Weekending

saturday

this weekend was pretty mellow.

saturday morning i played catch up on things around the house.

the littlest brownsugar didn't feel well.

that girl is the type that if she is miserable,

she makes sure everyone else is too.

so we cancelled our backyard camp out plans.

i got this fondue set for $2 at my fave thrift store.

i marinated shrimp, chicken & par boiled red potatoes

& we had a fun little indoor fondue party for din instead.

sunday

sunday i laid in bed until 11 am finishing Catching Fire.

i am amazed that Hunger Games was soooo fantastic & Catching Fire was even better! i did not want to put it down, but i needed to eat.

part of my plan this summer was to get back to my menu planning.

i lost control of it during this crazy year & now back to it.

i decided to start off taking it a week at a time, but ended up with almost a month of healthy dinners on the calendar!

hubby started polishing up his grill master skills.

he made ribs for he & the girlies & slow smoked honey curry chicken i had marinating (similar to this recipe, but i added curry to taste). i sauteed some delish baby bellas in butter, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce & cider vinegar.

after that meal i am swearing off white rice...again...forever

this time though. 

it was all soooo good! can't wait for our summer BBQ party!

i couldn't help myself. even though i barely finished Catching Fire earlier in the day, i could not wait to get in my jammies

& get in the bed super early & read Mockingjay until my eyes refused to read anymore...& again...just like the others I'M HOOKED!!!

weekending. saturday & {unplugged sunday}

saturday

[beginning]

[middle]

[end]

{unplugged sunday}

saturday

[beginning]

we were instructed to lounge around in bed & not to come into the kitchen.

my smallest brownsugar A & i caught up on some reading while

my middle brownsugar M pulled off a fantastic fam breakfast surprise she planned with her Daddy only there to follow her instructions.

to my surprise she made 2 loaves of the most moist & delish gluten free chocolate chip pumpkin bread i've ever had.

i cannot bake to save my life

so for her to get the correct texture & moisture content in her loaves is quite an accomplishment

(not to mention a hands on life lesson such as measuring, fractions, following directions, meal planning, etc...)

 on  

along with turkey bacon & fresh slices of watermelon it was a fantastic meal.

[middle] 

while i got caught up on paperwork (BOO!!!),

my biggest brownsugar K practiced her guitar.

she is such a quick study

& is making such beautiful progress.

 it is so lovely listen to.

[end]

since He was home all day Saturday we decided to hit the 

Oceanside Harbor & grab some ice cream on the beach after dinner.

so glad we did, it was a nice (chilly!) way to end our Saturday. 

{unplugged sunday}

[beginning]

ok it wasn't a completely unplugged because i'm in the middle of wrapping up work samples & the end of this school year check out with our charters (YAAAY) so i had to go online for a bit to check some dates & messages etc... 

we also sampled an audio sparkle stories story 

(love!subscribing!)

but after that, being online was over...

[middle]

our congregation meeting,

which of course, was all about none other than freely forgiving one another, since that is the exact place i'm in.

James 3:2 is a great humbling reminder that "we ALL stumble many times..." & our imperfect human being selves need to be forgiven constantly & consistently.

 *super guilty*

Ephesians 4:32 is a another great reminder (command even) to

"...become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God by Christ freely forgave you." 

(& keeping on forgiving & keeping on forgiving...etc...).

this talk was obviously *lovingly* specifically designed just for moi...good thing i did not miss it :)

[end]

afterwards i came home had lunch & put up on my snuggly pjs & Ugg boots,

 i poured a cup of hot tea & snuggled up with my new snuggle buddy, the stuffed kitty my little A gave me to use when she is too busy to snuggle & my newly washed no longer stinky brown dog & caught up on some reading.

a pen pal letter from a friend in England, some new mag issues & 7th grade chemistry to round it all out.

this morning i wrote like mad {new inspiration & decisions for my soul }

*WARNING THIS POST IS ENTIRELY TOO PERSONAL,

COMPLETELY SELF REFLECTIVE & INDULGENT...BUT TOTALLY CATHARTIC! 

IF WOMEN HAVE MID LIFE CRISES...THIS MAY VERY WELL BE MINE*

i know it's supposed to be {unplugged sunday}

but this morning my mind, heart & soul have been stirring & i could not hold it all in anymore.

i have been writing it all down like mad.

i miss writing...i used to write alot of things

like poems, stories, daily journaling,

but this morning

i wrote thoughts.

i wrote feelings.

i wrote dreams.

i wrote plans.

& i FINALLY for the first time in a long time

i wrote my own decisions.

recently some things have greatly inspired & impacted me,

these are some of the ones i wrote down:

1. maybe i need to lower or let go of my expectations of others [that are never going to happen] & raise & change my expectations of myself.

2. never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be an option. someone who has always had time for everyone & everything else BUT you [me], always will (1) & never will (2).[this one i need to listen to the most]

3. you [i] need to find support where you [i] always have & with whom you [i've] have always found it. those are the ones who truly love you [me] & that you [i]can truly depend on.

4. make changes & sacrifices to achieve your [my] own goals & dreams, instead of changes, sacrifices & EXCUSES to only help everyone else [but me] achieve theirs.

5. give yourself [myself] permission to be self loving, self serving & self motivated also instead of always self sacrificing for others. pulling back & not giving so much away is sometimes necessary to protect ourselves from hurt. these are all different than being selfish.

6. my kids are old enough. it's my turn. & it's ok...i asked them ;).

7.the sun rises & sets for me too. i deserve it!

8. it's time to let go of alot things [old

dreams,plans,obstacles,etc...] & make a new reality [my own].

it's crazy. it's scary. it's new. and it's ok.

along with writing this morning,

i looked thru my old "self image" journal

& idea boards from 10 & 20 years ago.

*mirrors into my own soul*

& to my great surprise i still LOVE all the same things!

 life has changed, but i am still the same old soul.

the difference is that now i am lacking these things that brought me & my soul joy & made me ME, as part of my current life. 

it is time to bring those things that brought my soul joy 

back into my life

& in a big way.

among the fun things that have gotten lost along my way

are my life goals & dreams.

i desperately need to bring that ME back (I LOVE that girl)!

i'm overdue, ready & i'm the only one who can do it.

so as my list of inspirations says, i need to make changes, effort & sacrifices to make my own dreams & goals come true (instead of excuses).

& i also need to surround myself with people that really do support me.

and i have already started.

saturday & {unplugged sunday}

.saturday.

[middle]

.unplugged sunday.

[beginning] 

this weekend was a 

pretty mellow sunshine-y weekend

 yet we did alot & got a lot done as a family.

{unplugged} kinda crept into our Saturday too (YAAAY!!!) & since i only took one pic Sunday, i combined the weekend.

.saturday.

[beginning]

the brownsugars went with their Dad to get new tires for our Airstream & brought me some beautiful roses.

we are not big on holidays,

but they said they saw these beautiful roses

 & wanted their mama to have them (one of my fave flowers).

we worked on our Airstream.

i decided last minute i want to paint some of the interior walls sooner instead of waiting until later which will add a little longer wait.

it is an exciting but on going family project.

it's so close to being done & i can not wait to use it & to share more.

[middle]

i snuck off for a little me time at one my fave local small shops for lunch

& then to my fave local nursery.

i wanted to get some surprises for the brownsugars mini gardens & thought it was a great time since they were having a local artist craft fair.

(got myself a cute new wrap bracelet)

.unplugged sunday.

[beginning]

as i said we are not into holidays much.

{my sweet little fam truly makes it a point to tell me & treat me like they love & appreciate me everyday. they get it.}

*blessed lucky happy girl*

the littlest brownsugar & i made fresh berry & melon fruit salad w/ plain yogurt & green tea for breakfast.

(that was the only pic i took!)

[middle]

after our congregation meeting

the fam ran an errand

& i took a quick nap & read The Hunger Games on the couch for a bit.

[end]

we are going on a trip in a few days, so the rest of the evening we cleaned & organized.

He made a delish salmon dinner to end our evening.

{unplugged sunday}

the night before {unplugged sunday}

He & i hired a sitter & headed to Mission Bay to meet old friends (like middle school old).

OMG we had a B L A S T!!!

the bar's dj started off with a Beastie Boys tribute

& i rocked the dancefloor for the night (like i do)! 

{unplugged sunday}

[beginning] 

our sweet brownsugars set us a special breakfast service complete with instructions & place cards.

farm fresh eggs, fruit & fresh squeezed orange juice along with turkey bacon & pastries.

before He had to leave for work after :(

[middle]

the brownsugars decided to make their own music

& i decided that since i could still hear it...

i would enjoy their lovely music outside in the sunshine ;)

a few days before, i forced myself to finally finished the other horrible book i was reading

so i FINALLY introduced myself to Katniss Everdeen.

my last pic before the...

[end]

the brownsugars & i were gathering fallen avocados in our grove &

W H A M!

i got bit by a black widow!

long story short...

i got lucky with my symptoms & wasn't as severe as most bites.

i was able to stay home & monitor it with the help of neighbors, a doctor in the family & poison control checking in on me. 

thankfully i am back to happy now.

{unplugged sunday}

[beginning]

yesterday our {unplugged sunday} was pretty mellow.

during my morning cup of tea i got caught up on organizing my weeks to do lists, paper pile de-cluttering & finally got to look at a magazine issue i've been waiting to have time look at.

[can you tell what i'm thinking about?]

[middle]

after our congregation meeting,

the brownsugars & i ran a few quick errands.

i picked up one of my fave Sunday treats:

a cup of my fave vanilla nut cream coffee & 2 Andes thin mints.

when we got home i sat down & finished up a few handwritten letters to get in the mail.

[end]

He had to go out of town for work Sunday so no family hike.

everyone was beat from doing MAJOR farm chores the day before & getting ready for the outdoor season so no one really minded not hiking anyway.

we did some rock art instead.

the finished ones came out super cute.

after a dinner of leftovers

i snuggle up with my book & my girl.

i've been reading this book for months

& cannot seem to finish it!

each time i read it, it seems to get longer.

part of the problem is i am really not enjoying the book AT ALL

& am super anxious to finish it.

i promised myself i'd stick with it.

i should be done with it in a day or two.

i'm already thinking about my next read

hmmm...maybe Hunger Games finally.

*whew! i lost this post & luckily found it in my e-mail, so i was able to copy & paste. it's slightly different from the original post, but at least retrieving it calmed me down a little!!! Blogger better work out these new format glitches & BE NICE TO ME!!!

 

{unplugged sunday}

[beginning]

this weekend we decided to re-start {unplugged sunday}.

(thanks to my friend amy for re-inspiring me)

we began when the idea 1st started & kinda lost our groove when football season & working weekends started.

it was kinda a rough start because my fantastically wonderful hubby surprised me with a new ipad 3 the night before!

he couldn't resist playing with it Sunday morning for a bit, but i had to stick to my guns! 

the youngest brownsugar made up her own top secret cake recipe, baked it & served it for breakfast with eggs, turkey bacon, fresh strawberries & lots of frosting!

she & her friend Lucy went on their own mini hike thru the "Enchanted Organic Veggie Forest"

(that i didn't get around to planting in the garden this weekend)

[middle]

after our congregation meeting we rushed home for lunch, a quick change, grabbed adventure-loving-water-obsessed doggie Mahalo *happy girl* 

& headed out on a local hike & to do some fishing.

we started doing family hikes at new local locations every weekend (like this one),

but He has been working on a project out of town on weekends for the last few months. 

we love being outdoors surrounded by natural beauty & exploring. 

our area has so much natural beauty to offer & discover,

it was so great to get back out into it as a family.  

the only thing we caught was patience, long-suffering & quality time, but it was so worth it :)

[end]

the oldest brownsugar has fallen in love with cooking.

making me a very happy mama!

not only because we are sharing the love of cooking,

but it has been such a great help for me.

she eagerly volunteered to & made a lot of our meals last week.

she is building quite a recipe collection.

to end the night she made 

Buffalo Chicken Potato Casserole

 she prepped it in the morning & all our tired bodies had to do was steam brocolli & pop the dish in the oven when we got home.

 IT AS WELL AS THE WHOLE {UNPLUGGED SUNDAY} WAS A HUGE HIT!

can't wait until next week...

already have the spot picked out!