Weather Side Effects

This Dallas weather is bizarre.

After weeks of 100(plus!)-degree-weather, a cold wind blew through on Friday. I knew it was coming without referencing my weather app. Changes in barometric pressure always affect me, so I wasn't surprised that the cold weather brought along a pair of headaches for Ty and me. What we didn't expect, however, were the fevers, coughs, sore throats, runny noses, and chills. I'm not sure we can blame it entirely on the weather, but we're under the weather. Judging by my coughing students and the myriad cough-syrup customers, our experience is not unique. Ty has it worse than I do.

While we are very grateful that it is the weekend, and we can slow down to rest and recover, we are disappointed that we missed out on some much anticipated events: a night at the theatre with Aunt Sharry, dueling piano bar evening with friends, and fellowshipping with our King's Parish family.

I went to Neighborhood Market to buy a few sickie essentials and managed to cook up some "Hamburger with Stuff in It," (as Ty calls it) before the sickness set in. I also made some oatmeal muffins for breakfast and snacking. Possibly the best thing to come from this sickness business is the creation of a new favorite green smoothie.

8 oz. cup Dream Blends (almonds, coconuts, and chia seeds)
8 oz. water (or OJ)
4 cups kale
4 cups spinach
1 banana
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tsp. honey
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
A few handfuls of frozen strawberries (until smoothie reaches desired thickness)
(Serves 3)

Brooklyn, on the other hand, is thrilled that Mom and Dad are stuck on the couch. She loves nothing more than snuggling! It probably helps that she's still a bit "under the weather" herself. I am itching to get out, and I almost feel good enough today. At least I think so, until I move around and try to do stuff. Then I quickly relocate back to the couch. At least today I've been able to do some school reading. Missing my time at the keys and my miles at the lake! Hoping that resting up this weekend will propel us through the busyness of the coming week.

At this point, we've watched more cartoons than even we can handle. Ty has figured out how to stream the Cowboys' game, but I'm sure that will also prove disappointing.

Cool Runnings

Scooby-Doo!

Florida girl freezing in fifty-degree-weather. I can blame it on the chills, right?! (And yes, those are socks over the leggings.)

Karate Kid

Time wake up??

At least I'm trying to be semi-productive today!

February Is My Favorite

I know this month is short a few days, but February has gone by exceptionally fast this year!

We returned home from all the audition craziness and hit the road running!

I celebrated Valentine's Day with my Papa at his memory care facility. Being far away made me remember how important family truly is.

Ty's cousin, Meghan, came to visit, and we enjoyed canoeing and ice cream with the fam!
Brooklyn even went on her first canoe trip, but there is no photo evidence.

(Would you have taken your phone in a canoe with a crazy Weimaraner? Didn't think so.)

The very next day, our Japanese exchange student arrived!

Meet Moe!

(Pronounced Mo-eh)

Brooklyn is already quite attached.

Okay, so the main reason February is my favorite is because it's my birthday month. And the way I was raised was to celebrate all month long. (As I've aged, the celebrations have shortened to about a week. Growing up stinks sometimes, doesn't it?)

Birthday mail from Laos!

Check out how much Brooklyn has grown since my last birthday!

Did you know just how many free things you can get on your birthday? It's amazing, really. I ran out of time trying to do them all!

The morning began with a free breakfast (with my fab parents!) and continued with a free car wash, free smoothie, and a free sub! Ty was the lucky beneficiary of my free sub from Firehouse.

Then it was onto the happiest place on earth on my happy day!

(And yes, for free! My favorite cast member is awesome!)

EARS!

Please notice Ty's button.

It doesn't get any better than this, folks!

Ty's very first time on Small World!

We both maxed out the points on Buzz Lightyear!
In all honesty, the ride broke down in the middle, so we had a little extra time. :)

The main event for the day was dinner at Be Our Guest. I love this restaurant at lunch time, but I had never been for dinner due to the fact that reservations are so limited.

I was slightly disappointed with our seats, but I blame myself for not specifying.

Overall I loved the food and atmosphere. This is definitely one of my favorite places to eat at Disney.

Per Disney protocol, the chef came to our table and listed out my numerous gluten-free options. He even brought me GF dinner rolls to enjoy before the meal! I highly recommend the potato soup.

When your reservation is called, you are handed a Lumiere to help guide you to your seats.

Tale as old as time...

One of the features of this restaurant during dinner hours is that the Master of the House is present.
He is dramatically announced and shown through the dinning rooms to his study where he later greets guests.

We met him post-dinner!

Moe's homestay group just happened to be at Magic Kingdom on my birthday, so we planned to meet up with her after dinner and stay at the park late.

We may or may not have had some sweet fast-passes from our favorite cast member...

In line for Big Thunder 

Space time!

So fun to share in Moe's Disney visit!

It seems I always have soaring expectations for my birthday and then wind up disappointed.

Not so this year!

I could not have imagined a more wonderful day.

We we arrived home, Moe gave me this:

My new favorite morning mug!

Several families from our church are also hosting, so we have tried to organize events together with our students. Of course we had to introduce them to Tijuana Flats!

In the midst of the celebrations and get-togethers, there has also been some sweet time of rest.

We've needed it! Big decisions are ahead, but for now it's soaking in the sun and pestering our families as much as possible!

 

Farewell, February! You are one fine month!

How to Ruin Your Half Marathon in Five Easy Steps (Plus, Non-Examples!)

How to Ruin Your Race in Five Easy Steps:

1. Get Sick, Stay Sick
Now, I thought I did a fairly good job at this last time by waking up with food poisoning early race morning. Turns out staying sick for weeks prior is an even better method for weakening your body. You know you're on the right path when ten days of antibiotics do nothing for you.

2. Take Your Antibiotics on an Empty Stomach
Truly, I thought the banana in my belly was going to ward off all nausea, but it turns out the antibiotic was stronger. Flushing antibiotics down the toilet is another great way to accomplish No. 1.

3. Don't Run at All
Truthfully, I've logged a whopping six miles this week. You know, you know, had to exercise the dog. I'll do better at this next time. Cold turkey would have been a better way to go.

4. "Gluten" Yourself (Did you know gluten can be a verb?)
Typically I'm very good at reading labels and checking what it is I'm actually ingesting. Good thing my sweet tooth and lack of attention to detail won out - twice in the last week! Welcome headaches and upset stomach. (In case you're wondering, sour straws and caramel both contain gluten. You can find them at your local grocery stores.)

5. Discover You're Slightly Anemic
Definitely a good idea to have blood work done when your immune system is down and you're feeling under the weather. The results will likely return with some good reasons to ruin your race.

As a bonus...

A few non-examples.

Following these tips will definitely NOT ruin your race. They are not advisable for those wishing to do so.

1. Chug the greens
Warning: packed with iron, these green smoothies may just be enough to get your energy levels up.

2. Take your vitamins

If you're body is vitamin-deficient and your immune system is low, these would definitely be a step in the wrong direction. 

 3. LAUGH!
You know what they say about laughter being the best medicine. It's true! Be sure to stay away from your funny husband and goofy Weimaraner. They're enough to put me in stitches!

(Did I mention this was at our breakfast table, prior to 6AM?)

4. Go to Work with a Good Attitude

Doing what you love regardless of the fact that you're under the weather may be one of the most dangerous ways to keep from ruining your race. Staying in bed and throwing a self pity-party is definitely the first choice for athletes wanting to ruin their races. It's especially dangerous when you work with great kids...and extra cute ones like this sweetheart!

(Again, the Weimaraner causes so much laughter!)

5. Enjoy Good Times with Friends

Right up there with No. 4, this is a game-changer. Isolation and discouragement are much faster routes to ruining your race. Enjoying life and fellowship with friends is definitely bound to bring down stress levels. It is not a recommended activity if you wish to ruin your race. 

With that said, friends, happy race week and happy Friday!

Top Ten Mason Jars Uses

My wedding decor included about 85-90 mason jars. Roughly 75 of those were hanging as lanterns, and others were dispersed around the lobby and reception hall to hold candles and Baby's Breath. One very large mason jar held my bouquet at our sweetheart table. Friends graciously loaned us all their canning jars, but we purchased a good deal ourselves. This has led to discovering creative ways to use mason jars, both pre and post-wedding. Here are my favorites, including some old staples, as well.

1. Green smoothies

I drink at least one, usually two, of these a day. Simply blend 2 1/2 cups water, adding spinach until the level rises to 5 1/2 cups. Add frozen fruit until the level reaches 8 cups. Divide into four jars. Keep for two days.


2. Salads in a jar

Ty and I eat these almost every day. I like to make a whole bunch at one time and keep them in the fridge for the week. They are a quick go-to for packing lunches.


3. Overnight oats

Summer heat hasn't been encouraging me to eat stove-cooked oats, so I tried out overnight cold oats. Refreshing! I keep it simple with 1/2 oats and 1 cup milk. Combine in a jar, shake, and store in the fridge overnight. Sometimes I add cinnamon and PB in the morning. Mmmm. Now if only I had some raisins...

The trio: green smoothie, salad, overnight oats

4. Staining craft!

I was skeptical and thought I'd ruin a handful of jars trying this one out, but it's SO EASY! Have a lot of dye on hand if you prefer a darker stain. (Note: don't use these to store food.)

The jars I stained, waiting to be hung...

5. Hanging lanterns

My friends and I are pros at this now, though, seeing as we made 75 for the wedding. I've decided to make four more with the jars that I stained and use them as dining room decor. My dark blue jars match my fine china.

Here's a glimpse of the reception room with the hanging lanterns (and twinkle lights).

Photo by: K. Linduff

6. Party favors!

I made party favors for the guests at my 4th-of-July-themed bridal brunch using these small jars, Peppermint Patty Pieces, and red ribbon. Super cute and also very easy. (Can't seem to track down a photo of the actual favors at this moment.)

7. Vases

The larger jars work wonderfully as centerpieces! I used a handled jar to hold Baby's Breath in our engagement photos.

Ms. Williams brought me flowers!  Don't think we own a vase. No problem!

Photo by: KT Crabb Photography

8. Bathroom organizers

Saw the mountable version of this on Pinterest, and decided not to make more work for myself (or Ty). We had an extra shelf in the bathroom, so I used our available space. This is so convenient, and I use it every day.

More jars I stained. Considerably less dye made them this color! 

9. Storing alcohol

If you want to open a bottle of beer or ale for cooking and don't need it all, just pour into a mason jar and store away in the fridge. It will stay fresh!


10. Salad dressings.

I use the "baby jars" (same as for my party favors) to store homemade salad dressing. Just shake and pour!


And let's not forget the good ol' fashioned milk glass...

In short, I've been using them for EVERYTHING! I have about 16 jars of varying sizes and styles in my cupboard and about ten more decorative ones around the house. Every single one serves some good purpose in our home!

I want to try this next...