Weekend

Barefoot Contessa Apple Crisp made especially for my Father.  This is the best apple crisp, the orange and lemon zest add this incredible flavor and really bring kick up the taste of apples.

New Start

     Have you ever just had one of those weeks from hell where everything that could go wrong does?  That is how I feel lately.  I clean the house and in one day the boys destroy it.  I signed my son up for the wrong lacrosse team and all during practice he was practically in tears because he is in fifth grade and is on the team with a bunch of "little fourth graders", now he wants to quit.  I forget to sign planners, test, permission slips, homework, etc...it doesn't make sense to me why parents now and days need to sign so much stuff?  I have more smelly laundry then an NFL team and I can't seem to find a clean pair of matching socks anywhere in this house.  On top of all of that I have been eating like crap and the more chaotic things become the worse my eating habits get, as a result I can feel my clothes getting tighter by the day. 
     I am swimming upstream against an extremely strong current.  I need to stop.  I need to go with the current.  I need to find a way to live a calmer more organized life.  I need to start living the life I imagine for myself.  It doesn't need to be perfectly organized nor does everyone need to be perfectly content and I don't even need to get that promotion I so desperately want, I just need less crazy.

So I have been thinking about how I can make a few small changes to start to get the life I imagine for myself?

• Take a walk everyday, a long walk or a short walk, just walk.
• Eat healthier.
• Meditate once a week.
• Go to bed earlier so I can wake up earlier and not be so rushed in the mornings.
• Read.

via

The Most Astounding Fact

I came across this video on Black Eiffel and I had to share.  It is amazing and really makes you think.  It is so true don't we all just want to feel connected to the Earth and to the people around us. 

Perseverance

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. 

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again,

because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;

who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly . . .”

Theodore Roosevelt's speech, Citizenship in a Republic   via

Picture Arrangment

I can't stop thinking about these picture arrangements from this Pintrest board.  It is amazing how some designers can take prints and painting of all different styles with a variety of frames and make them look so cohesive.  I love how these arrangements are random but yet they seem to have order, so lovely.

Happy Mother's Day

I couldn't be more blessed or more grateful to be the Mother of these three incredible boys.

My Mother means everything to me.  She has taught me what true unconditional love means and I hope I can be as invaluable of a Mother to my children that she has been to me and my Sister's.

Color

“If you never unleash your true colors, you will always be insecure on the path to your dreams.”
― Nguyen Xuan Bach

picture via

House Warming Gift

My Sister just moved into a new place and I am so proud of her because I know it wasn't an easy decision.  She didn't get to move into her idea place, well not even close, but it is her own space.   So I thought I would make the transition a little easier by giving her a basket full of presents, one to open each day for 20 days.  I had so much fun looking for reasonable, unique gifts.  Instagram is so addicting and these magnets from StickyGram, a place that takes your Instagram photos and puts them on magnets, came out to perfect.

Party Favors

 Party favors for 14 year old?  Well these s'mores goody bags did the trick.  I saw s'more made with Reese's Peanut butter cups somewhere, probably Pintrest, so I thought the boys would have fun trying s'mores with different candy bars.  Since I was banned to the house, I just had to trust them when they said the they were good.

Here is a link to a variety of s'mores ideas.

Cinnamon Baked French Toast

An simple and reasonable way to feed a bunch boys, Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Baked French Toast.  I mixed the bread with the egg mixture and let it sit overnight so I could just throw the sugar/cinnamon mixture on top and pop it in the oven in the morning.  It was delicious and the boys seem to really enjoy it.  I served it with maple sryup and some fresh fruit. 

Scenes From My Weekend

 We celebrated Clayton's Birthday all weekend, family on Friday and a bunch of boys on Saturday, overnight.  It is really hard to plan a birthday party for a 14 year old.  They pretty much do what they want and don't really want you hanging around.  For our family dinner I made pizza's and a chicken Caesar salad.  Clayton requested chocolate lava cakes, which came out really good but unfortunately I was so busy I forgot to take a picture.  I hate when that happens.

Tiny Houses

Lately, as I am vacuuming two floors, cleaning out the basement, cleaning 2.5 bathrooms and 4 bedrooms all I can think about in downsizing.  How nice would it be to have a Tiny House where everything has its place?  If you live in a Tiny House I'm sure you really have to stop and think before you bring stuff home since space is so limited.  Also, entertaining would be pretty hard, I guess most of it would have to be done outdoors.  I wonder if these tiny houses have a special place for shoes and handbags, a girl can't give up everything.

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Sorry, I don't know where I got this image from.



French Toast

I don't know if it because I am fighting a cold or what, but I am craving french toast, which is weird because I never eat french toast.  Someone in this house is turning 14 this weekend and wouldn't it fun for him to wake up to one of these delicious recipes? 



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