SCENES FROM A WEEKEND

Monday. You came a little too soon, but let's make the best of it, shall we? And since I've already done yoga, tried meditating for the first time, and am only on my second cup of coffee this morning, I'd say things aren't looking so bad.

The hubs was out at deer camp so the kids and I had a cozy, snuggling, at home weekend and it was great. Let's review:

 I went to a fall dessert swap. So many apples and I tried them all.

I joined a Dave Ramsey + Kon Mari facebook group (it's one of the few reasons I haven't given up facebook) and from a discussion on there, I was inspired to try out Rachel Cruze's clip idea for carrying cash and I liked it a lot. (For those of you that don't know, we've followed Dave Ramsey's advice with our money since Dylan was born. It works for us!)

 I preorded Food Freedom Forever, but my copy got delay. So I cancelled my amazon order and went to Barnes and Noble and physically picked it up instead. (Plus these two. Plus some books for the kids.)  I should have just done that in the first place. I think I need to cut back on online shopping...

When Daddy's away we have sleepovers and watch "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" together in the big bed.

FALL, in a photo.

Kon Mari inspired.

We got booed! It's the first time ever that we got booed before we booed someone, and the kids were thrilled.

Let's crush this week, guys!

NO BEAN CHILI (whole30, paleo, grain free)

Fall is in the air here on the East Coast! And fall means comfort food, like big bowl of chili. When I first started eating Whole 30, I was reluctant to try chili because to me, chili meant beans. But this no bean chili is so good! My family actually loves this chili more than any other one.

I originally posted this recipe on a Whole 30 recap post, but it's so good I wanted to share it again all on it's own. It's the perfect fall dinner and only takes about 30 mintues!

Whole30 No Bean Chili

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef (grass fed if that's your thing) or ground turkey

1 large bell pepper, any color, chopped

1 white onion, chopped

2 cans mild Rotel 

1 6oz can tomato paste

2 cups water

1-2 cups of beef stock (make sure to read your lables) 

1/2 -1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder, depending on your preference

1/2 tablespoon cumin

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Toppings:

Avacado, cilantro (if desired)

 

In a large pot, brown the ground beef. Add the chopped green bell pepper and onion, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain off grease. Add Rotel, tomato paste, water, and spices, stir. Bring to a simmer, and cook about 10 minutes, Add 1 cup of beef stock, stir. Continue cooking for 20-30 minutes, adding more stock to reach your desired consistency. Adjust spices as desired. Serve topped with avocados and cilantro if that's your thing. Enjoy!

SCENES FROM A WEEKEND

I love three day weekends. Even when they're "celebrating" people who did not in fact "discover" America. We ignored that and had a super fall themed weekend.

On Saturday night we went to Byrne Farm Market for their Annual Jack O Lantern display. We went last year and it's so fun. They have hundreds of pumpkins carved and lit up. You can also buy fabulous pumpkins and gourds there. My kiddos love the goose necks. If you're in the area, you should definitely check out Byrne's!

Sunday started off rainy, but cleared up so we went apple picking at another farm, Johnson's Locust Hall. Ava has gone to this farm twice now on school field trips and has been asking us to go as a family for months. It was so worth it! The kids had a great time and we got some delicious, huge apples. I have to admit, I was cracking up a little-I grew up on a small farm and picking fruit was a chore for me growing up and now I was paying money to let my kids do it.

Sunflowers are my favorite.

And with our extra day off? Harry Potter.

Seriously Voldemort, don't even. Professor the Dowager* will destroy you and and all your hooligans.

I've been reading Spark Joy, the second Marie Kondo book and have been going through my clothes and folding them properly again-I have gotten out of the habit. I was pleased to find that there were no clothes that didn't "spark joy" in my closet though! I had the hubs go through his stuff and get rid of his unjoyful clothes as well. I also started using my bullet journal for tracking my KonMari Method cleaning-because I'm that person. I've done the clothes in our house and the papers, but I need to work through my miscellaneous and keepsake stuff still.

I like neutrals.

Finally, last night Dylan had a baseball game. A night game under the lights. Where he pitched. He's been playing first and short for the past two years, and just moved up to pitching, Neal and I had zero chill, guys, Like standing at the fence, clapping, and yelling positive things and closing our eyes tight because we were so nervous for him. And we so didn't need to be nervous, because he CRUSHED IT.

When he struck his first person out, I asked Neal, "So I shouldn't yell really loud 'THAT'S MY BABY!' right?! Because my heart is telling me do it, but my brain is saying that might be embarrassing for him and maybe I should, like, calm down."
He agreed with my brain. IT WAS HARD GUYS.

And THEN. The Giants won their game. It was a good day for baseball.


Hope you had a great weekend!

 *If you don't understand this reference, please go watch Downton Abbey and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows and then return.

SCENES FROM A WEEKEND

 

We had another busy, fun weekend! Here's a few highlights:

 

 

I was honored to be asked to make flag for a Gold Star Mothers Memorial Ruck. Gold Star Mothers are mothers who have lost a son or daughter in combat. This ruck (a 10K with a loaded backpack) was made up of 21 teams, each who carried one of these flags with the name of a service person who gave their life. I hand cut each of the Gold Star and thought of each of those Mothers as I made them.

My Saturday mornings are devoted to meal planning, grocery shopping, and food prep for the week. I'll be writing a more indepth post about my process soon.

 

 

The kids went to a birthday party at Sky Zone. We'd never been there, but will defiantly be going back, especially with the cold winter days that are coming! So fun.

On Sunday we headed to Philadelphia for Boo at the Zoo! We're members of the Philadelphia Zoo, and I highly recommend that if you're ever in Philadelphia that you check it out. It's the oldest zoo in America and the setting for The Trumpet of the Swan.

 

 Love these three.

 The leaves were on point this weekend! We've at the peak for fall foliage.

 

My baby girl got her first haircut this weekend. I wanted to take her to my salon, but the husband pointed out that $50 for a trim wasn't a smart financial decision. So she went with daddy to his place.

 She looks so big now. And extra sassy.

 

 An outtake from some family photos I took this weekend. This one pretty much sums up our kids.

 

 

 

We had oven baked ribs for dinner on Sunday. SO yummy! I served them with dairy free mashed potatoes, a big salad with a Dijon vingarette, and kamala olives.

 

Hope you had a great weekend! Grab a cup a coffee and get after this Monday.

CHIA SEED PUDDING WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS & DRIED CRANBERRIES

 

 

Have you tried chia seeds? They're these odd, little black seed-like nuts that you can get in the health food section of your grocery store. They're gluten free, full of antioxidants, and just over all pretty good for you. They also swell up and make a sort of gel like substance when mixed with liquid. They make a great pudding when prepared properly! The first time I tried to make chia pudding, it was an epic failure. I used unsweetened almond milk and it tasted awful. Kind of like sawdust and tapioca. Bravo to the people who can happily eat chia that way, you go on with your vegan, paelo self. If I'm going to eat something like this, I want a taste of sweetness. Enter: coconut milk.

 

 

Since doing my Whole 30 I have become a huge fan of coconut milk. It's delicious and rich and can be used in so many ways! It made a huge difference in the taste of this chia pudding. Adding the pumpkin seeds and cranberries give this pudding a fall feel. You could even add a dash of cinnamon or a dollop or pureed pumpkin to really fall it up!

 

Chia Seed Pudding with Pumpkin Seeds and Dried Cranberries

Makes 2 servings

 

1/2 cup Chia Seeds

1 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon dried cranberries

1 tablespoon roasted pepitas (no shell pumpkin seeds)

 

 

Place chia seeds in a mason jar (or other container with a lid). Add coconut milk, stir. Place lid on and refrigerate for a least two hours or overnight. To serve, divide pudding into bowls and top with dried cranberries and pepitas. Enjoy!

 





SCENES FROM A WEEKEND

 

We all had a three day weekend (Columbus Day), and it was busy around here! A good busy though. I made mini pumpkin pies for a craft party I hosted for some of my girlfriends.

 

We had a great time painting mason jars to look like pumpkins.

 

 

I go to Trader Joe's once a month to stalk up on things that my regular grocery store doesn't carry. I always buy a bouquet.

 

 

I made this ADOREABLE onesie for a customer. 

 

 

The leaves are changing and it is glorious.

 

 An Ikea trip is always a happy occurrence.

 

It also means Swedish meatballs for lunch. Yes, I DO want gravy.

 

A local farm, Byrne Farm Market, had it's annual Jack-O-Lantern display this weekend! It was such a fun evening.

 

 

We loaded up on pumpkins while we were there. Dylan always chooses a goose neck gourd. I love the Cinderella pumpkins best.

And last but not least, we boo'd our neighbors! We love this fun tradition of leaving treats on your neighbors porch. The idea is that then they boo someone else, until you're whole neighborhood has been treated. The kids love to do this every year!

 

~Free printables here!~

 

Hope you had a lovely weekend! Here's to a great (short!) week.

 

FAVORITE THINGS: SEPTEMBER

 

 

I love September-it's usually still warm but with a bit of fall in the air, and it always feels like a season of change. And this September has been a big month of changes for us! The kids started school-Dylan is a third grader and Ava started preschool. While Dylan has flourished this month-great friends, good grades-Ava really struggled adjusting to school. I'll be writing more about this later, but the settling in period was hard for her. She's really doing so much better now though!

With both kids in school, I went back to work outside of our house. It's perfect hours where I can still take and pick up the kids to and from school, and I'm loving my job. But it's still been an adjustment overall for us!

 

Here are a few things that help get me through this month of changes!

 

1. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo   I read this book this past spring and loved it. And this month I finally got around to beginning to apply her practices to our home and life. We're attacked our clothes with a vegence and I now have a closet that sparks joy. I'll be moving through the other steps in the upcoming months! // 2. Women's Health magazine I picked this up on a whim in a checkout line the other day. And it's, like, the best magazine I've ever read. Inspiring stories, doable hair tutorials, strong women. Yes, yes, yes. // 3.Infiniti Pro Conair Blow Dryer.  So here's a secret about me: I never ever blow dry my hair. Because it's super thick it always feels like it takes for-ev-er to dry, which in turn, dries it out and gives me the dreaded poof head hair. So I gave up blow drying. But now that I'm back to work, and I run in the mornings and need to wash my hair, but don't want to show up with dripping hair. I bought this blow dryer (on sale for under $20!!!) and it cuts the time in half and leaves my hair looking good. Win/Win. // 4. Leopard Print Flats, H&M A fun flat can make an outfit. // 5. Radha Tea Tree Oil I'm not super into essential oils, but this stuff is amazing. It clears up breakouts, helps heal cuts, and I've put it in all our shampoo bottles to keep lice away. And the smell is clean and fresh. // 6. Burt's Bee Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream My hands get super dry as cooler weather settles in, so I make sure to apply this cream to my cuticles every night before bed.

 

Alright October, we're ready for you!  

SCENES FROM A HALLOWEEN

 

 

Halloween has seemed like a month long event around here. This week especially was Halloween overload. Our week was full of Halloween-y things: two parties, spirit week at school, a "Fall Festival", and the big show of trick or treating. Our week was full of sugar and costumes. Our week also had dogs in costumes and pumpkins : 

 

Vampire cookies for Cub Scouts.

Costume no.1

 



 

Bugs in his hair for crazy hair day.

 

 

Reading to the dogs that visit at the library story time, in costume no. 2.

 

 

 Pumpkin craving with Daddy.

 

A Wild Kratt with Bat Power, Tinkerbell (costume no.3), and Rosie the Rivter.

 

Let the Sugar Rush Weekend begin!