friday. random. sorry.

Hey there.
Warning: super random stuff ahead.

It's Friday night!
I'm having a wild evening of watching
My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding
and trying to understand what they're saying without reading the subtitles.

Crazy...I know.

I'm a little obsessed with this song by Gotye.
I kind of love it.
{not so sure of the video though, but i didn't know how else to link you to the song.}

So we're still doing our best to avoid processed food.
I made this "refried beans" recipe again this week.
Very good...no fat...very little salt.



And when you put it in the crockpot in the morning,
eight hours later your house smells awesome.



It's a keeper!

And this was lunch a couple days this week.
Chopped spinach,
garbanzos, red pepper, a little onion, quinoa,
and this dressing.



So healthy.
You won't believe how good it is.

And...full disclosure...I bought a package of Cadbury eggs this afternoon.
A girl's gotta live.

I wish she really was washing dishes in this picture.



Nope...just pretending.
One thing about healthy eating?
It means a lot more dirty dishes dishes!
I was kind of complaining about it at first,
but then I realized that this really is my job right now:
feeding my family well, washing a bazillion dishes...
that's why I get paid the big bucks.
{ha.}

And I posted this picture on instagram this week
when the photo prompt was 'eyes'.
Here are mine, theirs, and his.



As far as the eyes are concerned,
I won the DNA battle.
Booyah.
:)

best tuesday ever.

Tuesday was already pretty much my favorite day of the week.
It's the one day we come home from school,
and STAY home.
No piano!
No drums!
No ballet!
The only afternoon agenda is comfy pants and cooking dinner.

And this Tuesday was even better because a group of girlfriends and I
left our kids either with babysitters or the best grandmas ever
and headed to a mini spa day.

I had an awesome facial where she cleansed
and moisturized and exfoliated
and lectured me {a little} about my skin's lack of hydration and exfoliation.
The woman doing my facial had the most gorgeous skin
I had ever seen,
so when she was lecturing...I listened.

Tomorrow...exfoliated and hydrated skin...check.

And then, as if the spa wasn't good enough,
we had lunch.
Kidless.
Awesome.

Then it was back to reality and the kids came home from school and did homework
and ate snacks.
No fighting or bickering.
Love those times.



It has been pouring since early this afternoon.
March is not going out like a lamb this year.

{riley is collecting rainwater.}

{i'm trying to regrow onions on my windowsill.}

Now dinner is done,
and the dirty dishes are waiting for me in the sink.
It is still pouring and windy and stormy outside
but we've got a fire going and in here it's cozy.
We just finished a game of Blokus,
and now the kids are playing "monster".
{a game they just made up which apparently involves scaring yourselves until you scream.}



In 30 minutes or so we'll cuddle under my new pink Snuggie
{i have awesome friends}
and watch Wheel of Fortune.

I love this Tuesday.

an insta week recap.

This was the fastest week in history.
Seriously...last weekend to this weekend was a blur.
Nothing like having your mind wrapped up in crazy things
to make the time pass in warp speed.

********************
Last Friday's drive home from SoCal was long, yes.
Boring, yes.
But pretty too.



Right after the grapevine.
Not too shabby.

********************
Rainbow socks that, coincidentally, have my initial on them.
I've dubbed them my lucky socks.
If I was a professional baseball player I'd have to wear them at every game.



********************
The jury's still out on this color.
Not minty enough to be minty,
not blue enough to be aqua.
Not sure yet if I'm digging it.



********************
She missed the tub while we were in Disneyland.
No baths allowed on vacation.
Hotel tubs totally frighten me.



********************
I'm officially addicted to Draw Something.
And...so's Gary.
Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I was kind of impressed with my Yoda.
I think it's definitely my masterpiece.
{and that's saying something, i know.}



And, if you are ever playing against me,
and I draw 'poop' or 'toilet' or something like that,
you can pretty much guarantee one of my kids has hijacked my phone.

********************
Gary got his statue Friday for being at Pixar for ten years.
I'm his biggest fan.



********************
And it turns out that she is a fan of eye shadow.
A big thanks to my mom for the large rainbow-colored supply
of makeup she got for Christmas.
She was getting ready for church this morning with
bright purple Cleopatra-esque eyes.



A smoky eye for Sunday school is totally appropriate, right?

thursday friends, food, and other stuff.

I am waayyyyy behind on getting the Easter stuff out this year.

Exactly one year ago today
I was making these Pottery Barn knock-off eggs.

Aw, my mantel looked so cute last year!

I haven't even dragged the Easter bin down from the garage yet.

Ok, tomorrow...cute mantel...that's my goal.

Here are the kids after school today,

on FaceTime with friends they saw at school about two hours earlier.

Kids these days.

They love their buddies.

Okay, I'm off to finish dinner.
It's a stir fry kind of night tonight.

My mom recently made the kids meringue,
and they're fans.
So this is what's for dessert:



Only four ingredients,
and not nothing artificial.
{and 110 calories for FOUR of them.  and you could never eat four.  not too shabby.}

Happy Thursday, y'all.
I've got Project Runway on the DVR.
It's a good night.

happy tuesday things.

First, thanks to all of you for the comments and notes
on yesterday's post.

I'm feeling a little better today,
and a little closer to a decision.
I'm sure I'll tell you more later....

I had a lot of moments today that reminded me
just how sweet life is.

Oh happy day,
my ranunculus are blooming!!
That one morning last fall I spent outside
planting bulbs has all payed off.













Oooh, do I ever love looking out my kitchen window
and seeing these girls.

Tomorrow my toes will be this spring-inducing color:



"My Chihuahua Bites", by O.P.I.
It may just be the perfect coral.
{and doesn't o.p.i. have the best color names?}

I know it sounds weird,
but these made me happy today.



Gary's mom gave me some kale from the farmer's market this weekend,
so I made kale chips.
I promise...promise...they're good.

And I saved the best for last.
I came across these napkins at World Market last night.
I have no idea when I'm going to use them...maybe the next time I host bingo?



Bow wow wow yippy yo yippy yay.
I. love. them.

:)

life, sometimes.

I feel so disconnected from this space lately.
I haven't checked in with all my blog peeps in so long.
I miss you all.


Sometimes life has a way of getting all up in your face,
and really messing with you.


Right now life is kind of messing with me.
I have a health-related decision to make,
and it's occupying a big space in my brain.
I've mentioned to you before that I'm a worrier.
It's my natural tendency, always.


BUT....
I know God tells me not to worry.
Actually...commands me not to worry.


So I'm reading and praying Isaiah 41:10
and Philippians 4:6-7
and Matthew 11:28-30
and Proverbs 3:5-6 :

**Trust in the Lord with all your heart; 

do not depend on your own understanding.

Seek his will in all you do,

and he will show you which path to take.**

So I'm trusting that his plan for me and for our family is perfect.

Any extra space in your prayers?

I sure wouldn't mind if you slipped my name in there.


Thanks, friends.

********************

Okay, on a lighter note,

I love this girl.

I hope she does her "homework" while holding Pooh for a very long time.

And she is, I think, officially the bravest of our kids.
She rode the roller coasters at Disneyland with her hands in the air.


One thing I love about coming home from vacation
is not having to eat out anymore.
I get so tired of restaurant food after a couple of days!
Breakfast this weekend: baked oatmeal with apples and walnuts
and coffee.  
Heavy on the half and half. :)





Yum.
I'm hungry.
I think that means it's time for bed.


'night.

insta friday - the 'spring break' edition

Our kids had a super early spring break this year.
Last Sunday we packed up and hit the road.
We needed a get-a-way.



Happy faces,
pre seven hour drive.

Happier faces,
post seven hour drive.



Disneyland means fireworks and churros and the teacups.





And...sore feet.
Still recovering.





I love being chauffeured by my 10 year old.



Perhaps the kids' favorite souvenir?
The washcloth bunny rabbits the hotel craft workshop taught them to make.



And...I kind of loved them too.

But not as much as I loved the beach.
I dream - frequently - of a beach house.
A big beach house where all 14 of my grandkids could come visit
for the entire summer?
Dream.



{we like the same hat.  and the same colors.}





Sand + saltwater + kids.
It's magic.

Monday it's back to school.
Back to packing lunches and carpool and homework.
And thanks to vacation food,
back to running.
Big time.

hi. remember me?

I'm here to say hi for just a minute.
I'm soaking up the last few moments of vacation,
so I can't stay long.

We've been enjoying ourselves down in SoCal this week.
Two hours ago I would have said it has been a vacay
that went off without a hitch,
but that was before Riley was changing into his pajamas
and discovered that he had a very red, itchy rash all over his torso and arms.

I always - ALWAYS - bring Benadryl with us on vacation.
Except this time.  I forgot.

Hello, Murphy?  Your law stinks.

Thank heaven for 7-11.
At 11pm.

But before the rash we were spring break-ing it up.



Ahhh, beach.
I love you so.
It's definitely my happiest place.

We've been in another happy place this week, too.
And I think I gained 5 lbs. from the churros to prove it.

I'll be back soon.
Let's catch up?

our thursday.

Today I had to take our car into the shop to get a few things fixed and rotated and whatever.

Once the shuttle dropped Avery and I off back at home

we were carless and stuck for a few hours.

As a result I did every single bit of laundry in the house.

There is not much on earth that can make me as happy

as when all the laundry is done and put away.

It was almost worth the $300+ I spent on the car.

I also made bread.

I've almost got the recipe memorized.

And the bread machine?  Such a rad invention.

{my bread machine is actually white, and not this really this cool mint green color.  i wish.}

Today while Colin was in his drum lesson 

we walked down to one of the antique stores here in town.

I love that my kids are all old enough now to bring into a store like this.

It's so nice to not have to worry about them touching everything 

and breaking something.

Even though they complain sometimes about going in,
they're always entertained in antique stores.
There's always "new" things to discover.

Like this weird phone,
where you have to put your finger in this little round space
and drag the little space around to dial.
So crazy!



Riley was so impressed that I knew how to work the rotary phone.
He was like, "Mom!  How did you know how to DO that?!!"
Ha!
Do you remember that it was always annoying when someone had a zero
in their phone number, because it took so long to dial numbers with a zero?
Wow.  Memories.

Tonight I made veggie fajitas and rice and beans for dinner.



{pepper seeds are pretty.  who knew?}

I just marinade the veggies for an hour or so,
and then cook in a skillet.



I marinated them in a little olive oil, red wine vinegar,
chili powder, oregano, and garlic salt.
Gary and I ate the veggies over spinach with guacamole and salsa.
The kids had beans, rice, and veggies with a tortilla.

They still complain a little about all the veggies,
but I really do think they're getting better about it.

And...I am totally craving something sweet right now.
The grapes I ate aren't cutting it.
It is a really good thing there are no cookies in my house tonight.
They'd be gone.