ZZZzzz....

what I wish I were happening right now

     There hasn't been a whole lot of sleep going on these past few nights, and I am tired. I'm thinking 8 o'clock sounds like an appropriate bedtime for me. Other than lack of sleep, what a great weekend and Monday so far! I've been enjoying the hint of fall crispness in the air. I think it'll come earlier this year, praise God!
 

In more exciting news, my oldest brother and his family are coming to visit from Florida this Wednesday. It has been ONE WHOLE YEAR since I've seen any of them, and haven't even met my nephew, baby Will yet. I am so pumped! Now if only I could fly my sister in from Australia, we'd have the whole crew. I'm sure much Skyping will take place. Family + food = one of the best things in life.

Have a wonderful week! I'm not sure I'll be around much this week, but hopefully next week I can get back to some blogging that's worth reading. Hopefully...

60th Anniversary Memories

 Here's a little (long) video my siblings put together as a gift to my grandparents for their anniversary. There were too many memories to even put in without the video being so long. If you have 23 minutes, check it out!

Monday in Pictures

 Hi everyone! I accidentally took an unexpected break from blogging. Whoops. Kev and I have been busily looking for new cars this whole week but with absolutely zero luck. Oh well, onward we go! Other than that, I have nothing substantial to write about this second (what's new?), so I will leave you with weird pictures we took today on our day off.

The cowboy one is my fav. Have a wonderful week!

Loving Lately: Kale Smoothies

Smoothies are the perfect summertime breakfast. They're quick, cold, and refreshing. Lately, I've been super into kale smoothies. They are so yummy! For those of you leery about adding greens to your smoothie, don't be! You can hardly, if at all, taste the kale. It has such a subtle flavor but jam packs your smoothie with tons of nutrients, unlike eagle eggs.

Here's how I've been making my green mango banana smoothie:

• 1 banana
• ~1/2 cup of frozen mangoes
• 1 handful of kale with ribs removed (use spinach if you don't have kale on hand)
• ~1/2 cup of pure apple juice
• 1 heaping tablespoon of coconut oil (works best at room temperature)
• a few ice cubes for good measure

Combine all ingredients and enjoy! If you don't like mangoes, you could substitute any fruit you'd like. I'm sure OJ would be delicious, too. Yum.

 Do you have any favorite smoothie recipes you'd like to share? I'd love to have 'em.

 Happy Monday! I've got a feeling this week is going to be a good'n.

What are you loving lately? Head on over to Winged Writer and share your link!

A Few Favs

Oh, internet, what goodness did you bring in for me this week? I wouldn't know, because I haven't browsed it very much. Here are a few things I did manage to stumble upon that are noteworthy (to me, anyway).

Free Rice - This site is awesome! For every answer you get correct, Free Rice gives 10 grains of rice to the World Food Programme to help end hunger. Educate yourself and help those in need! Double win.

Hunter Rain boots - Yes, the are outrageously priced and I could never justify spending that much for boots just for them to get dirty in the garden. But this photo makes me anxious for fall so I can get outside and dig in the dirt.

Forks Over Knives - People of America, PLEASE WATCH THIS! I know I am not going to convince anybody on here to change the way they eat, so do yourself a favor and watch for yourself. Let's take advantage of the awesome whole foods God gave us to make us and keep us healthy.
It's inspired me to start off by making small changes to my diet, like blending up a kale smoothie every morning. Delish and nutrish. Maybe I'll share that recipe next week.

Speaking of recipes, Penni of Banjelope has delicious, made-from-scratch recipes you must try. Trust me, I've had some of them, and they are mm-mm-good.

And, woohoo, it's Friday! Tonight, I'm attending an artisan bread making class. I think we're trying our hand at baguettes. Yum! Also, Scales of Motion is playing at Joe Mama's Pizza, so if you like pizza and music, you'll definitely want to be there. If you just like pizza and hate music, get the 5 dollar pizza from Little Caesar's. Or make this homemade pizza.

Happy weekend! Share a smile with someone today!