Trailmixy Tidbits

Kale Chips

2013-07-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

Kale Chips!

They may sound healthy, but they taste even better than those yummy-to-eat -but-awful-for-you potato chips. With two large bunches of kale from the organic farm share that we work each week, I decided it was time to whip up some kale chips. They are SO easy and oh so good.

How to make your own kale chips:

To start, clean your bunches of kale (remember that you should use organic since kale is on the dirty dozen list).
Rip kale into bite size pieces (do not use the spine).
Toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Additional idea: Sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake at 350.
Flip every so often until crunchy. (Typically flipping every 5 or so minutes)
Enjoy!

Easy Peasy!

Write on!

2013-07-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

I love to get mail.

Not bills. Not junk mail. Not generic cards with a scribbled name. REAL mail.

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My daughters are beginning to love getting mail, too. I am teaching them that in order to get mail, they must in turn create and send mail to others. They may not be able to write much yet, but drawing pictures, coloring pages, and sending pressed flowers and other fun little things are fair game to send.

I try to write a few letters a month, but I feel like it is time to step it up and send at least one letter or card with a personal message (not just a signed name for a birthday or anniversary) each week. To start this feat, after pining for a lost friendship, I am ready to begin writing to try to rekindle my bond after 5 years.

My questions to you are:

Do you enjoy sending and receiving mail?
At what point do you swallow your pride and attempt to begin to mend a friendship via the art of letter writing?

Ahhh....A Stolen Few Hours

2013-07-20T18:23:00.000-07:00

Do you ever find that it almost feels sinful when you are able to steal away a few hours to yourself to just enjoy your family?

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Today I spent the majority of the day enjoying my life as a mama to two young girls. I rode my bike with the girls in the trailer all around town for our town's celebration. We started at the library's water fight, complete with the firetruck's hose and sprinkler. We crossed the street to the north to get free ice cream sandwiches from the school administration.Then we enjoyed the free hot dogs and pop at the party store across the street to the west. From there we rode to the main highway and got another hot dog and drink from the gas station. The girls enjoyed the free combs from the barber shop. We went to see the new chiropractor in town from there. Finally we rode back, got the mail, and came home.

We enjoyed frozen banana and chocolate 'ice cream' (really just blended banana chunks blended to an ice cream consistency). We ended by hanging out in the kiddie pool on the patio. Fun!

Now, with the littlest one down for the night and the older one super excited for the fireworks tonight, we are enjoying some 'chill' time on the couch. What a nice way to end a nice day!

How do you feel when you steal away a few hours? What do you do with your stolen hours?

New Year's Challenge: Week 1: The Office

2013-01-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

This year is about being good enough. I don't know about you, but this is a real struggle for me. To start this year's theme on the right foot, I am participating in an organizing challenge hosted by one of my favorite organizational blogs: A Bowl Full of Lemons.

I am participating in ABFOL's:

Week One, of course, starts with the one room I was hoping I wouldn't have to think about for a while: the office!

Keeping this year's Good Enough theme in mind, rather than trying to overwhelm myself to the point of tears and trying to actually organize my abyss of an office, I focused on 1 section of some wall shelves for my essential oil business. Guess what? It worked! I had to fight myself quite a few times to stay focused on just do that section and no more. It took half an hour here, fifteen minutes there, and an hour or so when I could throughout the last several days, but I have completed Week One's challenge!

Is it huge? No.
Is it life-changing? Not really.
Did I say I would complete the challenge? Yes.
Did I complete the challenge? Yes!

Do you know how it feels? It feels GREAT!

New Year, New Start, Right?

2013-01-06T17:58:00.002-08:00

Well, new year, new start, right?

I must be honest....I want to love that idea, but the perfectionist in me feels like I am setting myself up for failure. I know in my heart that I will not live up to the level I expect from my resolutions.

This year my main resolution is to start letting go of some of my perfectionist self and just be me. That sounds so simple, doesn't it? If only it really were. My whole life I have struggled to be the best at everything and I find that I am rally not the best at anything. I am not the best mother, the best wife, the best friend, the best sister, daughter, niece, granddaughter.... Shall I continue? I am not the best at any of those things. I have wanted to be an artist (but I am not), a writer (I can't even get started), a wife (I fail daily)...What I am the best at? Trying! I try everyday in so many ways. That is what matters and that is going to be this year's focus. Forget being perfect, try just being. Being good enough. Trying my best and accepting that all I can do is my best. I can't ask more of myself than that.

So...Here's to making 2013 the year of Good Enough! I will be good enough. I am not perfect. I never was perfect. I will never be perfect. Only God is perfect, and I am NOT Him! (Thank goodness!)

How do you plan to embrace and take charge of 2013? Do you have a resolution? A goal? Do you refuse resolutions? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Prayers for our Children

2012-01-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

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Sometimes all we can do is just pray that we are doing right for our children and that God is in their lives and they know that. One of the blogs I follow had a post called A Praying Momma, that reminded me that while we may not always see God guiding our children, he is always there in the background. He loves our children even more than we do. Sometimes it is hard to remember that, but it is true. This is the prayer that A Praying Momma offered with her post:

Dear Father, thank You that You love my child even more than I. I am not alone. You are with me. Walk with me today. Give me Your strength. Give me renewed hope and eyes of faith. In Jesus’ powerful, precious Name, Amen.

A Humorous Compilation of English Phrases

2012-01-17T18:45:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, while attending a green cleaning workshop that featured doTERRA essential oils, I came across this amusing little piece that uses English phrases in a different way. Perhaps it is my quirky sense of humor, but I really enjoyed, so I thought I'd share it with you.

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I have been many places, but I've never been in Cahoots.

Apparently, you can't go there alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I have also never been in Cognito.
I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane.
They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there.
I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump.
I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt.
That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often. I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.

One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense!
It really gets the adrenalin flowing and pumps up the old heart!
At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

~Author Unknown~

Clutter-Free Challenge: Starting with the Most Important Part

2012-01-10T10:24:00.000-08:00

What is the most important part when trying to conquer anything, clutter included?

Your Mind!

In the Clutter-Free Challenge post for Day 2, Glynnis talks about how to conquer your mind and get into the right place to prepare to clear the physical clutter. Here is her prayer to help you prepare:

Lord, You know how hard it is for me to focus sometimes. It’s hard to figure out what needs to be done. I just feel overwhelmed and discouraged. I know You aren’t a God of confusion, so I ask for Your wisdom and clarity to help bring order to my chaotic mind. In Jesus name, Amen.

Clutter-Free Challenge

2012-01-10T07:59:00.000-08:00

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I am following a blog that is hosting a Clutter-Free 15 Day challenge. It sounds like it is up my ally, though I am not tying myself down to accomplishing it all in 15 days, because, for me, that is not realistic.

This is the prayer she suggests starting with. I have added my name with her's.

Heavenly Father, You alone know my heart as I start this challenge. You know the depth of my discouragement and the loss of my hope that I’ll ever be free of the clutter in my life. So today, as I take this step with Glynnis, Trailmixy Melanie, and other many others, I’m asking for Your help. Help me have Your perspective on the areas of my life that feel overwhelming. Clear my mind of the negative chatter. Protect me from an enemy who wants to confuse and defeat me. Reveal his lies and replace them with Your truth about my worth and potential. With Your help I believe I can make progress. In Jesus name, Amen.

Won't you join in this Clutter-Free adventure?

New Year, New Goals

2012-01-10T04:51:00.000-08:00

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Resolutions....
Hmmm...I always feel like the *right* thing to do is make them each year. Then I get caught up in how important that word seems and how I can't possibly perfectly live up to those resolutions, and they start slipping fast. Once life steps in, those resolutions are history.

Goals...
To me, goals are much more attainable and open to revamping whenever I feel that I am straying and need to reevaluate. I am making a few new goals for this new year. I plan on reevaluating them on a quarterly basis to see how I am progressing, then reworking those goals as the need may be.

These are my new goals for the year:

PERSONAL

Blog at least once per week = 52 posts for the year
Work towards my weight loss and exercise goals

lower BMI by a minimum of 2.4 points
lower my weight by 15 pounds
lower my waist measurement by 5 inches
lower my body fat percentage (according to my scale) by at least 2%

Complete the doTERRA Slim & Sassy Challenge

SPIRITUAL

Complete the 60 day reading plan (not necessarily in the 60 days, as long as it is completed)
Choose another reading plan to complete

PROFESSIONAL

Find at least 1 more business to create and manage a website for
Increase my doTERRA team
Hold a minimum of 1 essential oil class each quarter
Teach 2 cloth diapering/ green mama classes this year
Teach 2 green living DIY classes this year
Teach 1 mystery shopping class this year
Attend at least 2 professional workshops/ conferences this year
Attend at least 4 professional classes this year

FAMILY

Continue to pay down debt and stay on track to be debt free (aside from mortgage) by the end of 2013
Organize entire basement
Reduce "stuff" by 10%

Splitting up my goals into categories seems like it will be easier for me to accomplish, and to not be overwhelmed. I will work on these and check in on these in 3 months.

What are your goals for the new year?

Free burgers for all of the Jims out there!

2011-12-06T08:18:00.001-08:00

Everyone named Jim, James or Jumbo can get a free Jim Beam burger TODAY (12-6-11) at Red Robins! It must be your first name and you must have picture ID for it. Yum! Sure wish I was named Jim today!

Perfection?

2011-12-05T10:25:00.001-08:00

Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering.

There is a crack in everything,

That's how the light gets in.

~Leonard Cohen

What do you call a perfectionist who never seems to get it perfect?

If you have followed my blog thus far, you have probably noticed that I have grand plans, but those plans often fizzle out. I almost made it in October with my gratitude posts. It wasn't that I didn't have things to be grateful for, because I certainly did. It is more that I have a bad habit of allowing life to get in the way of my plans and goals. In this case, it was a potty-training toddler, a bottomless pit that can't sleep through the night yet baby, a husband with an erratic schedule, a crazy shedding dog, and 2 cats who make my basement smell, well, gross to put it nicely. I can't find a safe place to keep my laptop between moments I get to work on it. I have no desire to relegate myself to the cool and smelly basement.

I feel a pull to be still and active at the same time. How is that to happen? I don't know, but I feel that being perfect is not what I need to be striving for. I am going to start focusing on quality over quantity, but also knowing that if perfection is my goal, I will never be pleased.

At the start of November I began a 60 day Bible reading guide. If it doesn't get completed in 60 days, that is okay. The point is to complete it. I am well on my way. I haven't even looked at the list or the calendar to see how they compare to each other to see how I am doing on the reading plan.

Do you find yourself in this predicament? How do you cope with it? Have you mastered this issue? If so, please share how you were able to step over the perfectionist stumbling block.

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 23

2011-10-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

image from: stmaryourladyofransom.com
31 Days of Gratitude

Day 23: October 23, 2011

Baptism for my daughter K
Fall festival at church
Friends and family who truly care
God for blessing us with another wonderful daughter and entrusting her to us