I can’t believe I am sitting here writing on August 5th. Where in the world has the time gone? I swear this has been the fastest summer we have ever had. It was June, then I blinked, and bam, there’s August! It’s been a fun summer, just super busy. I think we have honestly only had one weekend that we had no plans for, and I’m not sure if we even had that. I like being busy, but this has just been absurd. For August, I have had to say no to so many parties. A person can only do so much without going nuts. My kids go back to school in less than four weeks!? How’s that possible!? We didn’t go on any vacations last year, but last year we bought our boat through COVID because you couldn’t go anywhere, so the river has been our vacation. We haven’t been up since the 4th of July weekend because we have had commitments every weekend. So, we are heading up to enjoy a four-day weekend as soon as I am done writing and enjoy some downtime before the summer is gone.

My cousin, Lindsay Clark, asked if I would help plan a Christmas in July party that we had to make a Christmas in August. How could I say no to that? I live for Christmastime! So that’s next weekend, and I won’t even get into the rest of our August. But time with my family is the most important. I am really looking forward to some Christmas tunes, busting out a Christmas tree, and yelling “Merry Christmas” to everyone I see! Especially my Uncle Davey Shirn. He LOVES Christmastime. I bet he can hardly contain himself until August 15th. Hahaha!

Lindsay already warned everyone in our big family mass texts, “No Grinch attitudes will be tolerated.” The more this text goes on, the funnier it gets. Uncle Dave said it’s too hot, and he is scared of snakes, being we are having this party up at our cabin. (Being sarcastic.) My cousin Tony Shumbat was throwing some Christmas jokes in there, while my Uncle Jay, Floyd Liddick Jr., volunteered to bring seven hotdogs and a pack of Kool-Aid. If you know my Uncle, you know that he will bring a whole grocery store with him. My brother is exactly like him. So that’s what made that comment so darn funny! I’m still laughing over that comment!

Meanwhile, every day, Linds is texting us all a ‘Redneck 12 days till Christmas’ countdown.’ Yesterday was ‘11 wrastlin tickets.’ Every day should be interesting till then, and maybe next week I’ll have to write how this all goes. Linds and I have some cute ideas, and I am really looking forward to it because we never had Christmas 2020 with our entire family last year. I really don’t even know how I got into this, but when I write, it just takes over! I guess my point was how fast the summer is going. Before we know it, the leaves will be changing and falling onto the ground. Shoot, don’t blink because the real Christmas will be here before we know it. It’s crazy how fast life goes. Embrace every moment. Spend time with family. Enjoy each season! Fall is my favorite, and in the mornings, I swear I can feel it coming in the air. Fall will bring basketball practices, dance lessons, kids club, homework, and school functions, but I’m ready! Recipes like this help me bring a tasty dinner to our family table and still have time for everything else. Sitting down around the table is even more important to me after those busy days when we are all back to school and work.

You can whip this up in no time, and let’s face it, one less thing to worry about makes our lives a little easier. Enjoy!

Sausage Pile

Ingredients:
• 1 lb. Turkey Sausage
• 1 lb. Hot Sausage
• 4-5 large potatoes, diced into bite-size squares
• 1 Yellow Pepper, sliced
• 1 Red Pepper, sliced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 Orange Pepper, sliced
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Oregano

Directions:

Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and add sausage. Cook until fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Place on a cutting board to cool, then slice. In the meantime, place the diced potatoes in the same skillet you just prepared the sausage in—season with salt, pepper, and oregano. If more olive oil is needed, go ahead and add another tablespoon or two. When potatoes are cooked, place them in a dish to keep warm while peppers now cook.

Finally, add the peppers. Cook until soft while adding the onions halfway through.

Add the sausage and potatoes back in the pan to warm, then serve and enjoy!