Despite The Mess

Sometimes the best therapy for heartbreak, panic attacks and general life B.S. is good quality time with friends.

Last Saturday Grady got to go “drag calves” with two of our rodeo teammates.  “Dragging calves” is the term used for the process of gathering, roping, vaccinating and branding the new calves in the herd.  He lives for this stuff.  It was a great way for him to get his mind off the “sucker punch”.

As soon as they were done we all gathered at Abbey and Adrian’s for a completely impromptu afternoon of roping, riding and feasting.  The guys needed to practice, the kids needed the time together and the momma’s enjoyed the sisterhood.

This momma even had the chance to get on Grady’s horse!!!  Tucker has taken a LARGE interest in learning to ride so I warmed Wimpy up for him and helped him out a bit in the round pen.

Then it was Monkey’s turn to have few laps around the arena with Mommy.

This is what it’s all about.  These are the moments that make my heart shine and my smile wide.  That girl LOVES to be horseback.

I will admit that my body ached in places I forgot existed for the following three days.  Proof that it’s been WAY too long.

This is the dream that Grady and I have.  This what we’d like EVERY day to look like.

We keep praying.

 

 

Peace, love and lifted spirits!!!

Uncertainty

It’s a new day.

A new beginning.

I know.  I kind of fell off the radar in the past few weeks.  I’ve been at a loss for spare time, at a loss for major inspiration, simply…at a loss.

A week ago my family’s life was turned upside down.  This girl who thrives on schedules, routine and lots of NORMAL (if there is such an animal) was completely blown away when her husband called last Thursday to say he and a handful of other cowboys were laid off from the feed lot.

Talk about a blow to the gut..  a major sucker punch.  Neither of us have ever been ”let go” from a job.  Neither of us have ever dealt with anything like this.  Panic sets in easily when a cloud of uncertainly surrounds you.

We feel fortunate that we live in a community that looks out for each other and will go to great lengths to help one another.  We’re fortunate that Grady is in a trade that is versatile and resourceful.  I’m fortunate that I’m married to a man who can’t sit still for more than five minutes.  My kids are fortunate to have a father who values his work ethic and need to provide.

As much as we wish this employment change were on our own terms we are firm in our belief that it was a blessing.  We’re trying to look at this as an opportunity for us to find Grady’s dream job.  We’re praying that we can find a ranching job where we can raise our kids the way we were raised.  We’re trying to stay positive.  We have our moments of darkness and I’m certain we’ll have more in the weeks to come until we find what we’re looking for.  What we do have is faith in God that He will lead us in the right direction.  We have a strong relationship that has been tested time and time again and will endure this bump in the road.

We’d like to ask for your prayers that this trial be short and that Grady is blessed with a great job opportunity.

 

 

Peace, love and patience.

Granola Bars – Homemade

My kids are ALWAYS asking for a snack.  I don’t mind them snacking, but I want to make sure it’s something that’s relatively healthy, wholesome and not full of “crud”.  If I can make it homemade and KNOW what’s in it then I’d rather go that route.

A few weeks ago Pioneer Woman made homemade granola bars on her show and I was intrigued.  This week it’s our turn to take the post-game snack for soccer, so I thought it’d be a perfect time to try this recipe out.  Tucker LOVES granola bars, so I knew this should be a safe one to try.

I’ll confess that while this recipe is EXTREMELY easy to put together it’s a little time consuming.  Don’t let it discourage you from giving these a try.  I started out being skeptical because the “glue” of these bars contains honey and molasses.  I’m not a big honey fan and too much molasses can be very overwhelming.  Trying the mixture in it’s raw state, before it’d been baked, worried me.  It really didn’t taste all that great and the smell of the honey baking was very strong.

BUT…after they baked and I cut them up and nibbled on the little broken morsels I was pleasantly surprised.  These were REALLY good!  I was really excited that I had left enough calories in my daily allowance last night for one of the finished versions, complete with being dipped in chocolate.  SOOOOO good!!!  This was husband and kid approved, big time!!!!

This is a very basic version of granola.  You could easily add dried fruit or more nuts to give it a new twist.

I will say this, P-dub’s recipe says that a serving is 1/16 of the recipe which is INSANE!!!!  I cut these into 30 bars, which were certainly of ample size.  If you followed her recipe and made this into 16 servings ONE bar would be a whopping 380 calories!!!!  That’s just too much in my opinion, even for extremely active kids.

When you cut the recipe into 30 portions this is the breakdown…. 190 calories, 28g carbs, 8g fat, 4g protein, 23mg sodium, 11g sugars.  This is much more reasonable.

When it’s all said and done, these are a DEFINITE make again.  I would love to keep these on hand in my fridge for my kids to munch on.

Click on the link above for the recipe.

Peace, love and pure goodness!!

Thought Of The Day

A friend of mine posted this on her Facebook feed and I loved it!
This statement sums up how I’m aspiring to live my life.

Surround yourself with people who love you for YOU.

Surround yourself with people who are genuine and authentic.

Surround yourself with people who CHALLENGE you to be the BEST version of you.

Surround yourself with people who lift your spirit to God.

Surround yourself with people who don’t just make your face smile, but your whole heart.

Surround yourself with people who speak more light than darkness.

Surround yourself with people who lift you to the Heavens in times of darkness.

Surround yourself with people who are genuinely loved by others.

Surround yourself with people who don’t have hidden agendas.

Surround yourself with people who CHERISH you!!!!

I have been so blessed to have friends and family in my life that meet all these expectations.  I love them dearly and honor them.  May God bless you with beautiful folks like these in YOUR life.

 

 

Peace, love and TRUTH!!!!

 

Unexpected Splendor

So, I realize that most people don’t find beauty in dandelions and clover.

MOST people try really hard to get RID of them.

Most people CRINGE at the site of them.

…and most of the time I do too, because, let’s face it, we’d much rather have grass in our yard than these things.

But…Sunday, as I was pushing Ella in her swing, I was intrigued by the complexity of the petals on the dandelion

…and the gorgeous hue of purple from the flowering clover.

I tell myself every year, as I drive by the fields COVERED in this purple haze, that I’m going to stop and photograph them.  But…I’m usually on my way home from work, rushing to get the kids picked up or trying to get to some other destination by a specific time.  One of these days…  One. Of. These. Days.

And then, there’s the usual beauty that I love in spring.

The vivid colors of my Hens and Chicks as they adjust to the changing temperatures.

…and the sweet, early pansies.  They’re so dainty, yet SO tough!

Beauty, I tell you, is everywhere.

Even, in the most unexpected places.

 

 

Peace, love and crazy beauty!!!!

The Sleepover

I have a confession.  I’m kind of crummy about giving Tucker ample friend time.  Our weekends are typically packed with activities and on those rare occasions that they’re not I tend to be selfish with it.  I’m bad about it.  Knowing this all too well and feeling guilty I told Tucker that he could have a sleepover Friday night.  He invited his good buddy, Paxton.  Pax and Tuck have been friends since the minute Tuck was born.  Paxton and his family are part of our rodeo family.

The evening was beautiful so the boys (and Ella) got to play outside for a long time.

After a feast of spaghetti we all went back out for a campfire in the fire pit complete with roasted marshmallows, S’mores and banana boats.

What is it about fire that is so mesmerizing?  I could stare at it for hours.

Ella LOVES when we have friends over.  I think she has a little crush on Pax.

…and she obviously loves chocolate.

Banana boats are so easy.  Split it down the middle, peel and all, and fill it with graham cracker crumbs, chocolate chips, caramel chips and marshmallows.  Wrap it up in foil and put over the fire.  About ten minutes later dig in!

Pax LOVES banana boats. …and I do, too.

Tuck has a few loose teeth so eating the S’more proved to be a task.

Ella just got incredibly sticky.

Cade came home during campfire time from an evening spent with friends.  And as boys will be boys the subject of branding one’s self came up.  The stories got deep and it was decided that it was high time to go inside.

…and that’s when the siliness started.  Grady thought it’d be fun to fashion our family brand out of a coat hanger.  He gets wild hairs like this on occasion.  After doing ours he decided to make Paxton’s family brand.

…and then the boys thought they needed “tattoos”.

…because tattoos make you instantly TOUGH!

The paint branded boys soon got tired and with visions of their first soccer game the next morning they crawled into bed.

The next morning was more play, a feast of biscuits and gravy and some warming up for the first game.

What a great time we had.  I really do need to remember to make more on an effort at having the kids’ friends over.  I love seeing the joy it brings MY kids to share their a little bit of their life with their friends.

 

 

Peace, love and friendly gestures!!!

Pizza Quinoa Muffins

I love pizza.

I REALLY love pizza and who doesn’t?!

The truth of the matter is that pizza is one of the worst things we can eat when on a clean diet.  The high fat cheese, high fat and calorie meats and empty calorie crust are all deal breakers.  They taste delicious, but in my case, make me MISERABLE later.  I feel bloated, heavy and just plain sluggish.  I hate the way I feel when I eat like that so I just don’t.  I’ll fully admit that I sometimes miss the delectability of pizza, but never miss what it does to me.

A few weeks ago, I was trying to find interesting quinoa recipes and came across a little gem.  Pizza quinoa muffins!!!  PIZZA!  I could finally indulge in PIZZA without feeling like a sloth!!!  THIS would be the new recipe I would try.

 

Pizza Quinoa Muffins

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 large eggs

1 small onion, minced

1 cup shredded mozzarella

2 large cloves garlic minced

2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, diced

8 oz. cooked shrimp, chopped

3 oz. roasted red peppers, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried oregano

Pizza sauce for dipping (if desired)

Cook quinoa according to package directions until tender.  Preheat oven to 350°.  Liberally spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.  Mix together all ingredients, except pizza sauce, in a medium mixing bowl.  Measure 1/3 cup (even) of mixture into each muffin well.  Press down to compact.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.  Cool slightly.  Run a knife around the edges to remove from the tin.  Serve warm with pizza sauce is desired.

The skinny per muffin: 112 calories, 12 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fat, 8 grams of protein, 152 grams of sodium and 1 gram of sugar.

I ate three of these for supper and felt very satisfied.  The high protein in the quinoa and shrimp kept me full until my next meal.

I can’t say enough about these.  If you think you don’t like quinoa because of the unique texture I really encourage you to try these.  Bringing it together as a muffin minimizes that grainy texture that some people don’t care for.  Grady, who usually doesn’t care for quinoa really liked it.  His exact words were, “Cade you should try those.  They really do taste like pizza.”  Cade even liked them and he usually turns his nose up to über unique foods.

I was so pleased with how these turned out that I can’t wait to make them again and completely change the ingredients.  To be honest this recipe could be changed to ANY flavor, not just pizza.  Omit the basil, oregano and mozzarella, replace it with chili powder, cumin and pepper jack cheese, add some sautéd onions and peppers and you have Mexican quinoa muffins.  The possibilities are endless.  You could even make them into a breakfast muffin with turkey sausage or bacon.  Freeze them and you have an anytime go-to meal.

I really SCORED with this one.  Not only did I find a good alternative to my pizza love, I found a recipe that I can change into virtually anything I want.  These things could have saved my hips in college!!!

 

 

Peace, love and guilt-free guilty pleasures!!!