just something about looking back on what our days looked like a week, month, or year ago that is so special. Our latest vlog is here and includes gardening, cooking, baking, cleaning, and a trip to Sam’s Club!

Mom and toddler daughter smiling

4. Reading. I think I’ll always want to talk about reading. I just finished up this book by Beverly Lewis and added it to my growing list of Amish-based books I’ve read and enjoyed. 

5. Niva. Niva has been doing so well since being spayed! She somehow got her cone off all by herself so we decided to give her some freedom and see if she would bite at her stitches and she hasn’t so far. She goes for her followup appointment on Monday and I’m so thankful this has been a good experience and that her days of going into heat are behind us 🙂

Fall decorating: yay or nay?

What’s the last thing you baked?