Seven Quick Takes

1.

I made vegetable soup today, and it was awful.  :(  I put too much pepper in it.  I tried to save it and ended up dumping the whole pot down the sink.

2.

This Saturday we're taking Kaelyn to see a college out of state.  Ugh.  I have mixed feelings about it, but nothing I'm ready to talk about yet.

3.

I had chemo on Wednesday, and I got my favorite nurse.  It was as good as it could get.  We hunkered down, and after I took my nap, watched a few episodes of Scandal.  

4.

I tried my best to make my numbers this month and stay on my level with Thirty-One.  It didn't work.  Granted there's Friday still, but it pretty much looks bleak.

5.

Our Dave Ramsey class has only one registered couple.  *Awkward*

6.

I think I might only have five things to give you.  Boo!  I don't even know if I have pictures.  Let me check.

7.

Wordless Wednesday

Paleo Pursuits

Want to see some things I've been eating?  I've been Paleo for a week.  It's not so bad.  Once I got through the major craving of a muffin (by making one) things got a lot better.  I wanted the feel of my teeth sinking into something fluffy, muffiny, and bready.  I can only have coconut flour and almond flour.  I started with a recipe for a banana blueberry muffin.  It was ok, but it had a bad aftertaste.  The next day I tried a blueberry muffin.  It was a hit!  It's so nice to be able to pull one out of the freezer, warm it up, and eat it.  Today I made pumpkin muffins. They were supposed to have chocolate chips in them, but I CAN'T HAVE SUGAR! Ugh! These are the best yet even without them.

I got creative and made Virus Killing Soup for Kevin.  He was sick.  I had made it once before with my MIL.  I called her to do it again this time, but I ended up finishing it before she even got here.  It all had to do with cooking the chicken in the crockpot overnight, so it was ready to go in the morning.  Sometimes I think I'm a genius.  ;)  I might make some more this week, since it's all already gone.  It had vegetables in it and even Kaelyn ate it. Craziness.

We made homemade pizzas for dinner on Friday.  I made a cauliflower pizza for myself.  It was good, but it needed toppings.  Since I don't eat meat on Fridays, I didn't have anything, but I forgot about veggies.  Green peppers probably would've been good.

Tonight I made my first stuffed green pepper.  My mom was so proud.  I bet she never thought she'd see this day come.  :)

Here's some pics...

January Daybook

Outside my window...
It's the snowstorm of January 2014!  I don't know how much snow we have because it's blowing around all over the place.  When Kevin took the kids out earlier, he said there was a good six inches.  That was six hours ago, and it's still snowing.

I am thinking...
about the March for Life tomorrow.  We're not going to try to go.  We had seats on the bus, but it's a matter of safety.  I don't even know if we can get to the bus let alone withstand the day.

I am thankful...
for a great friend answering all my panic Paleo texts ALL DAY.  I am also thankful for the day off of school.  Even though we had school to go, I got some time by the fire with a puzzle.  I think that might be my "my time."

Learning all the time...
we have another history project in the works.  It's due the 31st.  We're going to try and make Trajan's Tower out of pictures and paper towel rolls.  Yeah...exactly.

From the kitchen...
well, you all know that.  

I am working on...
muffins.  I'm trying to find a muffin recipe that uses almond flour and/or coconut flour.  I made some today, and I'm trying some more tomorrow.  Wish me luck.  The banana blueberry today weren't that bad, just a bad aftertaste.

I am creating...
a home.  It's my word of the year after all.  I am trying to do better cooking wise, planning wise, cleaning wise, not complaining wise.  ;)  

I am going...
to be ok.  I have to keep repeating this...like my new mantra.

I am hoping...
that God lets me in on what He has planned sometime soon.  This walking around in the dark trying to feel my way hasn't been working.

I am praying...
for everyone making it to the March tomorrow.  please join me.

I am reading...
Small Steps for Catholic Moms by Danielle Bean and Elizabeth Foss.  It has a quote from a Saint, a prayer, and an action for each day.  I've been emailing some friends about it, but I've since slacked.  

I am listening...
to Scandal.  It's the new show we picked after The Office.  We're a little weary about it, but I think it might be growing on us.  

Around the house...
nothing much...the daily grind.  HOME

One of my favorite things...
puzzles in front of the fireplace....of course.

This week's plans...
Snow play and school work.

A picture thought for you...

Rory has been busy, busy, busy with her rainbow loom.

Paleo Freezer Cooking

We ended up only doing four meals because we didn't have the meat for the fifth.  It was a "throw everything frozen in a bag" meal anyway.  The girls and I got there at 1015a and left at 430p.  Here's some pics.

This is me and Amanda.  We've been friends for twenty-two years.  :O

Looking up how to cut a leek.  

We had to cool the soup, so we put it on the back porch.  We would go out and stir it every now and then.

We did it!  I've already had almost everything we made.  It's good stuff.  I'm feeling a little sick.  Amanda said that was normal for a couple days.  Ugh.

Paleo Panic

It's coming up on Saturday, my freezer cooking day.  Yikes!  I'm pretty confident about having meals ready to go...even breakfasts.  Here's the gist, and I've said it before.  I'M ADDICTED TO SUGAR.  I've been eating it as if I'm on death row and every sweet is my last sweet, thus making me eat triple the amounts.  It's sad.  I'm pretty worried that I'm going to crash HARDCORE from the detox.  I can normally chew gum or something, but with no sugar, that's out of the question.  I'm not to have anything with sweetener in it either.  Also, I don't think I'm going ALL OUT Paleo.  I might add some whole grains to things here and there, but I am cutting out potatoes. That might be worse than sugar.  I LOVE me some potatoes!

I'm already thinking of some alliterations of posts I can see in the future.


Paleo Problems
Paleo Promises
Pretty Paleo
Pesky Paleo

Don't most of these seem to have a negative connotation?  We'll see.  Wish me luck!

Random Thoughts

• The Dave Ramsey class is starting up again this February.  Kevin and I are supposed to run it again, but I keep forgetting to ask Nana and Papa about it.  :/  This time we're going to offer free babysitting!  I don't know who's doing the babysitting yet, but I'm hoping that we'll get some volunteers between now and then.  If not, Kevin and I will be revisiting our babysitting days while the other runs the class that night.  
• I really wish God would appear and tell me to either back away from Thirty-One or stick with it. I lose my title this month if I don't make my numbers.  :(  I worked really hard, but I can't make people have parties for me.  I worked hard for my team though, and I don't want to lose them.
• I'm trying my first freezer meal attempt this weekend with a friend.  We're both starting our Paleo diets this weekend, and we want to give it our best shot by having good food on hand.  
• I'm addicted to sugar.  I know no moderation.  It's five cookies or ten.  Those are my only two options.  Seriously, this whole family needs to start eating some real food.  I'm going to work on myself first and get me off sugar, and then slowly make changes to the family's diet.  I'm not going to Paleo them, but there will be a clearing of how much processed food is consumed.
• Breathing has become a crucial step in my parenting.  I'm working on not yelling or belittling my kids.  I am disgustingly guilty of both..especially the belittling, which when you think about it, breaks your heart.
• This college thing is rough.  I'm looking to tour some with Kaelyn, who is honed in on Art Therapy, but it's so much information to process.  I wish I could run down the five Art Therapy schools near us with an Art Therapist and have her tell us which ones are worth looking at.
• I'm tired.  Bring on the health competition at the gym again.  It starts this Saturday, when my freeze cooking starts, and my Paleo diet.  Think I'm setting myself up to fail?  Nah...me neither.
• Kevin and I finished watching all of The Office series.  We're sad.  It was a great show.  It's like reading a book and getting attached to all the characters, and then the book ends.  At least they ended it to my liking.
• I'm over the Boy Scouts.  I'll explain later.
• Pray for me please

Word

Only two people chimed in on my word.  My mom said rest and KJ said family.  I've been hearing all my friends' words.  Here are a few: Ta-da, Surrender (love this one), Renew, Hope, Abide (ooohhh).

Then I realized that I can sometimes be a little rigid when I decide on something.  *shocker*  I feel that if I lock myself into one word, then I will hyper-focus on that ONE word.  Everything that doesn't involve my family will fall by the wayside, or what would happen if I just become a lazy sloth from choosing rest.  I can see myself doing these things.  So I think my word should have something to do with balance, but I don't like the word balance...or harmony.  How about flow?  Or maybe an all encompassing word?  

Update about two hours later...

I had the kids at a playdate, and I was stuck in the bathroom while Marley took care of business.  We were talking about something, and a word popped into my head.  I think I might run with it.  

HOME

What do you think?  It can mean family, present, rest, surrender, ta-da, renew, hope, abide, etc.  I feel like I won't get stuck in one rut or another, and if I do, it will be at my home.  Stay tuned.  This should be interesting.

Wednesday With Words

If you were a fly on the wall around here, here are some things you might see.

Unfortunately, Rory didn't fit.

Our kids have a habit of getting their appendages stuck on things.  You might recall that Rory got her finger caught in a jump rope handle.  Logan got his finger caught in an ornament ball.  Luckily, this one didn't bring us to the Urgent Care like Rory's did.

This is how you can find Kevin and I most nights.  

This was KJ's birthday cake.  No, he is not 48 years old.  

Does this look familiar?

Say it with me, "Aaawwwwww!"

Word of the Year

Have you seen these blogs where people are picking their word for the year?  It's supposed to be ONE word that will encompass their focus for the year.  Naturally I am intrigued and am trying to pick a word.  Here are my thoughts and explanations.  Then, if you'd like, you can comment on which one you think I should go for.

1. Family

I really want to try and focus on my vocation this year.  This includes making family a priority in every way.  This entails what we eat, how we spend our time, making sure we're spending time together and so forth.  I feel like I started this way of passage late last year, and that I can pick it up full steam ahead for this coming year.

2. Present

I'm a planner.  It's no surprise.  Sometimes in my planning, I can be a week into the future rather than enjoying whatever might be going on at the moment.  For instance, sometimes while I'm snuggling with the kids before bed, I'm already thinking what I'm going to do once I get them in bed rather than loving my time with them.  It takes a lot of awareness to pull myself back to the present.  I feel like my word of the year for last year was aware.

3. Rest

I had a lot of rest over the holidays even though it took me a little bit to figure out what that was.  When we were first on break, I would tell the kids, "we have nothing to do tomorrow."  Then I would get up that morning with my to-do list which normally consisted of chores, cleaning, and errands.  I remember Logan whining, "But you said we didn't have anything to do today,"  then Kevin would tell him, "That's mommy's way of saying we don't have to be anywhere at any particular time."  I laughed it off but later it really bugged me.  It took me a couple of days, but I got over it.  Sure there were some things that I would do to make myself feel better, but I let the kids do what they wanted.  (Whispering) Sometimes I can be a little controlling.  Don't tell.  Instead of micromanaging my time and my guilt, I cut myself some slack.  Sure they've been on electronics more than my liking, but when do they ever have a chance to do that?  We have spent many nights by the fire putting puzzles together.  It has become my favorite new thing.  I didn't focus on the fact that I didn't finish deep cleaning my kitchen, or rearranging the toy shelves to fit our new treasures, and guess what?  The kids were right there putting the puzzle together with me and not on their electronics.  It was pure bliss.  PURE BLISS.  This is the rest that I think our family has been needing, deserving for years.  

So there you have them.  I suppose I could be a rule breaker and use all three words, but I like a challenge.  I'm planning on making a plaque of the word for the living room, so I can be reminded.  I'll need that a lot.  What are your thoughts?  Which word would you choose if you were me?

Happy New Year, friends.  May blessings chase you down!

Happy Birthday, Kevin!!!!!

There's only so many acrostics one can do for people.  I'm hanging up my birthday acrostic-ness.  Happy birthday to my beloved.  I knew from the moment I saw you that you were the one.  I remember hating people when they told me that I would "just know" when I met my soulmate.  They were right!  Thank you for being a wonderful husband and friend.  Thank you for doing the laundry, cooking, errands, dishes, and everything else you do on a daily basis around here to try and make things easier for me.  I hope you have a wonderful (however old you are) year and may only good times and blessings abound.  I love you, miss you, want you, and need you.