Tag: blog

Commitment (breaking) Phob

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I was supposed to run the 5k portion of the Women’s Half Marathon this past Sunday. Read “supposed to”. I contracted Baylor’s croup sometime Thursday and by Saturday night, I was feeling miserable. Coughing, sore throat and just a general feeling of crap. I was set that I had to run on Sunday morning and would just battle through it. I had made a commitment to run and damn it, I’m tough.

Around 10pm Saturday and after a major coughing fit, PW sweetly looked at me and said “please don’t get mad. But I really think you should skip the run tomorrow”. And damn it if he’s not right that I would have gotten mad if he hadn’t said it. At first I refused. But after I thought about another week of feeling crummy, I decided he was right. I had to skip it. I sadly texted Stephanie (who finished 13 out of like 2000 runners!!!) that I was out for the run and for our breakfast plans after.

I woke up Sunday around 7:15 and felt…human. I didn’t feel horrible. PW and Bay ventured out to Bosa Doughnuts  and we sat on the couch, watched CBS Sunday morning, ate fresh doughnuts and bacon, drank coffee and turned on the fireplace for the first time this season. I’m not sure if it was the uninterrupted family time, the doughnuts or the sleep that made me feel so much better.

It got me thinking that I get too uptight about keeping commitments. Yes, it’s important to follow through. To go to the events that you’ve RSVP’d for, to complete the race, to finish the project. But sometimes it equally if not more important to cancel and stay in. To say no to the world and yes to snuggling your family on the couch.

Grass Between Your Toes

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Due to the extremely hot Arizona summers and a slight to severe allergy to Bermuda grass, I don’t spend much time in the green stuff. But this time of year is a different story. The winter Rye grass seeds are all coming up and after two cuttings, our back yard looks like it has been redone with a lush, shag green carpet. But in a good way.

See what I mean?

Bay and I have spent many afternoons laying in the grass, looking at the sky or down into the ground. Kicking a ball or rolling around. Taking pictures and chasing each other. Just enjoying the simplicity of such a lovely thing.

(and yes, I know my Yellow Bells need trimming)

Fresh cut today…if only you could smell how good it smells!

How Fast They Grow

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I was struck by a picture I took of Baylor this weekend. I occurred to me just how fast she has grown. Here’s what I mean:

                       March 20, 2010                        October 22, 2011


Same kid. Same bench. From cruising to climbing.  Several inches and a lot more hair in just a year in a half!

Happy (belated) Halloween!

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Yeah I know this is a day behind, but trying to create Halloween too far in advance is just too much work!

We had a great weekend filled with lots of pumpkin carving – or drilling in Peter’s case (don’t ask because I can’t explain). We had a blast scooping out the guts, trying to interpret what Baylor wanted hers to look like and watching Peter create a master piece using pipe cleaners. Here’s how they turned out:

{Baylor’s classic “pumpin”}

{Peter’s. Enough said}

{And the pièce de résistance – Cannibal Pumpkin!}

This is the first year that Bay really got the whole enchilada. She likes to dress up and she totally got the hang of trick-or-treating once she realized there were M&M’s involved. We were also lucky to inherit a hand me down Minnie Mouse costume from Bay’s cousin Madi. It was the real deal too; dress, ears, gloves, ring, tights and shoes. She was in love. Minnie is one of the only characters she really knows so she was excited to look like one of her favorite “amimals” or stuffed animals.

The gloves didn’t last long and the tights were too hot, but the important parts were there! Including a Minnie bracelet from our super cute neighbor.

First stop of the night

Aunt Christiane  (Titi) and cousin Zoe the Gnome

Enjoying all the candy she could eat!

Butternut Squash Ravioli

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Ok, so I’m into butternut squash right now. It’s just so easy. And tasty and I can buy it at the farmers market and it’s almost impossible to get a bad squash…in other words, I heart butternut squash.

I came up with this recipe after seeing a magazine cover and almost drooling on myself while waiting to check out at the grocery store. I make a rule not to buy stuff like that at the grocery because I think it’s over priced (but then I never buy it at all so really, I save a lot this way). So I took a mental picture and decided to try it out. And the results? Delicious!

And yes, CO, this does count as a recipe because you have to roast the squash.

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash (duh)

1 box of pre-made cheese ravioli (like Bertoli and they are usually in a cold case near the deli)

Fresh spinach

Olive oil

Butter

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

Slice the squash long ways making two halves. Scoop out the seeds and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Put the squash, insides facing up, on a foil lined try into the oven. Roast for about 40 minutes. Really, it’s hard to let it go too long and it’s better than not enough time. It should be fork tender when ready.

Cook ravioli according to the instructions. When done, place in a tablespoon of butter in a sauce pan and add ravioli to saute. Add in spoonfuls of the cooked squash and stir gently. Add in the basil leaves (diced) and let all the flavors blend together (about 3 minutes). Plate and serve!

The beauty of this dish is that the final product looks way fancier than it has any right to given the amount of effort that goes into the dish. This would be great for a dinner party, especially when there are vegetarian guests.

It’s Nice to Know

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I think every mom worries/wonders/prays they are doing a good job raising their children. And I think often, the little buggers are quicker to pick up on the “bad” or less favorable things we say rather than the good stuff (read Baylor yelling “WHAT DID I SAY?? DID I SAY YES OR DID I SAY NO??” in my tone and inflection).

But once in a while we see them doing something that we know they learned from us. And it’s a nice thing. And it shows that maybe they are getting as much of (or more hopefully) of the good things we’re teaching them and not all the “patience lost” moments. I got a little of this reward on Saturday when I walked by Baylor’s room and found her snuggled in her chair with Minnie Mouse, a blanket and a book. She was quietly “reading” the story to Minnie. I watched her for a few seconds before she looked up and smiled and then went back to her book.


Butternut Squash Soup

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Mmmmhhh….

I love this because it’s so simple. And because it’s a great fall dish!

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash (or precut squash works well too)

1 large yellow onion

1/2-1 tsp Thyme – preferably fresh but dried is ok

1/2-1 tsp Sage – ditto

Chicken stock

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Peel, seed and cube the squash into 1 inch(ish) chunks.

Dice onion and saute in butter. Add sage and thyme. Then add in cubed squash and lightly cook adding salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken stock and cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.

Transfer mixture to a food processor. Cover food processor with a towel before blending. Again add salt to taste. Ladle in to bowls and serve as an appetizer, soup course or the main meal. I think it would be delicious with fresh bacon crumbles and a blue cheese salad on the side!

Trunk or Treat

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We went to our first Trunk or Treat at Bay’s school on Friday night…and we have 4 bales of hay to prove it.

Trunk or Treat is a big event where families volunteer to bring their cars and decorate the trunk. Then all the munchkins dress up and trick or treat – or trunk or treat –  at each car. It’s kind of like a tale gate for trick or treating. And it was awesome.

I signed up to be on the planning committee and when I explained the process to Peter, he immediately said “We’re going to do a trunk, right?!”. A little shocked by his enthusiasm I said of course we were. We settled on a western theme and set out to find bales of hay to put in the back of the truck. I got cowboy hats and bandannas to decorate several pumpkins and LOADS of pretzels, Goldfish and candy to give out. I had two crock pots of chili cooking all day (our house may never get the smell out!) and my mom brought a third to contribute to the total of 18 crock pots and 100 hot dogs! And not one drop of chili or one singe hot dog was left at the end of the night.

We handed out candy and crackers to tons of Bay’s friends and watched her play and interact with all of them. It was so cute to see all the kids and all the parents put so much work into their trunks. One of my personal favorites was our friends Stephanie and Jeff. Their trunk was filled with luggage and departure and arrival time signs. Stephanie was dressed as a flight attendant and Jeff was a pilot. And Morgan their daughter was a gnome…get it? She was the Travelocity Gnome! So clever and adorably executed!

{Holding down the fort}

{So excited to get started!}

{Good grief! When did she get such long legs?!}

{Noni!}

{Handing out Goldfish}

{Hanging out with our “trunk” neighbors who also had straw}

{Other trunkers}

{Did I mention that she and her work team solicited flight attendants for extra peanuts so they could give out real airline snacks?!}

{The Roaming Gnome, Morgan}

{Baylor said “Truck or Treat!!” because we had a truck, not a trunk. Cheeky girl.}

One Pretty Place

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My friend Kristin is one of the most talented people I know. She can make anything pretty. And not only pretty, but cohesive, organized and functional. Her wedding? Spectacular. In fact, I wrote about it almost exactly one year ago!

Now Kristin has started a new blog called One Pretty Place (www.oneprettyplace.com). It is a collection of all things wedding and particularly for Southwest Weddings. It will also someday be a place that will promote her design studio on Etsy.

So if you are getting married, like weddings or just want to read about something…well, pretty! Check out and subscribe to One Pretty Place and get ready to be wowed by beautiful things within your budget and DIY skills!