I've been quiet around the blog-o-sphere the last few weeks, and it just means our family has been doing lots of things and I've still been doing lots of reading! If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you've seen that those have been updated a lot more frequently. :)
Here are some of the highlights of the last few weeks. Look for a March reading recap next week!
We interrupt your regular scheduled book-ish posts for something different! :)
Let me start off by saying I am NOT a fashionista. Up until the last month or two, my daily wardrobe when I wasn't working or going to church has been jeans and an old t-shirt. Work or church would up my t-shirt to something a little bit nicer and occasionally khakis instead of jeans.
With kids at home, I don't have the time or desire to go shopping for myself. And the few times that I do, it's only down the street to the local Goodwill to see if they have a pair of jeans in my size.
I was looking at the calendar last night and realized I'm over halfway done with my sugar fast -- 3.5 weeks in, 3 weeks to go!
Overall it's going better than I expected. There are definitely some moments where it's SO hard to say no to something sweet -- donuts at church on Sunday, sneaking a bite of the girls' morning cereal, every night scooping ice cream for Rocky.
I didn't even allow myself to share in the snow ice cream
I made for my family on last Tuesday's snow day!
Inspired by Sadie's Saturday 7 and Jessica's Weekly Ramble, this weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. It could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
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1. I'm going to my first ever freezer-cooking workshop today. I LOVE the idea of cooking and prepping things in bulk, but the only freezer we currently have is the small one above our refrigerator. So I'm usually limited to things like bags of grilled, sliced chicken or packs of hamburger that I've separated into 1-lb packages. In the next couple years we will hopefully move, and once we settle into our more permanent home we'll get a deep freezer -- but we don't want to get one now and have to move it.
My 2016 Goodreads goal is 36 books -- 3 books a month -- after not quite making that goal last year.
(This doesn't count the books I read to/with my kids -- I try to post a few times a month what my kids are reading too, click here to read those reviews)
Inspired by Sadie's Saturday 7 and Jessica's Weekly Ramble, this weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. It could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
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1. I ran my first ever Usborne Book Fair this week! It was at my daughter's preschool, and the church that I attend and work at part time. I had both cash & carry and an ordering table. I had SUCH a great time! I met a lot of people, sold a lot of books, and got some reading done during the downtime. :) It was 2.5 long days (setup Tuesday night, and 8:30-5:30 Wednesday & Thursday), but it was worth it.
I like the balance I'm finding with Usborne. I'm not really searching out too many opportunities for parties and booths, so I'm not earning the monthly awards, but I'm okay with that. I could push harder, but since there are no quotas to meet I'm really just pursuing things when I feel like it! I love the flexibility of this company.
2. Does anyone have any tips for finding cheap airfare? In July I'm going to be heading to Montana for the Annual GEMS Leadership Conference, and all of the round-trip flights I'm finding are $500-600+. The conference itself is $400, and while I'm getting some financial support from my club, I'll definitely have to pay quite a bit out of pocket.
3. My Sugar Fast is going alright. I'm 10 days in, and while physically I'm not feeling any different (no change in weight or energy), emotionally my cravings will either be non-existent or nearly unbearable. Mornings are pretty bad, and I'm thankful I've allowed myself to naturally sweeten my coffee with honey or maple syrup. Evenings are the second-worst, my girls are allowed one piece of Valentine candy if they finish their dinner, and Rocky still has ice cream every night while we hang out before bed (watching a show or playing a game). We have small group tonight, and I volunteered to bring dessert so that I can make something without refined sugar. :)
It's not very exciting, but here's my log for the week:
Day 4 - Saturday Feb 13
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup
Breakfast: Homemade granola (contains honey and maple syrup) with milk Lunch: Leftover homemade pizza Snack: Handful of cashews Dinner: Homemade "hamburger helper" - burger, pasta, spices
Day 5 - Sunday Feb 14
Coffee with heavy cream and honey Breakfast: Homemade bread (honey) with butter Lunch: French toast with butter, strawberries, and maple syrup Snack: Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup (I tried doing just cream, it was flavored coffee, and could only drink a little bit. Maybe eventually I'll get there, but not yet. Added a little syrup.) Dinner: Pan-fried salmon (first time cooking it!), homemade alfredo sauce on heart-shaped noodles from Aldi, broccoli, french bread
Day 6 - Monday Feb 15
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup Breakfast: Homemade granola with milk Lunch: Leftover salmon, alfredo, broccoli Snack: Strawberry fruit strip, handful of cashews, homemade chai tea latte (Celestial Seasonings chai, with honey and cream) Dinner: Tomato soup and grilled cheese/bacon sandwiches
Day 7 - Tuesday Feb 16
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup Breakfast: Green smoothie (spinach, coconut water, pineapple, mango, banana) Lunch: Cheese, summer sausage, crackers Dinner: Beef enchiladas with rice, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce
Day 8 - Wednesday Feb 17
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup Breakfast: Shredded wheat cereal with milk Snacks throughout the day (ran a book fair): Cashews, cheese, pretzel chips, strawberry fruit strip Dinner: Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce (no sugar in the tomato sauce)
Day 9 - Thursday Feb 18
Coffee with heavy cream and maple syrup Breakfast: shredded wheat cereal with milk Lunch: leftover enchilada Snacks (throughout the book fair): Blueberry Larabar, cashews, pretzel chips, black coffee Dinner (8:30pm...) Fried egg and buttered toast
Day 10 - Friday Feb 19
Almond-flavored coffee with heavy cream and honey Breakfast: Homemade granola with milk Lunch: Roast beef, cheese, lettuce, bacon, mayo wrapped in tortilla Snack: Cashews, strawberry fruit strip, coffee with heavy cream Dinner: Concession stand pizza at basketball game
The Judging Books By Their Covers idea originally came from Jessica at Quirky Bookworm. While she no longer hosts a linkup for them, every so often I get inspired to look into what other covers there might be for a book that I'm reading!
In February for the Reading Together Family Exploration Book Club we're reading Julie of the Wolves. I remember reading it in probably 4th or 5th grade, and I became obsessed with wolves. My friends and I would play "animals" outside at recess, and I would always choose to be a wolf. I didn't remember much of the storyline, so I was glad for this chance to re-read it.
First edition cover: 1972 This is the one I got from my library.
I can't find a specific date for these, but I'm 95% sure I had a copy of the one on the left when I was in elementary school in the early '90s.
