As promised...

...pictures to back up our kickin' camping trip!
*click on each photo to see full-size!

Oh Pike National Forest - you were good to us.  Until next time....

West Virginia. Mountain Momma.

Take me home, country roads.


A few days ago, Hunter text me at work asking if I had work-out clothes with me, and after replying yes - I did he said "Great.  I'll pick you up after work and we can go for a trail run."  Picks me up at 5:01pm, tosses a book of Colorado trails on my lap and says "Pick a place."

I love this guy.

We ended up going to White Ranch somewhere in Jefferson Country and it was jaw dropping stunning!  Rollings hills and mountains for MILES.  Green grass, wild flowers growing, piercing blue sky.  It was perfect.  Somewhere in our 2.4 mile run we both came to the conclusion that we needed to go camping, and STAT.

I remember when I went to MT to move Hunter back to CO and moving his things into the trailer, there were certainly more boxes marked "Camping" and really anything having to do with biking/skiing/camping/hiking than there were pieces of furniture.

I knew right then and there this guy was a keeper.

Hunter worked Thursday night and is off until Sunday, so we had decided that we would go somewhere quick and close Friday after I got off work as we had to be back in Denver Saturday to have dinner with my aunt and uncle.  Well, as my favorite nurse was sleeping Friday afternoon, I ventured out with some friends and walked to pick up lunch (Food truck Friday hells yeah!) and I didn't get more than 10 steps out of my office before my hair was standing straight up, my scarf AND shirt were being manhandled by the wind.  The first thought I had was

"Shit."

How the #$&^ would we camp in this?!  I hadn't dealt with winds like that since living in North Dakota it seemed like.  They were crazy!  It even blew away most of Phil, Megan and I's lunch when we were trying to enjoy it on the 16th Street Mall...even took away my FORK when I wasn't but halfway through my lunch.

Before the fork met it's fate; The 16th St Mall gutter.

Don't worry.  I improvised and ate with the lid of the dipping sauce I got for my lumpia.  All klass, this girl.

Anyway.  I was really worried about camping because the both of us were SO sosososososososo excited to go. After Hunter woke up Friday afternoon, we started talking about it and he said the looked up the winds in Denver that day were 45mph, and he looked at the forecast where we were planning on camping, and it predicted 55-65mph winds.  I could have cried I was so disappointed.  After thinking about it for a while, we decided to man up and go anyway - no crazy winds can stop these two mountain hippies at heart.

I managed to get of around 4p Friday, he picks me up after spending some time at REI and surprised me with a kite!  This is how I know I surround myself with people who get me because my Mary surprised me with a Barbie Kite pretty much exactly a year ago and the day we took that thing out was bar none one of the most fun and fulfilling things I'd done in a while.

Our mindset was if you can't beat them...join them.

So we set off with our map in tow.  (Yes, an actual real map.  We navigated our way there, through, around and back ALL off a paper map!  No electronic mappings for these two old school hellians.)  As we were getting closer to your location we commented on the wind, but I think we were both trying to ignore it.  Plus, we both had to pee so damn bad that wind wasn't exactly the first thing on our minds.

We find our campground in Pike National Forest, drive around a bit before finding out campsite.  Get out to walk around and a few seconds after getting out of the car it dawned on us.

It was completely still outside!!!!!

Probably one of THE most beautiful, calm and serene nights that I have experienced in quite some time.  We found a spot for our tent, cracked a few beers, blasted country music from Hunt's truck and we channel our best inner mountain hippie and just relaxed.  We ate.  We drank.  We danced under the stars.  We walked.  We talked.  We sat in complete silence.  We just enjoyed each other, and enjoyed the night.

Throughout the evening we would laugh every now and again thinking at what we would have been missing had we decided against going, and that thought is so so sad to me.

I am such a firm believer that stepping away from your zone every now and again is so good for you soul.  Even if you escape somewhere that is still in your town, I always feel SO recharged and just relaxeddddd after getting back.

I took a ton (and a ton and a ton) of pix with Hunter's camera right when we got there, but no more than an hour or two in the batteries died.  Sad Beth.  Once we upload them to the computer, I can't wait to share a few of them with you guys!

What do you do to recharge your batteries?  I'd love to hear new tricks and tips.

Now I've gottsta get ready for dinner tonight - happy weekending, friends!

Hakuna Matata!

Oh - and as for my few friend The Kite, it got a slight test run.  I tried, tried and tried again to get it up in the sky when we first got there but alas...no luck.  We'd have it set out with some of the line ready to go for whenever a gust of wind would come up.  We'd be sitting there enjoying our dinner, hear the wind, both drop our forks/food etc and run over to the kite to try and get that thing going.  I will admit to being a little too aggressive/excited with it because all I can remember is Hunter yelling "SLOW DOWN!!!  YOU HAVE TO SLOW DOWN!" hhahaha.  Finally, as he was getting the tent set up, I would just run around with the kite behind me and I said to him "The best part is that when I'm running with it, I can't tell if it's up in the sky or not - so I can believe it is!" He replies "Babe.  It's about an inch off the ground."  He did have the idea to let me sit in the back of his truck with the kite while he drove it to see if that worked or not....but I think we'll just have to wait for the next windy day in Denver.  And I'm okay with that.  : >

TGIF!

Wishing you a day full of fresh coffee, clean houses, happy coworkers and a weekend of relaxation and memories!

Happy weekending, fun friends.  Go out and cause some trouble.

It's one of those nights...

...where:
I can't find my reading light to go sit out on my wrap around patio fire escape to read my book.
I find my memory card reader and my old digital camera and get so excited about uploading a bunch of pix, then come to realize that it's a way wrong memory card reader, and it will in fact have to wait until tomorrow.
In the midst of looking for and finding the above said things, I get so hot and sweaty from pulling out my bed to look underneath, digging in every drawer I could possibly have in this teeny apt, that I get way too hot to drink tea, as my teapot is screaming at me that it's ready to be drunk.

All that's left of this night is to paint my nails and read my book.  And quite honestly?  I'm a-ok with that.

Did you know...

I keep a few nail files in the cup holder of my car to keep my hands busy in traffic so I don't pick up my phone and text at red lights, traffic jams etc.

I cringe whenever I use the phrase "my boyfriend", and avoid it at all costs. It makes me feel like a bimbo valley girl and I just feel like it's so belittling to Hunter. Maybe because he's so much more to me than just a boyfriend.

Few things make me feel as alive as a good run in a rain storm.

I think wearing gold makes every woman shine.

I had to take away Forks' window privileges for a few days. Mr Man got into a serious altercation with a squirrel? Or another cat? Bird? No idea what, but it was something.

I wore a jean skirt today and I had a perma-smile because it reminded me so much of my sister.

I always prefer odds to evens, which is why I'm writing this blurb. Rather post 7 random facts than 6. ;)


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Open Letter :: Weekend.

Dear Weekend,

Howdy'do?  Man alive, we had some fun the last few days, didn't we?  Mostly, we ate a lot (LOT) of food, and spent just hours piled on hours creating life long memories.  Remember our lunch at McCormick's on Friday for our friend Ashley's birthday?  The seafood that was shared at the table, the stories told in the middle of the street that had strangers craning their heads going "Whaaaaa did that girl just say?!"  We do love Sara, don't we?  And let's not forget the drinks and the tons (and tons, and tons) of laughs at Osteria Marco then....oh weekend I know you didn't forget this one.  Then, after a few block walk that almost sent Becky wetting her pants from laughing so hard, we found ourselves at Edge for the perfect dinner in honor of our beautiful friend Cindy.  It wasn't rushed, noisy or overpowering.  Rather, it was the kind of dinner where you found that tiny voice in your head reminding you to remember every smile exchanged and every story told over and over and over again.  Reminding you to never forget the ease of the laughter that would erupt from the table.  Reminding you to never forget the look on Bob's face and the spark in his eyes while telling stories from years past.  Reminding you to hold on to every hand squeeze under the table, sip of wine enjoyed and toast to "Our missing person."  It also reminded you to embrace the pain and emptiness felt in your and your loved ones hearts, because remember?  Pain, though an icky one, is an emotion all the same. Simply a distant cousin of emotions like happiness and joy.  We don't dismiss our feelings of joy, so why should we pain and sorrow?  Remember waking up Saturday morning at the beautiful loft downtown?  Cars zipping past, the Pepsi Center, Invesco Field, Denver Skyline and the fresh sun shinning on mountains all peeking in through the windows?  Then, after a few cups of coffee, and a quick walk to stretch our legs, we landed at Bistro Vendome.  Yes, yes, you remember correctly.  Bistro Vendome.  THE Bistro Vendome that has supplied you with your most favorite brunch meal to date.  This visit back most certainly didn't disappoint, all while putting the familiar flavors of the Hamburger de Koby Boeuf back in your palette and hopes of bribing your ladies who brunch to join you the next time.   Oh then there was Saturday afternoon browsing through a handful of bike shops helping pick out Charlie's first bike!  And holy. cow. was it a cute iddy bitty bike.  Yeah...we may have fallen head over hells in love with a cruiser bike and the most darling basket our eyes ever did see, but we can save that purchase for a later date.  After a run to Whole Foods, a quick stop for a few 6 packs, we headed back to Hunter's for an evening spent entirely outside, first under the sun and a few scattered clouds, but slowly transitioned into the stars and the calm dark.  How cute were Hunter, Aaron and Bob whose heads would shoot up in the sky whenever a plane of any sort zoomed past?  How they would name and rattle off exactly what that plane was.  Pretty darn cute if I do say so myself. Remember how soothing and enchanting that fire was that danced around the fire pit all night long?  Then there was the mouth watering and scrumptious meal grilled and prepared by Hunter and his dad.  Ufta, they sure nailed grilling the marinated chicken breasts to the perfect char, while keeping the moisture of the chicken.  And I don't think we need to even bring up the grilled vegetables, because everyone around that fire pitt knew exactly how I felt about those.  How amazing was it falling asleep with a picture perfectly still evening outside the open windows with a loved one at your side?  Pretty damn amazing I  might say.  And here we sit, weekend.  Sunday night, after a full day of coffee drinking, bike riding, lawn mowing, salad eating (yes, I said salad eating!  After the above food devoured and enjoyed, we have to curve our diet to salads, tea and water this week, Weekend.  But don't feel too sad about it - the food enjoyed the past few days was more than worth a week of strict fruit and veggie eating.) book reading, errand running more than exhausted and wiped out.

But.

Remember that quote that has been running through our head all day long?

My cup hath runneth over.

Yup.  That one.  Let's hold on to this feeling weekend, because it is a damn good one.

See you in a few days....

Admirably yours,
B.

Today is Friday, and that means:

Stopping for coffee at Daz Bog + McDonalds for OJ and a hashbrown all before 8:30am. It must be Friday in which I’m a tish hungover AND it’s payday.
A lunch out with a girlfriend for her birthday.
A sassy animal print dress in lieu of jeans typically worn on casual Friday. Why? Why not (Minot).
An ENTIRE WEEKEND of my Hunter before he has to go back to work on Sunday night.
Dinner reservations at Edge this evening with Hunter’s dad, brother and sister-in-law. We’ve got some Cindy celebrating to do!
An entirely clean apartment,………………….but with a huge pile of clean clothes on my freshly made bed just waiting for me to fold them.
My Mary being back in North Dakota for her beautiful sister’s bridal shower! Mary has put so much awesome time, creativity and work into this shower. I’m giddy to hear how it all goes!
A BBQ and fire in Hunter and Mark’s new fire pit tomorrow evening!
Brunch plans with my auntie on Sunday!

What does this Friday mean to you?
Happy weekending, friends. xxoo


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That kind of day.

It was that kind of day that started with a garbage truck trying to ruin my life on my entire drive to work, (It may sound dramatic, but he was.  He was!  He was.  He'd cut me off a few times with no blinker...which the first 3 or 4 times I can forgive because I know I'm not perfect, and I'm sure my driving makes people mad too.  But after he cut me off mid turns, and mid lane changes time and time again, I had had enough.  Then, juuuuust when I thought I had ditched him, the focker shows up out of nowhere following me downtown on 18th alllllll the way to my office.  That was fun.) and ended with me glancing up in the laundry room of my apt building this evening, and seeing a pair of my undies being hung up from a nail in the wall.

Yup.

Thankfully I had done laundry nearly exactly a week +2'ish days ago, so it wasn't there for like weeks.

But still.

I am ending the evening with some green + peppermint tea, folding said laundry (yay for fresh sheets!) and dreaming of a day where my entire apartment building doesn't know my preference in undergarments.

Oh tomorrow, please be kind.

Still.

Currently, I'm laying in bed, with an open window with snow just barely floating down. The only sound in the entire house is the shower running on the other side of the wall, where H is. A completely still and quiet home, for the first time in weeks. All of Hunter's aunts, uncles, brother, sister in law, nephew and dad are next door at their bed and breakfast where we will head after a few. I know without question his mom is over there, too. Somehow. Someway. She's in the smiles of stories exchanged between loved ones. In the squeal of Charlie and his feet pounding with excitement on the hardwood floor. She's in the light beaming through the clouds, warming the windows.

You might call this moment the calm before the storm, but a beautiful storm it will be.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

There are no words I could type that could possibly say it better than they could - so I'll let them do the honors:


Aaron, Bob and Hunter here:


As she would have hoped, and during a beautiful spring morning following the first Thunderstorm of the year, Cindy, our wife and mom, peacefully and knowingly passed away this morning at home, in bed, surrounded by her family.  No pain, now only stillness and calm.  The story wasn't of her choosing, but the end was exactly how she would have picked it, and there is some comfort in that.


We thank you for all your love and support over the years, and for all the texture, light, life and energy you have given to all of us during this last, strange, painful, and ultimately beautiful experience.


Much love,


Aaron, Bob, Hunter, Becky +1 & Charlie


Prayers and thoughts are needed and appreciated.  I'll be back when the storm settles.
xoxo - b.

jklfdgv,.dfkgl*

*I know Mary, that's a totally typical text shared between us, so I'm sorry if you read that and thought "Hey!  What the heck is Beth texting me via her blog for?!"

Words can't expres the roller-coaster our life has been since Easter Sunday.  Well, actually - that's an exaggeration.  Words can express, I just don't have  the patience, or ability to stay awake to convey them long enough right now.  Instead, I'll speak via lists, which sometimes are my favorite blog posts:

{ 1 } I'm loving the cars passing by, windows open with a fresh breeze, cuddled up in my Mary quilt and a cat on my chest as I type this.
{ 2 } However, it's making me miss my Hunter and our last few nights spent at his parents, with what feels like the exact same breeze, something painful right now.
{ 3 } I'm really looking forward to work tomorrow.  The routine.  The showering before 4pm.
{ 4 } I wish i could post a sign behind my chair reading "No questions, today.  Thanks for coming by."  Much like a "Don't feed the animals." sign at the zoo.
{ 5 } I just cried on the phone telling Hunter how much I loved him.  Pathetic?  Maybe.  However, 100% truth.
{ 6 } I understand how frazzled and random this post is, please do forgive me.  I swear to you, when I have the energy and the strength I will elaborate.
{ 7 } I can't stop listening to this song.  Don't act surprised.  I know I'm not.

{ 8 } I whole heartily thought today was Thursday.  Wrongggggg-o.
{ 9 } I had a lot of time this week to really dig into my book The Shadow of the Wind, and so far I seriously can't get enough!
{ 10 } When I just went to type that into Google, I accidentally typed in The Shadow of the Wine.
{ 11 } Bedtime for Bethy.  Night night.

BRB.

I'll  be MIA for the next few days - in the meantime...write a list of everyone you are thankful for.  Dogs, cats, parents, siblings, coworkers.  After you write that list, personally call each and everyone of them and tell them how much you love them and how lucky you are to know them.  Trust me, you won't regret it.

BRB.

Meal Recap :: Week of April 1st!

Just as much as I thought I would, I absolutely loved coming home to a preplanned dinner menu with all the ingredients already in the fridge.  I love it when my week works out when I can plan out the nights like this.  Without further adieu, enjoy my recipe recap!


Sunday:
Muffin Tin Egg Puffs { http://pinterest.com/pin/261982903292929057/ }



You guys. You guys. You guys. These were JUST as amazing as I thought they would be! Even more. More x200. I opted for extra garlic, mushroom and kale in mine, and let. me. tell. you. That was a good call on my behalf. I can't express how tasty, easy, cheap, perfectly filling and convient these are. I can't wait to host a brunch and cook up a couple different versions of them. This is something I'm sure you will be seeing on my blog time and time again!

Dinner: Pancit { http://drizzleofsunshine.blogspot.com/2011/02/1-wok-2-filipino-classics.html }


Always a hit in my belly! I decided against using meat in my pancit this time around, and threw in a few more vegetables. I also love how much this makes, it's perfect for leftovers! I definitely kicked the spices up a notch this time around, and I'm glad I did!


Monday:
Dinner: Pizza Puffs! { http://lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com/2010/07/annoying-habits.html }


I think I was on such a Egg Puff high, that I was a little let down at the pizza puffs final product. Plus, I decided not to include any meat in these, only black olives, and that might have been the first thing I did wrong. They were still easy and nummy, I'd just want to play with what sort of pizza ingredients I would include in them! Had I done these right, I could see them being a go-to for dinner parties. What I did love was how I had all of these ingredients on hand, so this cost me nothing to make and could be thrown together in a pinch!

Tuesday:
I completely spaced that we had our working dinner Tuesday night, so I had to pick one of my 5 recipes that I wouldn't make for the week, and I chose the Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Mostly because the chicken and tofu I'd use for this is frozen, so I figured those ingredients can wait until next week without going bad!


Wednesday:
Dinner: Chili Beef Stir Fry w/Scallions and Snow Peas { http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aida-mollenkamp/chili-beef-stir-fry-with-scallions-and-snow-peas-recipe/index.html }

If you recall how embarrassingly tired and out of it I was Wednesday night, it's really no surprise that this didn't turn out quite like I thought it would. I opted against serving it with rice, which is something I don't regret because it was pretty filling standing alone. One thing I will say, is that sauce is s-w-e-e-t. If I were to make a dish like this again, I may look for a different sauce to coat the beef, scallions and snow peas with only because it did get pretty overwhelming for a savory eater like myself. Another operator error I had was not following the instructions of the order you are supposed to cook it all in. I added the sauce to the pan too quickly and it got awfully thick. Regardless - there isn't a morsel that hasn't been consumed by moi of this dish...so I'd say it was a success.



Thursday:
Dinner: Sweet Potato Pizza w/Kale & Caramelized Onions { http://jenloveskev.com/012/01/31/last-nights-dinner-01-31-12/ }



Though I'd consider this more of a flatbread versus a pizza, the truth is you could call this thing donkey dung and I'd still eat it up as quickly as I do now. It's really a wonder the pizza made it for the photograph, because I can't keep my mitts off of it whenever I make it, it's THAT good. This time, I used more of a sharp parmesan cheese (only because I accidentally bought two containers of parmesan at Sunflower over the weekend versus parmesan and mozzarella.) this time. I still liked it just as much, but would most definitely want some parm and mozz the next time I make this. Also, the second I pulled it out of the oven, I realized I had made a complete rookie mistake. I layered the toppings: sweet potato, kale + caramelized onions THEN the cheese. Which ruined one of my most favorite elements of this pizza/flatbread/donkey dung which is the perfectly crisp kale that should be on top. DOH! Oh well. Next time!

Friday:
To be determined....




Just like I was hoping, every meal made just enough for me to eat that night, and enough for me to bring to lunch for leftovers.  Also, each meal was accompanied with the salad I can't get enough of lately.  Simple!  Romain lettuce, boiled beats, red onion dressed with red wine vinegar + olive oil.  Without sounding dramatic...it really is orgasmic.



Now excuse me while I start celebrating the weekend that is just around the corner!  And by celebrate, I mean showering and doing laundry.  This girl knows how to par-tay.

zzzzzzzzz.....

Yeah - that's not me.  That's you reading my blog posts this week.  I wish I had something more exciting to write about other than how tired and drained I am plus some random photos.

I wish I could tell you tonight was no different, buttttt tonight is no different.  However, I will enlighten you and share what I did this evening.

It'll be thrilling - I swear! (Potential lie.)

When I was driving home from work, and Hunt was driving to work (BTW this conversation happens often between the two of us, and I am talking literally word for word:
Beth: Hey babe - what's shakin?  What are you doing?
Hunt: Hey babes.  Just left the house - headed to work.  What are you doing?
Beth: Just left work.  Headed home.
We literally couldn't have more opposite work schedules right now.)

I told him I wanted to go for a walk.  Leave my phone at home.  Not worry about sweating, running or exercising.  Just walk.  So I did just that.  And then when I got back home, you ask?  I spent just a little while watching her.  It really is embarrassing how much she cracks me up.  After every video I'd say to myself "Okay after this one, I'm going to shut it off.  No SERIOUSLY - after THIS one I will."  Yeah, 60 minutes later I finally shut my laptop (because it was dying and my charger was in the next room).  Then I did what any exhausted 20 something would do:  Opened a bottle of wine and scrubbed my floors.  WTF, B.  (The same girl who after getting out of her workshop at 3pm today responded to multiple emails TWICE.  I finally realized I was doing it when the case of deja vu was becoming a litttttle too real.  Turns out it wasn't deja vu at all - rather instead of deleting said responded to emails...I'd just keep responding to them.  Is it the weekend yet?)   I can't explain what prompted me to clean my floors, but I did it.  Then moved on to sorting my laundry, turning on American Idol and after much prep talk, finally got in the kitchen to whip up dinner.  (My mom would have a heart attack knowing I ate dinner at 8:30pm, when she usually eats between 5:30p-6p.)

Thrilling.  Just as I promised (lied to you about).

There is a lot of (these happening tonight).

(I think that means it's time to shut the computer yet again aka fire up Daily Grace and call it a day.)

Thanks for coming back to read even when I'm dullsville to the max.

I'll leave you with my 3 favorite AI contestants this year.
And fancy that!  All in the same video.

Dear Phillip Phillips,
You complete me.
Sincerely, Beth Phillips

I need to cut myself off now.
Bye.

TGI....T??

Wait a minute, shouldn't that be an F at the end of that blog title??!  Just goes to show you how long my week has been - aaaaaand it's only the end of Tuesday.  After a squeamishly hellish day yesterday, and a 12 hour day logged at work today - I. Am.  Spent.  Granted, the last 2'ish hours of today was spent at a work dinner, so though we weren't sitting and working behind a desk, it still required the heels, dress, and attitude of work.  Though my hair was down today, it can't really be down while at work.

Okay, I don't even know what that means, so I don't expect you to.

Even though tomorrow is Wednesday and not quite Friday, that means one day closer to when H comes back from spending QT some time in Wyoming with his parental units.  Though he'll be working until Friday, I just feel so much better having him in a closer zip code.

So here I sit at my unwinding-from-the-day kitchen table.  In my favorite pair of {Hunter's} sweatpants, a track jacket, the highest top knot I could muster and a steaming hot cup of tea.  My bed is calling my name, and for realz, who am I to say no to THAT?!  Plus, our 8am presentations will come sooner than I'd care for them to.

I hope your Tuesday was filled with butterflies, sunshine, sugar and spice.  And if they weren't...don't tell me.  Just allow me to pretend that they were.  ; >

That Time I Forgot to Post 2 Weeks Worth of Photo a Day Pix.

#oops

{ day twenty-three } Moon.


Yeah - admitably I didn't an actual pix of the moon, but this is funny too. Get it?! It's a sun but{t} it's also a moon. I'm the only one who found that funny?!....moving on.

{ day twenty-four } Animal.



More like part animal, part watch-cat part killer!

{ day twenty-five } Breakfast.



My all time, #1 favorite thing Hunter has ever made (and continues to make) me. Black eye Pete eggs!

{ day twenty-six } Key.



I've had this key on my keychain (did you know most often than not, on my first attempt at saying that word I say cheykain?) for years. It always cracks me up the people who ask what it's for. I typically look at them straight faced and say "My car."


{ day twenty-seven } Your Name.



Today, my name was "Sunshine". One of the many notes my Work Wife leaves at my desk in the mornings.

{ day twenty-eight } Trash.



I know it drives Hunter absolutely bonkers, but 6 days out of 7, this is how my trash looks. I have a teeny tiny trash can that fits under my sink, but when that starts to overfill (which is usually when there is more than a banana peel and kleenex in it) I put that trash into a bigger trash!...on my kitchen floor. It's gross. I should get a big trash can. Maybe someday...

{ day twenty-nine } Feet.



Loving my new kicks!

{ day thirty } Toy.



This isn't so much a toy, but it's something that made me laugh out loud, and continues to make me laugh out loud...which really is what a toy does anyway, right? Same diff.

{ day thirty-one } Where You Relax.



For whatever reason, my kitchen table has always been my unwinding room. Maybe because it's ALWAYS the cleanest room of the house {first only to the bathroom}, maybe because there isn't a bed or a tv in it, maybe because I think of the fun times my mom and I had picking this table out at an antique store or maybe it's because when I'm in here, I think back to all the beautiful people who have sat with me at this exact table. Either playing cards, enjoying a cup of coffee, glass of wine, or homemade dinner. Regardless...it's my fav.

Thanks for playing along with my March Photo A Day!

True story.

{ source }

I'll be back tomorrow with more smiley faces and exclamation points, I promise.

Meals :: Week of April 1st!

I haven't moved since the last post.

I should have known it would have unfolded this way.  But with Giada playing in the background, it's really hard to clean and not to think about what meals I'll cook for the week.

I've been pretty inspired by a few blogs out there who do their meal planning for the entire week { never you mind these are mostly families of 4+ and I live alone with my cat.  Meow. } but I have found that meal planning on a Sunday helps my week nights operate much more smoothly.  I like being able to come home and do my workout then just dive right into cooking vs making stops at the grocery, forgetting things etc.  Plus it really cuts down on spontaneous eating and unnecessary calories.   I just finished mapping out my meals for the week, and would love to share!  Without further adieu - here is my week's muchies!

:: Week of April 1st ::

Sunday:
Dinner: Pancit { http://drizzleofsunshine.blogspot.com/2011/02/1-wok-2-filipino-classics.html }

Monday: 
Dinner: Pizza Puffs! { http://lickthebowlgood.blogspot.com/2010/07/annoying-habits.html }

Tuesday:
Dinner: Chili Beef Stir Fry w/ Scallions and Snow Peas { http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aida-mollenkamp/chili-beef-stir-fry-with-scallions-and-snow-peas-recipe/index.html }

Wednesday:
Dinner: Chicken Lettuce Wraps { http://www.theculinarylife.com/2010/pf-chang-lettuce-wrap-recipe-copycat-recipes/ }

Thursday: 
Dinner: Sweet Potato Pizza w/Kale & Caramelized Onions { http://jenloveskev.com/012/01/31/last-nights-dinner-01-31-12/ }

Friday:
Dinner: Birthday Cake

Y.  U.  M.  I am beyond excited for each week night's dinners this week!  My favorite part is how easy and healthy each of them are.  I really just need to pick up the fresh ingredients from the grocery b/c I have essentially all of the other ingredients already, so this week won't cost me an arm and a leg in eating!  Aside from the pizza puffs and beef stir fry, I've made all the other recipes already so they are really familiar to me.  I'm equally excited for the new, and familiar flavors packed into each one.

Also, I'll be boiling up some of most recent obsession...beets! for salads that I'll take for lunches + leftovers, too.  I'm going to be making some of these { http://pinterest.com/pin/261982903292929057/ } to grab in the mornings for breakfast.  Get in mah belly.  I'll report back on how muffin tin cooking goes!

Oh I almost forgot - I won't actually be eating Birthday Cake on Friday b/c I've been off sweets for a few months now, but with Friday being my aunt Jen's birthday, I just have a feeling we'll be going out for some yummy dins in celebration Friday night!

Any good recipes you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear what your week's meals look like!

Okay for REALZ, I'm really going to go clean now...

Happy Sunday/April 1st/80 degrees/April Fool's Day!

I gave myself a list of chores must be completed before taking my book, my crochet and a blanket to the park to waste the day away today!  It's going to be 80 degrees, and I can't wait ring in April in style!

But before I do, a few videos to kick off you Sunday.

I woke up smiling with this song in my head:

I grabbed a drink with a friend last night, and it was playing while we were at the bar.  Hunter has this song on his Spotify, and has sang it to me a time or two.  It makes me smile.  Know what else makes me smile?  After searching it on YouTube, finding out who else has done a version of it:

Uhhh yeah.  Obsessed.  Then it prompted me to search for this song to sing along:

It's a very musical morning in the Summerfield Casa.  I'm certain my neighbors are thrilled with me right now.

And one last song to bring this post full circle.

You are welcome, Mary.

Aight!  I'm off to my chores then the park.  

Heyyyyyyyyy, momma rock me.