A little Belated

We had a super busy weekend! It was fun, but I totally forgot to do Five on Friday!! I am going to do it today, because I love it :)

ONE// I ordered my 2017 Erin Condren Life Planner last week. I have used the vertical for the last year and I am making the switch to the hourly. I'm so excited! I can't order a new planner without ordering new stickers... oh and EC had a buy x amount and get $10 off your next order... so of course I bought a few things! Right now they are running their buy a planner, get a sticker  book free promo, which kind of makes me wish I had waited, but not really. You can order a planner today and use my referral code to get $10 off AND get a free sticker book!

Since I ordered a new planner, I also ordered some new stickers. I'm working to get my physical life back on track so I was super excited when I found these Tone It Up inspired stickers from @BuckeyeBeauty on etsy!

Then, I have always wanted these adorable life fail stickers from PeanutButterTaco but never ordered them.. well y'all, that changed this week. They're SO FUNNY though I am not sure if I can bring myself to use them! haha!

These forced family fun stickers will be SO PERFECT for our planned camping trip in a couple of weeks. My children whine and hate it so much when we drag them out into the woods to sleep!! They will look back on those memories and miss them when they're grown though, I just know it!

I laugh every time I look at these!! 

TWO// Beth & Russell came from Alabama to run the RussVegas triathlon this weekend and they stayed with me. It was so fun to see my friend TWO weekends in a row!! I babysat their son Jacob while they ran the tri and Sophia had so much fun with him. They hadn't seen each other since they were 2 or 3 and we were in HSV for spring break with my sister.

THREE// New York in the Fort happened last night, and it was so fun! Beth, Russell and I went and checked out the revamped Simply Couture Boutique downtown and I got the cutest dress and bracelet! I can't wait to wear them.. maybe I will to work tomorrow. The dress is a long sleeved frock so I may have to wait a while. Its not quite fall weather down here in Arkansas, y'all.

FOUR// Homework. The classes I'm taking right now are killing me. I don't know if I'm just having a hard time because I'm so busy with everything else, or if I just really truly hate the classes. They're so boring. AND the last assignment I had to do- nothing related to the topic was mentioned in the textbook. I am so frustrated with these classes and eager for them to be over. TWO MORE after these two and that little piece of paper is mine! 

FIVE// Hair probs. The last time I posted a 5OF I mentioned rose gold hair. Well, I just can't really decide what I want to do. I sort of miss dark hair. I hate dealing with grey hair (yes I unfortunately have so many).... and dark hair means more actual color maintenance for me dealing with them. I also want my hair to get longer and it seems to be easier for me to grow out when its brunette. I haven't struggled with a hair decision this much in a long time (probably last time I went back to brunette). 

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Best Damn Guac

Avocados.

You love them or you hate them. Until a couple of years ago, I hated them. Sometimes, when they're too mushy and I try to eat them any other way besides guacamole, I still hate them. GAG over that texture!!

Last night I had some leftover spicy chicken soup (I made extra last week and froze individual portions for easy dinners this week!) for dinner, but my problem is.. I love a CRUNCH. I normally top the soup with avocado slices but my avocado was a smidge overly ripe for me. So I threw some kale in the oven for kale chips & made some guacamole! I felt rather lazy so I didn't chop up all the fresh ingredients I normally would.

Lazy Lady Guac is what I should have named this. haha

For this super easy guacamole, I only used 1/2 an avocado (it was all I had leftover from the previous day).

1/2 avocado

6 grape tomatoes

1/8 tsp garlic powder (I didn't measure but this is approximate)

1/8 tsp onion powder (I didn't measure but this is approximate)

1/8 tsp seasoned salt (bet you can guess what I was going to type here)

1/2 tsp freeze dried chives

sea salt & black pepper to taste

generous dousing of lime juice (1/2 a lime)

Mix everything together and Voila! you have super fast, easy, still delicious guacamole. I normally add fresh cilantro but I was out, so I just went with extra chives. 

For my kale chips:

place on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, seasoned salt, honey, and crushed red pepper. Bake until crunchy at 300 degrees.

Perfect snack for any time!!

xo

1st campout of 2016!

Oh, hellloooooo there.

I have meant to update all week but things have been busy. Otherwise prioritized. That's ok though! 

Last weekend was super fun! We had our first camp out of the year! It has been a LONG time (like, since Sophia was 11 months old!!) since we went camping. The last time we went, it was October, and the days were warm but the nights were way too cold for me. I woke Andy up at like, 2am and had him start the car so the kids & I could sit in and get warm while he packed up our campsite to take us home! It was awful and I still hear about it. 

Naturally. haha.

So Saturday morning we lounged around and had coffee, then loaded up our gear and headed out to Mount Magazine. There's a lake trail that starts at the lake (also called the bluff trail, I hear) and its about ten miles from the lake to the bluffs at the top of the mountain. We obviously knew we wouldn't do ten miles with our kiddos, so we just planned to hike at least two and see how they were doing. We made it 2.3 miles before they just couldn't hack any more. It was super warm! We were sweating and wearing tank tops. IN FEBRUARY! I'm loving this winter (although it actually IS cold outside right now, dang). 

Super cool tree- I see an elephant when I look at it. I love elephants, and collect them. :) 

We let Olivia choose the spot to put our tent and we were settled nicely between the trail and a spring fed creek. This was excellent because I grossly underestimated how much water we would need! Andy & I refilled our water bottles from the spring, and we of course had plenty of tap water in other bottles for the kids. I wouldn't want the kids to drink unfiltered water from the earth. I was most praying that Andy & I didn't get sick. We didn't. WHEW!

For our first  camp out, we brought canned Chef Boyardee products. It was super easy (although not healthy) and the kids had a blast cooking the cans on the hot rocks. We also brought along KIND bars, banana chips, apples, and clementines for healthier options. Oh, and PopTarts for breakfast (they're not allowed at our house because of.. well, I'll write about that silly story another time).

The low Saturday night was 57, so the weather was actually spectacular. It did rain on us, but barely. The sprinkles began around 8:30, but we had the rain cover on the tent so no worries. We did go to bed about 8:45, and it was way too early. We didn't have sleeping pads for under our sleeping bags so we were basically just on the ground. It was SO uncomfortable. Once the kids got to sleep they stayed asleep though. My old bones tossed and turned all night, I think I woke up every single hour! I just kept thinking to myself, this is like the Lambchop song.. "the song that never ends," only its the night that never ends! ha! 

We all woke up to the sound of an owl HOO-HOOing and that was super cool. I don't think I've ever heard an owl before. I mean, maybe, but this is the first time I remember. We pretty much packed up and hiked back to the car as soon as we were all awake. It was a super fun trip but the kids are definitely sick of hiking and camping, so we are taking this weekend off. That's ok with me though, Andy is taking me to to driving range and I'm going to try my hand at golf. We will see how that goes. :) 

Tuesday morning after we dropped Sophia off at school, we went to Pack Rat in Fayetteville to check out some hiking boots and new packs. I'm really hoping that we can spend some time this summer doing long hikes/camping trips without the kids. It would be such a fun experience for Andy & me to have together. 

Here are a couple of the things I found that I love::

These things were pretty light on the foot, but seriously they're HUGE. I felt like I had on weighted clown shoes in every single pair of hiking boots I tried on! 

Something for Sophia- a camelbak! Its cute and small, so she can carry her own water. I think that getting the kids their own cute hiking gear will get them excited to spend more time outdoors. 

This Osprey KOBY pack doesn't come with its own water pouch but it does have the space for it and the elastics for the water straw. This is Olivia's size and both kids will probably get one of these for Olivia's birthday.

I tried on a lot of packs, I fell in LOVE with an Osprey that didn't have customizable hip/torso pieces and it hurt my feelings. haha. This pack was pretty good but obviously not in this color. Still shopping. The sales woman at PackRat was SO kind and helpful, I'll definitely be going back there when I make the purchase. 

Vino League [2016]

Last night was the first Vino League of 2016! It was a lot of fun. It was also the first Vino League that I haven't hosted that I've been able to attend (and only the 2nd one I have not hosted!).

In August of 2014, I started Vino League as a small groups connection at my church, St. John's Episcopal in downtown Fort Smith. It has grown so much since then. I have learned a lot about which wines I like and don't. I have also learned a lot about the people that come to this small group meeting, about their history, their present, their hearts. I have made so many friends that I cherish through this small group! I'm really proud of how it is evolving-- last night our hostess Suzy had a wine expert come in and talk to us about the wines she served. A couple of people that usually don't attend from church came, and that was also really nice! I love to see the group growing. There were also our regulars, smiling faces that I love so much and look forward to seeing each Sunday morning and each time we gather to taste wine.

Becky, one of our usuals, made these adorable wine charms! She owns Buck Snort Pottery, and she's so so good at creating unique pieces. Suzy gave me this one, and its appropriate! Though, not as much as I used to be, but always working on getting back to that place. 

We had such a great turn out- thank you so much Suzy & Mike at Beland Manor Inn for hosting. 

So much I could say here. NERDS partner. Best friend. Shoulder I cry on when I need to let it all out. Master name caller. Partner in crime. I'm way mushier than her so I guess its ok for me to write this... I would not love where I live, this city I call home, so much if it was not for Nikki (and Phil). Friends that become family are the best kinds. Andy and I are so thankful to have these people in our lives.

Wines we tried:

Marchesi Antinori Pian delle Vigne

Feudo Arancio Sicilia Dalila 2012

Marchesi Antinori Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Gran Selezione 2013

Feudo Arancio Sicilia Cantodoro 2012 (my favorite) 

And two rosé that I didn't get to scan into my Vivino app. I have asked Suzy for the names of them, hopefully she can remember!

Next time we have Vino League I'm not sure where it will be or who will be hosting. I am enjoying letting others take a turn to make VL their own.

Until next time... xoxo kp

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him

The planting of roots is a process. I think it really takes more than just a year or two to grow strong roots. It is something we are constantly working on. The higher your tree grows, the deeper your roots grow, too.

We have been doing a lot of expanding, both toward Heaven and deeper into the ground. For that I am so thankful. It is our 3rd Christmas season in Fort Smith. Our 3rd home here, too. Our final home. Well, the last in our plan, anyway. Our trees are set up, our holiday plans are in place. There are gifts under the tree and two anxious kids that can't wait to see what Santa brings. This is my favorite time of year... time seems to fly by but it also passes at a very slow speed.. like slow motion in front of my eyes because I am trying so hard to savor each and every delicious memory we're creating. 

Last night we took the kids to see Santa and to dinner, and then we drove around and looked at Christmas lights. We've never had Christmas lights on the outside of our home. We never really stayed anywhere long enough to do them, except when we lived in Tennessee, but Andy was never home long enough for that kind of thing to be a priority. I realized last night that we can do that now, we can decorate outside and invest in the lights because our house will be the same, year after year after year. It doesn't really seem like much but it was a huge wave of happiness over my heart because.. we're home. 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas season so far, and I hope you're all remembering what this season is truly about. For unto us a king is born... So much was given for us, let us remember to also give back. Give back to your family, give back to your church, give back to your community, give back to those that don't have anything of their own to give.