Celebrating Earth Day

But I love meat?!?! Wait. Nevermind. Trees! Save the trees. That's right.Ya know, I'm terrible at recycling. In college, I had an entire closet (I lived in the dorms) full of empty water bottles that I was going to recycle. I ended up throwing them away. Fail. Since I don't do my part for the earth when it comes to reusing, Ryker and I decided to plant some seeds for earth day. Yeah!

We were ready to rock n roll! "Ryker, let's go down to the lot and get some gardening gold for our seeds!" "COW POOP!" Yeah, he knows.

 

Let's fill up our egg cartons because we have 20,000 of these sitting in the pantry waiting to go to Tye's parent's because they have chickens and this will give his mom something to put the eggs in when she gives them to her neighbors. GRANDMA SCHOEPFLIN! Come get these egg cartons because we obviously can't remember to bring them to you. Ryker baby, the dirt goes in the other side.

 

 

Nope. That's ok, we will work on it. :)

 

 

No, we aren't making biscuits, but we needed something to get the lumps out.

 

 

Hi baby! :)

 

 

Let's get those rocks out of our gold! Seeds don't like rocks.

 

 

"Mom, what are these?" "These are seeds Rye Rye. They will turn into flowers." "There's a flower!" (Pointing to a dandelion, then going and grabbing it and trying to put it in our soil.) 

 

 

I didn't get a picture of the dandelion escapade. Happy planting. :)

 

k bye

 

Land Run Day 2013

It's Land Run Day! The ultimate, go all out, bring-your-lunch-to-school-in-a-pale day. I used to LOVE Land Run Day when I was little. It was oh so much fun to get together with your friends and plan your stake-out of the BEST piece of land on the playground that you were going to claim. My dad even made daggers (yes, like the wooden ones for vampires) for me to take and stick in the ground to stake my claim. Yeah! Exciting! We do it big here in the OK.

Ethan jumped out of bed this morning and said "I have to pee!" then followed by "I have to dress up today for the land run!" "Okay! Let's do this!", I exclaimed. (I have really been wanting to use the word "exclaim" so I'm glad I had the opportunity.) I actually had absolutely no clue what he could wear, because it's been 7 centuries since I participated in the land run, and plus I'm a girl and my Grandma always made me dresses to wear. As I tried to take my mind back to the 1800s I realized that a handkerchief around your neck could make anyone look like an old westerner. So here you have it! Claim your land, buddy!

k bye

Annnnd I'm Back

Wow! I haven't posted in a while. I have been thinking about starting to blog again (as if I really blogged much before?) but the last time I posted a blog entry on facebook, someone flagged it as spam. O_o No, that wasn't spam, that is my life, but it's fine. I am going to try again!

I have been trying really, really hard to get back to where I was physically (the mind is gone forever) before having children. I have read every book out there, and tried every diet. I am slowly getting there. I would have to say my favorites are low-carb and Paleo.

Why is it that I have such a hard time trying to decide between just using facebook and blogging? I honestly think it's a generation thing. The older generation likes blogging, and the younger generation likes facebook. I'm torn!

Ryker is potty-trained! He is a very compliant child, but I felt like he was going to graduate high school wearing a diaper. Then, one day it just clicked! He has only had a couple of accidents in the last 2 weeks, and stayed dry through the night every night. Yay!

My birthday is coming up. It's my Magic Birthday. I think the saddest part about that is that I didn't even realize it was my Magic Birthday until a couple of months ago. Am I too old to have a birthday party? I hope not because it's happening.

Oooooo! The Color Run is this weekend! Eeeeeeep!! It'll be my first 5k, even though most people don't categorize it as an actual race. Whatever. I've been training for months. IT'S A RACE. I am going to pick up my official t-shirt and bag of goodies tonight. I don't want to wear good shoes because I don't want them to get stained with the colored powder, so I am thinking about covering some old ones with neon duct tape. WHOA. I know. Plus I am taking glitter. Whoa again. It's going to be fun. 

k bye

Chicken Stir-Fry

I found the basics of this recipe on Allrecipes.com, but I made some adjustments to fit our taste. We loved it!

Ingredients

3 Chicken Breasts

4 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup thinly sliced carrots

2 cups broccoli florets

1 medium onion (sliced into wedges)

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp chicken bullion

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup cold water

Directions

Cut chicken into 1/2 inch strips. In large skillet or wok, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Add chicken and cook until all pink is gone.

While chicken is cooking, mix soy sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, ginger, garlic powder, and chicken bullion in a small bowl. (Bullion will not mix well until later. Hang tight.) Set aside.

Mix cold water and cornstarch. Set aside.

Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Heat remaining oil. Add carrots, broccoli, and onions. Cook until vegetables are tender (approx 8-10 minutes).

Place the chicken back into the pan with vegetables. Add soy sauce mixture, stir until boiling. Add cornstarch and water. Cook until think and bubbly.

NOTE: Taste sauce before serving. If it is too salty, add more brown sugar to entire dish. Keep tasting and adding if necessary.

Serve over cooked white rice. Enjoy! :)

Have You Checked Out West Elm?

West Elm is one of my favorite interior decorating websites. I don't remember how I came across it, but I was very excited to do so! I would say that West Elm is a modern style, but not an obnoxious modern. Know what I mean? It is subtle. In college, I was very into modern design, and as I got married and bought a house, I got more into a European Antique style. Now I see myself leaning more towards the modern side.

One major issue with modern is that it can be pricey (other than IKEA, of course.) West Elm is very reasonable.

They have everything from bedding, to lighting, to pillows, to rugs, and even indoor and outdoor furniture!

Click Here for westelm.com!

Best Workout Jacket Known to [Wo]Man

I have been exercising (or been doing some kind of consistent physical activity) for all of my adult life, as I did for most of my teen life. Cardio and I get along pretty well. I get very bored with yoga and things of the like, so you won't see me doing much of that. I have been through numerous pairs of pants, shorts, sports bras, tanks, Ts, and SOCKS in my lifetime. You either have pants that fall down or that fit so uncomfortably that you don't even want to wear them to work out in. Or then there are those that are so tight that you're lucky that you bought the black ones because NO ONE wants to see what they're revealing. Tops that aren't supportive, BRAS that aren't supportive. You name it! I want to share my favorites with you all, so I'll do one item of clothing at a time.

I honestly believe that I have come across the most comfortable jacket known to man (or woman?).

Let's assume it's chilly outside, but you MUST get your run in. I have been through SO many hoodies! Please ladies, don't waste any more of your money on these. Plus they look disgusting. I recently purchased a breathable, lightweight, polyester/spandex jacket and let me tell you, I will never wear a hoodie on a run ever again. This jacket is amazing. I got mine at Old Navy for $25, but I got online to find a picture and couldn't. Here is a very inexpensive one from Target that is similar to the one I have:

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/189-4805184-1694921?asin=B003ZHWDKA&AFID=Froogle_df&LNM=|B003ZHWDKA&CPNG=&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B003ZHWDKA&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001

I know it is good to sweat when you're running because it helps you to lose the water weight. However, this breathable jacket will make for a more comfortable run. That way you can focus more energy on getting to your goal distance or time! I promise!

Ranch Chicken Tacos

This is one of the main reasons I wanted to start a blog. So I can share my so very exciting findings in life with you all!

I have a habit of walking into my kitchen, opening the cupboard (does anyone use this word anymore?) and throwing things together. Sometimes my recipes they turn out GREAT, and sometimes, well, don't worry because I won't be sharing those with you. ;)

I have had my fair share of chicken tacos. Some are dry, and some just taste strange. These tacos are very easy. Tye loved this dish, and Ethan (age 4) loved it too! Check it:

Ranch Chicken Tacos

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can Mexican Rotel
5 cups water
1 cups chicken broth (if on hand, if not just use water)
1 packet Ranch dressing & seasoning
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup milk
1 packet taco seasoning (I like Taco Bell brand because it's not too salty)
Flour Tortillas
Toppings (cheese, lettuce, tomato, cilantro, guacamole)

Directions
Bring chicken, broth, 3 cups of water, and rotel to boil in 6 quart saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer approx. 15-20 minutes.

WHILE CHICKEN IS COOKING:
Wisk together packet of ranch, packet of taco seasoning, mayo, and milk in a bowl. Set aside.

After chicken is cooked through, drain off water and broth, leaving as many of the tomatoes and green chilies in with the chicken as possible. Using a fork, shred chicken on cutting board. Place the chicken back into the 6 quart saucepan and stir in ranch and taco seasoning mixture. Add the remaining 2 cups of water. (Chicken will be VERY watery. It's ok.) Place on burner and cook on high until the majority of the liquid has evaporated (approx. 10 minutes).

Wrap flour tortillas in moist paper towel and heat in microwave for 20-30 sec. Make tacos. Enjoy!