I never understood why turning ourselves into animals had become so trendy until The Daught handed me this today.  

I’ve always hated my nose… it’s covered.

Time with The Daught… we spent 20 mins being silly.

Hearing her laugh… priceless.

#NewAnimalLover #TheDaughtHasTheBestLaugh #PianoLessonFun   #OutrageouslyOrdinary 

Have you ever woken up in the morning practically hog-tied by the sheets that were once flat, with your pj pants twisted one way, your t-shirt twisted the other way and your gut hanging out for the world to see?

So I started the day feeling the opposite of awesome and did a body count to see if there were any children hidden in what’s left of the sheets.

It’s in those oh so sexy morning gut check moments that I wonder if the Victoria Secret Angels ever have a “fat” day.

I’ll think about it over my coffee and donut.

#TangledInTheSheets  #SalsaDancingInMySleep  #ImNoAngel #OutrageouslyOrdinary 

I am currently trapped in a non-padded box on wheels going 75 mph trying to explain to my children what lovers are and why they love Virginia.

Thanks for that Va.  

#VirginiaIsForLovers

#RoadTrip

#CarConcert

#OutrageouslyOrdinary 

The Daught is growing up so quickly.  Last night she told me that she wanted to watch Frozen, but couldn’t put a 400 page Rick Riordan novel down long enough to turn it on.  She throws her hair in a messy ponytail but takes 20 minutes to pick out an outfit.  She has a poster of Strawberry Shortcake hanging in her room, right next to a Star Wars print.  We’re stopping by the bra section for both of us now but she loves hanging from the monkey bars on the playground. She’s talking about colleges while cuddled up on my lap in her jammies.  She gives the best hugs but has to duck to fit her head under my chin.

Time is flying with every blink.

#NoMoreBlinking

#TheDaught

#SheWillBeTallerThanMeSoon

#OutrageouslyOrdinary

 

Current situation… recovering from a last minute trip to Party City because, as predicted, the loves of my life changed costume concepts on me at 7pm tonight.  The circles under my eyes are darker but their smiles are wider… and they know they owe me big. It’s a win-win.

#CostumeChangeUp #LotsOfTiredParentsAtPartyCity #OutrageouslyOrdinary 

I slept in this morning and was starving when I woke up.  I don’t usually eat breakfast so I decided to make something special.  Since the kiddos aren’t here, I chose my favorite thing (that I know they won’t eat, so I never make).

I started pulling ingredients from the pantry and discovered that some of what I needed had expired.  I looked a little deeper and found another, then another.  Before I knew it, the entire pantry was on my island or in a trash bag, along with the spices, refrigerator contents, freezer contents, and the infuriatingly mismatched plastic containers cabinet.

Four hours of cleaning and I had only had coffee, no breakfast or lunch.

Not hungry and wanting a little treat for working so hard, I sat down to watch a movie.  As the ending credits were rolling, it occurred to me that the sun room windows aren’t covered so any and everyone living near me could see that I was watching 50 Shades Darker.  What’s worse, the windows were open so the neighbors who couldn’t see what I was watching, just heard the… plot.

So I guess it’s no secret anymore… I like movies with helicopters.

Next up, the Hallmark Channel.  I’m living one extreme to another today.

#WindowWatching  #TheKitchenIsOrganizedButNowIDontWantToCook

#IHateTheContainersCabinet  #FiftyShadesDarker

#OutrageouslyOrganized  #OutrageouslyOrdinary

 

 

 

That moment when your heart nearly bursts with love and pride for your sweet, amazing child who doesn’t win the prize, but conquers a fear with gusto, then is the first to congratulate the winner with a genuine high five.  I teach my children to live by a standard of grace, not perfection. Today, she lived it.  #MyAmazingGrace #KindnessIsKey #WinningAtLife

My lunch date kept me laughing and wondering… how does she do that?!  This is definitely blackmail material for later in life.

#EyeLoveHer

#SheWantedToEatLunchWithMom

#MyAmazingGrace

#OutrageouslyOrdinary 

What is the fascination with peeing in the shower for little boys? Maybe it’s just mine, but he lights up like a Christmas tree when I give him the green light to set the golden arch free under the shower.

And he’s gotten smart about when he’s asking too. When I say that I need to give the dogs a bath, I know the first words out of his mouth will be, “Can I take a shower after the dogs?!”  He knows I wash the tub right after I wash the dogs so it’s the perfect time to ask. Smart guy.

It has dawned on me that he may not be asking in between those showers, but I can’t think about that.

#PeeingInTheShower

#MomOfBoys

#CloroxClean

#OutrageouslyOrdinary 

Hill Ridge Farms has become a tradition for so many families within a 50 mile radius of Raleigh…  I know that because most of those families were there with us yesterday.  Still, it is our favorite place to find the perfect pumpkin.

We carved our pumpkins this morning and have them proudly displayed on the front steps.  All I can say is that we tried our best and no one needed stitches.

What we were left with was a mountain of seeds.  I love roasted pumpkin seeds but realized I was out of season-all (my go to for nearly everything), so I decided to get creative.

I dug through my spice cabinet and came up with three “recipes”: Rosemary, Garlic and Sea Salt, Cinnamon and Sugar, and Herbes de Provence and Sea Salt.

I thought the kids would devour the cinnamon sugar seeds but their favorite was actually the herbes de provence and sea salt.  Who knew!

The recipes are below, but I encourage you to follow them loosely and just throw a pinch, dab or dollop of whatever you like on your seeds and see what happens.  The kids had a great time cooking them and we are all munching on healthy snacks.  Enjoy!

Rosemary, Garlic and Sea Salt

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  In a small bowl, heat up about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.  Dice 6-8 stems of rosemary, add to the oil.  I love garlic so I grated 3 large cloves but add as much as you like to the oil.  Pour over the seeds, then add in sea salt to taste.  Stir thoroughly before putting in oven.  Bake for 20 minutes, stir, then bake 10-20 more minutes.

Cinnamon and Sugar

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  In a small bowl, heat up about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil.  Pour over the seeds, then add in sea salt to taste.  In a separate bowl, mix 2-3 tablespoons of cinnamon with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar.  Sprinkle over seeds, stir thoroughly and sprinkle again.  Bake for a total of 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  *The sugar can burn easily so be careful not to cook too long*

Herbes de Provence and Sea Salt

Heat oven to 325 degrees.  In a small bowl, heat up about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and pour over seeds. Sprinkle seeds heavily with the Herbes de Provence, then add sea salt to taste.  Stir thoroughly before putting in oven and sprinkle the seeds again with the herbes. Bake for 20 minutes, stir, then bake 10-20 more minutes.

#PumpkinSeedsThreeWays

#HillRidgeFarms

#CreativeCooking

#OutrageouslyOrdinary