2014

getting a start on this new year by watching lots of knitting videos on youtube. and visited purl's website and ordered myself a learn to knit kit.
still haven't made it to the gym or managed to slide on my running shoes (it's been an entire week and a half since my last workout) but i did make a healthy quinoa salad to keep in the fridge for the week, and roasted some detoxifying cauliflower. AND i juiced! now i just need to start on all of my other "resolutions" for the year.
we've reached a point that i think two kids might be enough for us so i'm starting to think about MY life and who I want to be beyond my kids and my husband. like knitting! i've always wanted to learn and have made measly efforts in the past to get started but i've never actually made anything. which leads me to another resolution: following through. doing things that i say i'm going to do. making more time for friends and DOING more for them. and FAMILY. i need to DO more for them too, not just hang around all the time. i want to LISTEN better and talk better too. talk about things with real substance….like those long talks you used to have in college that made you feel like you were really making or going to make a difference. i need more of those. and i just need to be productive. quit cleaning and "straightening up" and just PLAY with my kiddos. and read books!!! when did i quit reading? i can barely get through a page a night in my latest novel…need to work on that.
and although there were some really REALLY great things that happened in 2013, like, hello! amadeus was born!!! i can't say that i'm not happy to see it go and start with a new one. and since amadeus' birth was by far the highlight of my year, that's the picture we're saying goodbye with.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

XO

adventures in candy making.

the other day, i set out to make some classic caramels. i was pretty excited given that i had a brand new candy thermometer in hand and a full on sweet tooth ( so much for all that thanksgiving pie ).

i faired pretty well. although i may have let the candy get past the desired 248〫mark. according to me, and the rest of my family who can't seem to get enough of these sweet treats, this is definitely a recipe for the keeps.

next up: salted caramels!

2012.

has a lot to live up to.

we finally started to make this house a home. we met our future daughter for the very first time. nick and i hosted our first get together at this house. we met our state's governor {still not sure if this is something i REALLY want to remember from 2011}. i actually won something! we celebrated our first year of marriage together. i had a lot of fun playing with mila's first room. we celebrated an almost mothers' day. i impatiently waited for moo's arrival.

this kiddo finally decided to make her debut. the husband celebrated his first fathers' day. mila made her first of twenty-eight {yeah, we counted} plane rides

....and, appropriately, it was to see the aggies play. we returned to one of my favorite cities. i had some breastfeeding troubles but finally worked through them. we saw some friends get married and mila got to meet miss erika's little boy. my brother had a really great show in london. mila made a journey to the homeland.

and we polished it all off with a wonderful christmas and trip to the bahamas.

2011 was so good to us that i just can't imagine anything topping it. our little moo has brought so much joy to our lives every day and it just keeps getting better.

would love ANY of this.

my version of a christmas 'what to buy' list.

something for me:

{hansel from basel}

something for my boo:

{icooly}

something for my bro:

{leffot designs}

and a few others:

{travel journal}

{the perfect carry on}

getting there.

so today has been great thus far {until i have to train at six tonight....which i hate}. i started off with a really early morning pilates session with a few clients and then at nine, headed off to the yoga studio of corpus christi for some much needed stretching and relaxation/calming.
the class was great--a gentle hatha flow class with a lot of restorative hip poses incorporated throughout and even more at the end. when i usually start up again with yoga, i go in strong--with an intense bikram or advanced ashtanga class but today i found my inner humility and attended an intermediate sesh. it's just what this pregnant body ordered. i was able to focus on my breath quite a bit which allowed me to truly relax and get the most out of my practice.
of course, following my yoga class, this day has been full of wanting to do better---for my family, my husband, our planet, and me. despite nick's and my disagreement for the arrangement of our future living room, i think i've been pretty successful. mostly, i'm happy to be right where i want to be-- i have a healthy baby growing inside of me, married to my one true love and we are about to move into a new home that we will create with our wittle family.
so while my workout today definitely wasn't up to the intensity that they usually are, the mindful benefits i've kept with me throughout the day far exceed the high of that post-workout calorie burn. so thanks kristina {my awesome instructor this am} for getting my week started off on the right foot.
tomorrow i'm hoping to make some chickpea "burgers" for my cousin, her little baby pleasant and i to enjoy by the water in our backyard.....definitely a recipe to follow! until then....here's the recent soundtrack of my days {and yes, as of november ONE- it is OFFICIALLY christmas music listening time}.

"white christmas" by otis redding

"o come all ye' faithful" by faith hill

"all i want for christmas is you" by olivia olsen

"where are you christmas" by faith hill

"let it snow" by harry connick jr.