It was a full one, but the GOOD kind of full.

Friday night we went to a graduation celebration for a young lady that has NO business being old enough to graduate from high school!!!  It made me feel REALLY old.  It was an evening of good food and wonderful friends.

On the menu was a salad that, prior to my pregnancy with Ella, I would have turned my nose at.

Broccoli & Cauliflower salad.

O-M-G!!!!  This stuff was out of this world!  I’m fairly certain what I was indulging in was the full fat version so I came home and made the skinny version Saturday to accompany our grilled goodies.

If you’re already a Splenda user then I’m fairly certain all the goods for this dish should be in your pantry and fridge.

Skinny Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad

1 head broccoli, chopped

1 head cauliflower, chopped

4 oz. mild cheddar cheese, diced small (or any cheese of your choice)

1 cup reduced fat mayonnaise (DO NOT USE MIRACLE WHIP!!!!  IT WILL NOT TASTE RIGHT!!!)

1/3 cup Splenda Blend

1/3 cup white vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Combine the broccoli, cauliflower and cheese in a bowl and set aside.  In a small mixing bowl mix together mayo, Splenda and vinegar.  Taste and make any necessary adjustments.  Dress the veggies and salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

**Notes:

I use Splenda Blend (sugar and Splenda together) so the ratio is, very possibly, different when using regular Splenda.  I suggest starting out with less and adding more if needed.  Splenda Blend is a one half to one substitution ratio, Splenda Blend to sugar whereas regular Splenda is a one to one substitution ratio, Splenda to sugar.  The “traditional recipe” is a 3-2-1 recipe, three parts mayo, two parts sugar, and one part vinegar.  Since we’re substituting with the Splenda it’s not going to be exactly the same.  Splenda tends to be slightly sweeter than regular sugar which would mean less is more in this recipe.  I would suggest starting with a quarter cup of Splenda and working your way up to the third cup if you’d like.

How’s that for precision directions?

Ready for the numbers?  This salad makes, roughly, 12 one half cup servings.  Each serving is only 96 calories!!!  That’s made with Splenda Blend!!  If you use regular Splenda it’s even less!!!  So, go ahead and enjoy it, guilt free!!!

Now for some kid pics.

Sunday the kids and I went outside to play mid-morning before it got too hot and before I had to devote some serious time to the sewing machine.

Ella immediately started playing in the dirt.  There’s a crazy magnetic force between her and dirt.  It just sucks her right in and goes straight to her mouth.

She’s been really fascinated with my flowers lately.  She loves to smell them.

And she also loves to check out the worker bees.

These little guys have been hard at with my Lamb’s Ear and Yarrow.  I love watching them collect their gold.

Tucker insisted on wearing his football helmet all weekend.  Playing in the yard…helmet on.  Fishing for bait…helmet on.  Fighting off bad ninja guys…helmet on.

That is unless his sister was “trying” to wear it.  Crazy girl.

I’m SO close to being finished with Ella’s new quilt, my “practice” quilt.  I can’t wait to show you the finished product.  It’s CRAZY fun and cute!!!

I got the top finished for my soon-to-be-here nephew’s baby quilt!!!  This one makes me giggle!!!  I’m in warp speed mode to get this one done in time.  Although my sister has an “idea” of what it’s going to look like I can’t share until it’s done.  There’s a uber fun surprise on the back that I can’t WAIT to show you!!!

What a great weekend.  I got a lot of big things accomplished and feel good about the progress.  Even though Grady had to work we had some good, precious family time.

Now, we’re jumping into the depths of Rodeo Week/Weekend.  This next week is going to be pure insanity for Grady and I until Saturday night around 10 pm when we both can breathe again.  It’s totally worth it though.  GOOD, GOOD, GOOD fun!!!

Wish me luck and rest!

Peace, love and checklists!

I’ve been “eating clean” for 85 days now.  Each day the choice to eat well is easier and easier.  I can say no to temptation without difficulty.  Don’t get me wrong, a cheeseburger and fries still smells amazing, but KNOWING how I feel after I eat that is enough to make the healthy choice smell better.  It’s easy to ignore the taunts of people who don’t understand or respect this journey I’m on.  It’s become easy to steer clear of their encouragement of cheating “just because”.  “Oh, you can cheat every now and again and still lose weight,” is what I hear at random.  Maybe you can, but I don’t WANT to cheat.  I want to honor this decision to live a healthier life that I’ve made.  If a treat fits into my daily allowance you bet I’m going to have some, but if it doesn’t work for that day I feel good saying no.

I continue to be on the losing streak.  I’m down 17 pounds so far.  I average about a pound to a pound and a half a week.  (This week that lovely force of nature that women are so blessed to be gifted with put the loss on the big kibosh for a few days.)  Although my goal counter on the side bar says that I only have a few more pounds to go until I reach my goal that isn’t accurate.  In reality, I’d like to lose about 18 more to reach the weight I was before I got pregnant with Tucker.  I think it’s doable and I’m excited for the challenge.

I haven’t been very creative in the cooking department.  Lots of grilled chicken.  Lots of sauted or grilled veggies.  Lots of repeat meals.  Lots of salads.  With the long weekend I’m hoping to have some time to seek out some new recipes.

We did have our very first zucchini out of the garden last night.

I sauted it with some onion and fresh corn. 

DE-LISH!!!!  I could have eaten the entire pan.

I ran into somewhat of a dilemma in the last week or so.  A good dilemma, but a dilemma nonetheless.  Dilemma is a weird word when you say it over and over again.

I’ve gone down about 2 clothing sizes which means that my clothes, especially my pants are REALLY loose.  It’s not just unflattering it’s kind of dangerous to walk around in pants that “could” fall off.  But…I told myself I wasn’t going to buy any “new” clothes until I’d reached my goal weight.  Well…what’s a girl to do when you can’t wear your current clothes, but you don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on “in between” clothes?  A girl goes to the brand new consignment shop in town!!!  I hit the jackpot!  I walked away with 5 pair of pants, 3 of which were brand new, ALL for less than $40!

Problem solved!

I feel good.  I feel good physically.  I feel good mentally.  I feel good spiritually.  This body is a gift to me for a short period of time.  It’s my job to take care of it and make sure it’s a well oiled machine that will continue to run for many, many moons.  I can’t trade it in for a new one so it’s vital to cherish the one I’ve got for as long as I have it.  My energy levels keep going up.  I feel less tired and more energized. 

Life is good.

Peace, love and longevity.

I have a little project that I want to start.

You see this room.

It’s dark.

Really…really…really dark.  There is one window that lets light into the room, but it’s semi hidden around a corner.  When we moved in the walls already had the red wallpaper and border, but had a dark color of tan on the top.  I lightened it up with the pale yellow top coat over the tan and painted the paneling as well.  It helped tremendously, but it just wasn’t enough.  (No, I don’t care for the Americana theme, but we were on a time crunch to move in three years ago and there’s a LOT of wallpaper in the house.  There just wasn’t time to take it down.  Someday, but that requires no toddlers be present and a weekend with no plans.)

Now, I want to do something to brighten the room and it has to be inexpensive. 

I LOVE this table.  Grady bought it for me before Tucker was born.  We found it in a local antique shop.  I’m fairly certain it was an old work bench in a school.  The dark wood has got to go.  It needs a face lift and I think a fresh coat of paint would be the perfect pick me up.

Here’s my dilemna.  I know that I want to paint the top white, but I’d like to do something fun on the skirting and the legs. 

Here are the colors I’m tossing around.  My favorite color is green, but I’m leaning more toward a turquoise-ish hue for the skirt and legs.  Then again, I think the middle color of yellow for the skirt and a warm turquoise for the legs would be fun and festive too.  I wish these were good and true representations of the colors, but the camera and the light just can’t get them right.  They’re all really rich vibrant colors.

What would YOU do with this table?  Would you go crazy and paint it a wild color or would you be more subtle?

I feel like I’ve always taken the safe route with color choices.  I have this CRAZY desire to just go nuts and throw caution to the wind.  It’s just a table, right?  If I hate it I can always change it.

Throw your ideas my way.  I can’t wait to hear what you think.

Peace, love and bright ideas!

Neither of us had ever been to a horse race.

It was definitely a learning experience.

Remington Park made a little money on us that day. 

Trifecta.

Exacta.

Win, Place or Show.

Superfecta.

Supercalifragulisticexpialidocious.

It was ALL a foreign language to me.  I wish I could say we had it figured out by the end of the night, but that wasn’t the case.

We did a little studying on the drive home and think we might have the insight for next time.

Our lack of racing knowledge didn’t hinder us from having a great time.

I got to see one of my ranch rodeo besties, Gretchen. 

This girl cracks me up!  She’s city girl, meets rugged cowboy, turned ranch wife.  I get to hear all of her crazy stories of “initiation into the ranching life and motherhood”.  They’re entertaining to say the least.

She’s also the momma to Ella’s boyfriend, Hank.  Yep, I said Hank.  Isn’t that the GREATEST name!!??!!??!!  He’s a little charmer, that Hank.

It was a great evening away, a little mini vacay, EXACTLY what we needed.

Thanks, Doug and Gretchen for inviting us!  We’re excited for the next time we can venture to the track!

Peace, love and a little wagering.

This girl does NOT like…

this guy.

As Grady and I watched one of our favorite shows last night, Modern Family, several scenes were played out with clowns.  We love it.  I laugh hysterically.  Who wouldn’t laugh at “sleep clowning”???!!! 

Ella was calmly drinking her sippy cup of milk in the comfort of her daddy’s arms when out of nowhere she started sobbing.  She immediately sat up, grabbed her cup and blankie, crawled OFF her daddy’s lap and came running to me.

Tears.

Fear.

R-U-N-N-I-N-G to Mommy for protection.

She climbed in my lap, layed in my arms and hid her face from the tv. 

She did NOT want to have ANYTHING to do with that clown.

….so, I guess that puts the kabosh on the clown for her 2nd birthday party.

DRATS!

Peace, love and red noses!!!

As of 3:45 today this boy will no longer be a Kindergartener.  He is SO excited to be a FIRST grader!!!

It’s hard to believe that this guy…

has become THIS guy!

He’s gone up TWO whole clothing sizes and THREE shoe sizes since August!!!!

I am so incredibly proud of the well educated little boy he’s become.  He amazes his daddy and I on a daily basis with his logic, problem solving skills and reading ability.

Now…bring on the sunscreen, bug spray, fishing poles, swimming holes and rodeos.

Peace, love and summer fun!!!

* My babies faces first thing in the morning when they’re still drunk with sleep.

* Grady’s attempt at telling a little white lie knowing the whole time that I see straight through his bologna.  (He’s the WORST liar EVER…. thank goodness.)

* The first cup of coffee of the day.

* Puppies.

* An unexpected visit from a close friend.

* My sister’s pregnant belly.

* Stepping on the scales on a morning that I don’t feel particularly “skinny” and seeing that the number has gone down.

* Sharing recipes with YOU and finding out that you really like them!!!

* Reading a great book late into the night and not wanting to put it down even though I have to keep re-reading the same paragraph because my eyes won’t stay open any longer.

* Belly laughs.

* Making someone else belly laugh.

* A clean house.

* The game plan chatter between Grady and his teammates before and after each rodeo.

* Watching Tucker create something out of nothing in his sand box.

* Listening to Ella chatter while she plays.

* Sitting on the deck while the hummingbirds battle it out over the feeder.

* Sewing.

* Knowing that my weight loss efforts are making my body stronger, my mind more determined and my life, potentially, longer.

* Getting that PERFECT shot that says EXACTLY what you were thinking with no words at all.

* That feeling of accomplishment after a long day at work.

* Reading stories to my kids.

* Listening to Grady’s corny jokes.

* Piles of pretty fabric.

* Knowing my life isn’t NEARLY as insane as the Real Housewives of New Jersey!

* Baby calves playing in the pasture.

* Brownies.

* The family feeling of the ranch rodeo team and their wives.

* Lip gloss.

* Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.

* Tucker rapping.

* Freshly painted toe nails.

* My garden.

* Sunflowers.

* My house after everyone has gone to bed.

* Joan Rivers.

* My Chuck Taylors.

* Margaritas with my girlfriends.

* The sweet spot in my pillow.

* Five-year-old BFF’s battling it out on the soccer field on opposing teams.

*Five-year-old BFF’s who are STILL BFF’s after the game is over.

* Daddy’s that make victory bridges for ALL the players.

* Pinterest.

* Grady’s Wranglers. (wink! wink!)

* Grandma Phyllis’ ginger snap cookies.

* Grandma Phyllis.

* The mouse incident with my best friend, Amy.

* The mountains.

* Friday at 5:00.

* Watching my grandparents tease each other.

* The color green.

* Thunderstorms.

* My snuggly little boy.

* Ella’s laughter.

* Grady’s hugs.

* Life.

Peace, love and cheesy grins.

These two make my life complete.  I have never felt so blessed in all my life as I was on the days that these babies were brought into my life.

There is no joy greater to me than the joy of being a mother.

I live for the pangs at my heartstrings as I hear “Momma” being called from across the room from the lips of my sweet Miss Monkey.

Not a day goes by that this boy doesn’t give me kisses good-bye and beg for snuggles each night.

There is no joy greater, no love felt deeper than knowing that I am needed, loved and cherished by these two.

I thank God each and every day for the gift he has given me in these two sweet blessings.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the beautiful women out there who are mothers and those who love our children like mothers.  May your day be filled with the love of a child and the joy of knowing your appreciated, loved and needed.

Peace, love and sweet kisses!

The gardens have really taken off.  Yes, I said gardens, as in plural, more than one garden.  We have three to be honest.  Well, technically, four if you count the new patch we made just for cucumbers. (They kind of take over everywhere else…)

My lettuce is going great guns.  It’s DELICIOUS!  Mildy peppery and bright.  If you live near me and want some I will GLADLY share.  Just send me a message.  We love salad, but there’s no way we can consume enough to keep up with what we have.

The onions and radishes are for Grady.

We’ve been plucking blooms off the tomato plants so they can get a little stronger.

These are our beautiful zuchinni mounds.  I.  CAN’T.  WAIT.  FOR.  ZUCHINNI!!!!  It’s among my new favorites.  Right up there with asparagus!

Lovely Peaches and Cream sweet corn.  My soul is singing.  It’ll be July before we can enjoy it.  I’m counting down the days.

This little cutie is okra.  It will grow to be prickly, tree-like and massive.  Okra is kind of like the lettuce.  Once it starts producing it goes NUTS!!

I’ve been working on the flower beds in my yard for several years.  This one in the front has been my biggest challenge.  I was never sure what I wanted to put into it.  On the evening that Grady brought home the beautiful black compost from the ranch I decided these beds needed filled in.  It was exactly what I needed to inspire me.

I filled them with Blue Rush grass, Lavendar, Vinca, Witch’s Fire and Mountain Ice.  I’m in love with these beds now.  They just need a little mulch and they’ll be perfection!!  I think the FRONT porch may be my new favorite perch.

I love gardening.  It’s so soothing.  If you see me sitting on my deck or porch in the early morning hours with a cup of coffee I’m taking it all in, the beauty of everything going green.  There’s no better way to start a day.

Peace, love and dirt under nails.

Seriously?

I’ve had a bit of bloggers block for the last few days.  I’m sure there have been plenty of things to tell you about, but I haven’t felt inspired to write about them.

It could be a result of the crazy schedule we had over the weekend.  I, literally, fell into bed Sunday night from a GOOD exhaustion.

This was part of our fun.  Ranch rodeo season is underway and these four guys are a RIOT!  New friendships forming, old ones going strong and team of incredible athletes, men and horses combined.

Abbey and I were very lucky wives and got to have a whole evening without kiddos.

This was our perch for the night.

SO relaxing and SO fun.  We were surrounded with good friends and great laughs.

I’m so glad that rodeo season as started again.

Peace, love and high horses!