Friday Night Lights

If you said I had to tell you my job, I would say freelance photographer.  I do jobs I like.  I've taken photos of horses for a magazine, graduations, portraits, football games & some other stuff.  I will tell you that it is so fun and exciting being on the sidelines of a football game!  Last year, I spend 90% of my Friday nights in the fall on the sidelines.  I loved it!  This year, I haven't been so lucky.  Tonight, the stars aligned and Mr Davis came home early enough for me to head to the game!  

I love fall, football, & photography!  I got a much needed mommy-night-off & got to reconnect with some other photographer friends that I have missed so much!  I'll post a few of my favorite pics from the game once they're off my camera.  The last 6 minutes of this game were great & it made for some great shots!

I love Lowes!

I am a huge fan of Lowes!  Don't get me wrong, I like "The Depot" but Lowes is a little more girl friendly, in my opinion.  I absolutely love when they reset their lighting department.  My Lowes has quite a few clearance lights right now!

I have been wanting a particular sconce for a while but just didn't want to pay $50 for it.  So, I waited.  Today, I saw it was on clearance for $25!  Um, yes, I will buy it now!!!  So, I get the lighting guy & he says they have no more and none of the Lowes in our area has it either. I ask for the display & he says sure.  He takes it down & makes me ticket for the cashier & informs me he marked it down to $15 because it's the display.  Holy crap!  A $50 for $15!  Woohoo!  

                         

Last year, I bought my laundry room a super cute light the same way and paid $15 for it too!  

My mom rarely paid or pays full price for anything.  She's just smart about shopping!  I do my best to not pay full price.  I'm not as good as she is but I don't have her years of experience either!    Just keep your eyes open and be patient. There is money to be saved!  Happy hunting!

Advocare 24 Day Challenge - Oh My!

I'm not a big challenge or cleanse kind of girl but I agreed to do this one with a few friends.  I was somewhat leery because I didn't want to be hungry or have to make mad dashes to the bathroom 83 times a day.  I was reassured I wouldn't be hungry or sprinting so here we are!

Before we started the challenge, we went over the rules and such with two Advocare ladies.  One of them said the fiber drink was horrid & to take it with 4oz of OJ and chase it with water.  That stuck with me and I made dang sure I had plenty of OJ!  It made a huge difference!!!  It was down and done within seconds.  I didn't think it was "horrid" but I've never had it according to the directions.  I would call it rough even in the OJ.  Rough but easily doable.

We started Sunday and I had a bit of hard time figuring out what to eat because I'm limited to not eating my usual crap.  I did a little looking on Pinterest for inspiration and dug through some magazines.  I came up with a few ideas to at least get me through the week. 

Monday was easy.  I made my lunch for work & took plenty of healthy snacks.  I had plenty of energy from the Spark drink!  

           

Here's lunch!  Tasty & filling!  You can find the details below.

Tuesday was a little harder!  I was grumpy partly because my littler one kept me up & partly because REALLY want a big, fat, greasy bacon cheeseburger!  Anyway, my daughter turned 6 on Tuesday and we took her to eat at our favorite Mexican place.  It was so hard!!!  I ate bacon wrapped shrimp.  I didn't eat one chip!  No queso, Dr Pepper, refrained beans (didn't know if I could have them) & no birthday sopapillas!  Ugh.

Wednesday was better! More energy than yesterday but not up to normal.  I made a very tasty, and simple, dinner.  I made noodles with olive oil & sautéed shrimp.  My daughters even liked it!  I would have a picture of it too but the dogs ate it when I left the room!  I'll post details if it below too.  

Today, was much better!  I had my usual lunch but I upped my serving a little bit so I wouldn't be hangry (yeah, I mean hangry) later.  I had brisket without sauce & some potato salad for dinner.  I just couldn't help myself!  I had a rough day with my kids!  I REALLY wanted a Dr Pepper so bad.  

We were told at our pre-challenge meeting that we'd feel a little tired around days 3 & 4 and then it would get better.  I'm going to bed early tonight to kind of help it tomorrow.

My kids are huge supporters & harassers when they think I'm eating something I'm not suposses to have.  My husband is being such a sport and supporter by eating what I eat, except for when he's really hungry!  I'm having a little bit of a hard time sticking to this plan when I'm stressed & I'm super stressed lately - wish me luck & I'll keep you updated on my progress & what I'm eating while I try to survive!

Lunch:

1/4c black beans

1/4c corn

2-3oz roasted chicken

1/2 avacado

Lemon Basil Pasta:

~Whole wheat pasta

~Olive oil - how much is up to you, I like          just a little

~fresh basil leaf

~lemon slice

~salt & pepper

Cook your pasta, add a little oil, season, add basil leaf & lemon (while the pasta is still hot) & stir.  Turn it over a few times until the leaf is completely wilted.  It adds so much flavor to the pasta!  This is for an individual bowl.  Add several basil leaves , like 3-4, & 2 thinly sliced lemon slices for a larger pot.

Enjoy!

Banana Oatmeal Muffins & a Super Tasty Slush!

I make these muffins & I love them!!!  They are very filling, not overly banana-ee, and super simple to make!  I found the recipe on Pinterest & it comes from Debbie Reichert. 

Pardon the chocolatey mess I made on the muffin tins.  I almost forgot to add them & made a huge mess trying to add them while 1/2 in the oven.  Because taking them out for 15 seconds would have been so much harder...

Ingredients:
2.5 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup plain low fat yogurt - I like to use Kefir plain yogurt.  It's meant for smoothies so it's a little like      thick milk & makes the muffin a little less dense.2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 TBSP ground flax seed
1 tsp vanilla
2 very ripe bananas 

 Optional:
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 mini chocolate morsels


Put your oats in the food processor & basically grind them into a flour.  Then you can add everything else & blend it well.  After it's all blended, I stir in the walnut pieces.  Scoop into your tins & bake.  I baked mine at 350 b/c I have the recipe scribbled on an index card with none of the actual instructions so I went with trusty 350.  Sprinkle a few morsels on top & bake.  

I love these for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up.


I made a new little treat last night!  Again, I found this one on Pinterest.  It comes from Thistlewood Farms.  I didn't have pink lemonade but I had raspberry lemonade.  It's technically pink, so I went with it!

 

Please excuse the Pokey Puppy

 
I added about a 1/2c of the lemonade to about a cup of frozen strawberries & blended until it was smooth with the consistency much like an Icee .  I was also thinking it would be great with some coconut rum!  Enjoy!

I'm a Little OCD About Meal Planning

I used to go to the store everyday to get groceries for that night's dinner and the next day's lunch.  We lived in town and very close to a grocery store.  Then we moved.  There wasn't a grocery store in my town.  Not one.  At all.  I would still go everyday but usually after work.  Along with everybody else.  Did I mention I'm not a rushing crowd lover?  Then we moved again.  Farther from town.  And I now I had a toddler in tow.  While some days, going for groceries was my only time out of the house and my then toddler loved our outings, it got a little old.  Going 30 minutes, each way, everyday for bread.  Or milk.  Or chicken.  I decided start making a menu, a plan, and taking a list.

I'm a little OCD about my menu and list now.  I feel completely lost when I don't have a list.  It's just stressful.  Yes, I know it's just grocery shopping but if you're trying to stick to a budget, you gotta do what you gotta do!

I have a system that works so nicely for me.  It has really organized my meal planning, my kids school papers, coupons, and to-go menus.  So, I thought I'd share it.

 I use a binder to hold everything together and plenty of clear page protectors to stash everything in. 

I made these cards to help me remember ingredients and sides.  Each card is a meal and has everything that goes into that meal.  I'm a huge fan of quick and easy so some of them are super short!  I sit down with the previous menu, my cards, paper for my list, and any new recipes I'd like to try.  I plan my meals, being sure not to plan them to close to the last time they were on the menu, and make my list.  I also have a card with our staples, like bread, milk cheese, fruit, etc. so they're also added to the list.

I write out my menu in pencil to allow for changes or to move things from one night to another, if needed.  I keep this in the same page as the menu planning page.  Next to that is the menu for my girls school lunches so I can plan what days they'll be buying lunch and what days I actually have to make their lunches.

 I keep my coupon in this handy pouch and dig through them after them menu is made.  I keep a stash of restaurant coupons because who doesn't like to save a few bucks when you could and probably should be cooking.  Sometimes mama needs a night off too!

This has nothing to do with menu planning but it's super cute!  I carry crayons in my purse and have for years.  The kids can only color so much with 3 greens and a red that the restaurant gives them!  I had a prefect sized little pouch for them for quite a while but Mr Davis left it at the restaurant one night while I took the girls away from the table while he finished paying.  I blame him for leaving it & he blames me for not taking.  whatever.  He's wrong.  Anyway, I saw this cute little tin with crayons already inside.  It was on clearance at my Target for $1.24 so I couldn't NOT buy it!

Mermaids on the brain!

Miss Maddie decided that she really wanted a pool party for her birthday party this year with a mermaid theme.  I searched Etsy to find the "just right" mermaid clip-art to make her invitations with.  I found it at a cute shop called RainbowPips.  After about an hour of Maddie standing on the back of my chair & Grace laying over my desk while they offered their opinions, I finished her invitation.  I love how it turned out!!!

I'm a little concerned about the weather.  I decided to go ahead and have a back-up plan.  I made these little cards to let everybody know what would go down if the weather gets funky.  I'll also be making some  coordinating thank you cards for Maddie to fill out after it's all over.

 

  I love them so much but most of all, Maddie loves them and that's all that really matters.  They always look forward to the making of the invitations.  It signals the beginning of the planning & the festivities!  I love their birthdays & try to make them as special as my mom always made ours.  She set the bar pretty high for special.  Not necessarily extravagant, but definitely super special!!!

I ❤ tacos!!!

I love tacos!!!  I could eat them everyday! I have been looking for a little bit healthier version.  I could have made these a little healthier but I didn't.  I could have stuck with eating just these but I didn't.  I could have used chicken but...I didn't.  I seized the day and had them my way!  I'll do better tomorrow at lunch, I swear!

The "confetti" is rinsed black beans, corn, and Lime & Cilantro Rotel.  Getting the right Rotel makes a HUGE difference!  A friend made it for us as a dip but I love it on tacos too!  Give it a try - it's a tasty treat!

I survived!

I survived another child going off to kindergarten!  I also survived my older child going into 3rd grade!  I have no idea when they got bigger but it seems to have happened over night.  I really shocked myself, and everyone that knows me, when I didn't completely fall apart yesterday when I dropped Maddie off.  Mr Davis was prepared to have to hold me up on our walk back home.  I did cry.  I quietly whimpered as we walked home.  Mr Davis simply held my hand and allowed me to be quiet for a few minutes.  I sucked it up, dried my eyes, and went on with our morning. 

When Grace started kinder, Maddie also started pre-school & we were in the middle of a very stressful home purchase.  It was just more than I could handle at the moment.  I did a LOT of crying that fall.  All of that fall.  And half of spring.  Sending her to first grade was quite a bit easier because I took the Dr Seuss quote "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" to heart.  I made it my motto. 

This spring, me and my friend, Ashlee, decided to start training for a 5K.  We used the C25K app.  We started strong but summer happened and she fell off the wagon.  I was determined to stay on and started running with another friend, Noemi, who runs regularly.  She runs faster and farther than I do.  She is a great support and encourages me to keep going even when I feel like I'm dying.  She also tells me it's ok when I take a break.  I'm thrilled that Ashlee is back and I have two amazing running buddies now!  I'm such a lucky girl!  Running allows me to clear my mind and reset.  Our runs consist of mindless chatter, heart to hearts and good laughs.  These two ladies have made such a difference in my world!
 

Me & Ashlee

Noemi & me

A lot of things have changed since this past spring and running has given me a new outlook.  It has made me realize that I'm fine with all of the changes around me.  It has made me realize that I'm more than fine, I'm happier because of them.  It also made me realize that I'm not going to die because my kids are growing into lovely young ladies.  I'll survive the day they start middle school, high school, and college.  I'll survive their wedding day.  I may create my own puddle for a little while but I'll be ok.  I choose to be happy because they're here, they're happening and I've been given the beautiful gift of being their mother.  I've been able to stay home with them until they've both started school.  Tomorrow, I start a very flexible new job that allows me to drop them off and pick them up everyday and to be there for their parties and events.  I'm nervous & excited.  I haven't had an outside job since Grace was a baby.  But I'm sure I'll survive. 

Hill Country Water Gardens

My girls are always asking to walk through Hill Country Water Gardens.  We had no other plans today so why not!?  There is always so much to see and such fun things for your yard!

They have the cutest fairy furniture!

My girls were in heaven with the selection of fairy house accessories 

The fairy house displays were super cute!  Naturally, my children chose to ignore the Please Don't Touch signs!

 

We also found a herd of pet rocks

And some crazy yard birds

My girls have always had such a love for the glass toad stools!  I broke down this time and bought them each a small one.
 

 We were there for about an hour and were the only kids.  The girls were invited to feed the fish in the big tank.  They were so excited & thought it was just the greatest thing!

It really is a very pretty store/ nursery! 

My girls are looking forward to fall and coming to pick out a pumpkin.  They have several varieties that you don't really see at HEB.  They also decided that they really want some fairy furniture for their birthdays.  I love their imaginations and how willing they are to believe in magic.  If it hadn't started to get hot, we would have spent more time there today!  I know we'll be back there soon.  They found lots of things they want to show Mr Davis for our backyard.  If they have their way, he's going to be a very busy guy!

Finally! The DIY play kitchen is done!

So my daughters, 8 & 5, liked to with their play kitchen but it was entirely too short.  Grace was having to play with it on her knees.  I promised a taller kitchen and if they'd give up the old one.  They finally agreed!  My next move was to get on Pinterest and get ideas. My girls loved the overall design of the one made by John & Sherry Petersik.  The link to their kitchen here.  I found a $5 microwave cart on Craigslist and used some scrap wood that my handy husband let me have.  So, here it is before...

My $5 find!

 

Here it is in all of it's sanded glory!

 My girls chose a color called Cockatiel & we found it at Lowes

 I hot glued subway tiles for a back-splash

We found some super cute shelf paper at Target but it wasn't very sticky so I pookied it down

And here is the finished product!

I need to make a little dust ruffle to cover the wheels.  I asked Mr Davis to make me a piece of trim & I got "the look" so I decided a dust ruffle would look better anyway!

 Inside the cabinet

 

 I had planned a curtain to cover the storage area but the girls protested and want it left open so you can see the shelf paper

I found the faucet at Home Depot for $15.  The sink was a chip bowl we use for parties.  I hot glued a clip to hang their recipes and used those sticky poster mounting squares to attach our Dollar Tree dry erase board.  The burners are scrap plywood  & the knobs are just wooden knobs.

The girls are so happy with the finished product and so am I!!!  It's exactly what they wanted and it cost me about $40 to make!

Fairy House project complete!

Like many others, my girls saw the Tinkerbell movie & just had to build a fairy house!  Of course, I'm a sucker for a cute project said "yeah, let's do that!" And of course, it quickly became a huge undertaking & I began to regret saying yes.  After knocking my child's expectation for a twig Taj Mahal, we finally completed our fairy house & I have to say it's a cute addition to our flower bed!

I hate making lunches but...

I hate making lunches but I do like to make them cute.  I like to put notes, jokes, and fun facts in their lunches.  I made little place mat napkins when Grace was in 1st grade and made new ones for both girls this past spring.  I like to plan ahead for the notes so I don't really have to think about it.  I keep them in an envelope on the side of the fridge so I can just pull one out and drop it in their lunchboxes.  With that said, I here's my first round of notes.  I thought I would send them off with some of my favorite pictures from some of our outings over the summer.  So, without further ado...

 These are the little place mat napkins that I put in their lunchboxes.  They are fans of these because they can open up their food & it not have to sit on the table.  Maybe they're borderline germaphobes.

If I make them 3X3, they'll fit nicely into these cute little envelopes I bought for no reason.  But, I can only get 6 to a page.  

 If I make them 2X2, I can get 20 per page and still have room for my little note on the back.  The pictures are a little smaller than I'd like though.  And when I print quotes and jokes, I'm afraid it will be a tight fit.

I think I have found a happy medium with making them 2 3/4" - this way I can make 12 at a time!  The pics look nice and they're big enough for jokes and quotes.

 Realistically, do they need to be in the cute little envelopes? No.  Am I really going to add another step to my morning just for cuteness?  Depends on if I've got myself together and I have an extra minute or two...so the real answer here is no. 

They're a cute size and I'll be printing them on card stock simply because I like it.  I like that it feels more like a card.  When I do quotes and jokes, I won't have to change the template to make room for a legible font.  I'm sure I'll slap myself later for saying this, but I cannot wait to make their first lunches - they're going to be so fun!  I have to go, my nerd is showing.

While my kids were out if town...

My girls were gone visiting their grandparents for a few days.  While they were gone, I got some work done, got major parts of some projects done & got to simply hang out with the Mr.  I though I would share a few things that went down while my kids were gone.

I started them off right with giant Slurpees to get all sugared up for NaNa!

Mr Davis & I had a nice dinner...just us.

We got in some range time together.

 Jared always see cars parked here.  There's a bridge behind me.  He's always wondered what was the big deal so we stopped. 

We took a stroll through the woods to see where the trail took us.

Beautiful!!!

And someone, who shall remain nameless, slipped on mud & went "splat" & promised to destroy my phone if I didn't delete the picture of him covered in mud.

Like I said, I worked on some projects & I'll post more on those then they're complete.  Saying that will give me a good reason to wrap them up quickly - don't want to show you what a slacker I can be!