WEEKEND OF COMMUNITY + MARCH MADNESS

I know I say it all the time, but we have been extremely blessed with community in our lives.  Our last several years have held many challenges, and we have often been in survival mode.  These people have helped us to survive and thrive in so many critical ways, and I cannot imagine doing life without them - especially while raising young children.

Every year around this time, the guys from our church D-Group get away for some manly bonding.  It includes lots of eating, drinking and fire and not a lot of picture taking.  Here's five of the seven guys that went and a few scenes from their time away.

We ladies kept all the kiddos alive and well and entertained, which included a pizza night, a trip to the SEC gymnastics championship and getting sitters so we could have a Girls Night Out.



(We made the security people constantly nervous.)

Doing weekends like these require a lot of coordination between a lot of families and involves a lot of work and sacrifice.  But - it is worth it.  I'm always so thankful.

Past Weekends of Community {2015} {2014} {2013}

On another note - the UALR Trojans played on Thursday night and won their first game in amazing fashion in double overtime.  We watched in awe as a family and there was much cheering and jumping.  We sold CFA at their home games all season, so seeing their success was a real treat!

They lost their second game, but it was an amazing season nonetheless.  Looking forward to great things next year, and we are still soaking in the fun of the rest of March Madness.  There have been some incredible games this year - even though our brackets are busted.

MAGICAL TIDYING UPDATE #3: KITCHEN CLEAN UP

Though I clearly haven't been blogging about it weekly, I have been continuing the magical tidying journey.  I did some work in our living room with media stuff and have some loose ends to finish up - do I throw away all the CDs we own?  Do I own a CD player outside of my car?  These are hard questions to answer.  I also need to go through all of our electronic stuff/cords, but I need John's help with that, and we just haven't made the time yet.

So, I tackled the kitchen which is almost entirely in my jurisdiction and control.  Except for the four little people that like to wreck havoc and cause mayhem, of course.  Turns out, I create my own mayhem and chaos.

Exhibit A: My Food Storage Hoarding Issues
(these were stored in two huge drawers)



Exhibit B: My Random Utensil Drawer



Exhibit C:  Pantry Shelves of Disarray



Clearly, I have some issues, and I've been tackling them over the last couple of weeks as time allows. Which - let's just be honest - time rarely allows, especially because it is not something that I am particularly excited about doing.  BUT- the payoff has been great for me so far.  I am LOVING my closet and bathroom and bedroom being fully tidied, which gives credibility to the reasoning for why Kondo (author of the book) says to start there.  She says that if you can get your personal stuff in order and love it, then you will start to realize how transforming it can really be.  So far, that all rings true for me.

Things have a place to be, and I am pretty decent at putting them in their places.  The problems for me start when I get lazy and confused and I haven't determined where something should go.  Then that item languishes, often in plain sight, mocking me with its presence.  But, I am now addressing those items, instead of letting them mock me, and that is for the best in my little world.

I've made quite a bit of head way in the kitchen, though I've done it a bit haphazardly.  The random utensil drawer looks and functions so much better.



My drawer of kitchen linens got a major spruce up, which I know will bring joy to my mother's heart.  She's tried to organize it a couple of times, and it hasn't exactly stuck.  I do have every reason to believe that this will.  One of the major things I took away from the book was folding and storing clothing in a way that files them.  This also works great when applied to my kitchen towels.



Truth be told, my kitchen has more than enough storage for the stuff we have in it.  The space hasn't been utilized very well, and now that we have lived in our home for six years, I have much better ideas on what should be where and what I actually use and need.  Years ago, we cleaned out and organized our pantry, and I even blogged about it.  Some of it stuck, but now I have a better understanding of what food we will have on hand, and it's getting a better overhaul.

I also found and discarded Bacon Bits that expired in 2006.  If I haven't used them in 10 years, it's safe to say I'm not going to.  (insert laugh cry emoji string)  My attention was also drawn to the fact that I have collected far more cans of tomatoes in various states than any one family could possibly need.  I don't even really like tomato based sauces much, so I'm not sure why I had about 20 different cans of them.  #wishiwasexaggerating



I still have several problem areas to tackle like the cup/medicine cabinet and the spices and the cookie drawer.  But - much of the kitchen is finished, and that feels really good.  I feel like my house and life are being changed little by little with the power of the magical tidying.  So glad I'm doing it - even if I don't love every moment of it.

Past Magical Tidying Updates
Initial Post
Update #1 (Clothes)
Update #2 (Books)

SUNSHINE SALAD IN A MASON JAR

I've been into making mason jar salads regularly for several months now, and I'm officially in love.  It helps me eat healthy, pretty food everyday, and it has really helped my overall diet and vegetable intake.  I wrote about it with links to a few recipes back in November, and I'm coming back to share a couple of recipes that I love.

The first is a copy-cat recipe of a salad I love at a local restaurant, Heights Taco & Tamale company.  This is a mock up of their Sunshine Salad that I regularly get when I eat there, with a side of lots of chips, several different kinds of salsa and likely cheese dip.  I'm sure I cancel out the health benefits, but I'm okay with that.

I looked online for a Smokey Tomato Vinaigrette dressing to make and found this recipe that was delicious and easy.  I typically use about 2+ Tbsp of dressing in the bottom of each mason jar.  This recipe made enough for me to make two rounds of salad, so I saved the extra from the first round for the next time I wanted this salad.

After the dressing was in the bottom, I then layered (from bottom to top) these ingredients

Mango chunks
Sliced Avocado (with lots of lime juice squirted on to prevent browning)
Cooked Shrimp (I baked my shrimp at 400 degrees for about 8 minutes, or until cooked through - before cooking, I dressed it with lime juice and a little salt and pepper)
Pumpkin seeds (or almonds - whatever you have on hand!)
Spinach



The salad is good for about five days after being made because of the avocado.  It really is delicious, light and fresh - perfect for spring and summer.  Though I've been eating it in winter to pretend that its springtime which also works.

Other recipes that I have LOVED and made several times are:

Stetson Salad with Pesto Buttermilk Dressing - it is such a unique blend of flavors, and the freeze-dried corn is a really fun bonus.

Spicy Southwestern Salad with Avocado Dressing - this is what I've been eating this week with tortilla chips, since those make anything even better.  I've had a mild love affair with sweet potatoes recently, and the avocado dressing on this is so very tasty.  I make it with basil and parsley instead of cilantro, because I fall into the small percentage of the population that dislikes cilantro.  It tastes like soap to me - this is really a thing.  Look it up on the internet if you don't believe me.

I do occasionally use store bought dressing in my home made salads - usually Newman's Own Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette.  Having an almost gourmet lunch everyday makes me excited about eating food that is good for me, so these salads have been a life-saver.  You can just grab them as you run out the door - plus a fork and a paper plate or bowl.

Enjoy!

THINGS I'LL MISS

I found myself seated in our breakfast nook for lunch with my three littles who are not so little anymore.  "Seated" is an overstatement of the lunchtime reality where I am usually getting up and down retrieving various food and drink requests.  I've not ever been great at getting everything on the table the first go round when it's just us.

My irritation level was idling high as kids kept making requests and getting up and down from the table themselves.  Staying seated is a lofty goal for us and one that will likely not be reached anytime soon.  I wanted to just eat my salad in peace with happy children.  Fact.

Quickly after that thought came the next one.  The one that can inspire guilt and sentimentality and gladness and fear all in one fell swoop.  Next school year I likely will be eating my salad in peace many days by myself.  I'm sure that I will love it most of the time - I've missed time in my head and peaceful moments during these years as a full-time, stay-at-home mother with really young children.

But, there is sadness that comes with ushering in a new season and new routines.  I'll miss these faces, especially around lunch time.

Question marks are swirling through my mind about the fall and what it will bring for me.  Will I restart cookies?  Will I work more at CFA?  Will I spend more time helping coordinate events with the non-profit I'm partnered with?  Will I lounge around on the couch eating bon bons and watching the one soap opera still on television?

Time is a gift, and as it stands right now, there is time on the horizon.  I don't want to waste it, and I don't want to fill it up too full.  I want to be obedient to what the Lord has next for me and our family.

While looking through an old photo book last night, I was amazed all over again at how fast it all goes.  There we were with one child, and now she's a big 1st grader with three younger siblings.  This feeling of it speeding by with forever mark these years with children at home for us - it feels as if fast forwarding is the norm.  (She was the cutest little Red Fish to celebrate Dr. Suess at school a couple of weeks ago.  School age kids have so many perks!)

I'm glad I pulled out my big girl camera today.  It's easy for me to use my phone - obviously, since its regularly attached to my person.  But, these moments look different and feel more special when captured with my DSLR.  It's a great reminder of why I have it and learned how to use it.

I know that the next season will bring its own pros and cons, just as every one of them does.  Today, I know I'll be missing the silly lunchtime antics- especially once I forget how hard it is to manage them.