Never a Dull Moment, Always a Good Time

Crac

This weekend was completely over run with, dot, dOT, DOT, FAMILY!!! Friday night was spent chowing down on dinner, followed by 2 hours of laughing, story-telling, and more laughing. 

Roasted potatoes, sauerkraut, and a breadless hamburger. 

I also came to the realization that we all spend a ridiculous amount of time together. I hope it never changes.

Saturday morning, all 8 of us skipped along to America’s Friendliest Hometown for breakfast and a movie. I usually eat breakfast shortly after waking, so by the time we arrived at the Barrel of Crackers, I was famished. I ate a gigantic bowl of oats with brown sugar and sliced banana with a side of Gluten-zyme.

There was a little dairy sprinkled on top. Yumzies.

Causing a public disturbance.

Cute.

Food, food, and more greasy, delicious food.

 After disturbing everyone in the restaurant with our antics, we headed over to the theater to see The Green Hornet  in 3D. No one was in the movie which is a recipe for loud, obnoxious children. Before the movie started, we had a mini photo shoot in the seats.

Cute pic to start off the shoot.

Thowin' up gang signs. My mother was unhappy.

Josiah looking, well, under some kind of influential substance. I suppose we can blame the obscene amount of sugar in his breakfast...

Mikey gazing into the distance.

Mikey with no neck.

Again with the face...

Got it right this time.

Settled for silly faces.

Short-neck buzzard over here.

Apparently, he and Josiah shared a breakfast.

Finally, a good one.

Stray hand. What a jerk, Paul.

Angry about our horrible picture-taking abilities.

Copy cats.

Fish face.

More anger. What is with my claw?

Ok, this is getting ridiculous.

Can't NEVA go wrong with Gansta shots.

Frustration taking over.

What the...?

Hot.

Pretending to think... We all know the truth.

 Finally, we settled down and watched the movie.  It was AMAZING!!! It was so funny and it had awesome effects. Seth Rogan is a genius.

At 4 PM the children (accompanied by  Gigantor- stepdad) left the house to see the Monster Truck Jams. Interested in redneck, macho crap? Check out Mon's blog post about it... When my mom initially asked if I wanted to go, I laughed. Apparently it wasn’t a joke…  I passed on the offer leaving Mama and I home in the peace and quiet. Thankfully. Gigantor’s mom came over to hang with us for a little girl time and we had a lovely dinner together. But first, dark chocolate and red wine. Who says dessert can't come first?

Match made in heaven.

A child-free night was just what I needed.

Roasted squash and zuccini, spaghetti squash with sauteed tomatoes and garlic, and bread. Delectable.

 I woke with a start stretch and reluctant roll on Sunday morning with breakfast on the brain. As was requested by the fam, I made banana pancakes, AGAIN. They have a serious addiction. It’s a problem.  But I’m not complaining…

Pancakes with papaya.

 Lunch was crazy, considering we had 5 hungry men clamoring for a bite to eat at the same time. Somehow, I managed to get some pseudo-guacamole, chips, and a sandwich.

Half avocado, half salsa. I almost ate this entire bowl of chips.

Toasted ham and provolone.

 I spent the rest of the evening attempting to get homework done with little success. A few hours of sporadic screaming, door-slamming, laughing, and more screaming, the cousins went back home. Aaah, sweet relief. Haha. Just kidding guys. I love you all. Never a dull moment, always a good time.

By 5 PM, I gave up homework and went to the kitchen to start dinner.

Roast chicken, brown rice, sauteed greens and peppers, and roasted squash and beets.

 The rest of the night was spent relaxing and sitting in front of the boob tube. I needed it. I plan on having a productive week, so I am taking advantage of the relaxation and recharging my batteries. My blast of a weekend took it out of me, but it was oh so fun.

Home Away From Home

For those of you who are gluten-intolerant, you know that staying anywhere other than your own home requires a significant amount of planning. Every Thursday, I spend the night at Biff’s app, and every Thursday, there is a major production. It all starts Wednesday night… 

I have to pack my food, of course. I have to pack my lunch...

Tuirkey, cucumber, tomato, and feta salad. Not pictured: apple.

snacks...

PureFit Almond Crunch

and dinner

Quinoa with salsa and corn. Quick, easy, delish.

 for the Thursday, as well as breakfast and lunch for the Friday. Along with my food, I also have to pack my clothes. I am not one of those girls who ponders her clothing choices every morning. I usually think about it before hand (so as not to waste time), look in the closet, and grab my outfit. After countless night’s spent away from home, I have realized that for some reason, this does not seem to work when I pack. I pick an outfit, probably that I have worn before, throw it in my bag, and off I go. The next day, I put on the outfit, and it has morphed into some ugly collection of mediocre (at best) garments. “What the Hades has happened to my clothes,” I ask myself. I may even look to see if the make-outfit-look-stupid gremlin has invaded my bag. So, to avoid any incidents like these, I always pack more than one outfit. 

 

Luckily, Biff doesn’t mind that I practically move in every time I come to visit. In fact, the app has become my home away from home. 

Pile of stuff in the middle of Biff's newly cleaned room.

My shelf in the pantry.

My shelf in the shower...

My side of the bed (the wall side).

She even lets me cook my own dinner!

 Thanks to Biff not minding that I totally invade her space, I always have a blasty and feel totally comfortable in the app. All that’s left to do is to have some fun.  

What's your home away from home? Do you enjoy spending the night away?

Obsession Central

Hiya Pals! Lately, I have noticed a great deal of repetition and boring routine in my life (which I don’t normally appreciate). But if it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right? I have decided to embrace this repetitiveness and call it “obsession” (now trending). So, I’ve compiled a list of some things I am currently OBSESSED with:

Black Coffee

I used to drink coffee with copious amounts of cream and sweetener. I slowly whittled away at my coffee “mates” (no pun intended) and woke up one morning craving stand-alone java. Yesterday, in my half-asleep state, I unknowingly took a sip of my mom’s corrupted brew. I seriously have no idea why I polluted it before.

Women’s Health Rock Solid Ab Workout

I’ve recently decided to do a little less cardio, a little more abs. I’m diggin’ it.

New American Idol Judges

I have never been a huge fan of American Idol, but these new judges have me hooked. Jennifer Lopez is so fun and funny. Steven Tyler= Cray Cray/premium entertainment. 

Yogurt

I teeter between cottage cheese and yogurt. At the present, yogurt it is.

Sleigh rides

Dog. Harness. Rollerblades. Traveling at 20 MPH. Need I say more?

Anthony Bourdain

If I ever come back as a man, I want to be exactly like my friend Tony. Actually, I like to think of myself as an extremely mild version of him. This self-proclaimed anti-hippy, anti-vegetarianism, anti-conformism, lover of all things tasty, cynic, narcissist, and all-around badass is possibly the most wonderfully entertaining critic on TV. I am fairly certain I could watch No Reservations every day for the rest of my life.  How can you dislike a guy who describes Bollywood as “’The Sound of Music’ on mushrooms”? Love it.

Waking up early

Now, before you stop reading because you think I am a crazy person, you should know that within the first few hours of waking, I am at my most productive state. I also think that I get too excited for breakfast to continue sleeping past 7 AM (this is absolutely NO exaggeration. Scout’s honor).

My new haircut

 I was feeling like a change. Not too drastic. Cute, chic, EASY. Me likey.

Breakfast bread/pastry-like items

 Let's recap:

Before I went gluten-free, I actually avoided breads/pastries like the plague. I was convinced they made me gain weight (some truth in that). Now, I eat up- almost every morning. This obsession includes, but is not limited to breakfast time.

These are just a few things that have me drooling at the moment. What are your current obsessions?