we ♥ the beach

I haven't been posting much life happenings lately. Do you do this? Love doing something, get bored with it, miss it, commit to do it again, forget commitment, then dive in when you should be doing something else, for example...working?

That's me today! Putting up this post of sad i-phone vacation pics because I didn't take out my real camera even one time on vacation. But, the memories. So whatever. :)

We love the beach. The Florida panhandle is our favorite vacation spot. Stephen fell in love with the beach at 7 years old. We've gone quite often since then and are thrilled to do it. This year was no exception.

In no order whatsoever...
                               

                               

                               

scruffy

He's not shaving or cutting hair until school starts. Scruffy. Still handsome. ~♥ his momma

Rainbow

The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.

Genesis 9:13 NKJV

Weekday breakfast

I tried something new last night. Because mornings in our house are short. Meaning we all like to sleep as late as possible before getting ready for work and school.

I chopped up some fresh spinach and wilted it in a pan with a little bit of olive oil. Then I cracked 7 eggs (that's what I had), added salt, pepper and the spinach and beat them to mix together.

I sprayed my muffin tin, wrapped a piece of turkey bacon (from Sam's) on the inside of each opening, filled the center with about a 1/4 cup (give or take) of the egg mixture, topped with a pinch of reduced fat fiesta mix cheese and baked for 20 mins on 350.

This morning I popped two in the microwave for 30 seconds and VOILA - breakfast in a hurry, healthy and on the go!

I think about these things

This morning nothing was doing but I have some glazed donut holes with my coffee. I parallel parked right smack at the front door of the town donut shop, scrounged around in my purse for cash, and just as I was going to slam my locked car door, I noticed my keys laying in the passenger side seat. I snatched them up and threw up a prayer of thankfulness to the good Lord.

Because the last thing a chubby girl who lives in a little town of 1200 folks wants to do is lock her keys in her car. Before dawn. In front of the donut shop. Amen?

December's over but...Tuba Christmas 2013

I lied! I'm posting a "catch up" post afterall! :D

In December, Stephen and his friend Zach, participated in the Fort Worth Tuba Christmas. Have you ever been to an event like this? So neat! It's all bass clef instruments performing Christmas songs. There were tubas, sousaphones, euphoniums, baritones (is a euphonium and a baritone the same thing?) and I'm sure others, but I don't know their names. Stephen played tuba and Zach played baritone.

 Here's Stephen in his Tuba Christmas scarf and toboggan!

Here's a little sample of the sound! Check your area for a Tuba Christmas for 2014!  It's a fun holiday event!



~Amy

Hello Hello!

The time between now and my last post has flown by and so many events and thoughts and randomness has happened in that time, I should probably write a series of catch up posts. If I were a proper family historian, that is precisely what I would do. But I'm not. I'm not a blogger or a scrap booker or a family historian. Or maybe I'm some weird combo of all those and more! For certain I'm a 40 something (young 40 something!) woman hoping to record some family events, and occasional random thoughts that I will someday, somehow extract off this blog in the massive interwebs and have a snapshot of my world during this period of my life. The raising my boy period. A period of life that is passing ALL TOO QUICKLY for my comfort. That being said...

Today was a "snow" day. Which really means we had a period of freezing rain yesterday, followed by a bunch of oddly large sleet. The temps stayed below freezing, so our little, rural town's roads iced over and the kids got a day off! (that they get to make up in May...they always seem to forget that part! ;)) Unfortunately, the city where the university where I work resides, didn't have the same amount of sleet and I had to go to work. [sad face] 

And now I'm over the cold. It's been too cold. And no snow. None that I've seen. Always the ice. Always the freezing rain. Always the sleet. And while I dig getting paid days off work for ANY reason...I want to see some snow. Beautiful snow. Otherwise, let's get on with spring already. I have two new pair of yellowbox flip flops that are waiting for warm weather and a pedicure on my tootsies.

Since the beginning of the new year, we have all been making an effort to eat at home. Virgil and I bring breakfast and lunch from home, and I buy groceries regularly and prepare our evening meals at home. Stephen brings his lunch to school. Commuting almost an hour each way for work, I had gotten into such a rut of not cooking. It had become too easy to pick up breakfast on way, go out for lunch, and pick up supper on the way home. A waste of money, and totally unhealthy. In the past month we have all lost weight as this allows us to watch our carb intake. An all around win!

I've discovered some great recipes. Moroccan Roasted Butternut Squash for one! This, paired with steamed fresh green beans and baked pork chops has become one of my favorite meals. Mostly because of the butternut squash. It tastes fabulous and smells like heaven while cooking. Also, this meal is so easy...I buy the squash already cubed. Don't judge. Stephen puts the pork chops in the crockpot on high when he gets home from school, then I throw some fresh green beans in the steamer and roast the squash when I get home. Easy peasy!

Ok, I'm out. Off to watch my recorded episode of Downton Abbey. Because I love me some Mr. Bates.

~Amy