An "Exciting" Week

We've had quite a bit of excitement here in Plankerville this week, not always of the desired kind but I can honestly say there was never a dull moment.  Here's to hoping the weekend has a bit more of the good stuff and a minimal amount of the uninvited variety.  

Exhibit A:  This snake that Mickey in our driveway...

...thankfully it's not poisonous and is actually quite rare.  It's a yearling coachwhip.  Cool, huh?  Glad Mickey found it first and let me know not to worry if I encountered it.

Exhibit B:  Tuesday morning story times features...

...we had a water theme.  Story Time is always the excitement of the good variety...even when the music isn't working and we have to sing Cee Lo Blue's rendition of the itsy bitsy spider A Capella...haha!

Exhibit C:  Clearance Spider Man Masks...

...the boys have no clue I went back and bought these for them for Christmas.  Can't wait to surprise them!

Exhibit D:  Lunchtime with Dad... 

....this was the happy part of our day on Wednesday before everything went south fast.  We love getting to see Daddy most days for lunch.

Exhibit E:  Mason's big accident... 

...somebody got pushed off the big bed while roughhousing and it didn't end well.  This is the kind of excitement I could do without in my life.  Thankfully his fracture on his clavicle is a closed one and should heal up just fine with time.  We actually found out from the orthopedic doc that we don't have to use the sling any more, we just have to take it easy for the next 5 weeks.  We'll be having lots of inside, quiet play, something that will likely be a struggle for us when our favorite activities include bike riding, jumping on the trampoline, roughhousing, and going to the playground.  Prayers are appreciated!

Exhibit F:  Wednesday Night Story Time...

...it was pretty exciting to be able to be in and out of urgent care in enough time to make it to see my story time friends.  Shout-out to MedStat for getting us in and out in an hour.  They rock!  That's got to be a record.  Mason stayed home and cuddled with Daddy while Colton and I rocked story time with some fun stories.

Exhibit G:  Exciting recipe finds...

...I had success with two new recipes yesterday.  The first was a delicious Fried Egg and Sweet Potato Noodles with Bacon & Vegetable Hash  that even got a thumbs up from my meat-loving husband.  He was skeptical of the eggs with his dinner but devoured it with rave reviews.  

My second recipe success was with a new kale chip recipe.  I love Rhythm Kale chips but don't love the price and was thrilled with the result of this copycat recipe.  I subbed almond butter for the sunflower butter, soy sauce for the coconut aminos, and just used regular balsamic since that's what I had on hand.  I think we'll be trying the sauce on some chicken in the near future.  It's SOOOO good.  It's amazing that something with no cheese in it can actually taste cheesy.  So cool!  

FYI...mine took about 9 hours to dehydrate in my oven rather than the suggested 3-5 hours.  Maybe I need to spread them out even more next time.  They're worth the wait though.  YUM!

Time for some quality time with my kiddos hopefully consisting of good excitement if any at all.  I'd actually be A OK with a totally mellow day.  Have a lovely day and weekend filled with excitement of the good variety.  

Things I'm Loving Thursday #2

Welcome to my Things I'm Loving Thursday edition #2.  Check out some of my favorite things this week. 

1.  TOMS Coffee...

...I've always loved their shoes and decided to give the coffee a try and I'm thoroughly impressed.  Delicious, organic, and provides water to people who need it.  You've done it again, TOMS, and I'll continue to support you.

2.  The Shazam app... 

...I learned about this from some of my story time friends and am thrilled with this product.  I'm notorious for hearing songs I love on the radio and then missing out on learning about who the artists are.  Solution found!

3.  Coconut LaCroix...

...this stuff is incredibly declicious and refreshing when you want to jazz up your usual water routine.  It makes some mean lower calorie cocktails too :-)... try it with pineapple juice, lime juice and rum...and if you're feeling a little adventurous, add in some coconut milk for a lightened up pina colada.  You better believe I'll be whipping one up again this weekend as a poolside beverage.  Yum!

4.  Applegate Natural Uncured Good Morning Bacon...

...love this new lower-fat product from Applegate for my bacon-loving family.  You can get 3 packages for $12 at BJs.  Hard to beat that deal for nitrate-free, uncured bacon that tastes good.  Can you tell we love good food around here??  :-)

5.  Kale chips...

...these were a total impulse by at the Fresh Market and they are SOOOO good!  I must learn how to make my own knockoff version ASAP since even the sale price is a little expensive for my taste.  I highly recommend them!

And now for some inedible favorites...

6.  The Skimm...

...as a former news-ignorant gal thanks to not wanting to have the tv on with my kids around, I now have a quick, witty way to catch up on current events.  Thanks to the Skimm's weekday emails, I'm now somewhat up to date on what's going on around the world again.  Woohoo!

7.  This reminder...

...sometimes we need reminders, yes??  

8.  Homemade Healing Salve from my Aunt...

...this stuff has been awesome on my beat-up, calloused feet.  I wish I was good at Marketing cause I'd find a way to help her sell this stuff.  It's amazing!

Thank God For Friends and Family

There's nothing too exciting to report on the fitness front today.  I am planning to go for an easy run this afternoon and squeeze in some core work throughout the day.  I'm even doing some of my core tightening exercises as I type this post.  Cool, huh?  Thanks Fit2Be Studios for your wonderful exercises.

I had a wonderful night out with my girlfriends last night.  I don't know how I'd make it through this crazy, exciting world of mothering without them.  They keep me grounded, they give me advice, they make me laugh, they reassure me when I'm worried, they watch my kids when I need a break, or let me bring over my kids when I need to escape my own house.  They step in to help at a moment's notice, many times without me even having to say anything, when I need an extra hand.  They are such a blessing in my life and I thank God daily for the amazing people he has placed in my life over the last couple of years, specifically.  It truly does take a village to raise a child, and without family in town, my "village" of friends is such a valuable blessing to me.  Thank you guys for always being there for me!  Words cannot even express how truly grateful I am.

I'm thankful to be able to count my family among my best friends as well.  I don't know what I'd do without the love and support of my sisters, parents, and one and only brother.  Mickey's family is pretty wonderful too.  I can't wait to spend Christmas with my parents.  It's been years since I've been with them on Christmas morning.  I feel as giddy as a kid just thinking about how nice it will be to be surrounded by family on Christmas morning.  Looking forward to that is hopefully going to make the next couple of weeks easier.  I'm kind of hoping they fly by too.

I'm seriously thankful for these little gifts from God as well.  We have our good days and challenging days but they are the best things that have ever happened to me and I adore them.

I'm also thankful for produce day.  I'm getting kale today and you better believe I'm going to be whipping up some kale chips for my snack today.  Can't wait!  I see some roasted cauliflower in my future as well.  That stuff is like candy.  YUM!

It's cool out today so the boys get to sport their new shoes from Aunt Abigail. How cute are they?

I think it's time for me to get a pair too.  I am super jealous that the boys have Toms before I do.