A Hodgepodge of Sorts

As of this morning I’ve decided to give my Facebook page a rest.  It’s not you Facebook, it’s me.  On second thought, it is you Facebook.  All you. 

{examiner.com}

I’ve actually gone back and forth on this one for a while now mainly because I know many of my blog readers visit through the links on Facebook and in part because I felt like without Facebook I might miss out on something.  You know like engagements and baby announcements, those kind of fun and happy things.  Then I came to the realization that I didn’t really care if I missed out via Facebook. Those people announcing engagements and babies on Facebook would make the same announcement to me when I saw them in person if we were indeed the kind of friends I think we are.  That’s just not the kind of information you find out about close friends through social media exclusively right?  When I got engaged I sent text messages to all of our close friends and called all of my family before it ever went on Facebook.  After all of this I realized my phone sent text messages to my friends’ Facebook accounts instead of their phones because somehow my phone was synched that way.  Yet another annoying and invasive feature.

Then there are all the political posts.  Lord help us all come election season.  Nothing like declaring your ignorance publicly on Facebook for all to see.  And fire season, although I love to know what’s going on in my community, especially when there’s a fire in the area, I don’t care to read/listen to all of these people who suddenly become fire experts because they can preach their assumptions on Facebook.  I suppose my perspective on this topic is different than most since I live with a fireman and have two in my family.  Hearing information from them first hand and then seeing how inaccurately the information is relayed by the media to the public makes me turn my TV off and walk away 99% of the time.  The Facebook posts are a million times worse, except those who thank all involved (USFS, Cal Fire, City Departments, CHP, Sheriffs etc.) in the firefighting efforts.  Those I’ll like over and over and over.  I could go on about this one for a while but in fear of sounding like all of those political posts I’ll stop here.

That being said, and if you care, my life shenanigans will still be posted to my Instagram feed and here on the Blog. Links to blog posts can be found on the blog’s Facebook page or you can access them directly by subscribing via e-mail or simply bookmarking the page for future visits.  Access to the Blog's Facebook page, Instagram and E-mail sign up can all be found on the right sidebar (or you can click on the icons below to get access to the Facebook page and Instagram). I’ll be keeping my personal page active you just probably will not see a ton of activity from me there for an indefinite amount of time.

Now what you really came here for, since it’s Monday and all, this week’s meal plan.

Monday: Carne Asada street Tacos with Spanish Rice

Tuesday: BFD.  Pancakes, Turkey Bacon and Fresh Fruit Salad. 

Wednesday: Lasagna Soup with Green Salad

Thursday: Rotisserie Chicken, Salad and Steamed Veggies.

Friday: We’re off to a wedding so I’m out of the kitchen!

If you made it this far it means you stuck with me through that rant.  Thank you and Happy Monday!       

High Five for Friday!

Well hello Friday, we meet again.  Nice to see you.  Linking up with Lauren for my high five of the week!

1) I am in love with these hair elastics!  They actually hold my hair in place (even on my long runs), don't hurt my head and come in super cute patterns/colors.  I'm not sure how practical the gold sparkly one is but that is really beside the point.

From Ann Taylor Loft but are also all over Etsy.

2) We have a pretty strict "no dogs on the bed" policy in our house unless I'm home alone.  Partially because having them in bed leaves very little room for either of us, partially because they roll around in the dirt all day and partially because they each have very comfortable memory foam beds of their own.  Well, on Monday night they just helped themselves right up on the bed as if they owned the place.  The girls looked so comfortable that we decided to bend the rules for about a half an hour before they actually decided it was too crowded on our bed and hopped back down on their own.

Giant, spoiled fur children.

3) Fall TV is back.  This will be the first time in six years that I will be able to watch  Fall TV shows without simultaneously plugging away through undergrad papers.  I'm pretty excited about this.  It also means I stayed up WAY too late watching the two hour season premiere of Grey's.

Fall Favorites

4) See's makes Pumpkin Pie Truffles and Pumpkin Spice Suckers?  How is it that I just learned about this yesterday?!  I fully intend on sampling one of each within the next two weeks, refined sugars, preservatives and all.  If you've been around for a bit you already know how I feel about moderation.

Pumpkin Everything.

5) As of today I have 17 more work days until our wedding.  Upon my return to work I will have 13 working days until Thanksgiving, and following that I'll have only 15 working days until our Christmas Break (presuming our Board approves our annual break again).  So in short, I have roughly 45 working days left in 2013.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself and I just did because this is my blog and I can.

I hope your week was wonderful and that your weekend is even better! Happy Friday!

PS: Don't forget to check out today's Blogtember post HERE.  A tiny bit serious, but even more funny, and just something everyone has wanted to say to someone on Facebook at some point or another.

Facebook Friends

Friday, September 27: An anonymous letter to your Facebook friends. Be as snarky as you'd like.

This e-card sums it up.  You know I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking.  And yes, I'm talking to you, and you and you and you.  No I'm just kidding, I'm not talking to you.  But seriously.

{Via}

Homemade Pumpkin Butter

Phew, it felt good to get that off of my chest.

I made my first batch of Pumpkin Butter last year and it was love at first slice of toast.  There are a quite a few recipes online for pumpkin butter but almost all of them include the following ingredients:

 

1 15oz can Pureed Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1 t Vanilla Extract 

1/3 C + 2 TBS Apple Juice 

1/2 C Some sort of sugar (I used brown sugar)

1 T Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 t Cinnamon

 

You can find the recipe I follow closest on skinnytaste.com.  I halved the recipe though because 3 ¾ cups of pumpkin butter is quite a bit to store in the fridge.  I also didn’t have cinnamon sticks on hand so I substituted ground cinnamon instead.  You basically mix all of the ingredients in a pot and bring them to a boil.  You then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often until thick. Once it has cooled you shovel it by spoonfuls into your mouth can move it to a Tupperware and store it in the fridge.

I love stirring pumpkin butter into my oatmeal with Craisins, spreading it on toast or English muffins, and blending it in oatmeal smoothies.  Consider this the first of many pumpkin related posts.

Meal Plan Monday!

Welcome to Fall (officially) friends! The weather at our house responded to the season change appropriately and our high each day was only 70*. Perfect.
 

(I found this on Pinterest wiht no link back to the original source.  If it's yours please let me know!)

 

I’ll be honest with you; I’ve been totally winging it in the kitchen the last week and a half or so. The ½ week was because it was too ridiculously hot to cook anything I had planned so then last week became a mix of the meals planned for the previous week and then a few I threw together for lack of sufficient cooking time. Needless to say I’m happy the temps will be cool this week (a high of 60* on Wednesday!) so I can get back in the kitchen. I’m not venturing out too far from some of our menu staples this week in hopes that simplicity will help the weeknights run more smoothly while I adjust to some changes in my worklife/schedule.

Monday: Savory Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Tuesday: Turkey BLTs with Fresh Fruit

Wednesday: Chicken Enchilada Soup with Side Salad

Thursday: Family Circle Turkey Burgers with Seasoned Fries (I'd love to link to these but Family Circle requires that you register to view the recipe, which I find annoying. In mine I use ground turkey, Italian bread crumbs, green onions zucchini and an egg. Season with pepper and bake in the broiler roughly 5 minutes on each side until cooked through)

Friday: Homemade Pizza Night! I use this dough for our crust

 

Annnnnd I'll probably make some pumpkin butter also to put on EVERYTHING for at least the next six weeks. Happy Monday!

 

High Fiver for "Casual" Friday!

High Five for “Casual” Friday!

So sorry friends, I was too busy picking out what pair of jeans I was going to wear for our first casual Friday at work that I forgot to hit “Post” on today’s High Five for Friday! Let’s get to it shall we.  Linking up with Lauren:

1) I’m in love with both of these CD’s.  So many catchy tunes.

2)  I got to open my first “Christmas” present from Aaron this week!  In all fairness I think he calls any gift I get between my birthday in June and Christmas Day a Christmas present.  What can I say, we just love the holiday THAT much! Said gift was a new down blanket for our bed.  The nights have been cool enough to warrant more covers but not quite cold enough for the actual down comforter so this is perfect.  I love it.

3) Speaking of cooler weather, fall is officially here.  Ok technically not until Sunday but with our mornings starting out in the 30’s I’d say it’s here.  Aaron’s mom gave us this adorable mat and I can’t wait to bust out the rest of our fall décor this weekend!

4) Only 36 more days until these bad boys go on for-ev-er. Okay, Aaron’s will come off for work but you know what I mean.  We are so happy with how Aaron’s wedding bad turned, it’s perfect.  Since my wedding band was made from my grandmother’s ring (whose marriage has been going strong for 73 years!) we wanted Aaron’s to have some special significance too.  Having my fingerprint hand engraved on his ring was the one thing that really stuck out to us and we are so happy we went with the idea.  Brent & Jess were so incredibly friendly, easy to work with, reasonably priced and the final product exceeded our expectations.  They have many other products in their Etsy shop that you can check out here if interested.

5) I made these breakfast cookies last night and they are seriously so delicious.   You can find the original recipe here but to it I added a tablespoon of almond butter, a dash of cinnamon and about a teaspoon a vanilla extract.  Bake them in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes and you’re set. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the first day of Fall.  I plan to celebrate by cooking something for dinner that requires my oven.  Happy Friday!

Just Photos

Blogtember

Wednesday, September 18: Only photos

(of me as a relatively small child)

(you're welcome)

This face pretty much sums up my feelings on getting married in 38 days!

A Public Love Letter

Monday, September 16: Write a public love letter to someone in your life. (It doesn't necessarily need to be romantic.)

My love letter today is to my friends.

ajourneythroughimages.blogspot.com

Dear Friends of Mine,

I think if you took a poll on friendships, every individual questioned would respond that their friends were the best. I'd have to argue that my friends are actually the best.  Some of you I've known for my entire memorable life and others I've met in recent years. 

We have:

Been to the Grand Canyon together

Been in bars to the early morning hours

Eight of us had been living in one house for roughly a year

Been to that shitty hotel in Primm for the boys' races
Been spending our winter weekends camping in the desert

Been there to listen, to talk to and to laugh with

Been there for advice

Been with each other to celebrate birthdays, weddings and babies

Been together to ring in new years

Been to Lake Powell for a week on houseboats

Been to concerts 

Been huddled around the TV to cheer on the Chargers

But most importantly, we have always been there for one another. 

Pam Brown said, "A friendship can weather most things and thrive in thin soil; but it needs a little mulch of letters and phone calls and small, silly presents every so often - just to save it from drying out completely."

So this is me contributing to each of your mulch piles in the form of a letter.  Thank you for being so wonderful.

Love,

Katie

High Five for Friday!

Happy Friday the Thirteenth!  Linking up with Lauren to share my high five of the week:

1) I literally had to pry my grubby little fingers off of this ice cream to type today's post.  For those wondering, I usually write my posts the night before so no, I wasn't eating ice cream for breakfast today.  Although, this week totally warrants ice cream for breakfast.  3 hours in traffic on Wednesday to get home,  enough said.  Back to the ice cream, so delicious.  I was forced to pick peppermint because pumpkin wasn't out yet.  Compromise, friends, compromise.

2) Apparently wildfires have a blatant disregard for my meal plans so I ate my share of salad this week since I was flying solo.  That being said,  I feel confident in making the statement that there are no better tomatoes than those that have been picked fresh off of the vine.  I've literally been waiting since April to pick tomatoes off our vines and what our plants produced were definitely worth the wait.  Now I just want to shove all of them right into my face.

3) After writing the post on my favorite online shops I spent sometime on the J. Crew Factory website.  In creating my fall wish list I learned two things.  1) I apparently reserve color for spring and summer exclusively 2) If I really were to splurge on my entire wish list I'd need to find an extra $600 lying around to do so.   

4) Last week I hurt my back while moving buckets of water from the lake that was our backyard after the great flood of 2013.  That being said, I took the week off from running to let my back heal.  The good news is that my back is feeling nearly 100% and I actually missed running so I'm hoping the week off wont impact the 1/2 marathon training groove I was in.

5) After ten weeks of waiting, Aaron's custom wedding band is due to be delivered on Saturday!  We are so excited for it to finally be here and I can't wait to discuss the amazing experience we've had with the jeweler in Maine, presuming the finished product is what we hope it will be.  The customer service they have provided has been incredible so I have high hopes that Aaron's ring will reflect that as well.

The daytime temps around here have been more mild this week and the nights and mornings are crisp, just the way I like it!  I'm looking forward to being outside and enjoying it.  I hope you all have an great weekend!  

Favorite Online Shops

Wednesday, September 11: Share links to your favorite online shops, preferably with a few photos of your favorite items in each shop.

1) One of my newest favorite online shops is Blah Blah Kids.  They have some of the most adorable clothing, decor and gifts for the littles in your life. Some sweet little girls and a young boy in our life may or may not be receiving gifts from here next month.  That is a statement I cannot confirm or deny at the moment ;)

Clothing, Mobiles and Dream Rings, and Knit Dolls

2)   I also love Upcycled Works.  If you are looking for a custom piece of jewelry or are into vintage pieces, UPcycled Works is the place for you.

Binocular Necklace and UPcycled Typewriter Button Key Bracelet 

3) Pretty much anything from J. Crew Factory 

Addison Trouser, Stripe Racerback Cami, Scalloped Lace Top and Gold and Crystal Link Bracelet

4) Three Birds Nest.  This place makes the scarf lover in me so happy.  And the boot socks lover and the wanna be boho lover too.

A Space For Lace, "Oh It's Bowtiful!", Multi-Color Ivory Boot Cuffs and Lace Trimmed Boot Socks

What are some of your favorite online stores?

Life Changer

Tuesday, September 10: Describe a distinct moment when your life took a turn.

Is your life taking a turn the same as your life changing?  For today's post I'm going to say yes.

-Deepak Chopra {Via}

Let's travel back 4 years or so and I'll set the scene:

I'm 21 years old, have been sick off and on for five months, and now have found myself in a Doctor's office with lymph nodes the size of golf balls all through out my body.

As I sit on the exam table the doctor does a lot of examining and then excuses himself to the hallway.  He returns a few minutes later with a second doctor who examines me as well.  They both return to the hallway.  When my doctor returns he looks me straight in the eyes and says, "Well, we believe you have one of two things: Mono or Lymphoma."

I'm 21, sitting in a room with only a doctor being told there was the slightest chance I could soon be embarking on a fight for my life.  Those odds grew when you took into consideration that my Mono test four month before had come back negative.

I suppose you could say I'm one of the lucky 6% who have symptoms of Mono that reoccur or potentially don't go away since it can take months to recover from the virus.  When you are tested for Mono your blood is tested for the antibodies your immune system creates in order to fight the virus.  If your blood is tested too early, your body may not have produced antibodies to fight the virus yet.  This then gives a false negative test, so we can't be sure which exactly happened in my case.

Regardless, the two days I waited for all tests to come back with conclusive results seemed like the longest ever.  I remember calling one of my favorite people in the world with the good news like it was yesterday:

Me, "My test results are back.  Guess what?"

Them, "Don't say it. Please don't say it. Don't say the C word."

Me, "No, I'm going to be fine. It's not cancer."

And then we both broke out in the happiest of laughs. 

I've never really talked about this, even with the closest of friends, but Blogtember seems to have taken me outside of my comfort zone.  Perhaps it's a good thing. I don't want to be labeled as the girl who could have had cancer.  I didn't and I'd rather focus on dedicating time and energy to helping and supporting those who do.  

Regardless, this event was a life changer and a life turner for sure. 

Myers-Briggs INFJ

Monday, September 9: Take this short personality test and respond to your results.

For today's post Jenni wanted us to take a test known as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.  According to the test I am and INFJ: Introverted Intuitive Feeling Judging.  I have actually taken this survey twice before in separate college classes and my results have always been the exact same, even now!

 Huffington Post says that Little Women corresponds best with INFJ in their article "Meyers-Briggs in Books"

According to this article from psychology.about.com, people who are INFJs are described by the following:

"INFJs are driven by their strong values and seek out meaning in all areas of their lives including relationships and work. People with this type of personality are often described as deep and complex.

INFJs have an innate ability to understand other people's feelings. While they are introverted, they sometimes seem extroverted at times due to their strong interest in people and society. INFJs are interested in helping others and making the world a better place. They tend to be excellent listeners and are good at interacting with people which whom they are emotionally close and connected. While they care deeply about others, INFJs tend to be very introverted and are only willing to share their "true selves" with a select few. After being in social situations, INFJs need time to themselves to "recharge."

INFJs also have a talent for language and are usually quite good at expressing themselves on paper. They have a vivid inner life, but they are often hesitant to share this with others except for perhaps those closest to them. While they are quiet and sensitive, they can also be good leaders. Even when they don't take on overt leadership roles, they often act as quiet influencers behind the scenes.

In school, INFJs are usually high achievers and get good grades. They can be perfectionists at times and tend to put a great deal of effort into their academic work. INFJs enjoy learning, particularly about people, society, literature and art. They tend to prefer studying subjects that involves abstract theories and ideas rather than concrete facts and information.

Because they are reserved and private, INFJs can be difficult to get to know. They place a high value on close, deep relationships and can be hurt easily, although they often hide these feelings from others."

The highlighted areas speak so true to my person and a few are linked to posts that I think really support me being an INFJ.

Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? What type of personality are you?

Meal Plan Monday!

Well hello there, please excuse me while I pull myself out of the coma that was my weekend.  I'd like to think I'm fortunate in the sense that most all weekends are good weekends.  However, this last weekend pretty much blows most of the weekends past out of the water in terms of greatness and relaxation.

Aaron finally made it home on Thursday night around 8, which honestly would have been enough.  But really, thanks goodness because crazy weather nearly flooded our house on Friday afternoon.  I love rain, just not rain that comes faster than the ground can absorb it, not to mention the moth ball sized hail that destroyed all in our garden except the tomato plants.  Our yard was a lake with  rivers running down both sides of the house, and even after 90 degree weather on Sunday, the ground is still completely saturated.  I'm definitely looking forward to a few dry days before the threat of more thunderstorms returns.

Front yard from the dinning room looking out

Left side of our back yard.  We tried to move the water with buckets at first but there was no keeping up with the storm so we had to wait for the rain to stop.

Saturday I got to spend the day at Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa.  My girlfriends had rented a cabana that was awesome.  We were greeted with a welcome card and bowls of fresh fruit.  Waitstaff was assigned to us for the entire day bringing us food and drinks whenever we wanted.  We started the day in a lounge pool that was only 2 feet deep.  There were a bunch of rafts in the pool so we grabbed one to use as a drink rest while we enjoyed cooling off in the shallow waters.  After lunch we spent some time in Club Mud.  This was an area of the resort where you rub red clay all over your body and the let it dry.  When it is dry you rub it off to exfoliate your skin and shower after.  We all agreed our skin felt much softer after the fact.  We also spent time in the Roman Bath House,  Natural Mineral Pools and did the Hot/Cold plunge.  Most relaxing and fun day EVER!

Glen Ivy welcome fruit.

I'm trying to get back in the swing of meal planning and cooking as the weather cools.  I'll be honest, the last two meal plans we not followed.  Aaron was gone so I ate cereal, quesadillas, smoothie bowls etc.  But this week, this is what we REALLY are going to eat:

Monday: Spicy Chicken Wraps with Fresh Fruit

Tuesday: Apple Grilled Cheese with Spring Salad

Wednesday: Turkey Stuffed Bell Peppers

Thursday: Crock Pot Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Friday: Loaded Clean Cobb Salads

All meals this week are linked to websites with recipes I loosely follow if you are interested in trying them yourself.  Happy Monday, have a wonderful week!

High Five for Friday!

High Five for Friday Friends!  Linking up with Lauren from The Lauren Elizabeth, Amy from Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins and Amber from FACE IT CATALOG!

1) As I sit here typing my High Five of the week Aaron is reclined in his favorite spot on the couch sleeping peacefully safe back at home.  Our home feels full again and Maya and Marley are over the moon happy to have both their humans to love on.  On their way, home Aaron's crew stopped at Bass Pro Shops and he picked up some antlers for the girls to gnaw on.  They are advertised as an all natural chew toy but Maya wasn't quite sure what to do with hers at first:

2) Sunbutter.  Like peanut butter but made from sun flower seeds and so delicious!  Apple slices and Sunbutter have become my afternoon snack of choice.

3)  Blogtember started on Tuesday and I've been having so much fun with it! It's a blog every weekday in September challenge hosted by Jenni from Story of My Life.  Each day has a different prompt and bloggers from all over share their posts in one giant linkup. The prompts are thought provoking and interacting with so many other bloggers has been a really neat experience.  You can read this week's Blogtember related posts via these links:
1, 2, 3, 4

Better yet, join that party, just click on the Blogtember badge above!  We still have three weeks left :D

4)  I found the Wild Poppy Blood Orange Chili juice!  I am officially in LOVE.  It have a sweet flavor with a spicy habanero kick at the end.  I know it sounds strange but it really is just so good!  If anyone ever feels so inclined to send me a gift, cases can be purchased through Amazon.

{Via}

5) This weekend I get to spend my Saturday with  some great girlfriends at Glen Ivy spa.  It was a surprise that my sister kept from me until this week but now that I know what we will be up to I am so excited!  I've never really been to a spa before so I cant wait to experience and nice relaxing day with some wonderful friends.  Eeeeek!

{Via}

I hope you have an excellent weekend! Fellow Californians, good luck beating the heat wave!