Feel the Burn...

My husband is amazing... I'm not just bragging because he truly is amazing! We ended up with sausage and pepperoni pizza last night for dinner (hubby didn't say a word about it being boring, so, success!!), and I was debating whether or not I would go for a third piece when I noticed it was still light outside. I hopped up like a shot and told Bryce I'M GOING RUNNING! He smiled and said go go go go, so I was running around the house finding my shoes, ipod, and under armour shirt (my version of a warm up!). I told myself that at the minimum I was going to do one mile, and at that I was going to pound it out. I cranked up some Taylor Swift (don't judge.) and hit the road....

This is my run... I was about a 1/4 mile into it when I took the picture, and you see where the green turns to brown? That's where I stop! There and back is exactly two miles and there is nothing sweeter than getting there and coming back knowing what you just accomplished. I've read and heard a ton of sappy stories where exercise made these women better people and I filed it under the 'hogwash' column in my brain. Well I can officially un 'hogwash' it due to the fact that i'm living it. I am more centered, less moody, I can play longer and harder with the girls, I push myself harder, I am alot more patient, and the extra bonus, i'm soooo much stronger willed and stronger bodied!  There is something to running two miles, finishing a Jillian Michaels dvd without stopping, telling yourself you can you can you can until you did you did you did!!! Hoping to get a 5k in sometime soon, my goal is for the end of next summer is to be able to run a half marathon. That would mean getting to the end of the road and back... that's alot of will power and alot of work. But i'll get there!!

One cool thing I did read was that the chances of your children being healthier and wanting to exercise more increase with the amount of physical activity introduced by the parents... Maybe Sarah will become my running partner someday? I see Char as more of a sit in the shade and sip lemonade, yoga, pilates, type personality. Everything Sarah does is big! We went for a jog yesterday and I was so suprised at how well she kept up! Looks like it's time for some Nikes for that girl!!

So, my cheesy mantra for the day...

You CAN you CAN you CAN!!!

'Bored with Dinner...'

After raving about last night's dinner my hubby told me today that he was bored with what we have been eating for dinner. Total blow to the ego (totally kidding!!). I enjoy challenges... I am a pusher (horrible awful trait!), so it will be fun to rise to the occasion. As a food entrepreneur, this will be a problem that can only be solved by going through every. single. cookbook I own! From Julia Child to Taste of Home's best of hamburger recipes we will go through every. single. one!! How do you guys change it up when things get too bland in the kitchen?! 

A recipe!

I promised a few game recipes, and I have one to share with you today! You can do just about anything you can with beef, with game. It's just a bit more flavorful, so I would suggest seasoning less. I make my own seasoning so i'll go ahead and give that to you too!

Red meat seasoning:
Equal parts of-
Garlic Salt
Onion Powder
Creole seasoning
and a touch of pepper.

I put ^^ On just about everything, hamburgers, steak, round steak, pot roast, everything!! It's so yummy!!

Strip Steak Tostadas-

1lb stripped 'Backstrap' (you can use round steak, sirloin, hamburger even) seasoned with the above mix.
1 can Kidney beans
1 1/2 Cups Cheddar cheese (Can use mexican)
1/2lb button mushrooms sliced and sauteed
7 tostada shells

Preheat Oven to 550 F. Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil, set tostada shells on sheet. Layer meat, kidney beans, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese on tostada shells. Place cookie sheet in oven for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.

My husband just about swooned over these last night (end of the month empty cupboard woes can actually make for some interesting meals).

Next month is Thanksgiving, and i'm planning a huge table full of food! What are all you wonderful people out there planning for the holidays?! With the winter weather settling in, we are trying to keep warm. And as for me, i'm just trying to keep the weight gain to a minimum! My own cooking can be my Kryptonite! Hopefully there will be some breaks in the weather where I can get a few runs in!

Threads...

There are many different definitions for 'Thread'. The actual cotton thread in clothing and sewing machines, a blog post could be called a 'thread', and then there are the threads of life, resembling that in clothing, breaking if strained, stronger the tighter you stitch.

The things you think about while sewing right?

I finished Bryce's new shirt, with minimal mistakes. I'm not going to say that there weren't any, because there most definately are some!!! For the most part though, it's very pretty and I can't wait to put on some snaps! I'm sure there will be a post on that adventure too!

On a sadder note, I'm down five more chickens... My white one disappeared three days ago in the snow, last night something got into the coop and i'm missing two and found two dead in the yard. Man, this has not been a good chicken year. Maybe we can re-up the chicken count come spring. I'm thinking some aracaunas this time!! They lay pretty green eggs and seem a bit hardier than the other ones!!!

One more week to Halloween, and trick or treating!

A Series of Events...

It has been quite a weekend/Monday. It started off with a bang (literally) when my husband shot a raghorn elk! :) Yay! Love game meat! The only bad thing is after a while beef starts to take on a blander taste. Will post with some great game recipes a while later!

We then went into town on Sunday and had a great time, did some Christmas shopping, got some clothes for pictures on Nov. 4th (so Excited!!!). A local photographer Lady Bird Photography is going to be doing our photos and i'm ecstatic to see what happens, I love her work! I'm making a shirt for Bryce for pictures so cross your fingers my creativity can fill in the blanks where the pattern seems to be lacking a little bit!

Soon after we went shopping we went and got some pizza from Papa Murphy's to take home. We did, we ate, aannnddd this girl got the lucky piece that came with a little treat we all know as food poisoning :/ Not the best ending to such a blissful weekend. Finally got to sleep around 5 this morning and the girls got up at 6:15. Isn't that the way it always works? Mama's sick, let's get up SUPER early!! So we got up, we got started (super slow on my part) on our day. About an hour after Bryce went to work he was home again. He looked like he was in pain and then I happened to notice that there were huge blood spots on his knees. A 4-wheeler had rolled over on top of him. He's got a puncture on one knee and a pretty bad scrape on the other. Not the best 24 hours! This evening has gone off without a hitch though, Tenderloin, baked potatoes, and steamed broccoli for dinner.

I decided to get a little more housewively creative a few days ago and decided to make Sarah's halloween costume. She's going as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, our dog Molly going as Toto. I'm not going to post any close ups so you can't see all the places I messed up but over all it looks good! Very excited for Sarah's first dress up, trick or treating experience!! We have been practicing Trick or Treating, and I have to say, she's pretty much totally adorable!!!

My bug.... Oh my bug. She had an eventful weekend too! My little girl decided that this weekend she would learn how to scale the dining room chairs and table. Mommy forgot to put away lunch and this is what happened.....

Yes, my baby is mischevious. And this Mama desperately adores her girls!

Happy Birthday to two special babes!

Six hours of labor brought me a 5lb 15oz little girl that changed me life. Just like bringing her sister here, it was defiantely a trial but the benefits were so far beyond the realm of imagination. I can't imagine life without her and I can't believe she is a whole year old. There are no words to truly express the feeling of holding a brand new baby in your arms, the ultimate gratitude for this little one really is beyond expression. Today she is walking and talking, and sitting down on your lap if you sit on the floor. I found the most beautiful little dress at OldNavy for my baby girl to wear on her big day (that being Sunday when we are having her party). Happy Birthday sweet girl, Mama loves you sooooooo much!

There is someone else's birthday that I would like to write about. This sweet boy has touched so many lives, mine included. The day I brought my daughter home from the hospital I found out that my best friend was going to lose her son. I cried over Charlotte, asking God why I just got gifted a beautiful healthy baby and my dear friend couldn't keep hers. I was so angry at the injustice in life.

Meet Miloh Brenner....

Miloh was born on October 17th 2011, at 18 weeks 3 days gestation. His early arrival was due to a birth defect called Anencephaly. This sweet baby was taken away from his mother and from this life much too early. Miloh has touched me more than any child besides my own and my brothers. He has brought awareness to the brutal reality of mothers that lose their children. There is not a day that goes by while I watch my daughters grow and develop that I don't think that Miloh should be right there with them, growing under his Mother's watchful eye, being made to laugh by his sweet older brother, being held protectively by his father. So on this day that I am celebrating Charlotte's first birthday, I would like to celebrate Miloh's birthday as well.

Sweet Miloh, you have touched us all, and you are one of the people I can't wait to meet when I get to that other side. I know your Mother misses you, your brother and Daddy too, but will all get to see you someday, so beautiful and innocent, having been nutured in the arms of the Almighty. We love and miss you desperately, you will always be in our hearts and minds.... Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to two special little ones--

Charlotte & Miloh

Quantity vs. Quality

From the time I was little I remember all the commercials for the fast food chains. You want a Biggie! Supersize it! Big Mac! Deep fried yummies! As i've gotten older i've gotten a deeper appreciation for food and how it makes us tick. Me and the girls sat down to lunch today, sliced turkey, cheese, pickles, olives, cottage cheese, and a handful of chips divided amongst us three. With an apple for dessert we almost hit all food groups in a meal. Since i've been actively working out, I have also learned quite a bit about the quality of caloies you are intaking... Say a Whopper is 700 calories... you could have had a footlong turkey sandwich from subway with a ton of fresh vegetables. Not only would that last you longer, it would be SO much better for you. That being said, I don't completely go with Michelle Obama's ideas of school age nutrition. Maybe instead of downsizing the calories, we should replace the beef filler with real beef. We are the world's highest exporter of prime beef, why not use some of that for our kids? Bryce and I have both endeavored to become healthier and in so doing but our portion sizes down to appropriate sizes. It is amazing what a good diet and exercise can do for a body! We all have our guily pleasures (Bryce's is the bag of cookies in the pantry, mine happens to be a bowl of cake in the evenings!) and we should never have to give those up, but everything in moderation! Like a glass of chocolate milk has fewer empty calories and is ten times better for you than coffee in the morning. As much as I adore coffee, chocolate milk is hardly a bad substitution! And there are short cuts like that everywhere! I tried Jillian Michael's diet that went with her video and she focuses on both quality and quantity, but I don't like humus or pita chips so every snack in a week is out! I have dropped many inches and about 10 pounds of weight while just restraining myself in regards to eating and letting myself go go go in regards to exercise! I will post more recipes I have made more healthy or brand new ones I just found over the next few days!

365 Days

Weather report: cloudy, slightly warm, kind of gloomy!

It's almost overwhelming to look back and see where you were a year ago! A year ago today, my wonderful Mom (Bryce's Mama!) came to help Bryce and I bring Charlotte into this world. A year ago today I woke up not feeling too great, contractions were coming and going, then at about 7pm we decided to go to the hospital. If any of you out there have had children you know that they don't allow you to eat anything when you come in to have a baby so I begged Bryce to stop off at the local cafe to get me a grilled cheese sandwich. My knight in shining armor did so and with a semi-satisfied tummy we were off to Benefis. As of 12:37am Charlotte entered our lives, just one exact hour after I had guessed she would be here. This sweet girl has lit up our lives in ways we could never imagine, from her leaving a trail of binkies where-ever she does, to her overly enthusiastic wave, she is the perfect addition to our little family. The last couple days while i've been working out and running I find that all my thoughts keep spinning back to this time a year ago. A pregnant belly, all the kicks in the ribs, general lack of sleep, and trying to keep up with a two year when you can't fully bend over. Not to mention the fact that Bryce had just had surgery on his arm and was in constant pain and discomfort as well. I have been blessed with small babies and Bryce has always told me that you can barely tell that i'm pregnant. Sarah was never in that category! So from one baby to another....

The week before I had Sarah. Please ignore the wreck that was the house!

 

The week before I had Charlotte.. as you can tell, much much smaller with the Bug!

 

 

A party is on the horizon for this house and I should probably get to cleaning. I am going non conventional for Char's Birthday Cake. The girl loves apples, so Mama is making an apple cake! Can't wait to watch her dig in! More pictures soon! 



Arts and Crafts!

My girls and I may have had a chilly frumpy day (my hair is piled on top of my head, this is day 3 without make up and i'm wearing a large tshirt over a pair of leggings!) but we sure did have a crafty one. I realized about mid-day that I managed to get birthday gifts for one of the little boys here and totally forgot to buy wrapping paper! :-/ So I sat Sarah down to paint some craft paper with finger paints and I sat down on the kitchen floor with some white paint and Char's little toes! Most of these crafts that we do are either from 'The Book' (see earlier post!) or Pintrest: Emily's Pinterest.

 

The results!

Our toesy ghosts!!!

Sarah's beautiful wrapping paper!

And my baby's big smile!! (Don't judge, she's still in pj's!!)

Only a Cookie....

Can be named after a facial expression and a child's drawing!

Oh Snickerdoodles... how fast you go to my thighs, but how yummy you taste...

Knowing how fast they tend to go in this family I decided to try and find a better way to make them. I think I may have just found the best way to make them! First off, the recipe comes from Taste of Home just search 'Snickerdoodles' or click there!! I altered the recipe so it is lower in fat and refined sugar. Instead of a half cup of butter I used 1/4c butter and 1/4 applesauce. I am running short on the super sugary refined white sugar so I decided to go with brown, it worked for all those wonderful ladies 100 years ago right?

The result... a sweet, super soft, darker cookie! They won't be that white shortbread style but after letting them cool and putting them in the Cookie Jar overnight I guarantee you that if you like soft chewy cookies, they are Top Ten!!

Jingle Bells... Wait.... What??!!

Yes Ladies and Gentlemen.. It's snowing... And no, i'm not happy about it!! I love the romance and softness around the edges that snow can give a landscape, but we haven't chopped firewood yet! Panicing a little bit here!

Here I was going to blog about how wonderful of a weekend it was and my hilariously awful day yesterday but it's almost sad posting all the beautiful sunny pictures of this weekend while it's so miserable outside! Maybe at the end...

So let's get into Tuesday. I have managed to have monday at least twice a week for the last three weeks, hoping for a difference this week was my last thread of hope but alas, it wasn't any different. Char's birthday party is next weekend and it was a day of 'Ok, cleaning the baseboards, whoa, the heaters are clogged in dust, wait a minute, did I get the windowsills, geez, the door frames need to get done, hold the phone... I never finished the baseboards!'. The girls were my Kryptonite yesterday... They decided that since I had mopped the floor, they should spill milk, since I just did the baseboards, that they were the best place to draw with chalk, and you can spill cheerios all over where mommy isn't watching where she's stepping? Grind them into carpet? Yes yes yes yes!!! AAAAAHHHHHH!!! After all the cleaning I decided to hop in the shower and rinse off before hubby came home (I hate smelling like bleach) so I set up Sarah with Tangled and Cheerios, Char with a sippy cup and Cheerios and ran to the bathroom. I was three minutes into my 5 minute shower and I hear a 'bloop' I peak out and Sarah said she had to go potty and so I said ok, shut the toilet when you're done (anyone see where this is going yet?). I was doing the final rinse off and I here a 'plop' I look out and find Char elbow deep in the flushing toilet and see her binky going down with it. Sarah looked at me and said 'Binky go bye bye?' And then Char as if on cue looks down the toilet and very sadly waves 'bye bye'. I got dried off and dressed, sat down and balled. There are just days that require emotional breakdown. Yesterday was that day!!!

Last Sunday was the sunday of my dreams! I got to read, sleep, ride, and run!