Doing what you Love...

Here is a little quote I came across...yes I am a little obsessed with quotes and little inspirations.  When I had a paying job, I always had a quote taped to my computer.  I would change it as I saw fit and would read it at least once a day.  Here's to hoping that all of you do what you love! 

"Doing what you like is Freedom, Liking what you do is Happiness." author unknown

I love that I get to stay home with Paige and am so thankful that Tyler and I decided this together and made certain sacrifices to make it happen!  I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would want to stay at home when I had kids!  But at less than a year into it (I worked until 6 pm the night we went to the hospital to have P) I can't even remember what our lives were like before! 

I saw this picture and fell in love!  Oh how fun it would be to twirl over to a pink fridge and sashe' over to the pink oven and whip up something beautiful:)  It reminds me of my "old fashioned" ways! 

Broccoli Salad

If you read the title and think, "Thanks Heather but I already have a broccoli salad recipe." I urge you to walk right on over to your recipe box, throw away your recipe and replace it with this one immediately.  Seriously! Tis is another trusty one from my friend Kim's blog.  I always like the idea of broccoli salad but for some reason I cannot eat bacon bits.  There is some preservative or something in them tht I can taste and I can spot an imposter bacon anywhere no matter how much dressing you put on it!! Well, I was delighted to see this recipe uses real bacon!  And I know your thinking it, well why didn't you just make your bacon for your old recipe...I don't know I just never thought about it, ok?!!  The first time I made this I ate the whole bowl by myself.  Its on my agenda for next week and I can't wait!!  Here you go friends:

Salad

1 bunch of broccoli diced
5 pieces of cooked bacon
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup red onion


Dressing
1 1/2 cups of mayo
1/2 cup of sugar
2 TBS. vinegar (Kim and I use extra because you can never have too much vinegar!)

Quote(s) of the Day

When you think about the fundamental principles behind things like saving money, losing weight, getting organized, the list goes on...the bottom line is its just simple.  To save money you spend less/save more.  To lose weight you eat less/move more.  So its really more of getting your head right and committing.  We all have the things that are most important to us and those are the ones you should really commit to.  The top two items on my list are being the best mom and wife I can be.  If I fail at everything I try but succeed at these, I will be eternally satisfied.  Of course I want to do well at other things.  I want to be good at sewing, organizing my house, making good use of our money and maybe even running.  But the bottom line is the one thing my whole heart is in without wavering are my roles at home.  It is the most important and most rewarding and poses the most negatives if I fail.  However, the tools you need to succeed at being a mom and wife don't cost money and I think you would really have to try to fail!  Don't get me wrong, all good things take work but it's so worth it!   I saw the quote below from "Mission of Motherhood" and loved it. 

"The fundamental mission of motherhood now is the same as it always was: to nurture, protect, and instruct children, to create a home environment that enables them to learn and grow, to develop a heart for God and his purposes, and to send them out into the world prepared to live both fully and meaningfully." Sally Clarkson,  "Mission of Motherhood"

and one more...

“If there is anything we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves. ” Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychologist

Last Update Before She's 1!

Good grief it is hard to remember all of the new things going on in our Little One's life because there are sooooo many right now!  It is so fun watching her and seeing her experience new things.  Life is such an adventure for her and she is just not letting anything pass her by!  Here are just a few fun facts as we finish our final descent to the One Year Marker!!! 

Big (literally) milestone:  Hit 20 pounds today (and still loves the dishwasher)!!!  She will get to ride in her new big girl carseat on her birthday!!!  Thanks Uncle JM and Aunt Tiff!! 

Taking more and more steps!  Two max at a time though...she is being very cautious with this new adventure!  She gets very excited and is figuring out the process.  Shouldn't be long!  She flies along the furniture when she is holding on and runs when we are holding her hands. 

LOVES mommy's cooking!  Ate several helping of lasagna today! 

Her hair is so thick, I have to brush it with my brush now!! 

Is obsessed with all accessories!

 

I know its hard to tell from my posts, but we are completely smitten with this little one!  She is so sweet I could serve her as dessert!  She gives the best kisses, has been snuggling us so much lately and makes us so proud! 

A Cheery Makeover

You remember me mentioning a patio set makeover a few posts back, don't you?!?!  I love antique patio furniture...I love old stuff period.  Especially mixed with new stuff.  Well, we had a busy day around here with projects!  Tyler cleaned up more flowerbeds and put down mulch until we are ready to plant anything else, oh and tended to my weed collection.  I finished the patio set that Tyler's dad gave me and normally my projects don't turn out as well as I dream them to but this one was the exception!  I am in love with it and Tyler is too!  The backyard is so cheery now and I can picture Paige hosting lots of little tea parties out here!  Here is the before and after shots!   

Before 

AFTER(!)

I love it, love it, love it!  And it goes great with our fifties ranch home!  I can just picture little girls all dressed up and sipping tea and dunking cookies back here. I love that it was in Tyler's parents first home and also at his grandparents home.  I guess you could say its a quirky little family heirloom:) 

Who's coming to sit in the sun and sip strawberry lemonade with me?! 

What's the first thing you think of...

when you see this image??

The second I opened this picture this is what popped into my mind:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalms 19:1-3 NIV)

John and Janet shot this photo somewhere outside of Denver, CO., on their summer trip and sent it to us this morning.  There are so many reminders of the works of His hands around us but for me the immediate reaction I have to a beautiful sunset is He is at work and my breath is quickly taken from me.  When I lived in Florida and worked on a parasail boat, we would work almost to dark when it was the busy season and we would sit out on the boat for a few minutes before coming in for the night to just take it all in. Everyone was silent, the air salty and fresh and the sunset would go on for miles and miles so you would see nothing but water and sunset.  Ahhhhhh, how I miss you Emerald Coast! 

Have a splendid weekend, maybe watch the sun set with someone you love!

Heavenly Father, we praise You this day as the Glorious One, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Thank You for revealing – in fact “declaring Your Glory” for all of us to see in every facet of Your creation. Father help us to be more aware of Your Presence and to praise You more faithfully every single day of our lives. In the Glorious Name of Jesus, we pray.

Amen.

The whistle blows and we were off!

Well, today was our first official day of running...oops, MY official first day of running.  Oscar is in tip top shape but he doesn't crack any wise jokes when I start huffing and puffing.  You want that in a running partner if you are REALLY out of shape.  Tyler and Oscar have been doing a good job being my trainers.  They have been trying to get my mind right for about a week, we made a schedule last night and while Tyler was pushing on me to wake up and go, Oscar was intermittently licking my face.  So I got up.  Dog breath covered face and all, I dusted off my shoes and flicked some crunchies out of my eyes.  As usual, once I got outside and smelled the fresh air and saw the sun it was kind of nice!  I love looking at yards in the mornings when the dew is on the grass and the flowers start opening up. 

So we walked a few minutes (Oscar already ran 4.5 miles with Tyler so he was fine with walking a bit) and then started our run 2 minutes, walk one minute.  It felt good and we bumped it up to run 3, walk 2.  That is plenty challenging enough for me right now and easy enough that I won't get too sore or quit (hopefully).  We did this plan for 30 minutes and towards the end, I was basically just clucking around.  Oscar stopped to pee in the street and then we made our way back to the big hill that we like to sprint up.  My next run is Thursday morning so cheers to completing the first day.  And yes ladies--I would love to get a copy of your training plans that worked for you...I don't think any of you were ever as out of shape as me so I may have to wait a couple months before I could use them but I love hearing what works for different people!  So please email them to me!! 

SCHEDULE

Current schedule: Tuesday AM run 30 min, Thursday AM run 30 min, Saturday cross-train (anything I want) and Sunday long run 45 minutes for now. 

GOALS

6 week goal:  Run 3 miles without walking

3 month goal:  Run 5 miles, without walking

Kim's Mouth Watering Chicken Salad

There isn't a recipe of my bestie best friend Kim's that has ever let me down and this is no exception.  When we were in college I LOVED going to her momma's house because her mommy's cooking is so delicious too.  And when Kim got married and started cooking for her hubby I would invite myself on over to have lots of goodies!  She makes fried okra like you have never tasted.  So I was needing to add some new things to our dinner menu and you remember me saying Tyler decided he was willing to eat chicken salad, right?  So I zipped right on over to Kim's Blog and quickly whipped up this gem!  If any of you tell my husband there is a whole stick of butter in this recipe I will vow to never speak to you again!  I made this yesterday-Tyler had one sammy and I have just finished the rest.  So here's the deal:

4 to 5 chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces. (I used a whole rotisserie chicken from Target)

1 stick of butter melted

2 cups mayo (thats mayo not miracle whip!)

1/2 tsp. curry powder (DO NOT LEAVE THIS OUT)

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

2 cups red seedless grapes cut in half (I used green-the red looked pitiful at wallie world)

1/2 toasted sliced almonds*

*3 stalks celery-added this so some celery I had didn't go to waste

*I use pecans instead of almonds. It's an Oklahoma thing.....

Cook the chicken (duh). Melt the butter in the microwave and let it cool on the counter. Chop cooked chicken into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Toast almonds (aka pecans). In a bowl, combine butter and mayo with a wisk until creamy. Add curry and garlic; stir until well blended. Stir in chicken, grapes and toasted almonds. Refriderate until well chilled. The end.

Clearly I did not take this photo above, its Kim's. For humerous purposes, I will attach the photo I took as well (below).  You either got it or you don't people....I can cook, but I can't make stuff look pretty or take a decent photograph.  Enjoy at my expense...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

On a serious note, if you are the healthy type and can't justify a stick of butter and a bunch of mayo, you are ridiculous I think it would be great with 2 1/2 cups of greek yogurt.  Enjoy!

Prayers for Grand dad

Good Morning Sweet Friends,

My grandpa John H. had a stroke yesterday after working in the yard in this heat.  He is doing much better today but has a long road to recovery.  Amongst other things he had two seizures on the way to the hospital and a cat scan revealed that this was not his first stroke.  He will need lots of strength to give up some vices that are not good for his health or his recovery so please pray for strength for that too!  My grandma says she may have to move out while he deals with life without cigarettes!  He is the sweetest most wonderful man and I wish these were not the circumstances for his blog debut. 

Love,

heather

Passions Colliding

When you share your life with someone that you love it is usually because of a lot of different factors.  Chemistry, mutual interests, shared ideals, similar values and much more.  Tyler and I are no exception.  We are so much alike in so many ways and the ways we aren't, we complete each other in our down falls.  We support each other in the things that are important to the other one. 

One of Tyler's passions is running.  He runs and runs and then runs some more.  He runs with Oscar. He runs with his brother. He runs with Acea. He runs alone.  He runs in races.  He runs at the lake.  He runs just about anywhere.  It makes him feel good!  I am obsessed with running.  I love reading about it, thinking about doing it, talking about it and sometimes trying it.  But I never really get addicted.  I like to be good at things I do and I am not a natural runner...I don't think anyone is actually.  It takes training and hard work.  I usually give up before I get "good" at it. 

Two years ago I had a trainer and managed to get into running.  I ran lots of 5k's and completed a 10k!  That 10k was the one and only time I have experienced "runner's high".  But of course I fell off the band wagon and have only dabbled in running since then. 

One of my passions is traveling and seeing the world!  I love to go anywhere and try new things.  I always have a top ten list in my head of places I want to go.  Some in the good ol' US and some in distant countries.  Tyler on the other hand, would be fine with going to the same places over and over.  But he will travel, I just have to get him hooked! 

Yesterday he sent me an email asking if it would work in our schedule to go to Austin, TX., in February so he can run in a half marathon there.  Of course we can!  I love Austin, he loves Austin, one of my dearest friends lives there, he can run and I can travel!  But then it hit me.  I want to sign up too.  My very supportive husband said, OK but you have to get serious.  So he signed us both up!  Hopefully, like my organizing confessions, this will help me feel accountable and give me the extra push to stick with it! 

The possibilities are endless on travel opportunities with races.  They are all over and Tyler loves training for races and I love traveling!  If I can get myself serious, we can travel for several races a year, see new places, run and everyone is happy!    So try not to get bored to tears as I may have to talk about it some on here for personal motivational purposes! 

For the record...just so you know exactly what nonsense I have signed up for...it is a 1/2 marathon in February.  Exactly 7 months from today.  That = 13.1 miles, people!  Stay tuned, there should be some interesting stories in the meantime. 

Thankful

I'm not really a pitiful kind of person...I usually don't feel sorry for myself or get all depressed.  I wear lemon colored glasses so it is usually sunny in my life:)  But just like everyone else every once in awhile I throw a pity party...you will remember my last one when all of my best friends decided to move away.  My recipe for curing a bad case of pity party is always thinking about what I am thankful for.  So I try to make a list of things and I usually come up with so many that I don't even remember I was throwing a pity party!!  My baby girl isn't feeling so well the past two days.  Her tummy isn't quite adjusted to whole milk so she is getting to the point she doesn't really want to eat:(  Bless her heart.  We are still down to one car and Tyler had to be at the airport at 5 am this morning so I decided not to get the icky feeling baby up to take him so we are car-less today.  Our house is hot because our air conditioner is only big enough for a 1850 sf., home.  Our home is 2300 sf., and it is 150 degrees outside so the math just doesn't work out.  So here are a few things I am thankful for:

My baby has never been sick in her almost one year of life, in fact she isn't even sick now, just not feeling as great as usual.  I am so thankful for our beautiful, sweet, happy girl and what she has brought to our lives, there will never be a way for me to express in words how she has enriched our lives. 

We have a car.  A nice car.  I get to be a stay at home mom so its OK to stay home sometimes!  So sharing a car temporarily is not that big of a deal!  My errands can wait until tomorrow and it will provide plenty of time to snuggle my "under the weather" beauty.  I am thankful for our car and thankful my husband is a great steward of our money so he is patiently looking for the right car for us at the right price. 

I am thankful we have a lovely home to live in and that we have air conditioning.  I love the charm this house has and sometimes you just have to deal with things like air conditioners when you live in an old home that happens to be in a very HOT state!  I am so very thankful we have the means to replace our not so great air conditioner. 

I am incredibly thankful for our village.  Our family and friends are the best anyone could ask for.  We celebrated our anniversary this weekend while Paige got to spend some quality time with her grandparents.  She also gets to spend time with her unc and aunt so mommy and daddy can go on date nights every once in awhile.  I am thankful we have family close by!

I love crafts!  I love that Janet loves crafts and DIY projects.  I REALLY love that she is actually good at it and doesn't seem to mind teaching me!  She is incredibly talented at decorating, putting things together and sewing.  We are working on my kitchen windows now and my goodness they are going to be gorgeous!!  It took me a long time to pick the fabric because I really wanted some very specific elements and colors.  I had an idea of what I wanted design-wise but Janet came up with something FAR better!  I can't wait to share pics of them with you!!  I am so thankful to have her in my life for far more reasons than crafts and sewing. 

I feel better already...in just 5 minutes I came up with a zillion things to be thankful for and they obviously outweigh a few bummers.  What are you thankful for??  I am sure the list is much longer than your bummer list!  I wish you all a happy day and rejoice in your blessings! 

xoxo-heather

Do you know...

the Peace Pilgrim??  I can't remember when I first heard of her and I don't know all that much, but what I do know I like.  If she sounds intriguing to you go "google" her!  I am off to bed but I will leave you with some simple but powerful words from the wise lady. 

"This is the way of peace:

Overcome evil with good,

and falsehood with truth,

and hatred with love."

....Peace Pilgrim

 

Something to start the week ahead...

We all have the same daily 24 hour allotment of time. Life’s most precious commodity for which there is no making up. What will be said of you and the time that you’ve been given?

“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.” —George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950); playwright, political activist
 
“The more one does and sees and feels, the more one is able to do, and the more genuine may be one's appreciation of fundamental things like home, and love, and understanding companionship.” —Amelia Earhart (1897-1937); aviator, author

Healthy Recipe (and delicious!) from Martha

Its no secret that I am no expert at cooking light and healthy.  But I do TRY and it has become more important to me now that I have a little one who will soon eat everything we eat.  I grew up in homes where we all sat down together for dinner and those are some of my greatest memories.  I want my little family to always sit down to a meal together.  I did not, however, grow up in a home where there were a lot of dietery requirements though so I am learning.  I have read several books and done a lot of research over the past year or so and I must admit...I get a little disgusted with some of the chemicals and ingredients in processed foods.  I was in Wal-Mart the other day on the cheese isle...I buy a lot of cheese and was lulling off into space when I realized a man was standing behind me, patiently waiting for me to come out of my cheese coma.  I apologized and he assured me he wasn't in a hurry either.  I can't remember how we started talking but he said he was a chef and that I should watch the ingredients on the pre-shredded cheeses.  He said almost all of them contain plastic materials.  I went on with my shredded cheese but read the labels when I got home...yep, there is plastic.  Sickaninga!  So as much as I like convenience I am pretty sure I will be getting out the box grater a lot more often than I am used to!  Anyway, there is no cheese in this recipe but I assure you it was a delicious treat and reminded me of a really good pot pie and even kind of reminded me of Thanksgiving because of the texture of the biscuits!  And as a bonus, lots of veggies!!  Paige loved the celery and carrots! 

I changed a few things so I will put my recipe and a link to the original

This is the pic from Martha's recipe...somehow my photo didn't do it justice so I stole hers! 

Lighter Chicken and Biscuits

*2/3 cup whole-wheat pastry flour

•1 teaspoon baking powder

•Coarse salt and ground pepper (I used sea salt)

•1 large egg white

•3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, such as safflower

•1 cup low-fat (1 percent) milk

•5 carrots, thinly sliced

•5 celery stalks, thinly sliced

•1 box (10 ounces) frozen pearl onions, thawed (I couldn't find frozen so I bought fresh)

•1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (I used italian dried herbs, which included thyme)

•1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

*dash of poultry seasoning

*dash of sage

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together whole-wheat flour, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.


2.In a small bowl, whisk together egg white, 3 tablespoons oil, and 1/4 cup milk; add to flour mixture, and stir until moistened. Drop four 1/4-cup scoops of dough onto a baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake until golden, 12 to 14 minutes.


3.Meanwhile, in a 5-quart Dutch oven or large heavy pot, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, and onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, 7 to 10 minutes.


4.Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; stir in remaining 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup water, and thyme. Simmer until liquid is thickened, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken; simmer until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve chicken stew with biscuits.


**I loved the texture of the biscuits with the whole wheat pastry flour!  When I mixed the biscuit into the stew it reminded me of a stuffing.  It was very hearty.  I loved all the colors and having so many fresh veggies in one dish.  I heated up some leftovers the next day and made some canned buttermilk biscuits to go with it since we ate up the 4 biscuits that the recipe made and it was not as good!!  I thought it would be great with buttermilk biscuits but the texture of the wheat biscuits really is great with this recipe! 


Original recipe and much more can be found here:  http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/lighter-chicken-and-biscuits

Tribute:  Thank you Leah for leading me to Martha Stewart who I love but have been terribly afraid of her recipes because I am not a "foo foo" cook!  I have made several of her recipes now and they were all simple and delicious!! 

Deviled Egg Salad--on Toast

Yummo!  I told you I had to kind of change up the dinners around here because our house really starts heating up around 4 pm...typical time to start supper, right?  Well I was scared to tell Tyler what we were having for dinner the other night for fear he would take me out to the shed to beat me.  Just kidding...he's as harmless as a butterfly and we don't even have a shed but he is SUPER picky.  Do I emphasize that enough on this blog??  Sometimes I get discouraged by it and sometimes it inspires me to come up with more wonderful things to open him up to.  But anyway, he says, "what's for dinner, I'm starving!!"  I take a deep breath and say, "you know, its really hot in here so I am not making a big dinner in the oven...we are having egg salad, but you can have cereal if you want!"  So then he asked what was in egg salad and realized there wasn't anything creepy in it so he agreed to eat it.  This is big folks...he went on to say that chicken salad sounded good too...oh really?  I have been trying to get you to eat chicken salad for YEARS!!  HA!  I am really happy though because he is slowly opening up to more and more things which helps keep me going!  I love to cook but I really like when others enjoy my food, especially my family!  So here's the deal.  Egg salad isn't anything fancy or in need of a blog post but I got myself hooked on this sammy by making a few small, but wonderful changes!  Here goes:

7 eggs  (this made enough for dinner for 2, two nights) obviously you can adjust

mayo- I use the real deal, no low fat--that stuff creeps me out and I think its a scam but I digress)

yellow mustard

sweet relish

salt-just a dash

pepper

dash of white vinegar

After your eggs are peeled and chopped add in your mayo, mustard, relish, salt and pepper, vinegar and stir.  This needs to be chilled people...Tyler was starving so we put it in the freezer for 20 minutes and it was perfect.  If you have a patient family, throw it in the fridge or make it in advance.  Once chilled, take a bagel or whole grain bread (my favorite), toast the bread, then shmear with the salad.  WAIT!  Before you take a bite, sprinkle paprika or cayenne pepper (my preffered choice!) and serve open-faced.  The ratio of salad to bread is sooo much better if you serve open faced!  I didn't even need a side item it was so good.  But wouldn't a side of vinegar and cucumbers be yummy with this?!  Oops...I did have the last of the cowboy beans with it one night.  Like I said, those beans go with everything:)  This sandwich is so good and the toasting (for a crunch) and the cayenne turn a plain ol' egg salad sammy into something new and tasty! 

Try it and let me know what you think!!  If you love deviled eggs or egg salad this one is for you! 

Organization-Part 2

Ok, I really wasn't trying to bribe everyone with my recipes so you would forget my big organizing project.  I have actually made some good progress, I think!  I have just been meaning to post a few recipes on here so I don't lose them!  So back to the clutter!  The dining room buffet is now the proud home of my beloved fabric and craft collection!  Almost all of my fabric and accessories fit but I had some bulk items that I got for a steal that had to stay in my book armoire.  It felt really good to get everything into one place so if I have a couple hours for crafts, I don't have to spend 30 minutes gathering my supplies and trying to remember which closet the xmas fabric is in!  It was so fun seeing all my little treasures and watching Paige drag different patterns around while I organized.  After getting my shred pile into trash bags, I also managed to find a few items for my garage sale stack and a few keeper items. 

Here is one of the drawers before photo...I told you HOT MESS! 

She loves putting herself in anything and so enjoyed having an empty drawer! 

The fabric collection organized into kitchen, home, baby boy, baby girl, Christmas and Paige! There on the main part of the sofa is the fabric for the kitchen!!  And a small mesh basket filled with trims, swatches, glue gun, push pins, thread, buttons and various other sewing things!  YEAH!! 

All of this is in its new home, like with all organizing I have a few things sitting out that I don't know what to do with yet but this is progress!  All of the fabric and accessories are in their new home and I am pleased!  The after photo didn't really work out, but I promise all this is put up:)

I moved on to the kitchen today to get a head start.  I started researching what containers I wanted to get for my dry goods, pastas, rices...etc., but found that just to get me started it would cost $150 +shipping and tax at Container Store online.  Grrr...more than I want to spend!  I wanted to make granola today but I don't have a big enough container for it to fit it all in one so I called Janet to see if she had anything.  Of course she does:)  So the granola will be made tomorrow or Sunday.  I decided to rearrange my Lazy Susan cabinets (I have one upper and one lower) to make better sense for what I have.  I think its going to be great once I get the right containers to put all this junk in.  Here is my start:

Upper-before

Lower-Before

Upper-AFTER!

Lower-After-still pending proper storage containers that don't cost $150!

Ok, that's all for now! 

Best Smoothie On Earth!

Here is a go to smoothie recipe I have been making for YEARS!  I love fruit smoothies and used to be addicted to Jamba Juice.  When I started looking at the labels (when they were forced to publish the nutritional facts, I made a tough choice to give them up!)  On top of the fact that they had a 5 lb. bag of sugar in the jumbo one I would get, they were expensive when you consider getting 5 a week!  So I started tweeking a recipe until I came up with this--my favorite smoothie on earth!  Every winter I start craving smoothies again after I wore myself out with them in the summer so I just stock up on frozen fruit and whip them up!  I hope Mini will love them when she is a little bigger!  Jam packed with the good stuff...One thing I am going to add which I got from my friend Tanda's smoothie recipe, is SPINACH!!  Yes, the beautiful green goddess of veggies!  Since kids notoriously do not like the green stuff, I am going to add a handful to my smoothies and sneak it in for her and Tyler!  Great idea Miss Tanda!!  Enjoy! 

Best Smoothie on Earth recipe

4 large strawberries (fresh if available)

Handful of blueberries (fresh)

About 6 blackberries (fresh)

3-4 frozen peach slices

One banana

Pineapple (if you have on hand)

Small handful of frozen berries (you can skip these if you want-I am generally too cheap to buy fresh rasberries unless they are on sale)

*Handful of Spinach

5 tablespoons of yogurt

Honey or Agave Nectar

(Any fruit will work obviously--I do not do melons, they are so pretty and smell so good but I just can't so feel free to mix and match until your hearts content!)

I pour the honey in and count to 4...you will know after you make one if it is sweet enough or not.

(could also sub agave nectar if you keep it on hand!  Yum!)

Less than a cup of ice-you don't want it watery

*Put your soft stuff in the blender first so it is faster. Ice is last.

If your smoothie is too big, cut down on ice. That amount of ingredients should give you one large glass full of smoothie. If I use less ice I just stick the mixture into the freezer for about 10 minutes before I put into the glass and it is perfect!!

This is so much better than any smoothie I have had at any of the smoothie chains!  And so much better for you!  Try it for breakfast or a snack!  Tyler and I sometimes have them for evening snacks so we don't run to Braum's for ice cream!!  It works! 

Jani's Yummalicious Granola

This is SOOOO good and a fabulous snack, breakfast or quick lunch.  Serve it up with some vanilla, blueberry acai or your favorite yogurt!  My hubby is a huge fan of this and he is a hard dude to impress with healthy snacks.  On another note, I have never enjoyed blueberry yogurt until Jani brought over this granola and served it up with bluberry acai yogurt and it was YUMMO!  Considering the extreme heat we are having, we are testing out some summery treats at the Beaver Estate that won't make our house heat up an extra 20 degrees!  Keep a ziplock of this delicious concoction in your car or bag and it is the perfect snack when you need refueling and it will keep you from the vending machines and fast food lines!!  Promise! The kiddos will love it too! 

Cinnamon Walnut Granola:

9 cups old fashioned oatmeal

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup coconut (I used CocoChia from Akin's-its a mixture of Chia seeds (energy) and organic coconut flakes) 

3/4 cup flaxseed meal

1/2 cup brown sugar (I used organic dark brown sugar cane)

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey

1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. vanilla

Combine oats, coconut, walnuts, and flax in large bowl. In microwave heat brown sugar, oil, honey, cinnamon, and vanilla until bubbling. Pour over oat mixture and mix well.

Thinly spread on baking sheet (I do this step in two batches). Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir. Return to oven for additional 15 minutes or until oats are toasted. Stir well to break up. Cool thoroughly. Store in airtight container. May add raisins, craisins, or dates to this recipe (or any dried fruit of your choosing).

Cowboy Beans-Lauren's recipe!

My friend Lauren made the most amazing beans on 4th of July!  I know what you are thinking...amazing is a serious word to describe some beans, heather!  No seriously, I wouldn't steer you wrong in the food department!  Last night I decided to make them as a side dish but didn't have the same beans but pressed on anyway...Tyer loves them as much as me and I will be eternally grateful to Lauren for introducing me to this secret ingredient for turning boring beans into a full mouth explosion.  Ok, that is pushing it a little but you gotta try these beans at your next cookout!!! 

Lauren's recipe:

2 cans pork & beans

1/2 lb. sausage, (I used Jimmy Dean Mild)

BBQ Sauce (I used Head Country-duh!)

About 1/3 of a white onion chopped fine and browned with the sausage

Brown your sausage, set aside.  In an oven safe pan put the beans at the bottom, top with cooked sausage then top with a thin layer of your favorite BBQ sauce.  Bake 30-45 minutes--covered the first 30, then remove cover for the last 10 minutes. 

*I used one can Ranch style beans with onion  and one can black beans drained and it was sooo good!  Substitute any beans you like, get the hot sausage if you want to kick it up and use any BBQ sauce you like.  I'm telling you, these are fantastic with burgers, hot dogs, steak...you name it!  Paige was also a HUGE fan. 

Organizing our life.

Its no secret to those of you that know me well enough that I am a hot mess when it comes to organization.  There are "hot spots" in my house that I think about daily.  They are my demons and I also use them as crutches when I start thinking about organizing a particular (easier) area.  So I just give up all together and even the little areas don't get done.  I am determined to do it...but I feel I must confess them for some sort of embarassment or something.  My kitchen cabinets need help, my weird mail collection that needs to be shredded (I am so afraid of identity theft that I have such a stash of mail it would be impossible to ever get to the end of it with my $14.99 shredder), our personal finance stuff needs to be organized in a way that someone could make sense of it all if something were to ever happen to me, linen closets, Paige's closet....I'm going to do it...but I am going to do one at a time.  Since I need containers for my dry goods for the kitchen, it can't start immediately.  I think I will order from the container store but I need to start a project NOW.  So the mail it is.  I will post pictures so you can see later. It really is a hot mess!  I need a place to organize and store my fabric collection so I am going to do that in my black buffet in the dining room.  My formal dining also serves as my sewing room so it makes sense that is where I store it.  (at least to me--so if you naturally organized people think that is a stupid idea please speak up because I plan to master that artea today.)  Once I master that I will move on to another area.  One project at a time.  Until it is under control. Yes my house stays clean, but behind the doors of the closets and drawers, its a hot mess.  I am done with it.  I may enlist advice of those I know have perfectly organized homes as I get to areas where I get disgouraged because I really look at some stuff and think--I have no idea what to do with you, I don't know where else to put you--I can't get rid of you but where do we go from here?!?!?!  So I will start with the shredding issue since I have a HUGE fear of identity fraud but I also get an insane amount of mail.  Credit card offers, refinancing, you name it we get it!  It wears me out. We don't use credit cards and we don't want to refinance and we love our insurance man so no we don't want to save hundreds with your free auto quote!!  LEAVE US ALONE!!  HAHA  sorry. 

That's all for today.  Hopefully confessing this will help me stay on track to get it done.  We have a plenty big enough house to find somewhere reasonable to put everything.  Even though we do not have a dedicated home office, I can find somewhere for everything.  I am determined.  Hopefully I don't bore you all to death with my mission.  

Happy 3 year Anniversary!!!

Where our story all began...

Five years ago Tyler and I started dating

and having lots of fun together!

Four years ago we got engaged
















and did lots of celebrating and planning for our BIG day...

Then three years ago TODAY we were MARRIED July 14, 2007

It was such a special day filled with love

2.5 years ago we got Oscar and our house was filled with more love, wet kisses and messes!

Two years ago we bought a house to make a home and began renovating it

One year ago we welcomed the most beautiful baby girl into our world and our hearts have been opened to unimaginable depths!

And is this the end??  No my sweet friends, this is just the beginning! 

Stay tuned for more stories of us, in our journey of life!  I'm excited for what this next year will bring and how we grow!  

Lots of random things going on around here!

We are kind of all in our all out kind of folks...Tyler and I.  We go through phases of working on the house hard core and then we just crash and stop for awhile.  I am sure in about 10 years we will have our little home exactly the way we want it.  Tyler has been all in with the yard lately.  The grass obsession, the fence, juniper bush removal--we have always hated them...and I have been working on the front of the house.  Dining room is complete but "Not so formal" living room is a work in progress!

That led me to examine the entry way and I had a $0 budget.  Hmmm...I know you are jealous...but it did kick my creative side into gear.  Since I am a hoarder it should be pretty easy to come up with SOMETHING!

  Also, Tyler's dad gave me the most charming, vintage iron patio set from Ruby's house.  I am in love with it! It was actually John & Janet's (tyler's parents) dining room set when they were first married!  It was yellow when it was in Janet's kitchen and yellow it will be again...soon!  If only I had a pair of yellow colored glasses so I could just put them on and everything would be yellow:). 

 Speaking of yellow, I purchased some BEAUTIFUL fabric for the kitchen window coverings!!  Tyler has been nagging asking me to get on with that project and my designer/decorator MIL has so graciously agreed to come to the rescue again!  Here is the design inspiration:

Less than 30 days til our little wrangler will be one!  That means party planning is in full swing, Paige is swinging from the chandeliers and curtains, and grandpa will be swinging in on a jet plane!!  YAY!  We haven't seen him since March! 

Daddy gave the catfish a bath all by himself for the first time last night!  He also almost left the house without a diaper on our little munchkin over the weekend!  It was SUPER funny when I realized it! 

I know...lots of random things but I warned you with the title so give me a break! 

I almost forgot!  I will be here in about a month on a girls trip!!!

Lastly, guess who has been married THREE years tomorrow?!?!  I know this is a tough one...ok, silly's it ME AND TYLER!! 

Enjoy your week!!