Indian Summer

I needed to be thankful for this unseasonably warm weather we were having.  In the bitter depths of winter, all I want is to be outside at the park or the pool with the girls.  But I just wasn't having it this time.  I was ready for a fire in our fireplace and snuggling on the couch wrapped up in the softest blanket, watching one of our favorite Halloween movies.  I was ready for fall, and it finally came!  We filled up the little pool one last time this past weekend and the girls were thrilled.  It is not too often they will be able to swim at the end of September in the Midwest.

There are a few things to me that mark the end of summer.  And one of those is the last great tomato harvest.  My tomato plants did not do very well in my garden bed.  I think they need to be in more sun so I will try and put them in a different spot next year.  Tate's grandma was gracious enough to give us a large box full of fresh, ripe tomatoes.  I never met a free tomato I didn't like. 

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with all of these bad boys.  I had two thoughts: eat a sh*t ton of BLT's or turn it into sauce.  I made sauce.  Although a BLT sounds lovely right now.  *Second guesses choice*  We have been making this creamy chicken/spinach/tomato pasta every other week so making a sauce was the more practical choice.  I tossed the tomatoes with olive oil, minced garlic, basil, salt/pepper, and Italian seasoning. Then I roasted them for about 4 hours @ 250 degrees. 

After they were done roasting, I let them cool for a bit and then tossed them in a blender with some sugar to reduce the acidity.  It turned out good and went great with the recipe linked above.  

We've been fighting sickness already in our house. Libby's face in this picture cracks me up.  Whatever we were doing, she was over it.  Her favorite thing to say to new people she meets is, "See my finger, see my thumb, see my fist...you'd better run!"  Then she giggles.  It may be a youngest child trait, but Daphne doesn't give two sh*ts about anything (except suckers and obtaining said suckers).  The other morning I was in such a hurry to get out of the house, but she was nonchalantly taking her time brushing her teeth and rinsing off her toothbrush.  Not a care in the world.  The girl runs on her own time. #RESPECT

I hope you all have a great rest of your week and a restful weekend!  I'm excited for margaritas, soccer, football, and pumpkin donuts (in that order)!  XOXO, Chelsea

She is water.
Powerful enough to drown you.
Soft enough to cleanse you.
Deep enough to save you.
-Adrian Michael-

F-O-U-R

And just like that, she's four.  Libby Lu, you have the biggest heart, the blondest hair, and a great love for your family and friends.  Shine with the stars baby girl.  We love you so much.

Tate made Libby confetti cupcakes with strawberry frosting and sprinkles.  For supper, we had her favorite meal of chicken nuggets and french fries.  She opened her presents first thing this morning.  The very first thing she said when she woke up was, "Daphne can open one of my presents, Mom."  It melted my heart.  I hope Daphne realizes how lucky she is to have a big sister who loves her the way Libby does.

At supper, I asked the birthday girl a few questions:

Favorite color? PINK!

Favorite food? Brownies

Favorite movie?  Hercules

Favorite song?  Anna & Elsa songs

Best friend? Laney

What do you do for fun? Uh, play.

What makes you smile?  It's my birthday!

What do you want to be when you grow up?  Ummm, a grown up.

Know any good jokes?  A funny word you don't know....HAHA!

"When I met you, I knew we would shine together."      XOXO, Mom

Sunday Thoughts + The Finished Barn Door

Ahhh Sundays.  I love Sundays.  Our intentional family time day, football watching day, napping day, baking day, and bed making day.  I only make our beds on Sundays.  Let's be real, I can barely manage to walk out the door on time while giving the girls a banana + granola bar for breakfast...so bed-making most definitely isn't happening during the week.  But what is it about crawling into a nicely made bed that is so comforting?

Last week, I wrote about this old door that had been sitting out in my parent's shed for 30+ years.  I love giving old things new life.  Our old house is a perfect canvas for projects like that.  I love how it turned out!  The door didn't fit the width of any of our doorways, so a sliding barn door was our only simple option.  I stole this idea from a friend who used an old door similar to this for her pantry and I love how it looked.  We ended up cleaning the hardware with ketchup.  I know, I gave Tate a really grossed out look when he suggested it.  But, it worked!  We let it sit on the hardware for about an hour and it really took almost all of the grime off.  I always get hungry for hot dogs when I am near this door now though....kidding.  

 

Daphne will not stop opening and closing this door.  She basically gets into everything we tell her not to.  I thought I would try the ole "reverse psychology" trick.  She's onto me.  She still won't leave the door alone.

The rest of today, we plan on going to the park and then watching our nephew's football game.  Yesterday, Libby had her first soccer game of the season.  It was SO FUN watching all of the little kids play.  Libby is on the same team as two of her best friends, so she is loving it so far.  During the game, one of her friends went over to play with some blocks that another kid sitting on the sidelines had brought.  We had to remind her to focus. :)     

After Libby's game, the girls and I went down to mom and dad's to finish moving most of the big stuff.  If your area is ever in a drought and desperate for rain, just plan on moving large pieces of furniture on an open trailer. I guarantee it will rain.  Most of their furniture survived, however we lost two couches due to a yellow tarp staining the couch.  I was joking with mom last night about the stained couch incident saying that the slogan for mine and my brother-in-law's moving service would be "We hope you don't care about your shit."  It was a lot of work, but it is nice to have most of the big pieces done.  My sister was there.  I'm not sure what all she did.  She likes to take three 20-minute breaks per hour while moving.   She's going to hate me when she reads this. 

I better wrap this post up because the natives are getting restless.  Looks like it is time for lunch and then off to the park we go!  I hope you all have a great rest of your weekend. 

September Happenings + Life Lately

Hello everyone!  It has been so busy around the Christensen house lately.  My parents decided to sell their house and are in the process of packing things up, so that has been keeping us busy on weekends when I usually try and write!  I am SO excited for them to move closer.  Of course leaving the house they have been in for over 35 years is bittersweet, but we are so excited for more memories in the new place.  I plan on posting soon about all of my "treasures" that I have found during the move.  It is so fun to see everything mom and dad have kept over the years.

Mom has been finding old dresses from when my sister and I were little and also some of her own dresses.  It is so fun because the girls fit into most of the outfits that were saved, so I have been trying to get their pictures in as many of those outfits as I can!  The pictures below are of the girls in my mom's dress and my grandmother's dress.  Libby is wearing my mom's and Daphne is wearing my grandma's.  I will always cherish these pictures!

This weekend was our big in-state rivalry football game.  It didn't end up going in my favor.  My husband and I actually root for opposite teams, so one of us ends up mad every year--usually me.  We had my family over for the game.  I cooked up a big pot of chili and made some cinnamon rolls.  If you have not tried the chili/cinnamon rolls combo, you MUST!  I never make chili the same and rarely ever follow a recipe.  This batch turned out pretty good.  I ended up using a ground beef/ground turkey mix.  I also used up the rest of the onions from the garden and most of the peppers (I have jalapenos, mini bell peppers, and banana peppers).  One thing I did differently this time was add in a can of Busch's brown sugar/bourbon flavored baked beans.  It was so good!

We are still elbows deep in house projects.  Right now, we are working on clearing out a couple of rooms so that my parents can have their own space while they live with us until their new house is ready.  About a year ago, I was in their back shed and found this old door sitting in there.  It had beautiful etched glass in perfect condition.  The door needed a little TLC.  Tate has sanded and stained it for me and I am in the process of cleaning the hardware.  We are going to make it into a sliding barn door that goes from our eat-in kitchen to the dining room.  I cannot wait for it to be done! I love adding old pieces to our home.

I kind of like the distressed look.  I have been using Brass-O to clean these.  I should have taken a before picture because they were pretty black!  I will try and remove a little more of the grime, otherwise I am pretty happy with them.  I like the mixed metal look.  I can't wait to show pictures of the finished project!

We have been trying to eat pretty healthy here during the week.  Tate started the same exercise program as me.  I am so proud of him!  He's been really committed and it's been paying off.  I can't wait to see his progress pictures at the end of this session because I think we will both be surprised.  Every week, I have been planning healthy suppers.  I have found that meal prep doesn't really work for us for a couple of reasons.  1)  I cannot eat the same thing all week.   I just can't even (said in the most basic girl voice).  2) I don't think my kids would enjoy that.   Meal planning has really worked for us!  I write down 4-5 suppers each week and then write out all the ingredients we need.  Tate usually does the shopping.  It has been working out great.

On this week's menu:  

• Shrimp Fried Rice
• Thin Crust Breakfast Pizzas
• Spinach/Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts with a side of pasta
• Tacos
• Baked Fish & Sweet Potato Fries

I know what you are thinking...that menu doesn't sound that healthy.  But there are ways to make your favorite dishes better for you!  For the fried rice, I will use brown rice instead of white.  For the pizzas, I will use these thin crust protein crusts + egg whites.  In the pasta, we have switched over to wheat or whole grain pasta and I will add in spinach to the tomato sauce.  There are a lot of little changes we have made over the past several months without feeling restricted.  And that works for us!  After all, we are not trying to be body builders...just trying to live a healthier lifestyle! :)  

That being said, fall is my favorite time to make allllllllllll the comfort foods.  I hear apple crisp calling my name.  Weekend splurges are good for the soul, right?  Hope you all have a great week.  XOXO--Chels