Showering Sissy

How do you throw the best baby shower ever for your best friend in the world?

I've been planning, shopping, searching Pinterest, ordering from Etsy, daydreaming, and chatting about this baby shower for months, and it all came together on Saturday.  I had A LOT of help and a lot of fun pulling off a perfectly pink shower for my sister and Maddi.

"She is your mirror shining back at you with a world of possibilities; she is your witness who sees you at your worst and best and loves you anyway; she is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, your defense attorney, and your teacher.  She is your personal press agent and even your shrink. Some days she is the reason you wish you were a child again, to spend every day together."

I love you sister.  I am so proud of you and Tony, and I can't wait to be an aunt to sweet, little Maddi.  I want to squeeze her, now! :)

Crabbing Adventures

Wills and I spent most of last week with my parents in Beaufort.

The highlight of the trip…Papa took us crabbing off of the bridge!

I cannot tell you how many memories I have as a little girl crabbing on Fripp Island. The nostalgia was there, and I had a few watery eye moments, as I watched my little boy loving every minute of his adventure with Papa and Gaga.

“More crabs” and “I carry bucket, Papa” was said over and over.

He will be two next week, and although some days I wish I could keep him little, he has a great big world to explore, more adventures to experience, and a lot of memories to be made. He’s all boy – brave, up for anything, and wants to be outside.

Guess what was for dinner?

We are headed to the zoo tomorrow for an early birthday escapade! He can’t wait to meet the lions, zebras, and birds. I can’t wait to see the zoo through his big, innocent, excited eyes!

Beaufort Love

One of the millions of reasons why I love Beaufort...

This was outside one of the quaint little shops on downtown Bay Street where we spent the morning. 

Life is different in the Lowcountry. 

Take Time

Early Saturday morning, I participated in a "Yoga Across America" event at the studio.  It was a packed room, full of energy and enthusiasm, and a perfect way to start off a relaxing weekend.



I love my celebration tattoo to mark the event!  William will be happy when it washes off. :)

 



 

I spent the rest of the weekend unwinding, slowing down, and taking the time to see the beauty in a weekend at home with my boys. 

 

We spent most of it outside soaking up the gorgeous weather, watching football, and catching up on our "life chats."  It was perfect. 

I read this to my morning yoga class..."Take time to be pleased with all the beauty in this world.  Do more than drive by and casually notice a particularly beautiful stretch of scenery.  Stop the car.  Get out.  Take it in.  See it, smell it, touch it if possible.  Absorb and feel the beauty you see.  Take time to be pleased with your work, your life, yourself.  Look around.  Then look again.  Take time to see the beauty in your own life.  Take time to absorb and be pleased with the beauty you see.  Then take this gift to others, too.  Take time to notice and really see all that is beautiful in the people you know.  Then tell them aloud what they mean to you." ~Journey to the Heart

 

See you later, Serious

Yesterday, I needed a break.

I finished testing, closed my computer, and took advantage of a refreshing mid-morning jog on the canal.

30 minutes of exercise and it all made sense again.  I needed a little perspective.  

I tend to take things too seriously.  Surprise!  :)  This week has been extra daunting with every task seeming overwhelmingly momentous.  When I find myself getting caught up in an attempt to make it all perfect, I begin to lose most of the joy that's there to experience.

I place high expectations on myself as a wife and a mom, and sometimes I just need to “lighten up.” Wills doesn't always have to be on a strict schedule. If we are at the zoo next weekend for an early birthday celebration, and he’s fascinated with the allure of the giraffes, do we really need to rush out for nap time? No.

Do we always have to hurry in an effort to complete our to-do list?  Hell no.  The truth.  There's going to be another to-do list tomorrow.  Why not let him try for 15 minutes to put on his own shoes, or study every detail of his train set while we need to be cleaning up, or eat his frozen yogurt ever so slowly while the clock is ticking to our next appointment and nap-time is looming.

If Wills doesn't eat a vegetable for two WHOLE days in a row, should we deem it a parenting disaster?  I know. I know.  I'm embarrassed.

If I don’t meet every soft deadline with work, it’s okay. That’s why they’re “soft” deadlines. Sometimes a long conversation encouraging a student or parent is more important than that lingering spreadsheet.

If I’m administering high school graduation tests all week and don’t make it to the studio or practice yoga once, it’s fine. It doesn't mean I’m a bad yogi, or I’ll never fly into crow.

William gets so frustrated with me when I try to make rigid plans around everything from our weekly menu to our vacations.  Can you tell I haven't practiced yoga all week?  My mind is all over the place.

I'm missing moments of beauty; moments of bliss; moments of joy because I'm letting perfection and seriousness lead the way.  My new mantra: relax into the moment; release serious; experience joy.  Right now! I repeated this over and over while jogging.

My husband finally walked in the door after a week working out of town, and I immediately opened my new elephant journal subscription and found this.

Coincidence?  I think not.

It's time to get playful, laugh until our sides hurt, kiss in the pouring rain right after getting dressed up for dinner, sing (terribly) and dance to beach music, bake Christmas cookies in September, go to bed too late, break a few rules, take a last minute road trip without packing every "necessity", and eat ice-cream for dinner.  This serious stuff has got to go!

Cheers to a relaxing, laid-back, and fun weekend!

Someone else is ready for a run.  Hey, go for it sweet boy; it's good for the soul!  Maybe you should put some shorts on first...or not.  That would take all the fun away!  :)

What I ate Wednesday

My mom came over and drank coffee with me this morning.  I love this time with her!  We talked about baby showers, Wills' birthday party, beach plans, and such.

I snacked on homemade granola bars for breakfast.  I saved my apple for a mid-morning snack.

Lunch was a grilled gouda, avocado, and tomato sandwich on Ezekial sprouted bread.  Sorry; I forgot to take a picture. 

My favorite afternoon snack!  There is NOTHING like Shakeology to push me through that afternoon slump when I feel a power nap is necessary.  

I added chia seeds for an extra punch.   

Perfect.

I've been excited to make this salmon dish for a while now.  Our friend, Suzie, prepared it for a large group of us in Beaufort, and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since then.  After bedtime for my Wills, I called her for the recipe, gathered my ingredients, and escaped for some me time in the kitchen.

I improvised with the amounts, since I was only preparing one piece of Wild Salmon instead of the massive amount they prepared for all of us.   Suzie says you can use this marinade on anything.  The good news, other than the fresh ginger, I had all of the ingredients already.  Score!

I melted all of the above ingredients together in a sauce pan. 

Marinated the salmon for 45 min to an hour.  The longer the better.

And then baked it on 425 degrees for about 20 minutes alongside zucchini and sweet potato fries.

I cooked it a little long, but it was still the flavors I've been daydreaming about for weeks.  Sweet and a little spicy.  Thanks, Suzie, for sharing!

Smoked Gouda, Portobello and Arugula Grilled Cheese

This may be one of the most flavorful sandwiches I've ever tasted.

After putting Wills to bed Monday night, I poured myself a small glass of red wine, turned on "Elizabethtown," and started my dinner.  I'm not fond of William traveling, but I will say, those nights I do get to try new, what he would call "weird food" recipes that suit me.  Here's a few I've loved.

Pea and Prosciutto Pasta

Cheesy Spinach Shells

Pesto Pasta with Arugula and Tomato

Edamame Corn Salad

When he's home, we have more of the typical chicken or pork chop, veggie, and starch dinners we all grew up eating (with a few surprises thrown in along the way.)

I adapted this recipe from the Vegetarian magazine I browsed through at the yoga studio.

Here's what I used.

I brushed one portobello with balsamic vinaigrette and baked it on 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  I flipped it once.

I mixed up a little butter, one minced garlic clove, and dried oregano and brushed it on the outside of two slices of sprouted bread.

In a skillet I layered one slice of bread, smoked Gouda cheese, the sliced portobello from the oven, arugula and the remaining slice of bread.  I pressed it into the skillet and cooked it about four minutes on each side.

Seriously delicious, smoky, peppery, and amazing.  

"I say make time to dance alone, with one hand waving free." ~ Elizabethtown

I think I will. 

Almost Homemade Granola Bars

We eat a lot of granola bars around here.

Of course, we don’t all eat the same kind. That would be too easy, right?

Wills loves Kashi Soft and Chewy Bars and Cliff Kid Z Bars. He eats them daily.

William’s go-to breakfast every morning, while trying to feed Finn, wrap up a few last minute emails, see his little boy and his wife, and quickly get out of the door on time for work, is a Sweet and Salty granola bar. He alternates between peanut and almond.

And I eat my fair share of Kind Bars and Larabars. Blueberry Muffin being my favorite.

Wills refers to all of these granola bars with a different name. He calls Larabars and Sweet and Salty Bars “Mommy Bars” and “Daddy Bars”  Original, huh? :)  He did get a little more creative and calls his Cliff Bars “Boy Bars.” This is because there is a little boy riding a skate board on the front of the package. 

Okay, moving on. I decided to make some granola bars. Even if I’m the only one that eats them, and the boys stick to their tried and true “Daddy Bars” and “Boy Bars” our grocery budget could use a few less Larabars.

Here’s what I used. I found the recipe in my Health Magazine in an article featuring Dr. Oz and a 5-Day High Energy Plan.

I mixed 2 cups of oats, 3/4 cup of walnuts, and 3/4 cup of raw sunflower seeds.  I toasted them on 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Then mixed together 1/2 cup of raw honey, 1/2 tsp of Vanilla, and 2 tsp of olive oil.

All folded together with 3/4 cup of cranberries.

I lined the pan with tinfoil, lightly sprayed it with olive oil cooking spray, patted it down with a spatula, and baked it for 15 minutes on 350 degrees.

Wills and I headed to the canal for a short walk while our granola bars cooled.

Then in an attempt to transfer them to the cutting board and begin slicing into 2 inch squares, this happened.

You can't win them all, I guess.

I'm not really sure what went wrong.  But this is all that even resembled a granola bar.  Maybe a little peanut butter would hold them together?

Granola bars turned into simple granola.  It tasted delicious and will be the perfect topping to Greek yogurt.

And this little boy couldn't keep his hand out of the bag.

I'll call that a success.

But, don't count me out on homemade granola bars just yet.  You will see this attempt again. :)

Love this Space

Quiet. Only The Avett Brothers. Preparing for class. Coffee. Praying. In this moment. Connected to love. Blissful.