Where Have I Been? S, Y & Z…

Posted on May 1, 2012 by natasha

I feel that I have neglected my little happy place, but I have been a busy girl…more so than usual.  My friend Sandy and I decided we needed to join forces, so we created our new venture Social Fireflies…like butterflies, but brighter!  What do you think of our logo???  I designed it, so lie to me LOL.

We have been work, work, working on our new site getting it ready for launch…and we are hosting  our very FIRST GIVEAWAY going on right now!  Go ahead, check it out…tick, tock, tick, tock…all entered?  Did you do the bonus entries???  Great!  Thanks for the support!  Y’all are the best readers EVAH!  So that was the S…on to Y…

I have been at the Y…YMCA…we just got a brand new branch that is SUPER convenient.  Let’s face it, for me…when it comes to a workout routine…convenience is key!  This begs the question, why don’t the home workouts work…because I’m not having as much fun!  I have also discovered another Y…YOGA.  I (heart) yoga!  I don’t know exactly how to describe it, but I feel really good when I’m done with yoga.  My BFF is almost finished with her yoga training…and I get some much needed girl time with her very soon…can’t wait to do some yoga…talk about happy place!  (could I write yoga a few more times!?!?)  On to Z…

ZUMBA!  O-M-G!  Can you have that much fun and it be considered a workout???  I’m obsessed…seriously lacking coordination…staying in the back row…but smiling & shaking it like nobody’s business!  I can’t believe how much fun it is…and the sweat factor is like a 10!  Our instructor, Sherri, that woman must have rubberbands in her joints to be able to move like that!  She can shake it like I have never seen…something to work toward ;) .  Now if I can stay away from late night icecream, maybe I will see some improvement in the mirror.  I’m not that concerned with my figure, I know what I’m doing is good for me…and I’m pretty satisfied with that.

Today’s secret revealed…seriously, I never knew I could have this much fun working out…I look at the calendar, and if yoga and zumba aren’t on the agenda, I’m a little bummed.  So much for the running!

Posted in Living | Leave a comment

Beautiful From Top to Root

Posted on April 26, 2012 by natasha

I stopped at a local produce stand for some of their beautiful strawberries…I had considered going to the farm to pick them myself, but decided on the lazy route.  While there I spied two big, beautiful bunches of beets…I could not resist.  I have never cooked them before, but could not walk away from how pretty they were…plus I knew I would be able to find a dozen ways to cook them on Pinterest…what did I do before Pinterest?

They were less than $3, and had just been picked the day before…unless I plucked them from my garden, I don’t see me getting them much fresher than this.  The greens were so luscious and beautiful…I envisioned a salad with feta and roasted beets.

Look at that color, I kinda wanted to decorate with them LOL…so pretty!  Alas, I put them in the fridge and the weekend got away from me…I pulled them out on Monday *sigh* & the greens were all wilty.  I trimmed the greens down, to about 2 inches above the beet (I read that they would ‘bleed out’ if you cut them down to the beet).  I decided to roast a few, then save the rest for making Borscht.  I have 2 versions I want to try…one from my sister-in-law (who happens to be Russian, it is an authentically traditional recipe) served hot, the other will be cold.  Don’t look for these anytime soon…my intentions are to do a series on soups later in the year ;) .  So here is what my roasted beets looked like once I removed the peels (while I wore my handy latex-free gloves) and sliced them…

Sorry for the blurrieness…you know how I feel about Instagram!  I wasn’t after technical perfection, I wanted you to see the COLOR!  A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  50% of my family even ate them :) .  To roast these beauties, I rinsed the trimmed beets, put them in an ovensafe dish, added a bit of water, covered with foil, and put them in a 375° oven for 45 or so minutes (until they are easily pierced with a knife).  I let them cool for a bit, donned my gloves, slid the peels right off, trimmed the root tip, and sliced them up.  No additional items necessary…didn’t even salt them!

So when that beautiful bunch of beets beckons you…I say go for it!  You might have to do a little research, but it is so worth it!

Today’s secret revealed…I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this…Southern women take great pride in their cooking prowess…biscuit making is one of the hallmarks of our genre of culinary delights…I have not been able to perfect this art…but, after nearly 20 years, I think I have finally done it!  I made biscuits that not only tasted great, but were beautifully flaky and risen!  I, of course, took a picture to share with my Momma, now I’m sharing with you :) .

 

Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Working With Whatcha Got

Posted on April 23, 2012 by natasha

Sunday was a very lazy day around here…we laid around, watched movies, played a little Wii…got nothing constructive done.  It was cool and rainy, perfect day for such laziness.  Of course, a lazy day never means no cooking here.  I peered into my messy fridge, trying to come up with something, anything for lunch…I had some roasted chicken breasts needing to be eaten…what could I do with those???  I decided I would make chicken tacos…with homemade tortillas.  I had been looking for an excuse to try this recipe from 100 Days of Real Food for the tortillas AND I had gotten the masa.  FYI, I tried this with cornmeal…totally didn’t work, you must use masa.  It was quite simple!  My lesson learned:  be sure to let the dough rest!  The first few, I was eager to try & didn’t let it rest for long enough (I would go 15 minutes) and they really stuck once pressed!  I used waxed paper to line my press (because I only had a 2 inch wide strip of plastic wrap).  By the 3rd or 4th one it was working like a charm :) .

On to the filling, pure stroke of genius I thought ;) …I shredded the chicken, put it in a skillet, and added the ½ jar of salsa verde I had sitting in the fridge with a smidge of water.  I just let it simmer while I worked on the tortillas…it was fantastic!  Darling Husband loved it, too…kids weren’t in the mood for tacos, certainly not ‘green’ ones :) .  I shredded some super sharp cheddar, sliced a cucumber lengthwise, thinly sliced a tomato & a radish, and prepped some arugula & romaine (those last 3 items were from my neighbors garden…yum!).  I added some sour cream to mine…delish!

So next time you are at a loss with what to eat…throw some stuff together, you might just surprise yourself!

Today’s secret revealed…I may spend a day making these tortillas, they are supposed to be great to freeze.  I did have a tortilla press to make them with…I think it would be pretty difficult with out one.

Pin It
Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Sweeping Water Uphill

Posted on April 18, 2012 by natasha

That is truly what it is like to clean in the presence of my children.  It is amazing how quickly the four of them can demolish a relatively clean area.  Now, I’m not saying that I am anywhere near a good housekeeper…this has never been my strong suit (Mom, feel free to comment LOL)…but DANG!  I had just cleaned the table and swept the floor so they could do homework…it is partially my fault with the popcorn, I could’ve said “no”…but is the sticky drink on the table really necessary??? 

Darling Husband actually asked me if I thought that when we are old, and they have all moved out, would they still come by to make random messes…my guess is probably so :) .  How boring it will be without all of the messes to clean up.  I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel…Emma is old enough for PreK…I may have significant time with an empty nest 5 days a week very soon…what will I do???  I could clean…and it might just stay clean…until around 2:30, that is.

So, my “do a load of laundry a day to keep the mountain away” is pretty effective, but just like any of the constants (things that are never done in this house…laundry, dishes, & sweeping) if I slack for even a day (or 5 minutes with sweeping), I feel like I pay for it three-fold.  Mommies don’t get to take a day off.

Please don’t misunderstand…I treasure the time with my kids, am grateful every second of every, single day that I am fortunate enough to stay home with them…but never, not for one second, think that a woman that stays home to raise her children doesn’t work.  It is the hardest, yet most rewarding job I have ever had the pleasure of doing.  Yes, there are days I want to pull every strand of my hair out…but those tiny little moments that I will remember forever…they are awesome.

Today’s secret revealed…I think I should add ‘table cleaning’ to the list of things that are never done!  Em does ‘help’ with that, though :) .

Posted in Living | 3 Comments

Morning Goodness

Posted on April 16, 2012 by natasha

So I happened across this recipe for ‘refrigerator oatmeal’ and could not wait to try this concoction.  I loved the idea of waking up to chocolatey goodness that is ready AND guilt-free.  I, of course, tweaked it…just a bit.  Her recipe calls for chia seeds (yes, like the kind you slather on a claymation figure & watch it grow…CH-CH-CHA-CHIA), I didn’t have any of these laying around, so I omitted them for now…but do want to try them.  So here is my twist on her recipe.

A couple of disclaimers…I had just opened the quick oats, because they are quicker in the morning for the kiddos ;) , so I used what I had to see if I liked it…as far as the almond milk, I usually buy the unsweetened vanilla flavor, but they didn’t have it at any of the 3 stores I went to last week GRRRRR!  It did prevent me from needing any additional sweetener, though.  So, take a little mason jar if you have any spares hanging around.  Add ¼ cup oats, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder (this is SO yummy!), and a generous dash of cinnamon.  The cinnamon & cocoa give the flavor of Mexican chocolate…mmmmm!

Now you are ready to add the milk…in my case I’m using sweetened vanilla almond milk.

Now, put your lid on and SHAKE!  Shake, Shake, Shake…Shake, Shake, Shake…Shake your breakfast!  Now you have a little KC & The Sunshine Band in your head, too :) .  Put this in the fridge overnight…and in the morning you have creamy, yummy goodness!  I decided to top mine with some super sweet strawberries I got at a local farmer’s market.

I hope you will try this!  I am going to let the kiddos give it a whirl one of these mornings…make ahead always makes a morning run just a little smoother.

**EDITED TO ADD…this is a cold recipe, take it out of the fridge and eat it straight out of the jar…I put it in the bowl because it was pretty ;) .

Today’s secret revealed…I have an overabundance of these little jars.  I have a real problem getting rid of them, I always think “I’m sure I will need these one day”.  So glad I have my little stash!

Pin It
Posted in Cooking | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Little Inspiration

Posted on April 11, 2012 by natasha

I am trying to choose my next project…I was thinking it would be something for Em’s room.  I want to add some wall decor, the only thing hanging in there is the canvas collage I made from her birth announcement pictures.  I searched for inspirational quotes (on Pinterest, of course), but as I chose my favorites I realized that they did not only apply to Em…the boys could benefit from them, too.

This Oscar Wilde quote is simple and right to the point.  I never want my kids to be afraid of being themselves.  I am going to give them a double-dose of this lesson.

Dr. Seuss was so wise!  Just about all you need to know about life, you can learn from Dr. Seuss. 

I want them to choose happiness…it is pretty simple, you can choose to be happy.  It took me a while to realize this, I hope they pick it up faster than I did. 

Happiness is contagious!  I want to foster in them the ability to do what makes them happy…these days your options are really limitless, you can make a career out of anything…so why not what makes you happy? 

via

Now, I like to decorate with an odd number of items…so I have one last lesson that I will use.  E learned this in preschool, I find myself reminding all of them quite frequently ;)

This just might be the centerpiece of the arrangement!  I have a couple of pretty large blank spaces to fill upstairs.  I have an image in my head…now I need to get to work on making it happen!

Please feel free to suggest more inspirational quotes that would be good little reminders for my babies.

Today’s secret revealed…I could not get a good source on most of these, I am not trying to steal them…I like to give credit where credit is due.  Most were added from Tumblr.

Posted in Living | Tagged | 1 Comment

One More Day!

Posted on April 9, 2012 by natasha

This is our last day of Spring Break, so rather than toil over a post today, I am going to hang with my kiddos!  Excuse the brief post :) . 

Easter Dinner was a smashing success!  I made some super yummy mac ‘n cheese, from  Deceptively Delicious, I tweaked it to use whole wheat pasta and flour…and a few other little changes that I will soon share ;).

We were joined for dinner by our dear friend Lisa and her precious grandson Tyndall…I got my baby fix, complete with a surprise emergency bath :) .  Miss Lisa insisted I take a picture of our dinner…before the kids dug in.

Today’s secret revealed…the ‘recipe’ for perfect boiled eggs was not so perfect (I told you I was intimidated) we did the eggs on Friday…the yolks were medium, like they still looked a bit gelatinous…not what you  want for deviled eggs (or ‘angel eggs’ as Owen calls them).  I put them in an oven-safe dish, covered it with foil, and stuck them in with other already cooking items (not sure of the temp).  They eventually became the proper color and appearance, but when mixing the filling for the deviled angel eggs, it was lumpy :(  …tasted good, but I wasn’t happy with the texture.  Next time I will cook those eggs for 11 minutes.

Posted in Living | Leave a comment

Hippity Hop Hop, Easter’s on the Way

Posted on April 6, 2012 by natasha

I know I’ve already talked about Easter Sunday Dinner, but just a bit more about food…this time it is more about the fun, which may become a tradition…ya never know.  You know I love ‘pancake art’…so, I’m thinking about these before going to Church…

Maybe I’ll make a whole bunny, with a dollop of whipped cream as the tail :) .  You know my not-so-dirty little secret for serving my kids their morning pancakes…they dip in whipped cream, not syrup…way less drippy and sticky.  The little blueberries will be so yummy…maybe freshly picked strawberries on the side?  Thinking of that as a little activity for today, but the weather is a bit icky…

I would LOVE to make these precious little ducky rolls…my babies LOVE these rolls!  So appropriate for our table, don’t ya think???


We need to dye our eggs for Easter, then I will use them to make deviled eggs…but I usually get that icky grayish green stuff on the yolks…so I found this little ‘recipe’ for making the perfect hardboiled eggs.  Look at how much prettier these are when done properly…I hope I can make it work!  I am fairly confident in my abilities, but this does intimidate me just a tad.

My little Ducks and I wish all of you a very Happy Easter!

Today’s secret revealed…I have a picture of myself, about Em’s age, with my baby duck that the Easter Bunny brought me…I’ve always loved ducks :) .  If I find that picture, I will put it on my FB page.

Posted in Living | 1 Comment

Not Just Sunday Dinner…

Posted on April 4, 2012 by natasha

Easter Sunday Dinner.  My wheels are spinning with what to serve.  The Garden Guru and The Laundry Fairy (aka Uncle Tim & Aunt ‘Chelle) will be joining us for our annual Masters viewing party.  It is not really a party, more like us having a good excuse to hang out together…it was an annual tradition before we moved to Arizona, we took a few years off, but picked right up where we left off when we moved back.  This is the weekend that you know Spring is really here to stay.  If you haven’t watched The Masters, golf fan or not, you should check it out to witness the beauty of that course…Spring in the South is magnificent.

Back to the task at hand…planning dinner for Easter Sunday.  I am thinking of doing my Grannie’s traditional Easter dinner…ham, deviled eggs, green beans with red potatoes, mac and cheese (probably in the crock pot), and Aunt Lela’s coconut pie…it wouldn’t be complete without Lela’s pie (or Lee-ler as it was pronounced).  I don’t have her actual recipe, but found this over at Stacey Snacks…can’t believe she is a Jersey girl! 

I can taste it now!  Can’t wait to make these (the recipe makes 2!).  Here is what it looks like in the pie dish, just so you know what to expect.  Take a long stroll through Stacey’s blog…she has LOTS of wonderful recipes.

Today’s secret revealed…I am so happy to finally be able to complete the Easter table with this pie I remember so well…always present at Easter and any Family Reunion, Aunt Lela would be happy I found this…Grannie, too.

 

Posted in Living | 2 Comments

Spring Break Fun

Posted on April 2, 2012 by natasha

Our Spring Break is in full swing…gotta make some plans for the kiddies to have some fun!  We may have a little rain this week, so we need both indoor & outdoor activities.  I really want to try these SUPER GIANT BUBBLES…there is even a tutorial for the giant bubble wand!

Another little project that I think my kids will really have fun with…homemade flubber.  Ideally we will do this outside, but it could be an inside project if we have to.  We’ve made plenty of homemade play dough, with great success…but this will change it up a bit.  I love the shiny texture…I may even try a batch with the glitter glue (maybe). 

I am definitely going to keep them away from any carpets or rugs…we got play dough in the carpet at our last house…not a fun clean up process, to get it out I had to hire a pro :( .

Another fun item I want to try is this jelly fish in a jar (or plastic bottle).  It looks easy enough.  I have this on my “Ideas for Kids” pinboard…but I am going to warn you now, once when I accessed this I got a disturbing pop-up of the pornographic variety, so I will not be adding the permalink to this tutorial.  When the kids and I try this, I will take pics of each step and do my own tutorial.  I did not report this pin, because I have accessed it since that incidence without any popups, but I just wanted to warn everyone of my experience.  How cool do these look?!?!

I also have a big park trip and a mini-golf outing planned…not to mention planting the garden.  I would love to hear about your Spring Break plans…whatcha’ got?

Today’s secret revealed…am I the only one that worries about how my kids will look back on their childhood?  I stress a little about if I am making happy memories…or will they only remember me yelling “STOP!” or “WHO MADE THIS MESS?” or “UP, DOWN, or OUTSIDE!”.  Surely they will remember the fun stuff, too…right?  I mean, I remember the fun stuff…not the punishments (except that time I was grounded for 3 months…but that was on me, not Mom)…and of course I remember Momma’s cooking…YUM!

 

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Posted in Living | Tagged | 2 Comments