The baby of our family will begin her senior year.
We will celebrate the third high school graduation of our four teens.
And we will navigate new health and diet protocols as a result of some of the health challenges of 2017.
But... we will give thanks for so many blessings.
I wish each of you a very happy, healthy and joyous New Year!
As always, thank you so much for stopping by my blog. I have exciting plans for this site for 2018, so I hope you will check back in!
I leave you with a little snippet of my 2017 highlights. According to Instagram, these are my top nine photos of 2017! Good memories indeed.
(Top right - the transformation of Bella from little girl to sweaty soccer player, Homecoming 2017 for Bella, Prom 2017 for Connor, Bella turns 17, Puerto Vallarta July 2017, Connor 's first day of kindergarten to senior graduation, geocaching in Sunriver, summer outdoor music festival, Mother's Day with my mom and kids 2017).
A few other family highlights included my in-laws 50th Wedding Anniversary pictured below with the 53 family members celebrated in November.
Photo by Brooke Beasley Photography.
Connor qualifying for the State Golf Tournament as an individual and graduating from high school!
Exploring (and eating our way through) Puerto Vallarta as a family and loving the Vallarta Food Tours!
1. I'm guilty of sneaking vegetables into my kids' food.
When my kids were younger I added vegetables subtly to their desserts. My son recently admitted that when he found out about the chocolate pudding made with avocado, that he was afraid to eat anything that he didn't watch me make or come out of a box for over a year. Great! I gave him his picky food habits. We turned a corner last week when he tried guacamole for the first time after seeing it prepared table-side. He loved it!
Authentic Cabo Guacamole
In my defense, the Chocolate Avocado Pudding really was delicious. The recipe is as follows:
Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled 1/4 cup skim milk 1 tsp. instant coffee or espresso 6 tablespoons honey 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
Blend together all ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Enjoy.
I wholeheartedly believe in the nutritional power of Moringa Oleiferabut I am reluctant to tell my friends as I don't want to appear pushy or as if I am a know-it-all. I do want to share how great it makes me feel and how much healthier I have been since I first started adding it to my daily diet. I drink Zija to consume moringa oleifera, the most nutrient-rich plant in the world. Moringa oleifera is packed with over 90 verifiable cell-ready vitamins, minerals, vital proteins, antioxidants, omega oils and numerous other benefits. You can check it out and if interested, you can order from the Hubs' site. (He can get credit for products.) It helps tremendously for anti-inflammatory issues such as allergies and arthritis; heightens mental clarity; increases energy; nourishes the body's immune system and provides anti-aging benefits - among many other successes.
3. I throughly embarrassed myself with Instagram.
When I first signed up for Instagram, I thought it was only a photo editing tool. I thought only I could see the photos that I was 'editing' using the cool 'filters'. You can imagine my horror when I learned (months after posting them) that the "before" photos that I had taken of myself in a bathing suit (sticking my gut out to make my workout goals appear to have had even more of an impact because the Hubs and I were having a fit contest amongst ourselves)were shared by anyone who was following me! It was one of the most embarrassing and horrifying moments of my life!
Serendipityhas always been one of my favorite words. The formal definition includes "pleasant surprise" and "fortunate happenstance". I learned it's meaning on the first day of my first-ever college class. The class was a library research class and the professor told us how finding research information amongst the library books would be serendipitous. She told us that we would find things and make surprise discoveries when we would be looking for something else. I also adored the movie Serendipity that shares my favorite word's name.
5. I crack-up laughing when I'm supposed to be serious.
When I am uncomfortable or especially nervous, at the most inopportune times usually, I laugh. It's horrible. It used to always blow my cover when I played hide and seek as I would laugh while nervously/excitedly hiding out.
6. I believe many "Old Wives' Tales".
My Grandma Nadean believed in the healing powers of chicken noodle soup for a cold. My mom (who does not fall into the category of "old wives"), believes that fresh squeezed lemon and honey with a little hot water helps heal a sore throat. Both of these natural remedies have provided relief for my family for years. My great Aunt Lilian shared her secrets to good health and longevity to include eating walnuts daily and rubbing her teeth with sharp cheddar cheese. She lived a healthy, long life with clear thinking and smart as a tack to the age of 97. My Grandma Rose taught me to believe that if I stepped on a crack it would break my mama's back. To this day, I try my best to avoid the cracks. Coincidentally, my mom has always had a good back. (She does take good care of herself and works out daily.)
7. I slipped and drank Coca Cola.
I recently fell off my "I don't drink soda" pledge while visiting Mexico. I was afraid to drink the water so I turned to Coca Cola. It tasted really good at the time. Soda and I are not friends. I'm not sure if I would have been better off drinking the water vs. the soda.
8. I've kept this blog a secret from most of my friends.
I am really shy about telling my friends or acquaintances about this blog. Sometimes it makes it easier thinking that only strangers read my posts...especially these confessionals! I know it's a crazy notion that I need to get over. I love blogging and I want to share with as many people as possible. I was honored to recently be the featured blog of the week for Typepad.
9. I hate pedicures.
Don't get me wrong...I love the way my toes look when they are polished and perfectly trimmed. Bit I hate having someone get between my toes! It makes me crazy to have my feet touched for a pedicure. I'm the worst at painting my toenails and I don't have cute toes, so it's a bad combo...but there could be worse problems.
10. I live for thesnooze button!
I purposely set my alarm clock to go off 15 minutes before I actually really need to get up so I can hit the snooze button every morning at least once and feel like I really have control over my own schedule! Ha ha! Someday...right?
These 10 Quotes Kick My Tush When I Need a Nudge of Inspiration
You are more prepared than you realize.
- Seth Godin
Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.
- Saadi, poet
#TravelOregon
The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.
- Mark Twain
Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard.
- Kurt Vonnegut
The Net Will Appear
Let whatever you do today be enough.
It's impossible, said pride.
It's risk, said experience.
It's pointless, said reason.
Give it a try, whispered the heart.
(Listen to your heart.)
Just remember, once you're over the hill you begin to pick up speed. - Charles Schulz, cartoonist
Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation... even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind. - Leonardo da Vinci, artist and inventor
What quotes do you refer to when you need a little inspiration?
Dating couples can teach married couples a thing or two about how to love!
Here are 10 examples of ways dating couples remind "marrieds" how to fall in love, stay in love and keep the romance alive throughout marriage.
1. Date your mate. Call up your partner and ask your your mate out for a date you planned without their knowledge. Build up the date with communication, texts, excitement. Show up at the door with a flower (or bag of flour - ha!)! Open the car door. Courtship is critical! Keep dating. Make time for your relationship.
2. Indulge in public displays of affection. Kiss, touch, hug like you wanted to the first time you met.
My sweet sister-in-law and brother-in-law keep love alive "dating in Paris".
3. Get gussied up. Every once and a while swap out the sweats and workout gear for what you wear if you were going out on a date...early on. Shave. Dress up. Add a little perfume or cologne. Slip into that little black dress or add a sports coat or tie.
Proof of the reason I say that "we all" need to break from daily routine and spiff up for date night...
Spiffed up a bit for date night...
4. Flirt. Go on. Wink, bat your eyelashes, touch an arm lingeringly, whisper - whatever you do that shows your partner you are interested in them. Be dazzled by their charms. Tell them what you like about them. Gush on.
5. Have fun! Be silly. Do something outrageous. Go kiss at Lover's Lane. Meet somewhere and pretend that you don't know each other yet. Have a sleepover in the back yard under the stars or living room under a fort. Think outside the box and get crazy.
My parents celebrated 50 Years of Marriage last summer!
6. Laugh. Challenge yourself to get your partner laughing, hysterically.
This guy can totally crack me up!
7. Stay up all night talking. Okay, maybe not all night. Pretend like you are just getting to know your partner. Ask them all those "getting to know you" questions - I bet many answers have changed. Find out what their dreams are and how they plan to make them come to fruition.
8. Surprise them. Excite them. Be out of the ordinary. Break routine. Write them a note. Give them a token that makes you think of them. Text them to build excitement throughout the day. Plan a getaway and tell them what they need to bring but don't reveal the destination.
Sweet surprises = chocolate-dipped strawberries
9. Pay attention. Be thoughtful. Think of the little things and do them for them. Notice everything. Give good eye contact. Be appreciative. Keep impressing them.
10. Kiss at the front door. Then click your heels together and dance a little jig because you get to go through that door with this person and sleep in the same bed with them. Celebrate the fact that you get to spend your life together. Now remember all the reasons why it's "better to be married vs. just dating".
What are some other tricks and reminders we can learn from dating couples?
Around here, right now...here's a snippet of what's happening lately.
Cooking: healthier meals from scratch and I've made our favorite Grilled Salmon recipe three times over the last month! The Hubs' cousin was visiting from Arizona and we just "had" to make it for him...along with the Frozen Berries with Melted White Chocolate (recipe to come).
New Recipe I'm Trying: This Outrageous Eskimo Bar recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe has been listed on my "to make list" for the past two summers. All ingredients are now accounted for, although, my teens devour the ice cream as soon as it makes an appearance from the store (don't tell them, I have a secret stash in a nondescript container)
Seasonal Food I can't wait to stock up on: Strawberries and cherries!
Latest Kitchen Gift: The most amazing oven ever! My Uncle Harlan researched the best possible oven on the planet and then sent one to me! It's the Samsung Chef Collection Slide-In Flex Duo Electric Induction Oven! This incredible oven has induction burners with virtual flames, the ability to bake at two different temperatures simultaneously, with a warming drawer at the base and the induction burner boils water in two minutes! Supposedly typical ovens experience a 25 degree temperature change during cook time but this oven promises to never fluctuate more than 8 degrees. I am so enamored with this oven (and I am incredibly thankful for this dream gift)!
The Samsung Chef Collection Dream Oven!
Latest Kitchen Purchase: the Zo Bread Machine (Zojirushi Home Bakery Supreme Bread Machine) was purchased at a recent nonprofit auction. I'd researched the Zojirushi (pronounced zoh-gee-ROO-shee) brand for a long time and felt it was justified as the purchase not only benefited the nonprofit but it serves multi-purposes and can make more than just bread and dough (cakes, fruit jam, meatloaf or even lasagna). I am swooning. It's SO easy to make a perfect loaf of bread. I love the timed function that allows me to pop the ingredients in the early morning (you can program up to 13 hours ahead) and then shazam - produce hot, fresh bread at dinner! The only downfall is that it is "dangerously good" bread and I could see how one could devour and easily slather up slice after slice with butter.
Cookbook I'm Currently Obsessed With:Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking by Michael Ruhlman gifted to me from my Uncle Harlan. This book will transform cooking for me. It offers basic recipes and then builds on the basic scratch recipe with simple additions. What I love most is the fact that it provides the "why" behind the ratios. This quote sums up the power of this cookbook perfectly,
"Cooking, like so many creative endeavors, is defined by relationships. For instance, knowing exactly how much flour to put into a loaf of bread isn't nearly as useful as understanding the relationship between the flour and the water, or fat, or salt. That relationship is defined by a 'ratio,' and having a ratio in hand is like having a secret decoder ring that frees you from the tyranny of recipes." - Alton Brown
Making:grant proposals, project budgets and dreaming up ways to help nonprofits get more foundation funding support
Super Unhealthy Thing I Love: Fair food - Hand-battered Onion Rings (Gah!)
Drinking: Chai Tea with Hemp Milk AND I figured out a great take on the Arnold Palmer combo of lemonade and iced tea that my kids adore. Instead I've swapped out limeade and it's fantastic!
Reading: Okay, Bella is the queen of procrastination (I have no idea where she gets that love of deadlines and working under the gun) but she needed to read five chapter books over three months and I think she left four books to be read in less than 3 weeks. Sigh! Thankfully, the rule is that parents can read a book aloud (or they can listen to books on CD) so I helped her read one book in two days by speed reading.
Can you believe that her young adult genre book made me cry? Bella thought I was being dramatic and reading the book with extra theatrical efforts but I sobbed at the end of the story with the resolution and bittersweet ending.
Wanting:To go hiking! The Hubs invited me to a quick hike escape this morning but I had to work as it's the end of the month and deadlines are plentiful. Yet, all day...I can't stop longing to be walking along a babbling brook, taking the pooch out to explore, pushing back foliage to reveal hidden waterfalls. Tomorrow - this will be on the list!
Pacific Northwest Hiking
Looking: At my kids and noticing their growth this year from their most noticeable change in height, smiles, humor, struggles, PR's (personal records) and their achievements. These two will both share the halls of the high school next year and I anticipate very few "dull moments".
So many changes over the past school year, but most obvious is the height!
Watching: Did you see Pitch Perfect 2 yet? I loved the acapella music, the humor and the fact that a sequel trumped the first movie! Loved this movie and being reunited with all the "Pitches"!
Listening: The killdeer are waking me up every morning before my alarm goes off and a nest of another bird family tweet it up every morning under the eave of our front porch. While I typically love the sound of birds, I'd prefer they wait until after 6:00 A.M. for their screeching.
Loving:Jambu shoes! Okay, I'm admitting that I may have a bit of a current obsession over said shoes. I rarely get excited about shoes or fashion but the comfort level of these shoes has transformed the way I walk/trot/glide. I have found out that the pricing for Jambu shoes is much better on Amazon but that could be because they are a season behind the current shoes...but if you know me, I'm not needing to be that cutting-edge with my styles. You will thank me once you get turned on to these shoes that have been equated with Birkenstocks in the comfort department and Keens in the water shoe department. They can be dressed up or down and are great for treks and water alike.
I love Jambu footwear!
What are your recent favorite recipes or obsessions?
A girl in love with the seasons who wants to cram as much as she can into the 365 days of the year to live a life of bliss. Welcome to What Matters Most Now! I hope you will find inspiration and recipes you love.
