Friday Favorites

And a few favorites to round out the week:

My favorite selfie that is not of me . . . so does that make it just a regular pic (?):

Greg took Henry to the park one night and snapped this one. Rosscat and I have had the stomach flu on and off all week and let's put it this way - stomach flu is not pretty. Stomach flu when looking like a beached whale is even worse (if you ask me - I like to trump Greg when I can). It was a rough week. But we survived (I think) and Henry handled it like a champion. Although he is very good at pretending to throw up in the kitchen sink. I think he has seen me do that one too many times with this pregnancy and now the flu.

Our favorite book of the week:

Whoa. I apparently hit the jackpot with this one. We have read it at least twice a day for the past two weeks. And when we get to "H", which stands for "Hydraulic Excavator", watch out for some excitement. I can't say that I love this book but goodness - it's gold in Henry's hands. GOLD.

Our favorite "beds" of the week:

My sister gave me some great advice when I complained that Henry was having some HORRIBLE sleeping patterns (wanting to sleep with us all the time  - which is something I just can't handle). Henry and his nighttime wake-ups were his way of telling us that he is working on growing up and we need to help him. And besides, something had to be done. Sleeping is bad enough right now. Sleeping with a 2.5 year old that wants to attach himself to you like a barnacle in bed is no bueno. So we got tough. And we (finally) converted his crib to the toddler bed and after one rough night of locking him "in" (yes, we are tough love parents when it comes to sleep) we are back in sleep nirvana. He LOVES it. He thinks he is such a big kid and I love it because no more barnacle sleeping. And yes, he sleeps with a robot pillow and the "Jenny from the block" cabbage patch doll. And yes, that is a Nixon bobble head above his bed along with a bunch of stars wars (excuse the term) junk. We are working on minimalism. Slowly. Slowly. Slowly.

Oh and my favorite bed?

I have taken to sleeping solo, outside -  just about every night. My own version of "glamping." For some reason this is more comfortable for me so I'm just going for it. Whatever. Sometimes I say goodnight to Greg and remind him "I'm not mad at you - I just need to sleep alone amongst nature - with a bathroom nearby."

Favorite toy of the week:

The kitchen sink. The amount of water Henry is wasting by playing in the sink makes me cringe a little bit but at the same time - he loves upping the "water transfer project" to this new level of awesomeness. And yes, he has the binky and yes I'm fine with it. One thing at a time - right now we had to conquer the sleep business. Eventually, he'll realize that going to junior high with a binky makes him look a little ridiculous among his peers.

Friday Favorites

I'm still adjusting back to the idea of having a living, breathing blog. But posterity is posterity - and thank you for all your kind comments about our Little Lady. Things are plugging along. A quick update - the fluid is still there but it is also not getting bigger . . . so we get to keep having lots of pictures of her and preparing for delivery - but she's healthy - despite this. In the meantime - I'm getting as big as a house. But let's not talk about that.

A few favorite things:

1) Henry LOVES LOVES LOVES the Natural Curiosity Museum at Thanksgiving Point. The best thing is we bought a pass and so think nothing of going and hanging out there for an hour or so. It's kind of the sweetest thing. Greg is back in school so last night I found Henry, myself, and the little lady traipsing through the toddler ropes course. Let's just say I'm not as limber as I usually am - but I did it. And Anna showed up for part of the time - so it was a win. If you haven't been - go! We avoid the crowds by going after work. Last night it was a dream - no one was there.

2) I love this Halloween Advent Calendar by Pottery Barn so much that even though it was discontinued I decided to borrow my sister-in-law's to copy it and try and make it. Greg convinced me that that was the stupidest idea in the world. So instead I found one for sale on ebay and WON. WINNER! Totally worth it. Totally.

3) I have access to an awesome library here at work. Literally AWESOME. I mean where else will people just deliver requested books to you at your office? But instead of reading all the classics - Henry insists on reading this book every night this week. Machines Go To Work. It's um riveting.

4) I read the book, "A Short Guide to a Long and Healthy Life" and in it the Doctor mentioned that one thing you should do is take care of your feet. I bought this stuff - and I really, really, really, really like it. Cracked heels be gone (especially in sandal weather because hello - no one wants to see that).

5) We lost the remote to the fan in Henry's room. We have literally turned the house upside down looking for it and no luck. It's been three weeks and finally we broke down, called the fan company with the model number shelled out $40 and voila - we are back in business. And no longer does Henry have to suffer with a stuffy room in the night. Praise be. I am sure we will find the original remote tonight.

6) And finally - my $6 chatbooks are the bee's knees. Here's to many more!

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So just a few favorite things for the week:

1) Henry's favorite app. Its kind of amazing/sickening how quickly he has learned to be able to access this. But I delude myself into thinking, "well, at least it is like reading a book."

2) I wrote THIS article for Aspiring Mormon Women. I kind of love the fact that it started a really great conversation about all sorts of things. But good golly, miss molly, it was difficult to write. Here's to next months post . . . may it be easier.

3) Henry has taken to wearing his baseball cap much more. And I kind of am obsessed with it:

4) More chips to recommend:

Oh Ruffles - I just can't quit you.

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Annnnnnd a few favorite things from the past week/months. But who is counting?

This stuff will SAVE your glasses and make you think you don't need to spend 3k on installing a water softener system for your house. (We should still probably install a water softener but well . . . we'll put that on the "to do" list).

Besides the famous Peppermint Joe-Joe's these two treats are pretty popular at this house (I'm still not eating sugar and flour so instead I sabotage Greg and have him eat all the foods I want to eat and make him tell me if they are good or bad - it's not a great thing - but my pants fit - so I can't say it's a bad thing either).

The other night my parents came to visit and this was the result:

And finally - favorite thing for this week - getting to see some pictures of my colon:

Because who doesn't want to see that? But really - the drug Propofol is pretty awesome. I now understand why Michael Jackson was addicted to it. 

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A few favorites from the past week:

1) Wild Roots trail mix:

Henry LOVES this stuff. LOVES it. Last night, we were at Costco (see pic below) and he was having a tantrum 17 of 20 (all at the store) and then he spotted this trail mix and reached for it and would not stop yammering until I opened it up and he started shoving it in his face. The best part is - he'll put the nuts in his mouth but he won't swallow them. So then he looks like a chipmunk and then out comes cashew and almonds everywhere. It's really really awesome. And by really, really awesome I mean the exact opposite. Just so we are clear.

But here he is, in all his glory, climbing through the toilet paper (our trip to Costco was very glamorous):

2) We tried out this new arm workout the other night. I kid you not - it is 7:56 minutes but it makes you want to die. It's so great. My arms already feel stronger. And since Tracy Anderson trains all the stars - I pretty much am going to have Gwyneth Paltrow's arms by tomorrow:

3) I am kind of loving/hating my running workout right now. The other day - I worked so hard that I bled (not really - but it looks like it so I'm going with it):

4) And finally - I'm loving Hipster Greg

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Just a few favorites to try and help me overcome my case of Blogger's Block:

1) Goldfish - Grahams-French Toast flavored. For the record this is not one of my favorite things but you would have thought these were the best things in the world. THE WORLD! According to Henry and Greg. This bag was pounded! POUNDED! And after eating this, Henry smelled a little bit like maple syrup all day long.

2) The Power of Everyday Missionaries. Goodness - when someone thinks ktc they decidedly do not think "oh she is a good missionary" but this book is excellent. It has really made me think about a lot of things in my life. It's so great that I have now nagged Greg into reading it (he's almost finished).

3) The kindness of friends that show me how to make sure my potted plants don't up and die on me. With one little watering lesson my flowers are now on the road to looking like a million bucks. Best thing I learned - "we live in the desert - you aren't going to over water these things when it is 100+ degrees outside".

Favorite picture of the week:

I wish this wasn't taken with my iphone but whatever- I still love it.

Oh and favorite pic that reminds me that I live in P-town:

So if this is necessary at Los Hermanos - please explain to me all of those thousands of billboards that I see all about cosmetic surgery. Oy vey!

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Henry's favorite book of the week:

And by Henry's favorite book I mean - he will sit there while I read it and I find it funny and I don't mind reading it - so really - it's a win. (Let's face it, sometimes children's "literature" isn't that great). But if I'm being fair, Henry also really loves a book all about wrenches - I just don't like reading that one as much so I don't want to "spotlight" it.

Ooooh - favorite recipe of the week - kale and white bean soup. I was wondering what to do with some kale that we had from our CSA and happened upon THIS recipe. Seriously - it's a keeper. We destroyed that soup. Destroyed it.

A couple of weeks ago, someone who shall not be named (Greg), did a dumb dumb dumb thing and put our nice sunglasses on the roof of our car. You can then guess what happened. Yep, he drove off with them still on the roof of our car. We haven't seen them since. This all came to light when we were driving down to St. George for Memorial Day a few weeks ago. Because I was a bit ticked off about all this happening I found that I couldn't talk to Greg for a couple of hours - I just had to "simmer down." So . . . I did something I never thought I would do when you have a few hours to kill in the car . . . I downloaded Candy Crush. CRAP. I'm a little bit addicted. It's one part bejeweled and one part Rubik's cube. To prove that this is a problem I have now linked my candy crush playing to my facebook account - I have no shame. But really - just try it. Greg gave me crap about this but then . . . he started playing it too.

And back to the sunglasses saga - we have had to do a little bit of creative accounting/budgeting but we replaced our nice sunglasses and Greg has promised to never put them on the roof of the car again.

Finally, favorite picture of the week:

Although Henry looks about 5 years old in this picture - I still love it so much.

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A few favorites for the week:

Oh my Mother (aka "The Workhorse") spoils her daughters on Mother's Day. Here's proof:

You can't really tell - but this IKEA bag is full of awesome-sauce stuff that my Mom loves or thinks she may love. It's pretty great. Greg can attest that the peanut butter Oreo's are pretty fantastic (of course, I don't eat them, but I do eat them vicariously by insisting that Greg describe the taste as much as possible).

My new Garmin - yowser - running outside has now become really, really, really awesome:

I also really, really, really love my compression socks. Sometimes I just sleep with them on - they feel that good:

Also - friends that gift Henry with their kids' favorite toys . . . they are now Henry's favorite toys:

For the record, the words "vroom" "vroom" are now ingrained in his developing vocabulary.

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So let's see here.

Favorite picture of the week - Henry faking a crime scene:

Favorite book of the week:

Favorite recipe of the week (according to the babysitter - Henry eats it like candy at lunch time. I, on the other hand, just eat it like soup).

Favorite movie of the week:

The other night we put Henry to bed and then went out and partied like the pre-Henry days and actually went  to a movie (no Redbox - a real life movie - in the movie theater). Pretty exciting stuff.

Favorite Things (5-2)

Is it a sign of a bad week when I have been having a hard time thinking of a single favorite thing? For real . . . but let me see.

Oh - favorite recipe! Nat the Fat Rat (a blog I follow) posted a sugar-free, flour-free muffin recipe and let me just tell you - they are delicious (we make them with plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and we use cacoa instead of chocolate chips) and really - Henry can't eat enough of them. And Greg and I both can't stop. Delicious.

Also, Henry and I are currently in the middle of a love affair with peanut butter from Trader Joe's. Sometimes I'll get it out of the fridge while holding Henry and his legs will kick and his smile gets bigger and bigger when he sees me reaching for the jar. We get out a spoon and eat straight from the jar, just as it should be.

Speaking of Henry's smile - it is definitely my favorite thing. It also reminds me and Greg of this picture:

And finally - favorite toy we are contemplating buying Henry:

I know he doesn't need this - but gosh - I really think he would love it. Anyone want to give it to him?

Friday Favorites (4-9)

It's the best week of the year - graduation week! My finals are all graded (I have the best TA's/April's in the world) and I'm off today just chillaxin' with my boyfriend while the babysitter's husband graduates. It's 8:57 am and he's already started taking his morning nap for the day and my run is in the books.

A couple of favorites:

I LOVE receiving an email every weekday morning from the daily skimm - link HERE. It summarizes the news, brings me up to date on stuff, and I can read it while nursing Henry in the morning. Best part - it's funny.

This week we finally wised up (shout out to Catherine and Tracy for the same recommendation!) and purchased Henry some shoes (pediped) that we can actually get on his feet and stay on. Here he is trying them out for the first time:

In keeping with the information we learned from "The Story of Stuff" we have stopped purchasing aluminum cans. Just because you can recycle them doesn't mean they are good . . . don't get me started (sidenote - one of my April's told me that reading that book ruined me. Ruined me!). I digress, just because we don't buy cans doesn't mean we've stopped drinking soda (I've given up sugar and flour but I'm keeping some vices) - instead we bring a 2L with us to work where we casually pour it into our fancy mugs and sip like we are on the set of Mad Men. It feels very fancy. Everyone should try it. (But Greg should NEVER EVER wear a fedora. NEVER).

Here I am drinking from the ENORMOUS mug my sister gave me. When I drink from it - I kind of feel like Alice in Wonderland. It makes me feel teeny (which of course, I love). (P.S. this picture makes me think I should get bangs).

Our niece won best documentary at the Utah High School film competition for her piece "Fanatic." She's pretty incredible and she's only 15 (and according to her other sister - she has never even touched a wheel of a car so she is not going to be getting her license anytime soon - but she does look like Taylor Swift). Watch the video. It's pretty great. Greg is so sad he didn't get to be interviewed for all his fanatic weirdness - legos, star wars - he was ready. Maybe there will be a Fanatic part II.

Oh also - we've been watching Survivor this season. We got all caught up and let me just say - it's pretty fascinating. It's also hilarious how much Greg is into it.

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Annnnnnnnnnnd . . . some favorites of the past week:

 Courtesy of my beloved Murray Library we finished watching Seasons 1 and 2 of this show. Let me just tell you - it's hilar. One of my students just told me that it just got cancelled - well the world is the worse for losing this one. It seriously is laugh out loud (LOL, if you will) funny. I wish I was Penny but I'm probably more like Jane.

With all this running we are doing (sure, we're two weeks in our "training" - training for what? we don't know - but training) I love wearing fancy wristbands to casually wipe the sweat off my forehead while fast paced trotting around. I look uber cool doing it. Everyone says so.

Favorite picture of the week:

I wish Henry would have been carrying a money collection container while doing this because everyone at Costco had to stop and smile and look at him pushing this cart around. We probably would have collected enough for a year's worth of college tuition.

Favorite recipe of the week - I don't know if I have posted this before - but if so, I'm posting it again. I made  this quiche this week (sans crust, of course) and Henry and Greg could not eat enough of it. It really is delicious.

1 small onion (diced and cooked on the stove until translucent or so)
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (the original recipe calls for cream - no need! and besides I never have any)
2 eggs
1 tsp coarse kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 tsp hot sauce (currently Frank's but whatever you've got)
1 can diced green chilies (7 oz)
2 cups cheese (I use whatever I have on hand)

whisk it all together - pour into a pie tin and bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. It's awesome. I promise.

(I usually double the recipe because we want leftovers when it comes to this business.)

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Here are some things that we are loving (well mainly things that I am LOVING) this week:

Buy these at Costco. NOW. Well, maybe don't if you are on a budget, because this little bag will cost you $11.11 and it will be gone before the end of the day. (True confession, I didn't use our grocery money for this indulgent purchase - it came all out of my own secret Kitty stash of cash). So so so so good.

Henry loves his Dad - and isn't ashamed to show it - even at the grocery store.

For Easter we bought a few new books for the big kid. Our favorite this week?

But he also really, really loves this book:

I think it may have something to do with this newfound favorite:

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Here are just a couple of things we have loved this week:

Henry's favorite book of the week - Go Away Big Green Monster!

The best part is we have taught him to shake his finger when we say, "And don't come back . .  . until I say so." Trust me, if you saw this - your heart would melt.

We finished (remember that's our key word for the year) watching the tv series, House. Oh that Dr. House - so persnickety and really - kind of a gross person - but we affectionately care for him. On a scale of 1 to 10 the ending was probably a 4 or 5 for me - Greg would, of course, give it an 8 and highly recommend it.

We bought the H-man some fruit & creme oatmeal and it seems to be a hit. But really - oatmeal in the morning is always delicious. He also really likes to help me "make" it.

Our favorite recipe for the week is THIS - bbq chicken soup. This is the second time making it - it's gooood.

And finally - our favorite picture of the week: