#My SO and I made the best breakfast yesterday: spinach and ham egg

[aiiaiiiyo]

My SO and I made the best breakfast yesterday: spinach and ham eggs benedict topped with chives. Check this blog!

[cozykhaos]

A New Sun Part 8

  Waking up the next morning with a pile of puppies cuddled up around me was the best feeling in the world. All of them perked up when I got out of bed and when the food bowl hit the floor, all of them did too. I would go into town today and post a bulletin about the other pups. After changing and breakfast we all went outside. I checked the soil of my crops, the ground still wet from yesterdays rain, I skipped out on watering. I would check it again in the afternoon. I used my scythe to clear the weeds to the forest, for a more defined path. I started a pile of stones and branches near the house. I would need both for any upgrades I would want to make.

I was the afternoon when I heard the engine from the truck. I started back to the house, the pups standing on the porch, all at attention. Robin and Sebastian got out of the pickup. “Puppies!” Robin’s face lit up. The pups came running down the steps and bounced around her feet. Robin crouched down and let them lick her face. Sebastian stepped around the truck, looking grumpy, hair disheveled.   

“Sorry we are coming over so late, I didn’t want to wake up Sebby. He was up late last night working,” Robin said standing.

“It’s no problem. I actually forgot you were coming by today,” I let out a little laugh and scratched the back of my head. Noticing Sebastian, the puppies bounced over to him, Asher’s gray twin reached up to Sebastian, who picked her up. Robin looked between the puppy and Sebastian, who was now holding the dog like a baby and scratching her stomach. She smiled.

“Well, should we get this fence put up?” Robin clapped her hands together. Between the three of us it didn’t take long to get the fence assembled and put up. Robin had given me plenty of room to expand my crops as well. Once we were finished, we sat on the front porch, drinking lemonade and eating sandwiches that I had made.

“Sorry it isn’t much,” I refilled my glass. “It’s a small kitchen and it’s a pain in the ass to cook in.”

“House upgrade,” Robin sang.

“Mom,” Sebastian groaned.

“I’m just saying, the place is very small. And what are you going to do when you get married?” Robin asked. Sebastian started choking. “Sebby, what’s the matter?” Robin started patting his back.

“Nothing I’m fine!” He snapped and waved her hand away. Robin frowned and then looked at me.

“I’ve actually been thinking about it. But I also need a chicken coop and a barn. Thankfully most of this season’s crops are being sold. The only vegetables I really like that I’m growing are potatoes and green beans. And it’s just me so I don’t need a whole lot.” I shrugged. I had brought out a notebook and pen with me and I started my bulletin. I looked at the puppies when I was done. Ash was playing with two of his siblings, wrestling in the dust. The all black puppy slept by the door. The gray pup slept next to Sebastian, her head on his leg. I frowned, it had only been a day, but I was attached to the little guys. But they would at least still be in the Valley with me.

“I need to go put this on the bulletin board, I’ll be right back,” I stood, Ash got to his feet and watched me. “Are you coming?” I asked him.

“I am,” Robin stood and stretched. “I need to get a few things from Pierre’s. Do you need anything?” She looked at Sebastian.

“I’m good, but thanks,” Sebastian waved us off. Asher followed us into town. Feeding all 5 dogs I would need another bag of food from Pierre’s as well. I posted up my notice, letting everyone know to come see me if they were interested in a puppy and describing each of them and the genders. I made a note that if you adopted a puppy to cross it off that way others would know it was taken.

Robin stared at the page and took up the pen that was attached to the board and crossed off the gray puppy. She beamed at me and pushed into Pierre’s. I showed her the dog food that I was feeding them and grabbed another bag for myself. After purchasing toys, collar, treats and a leash we went to check out.

“More stuff?” Pierre asked.

“More puppies,” I corrected.

“Oh my!” Pierre’s eyebrows shot up into his hair line. Robin put her elbows on the counter and leaned in. “I’m getting one for Sebastian,” she smiled.

“Oh,” Pierre’s face fell and then quickly caught himself. “Oh! I’m sure he will love that!” He cleared his throat.

“I think so,” I nodded. “One of them has been really attached to him.”

“I think it’ll be good for him,” Robin agreed. We payed for our stuff and left. I helped Robin carry her stuff back to the farm. Sebastian was still sitting on the porch, now the puppy was in one of his arms, chin on his shoulder, while he scrolled through his phone. He looked up when the other dogs came running. His brows scrunched together when he noticed his mom.

“What’s that?” He asked.

“Stuff for pup dog,” Robin replied with a shrug.

“Wh…what?” Sebastian stood still holding the dog. “Really?”

“Yeah!” She tossed the dog food into the back of the truck.

“What about Demetrius?” Sebastian’s tone went sour.

“What about him?” Robin didn’t look at him. “She’s your dog, not his.”

Sebastian stared at his mom in shock, mouth slightly open. Puppy licked his chin and he closed it.

“She will be your responsibility, feeding, playing, walking, cleaning up after her,” Robin ticked off the list on her fingers.

“Yeah, of course!” Sebastian nodded.

“Alright, well let’s get her home!”

Sebastian smiled at me over his shoulder before getting into the truck.

                                  The rest of the week went by in a blur. Lewis, Eveyln and Haylee came by on Monday and gave me packets of tulips and blue jazz that they wanted me to plant for the flower festival. I still had time to plant them, so I kept them to the side for now. Lewis ended up leaving with the all black puppy that day, declaring her Pepper.

Tuesday, Sam and his little brother Vincent came by, their mother had agreed on letting them get a dog. They took the black dog with the one white spot over his eye. Later, I find out that Sam named Gnarles Barkley. Barkley for short.

Late Thursday Morning Shane came over, I was just finishing up with the days harvest, when he stood awkwardly at the edge of the property.

“Morning!” I waved to him. He gave a short wave back. There were dark circles under his blue eyes. “Can I help you with something?”

“I was wondering about the last dog you have,” he said. I looked over my shoulder where the black and gray bearded pup lay on his back, sun bathing in the dirt. “Jas, that’s my niece, she was furious with Marnie when she found out she gave a puppy away,” he scratched the back of his neck. “She’s usually a quite little thing. But she was spitting fire.”

“I can imagine,” I nodded.

“And now Vincent has one..” his voice trailed off as he moved next to me. The pup rolled over and popped up on to his feet. Ash bounded over to us, I picked him up. He had already grown in the last week. Shane, pushed his finger to the dog’s upper lip exposing the baby teeth. The pup stuck out his tongue, licking Shane’s finger, a small smile broke through.

“I’m going to call him Gandalf, because of the gray beard. Do you think Jas will be able to say that?” He looked at me. His eyes were kind.

“How old is she?”

“Six.”

“She should be,” I nodded.

“Yeah,” Shane played with Gandalf’s soft floppy ears before clearing his throat. “I should get going. Marnie was getting supplies from Pierre’s she should be done by now.”

“If you need anything let me know. He should be potty trained by now.”

“Yeah, okay thanks,” with a small wave Shane disappeared back into town.

I looked down at Ash who was watching Shane retreat. He whimpered. “It’s okay bud, we can have everyone over for a play date,” I said to him. His tail wagged.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Egg Festival, but my heart leapt for joy at the sight of the many buffet tables. My eating habits had not been the best since moving to Pelican Town and the soft layer around my tummy was slowly disappearing. I generally only ate once a day now, eating breakfast after tending the farm. The rest of my day was spent running errands, fishing or scavenging for wild crops.  By the time I got home I would be exhausted and collapse into bed with Asher.

I bee lined it to the first table, there were platters of egg dishes. Deviled eggs, scrambled, fried, hard boiled, poached, egg benedict, egg salad. Little breaded cups that looked to be filled with egg, spinach and ham. Plates of steaming sliced ham that smelled of cinnamon and honey were my first stop. I filled my plate before finding a bench. I would have to remember to ask Gus for a piece of leftover ham for Ash, who I left at home. I looked around, everyone was mingling. Eating with their friends and family. Haylee was taking pictures of everyone and everything. I smiled, I hadn’t interacted with her much, since I had returned, but I admired her passion for photography.

“Kit!” Robin called me from a few tables over and waved. She was sitting with her family, as well as Sam, his mom and little brother. “Come over here!”

I swallowed my mouthful of food before moving over to their table, taking the end seat across from Sam.

“What were you doing over there by yourself?” Robin asked.

“I didn’t want to be a bother,” I shrugged and then shoveled in a mouthful of potato salad. It was sweet and had a hint of vinegar in it.

“Oh please,” Jodi said with a smile.

“You’ll always be a bother,” Sam said with a smirk.

“Sam!” Jodi snapped, reached over her youngest son and slapped Sam on the back of the head.

“Ow!” Sam rubbed his head.

“Don’t be rude!” Jodi said through gritted teeth. I smiled and shook my head. “I would like to say I am used to it, but I don’t think that would help.”

“It wouldn’t!” Sam shook his head.

“So, Kit, how is the farm doing?” Demetrius asked.

“Honey, we aren’t here to talk about work,” Robin said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Across from her Sebastian had his chin resting on his fist, leg tapping furiously. Next to him was Maru who was looking at me expectantly, I hadn’t spoken to her much either.

I cleared my throat. “Oh, it’s fine, I don’t have much to talk about any ways. My world revolves around farming and Ash.”

Sebastian looked over at me. “You didn’t bring him either?”

I noticed for the first time no one had brought their dog besides Marnie, Gandalf was chasing Jas around the yard behind Sam’s house.

“Asher gets really excited about food. Like he can’t contain himself, so I thought it best to have him stay home. Or else he would probably be slip and sliding through the egg salad right now,” I sighed. Sebastian snorted.

“I know it’s late and the seeds are hard to find, but do you think you will be getting in Strawberry seeds?” Maru asked.

“Strawberries are our favorite,” Demetrius beamed.

“Yeah, if I can find the seeds!” I nodded. “The farm is actually doing well. You can walk around now, and I finally got around to cleaning the inside. It’s hard work but I enjoy it.”

“Hmm,” Demetrius glanced at Sebastian and drummed his fingers on the table. “Some people will never know what that is like.”

“Oooookay,” Sebastian said standing. “I’m going to go check on Asha.”

My mouth dropped open, shocked at the name he had picked. I didn’t have time to speak, Sebastian was already leaving.

Robin frowned at his retreating form, she quickly hid it with a smile. “Well, I’m glad you are enjoying it.”

“I know I could never do that work,” Jodi said, she was now running her fingers through Vincent’s unruly ginger hair.

“I wasn’t so sure at first. I’m positive if it wasn’t for visiting grandpa during the summer, I would have ended up going back to the city,” I said.

“I don’t think I would mind it too much,” Sam shrugged. “I could see myself taking care of some chickens. Planting crops.”

“I know I couldn’t do it,” Maru shook her head. “I will stick to my lab thank you.”

“Lab?” I looked at her.

“Yes, I’m a scientist and inventor!” Maru smiled. “I also work with Harvey at the clinic.”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool. Weird question, but I’m going to ask. I found some blue prints for sprinklers. I know that is probably nothing to you. But will yo-“

“Yes, I would love to help!” Maru grabbed my hands. I noticed behind her Demetrius’s eyes narrowed, while Robin’s face broke open into a smile. “That sounds like fun. I haven’t made sprinklers before, but I’m sure it’ll be cake!”

“Thanks, that would be a huge help!” I squeezed her hands.

“Mom, is there cake?” Vincent finally spoke, he had been pushing around the food on his plate the entire time. He had only eaten a couple of grapes.

“It looks like it, but you will need to eat more lunch first,” Jodi kissed the top of his head.

“I don’t want to be slow for the hunt,” Vincent said.

“Yeah, this year we are going to beat Abbie, isn’t that right kiddo!” Sam playfully shoved his little brother who looked up at him and smiled.

“Yeah!” Vincent nodded vigorously.

“Hunt?” I looked at everyone’s faces.

“There is an egg hunt every year,” Robin said.

“And every year Abbie wins!” Vincent bagged his fist on the table and huffed. I looked around for my purple haired friend. She was at a table with her parents, head on her palm, looking at an empty plate of food.

“They really shouldn’t let her search. She is a grown woman now,” Jodi sighed.

“It’s open to all ages,” Robin shrugged.

“Or make age events,” I said.

“That’s a good idea,” Demetrius nodded.

“Maybe mention that to Lewis,” Robin said to Jodi.

“Trust me, I am!” Jodi said. I noticed Gus bringing out new plates and unveiling chocolate frosted cupcakes. I excused myself and made it over to the table. I was stuffing one in my mouth when Pam made her way over and started to empty a flask into the punch. She held up a finger to her lips. I looked away, a smile spreading. Gus gave me permission to take some ham home to Ash then handed me a plate that was stacked up in food and wrapped in tin foil. “Do you know Linus?” He asked.

“The guy who lives behind Robin’s house?” I questioned taking the plate.

“That’s him,” Gus nodded then stroked his mustache. “He rarely comes to any of these events. He is always welcome, but I know he feels out of place. Do you mind taking him this plate for me?”

“Not at all!” I exclaimed and headed towards the mountains.

                  Linus was sitting at his campfire, a basket of wild plants next to him. He sat up straighter when he saw me, his eyes narrowing into a squint.

“Hey, I’m Kit,” I said with a small wave. “I took over my grandpa’s farm.” I shoved a thumb over my shoulder, in the direction of the farm. Linus didn’t say anything. I cleared my throat. “Any ways, Gus asked me to bring you this.” I sat the plate down on the stump he had pulled up to the other side of the fire. He glanced at the plate before looking back at me. I frowned, looking at him, to the tent, then the plate. His gray eyes never left my face.

“I guess I’ll be going, enjoy your day!” My customer service voice tuned in and I wanted to kick myself. I started away when I heard a small. “Thank you.”

I smiled to myself and started back to the square. Sebastian was locking the front door when I was in front of the house. His eye brows furrowed together when he saw me. “Checking up on me?”

“No, I brought plate to Linus,” I said. Sebastian turned his head up towards the mountains. “I don’t know about that guy,” he said.

“He seems harmless,” I shrugged.

“So did Ted Bundy,” he pointed out.

“Do you think Linus has a trail of bodies leading to the valley?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Everyone has something to hide,” Sebastian smirked. I rolled my eyes.

Everyone was waiting for us when we strolled into town. Lewis had a big cup of punch in his hand, Pam glanced at me, her grin widening. I wiggled my eyebrows at her before helping myself to my own cup.

“Everyone knows the rules!” Lewis began, there wasn’t any hint of the alcohol taking effect yet. “You have 3 minutes to search for the hidden eggs. Whoever finds the most wins!”

Abbie was jumping up and down in place. She waved me over, I shook my head, pointing to my cup, I made a big deal out of taking a drink from it.

“Ready, set, go!” Lewis shouted and the hunters ran in different directions. Jodi started to cheer on Vincent while Shane and Marnie cheered on Jas. Gandalf chased after the girl. Sam had entered the hunt as well and I noticed him slipping eggs into Vincent’s basket. Abbie darted from one location to the next, I could tell that her basket was filing up quickly. Emily had also entered who skipped along as she went. Lewis blew a whistle, and everyone came in and placed down their baskets. Both Sam and Emily’s were mysteriously empty, while Jas and Vincent’s looked just a little fuller. Abigail still won, but I snuck extra cupcakes to the kids and they quickly cheered up.

The sun was starting to set when the square began to empty. Conveniently it was when clean up also started. Gus and Emily lingered, packing food into containers. Sam and Alex helped with stacking tables and chairs. I was on garbage duty when Mayor Lewis staggered past me a deep set frown on his face. I watched after him, he stumbled one step at a time towards the north. I looked over my shoulder at Gus, who had paused in his own task to watch after the Mayor.

“Should I go after him?” I asked.

“If you would,” Gus nodded. I set down my garbage bag and headed after Lewis. It didn’t take me long to find him, he stood in front of the old Community Center. The old building had seen better days. Ivy grew up the side of the walls, there was a hole in the ceiling and years of rain had caused a moldy film on the windows.

I stood next to the Mayor looking up at the old building. Something inside it stirred, I couldn’t see it, but I could feel it.

“Eye sore, ain’t it?” Lewis said, his voice was filled with sadness.

“It’s charming,” I said softly. “Like the farm.”

Lewis chuckled. “This is what is left of the Pelican Town Community Center. It used to be the pride and joy of the town… always bustling with activity. Now look at it. It’s shameful.”

I could hear the pain in the old man’s voice.

“These days, the young folk would rather sit in front of the TV than engage with the community.” He sighed heavily. “But listen to me, I sound like an old fool.”

“No.. no you don’t. You sound like a Mayor concerned for his town,” I spoke, touching his arm softly.

Lewis sniffed. “Joja Corporation has been hounding me to sell them the land so they can turn it into a warehouse. Pelican Town could use the money, but there’s something stopping me from selling it. I guess old timers like me get attached to relics of the past.. Ah well.”

He finally turned and looked at me. “If anyone else buys a Joja Corporation Membership I’m just gonna go ahead and sell it.” Lewis dragged his feet towards the door and unlocked it. I followed him inside, the old floorboards groaned under our feet. The ivy had found its way inside, we left a trail of footprints in the dust that coated every surface.

Lewis paused looking at a hut that was erected in the corner of the room.

“Hmm? What’s this?”

“Do you think Vincent and Jas were playing in here?” I asked.

“Must’ve,” he shrugged. “This place is even more dilapidated than I remember.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could say something a familiar chirp came from behind Lewis. The apple sized creature jumped up and down waving. I gasped and stumbled backwards.

“Kit!” Lewis steadied me. “What’s the matter are you ill?”

I moved to the side of Lewis and looked around, the creature was now gone. “I thought I saw something, there!” I pointed to the spot.

“Hmm… I wouldn’t be surprised if this place was full of rats.” Lewis said.

Again, the creature appeared behind Lewis, waving its little arms. My eyes widen and a scream came out before I could stop it. Lewis swung around, but the creature was gone. Hands clasped over my I stared at the spot. Lewis turned back to me. “You’re worrying me Kit!” He was frowning.

I looked around the room. Everything was quite now, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Counting to ten before releasing it and opening my eyes. “I’m sorry Lewis,” I smiled. “I must be more tired than I thought.”

Lewis gave me a tight smile. “I’m going to head home and get some sleep, I suggest you do the same. I’m going to keep this place unlocked from now on. Maybe you can help catch that rat if you have some extra time.” He gave my hand a small squeeze before walking outside.

I stood still and suddenly my senses open up, and the magic poured in. My spine prickled at the energy. I wondered down the hall a strange force leading me. Inside a small room I found a note on the floor, I shoved it into my bag not even bothering to read it, I knew I wouldn’t know the language that was written upon it. I left the room, finger tips trailing along the wooden paneled walls that lined the hallway. The old floorboards sang their ballad as I walked upon them, the dust flaring up around my shoes as I walked towards the door. The door shut behind me and I woke up, snapping out of the strange trance.

I stumbled away from the building gasping, I clutched at my chest as I retreated. I suddenly couldn’t get home fast enough and I ran towards the farm. I didn’t stop until I was inside, the door firmly shut behind me. Ash wiggled his way up to me, a big smile on his face.

“Hey buddy,” I gasped leaning down to pet him. I skipped my other nightly chores and only fed Asher. I  fell into bed. That night I dreamed of the small creatures. They chirped and danced through the Valley, life returning to the land.

[foodmyheart]

My SO and I made the best breakfast yesterday: spinach and ham eggs benedict topped with chives. Source: https://reddit.com/r/foodporn

http://foodmyheart.tumblr.com | https://campsite.bio/foodmyheart

[mmfood]

My SO and I made the best breakfast yesterday: spinach and ham eggs benedict topped with chives.

[insert-witty-comment]

My SO and I made the best breakfast yesterday: spinach and ham eggs benedict topped with chives. via /r/FoodPorn

[elevenhoursinfront-blog]

20th September

I woke up around 0830. We did plan on waking up at sunrise and go down to the jetty but we completely forgot to set the alarms. Hopefully we can go at sunset. Steve got up and made me a cup of tea. I sat in bed with my cuppa opening my cards and two presents. Steve's Mum got me a bottle of wine which is chilling nicely in the fridge. Steve's Nan got me some smellies - hand creams, shower gel. They smell unreal, I'm dead excited to use them. I was overwhelmed with how many cards I had received. I had about 9 to open which was amazing. I didn't expect many being on the other side of the world. Mel had sent me a card too, which was so thoughtful. She and I have known each other short of a year and she manages to remember my birthday and send me a card. You know you've got a good friend when they remember the small details. We chilled out for a bit before I suggested scrambled egg on toast for breakfast. Only, we didn't have any bread left. We got dressed and jumped into the van so we could run to IGA. We obviously planned to go in for 1 item and came out with about 10. Who can go into a shop and not buy more than the necessary items? We got back and the girls Lexi and Louisa had blown up balloons and blew party things at me which was nice. Harriet and Lisa made their own decorations by blowing up plastic gloves and drawing faces on them. They used cotton to tie them all together so they could be a banner across my door. I loved it. Steve and I went to the kitchen to make breakfast because I was starving. We added spinach to the eggs because it tastes great. The majority of the hostel wasn't going to be around today and no vehicles were going to be left so Steve and I couldn't actually go out and do anything. Half were at work (95% of the hostel which is still only 5 people maybe). Lexi and Louisa were going to Innisvale to find jobs. That was it... The vehicles were taken up and nothing that we could do. We should've planned something in advance really so we could've booked a van or something. Hey ho. Fraser was leaving so we said our goodbyes to him. He has finished his 2 years in Australia and is finally going home... What a weird feeling that must be. Everyone left and Steve and I chilled in the room. I spoke to Mel on the phone for about half an hour - it was great to hear her voice. I decided that I wanted to go lay by the pool. The weather was unreal considering it was meant to be chucking it down. It did enough of that yesterday to last the rest of 2017 I reckon. We got ready and walked down. We sat in our sun loungers trying to plan more of our East Coast trip. We're starting to pick the tours we would love to do and tours that are budgeted but at least we get to experience it. We spent about an hour or so sunbathing when we decided to jump in the pool. The water was warmer than normal because of all the rain. It also filled the pool up right to the top. Steve and I were the only ones there. Around 1500, we left the pool for some lunch. I just reheated the pasta from last nights dinner and Steve made ham and mustard sandwiches. I was fairly red again so I decided against going back to the pool. I catch the sun so easily it's ridiculous so best to stay out of it for now before I end up sun burnt. We chilled in the room again which was nice. I enjoyed my lazy day. I remembered that I had the ingredients to bake a cake so I decided to go and do that - it was my birthday after all and calories definitely don't count on birthdays. Steve and I went up to the kitchen and started making our cake. We had no proper utensils - nothing to measure in, not a proper baking tray etc. Hopefully it was going to be alright. My Dad FaceTimed me whilst it was in the oven which was nice. We spoke for a little while before I had to get the cake out of the oven and Dad had to drop Craig off at the station. My cake looked great - I was so chuffed. It was a little high on one side and low on the other, but nothing out of the ordinary. A little bit of a cosmetic problem, not an issue. I left it to stand before putting chocolate frosting on. I spoke to my brother on the phone for 20 minutes or so whilst he was on the train to work. It wasn't long before my Mum finally woke up and rang me. We sat Facetiming for a while. It was around 2000 when I came off the phone to her. I had to ring work to find out what time I was going to be in tomorrow, eugh. I rang and they said I had a day off. Two days in a row? This is great but it also means I won't be getting another one any time soon. Zzz Harriet bought her own vegan tattoo ink and what not. She has started tattooing herself with sewing needles as she watch a DIY YouTube video. Of course, Steven was highly interested and was booking in with Harriet at around 2030/2100. Oh god. Here goes... As Harriet was coming to the room, I heard a massive "WE'RE BACK". Lexi and Louisa had turned up and brought the old lot with them! Nick, Donald, Hugo... They had all came back for one night (I'll pretend it was for my birthday). They ran to me and hugged me, shouted Happy Birthday and what not. They also won me a teddy in an arcade game which was cute. It's a medium sized Strawberry with a face. Harriet had started doing Steve's new homemade tattoo. He decided on a small wave by his ankle. It should be fine because the ink will most likely fade within a year. He reckons he'll get it done properly by a tattooist, just over the top. That's one for the mems (memories). As an injection freak, I left the room to shower. She had to do dot work with a sewing needle. She said she had to pop the skin and what not. At that point, I was like "Noooo. That's enough". I put some clothes on that wasn't pyjamas and went up to the entertainment room with everyone. Drinking games - let's go! Steve came up after about 20 minutes and to be fair, the tattoo looks very cute. It's only small otherwise Harriet would've been there for about 3 hours. She did it all properly with surgical spray, antiseptic sprays and all that jazz. All the other lads were jealous and asked to be tatted by her. Unfortunately, they were on a tight schedule. We played drinking game after drinking game. Leonie asked Steve, Harriet and I whether we wanted to work at the Watermelon farm tomorrow... We all said yes. I was off so I thought why not. Steve needed any work coming his way and Harriet needs money. We had to leave at 0610 tomorrow morning. We were playing music and laughing away for hours. Lucy and Margo baked cookies and pancakes. I went to my room and brought my cake out to share it around. Everyone sang me happy birthday which was nice. I had sparklers left in my room that I saved for my cake but I completely forgot about them. Boo! Is it sad to make your own cake and provide your own candles? Maybe it was a good job I forgot them.  As it was my birthday, everyone decided to give me the drinks. By that I mean, whenever someone had to hand out 5 sips or what not during a game, they all came to me. Steve and I got through a bottle of 1.24L of cider. We were up until 1230, singing at the top of our lungs, drinking and chatting. It was great. Steve and I would regret our 4 hour sleep in the morning. 23 years old. Where has the time gone?

[zonechin48]

Low-Carb Broccoli, Ham, and Mozzarella Baked with Eggs

posted by Kalyn Denny on January 6, 2019

Low-Carb Broccoli, Ham, and Mozzarella Baked with Eggs has lots of broccoli with a little ham and mozzarella baked with the eggs for a combination that’s really delish! And it’s also Keto, low-glycemic, gluten-free, and can be South Beach Diet friendly; use the Breakfast Dishes to find more recipes like this one.

Click to PIN Low-Carb Broccoli, Ham, and Mozzarella Baked with Eggs!

I don’t usually post on Sunday, but as I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I’m in Costa Rica! It’s lovely here and tomorrow when I’d usually be sharing a recipe I’ll be leaving way early in the morning to go on a river cruise. So tonight while I have a minute I’m reminding you about this favorite breakfast casserole. If you’re one of the many people who are starting a low-carb eating journey today or tomorrow, you definitely should try this recipe.

This breakfast casserole is loaded with low-carb ingredients, plus I think trying to eat vegetables with every meal is one of the best healthy eating tips ever, and I’ve made this quite a few times to keep in the fridge for several days of tasty breakfasts. I’ve enjoyed it in a flatter version and also in the version in these photos which has a bit more broccoli, ham, and egg, and I’ll give a range in the recipe so you can decide which version you want. But if you like broccoli, ham, and mozzarella, give this a try; so many people on Pinterest seem to be liking it!

And this is a perfect Weekend Food Prep recipe if you want to save the recipe and make it next weekend!

For this recipe use 1-2 cups of lean diced ham and about 1/3 cups green onions. I used 6 whole cups of barely-blanched broccoli, but you can get away with less.

Spray a 9×12″ casserole dish with non-stick spray and layer the broccoli and then the ham. Then put grated low-fat mozzarella and green onions over that. Season to taste with Spike Seasoning (or another all-purpose seasoning blend) and fresh-ground black pepper. Beat the eggs and pour them over the other ingredients. Then use a fork to “stir” just until all the ingredients are coated with egg. Bake at 375F/190C for 35-45 minutes (depending on which version you choose and how done you like it.

Serve hot. Broccoli, Ham, and Mozzarella Baked with Eggs can be kept in the fridge for at least a week and reheated in the microwave.

More Tasty Low-Carb Breakfasts with Veggies:

Kale and Feta Breakfast Casserole ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen Roasted Veggie Egg Scramble ~ Lauren Kelly Nutrition Swiss Chard, Mozzarella, and Feta Egg Bake ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen Loaded Scrambled Eggs ~ She Wears Many Hats Spinach and Mozzarella Egg Bake ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen Bacon, Spinach, and Sweet Potato Frittata ~ Barefeet in the Kitchen

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a new category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Low-Carb Broccoli, Ham, and Mozzarella Baked with Eggs

Yield: 8 servings

Total Time: 50-60 minutes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35-45 minutes

Ingredients:

4-6 cups very small broccoli florets, blanched about 2 minutes, then drained well.

1-2 cups diced ham (1/2 – 1 lb.)

1 cup grated Mozzarella

1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion (optional, but good)

8-10 eggs, beaten well

Spike Seasoning (or other all-purpose seasoning blend to taste, about 1 tsp)

fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 375F/190C. Spray a 9″x12″ casserole dish with non-stick spray.  (The dish can be slightly smaller too, especially if you use the smaller amounts of ingredients.)

Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil and cook the broccoli just 2 minutes; then pour into a colander placed in the sink and let it drain well. Dice the ham while the broccoli drains.

Layer broccoli, ham, Mozzarella, and green onions (if using) in casserole dish. Season with Spike Seasoning and fresh-ground black pepper and pour beaten egg over.

Use a fork to “stir” the mixture just until all the ingredients are coated with egg.  (It might look like there is not enough egg, but carry on!)

Bake 35-45 minutes, or until all the mixture is set and the top is starting to lightly brown. (If you use the higher amount of eggs, it will take the longer baking time, but start to check after about 30 minutes.)

Serve hot, with sour cream if desired. This can be kept in the fridge for at least a week and reheated in the microwave.

Notes:

I love Spike Seasoning for eggs, but use any all-purpose seasoning you like. This recipe was created by Kalyn.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions: Broccoli, Ham, Mozzarella and eggs are all good low-carb ingredient choices, so this Low-Carb Broccoli, Ham, and Mozzarella Baked with Eggs will work for low-carb or Keto diet plans, and as long as you use lean ham and low-fat mozzarella, this recipe would be approved for any phase of the South Beach Diet. Use low-fat dairy if you’re following the letter of the law for South Beach; other low-carb plans will prefer full-fat dairy!

Find More Recipes Like This One: Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Nutritional Information? If you want nutritional information for a recipe, you can sign up for a free membership with Yummly and use the Yum button on my site to save the recipe and see the nutritional information. Another option is entering the recipe into this Recipe Nutrition Analyzer, which will calculate it for you.

posted by Kalyn Denny on January 6, 2019

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Source: https://kalynskitchen.com/broccoli-ham-mozzarella-egg-bake/

[wishingfornever]

10/13/2017 – No Contact:  Everyone is a Little Racist

Current time. 11:50.  I just woke up from a series of naps.  Two, so I guess that’s a series.  But let me tell you about the dream I had.

I was living in this weird apartment complex.  It began with me walking around and visiting with neighbors and these two Chinese ladies.  One was older and one was a bit younger (a daughter).  They made it clear that they were into some shady shit.  They asked if they could use my car for this shady shit and I tell them no.  After that, I went along and eventually came back to find an older version of an old roommate’s youngest son (long story there) laying on a bed inside the apartment.  It’s important to note it was Halloween and he was upset about something.  I offered the support as best I could but eventually left.  I was very social and there was this cute girl I was hitting on.

The conversation with said cute girl ended in me remembering, I forgot something in my car.  I go to it and it’s not my silver Dodge but an old, blue station wagon.  Kind of a short one if compared to other station wagons.  Hard to explain.  Anyways, I discover the two Chinese ladies STEALING my car.  And I say, “...um… can I help you?”  They said yes and heavily implied that if I didn’t let them something bad would happen.  I was like, “Okay, I guess I’ll call the police when you’re done...”

Except I couldn’t.  They forced me into the station wagon and I sat in the back seat as they loaded stuff into the very back.  I tried not to look directly at it but it looked like drugs disguised as Chinese food.  I was hoping they’d drive by my apartment and the girl I was talking to would see I was being taken hostage, but no.  They made their way out of there almost immediately.

Anyways, the older one drove and she spoke like Maria.  Broken, barely spoken English.  The younger spoke a bit more but was still really bad.  We went through the mountains, where there was a lot of snow.  The older one became nervous like she’s never driven in the snow before. Upon coming down from a summit, she parked on the side of a road in a TURNING lane and ran across to the other side for something.  As she did, a truck lost control and almost hit her.

I don’t know what she did but when she came back I offered them both to drive for them.  Because GEEZUZ!!!  The dude who was in the truck came up wanting to trade information.  The car wasn’t touched so I told him, “Listen, not my problem.  Try to get information from her, the person you almost hit.”  He complained because we parked in the parking lane but eventually started speaking to the older lady about it.  They sorted everything out and we started driving again.

That’s all I remember.  Wasn’t that dramatic of a dream, but I think it’d be an effective comedy.  KIND OF RACIST, I know.  Especially since I’ve been talking about Asians a lot lately.  Normally, I don’t include race in my stories.  For example, my old roommate’s youngest son?  He’s half black, half Mexican.  I didn’t include that at all.  Most of my stories with blacks don’t mention their color.  One of the girls I was hitting on a while back over Facebook? She was black.  Why do I mention Asians when their race doesn’t matter?

I guess Asians sort of get overlooked.  Don’t get me wrong, they are still targets for racism because EVERYONE is a little racist (myself included).  However, they weren’t really targeted by All Lives Matters and people like that.  Why would they be?  The Asians I know tend to be on top of things.  And they’re RIDICULOUSLY talented. Like… fucking hell, that’s their racism trait.  Being good at most everything they do.  Except driving, apparently.

I’m not sure that’s true, either.  Unless they drive a Chevy.  Now that I think about it, blacks and whites were the ones involved in all the car accidents I’ve seen in person.  One case, I saw one get rear ended by this stoner dude.  The stoner was white and they were a black couple.  With the exception of that one waiter we had, I don’t really know too many Asians who have actually been in car accidents.

Doesn’t mean you’re a safe driver if you’ve never been in an accident, of course.  Still, just something I’ve noticed.  I think Mexicans are bad drivers.  I look at ALL my cousins as references.  Some of them have been in car accidents, too!  Thing is, they were in car accidents in… Mexico.  So, both sides were Mexican.  Drivers in Mexico are just… crazy.

Whatever. Now, what am I going to do.  Currently 12:15.  I wanted to do something before the naps but I fell asleep watching Game Grumps. Probably food.  I grabbed a dragon fruit for Adela to try but she doesn’t want to try it.  She has to open up sometime.  >:C

I didn’t do my sets yesterday or the day before.  I’ll do it today, though.  I MIGHT cook myself some eggs.  Or I might make a sandwich… an egg sandwich?  I don’t know.  I’m hungry.  I want food.  But what food? I don’t want sweet, food.  I have enough fruit for it, to be sure.  I guess I’ll make myself something with peas, actually.  That’s not a bad idea.  Then I’ll finish watching the video I fell asleep on from about where I fell asleep. And I’ll have a fruit.  Which fruit? ANY FRUIT!!!

Anyways, I’ll be on later.  Maybe.  I have an update unfortunately.  I hate updates…  Bah, it’ll be fine.  Later.

I don’t think I’m going to be a vegetarian much longer.  I’d. Fucking.  MURDER.  For a god damn burger right now.  x.x  Like… I think sometime next year I’ll get a burger from Whataburger.  Only in a few months.  I’ll try to hold out as long as possible… but no promises.  Might do what you do.  Claim to be vegetarian but still eat meat.  ;)

Kidding.  Sort of.  I MIGHT start eating fish.  Then turkey.  And eventually work my way back into beef and ham.  I just ate.  Had a peach and, as opposed to everything in the god damn HEB, it wasn’t on the verge of rotting.  Seriously, they need to work on their god damn stocking.  Like, only one avocado was edible last time I was there.  Disgusting.

Whatever. If you want them to be stocked, go early.  I’m going to have the other peach soon.  I feel SO hungry.  x.x

Eh… The food I got was kind of subpar.  I have no onions, tomatoes, or honey mustard.  Didn’t feel like cooking some eggs so I basically made a cheese sandwich with spinach.  Unfortunately, that proved to be not as good as it sounds.  The swiss cheese melted over the spinach and it SEEMED like it’d taste good.  So good.  The best even. Thing is, the spinach sort of canceled out the savory swiss.  It felt… empty.  And I grabbed a peach too.  That peach was ripe, but it was… eh.  Not as good as the other.  Just disappointing.  Filling?  Not really.  I have some spinach left but I’m saving that for an egg sandwich tomorrow.  I have ketchup and my three spices.  Seasoned salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Put that shit in anything you cook and it’ll be grand.  Remember the mashed potatoes?  I sometimes put onions in it but you LOVED it. We should have mashed potatoes if you come out.

Ah, I just remembered.  It’s not seasoned salt I have but that pink Himalayan salt.  It’s… alright, but I have to twist the thing and that makes it harder to guesstimate the amount.  Oh, guesstimate is a word apparently.  More proof that English is fucking dumb.

Anyways, put that in the eggs, add ketchup, and I’ll have a GREAT breakfast.

You know, I got the eggs for three reasons.  Firstly, it’s not meat. Second, I saw a picture where you cooked me breakfast.  I posted it on Facebook and titled it the perfect breakfast.  It was eggs and pop tarts.  People gave me crap because it’s so simple and I said it wasn’t the food but the who.  You made that breakfast perfect. Finally, I want to try some of those egg rituals my witch friend suggested.  Turns out, the chants DON’T have to be religious to work.  So I could say, “No Pasaran” or even “I have nothing to lose but my chains” or whatever and it’d still work.  That’s some good news.

As for disposing, if it’s a protection spell, we bury it.  If it’s detecting negative energy, we pour it in a river and be on our way. I THINK Adela has a septic tank.  I’m not sure about the sewers in Houston.  So, we COULD flush it but until we know for sure, I’m not doing that with the eggs.

Apparently, you can also use potatoes for spells.  Magic is weird.  If this had happened a few months ago, then I would have been like, “Lol, magic is dumb and you’re dumb.”  However, I feel there is more to it than that now.  I’ve learned a lot from her.  Been taking notes.  I might use it for writing.  I probably won’t, unfortunately.  I have so much planned but so little time.  :c

Eh… I want a burger.  So badly.  I want to make an egg sandwich but… I won’t.  Ah, well.  Current supply in the fridge and pantry for ME to eat (Adela’s food is off limits) consists of the dragon fruit, three apples, a bottle of ketchup, almond milk, a single and final serving of spinach, half a loaf of bread, a can of peas and carrots, a can of corn, various cheeses, and 16 eggs.  We’ll go shopping sometime on the weekend.  I’ll be fine.

The rough estimate for my food is 60-80 dollars.  Per week, that would be 240-320 dollars a month.  Not including rent, I estimate my cost of living is about 800 dollars per month.  That means if I got a part time job at Starbucks, I should be fine.  Might be saving.  After this next week, I’ll apply for other jobs.  However, I’ll actually go in when Adela takes Max to the groomers.  I won’t have to try to get him in a cage or anything.  Today, I’ll call. Hopefully at about 11 and let them know what’s up.  I’ll talk to the manager and introduce myself.  Let them know that I’m interested in a job there.

I’ll get a job.  Then I’ll brag about it.  It’ll be great.  Oh, and I could perhaps save money because I won’t have to eat here. Probably won’t eat out that much.  I don’t know.  If it’s like Dunkin, I’ll be fine unless they make me work mornings.  I SUCK at mornings.

When I worked nights at Dunkin (better than mornings) I usually slept when I got back.  Mornings?  I had to wake up immediately.  I had the sunrise to wake me up.  Problem is, I worked BEFORE sunrise and my alarm was unreliable.

Honestly… I loved working at Dunkin.  It had it’s moments where it sucked, but it was pretty fun.  They gave me free coffee and tea.  I hope they do that at Starbucks too.  Maybe discounted food.  Burgers. Drool

I mean… whatever.

I just realized that the money you’re using to buy pot?  You got that from selling your super prized computer.  Oof.  You sold everything for all of this.  In the end?  At least you’re a little high.

Sarcasm.  I’m suddenly more concerned.  Please tell me you’ll stop spending on such trivial bullshit.  Fucking pot is not worth the money.  :/ Whatever.  You won’t tell me that, even if you were talking to me.  You’re stubborn.  You get told to do one thing and you’ll do the opposite.  Human nature… don’t know why.  My dad used to have this small outhouse thing that was assembled by all these parts and had a mouse trap in it.  The mouse trap connected to the door.  When you opened th door to this little outhouse, it’d explode.  He LOVED it.  He put a little sign on front that said, “Don’t Open” because he understood people don’t listen to signs.  He got so many people with that fucking door. I want one.  I think I can find one on the internet.

I’ll call my dad tomorrow too, maybe.  I really should.  Anyways, I’m going to bed.  Talk to you when I wake up.  Alarm set for 10am. Going to call Starbucks at 11.  ;)

Before I go!  I asked my witch friend what the deal with brooms are. Apparently, they can clean up negative energy!  And brooms you make yourself has a connection and cleans energy better or something.  And it can determine people visiting and you put it upside down, it’ll prevent people from coming and if they do come then they’ll leave sooner.  And you can bless your vacuum to clean up negative energies. Just gotta empty it and take out the garbage IMMEDIATELY.  And apparently you can bless ROOMBA!!!  ROOMBA CAN COLLECT NEGATIVE ENERGY!!!  OMFG ROOMBA, YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD!!!  SAVE THIS HOUSE OF OURS!!!

Sorry.  Sleeping now.  Later.

Current time is seven in the morning… I’m so restless.  I hate it.  I think any optimism and positivity is fading.  I might return to my grumpy annoyed self, which is a shame.  Computer is mandatory restarting today.  I FUCKING hate that.  I have to save EVERYTHING. For what?  What update could I possibly need?

My dream was nice last night.  Very… arousing.  You were in it of course.  It ended with us skinny dipping.  In my dreams, you’re always so affectionate.  I miss that.  :/

Anyways… I realized that you blocking me wasn’t to start any drama.  You probably felt I was trying to show you how good everything was here. Try and convince you somehow.  I was posting a lot of pictures of Max.  Still do, mind you, but you don’t need that reminder.  You felt that I was trying to communicate with you through Facebook.  Not my intention.  Otherwise, I’d have to go back and change no contact days to limited contact.

Surprised you noticed. Alternatively, you could have just turned off my posts so you didn’t have to see them.  Idea probably didn’t occur to you.  Or maybe you wanted to send a message.  Unfortunately, that message would be open to interpretation.  If you read this, you’ll see I didn’t get the memo.  At least, probably not the one you mentioned.

I didn’t call Starbucks today.  Woke up too late.  I’ll stay up as long as possible and go to bed early.  Try and reset my schedule as best as possible.  I need to do this before Max is taken to the groomers.  I’ll get it figured out.  So tired though.

I need to message Shane.  See if he’s alright.  Might be the food he’s been eating.  :/

He’s okay.  Whatever he had passed.  I’m glad to hear.  Could have been something far worse.  However, I still believe he should go to the doctor’s but I won’t push it.  If I were inflicted with something similar and it went away, I wouldn’t want to go to the doctor’s either.  Literally, fuck American healthcare.  Nothing but bad times. -,-

So… It’s currently 6:20.  I bought a girl some food.  She’s the sort who normally says no.  I expected her to say no.  She said yes.  So, I ordered her a pizza.  She is one of the girls I’ve been flirting with.

The thought crossed my head that “What if she’s using me?” but then I came to the conclusion that, again, she’ not the type who’d say yes normally.  She’s pretty introverted.  Spends most her days working and going to class.  If I go back to visit, I’ll have to stop by and say hi to her in person.  There are some stories with her.  I’ll have to share them sometime with you.

[lotsofdogs]

Our Wednesday + Toddler Battles

Helloooo! How is everyone doing out there? Our week has been a decent one so far and the days have passed in a blur of weekday craziness that included working, toddler chasing, volunteering at Serenity House and reading a new book that had me all kinds of FREAKED OUT and intrigued. (More on that below!)

Since I don’t feel like I’ve really had a chance to chat with you guys since Monday, I wanted to stop by today to share a quick glimpse into our Wednesday. It wasn’t anything special but sometimes it’s the day-to-day normal life stuff I find myself drawn to writing and reading about most.

Morning

My morning began like most mornings do around here with a quick and easy breakfast that I ate while working my way through my devotionals. I made myself a bowl of triple chocolate protein oatmeal (served in a glass storage container because all of our bowls were in the dishwasher) and loved every chocolaty bite!

I’ve had a few people ask about the devotionals I’m doing right now and I’m actually making my way through two. The Women’s Devotional Guide to the Bible is the one I’m loosely following that actually gets me reading my Bible. (I have the Life Application Bible which is FABULOUS for anyone who needs serious help deciphering scripture… ME!) When I say I’m loosely following the women’s devotional, I mean it. The devotional is quite intense and I use it more or less as a reading plan that I break up over the course of a week.) Trusting God Day by Day is a much faster, easier devotional featuring a new scripture everyday, followed by a few paragraphs from Joyce Meyer breaking the scripture down, applying it to real life and diving into it a little deeper.

Once I wrapped up my devotional, said goodbye to Ryan and got about 30 minutes of work done, Chase was up for the day and ready for mom’s attention. When I heard him making noise on the monitor, I went into overdrive and packed his lunch for preschool but left half of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the counter in plain view. You can probably guess what instantly became his breakfast when he caught sight of the sandwich…

Plus some sliced strawberries and blackberries on the side!

I wanted to report back here on some of the struggles we’ve had related to battling Chase’s strong will and rapidly-increasing preferences and opinions that center around everything from getting dressed and going to bed to leaving the house, diaper change protests and more. For a solid month or so now, I’ve felt like I’ve been going into battle with a two-year-old multiple times a day for one reason or another. Whether it’s forcing Chase to wear anything other than his reindeer footie pajamas (the HORROR) or telling him we have to leave the house when he’s 100 percent enamored with his trains, I’ve felt completely exhausted by the end of the day multiple days a week. Fortunately, I’m slooowly beginning to see some light at the end of the tunnel (sometimes) and I owe a lot of it to DISTRACTIONS.

Chase’s curiosity is at an all-time high and he feeds off my moods and my excitement so I’ve been trying my best to approach certain situations that often escalate into battles with a distraction on hand and ridiculous mom enthusiasm. Here are a few examples:

Diaper Change Battles: I come equipped with something new to show Chase to distract him enough to avoid a kick and wiggle-filled diaper change. These “new” things range from one of mom’s lockets/bracelets, Chase’s forehead thermometer, a toy he hasn’t seen in ages, dad’s electric toothbrush, etc. Nothing special, just something different that instantly piques his interest.

Car Seat Battles: UGH. These are HORRIBLE mainly because Chase somehow turns into a mini-Hulk when he fights his car seat and I can feel my adrenaline rise and my temper begin to flare as he thrusts his hips up and does everything he can to resist the buckle. My current solution: Orange Monster! I don’t know where this came from, but Chase loves oranges, so I’ve been slicing up an orange in a small bowl to give to him during car rides. We hype up the orange before loading him into the car and say Chase is the Orange Monster. We make ridiculous growling noises and the whole nine yards. Lord help me if we run out of oranges one morning!

Bed Time Battles: Chase was often morphing into a wild man before bed and I think a lot of this had to do with the fact that we were skipping bath time some nights since we spent so many days inside when the weather turned cold and he wasn’t really dirty at the end of the day. Big mistake! Bath time helps him unwind and CHILL OUT and we try to make this the last thing we do before pajamas, stories, prayers and bed. No more running around and playing on his PlasmaCar five minutes before bed! He was waaay too hyped up to settle down and meltdowns occurred on the reg.

Getting Out of the House Battles: When we need to leave the house and Chase is protesting, giving him a “job” seems to really help get him out the door. He’s all about setting our house alarm, pressing the button to open the garage door, giving Sadie a treat, etc. Anything to distract him and make him feel like we need his help to get out the door often serves as a good motivator for him to put his toys down and get a move on!

Of course these don’t work like a charm every time, but they are helping a bit so I wanted to pass them on just in case any of you out there are in the phase of toddler meltdowns, too! And if you guys have any tips for handling toddler meltdowns, I’m all ears!

Chase and I managed to get out the door without too much of a struggle (thank you, Orange Monster!) and made it to preschool on time. He ran into his classroom without so much as a “See ya, Mom” and I headed off to Burn Boot Camp for a workout with my friend Laura.

We went through a leg workout that ended up being a serious booty burner!

My glutes were on fie-ah after that one!

After the gym, I rushed home, ate an RXBar and went into blogger mode, quickly assembling everything for a mini food photo shoot for a crock pot recipe I hope to share on the blog next week. I made the recipe earlier in the week, so it just needed to be photographed which made the process much faster than usual. Phew!

(Still 100 percent loving my $15 food photo backdrops from Esty! I’m using the 2ft x 2ft size in the above pic.)

After snapping a ridiculous number of pictures, I sat down at the computer to do some photo editing and responded to a few emails before I couldn’t ignore my body’s need for a shower any longer. I quickly showered, worked on the computer for a little longer and then made myself a smoothie that looked like a gray cloud of despair.

(In my smoothie: Almond milk, spinach, peanut butter, chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder, chia seeds, frozen banana and wild blueberries.)

Afternoon

With smoothie in hand, I headed off to a quick 10-minute eyebrow appointment before it was time to pick Chase up from preschool.

A little over a month ago, I got my eyebrows done for the very first time in my entire life and I’m SOLD. I hope to keep up with them as much as possible and notice a huge difference not only from the waxing/shaping but from the tint! The tint has been KEY for me as a natural blonde. I was always so terrified to do anything to my brows because they’re so light and I worried that waxing them would make them disappear but the tint has been a game-changer.

Here’s a before/after from yesterday’s appointment:

I’m far from having enviable eyebrows but I think it’s an improvement! (Note: Both the before and after are photographed without any eyebrow makeup/fillers.)

I picked up from Chase immediately following my appointment and we headed home for an early afternoon snack, playtime at his train table and a reading of Green Eggs and Ham before nap.

And yes, we are now the family who has a GIANT giraffe and a GIANT train table in their living room.

Thankfully Chase went down semi-easily and I was able to make myself lunch (reheated crock pot leftovers) and knock out some additional work for about 90 minutes before he was up again.

Once Chase was up, we spent the rest of the afternoon at home, making cupcakes for a birthday party play date we have on the agenda this afternoon, playing and doing some household chores in preparation for my father-in-law’s visit later today. Ryan arrived home from work right in time for us to pile into his car and head out to an event we had at our church in the early evening.

Evening

The event included dinner (totally forgot about that one when I made this week’s meal plan) so we filled up on baked ziti while we learned about child dedication.

When we arrived back home, we did an express version of Chase’s bath before settling him in his crib. Ryan and I climbed into bed a little after 9 p.m. and then I read my face off because I absolutely could not put Final Girls down.

After I mentioned feeling less-than-enthused about the previous book I read on the blog, both Courtney and Heather highly recommended Final Girls to me, saying they both read it in only two days because it was so suspenseful. Well, apparently this book has a two-day reading window because after beginning it on Tuesday night, I ended up reading for waaay too long last and also finished it in two days. Talk about a page-turner! I’ll share more about it in tomorrow’s Things I’m Loving Friday post, but it was a GOOD one.

Now I’m off to the gym to squeeze in a quick workout before welcoming my father-in-law in town today! Hope you guys all have a great Thursday!

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