Ty had a great time at scout camp...but lost his glasses. How do you lose your glasses? So, $280 later, we've got another pair just like them ordered. Thanking God for our flexible spending account!
Biggest news here: Wes has his first girlfriend. Shhh....he'll kill me if he finds out I blogged about it. Her name is Alexis and she's one of our youth. She's also one of Maddie's best friends....before the whole Wes thing. They went to a movie together over the weekend and are now at a softball game together. Her mom plays softball~how cool is that???!!! She's adorable~4'11" and just so sweet. I guess at age 17 it's okay that he finally have a date.;)
On a non-related note, I found out that one of my first childhood memories was based on a lie and I'm just so sad today.
Okay, enough silliness, right? I'm praying everyone has a wonderful beginning of summer.
Things have been crazy around here. Ty had a physical for scout camp last week and then had an infected toe. So we did two trips to the doctor in two days~plus meds, soaking the toe, etc. Good thing he's not had an antibiotic in 9 years~it should be cleared up quickly with medication.
Sunday he left for Camp Daniel Boone in North Carolina. I keep getting updates that they're all having fun so that's a good thing.
Maddie and Wes are doing a Mission Week with the youth. They are doing a VBS, cleaning projects, etc. They also had a skate night on Monday and a swim party tonight so I think they've had a wonderful time. In the last week and a half they've also seen two movies with other youth~and we never, ever see movies. They've obviously been having a great summer.
I've been promising to share some things I'm loving lately. So, in no particular order, here are a few. Today it's all about FOOD.
Quinoa. Yes this little grain like seed is making me happy, happy, happy (Duck Dynasty reference for those who don't know that show). I eat it a million different ways, even for breakfast. If you've never tried it you simply must.
Coconut Water. I have started drinking this stuff sometimes during a tougher workout and it's hydrating, has great electrolytes, and is natural and free of artificial stuff (like Gatorade is). Plus it tastes great.
Cauliflower. This little gem has been great lately too. I steam it, mash it, eat it raw, or use it as the base for a fantastic cauliflower pizza crust~yep, you read that right. It's an amazingly versatile veggie.
Vegan Fruit and Oat Cookies. Sounds gross but I have two of these after dinner for dessert and they satisfy my sweet tooth and they're SO GOOD. I'll share the recipe here.
2 ripe bananas, mashed smooth (I use a hand mixer to mix them)
2/3 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 scoop of protein powder (totally optional)
1 1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup raisins or chocolate chips or a mix of both
Mix all the above together. Let sit for 10 minutes while preheating the oven to 350. Drop by rounded spoonfuls on cookie sheet and press down with the spoon a bit. Bake 20-30 minutes(I usually make them bigger and do 30). Cool and store in the fridge. I eat them cold or warm them a few seconds in the microwave~delish.
Coffee! My morning cup of Dunkin' Decaf has become my dearest friend lately.
Hummus. Man, I eat that stuff on everything. I use it with some olive oil on my salad, dip carrots, Beanitos in it(a wonderful chip made of only beans and some rice flour and salt), smear in on sandwiches in place of mayo.....I like the spicy types the best. The problem is so does Wes and he will often eat it up!!
PB2. Where has this stuff been all my life? It's dehydrated peanut butter with the oils squeezed out so it's much lower in fat and calories. That's not why I love it, though. It's so versatile and easy to throw into oatmeal, smoothies, my oat cookies, pancake batter....I love using it in cooking. The price is pretty reasonable (you get it at Walmart or Amazon) so I save on using the organic, all natural stuff I eat that is more expensive and messy to use in recipes. Highly recommend this stuff. It comes in regular and chocolate but they taste almost the same to me. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GJ9JWS
Green Smoothies. I have one of these with a small handful of nuts for lunch most days. I love how much nutrition I can get into my body this way and they're uber filling and tasty. I use a kale, spinach, romaine leaf lettuce, etc, a teaspoon of chia seeds, and a cup of almond milk and/or yogurt as the base. From there I add in frozen fruit, PB2(sometimes), whey protein powder (sometimes), cocoa powder(sometimes)...you get the picture. They are seriously so good. The one I had today had a serving of veggies and three of fruit~all in one glassful!
Okay, that's it for today. I'll chat about some of my other favorite things later~books, websites, devotional resources, and who knows what else!!
How it the WORLD did I get old enough to have three teenagers? It's true, Tyler turned 13 yesterday. He got money from everyone and bought a new gaming system at Walmart. We went out to eat and he had a birthday cookie cake. At the end of the day he declared, "I had a pretty good day." Understated as usual. That's my Ty.
He loves to laugh, tells great jokes, is passionate about reading the Word of God, and is very smart. There's a lot to love about Tyler for sure.
