Woo!

And no, I'm not referencing the Myers-Briggs test result, but one of these days I'll get on here and share those with everyone.. haha. Today was just.. just a good day to be thankful for everything in it - the good, the frustrating, the delicious and whatever else came along with it. 

For starters, there was this guy: 

yes. 

^ I love that guy. I don't know his story, but if I'd had the chance to snag him before we parted ways in the parking lot, I would have asked. It's a small gesture to put a sign in your window, but he was shameless about it, and for that I applaud him. Plus, it's true, and I need to be reminded of that sometimes, even on good days.

I got hit with the desire to eat teriyaki for dinner, so that's what I did, and if Rob was in fact being honest, then he thought the same :). It's not a hard recipe, so if any of ya'll want it, let me know!

teriyaki chicken rice bowl! 

The evening was nothing spectacular, but we did have a contest between the dogs, of who could jump higher, hang on the longest and scrabble the quickest after a thrown toy. Sasha unsurprisingly has the greater amount of physical range, but man oh man, watch out for Stella's pearly whites if you're wild enough to stick your hand in the middle of a toy battle.

go go pups! 

Aaaaaand.... the highlight of Rob's week when it comes to the house: LOOK what is finally fitting in the garage! Please excuse the clutter around the car; that won't always be there, but I am so proud of him for his dedicated work in clearing out the space and all of the shelf-building he's done to make space for our cars! One down, one to go getting in here..

thanks, babe!

The countdown's on.. just a few more days and then it's a 3-day weekend, with good friends, boats & plenty of lake to go around. I. Can't. Wait. 

xo | cmd

Stock Photos of Food I Really Did Make... [*Sigh]

There are a few things that help me unwind at any given point in the week, and one of those is cooking. It's rare in its own sense for me to have the time to do it the way I'd like to, but on those rare instances, I get to pace myself, get lost in stirring whatever is in front of me and just... let everything else go for a little bit.

Soccer. Knitting. Reading. Writing. Photography. Cooking.

I'll only have gotten to two of those in depth today, but it's okay.

First thing up on the plates: Honey roasted chickpeas!

stock photo, thanks Google...

^ I have got to get better at taking pictures of food before it's eaten. Seriously. That stock photo looks identical to ours, but for the basis of copyright stuff, that's not my batch. HOWEVER, you'd better believe we'll be making ours again, and there will be pictures! [Nom Nom NOM]

Also on the unchartered menu tonight: Turky chili! I call this one garbage can chili; I rooted through the cabinets and started dumping in beans, spices and whatever veggies I had in the fridge to put this guy together. I threw in some ketchup and tomato paste at the end, and, well... call it a win.

You know what's not a win, though? That I have to use a stock photo on this one, too, because for some reason I gave up photographing my food. I'm serious; redemption is on the horizon.

My goal: Next time I'll get to at least three of those things that settle me down.
For now, I've got a lot of dishes to do... I'm... OUT!

xo | cmd

KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION!!

STOP IT.

Sydni graduated Kindergarten.. today. STOP IT. STOP IT. STAAAAAHP.

Already?!

syd & her class!

When I woke up and got ready this morning, it was hard for me to believe that I would have a first grader by the time the afternoon started. Rob and I met up with my parents at Sydni's school, followed eventually by Joe, his mom and Nikea.

We followed the crowd of parents and family outside [Sydni clearly had the biggest fan club], where Syd and her class had prepared this little number for us:


I mean... get outta here with all that cuteness!

action shots :) 

The celebrating continued, family style:

her dad's side

my parents! [aka nana & pappy]

my world! 

group shot

Syd's dad and mamaw had to leave, so that left us with my parents to enjoy the rest of family day and explore what Sydni's day looked like.

r: "what do you wanna do this summer?"
s: "um..... boat. and swim. and play in the park!" 

^^ Those two :) :) :).

making a tye dyed shirt! 

playing on the playground

Pappy, the patient observer: 

this guy... hahaha...

bubbles!! 

The playground time came to an end, so we headed inside to show Syd's classroom to Nana, Pappy & Rob:  

the book cover syd duplicated

the "clip" system - i love this! 

My heart was so happy today, watching Syd accept her certificate of kindergarten completion. As much as her dad and I have our differences, and likely always will, she looked so completed, and so content to have all of her close family there.. and that, really, is all I could've asked: for her to be this genuinely happy:

my heart. 

After the celebration, we grabbed lunch with my parents, then headed off on our own to return to our day at work, while my parents spent a few more hours with Syd. They eventually dropped her back off at her dad's before heading back north themselves, completing their daytrip. I am so thankful for them and for their willingness to make that journey.

Work finished with a big meeting, which was a great thing [I'll fill those blanks in later; it's a lot], before I finally made my roundtrip back to Rob, rendezvousing with him at the gym.

AND, we wrestled a Pinterest recipe into submission for dinner tonight, and it was pretty daggone good:

turkey & sweet potato skillet! 

nom nom nom!!! 

Whewwwwww! What a day! Life is good. Life. IS. GOOD.

xo | cmd

Ides of March.. & A Tired Brain

What do you do the day after Supercross?

NOTHING. You do NOTHING.
And you ENJOY it.

Rob stayed the night with Dylan and Dillon in Indy last night, so they were on the road still by the time church came around. I went solo, enjoyed an incredible message and shared it with Rob when he did make it back.

I was reminded of a couple things today:

1. Don't do laundry when you're tired. You will probably [if you're me] not use the important parts of your brain, and end up putting a red sherpa blanket in the same load as wool socks. You will spend about 40 minutes at the end of that mistake hand-plucking red strings off your socks.

good job tired brain. 

2. It being the Ides of March, I went rogue for dinner and started a massacre not of people [because I just... don't do all that], but of random items of food in my kitchen. It turned out to be a very successful venture - a little mixed up, but hey.. who's perfect?

redemption, tired brain. 

Whew. I love doing things on weekends, but it's the day after that always feels like a 9-ton truck ran over my brain and body.. here's to some early SLEEP & a good start to the week tomorrow!

xo | cmd

Syd The Shopper

Am I crazy for thinking it's a slightly strange phenomenon that my daughter has been given money by me [not that part], and continued on to spend it as she saw fit?

Well.... maybe I am crazy for getting a little emotional about that - it just seems like something of a landmark. What it is really, is that we've been working very hard on the idea that she must earn money for non-essential things that she wants - i.e., dolls, headbands, etc.. We are at a point now where she is finally beginning to graps the concept that the world isn't a free place, and that she must be responsible and within her means when it comes to budgeting.

So ANYWAY, I sent her off to school this morning with $20 for her school's bookfair, and not only did she return with 3 books that she had hand-picked, but she had change. I asked her if she had leftover money, to which she replied,

Yeah, because I didn't want to spend it all. I wanted to save some of it for later! 

Am I a proud mama or what?!

proud of this girl!! 

[Remind me in 10 years when I'm 8 layers deep in prayer that this same daughter will stop spending my money.. haha.. ;) ]

Anyway, we celebrated the day and the onset of the long-awaited weekend with some homemade, healthy-alternative cooking. This one's a favorite in our house, even though this is only the second or third time we've done it. We mainly went for it because of the turkey pepperoni; let's be honest. 

homemade pizza! 

Oh, and that's vegan cheese. Don't shrivel your nose until you've tried it - and remember whose house this came out of ... I mean are any of us really surprised? Haha. 

Sydni shared the spoils of her bookfair with us tonight, which consequently consumed the rest of the evening. I mean,.............

................ STICKERS. 

Stickers. Everywhere. 

my little pony 

That's a wrap, folks. Happy weekend to you & yours!! ♥

xo | cmd

BRAKE For Tuesday ♥

Today was one of those days that flew by at mach speed, but when it ended, I could barely put its contents in the right order.

And it hit me like a brick:

[Thank you, stock photos... haha]

But seriously. Today was the blur of a blur, and my head started spinning without my consent. It was a bad day by any stretch, but I found myself leaning into that natural tendency to feel as though I should start planning and preparing for tomorrow, before today even ended. In some cases, that's needed, but today, no. Today I needed to step back for a moment and recognize the fact that I've got it pretty good. My life's a far cry from perfect, but it's not lacking anything that debilitates me by its absence. I have less than many, yet more than most. There are things I still want, places I want to go, people I long to meet and experiences I dream to have, but if I just..

.... slow...
.... down...
... & just...
........ BE... for a moment or two, I realize that those things are dreams, yes, but the reality is just as beautiful and not worth missing out on.

I can only assume that this is God's way of tugging on my soul to put the brakes on my mind for a moment so that I can realign with every big and small blessing that sits right in my lap as we speak.

So it's Tuesday and I'm... happy. Relaxed, confident and able. :)
I hope you are, too.

xo | cmd

Mondays Are GREAT For Cooking!

I went all out yesterday [skip back a day & I'm sure you'll see... ] on a health kick. I'm bent on revamping my family's already moderately-healthy menu, and experimenting with some new things.

I started the day off with breakfast. A suuuper healthy breakfast:

lemon + honey + echinacea water, scrambled egg + avocado toast, chai seed & blueberry oatmeal

Yeah. Nothing like a complete breakfast overhaul. I added a spinach salad for lunch and am pretty certain I'll turn into Superwoman herself if I keep this up ;)

Work ended, and it was on home to get dinner started for all of us. We wanted to do a family pizza night, but without the traditional amount of unhealthy stuff in the kitchen. [Many thanks to 2Fit for the recipe idea!] Something I've never tried before tonight [although I don't know why!] -

veggie cheese & turkey pepperoni

I seriously felt as though I've been living under a rock, when today I realized I've never actually given way to these alternatives.

round flatbreads + 1 c sauce + 1 c veggie cheese + turkey pepps! 

she made them herself! ;)
& clearly didn't hate it afterwards... ♥

To avoid a complete shock of "health food overload," I obliged Sydni's request to finally bake a batch of the cupcakes [Frozen-themed, of course] gifted to her by Rob's dad & stepmom for Christmas. It was powder mix, so don't worry... raw mix hasn't been sitting around our kitchen since December. It was hard to justify having chocolate cupcakes on a night like this, but it was more the experience of making them together that I was after:

so. much. happiness :) ♥♥

ok.. so they're pretty good :p 

We also made some fruit & greek yogurt popsicles to offset the original offset.. 

notes for next time: use vanilla greek yogurt. 

To finish the evening, Sydni proudly tallied off her earnings of Pinkie Bucks - she's getting closer and closer to her goal of earning them all, and I could not be more proud of her! 

so proud of my girl! 

It's been a busy, healthy and productive night here at our little dwelling. Cheers to you & yours - we hope your week is off to a blazing start, too!

xo | cmd

Healthy Livin' On a Chilly Day!

My favorite way to start off a week is with church. One step past that would be baptisms at church [celebrate!!!]. To top it off, are baptisms of both the young and the mature. Even though I didn't know any of the folks today personally, I love love love watching the hand of God work in the lives of others and prompt them to take steps of faith.

baptisms @ sonrise! aaaamen! ♥

Amen? AMEN!

At home, it was a tough sell convincing Rob that Winter will in fact eventually pass, and that he can stop staring longingly out into the driveway at a boat that is still sitting in winter mode:

poor, poor winter boat.... 

To try and ease some of his seasonal funk, I got busy in the kitchen.. The first thing I was able to produce was some guacamole. It's one of our household favorites, and there's nothing quite like a couple of brand spankin' new, fresh avocados.

homemade guac! ♥

I got on a roll like I usually do whenever I find myself in these types of moods, so on to bigger tasks I was:

1. Fridge oatmeal, a quick approach to tomorrow's breakfast: Steelcut oats, chia seeds & blueberries, along with almond milk = a nice creamy blend of texture & sweetness that absorbs overnight in the fridge, hence the name Overnight Oatmeal.

overnight oatmeal!

Also on the list was the biggest challenge of the night: NOT burning my homemade granola bars to a crisp. I am happy to report that tonight was in fact a success!!

granola bars in the making

granola bars : finished product! 

Phew! It was a success. Rob's in a better mood, I feel accomplished, and to top it off, there are healthy AND delicious snacks all over the place in this house. Win, win, WIN!

Bring it on, Monday - I'm ready for you!

xo | cmd 

Eat .. And PLAY.. Like Champs!

If there's one thing my mother taught me when I was young [that I still wholly embrace today], it's this:

There are many schools of thought that would say I'm completely off-base, but I'm a firm believer that what you put into your body affects not just what comes out of your body, but how you're body functions overall. It's a science, really, but in the same rite, it's not a concept that should be so complicated.

That ancient adage, You Are What You Eat holds more stock to me than the combined amount of advice I've been given along the way. It's simple:

You eat well, you'll be well.

You eat crappy, you'll be crappy.  

I know: "Healthy food is expensive." Here's something to consider: 

1. That's an excuse not to do our research into cost-efficient ways to eat better.  They DO exist; I know this because I am not oozing money but I manage to maintain a healthy menu. Think about it in terms of what not to buy or eat, instead of I need to GET this, and BUY this. Also, on that note - don't accept at face value anything you're told, unless you're willing to go and test that advice. For instance, a doctor might tell you you're lacking manganese. You could get a supplement for that, or .... you could eat grapes. And green beans. And cucumbers, kiwi, strawberries, rice... the list goes on. Not every fancy-sounding element our body needs will cost you big bucks to satisfy. 

2. Yes, sometimes the healthier options are a bit pricier, but often times, they're NOT. Don't believe all the hype about prices. A bag of apples is cheaper than a case of those minibags of chips, and I don't think I really need to lay out the nutritional benefits of apples v. chips. 

3. It's all about educating yourself and how much discipline you're willing to have. 

4. Don't diet without exercise. It'd be like putting a full tank of gas in your car and then never driving it. You're fueled for performance, but you're sitting in the garage. Take a walk with your kids, if nothing else. Don't use kids as an excuse to never do anything [just sayin']. 

5. Make it PERSONAL! Have you ever considered just how unique we each are? We have different hair, different skin, different digestive systems, different pH balances... we are not cookie-cutter creatures? So why use a cookie cutter diet? You might not need to eliminate gluten from your diet. Lactose intolerant? There's calcium in beans, salmon, orange juice and some types of soy, almond & rice milks. Don't think that because you are allergic to, or can't eat something, that you will consequently never be able to get/have what you've been told those things provide. I for one cannot eat red meat [I lack the necessary digestive enzymes, womp womp!], so I find iron, protein and Vitamins B & D elsewhere. 

6. Find an accountability partner! [Or 2! Or 5! You get it..] This applies to many areas of life - conquering anything is usually easier - and more fun - if you're not doing it alone. Find someone else to hold accountable, and to do the same for you. You'll both see gains, and you'll both find out what works for you that perhaps didn't work for the other, and likewise. 

I could go on. 

Nobody certified me to know that stuff. I don't have a degree in any version of nutritional science. I am not a doctor. 

BUT,

I've never had cavities. Until four years ago, I had never broken a single bone. I was born with excema, but have flares about once every 21 years [that's the average so far]. My hair is thick, my nails are strong, and my skin is smooth. I am physically capable of running and exercising. My vision is 20/15 [although sadly I think that's decreasing with prolonged computer usage at work :(... ]. And, as far as I know, my memory is still working the way it should ;).  I'm not trying to brag; My point is - I didn't eat processed foods growing up, and I try not to now. Don't think I never do, because that's just not true - I love pizza like fish love water. I've found though, that when I eat it, I usually feel sluggish for longer than I'd like afterwards. 

I bought this book several years back and loved every page. It's a short read, but direct and simple. 

love it, michael pollan!

Basically. :) 

Anyway, if I stay here much longer, this rant may never end. 

Tonight, Jessica and I made a run to WFM to pick up a few essentials for dinner at her place. We got to cooking: chicken, sweet potatoes, sauteed veggies, homemade guacamole and lemon water. It was incredible. Rob joined us, and we continued on our winning night to some Yahtzee. [When was the last time you played?] 

Here's what that looked like for Rob & Jessica: 

yahtzee 6's for rob | yahtzee 4's for jess! 

I struck out on this one, but it's been about 15 years since Rob played the game, so I didn't mind letting him beat me the first round. Haha. Jessica took both games [THIS TIME, Jess. THIS ONE TIME :p.. ], but we'll be back to battle it out. ;) 

Good friends. Good food. Good gaming. That's my kind of Tuesday! 

xo | cmd

OK, I Lied [About Being DONE]

It's true. I think I may have overstated myself yesterday when I said that we'd finished all things Christmas. This has now become a nearly 3-week affair for us, but I'm not complaining! ;)

First came the work day: The girls and I came in full force at the office today, and seemed to all have the same idea: NEW YEAR, NEW EVERYTHING. Our first order of business was cleaning and rearranging each of our spaces, something that kind of speaks for itself in ushering in the aura of new. It's refreshing to switch things up, de-clutter and in a way just re-calibrate the zen for the space we occupy for 45+ hours each week.

So there's that... and to round it off, we ordered a supply trip to Office Depot & lunch at Fresh Thyme.

fun times at fresh thyme! |  cincinnati, oh

^^ You know you're an adult when office & market itineraries can actually excite you. Hah :p.

Anyway, today was a progressive lineup of awesomeness; once work was finished, I picked up Sydni and we headed home to get started on dinner. More specifically, Sydni's mission statement for dinner:

"Mommy, I wanna surprise Mister Rob with dinner
because he is always doing stuff for us." 

Say what, little heartstring?! Of course we will.
I gave Sydni reign of the recipe book, and she decided on chili. Have I mentioned how much I love this girl?

Chili it was!

chili! ♥

Sydni's chili recipe hit the nail on the head, and with bellies full, we dialed in for the highlight of the night: MORE Christmas presents!

That's right, Santa made a stop over Christmas to Rob's mom's house, specifically for Sydni. Now that she and the presents were both here, we wanted to share that with his mom.

it continues..... 

Here are the spoils of that adventure:

skype! 

fuzzy coats!! 

the coats not being hugged ;) 

dresses

and of course, shoes! 

All presents aside, I am so grateful for Rob's family. His mom & stepdad are continuously thoughtful and have a blast thinking of things and places that Sydni would enjoy. His dad & stepmom are the same, and his step-niece Ella now has a new friend with Sydni. There are a lot of families that clash against the choices of their son or daughter, but I'm fortunate not to have that problem. My parents love Rob, and vice versa, and that alone is enough for me :)

And NOW.. I think Christmas is complete. I'll keep ya posted if I'm wrong... again. ;)

xo | cmd