Something so simple....

It's no secret.  

I am not a great cook.  

Not bad, but more like mediocre.  And let's just say last night's dinner was not my finest. We had baked potatoes and a salad and I tried to copy these great baked potatoes we had at my friend Amanda's this past weekend.  Well....I kinda botched 'em.

All you do is coat them in oil and rub on some spice and then bake them in the oven (laid right on the rack) for about 1 hour.  The skins come out nice and crispy and the spices add a nice touch.  I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and basil.  Ended up I used a tad too much garlic...oops!  And it sort of burned and got bitter....double ooops!  At least we had sour cream to top them ;)

And the salad?  It was basically lettuce and shredded cheddar.  We do our grocery shopping on Thursday nights you see so this is really all we had.  I dressed mine up with some mandarin oranges and walnuts but my poor hubby isn't really into oranges on his salad.

Needless to say there were several hints from my hubby that dinner was less than stellar.

"How much garlic did you use?"

"Is this all we had for on the salad?"

"Don't we have any croutons at least?"

Let's just say that these comments were not necessarily received well by me.

Now for the good part.  Shortly after dinner while I was cleaning up, my man said 

"thanks for dinner Babe"

Those simple little words totally turned me around.  It showed that even if the meal was not very appetizing, he still appreciated me making it and doing the best I could with whipping up a meal when the cupboards were practically bare.  

Don't you just love when your hubs says something unexpected and totally disarms your cranky funky mood?  I do. 

God bless him!

P.S. Thank goodness it is grocery shopping night tonight!  My kids will be so happy to have something other than water to drink :)

Favorite Things Friday

finding joy

A few favorite things from this past week....

*
Sticky little boys

This is what I came home to the other day.
Look at the PBJ all over E's shirt!
And yes, that is jelly on his ear and his knees. 
Normally I would have heaved a deep sigh at the laundry
nightmare this is sure to cause but honestly it just had me laughing :)

 *
Farm fresh

This is my loot from a recent trip to a local farm.  Everything looked so delicious it was hard to decide what to get.  So far we've had the corn on the cob, green beans, blueberries, apples, and nectarines plain...and they were great!  So fresh and flavorful they didn't even need dressed up with anything.  My husband made a bacon and spinach frittata with the farm fresh eggs...delicious.  All that's left is for me to attempt to "pickle" the pickling cucumbers, little nervous about that one ;)

*
The Falls

The new area where the pool used to be is coming along really well.  Remember that handy husband of mine?  This is all thanks to him.  He built the retaining wall (on half is visible here) and reconstructed the fire pit which would hold about anything BUT a fire in this pic. And the waterfall?  Needs some more rock before we can call her done.  But when the water is on, it falls just beautifully.  We're thinking of having a "who needs a pool anyway?" party :)

*
A new little project

I'm excited to get into a new project (especially one that is little, easy, and will provide me a sense of accomplishment within hours).  We got this dresser for E's room for FREE....boy do I love that word!  Some new paint and knobs and it will be sporting a new look.  I'm thinking bright red for this baby, will go great in his room.

*
Old school cartoons

My boys are all the sudden into old cartoons that I used to watch when I was kid.  I actually sat and watched Tom and Jerry with them for a half hour the other night.  I'm getting a huge kick out of them asking to watch these instead of the usual modern day pals.  Sorry Dora and Diego but I mean YOU emPHAsize EVery OTher SYLLabLE, and it just drives me nuts. 
I prefer the physical comedy provided by Tom and Jerry and Bugs and pals so its much nicer to have these on in the background.

*
 Sandal tanned little feet

I love seeing the little stripe of tan on his feet from his sandals.
It reminds me that he is running around like a little boy should, enjoying his second summer.

*
Finding this little gem

I ADORE this and just may have to make a print with this saying on it for in each of my boys' rooms.



Have a great weekend!

Favorite Things Friday

A few things I'm loving these days....

1. My Bodycology fragrance mist in Coconut Lime.  My husband says I smell like a Pina Colada.  I can think of worse things...I bought this on a clearance shelf at Wal-Mart ~ love it!  Light and fresh!

2.  My new Target Mossimo sandals.  I wear them constantly now.  They seem to go with everything and are so comfy!

3. This Feta and Poppyseed Salad....perfect for spring.  Mixed greens, feta cheese, sunflower seeds, raisins, and poppyseed dressing.  Can you say delicious!?!

4.  This song by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.  I love the raw sound of her voice.

5.  Handpicked flowers from my boys.  Buttercups and columbine...they bring such cheer to the house and a bright smile to my face.

6.  These pretty little lace mirrors from  Sunny Inspirations on Etsy.
I may be getting quite a few of these to have on hand for gifts.  Love them!  So dainty and perfect for your purse.

7.  This T-Shirt from Neena Creates on Etsy.
I love the romance of all her items...check out her shop!

What are you loving?

Finding Joy

Nutrition...uh...I don't get it

Is anyone else as completely confused and overwhelmed by the idea

of trying to eat right?  

I mean, should I be watching calories, carbs, sugar, sodium, processed foods, protein, fat or what!!!???  I'm sure the answer lies in some combination of all of these....

that means I'm in big trouble :)

Why re-evaluate what I eat?  

#1 I'm no spring chicken , more like a mid-summer chicken.  

I'm 33 (sshhhh almost 34) and while I don't believe that makes me old by any means, my body is starting to tell me otherwise.  The things I used to be able to do to lose weight aren't working as well.  Things are sagging, yes, sagging! And that nagging aching in my knees?  Oh please tell me it's not arthritis already!  I better start paying some serious attention to nutrition if I want to prevent things from getting worse and avoid illnesses and all those nasty things that go along with being overweight.  I want strong bones, healthy muscles, and a good immune system for as long as possible.

#2 Keep my weight under control.

Aahhh, the lifelong struggle.  I've been in about a 14 pound weight range over the last 2 years.  Technically I guess I'm 8 pounds out of my "healthy" weight range but truthfully could use to lose probably more like 10-15 pounds. 

Of course as I write this a co-worker of mine has entered the room eating a large slice of the fabled "Oakmonter" cake.  Any of you local in Pittsburgh may know what that is.  The bottom is chocolate cake and the top is cheesecake with a layer of fudge in between.  Then generously swabbed in chocolate icing with crushed Hershey bars and cherries on top.  I mean come on!  The force is strong but I am so far resisting :)

So the current nutrition theory I am buying into is trying to eat all natural and cut down on sugar.  Well...just trying to eat mostly natural cause I know I can't go all the way.  I have to assume this is an OK way to go, I mean , if God made it, it should be good for you right?  The trouble is to find foods handy and convenient to grab in a hurry.  

This mama is on the move!

If you have any tips or links on healthy eating, please share!

I thought I'd include a healthy recipe that I love, at least I think it's healthy ;)  I found it long ago on Spark People.

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

Love when these are fresh out of the oven, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside!

Ingredients

1 cup old fashion rolled oats (not instant) 1 cup non-fat milk 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 2 egg whites 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. sugar raisins or nuts (optional)

Directions

Soak the oats in milk for about one hour.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.
Combine the oat mixture with the applesauce and egg whites, and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl measure and whisk the dry ingredients together.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined. Add nuts or raisins if desired.
Do not over mix the batter or the muffins will be tough. Spoon muffin mixture into muffin pan.
Combine the cinnamon and sugar and top each muffin with some of the mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until done.
Remove from pan, cool and enjoy.
These can be frozen and reheated in the microwave for a quick breakfast.

Number of Servings: 12

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 12
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 93.5

• Total Fat: 0.5 g
• Cholesterol: 0.4 mg
• Sodium: 196.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 20.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.7 g
• Protein: 2.9 g