School is OUT!

It’s FINALLY OVER! Finals have all been taken, papers turned in, books returned, and barely 24 hours have passed!
I celebrated this wonderful end of the semester by driving up to Ripon so I can babysit my beautiful niece, and it turned into a lovely afternoon! I got to visit with my friend Jess who just returned from a six week mission trip to Africa!! It was so wonderful to hear how God used her there, and some of the stories she had made me want to go! Maybe in the next few years
After catching up with Jess, I literally dragged M shopping. She whined almost the whole way until we got into the dressing room and she remembered that she does, in fact, enjoy it.
THEN my momma and I had a mother/daughter date night! M already had plans for the night, so she thanked me ever so much for making her go shopping and headed home.

Mom and I grabbed some Chinese food from New China (hands down best chicken chow mein, deep fried green beans and BBQ pork ever), some redbox movies (Pitch Perfect was awesome!!!) and some candy before settling down to relax. It was delightful.
And now, as I lay down, I find myself at a loss…before I fall asleep I am so used to blocking out my schedule for homework and work and school and housecleaning that I can’t get out of the habit!
I think I might sketch a bit….maybe read something good…..come up with some ideas on dating my hubby…..or just do nothing for one hot minute.
FINALLY!!!!!
So happy to be back.
~K

PB & Toasted Coconut Energy Balls

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to my brother, who had come to spend Mother’s Day here in CA with the family- we totally wish it was a longer visit but we’ll take what we can get! It was his first time meeting Gabs, and she is already in love with her Uncle ‘Merck’

My brother just got his helicopter pilot’s license a few days ago- so proud of him! He has a few more licenses that he wants to obtain yet, but pretty soon he’ll be flying me all over Hawaii for free, I’m sure. I mean, why else does he need a helicopter license?? Juuust kidding. Won’t say no though, bro.

Anyways, up early again this morning with a hefty to-do list for the day! I was going to start out with a run, but I peeked outside and saw that it was sprinkling- and decided to put off my run until later and bump a couple other items on the list to priority. Enter: no bake energy balls.

I’ve heard a lot of people talking about different recipes they’ve used for these nutrient-packed little snackies, and had never gotten around to making any until now. And man, have I been missing out! These are like little balls of cookie dough, dude- SO stinkin’ good! But healthified. A perfect little pre-run bite or afternoon pick-me-up. Or even dessert! Or crumbled on top of oatmeal. Or… I don’t know, probably good any way you choose to eat em.

You can pretty much throw in whatever you want to make these- these are so versatile! I decided to make mine with the following ingredients:

1 cup dry old fashioned oats

2/3 cup toasted {unsweetened} coconut flakes

1/2 cup all natural peanut butter

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 bar of Dove’s dark chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

{Mix all these things together, let chill in fridge for 1/2 hour, then roll into balls and viola! Better than cookies.}

Now that I’m recalling what I put in them, I’m planning out my next energy-ball attack. Craisins, white chocolate chips, almond butter, pepitas.. ooooo I’m getting so excited.

Any other good combos out there that you’ve tried??

~M

On dating your husband

Gabs and I are total early birds. My favorite is when we have already finished our morning chores and exercise before 8- leaves the whole rest of the day for more fun things and playtime! And minor league gardening.

If you remember from last year’s attempt at gardening, I bit off a little more than I could chew (no pun intended). This year I swore I wouldn’t garden anymore, and ripped out all of last year’s plants. However, I checked a couple weeks ago and I must not have pulled all the roots out because a couple stubborn plants grew back- I decided to let them live because if they survived even when I TRIED to kill them, they deserve another chance, and apparently they don’t need much attention. So what we have back there now is some zucchini, strawberries, and some herbs & potatoes that my friend gave me.

I spray-painted some cheap pots with my leftover chalkboard paint and planted some basil, flat-leaf parsley, and cilantro last week so that I could have fresh herbs all summer- things taste magical and a million times better with fresh herbs. In my opinion, the three herbs I chose are the essential ones.

Gabs watched from inside and we were able to chat away with the screen open- she has quite the green thumb already. These fresh herbs were major players in the food we made for our date-at-home ‘Spanish style’!

Since having Gabs, we have found some pretty fun ways to stay at home and yet still ‘go on a date’. Joe & I love to try new international foods, and so we decided to try our hand at spanish tapas for dinner. My brother in law spent a semester in Spain last year and told us all about the tapas that they would enjoy regularly- this sounded right up our alley! Plus, he brought back a super cute spanish dress for Gabby- she totally played the part for this date!

We just googled “spanish tapas” and chose the recipes that sounded the best. Here’s what we enjoyed and HIGHLY recommend!

1. Pioneer Woman’s Bruschetta

2. Shrimp & Chorizo Tapas

3. Stuffed Mushrooms

As you can probably see, my chorizo did not hold together, so we dubbed it ‘chorizo paste’ and used it as a spread- it’s all about rolling with the punches, guys. It all tasted SO good, and we enjoyed some wine that a dairy employee brought back for us from his homeland of Chile! It was a lovely and relaxing (and DELICIOUS) dinner date.

I heard from numerous people before we had Gabs that it’s important to continue ‘dating’ your husband all throughout your marriage and especially once kids are in the picture! I’m sure every married person knows that dating does lose a little of it’s magic once you marry your spouse, and that’s why I think its especially important to try and make things extra special as the years go by. Sure, Joey and I know way more about each other now, so some of that mystery is no longer there, but we find that makes our love so much deeper. We know the good & not so good about each other… and keep on lovin’ on each other day after day. It gets more and more important to take the time to date your spouse as time goes by, because life gets busy. Even busier with kids! It’s so easy to get lost in the busyness of life, and when Joey & I take the time to sit, talk, & flirt a little, that ol’ dating thing gets the same excitement it always had.

Plus, it was fun to take a break from the typical weekday meals and spice it up with a little spanish flair!

If you’re married, take the time to schedule a date with your spouse this week! Make it your goal to get those cheeks blushin’ again- it’s crazy what a little flirting can do for your mood in a busy week.

~M

{Mother’s Day} belated– but not forgotten!

Even though this post is a day late {we were too busy celebrating our moms!} I want to take a sec to thank all the moms out there who do what they do. Especially mine.

I’ve only been doing this for a little less than 3 months now, it seems a little unfair that I get the same celebration as my mom who has been doing it for over 25 years! K and I talk all the time about how as time goes by, we realize more and more what our moms did for us. Or, how what they DIDN’T do for us benefitted us in the long run.

K and I have been incredibly blessed to have the mom that we do. Through each season of life so far, she has been an example of strength, wisdom, and selflessness to us- always having patience for us, helping us find our own answers, and giving us the tools to go out into the world knowing what we are about and what we stand for. Now that I’m a mom, a million memories come swirling through my head of things my mom said and did that used to frustrate me, but now I realize how wise she was- and how hard it must have been for her to give us the tools to make our own decisions, and  let us make them. 

I’m thankful for my mother in law as well- the relationship that I have with her is one I am so thankful for. She makes me feel like a daughter of her own- I’m sure that’s a rare thing and I hope that I can be a mom like that to my future daughter-in-laws someday (God willing!)

I know K is blessed by her mother-in-law as well, she has told me many times. It’s a special thing, when you enjoy all your moms!

To all you moms out there, or mom’s to be, or ladies who want to be moms someday~~ thank you for the choice you made in becoming a mom! It is an experience like no other- that requires daily sacrifice, constant intention and attention, patience, and nurturing. I don’t know the half of it yet, but I am learning daily, and each day makes me more thankful for the wonderful mom I have.

Thank you moms, we love you so much.

 

~M {and K}!

 

 

“A Mother is not a person to lean upon, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.”

Proverbs 22:6  ”Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

Mexican Rice: Spiced up!

Mmmmm!

At a total loss as to what to make for dinner Tuesday night, I had completely forgotten about some Mexican rice a co-worker had made for me the night before. I don’t know what exactly he puts in it, but it’s magical. He’s explained it to me before, but I’m usually too busy cramming the rice in my mouth to pay attention to his directions. My bad.

Tossed some steak (or chicken, if that’s what you’re feelin) in a saute pan with a little S&P, added some green chiles from a can, some pico de gallo, taco seasoning and some Tapatio. Once that was all done, I threw the rice in there and kept it on medium low heat, stirring all the while, til it was all hot! A little shredded cheddar topped it off beautifully….

Use chips as utensils, eat nacho style, or as a regular stir-fry….Curtis scarfed it down like I hadn’t fed him in days.

Which, to be honest, I probably haven’t made a sit down dinner in about a week. Thank goodness God blessed me with a man who can cook for himself if he has to!

The end is in sight, guys- exams next week and then……..FREEDOM! Never thought I’d look forward to ‘just work’ so much…..

~K

 

The day I went back to work

…. was all in all, a surprisingly good day.

I packed everything up the night before so leaving would be a breeze (maybe not the right word) in the morning to drop Gabs off at my mom’s. I woke at 5:45 to get ready and feed my lil lady, and we were at my mom’s by 7- I had told her that I’d shoot for 6:45, just to give myself a little wiggle room and good thing I did!

I was a little nervous about getting back into the swing of things at work, so with those nerves swirling around in my head, I kissed Gabs good-bye and gave her a choked-up monologue about how much I love her and that I would be back before she knew it. She was asleep, but I know she already missed me. Just let me believe that, okay??

A couple tears later I was on my way to work!

Then I had to turn around again because I left my phone in the diaper bag. At my mom’s house. I’ll admit I was kind of glad I had a good reason to go back and give Gabs one more goodbye kiss!

My next stop, since no one was at the clinic yet, was to go pick up some donuts for my coworkers, who I had missed the past few months. I ordered a dozen assorted and had a nice little chat with the donut man- he asked why just a little lady needed so many donuts! I explained to him that it was my first day back at work and leaving my baby and that I wanted to surprise my fellow employees with some sweets. He was so kind and encouraging, and said, “You sad momma! You will have hard day, you need a donut!” Definitely brought a smile to my face.

Until I realized that they didn’t take debit cards, only cash. Aaaand I had no cash. I apologized profusely and said I would go find an ATM and come back- but he insisted that I just take the donuts! He said, “You take the donuts, pay me tomorrow!” I had NEVER been to this little shop before, but this man trusted me to take everything and come back the next day with the $8 it cost?! What?! I almost cried right there. I tried to say no, that I would find an ATM, but he said no- that I needed to bring them to work and have a good day. Thank you, Lord for a little ray of sunshine on an emotional day.

That was the first awesome thing about my day back. 

Worked out in my favor to choose to come back on National Nurses Week! I didn’t end up having one, but they were pretty to look at!

My second “God story” about my first day back requires a little background. (If you’re still reading this mammoth of a post, bless you. I admire your stamina) Last year, I had a special case I was working on very hard at work. It was regarding a patient who was in liver failure and had a special condition known as Hemachromatosis. I can’t tell you too much about the case because of patient confidentiality, but basically- this case was my baby. I talked to this man a few times a week and even worked with a couple students from our Christian high school to donate some of the credits from a blood drive to his cause. (He needed to have blood taken out each week and that gets expensive!! Each student was able to give him a ‘credit’ (free blood draw) when they donated.) When he found out that we had done that, he called in tears and said how God’s blessings were raining down on him, even though his body was in so much pain. I learned SO much about that blood disorder and spent many, many hours working with insurances to help this man. But I had never seen him face to face- I just talked to him on the phone.

My doctor came into my office yesterday- and said, “Monica, you’re gonna love this. You’re gonna want to see these people.” I thought to myself- which patients do I know well enough that I would want to just go see them in a room randomly?? I was caught off-guard. Because there in the room, were an older man and his wife.

You guessed it.

“Are you Monica?” It was my special case! It was that man! We spent the next half hour talking about his life and how much has happened since we got things rolling, and his health has improved ten-fold. He thanked me for taking the time that I did to make things possible for him. God, Thank you again. It was the encouragement I needed to make it through this day! I don’t tell this story to ‘toot my own horn’– but to say that God knew I needed something a little extra-special on this day away from Gabs.

Anyways, pretty cool huh? I love my job. I also love that I will only have to work a few times a month. Being a nurse is an amazing career, and being a mommy is an amazing purpose. I’m thankful for my hard-working husband who wants me to be able to spend as much time as possible with our daughter. Not everyone can do that, and it’s not something I take for granted.

She is not as chubby as this makes her look but I LOOOVE her chins! You’ll forgive me someday baby girl!

I mean, look at this girl. She’s hilarious. She’s like my teensy little BFF.

She had a great time at my moms, and got to meet Gibbs, my mom’s giant chocolate lab.

At one point, I heard a 6 month old cry at work and it sounded JUST like Gabs- I definitely lost it and had a weepy 3 minutes in the employee bathroom, but all in all, I really enjoyed my day back. I also really enjoy the fact that I don’t have to go back for a whole week!! Oh, it’s gonna be concentrated with cuddles and kisses, let me tell you.

Not to mention, Joey made me dinner last night. I could get used to that!

After my run this morning, I went to pay the donut man, and gave him a pretty big tip. We had a nice conversation and I told him how much it blessed me that he let me take the donuts yesterday. He told me that he somehow knew I’d come back.

Some people are just good people, and I liked this donut man. I shall be back, donut man.

Let’s pay it forward today, people. Buy someone’s drink for them at Starbucks. Let someone ahead of you in line. Mow your neighbor’s lawn. It will probably be just what someone needed. Be kind & bless someone today!

~M

Move It Monday

It’s the start of the work week! Luckily I don’t have to work today like most of ya’ll- work starts for me tomorrow. I’ve dubbed it “Terrible Tuesday”. Even though I’m excited to see my co-workers again and get back into a bit of a routine, I’m dreading not seeing this face for a whole day.

 

 

My mom will be watching her all day- meaning 7 am to 6:30 p.m. It’s gonna be a killer- trying to get back into work-mode while thinking about Gabs is probably going to make for a frazzled mama. I’m blessed in that I hopefully only have to be away at work about once a week, so that makes it a little more bearable! Still, tomorrow’s gonna be… interesting.

To rewind a bit, this past weekend was a wonderful blur of events! We started out bright and early at the Walk/Run for Life in Modesto hosted by the Modesto Pregnancy Center. It was a great turnout! Lots of very enthusiastic people all gathered together for a great cause and a little exercise! I had a fun little running group- 2 pregnant friends and 2 mommas!

I know I said I was going to walk it because of my injured feet, but stubbornness won out. We jogged the whole thing and it felt so good mentally to run that the physical impact on my feet didn’t seem so bad. Probably not my smartest decision ever but eh, Gabs wanted to run and I couldn’t say no. I was so impressed by my pregnant girlfriends for keeping up a fabulous pace!

Gabby and I had to high-tail it outta there after the run because next up was a baby shower for a sweet friend of mine! Natalie threw a beautiful baby shower for a beautiful mama-to-be of a little boy! Next time I have an event to host, I’m hiring Nat. Forget Pinterest! It was so special to follow up a Run for Life with a celebration of a baby on the way!

 

 

And the most darling little girl ever wanted to help me bring Gabs out to the car after the party- she said she wanted to be a mommy too! Heart = melted.

After we got home, I needed to rest my achy (and angry) feet and Gabs was sleepy, so we caught a couple rays and kicked back outside in the warm afternoon sun.

 

She wasn’t having it with the top, so Euro-style she went! Naughty naughty… I’m gonna have to make sure that changes soon.

Fast forward to today, we had an early morning- so instead of falling back asleep, I decided to do a quick Kettlebell workout. It was intense, and I’m glad my workout is done for the day. Kettlebells are sneaky little suckers! It doesn’t seem like it’d be that hard, but just try one round of a circuit and we’ll talk then. I have been way more motivated to find good home workouts because I finally suspended my gym membership. I went to my gym on Friday for the first time in months (why didn’t I suspend it sooner?? Wishful thinking I guess) just to see if it would work to have Gabs in her carseat by me for a quick 30 min workout, but that’s not allowed (totally understandable) and they don’t do childcare until babies are 6 months old. I wasn’t too disappointed to suspend my membership, because I wasn’t sure if having Gabs at a gym was a good idea anyway- so it just solidified my decision to stay in shape on my own for a while.

Hence, Move-It Monday! Thought I’d share another good circuit with you, even though I’m still sore from the last kettlebell workout.

It’s quick and killer!

Now I’m off to the mall with my mom- It’s Nurse’s Week! Meaning… free Cinnabon. I get a Cinnabon once a year and it’s always free because we just show our badges and into our hands drops a ooey gooey delicious cinnamon roll that will tide me over until my 2014 Cinnabon. Yespleaseandthankyou.

~M