2015 ::One Little Word::

I have been choosing One Little Word to guide my year since 2009.  I got the idea from this blog by Ali Edwards.   For me, this One Little Word was meant to replace the "New Year Resolutions".  I've always been very thoughtful about choosing my word each year and often times found myself worrying over it as I prayed and meditated and waited for the word to come to me.  You see, I have always had a hard time knowing what I wanted in life.  I never struggled with helping others.  I was a great leader and encourager to those that needed me - an edifier, if you will.  However for me? Not so much.  It could be anything - I had such a hard time choosing anything for myself. For me.
Here are my words from years past along with my word for 2015:

FOCUS, TRUE, JOURNEY, DO, MINIMIZE, ASSERTIVE and MORE

So, you may have noticed that the last time I blogged here, it was 2013.  I am an avid journaler and never stopped writing my thoughts and continued to keep a written journal.  I've done that since I was a young girl.  Anyway, for reasons I won't go into here, I decided to take a break from my public blog.  I continued with other social media platforms, but I kept it very basic only sharing pictures of special events or moments on my "friends only" timeline - rarely sharing opinions, personal thoughts or anything like that.

I want you to know (if there's anyone even here anymore) that I've missed this blog very much.  There were many times where I wanted to come and share or vent or whatever - but I just couldn't.

But now - I am back.  And guess what?  I am looking for MORE!  More of what?  I kept feeling like I wanted to re-visit my word from 2013 which was MINIMIZE.  But something kept telling me that instead of wanting LESS for myself, I needed to put a positive spin on it and decide that I wanted MORE.  So instead of saying LESS stress - I can say MORE relaxation and leisure.  Instead of less clutter and chaos in all areas of my life - I can say MORE organization and follow through.  Get it?

It's all about going with the POSITIVE AFFIRMATION.  

This year, I would like to enjoy or experience MORE:

• gratitude
• art
• focus
• sleep
• exercise
• devotion
• books
• laughter
• freedom
• assertiveness
• truth
• desire
• spirituality
• peace
• fun
• music
• ME.

I am really excited about all the possibilities this year holds for me.  It has already been a great year and as a matter of fact, 2014 ended up being quite awesome too. I look forward to being HERE so much MORE.  I hope that you will join me!  

Did you choose a word or intention this year?  I'd love to hear about it.  Feel free to leave a link or tell me in the comments!

An interview with Naomi: Age 8

This last July I interviewed Marco for his birthday and Naomi wanted me to do the same. Glad she reminded me!  
You can read Marco's here, but this is my Naomi's. She just turned 8 this past Sunday.

Naomi Age 8
1. Who is your favorite person in the whole world?
God
2. What is your favorite color?
Turquoise
3. What's your favorite television show?
Austin and Ally
4. What's your favorite outfit?
My One Direction shirt and dark denim shorts
5. What sport do you like best?
Soccer
6. What is your favorite cereal?
Cookie Crisp
7. Who is your best friend?
Citlali
8. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A professional artist
9. What is your favorite book?
"The Day the Babies Crawled Away" by Peggy Rathmann
10. What are you really good at?
Singing and painting
11. Where do you wish you could go on vacation?
Universal Studios
12. What song do you love?
The Best Song Ever by One Direction
13. What's your best memory?
When Mommy surprised me and Taryn and took us to the One Direction movie, "This is Us."
14. What would you buy if you had $1,000.00?
I would buy an iPod and a phone.
15. What vegetable do you hate the most?
Corn
16. If you could have a wish, what would it be?
For daddy to find a job. 
17. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Vanilla
18. Who is your biggest hero?
My Grandpa Rudegeair 
19. What do you like to do best with your friends?
Play and talk about stuff
20. What do you hope to do before your next birthday?
Get straight A's in school.
She was very thoughtful with her answers. So sweet. Almost made me cry with number 16.  She's daddy's girl for sure.

We are having a little sleepover party for her this Friday. It is a first for her and the girls that are coming.  I'm sure you will get to see pictures once it's over and I recover. haha!

Getting my ducks in a row...

Today marks day 30 since my decision to get back on a paleo/primal type way of eating.
I feel so much better today than I did the day I started.
It was my original plan to have a sort of "cheat" day when I hit day 30 -
but that's not going to happen.
There are a couple of reasons for this.
1. I don't really feel like I am dying for anything "bad" right now.
2. I started the Primal Blueprint 21 Day challenge with my husband last week,
so this is day 8 of that challenge and I don't want to mess it up.
3. If I'm going to indulge in anything not on our "diet", I'd rather be able to enjoy
it with my guy.
So I am waiting and if we feel we need it -
we will celebrate our 21 days with something at the end of that, which will be October 6th. =)

Instead of having a cheat day, I decided to celebrate day 30 with a nice primal nature walk.
I actually wish I lived closer to the ocean, 'cause that is how I would really choose to celebrate anything.
Good old Fairmount Park here in Riverside would have to do!
I guess the park got really run down at one time and was getting a pretty bad rap.
Thankfully, the city has done much to improve it and clean it up and it's a popular and beautiful
place for everyone to enjoy now!  These pictures were taken with my phone, but hopefully you can see the beauty that I got to experience this morning as I walked and thought about all the blessings in my life.

 This was my view as I got out of the car and started walking...

 Lots of people are posting photos of their autumn skies - well here's mine. I call it summerfall. ;)

There's a nice rose garden here at this park and I took some time to sit on a bench and meditate in front of this fountain. Beautiful!

 As I continued my walk - I accidentally stepped on this little guy. Whoops! Sorry!

 Did I say 'little guy'?  Here he is in comparison to my thumb nail! Eeks. Moving on!

 Sitting in front of the pond/"lake" is really the best part of this place.  So beautiful... Lots of thoughts, ideas and gratitude running through my head as I take it all in.

 Quack! Quack!!

Here's the other side. Beautiful, right?
On this walk, I made sure that I did a few sprints. Yes, I really did.  I did lots of jumps up onto a short wall. I made sure I was breathing deeply and any time a negative or fearful thought would pop into my head - I said, "NO!"  I said it right out loud.  Luckily, I didn't get any strange looks from anybody, but I wasn't being obnoxious about it either. haha!  I am a worrier.  I over-think things.  I don't want to do that anymore - so I am kicking it to the curb!

I have not been doing so hot on getting to bed as early as I'd like, so that still needs a lot of work!

I have a doctor appointment this Thursday and I am actually looking forward to seeing if there is any difference in weight since I don't weigh myself at home.
Also trying a coconut macaroon recipe for the first time.  I will let you know how it turns out.  =)

How are you doing on your health/fitness goals?  What has been easy for you? What is hardest for you?

Spaghetti Squash and Paleo Meatballs

This meal was Aaaaahhh-mazing!!  I really felt like I was eating a plate of comforting pasta!
It was also my first time roasting a spaghetti squash. So easy.  This is what I did...

Preheat oven to 375*

Cut squash in half

Scrape seeds out of middle and discard seeds and "pulp"

Brush or rub a little olive oil on the cut side of the squash

and season with a little sea salt and garlic powder.

Add about a half inch of water to a roasting pan and

place squash cut side down.

Roast for about 45 minutes or until water is evaporated and

"meat" of squash pulls easily away from the skin.

Run a fork across the meat of the squash and watch as it magically

shreds. =) So exciting. You can scrape all of it from the skin

virtually leaving an empty shell.

And now for the meatballs! 

1 lb. of lean ground beef

1 lb. of ground pork

1/2 cup almond flour

3 large eggs beaten

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

garlic powder

sea salt 

italian seasoning (I used McCormick's Italian Herb GRINDER)

Mix all ingredients and form small meatballs and 

place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Add them to the oven with the squash on a different rack,

but only for about 20 minutes.

not pretty, but sooo good! 

The Sauce

I chose to use Classico Mushroom and Ripe Olive Italian Sauce because I had it on hand.

From this point on however, I will be buying fresh ingredients to make my own sauce.

Once the meatballs are done, add them to the sauce and simmer for another 20 - 25 minutes.

Top your shredded spaghetti squash with some sauce and meatballs and then grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top and enjoy!  Even my daughter Naomi gave it a thumbs up and she is my picky eater!

Have you ever cooked spaghetti squash? Did you do anything different that you'd recommend? Let me know in the comments!

Quick Kitchen Tip: Slicing grapes or small tomatoes or veggies...

I saw this tip somewhere on the internet and 

can't find it now to give credit, but I tried it and it worked great.

The original poster was cutting small grape or plum tomatoes.

I needed to cut grapes for my chicken salad.

So instead of cutting each grape individually, which is what I used to do,
you place them all on a lid or other item that is flat, but has a lip or raised edge.
This is so they don't roll away.

Then you place another lid right on top and press together.
You can then safely slice your knife through the middle and get
all of the grapes at once!

Cool tip, right? It was perfect for what I needed.
I love tips that cost no extra money, but will help me to
improve my situation or save some time.
Do you have a cool kitchen tip to share? Tell me in my comments!

What needs attention now?

If I asked you this question, what would you say?
Would it be huge, life-altering self-improvement projects or perhaps something on a smaller scale like clean out your junk drawers?
Well, I think it can be anything you want it to be - so let me answer first.

What needs attention now?
1. My health.
I believe that this is one area that I have talked about and talked about, but what have I done about it?  Not a whole lot, to be honest.   It's not that I haven't tried - I have.  But then I quit.  I'd decide I was going to eat differently or start walking and I would be off to an amazing start!! So determined...

Well, anyway.  Here I am again.  This time, it is different.  I feel differently about it.  I don't know if it's my age or just the fact that I want to look good and feel good too.

So I am on day 22 of eating a Paleo/Primal diet.  Hoping to make it my primary way of eating permanently.  I have started doing my exercise DVDs again - Biggest Loser Boot Camp and Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga.  I've also gone to the doctor, and just today, have had my blood drawn.  I am starting The 2013 Primal Blueprint 21 Day Challenge today also.  I have been blogging about my health and weight loss on another blog - if you care to follow along and encourage me, let me know and I'll send you the link.

It's not just my weight I'm worried about, but my actual health also.  I know my blood pressure is high and who knows what else I need to work on?  I will get my results back soon, I hope!  It's a start.

2. My heart.
I have never really been completely open here in this little space of mine here in blog world, but it's not because I didn't want to be.  I write.  When I am happy, when I am sad, angry, scared, excited...  I write.  But to put it right here for all the world (or maybe just three of you) to be able to judge every word typed out, every thought or idea I hold dear... Well, that just didn't seem safe or wise.  Most of the time it's not even anything shocking or news shattering.  I usually hold back because I don't want to hurt anyone or offend anyone.  So while most bloggers are making a living at "telling it like it is", I sit and stew and worry over what I should or shouldn't share.  No more.  It's not good for me and it honestly stifles my creativity.
I'm so thankful for Brene Brown. Oh, my goodness. I can't say enough about how my heart is growing and changing and strengthening through reading her books and listening to her talks... but something big is going to happen and it's about time!  I've never had one, and she doesn't know this, but she is my mentor. Yup. She is.

So there's the more "heavy" stuff.  As for the lighter areas, they would currently be:
1. the pantry and "cooking cupboard"
2. the last bit of stuff in the garage to go through
3. Craigslist/Ebay/Etsy items
4. Random housework
Ecclesiastes 9:10a Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;
What needs your attention right now?? Please share in the comments!

Hello again!

Well, I had quite the blog break for the month of August and most of the summer to be honest.
Truth of the matter is that I have had a lot going on - not just because I had a daughter graduate high school and start college, a new high schooler that is now playing volleyball and water polo, or the fact that I have two little ones that I needed to keep busy and entertained all summer - but because I have had a lot going on myself.  Emotional, spiritual, mental - dig way down deep kind of stuff - has been going on and I like it!
It hasn't necessarily been easy or pretty, but it's been good.  The timing is right and I am glad for it.

I can't wait to come back and share.  I think my blogging style will be changing up too.   I may even have to start a whole new blog altogether. I dunno.   I'm not going to stress over it - that's one thing I am really working on.

In the mean time, I will just share this yummy picture with you.  I am on my 9th day of Paleo/Primal eating.  Hoping I can stick with it long enough for it to just become the norm for me.  I truly believe it's the best way to eat.  I know that it helps me lose weight (I am waaaay over right now), but more importantly it helps me to feel better.
Like many of you, I enjoyed my Labor Day with family and friends.  They hosted a BBQ poolside for our family.  My friend knew that I had already started eating this way and they had plenty of appropriate offerings for me to choose from and it made it so much easier for me to "be good".

Here's what I brought.  It's Creamy Seafood Salad that I adapted from a couple different recipes on Pinterest.
I rarely measure ingredients - I just eyeball and taste as I go - so you may want to adjust it to your tastes.

Creamy Seafood Salad
1 bag of cooked, peeled, jumbo shrimp (chopped)
1 can of good quality white lump crab meat
1 large hard boiled egg (grated)
1 large cucumber peeled and diced (remove seeds)
1 whole green onion (minced)
1/2 cup of cilantro (diced)
2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp sea salt
4 Tbs good quality mayonnaise
3 Tbs sour cream
Paprika (optional) to taste
Directions: Mix all ingredients until creamy and well blended and chill for at least an hour.
I ate this as a side, but it would make a great lunch on its own or as an appetizer on cucumber slices.

*please note that on a very strict Paleo diet dairy is usually not consumed. It is a gray area that is ultimately up to you to research and decide what works or makes sense for you. You can read all about Paleo eating right here.


I'm glad to be back.  Looking forward to the rest! xo

Taryn's Favorite Stuffed Chicken Breast

Taryn has been asking for this meal for some time now.  It's such a favorite and it's so easy - I don't know why it took me so long to make it again.  I wish I had taken pictures of the complete process so that you could have a proper recipe post, but I didn't think I was going to share it here.  However, I got several requests for the recipe when I posted these pictures on Instagram.

So here you go:

Stuffed Chicken Breast Wrapped in Bacon

5 or 6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1- package fresh spinach

1- 6 oz or more package of crumbled garlic herb feta cheese (I like Athenos brand)

1- carton of fresh mushrooms cleaned and sliced

1 package bacon of your choice

Garlic Powder

Italian Herb Seasoning

Pepper

Preheat oven to 375*

1. Most chicken breast meat is pretty thick, so I like to slice mine through horizontally to get two pieces out of the one.  Then, if needed, pound it to about 1/2 inch thickness.

2. Put your fresh spinach in a bowl and microwave for about 2 or 3 minutes.  You want to stir/toss it.  It should be wilted. 

3. Lay chicken out flat on a clean surface.  Spoon a bit of spinach, feta cheese and mushroom in the center of the chicken breast. 

4. Roll up the chicken breast, being careful to keep ingredients from falling out.

5. Take a slice of bacon and wrap it around the rolled chicken breast in one direction. Take a second piece and wrap it the opposite direction so that all the ingredients are enclosed and the chicken roll is secure. 

Make sure loose ends of bacon are underneath if at all possible.  Use toothpicks if you need to secure them better.

6. Arrange in shallow baking dish and sprinkle garlic powder, pepper and Italian seasoning to your liking.

7. Bake uncovered for about 35 minutes.  

Then increase heat to 550 or BROIL setting if you have that like I do (I also need to raise the rack so the dish is right under the broiler flames).

Cook for an additional 5 minutes, then carefully with a pair of tongs, turn over each chicken "bundle" to allow the underside of the bacon to crisp for about 5 minutes. 

Let sit for a couple minutes before serving.

***I did not have sour cream on hand, but it could be added to the spinach or cheese mixture as well as other cheeses to add a "saucier" feel to the chicken.***

 I've got the bacon to the color and crispness that my family likes best.

 I served it with a rice-a-roni type side dish because that's what was in the pantry, but this would go great with potatoes, wild rice, or fresh salad.

Enjoy!!

An interview with Marco: Age 6

I thought for sure I'd have much more time to blog this summer.  Turns out that 4 kids keep you quite busy, especially now that they are older.
We just got done celebrating my youngest baby's birthday. My Marco turned 6!!  I decided it would be fun to do a little interview with him to remember some of his favorites!  I found this list (also had a free printable) at Layers of Learning.com.

Marco Age 6
1. Who is your favorite person in the whole world?
Papa (his grandfather)
2. What is your favorite color?
Green
3. What's your favorite television show?
Gravity Falls
4. What's your favorite outfit?
Mario Brothers T-Shirt and Blue Shorts
5. What sport do you like best?
Soccer
6. What is your favorite cereal?
Coco Puffs
7. Who is your best friend?
My Dad
8. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Alligator Catcher (cracks me up...he's been watching Swamp People)
9. What is your favorite book?
"Arthur's Underwear" by Marc Brown
10. What are you really good at?
Catching bugs and dance moves
11. Where do you wish you could go on vacation?
Cars Land at California Adventure
12. What song do you love?
Party Rock Anthem
13. What's your best memory?
A long time ago we went to Tio's beach (Crystal Cove) and we saw lots of rocks and I found a sea cucumber and I squeezed it.  It squirted me in the face!!
14. What would you buy if you had $1,000.00?
I would buy a DS (game system) and bunch of DS games
15. What vegetable do you hate the most?
Tomato
16. If you could have a wish, what would it be?
To have my own computer.
17. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Cotton Candy
18. Who is your biggest hero?
My Daddy because he is stronger than anyone.
19. What do you like to do best with your friends?
Play pirates and catching bugs.
20. What do you hope to do before your next birthday?
Learn how to shuffle dance. 

So, there you go! Some of his answers really made me laugh out loud.  I love his sweet, honest heart.  He loves to talk and had no problem answering any of these.
We had a Carnival Themed party for him with all kinds of DIY games.  Check it out at my craft blog: Altered to Perfection.

Summer fun!

Our summer has been jammed packed with lots of activities.  Today was a play date after summer enrichment classes at school.  Naomi has been wanting to get together with her good buddy "C" since the school year ended last month.

 We started with a yummy picnic lunch.

 Then they spent some time at the splash pad.  Not too crowded today - yay!

 Then we went home to do a little craft I've seen floating around pinterest for some time now.  I blogged about it in detail on my craft blog right HERE.

Sharpie tie dye t-shirts - they turned out great! 

Even though they were all exhausted, they still managed to enjoy some Yogurtland before C got picked up to go home.  

So thankful for a fun-packed day with good friends.  

It's Called Unconditional Love...

My little guy: "Mom, why did you and Dad do all this cool stuff for me even though I'm bad?"
Me: "You're not bad. Don't say that."
My little guy: "No, like sometimes I do bad stuff or I don't obey you guys."
Me: (Lump in my throat) "Well, because we love you always. No matter what.  Mommy and Daddy always want to do good for you and give you good things... it's called unconditional love."
My little guy: "Oh..."
Me: "And guess what? That's how God loves us. Even though we don't always obey. Even though we sometimes choose bad over good. He loves us.  He died on the cross for us."
My little guy: "And He even died for the people that did bad stuff to Him..."
Me: "Yes, He sure did..."
*************************************
This conversation took place today at the park.  Our two oldest daughters were at volleyball and water polo practice and our youngest daughter was at a summer program at her school.  Marco and I decided we would spend some special time with our little guy at a nearby park. We brought his fishing poll and he did some "fishing" (translates to casting, reeling in, casting, reeling in, splash tip of poll in water, get distracted by every splash or movement around him...), then we went exploring and tried to catch some frogs and ended it with him playing at the play ground and getting wet at the splash pad.

After the conversation, you better believe that my husband and I both looked at each other with so much gratitude in that moment. So thankful for my little Thinker.  He talks a lot.  Yes, he sometimes gets out of control or gets too loud or acts without thinking - but this kid's got a heart of gold.

So thankful I took the time to listen.  To really hear him and answer his questions.  We constantly learn from our kids.  That's okay, you know.

Did you know that our God loves us no matter what? He doesn't care what we look like, what we know, how much money we have, or what church we go to - or even if we go to church at all.  That is not what makes Him loves us.  He loves us because we are His children.  He created us.

So stop worrying my friend. You can't make Him not love you.  Ever. Even when you are "bad" or sometimes do bad things.  It's called grace. It's called unconditional love.

Romans 5:8

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that,

while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

hello monday|twenty

hello to being published!  Yes, it is a very small part, but this simple piece of mail art that I created has been published in inchie form in FEATURING magazine. It's exciting and gives me inspiration to send out more of my work.
hello Art Concepts and Techniques class. I am taking an on-line art class through Penn State and am learning so much already. Glad to start somewhere towards some of my larger goals.
hello to some breathing room.  I've been working on MINIMIZING and trying to scoop up a little cash here and there and have been doing a major de-stash of my scrapbooking supplies.  I still had a lot of CM stuff that I was carting around everywhere and I decided it was time to let go.  I need to make room for things that matter and are relevant to what is important to me right now.
hello to getting myself back to moving.  I know I have to get back to a regular walking/exercising routine. I must do it.  I was at the doctor earlier today and my blood pressure was very high. On top of some stress I've been experiencing, I know that the added weight gain has really messed me up. So I must get it together.
hello to a summer schedule.  I love summer break!  I am one of those moms that doesn't mind having the kids home every day! We love it! I let the kids sleep in - something we rarely do in this family, we stay cool by swimming, going to the beach, having picnics... We eat healthier - it must be the warm weather and the yummy, available produce that pushes us to want to eat fresher - cleaner!
hello unknown future.  You don't scare me!

So there you go. hello monday and new beginnings.

Inspired by my friend, Lee at Embrace Life, Hello Monday provides a peek into the coming week - in all its glory. Join us and Lisa for the Hello Monday fun.

Quote I set out for my daughter at her beach themed Grad party.

Catching my breath...

Looks like I have a post in my edits that was supposed to be posted last Monday for "hello monday". Hmmm...
Not too sure what happened except that it has just been so crazy that I imagine I meant to post it and never did.  Anyway, I didn't even notice until I went to check what number "hello monday" I was on...
*sigh*
So, what did you miss? Well... my oldest graduated from High School.

I love that she spotted us right away in the crowd!

That's her!

She has already started at Chaffey College and will be studying Kinesiology  as well as playing water polo for the school.

Some very faithful cheerleaders here...

Daddy's Girl

Halleluyer! WE did it. lol

Me and My Girl

Then the next day, THIS happened

 My Taryn promoted from 8th grade and will be attending North High School next year.

She graduated with honors!

 Naomi ended the second grade with an amazing field trip to a local park that has a splash pad. They played all sorts of games and enjoyed a picnic lunch with all of the other second graders. She had such an awesome teacher this year. Mrs. Hernandez was all about fun + learning.

And lastly, this little man.  He completed his first year of school.  Kindergarten was intense. Each full day was stuffed with learning writing, reading, math and more from the moment they walked in until the time they headed home which was 2:55 just about every day.

Also during the week were award ceremonies, parties and celebrations of course - you get the idea.

It's been wild, but I am finally able to sit down and catch my breath.  Sort of...

Another big huge thing - is that after 6 years of giving it our all, we've closed the doors to our Freedom Church and ministry.  There were many reasons and events that led up to this decision, and although I still haven't been able to process it all, I have faith that it was the right decision.

So as that door has closed, we are watching to see what other doors will open.

We are praying for a job for my husband - his other job at CBU is done for the summer and won't resume until the fall classes begin again.

Learning to walk our talk and trust Him.