New Year's Resolutions

I hope everyone has started off 2014 with a Happy New Year! Every year (almost) I write a blog about my New Years resolutions and end up usually failing...but why break traditions this year right!?!

With that being said, here are my 2014 New Year's Resolutions:

1. Lose the last 10 pounds of baby weight.
I have to say I was a little apprehensive on whether or not to put this picture up of me. It's a little embarrassing, but then again-- this is what happens when you gain 60 pounds while pregnant.

This is what a year of mostly calorie counting and working out 5 times a week can do for you. The last 10 pounds always seems to be the hardest, so I will be finishing up this round of Total Insanity (I have 12 days left), then onto a hybrid workout of Total Insanity/P90x for 60 days, and then I plan on training for a half marathon to run in June.

2. Build this table.

This super cute table is from Shanty2Chic and I couldn't be more in love with it. We have 39 trees ready in our basement to make this table. Really, we had to remove 39 trees from our yard last summer and we had some of the trees milled into boards for us. We just need to get on making this table! I need the husband's help because each board is a full 2 inches thick and I can't lift them myself!

3. Get organized.

Like most Moms, I feel completely unorganized.

Between all the kid things, the dishes, the toys, the puzzle pieces, the dog, the laundry....did I mention the puzzle pieces....my life is all sorts of unorganized. My goal is to try to organize one area of the house a day a few times a week. Take little steps to hopefully a more organized life.

4. Be More Present.
As my friend Greta over at Modern Garden wrote today, the goal of being more present is my daily life is really my top priority.

I need to learn to turn off the electronics, close the books, quit making lists in my head, and just be there more for my kids and my husband.

5. Climb the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
Yeah, I know crazy goal right.

Plans are in the works and as long as my husband's schedule works out and the kiddos do fine with the Grandparents this will hopefully be me in the fall of 2014.


Well that's it, only a few short 5 resolutions. Who knows if I will keep them, but I hoping some of them will come true! Happy New Year!

Like this post?

Pin It

Easy Chocolate French Silk Pie

If you like a good rich, silky Chocolate French Silk pie, this is the recipe for you! I made this recipe for Thanksgiving, it was our alternative to pumpkin pie, and it was a hit! The pie features a chocolate graham cracker crust and a very creamy, chocolatey center. The basis of this recipe came from this recipe, but I modified it using some techniques I learned at a French cooking class while in Seattle. A French Silk Pie is topped with whipped cream, but since we have a few lactose intolerant people in our family I served it on the side. I hope you enjoy!

For the Crust:

2 1/3 cups chocolate graham cracker, crushed into crumbs

3/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

For the Filling:

1 cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons of vanilla

4 eggs (separated)

24 Dove Dark Chocolate Promises 

1/3 cup white sugar

1 pinch of salt

For The Topping

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled

1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Mix chocolate graham cracker crumbs, butter, powered sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl. 

2. Press into a 9-inch spring form pan.

3. Cream the butter in a large bowl until smooth.

4. Melt the chocolate in the microwave. (You can use a double boiler but I usually just put it in the microwave for 1 minute, stir, and keep cooking for 30 seconds increments until melted. Do not over cook the chocolate in the microwave....it happens.)

5. Separate the egg yolks from the whites.

6. Once the chocolate is melted,  stir in the yolks, vanilla, and sugar. Pour this mixture into the butter and stir well. 

7. In another bowl, add the egg whites and a pinch of salt. With a mixer, beat them on high until white peaks form. 

8. Fold the egg whites into chocolate mixture. 

9. Spoon the chocolate filling into the prepared pie crust and chill in a refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight to set up. 

10. For the whipping topping, beat heavy whipping cream on low for about a minute. (Make sure it is cold or it will not work. Also, make sure your bowl & beaters are room temperature or cooler.)

11. Increase the speed to high and add in sugar and vanilla. 

12. Keep beating cream until stiff peaks form. I like to make it very stiff, so I usually use the mixer for a good 5 minutes. 

13. Top the pie with the whipped cream or serve it on the side.

14. Enjoy!!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and hope you have a great Christmas & New Year!!

Like this post?

Pin It

The Joys Of Toddlerhood: Bad Behavior

I am really not quite sure how to write this blog, so I guess I will just start out with how much I love my little angel Aiden. He was born with the blondest hair, the longest eyelashes, and the cutest smile. He is a spirited toddler to say the least but always so cute and sweet that I have no problem putting up with his occasional orneriness....until this week....

It all started the other day at Target. Aiden and I were having a Mom's day out with my Mom's group at the local orchard and I had it all planned out:  Aiden and I riding the hay ride to the orchards, him asking all sorts of cute questions, teaching him how to properly pick apples, and getting a few Mama & Me selfies with my phone. It was going to be perfect! However, on the way out to the orchard I realized that I forgot my lip gloss. (For those of you who know me, I am very addicted to the stuff.) I had this brilliant idea to pop into Target, pick up some lip gloss and a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte and head to the orchard. The idea of sipping a PSL on the hayride with the brisk morning air blowing through my hair holding my little man's hand, just made the morning seem even more appealing.

As I was daydreaming in the checkout line I hear the cry of another kid and turn around to find my toddler standing over some stranger's kid yelling "NO! You put that back!" I was shocked! I have never seen him act this way. Sure I have seen other toddlers be bossy, push to get what they want, and throw tantrums --but that's not my kid. I apologized about 10 times to the other child's mother and made my toddler apologize not only at that moment but again when we were leaving. This poor child's Mom just looked at me and shook her head with that look of "you are the worst Mom ever!" 

Fast forward to today. I am involved in a local MOPS group and today was the meeting. My son loves MOPS days because it's his time to play with other kids in a daycare setting. This morning I walked him into the daycare and let the ladies working know we had been having issues with him pushing other kids and being mean. I figured it's my duty as a parent to let them know. I thought maybe a little pep-talk before playtime would keep him from being a mean little boy, however on my return I find we had not one but two more "mean" incidents with other kids.  WHERE DID MY LITTLE ANGEL GO!?!?!

I arrived home with my son without saying much to him the car ride. When Mom is quiet, he knows he is in big trouble! After talking with my husband, we both agreed that we really had no idea what to do about this mean behavior. The normal timeouts just don't seem to be a big enough punishment in situations like this. Hurting others and being mean is not OK and he needed to learn that. We decided the best punishment for him would be to remove all toys and books from his room. He HAD to figure out that this is not good behavior and maybe being bored with no toys in his room will teach him that.

While my toddler took his nap today I still couldn't get over his attitude and all the questions I have about why he is acting this way. Where did our sweet toddler go? Where did he learn this? Are we yelling too much? Is it something he is watching something he shouldn't? Is he not getting enough attention? Are we not punishing him enough? The questions went on and on.

I felt the sudden urge to go for a run, even though it was raining and we were having threats of tornadoes (in October??) I went anyways. On my run, there was something I figured out. I am not quite sure if I am more upset about my toddler acting out or was I more upset with myself? Don't get me wrong --my toddler was being extra naughty this week, but isn't that what a toddler does? No one says, "Oh, the toddler years are so easy!" They wouldn't call the the terrible twos or horrible threes without a good reason. I wonder if I am more upset because these incidents have me questioning myself as a parent. I don't like the feeling of being judged by others as a bad parent because of the way my toddler was acting. I don't like thinking that maybe we really don't know how to raise a good child. I don't like questioning if we are raising him to be a good adult or maybe another Dexter? How does a parent really know if they are doing the right thing with their child?

Later that evening, I happened to be at the grocery store and watched another child about my son's age throwing a tantrum in the produce section. He was yelling at his mom, smashing the children's cart into stacks of produce, and pushing his sister to the floor. The mother looked at me with embarrassment and then looked away quickly. It was at that moment I decided to walk up to her and say to a perfect stranger, "I know how you feel, my son was having a bad day too. Don't you just love this age!" She smiled and laughed a little with both of us in silent agreement that these toddler years are tough. We all have our bad days and it's important to remember that toddler's do to. They are learning to become little adults and all of these new found social skills are tough. That doesn't mean that we let them get away with murder or throwing tantrums that hurt others, but we do need to realize that this is part of what they have to learn in life. Parenting a toddler takes patience and true understanding that none of us are perfect parents. We just need to keep trying our best, stay consistent in the disciplining, and say lots and lots of prayers that our children will turn out fine.

UPDATE: I wrote this blog a month ago and can say that the "mean" behavior has gotten much better. Being consistent with timeouts, losing books before bed, and taking toys away has really helped him realize that there is always a punishment for bad behavior. He is back to being a sweet little boy again...on most days!

source

Like this post?

Pin It

Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bar

The other day I was shopping at Costco and picked up a box of these Quaker Soft Baked Bars for the kids (and me) to eat for breakfast.

source

I am not going to lie, they aren't that bad, but they are soooooo sweet! Too much sweetness for me to eat in the morning!

  This morning I decided to try creating my own version of a breakfast bar, but not a too sweet breakfast bar. Since it is fall I decided to go with one of my all time favorite cooking ingredients --PUMPKIN! 

The best part of this breakfast bar recipe is that there is NO SUGAR in them! I guess that might be overstated a little. There may be no added sugar but they do have some sweet things in them to make them delicious, but not too sweet like the above packaged ones. The bars get their sweetness from pure maple syrup, dried cranberries, and 70% cocoa chocolate chips. 

Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast Bar

1 can (15 oz) of Pumpkin
1/3 cup Pure Maple Syrup
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
3 cups Old Fashioned Oats (not quick cooking)
1 cup Almonds, chopped
1/2 cup Died Cranberries
4 oz. of 70% Cocoa Chocolate, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease a 9"x13" inch pan with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl combine pumpkin, maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg until smooth.
4. Add oats, almonds, cranberries, and chocolate to the bowl. Stir well.
5. Press pumpkin oat mixture into the 9"x13" inch pan.
6. Bake for 35 minutes.
7. Allow the bars to cool before cutting into 2"x2" squares.
8. Store in a airtight container in the refrigerator.

The Skinny: Serves 20 @ 144 calories each!

source

Like this post?

Pin It

Pink & Green Princess First Birthday Party

It's official, my little baby girl Remy turned one!! I still can't believe how fast the time has gone! My little girl came in to this world weighing a petite 6 pounds 10 ounces and had the thickest head of hair!

*photo taken by Adara Photography

I decided to keep up with tradition and throw my daughter a 1st birthday party! (See my son's Halloween themed first birthday party here.)

I wanted a princess themed birthday party, but the more I looked into the decorations the more I thought it just looked too "store bought". I always like designing my own stuff, so I came up with some decorations and planned the party! Here are a few shots of the decorations:

This is her 1st Birthday Cake. I made it from one of those large cupcakes molds and decorated it with a hand painted candle (which I did with nail polish) and a crown from the store. 

The guests dined on homemade cupcakes decorated with pink and fudge frosting and sprinkled with crystallized sugar. 

The tops of each cupcakes were adorned with handmade (by me) white and dark chocolate molded crowns and home designed paper cupcake toppers. 

Here's my cute cupcake stand that housed all the cupcakes for the guests.

Here is my decorated buffet stand for all the presents.

And of course the Birthday Princess's Chair

And the party room all decorated.

Of course no party would be complete without pictures of the birthday girl! Here is her enjoying her cake!

It's hard to believe how fast she had grown.

*photo on left taken by Adara Photography

I love my little girl Remy and I am looking forward to how much she will change, grown, and learn in the years to come.

Like this post?

Pin It

Current Beauty Faves - 8/18/13

Yup, that's right!  I'm still alive.  I know you were beginning to wonder if I'd fallen off the face of the earth but never fear, I'm back ;)

I felt like jumping on today just to mention a few of my "current faves."  I won't waste your time with any excuses for my absence and instead I'll just get right into it!  

Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer in "Tiki"

Image Source

After years of haphazardly fluffing bronzer all over my entire face, I've finally gotten into the practice of highlighting and contouring.  Before I was just trying to look tan and I'm fairly sure I just looked like I had a dirty face. 

Anyway, I love this Hard Candy product NOT for bronzing but for the highlighting.  It's around $9.00 at Wal-Mart (I'm not sure if you can get it anywhere else) and it lasts forever.  This powder is a beautiful golden/tan concoction that simply makes me *glow* (well, I think so anyway!).   I've tried other highlighters such as ELF's  "Gotta Glow" (which is supposed to be a dupe for NARS Albatross), but it doesn't come close to matching the beautiful sheen I get from Tiki.  I typically use this in conjunction with Bare Minerals ready bronzer in "The Deep End" with MAC's powder blush in Springsheen on my cheeks.  

And for anyone looking for a highlighting/contouring guide, here is a great (exaggerated) visual from Kevyn Aucoin:

Image Source

I know in my 2012 beauty favorites I mentioned some of my favorite Sigma brushes and I have to say my obsession with Sigma has only grown.  I have no idea if painters are picky about what brushes they use but for me, makeup brushes have made all the difference in makeup application and the final product. Given how much of a difference they make and how well these brushes hold up, I feel like they are worth the price and are MUCH more affordable than comparable high end makeup brushes. 

My current favorites from Sigma are the F10 and F86.

Image Source

When I first received the F10 I wasn't sure if I was going to like it.  I am picky about the width of my blush brushes and was concerned this was going to be too dense and narrow.  I'm happy to report that after continued use it does loosen up and provides the perfect fanned shape for applying blush to my cheeks.  

Image Source

I purchased the F86 with the hope that it would be perfect for applying the setting powder for my under eye concealer and sure enough, I'm in love again!  I feel like it's hard to strike out with any of the Sigma Kabuki brushes.  They are incredibly soft and apply makeup like a dream.  After I apply my trusty MAC Studio Finish Concealer, I dip my F86 in Bare Minerals Well-Rested, tap off the excess, and dab from the inner corner to the outer corner.  It sets my concealer perfectly and applies just the right amount of setting powder.  

I am so obsessed with these brushes that I just purchased two more for back ups :)  

Getting back to makeup products, lately I've been reaching for my Wet N Wild eye palette in "Comfort Zone."  

Image Source

This is a beautiful and AFFORDABLE eye shadow palette that can be used for multiple looks.  Lately I've been keeping it simple and using the top left three.  I've been using a mix of the eyelid and browbone color all over the lid and a mix of the eyelid and crease color on the outer v.  It offers great pigmentation and when paired with eyelid primer can last all day.  I believe I purchased this for around $5 at Wal-Mart. 

The last item I'll mention today is E.L.F. Mineral Lipstick in the shade "Rosy Raisin."  

Image Source

I purchased this lipstick shade online and was so pleasantly surprised with the color.  I've been looking for a "my lips but better" color for a long time and this is the best neutral I've found.  It's a beautiful, warm pinky-nude.  It doesn't wash my lips out (I hate that!) and it looks incredibly natural.  My only complaint is the severe angle of the lipstick.  It feels a bit unnatural when I apply it. I don't know if this is a fluke or if they are all like this but it bothers me just a bit.  

I hope you enjoyed this round up of current faves!  I have a lot more in mind I've been meaning to post about.  Let me know if you've made any new discoveries lately.  

~Christi

Paleo, Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

My husband and I are in the middle of a 30 day Paleo Challenge. Adjusting to not consuming any processed foods (including flour) has been a little of adjustment for us, I LOVE TO BAKE! Of course, within reason...I make cookies every once in a while as a treat! I had no idea how to adjust baking without the use of flour, but luckily I have discovered the magical, wonder of almond meal! I absolutely LOVE this stuff! It makes a great substitute for real flour and adds a nice nutty flavor to everything I have baked. Here is a chocolate chip cookie recipe that I came up with after trying a few others out. We love these cookies and they are pretty filling with the pecans and almond flour in them!

1 1/4 cup almond flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup pecans whole or halves (not chopped yet)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

½ cup coconut oil 

1/4 cup honey

1 cup chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips)

1. Mix almond flour and baking soda together. 

2. Place pecans in a food processor and pulse until you get a very fine flour, but not so much you get pecan butter. 

3. Add pecans to almond flour mixture with a fork and blend well. 

4. In smaller bowl, mix vanilla, egg, coconut oil, and honey. 

5. Combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients with the chocolate chips. The dough will be really sticky.

6. Using a small spoon (I use a melon baller) spoon dough onto a cookie sheet. The size of the cookie should be about a heaping tablespoon.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until tops are toasted brown.

8. VERY IMPORTANT -Let cool 10 minutes before picking up of they will fall apart.

Click here for a printable recipe

The Skinny: 20 @ 174 calories

source

Like this post?

Pin It