B is for...

B is for...

Borrowing--which is what I'm doing (sorta) with this concept.

Befriending--which is exactly what Jay did to me, introducing me to this version (again, sorta) of blogging that I think is pretty cool.  Then again, so is he...so that makes sense.

Blinders--sometimes you need to put on your blinders, put your head down and get to work.  Focus only on what you need to do.  Tune out the noises, the distractions, even the voices in your own head trying to steer you off course.  Don't think (or worry!) about what the Joneses are doing.  Don't waste energy trying to justify your choice or defend your heart.  Put your blinders on and go!

Blessings--I treated myself to a little fall décor a couple weeks ago.  A sign that says, "Don't just count your blessings, share them."  Amen, amen, amen.  Consider all the reasons you have to be grateful.  If you can, share.  Whether you actually share something (food, money, clothes etc.) or you share the idea of being blessed with someone who could use an uplifting word---share.  It's said that it's better to give than to receive.  And while there's a lot of truth to that, there's also a lot of truth in the idea that receiving a blessing is pretty great, too.  So share.  Come on, we all learned how to do that back in pre-school, right?!

Books--I love to read, and I can get on a roll where I'm reading books at a pretty good clip.  I can also get off track quickly if I don't have the next book to read lined up and ready to go.  I set a goal to read at least 10 pages a day---figure that in a year's time, that'll amount to 3,650 pages.  Figure if a book is about 350 pages, that's 10 books. Give or take.

So far this year, I've read 18 books--18!!  I've kept a list on my phone, and added #18 to it over the weekend.  One silver lining of quarantine has been extra time to slow down and read.  Reading, to me, feels like the ultimate indulgence.  Just sitting on the deck, lounging in the hammock or snuggled up by the fireplace with a book when there are so many other things I could be--should be--doing.  It's bliss, frankly.  And I love being transported back to grade school days of "SSR" and transported anywhere the story on the pages will take me.  And when I come back, the "could be/should be" stuff is still there, waiting for me!

Beginnings--we all know the quote---all beginnings come from some other beginning's end, right?  So I suppose that in order to fully appreciate the beginning, we should give a nod to the ending.  Both girls wrapped up milestone school years---in strange circumstances, for sure--this past spring.  Alyssa completed Kindergarten and Abby flashed a peace sign to her elementary school years.  Fast forward to August and, amidst lots of uncertainty, they both celebrated beginnings.  Abby entering middle school and Alyssa taking her place in elementary school.  To watch their confidence carry them into the unknown--what a feeling!  

Beside me--that's where Mark is.  Not behind, not in front...beside.  Earlier this month, we celebrated our 17th anniversary.  Seventeen years sounds wild to say out loud.  And it feels really wild to look at the pictures from that day.  There were some very special people beside us that day---some of whom are no longer here.  A poignant reminder to be grateful for who's beside me today and make sure he knows how much I love him.  Mark has been beside me for 20 years, offering comfort, encouragement, tough love (hey, sometimes!!) and a steadying presence in those moments when I'm spinning out a little.  He was beside me as we welcomed Abby and Alyssa into the world and has been beside me as we've prayed over those who've left this life.  Through jobs, moves, fights and make-ups--he's there.  Having Mark beside me is one of my greatest blessings.  

Big Bed--I know there will come a day when our girls don't request family movie nights in "Da Bi' Bed" and there will be nights of silence, uninterrupted by the bad dream or the request for middle of the night snuggles.  But until that day comes, I will grant every request and indulge every cuddly whim.  Piling in, the four of us, too many blankets and more than enough stuffed animals, is when peace and contentment catches my breath and reminds me of my purpose.  In those moments, I'm comfort, I'm safety, I'm love and I'm home.

Being--do, do, do....then do more.  Run here, get the girls to this, quick trip to the grocery store, another stop here, games, practice, activities....So.  Much.  Doing.  It's easy to get sucked into the chaotic pace and smacked with a feeling of (gasp) resentment.  Suddenly the obligations--that are only obligations because we said YES to them--are met with sighs, clenched jaws and muttered curse words.  Even the stuff we love, the stuff we want to do becomes "have to do" stuff---because our minds and bodies are tired.  So we decide we "just don't wanna" anymore.  Too.  Much.  Doing.  And we're all guilty of it to some extent.  

My hat's off to those who are experts at setting (and maintaining!) boundaries and tossing out the confident, guilt-free NO when necessary.  I'm learning---and another silver lining of quarantine has been the process of evaluating what we really missed when it was all taken away.  We worked to consciously only add in those things as the world started to open up.  Worked to spend more time BEING rather than DOING.  We're still working on it, honestly.  And I suspect we always will be working to strike that balance.    

I'll wrap up with a just couple more!  B is for baby steps, back at it, blogging again and beneficial.  My goal is to share 1-2 posts a week and hopefully some content that makes you smile, brings a little joy or a tiny takeaway.  That way, we both win!

xo,

Amy    

My Kinda Pad Thai

A while back, I shared a post about being intimidated by a vegetable.  I know--ridiculous.  But silly me, I wasn't convinced (at all) that spaghetti squash would actually "shred" like it's supposed to.  Then one day, I got brave and tried it.  And you know what?  It worked---gasp!  

So I became like Bubba from Forrest Gump--but instead of a zillion recipes for shrimp, I started stockpiling recipes for spaghetti squash.  And this gem is a favorite!  Found it on Pinterest (duh!) and it immediately earned a spot in the "Make Again" pile!

What You'll Need:

• 1/2 spaghetti squash--roughly 2 cups
• 1 cup chopped rotisserie chicken (we use ground chicken)
• 1 onion sliced
• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup pad thai sauce*
• 1/3 cup cashews chopped
• 1/4 cup green onion chopped

What You'll Do:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place facedown on a silicone baking mat and bake for 45 minutes.
2. Once spaghetti squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to remove from shell.
3. In a medium frying pan, brown onion. (Use your choice of cooking oil; we love coconut oil). Once onion slices are caramelized, add 4 eggs to pan and scramble. Remove eggs and onion from pan and set aside.
4. To the same pan you used to cook eggs and onion, add chopped chicken and stir to heat. This also allows the chicken to absorb some of the juices left in the pan.
5. Add spaghetti squash, Pad Thai sauce, 
   eggs, onions and toss to coat evenly. Remove from heat and garnish with green onion and chopped cashews.

Now, you could make your own Pad Thai sauce, but we found Sky Valley Thai Peanut Sauce and it works just fine.  Sometimes when we reheat leftovers, we drizzle a little more of the sauce on top.  

We keep saying we're going to try this with shrimp or even grilled chicken, but we seem to always go back to the "standard."  

One other note, sometimes halving the squash is a risky pain in the butt.  I found that if I pierce the skin a few times with a fork and pop the squash into the microwave for a couple minutes, it softens up enough to make cutting it a bit easier.  

Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!  I'll be glad to share more ways we add this yummy veggie into our menu.

Cheers,

A

Lost & Found

 Each May, at my daughter's school, there's a six-foot table outside the office, covered with items that have been left behind.  Jackets, water bottles, notebooks and shoes--all hoping to be reunited with their owners before the year comes to a close.  Lost & Found.  

The past six--almost seven--months have been a different kind of Lost & Found.  The pandemic has caused a lot of loss.  And the pandemic has helped us find things, too.  Contradictory indeed; a hallmark of these recent times.  

Since March, I've felt--like I'm sure many of you have, too--a constant push and pull of my emotions.  On more than  one occasion, I've argued with myself and changed my opinion on a topic in the middle of a sentence!  It's enough to give me whiplash.  That's an apt description, don't you think?  The emotional whiplash that comes from making, unmaking and remaking decisions in a 15 minute span.  Or the emotional whiplash that comes from knowing you're doing the right thing, doubting you're doing the right thing and not even being sure what the right thing is.  It's exhausting.

The list of things lost is long.  I recently challenged myself to make a list of things found--and have it be every bit as long!  In fairness, it took a bit of effort to reframe my perspective and write that second list.  But once I started thinking about it, I found myself adding quite a bit to that list.  And focusing more on it, too.  

Of course, there are the obvious things we found like bonus time with family.  Sure.  That's a given.  We've had a whole lot of togetherness--mostly welcome.  Come on, you know what I mean! 

We've had time together in simple but impactful ways.  Dinners as a family--at the table!  Walks through the neighborhood and on the local trails--all four of us.  Plenty of hands of Harry Potter Uno, rounds of Scrabble and imaginative play that we suddenly had time for because we weren't rushing off to a practice, game or lesson.  At one point this spring, my Mom asked my older daughter what her favorite part of quarantine was.  Abby barely let my Mom finish the question before she enthusiastically responded, "Family dinners!"  Proof that sometimes it's the smallest thing that can have the biggest impact.

We found a renewed appreciation for our home.  The comfort and familiarity of it, the warmth, safety and security.  Cozy nights snuggled in the Big Bed or in front of the fireplace proved to be a welcome remedy for the sadness over missing school, friends and activities that crept in.

Then came warmer months when the deck, yard and pool earned their time at the top of the Things I Love About Home list!  Our quiet cul-de-sac became a race track, a shopping center, a water park and more as our girls played for hours with the neighbors. Again, imaginations went into overdrive, providing countless adventures for all of them.  My younger daughter mastered her bicycle, the extra time dedicated to riding helping her to ditch the training wheels once and for all.  Popsicles were served at all hours, shade from trees offered a perfect picnic spot and the amount of chalk art that festooned our driveway was incredible!

     

Plain driveways are so boring!

The pool!  Oh the pool!  The very same pool that I wasn't sure I even wanted way back when we first got it proved to be a sanctuary.  And while that word may seem a bit strong, or a bit of an overstatement, I can assure you that it's accurate.  After a stressful day "at" work (the dining room table for me), an hour or so splashing around before dinner was the perfect way to switch gears and be present for my family.  That pool was a welcome distraction from events and celebrations we were missing.  It was relaxation, fun and a slice of normal when we all needed those three things in large amounts! 

Pool Girls!

We found quiet moments to reflect on what truly matters.  Trite?  Perhaps.  True?  For sure.  Date night no longer meant dinner and drinks out at a restaurant, but instead it was a beer on the deck when the girls had gone to bed or binge watching a newfound favorite on Netflix.  Movie nights outside (thanks to neighbors with a cool set up) and bonfires slowed the pace down and helped let priorities bubble up.  And somehow, those moments seemed sweeter than any fancy dinner out and about.    

Who needs a theatre!?

We found ways to do more with less.  Less stuff, less activities, less spending, less chaos.  We took the time to sort and purge and eliminate files, clothes, just stuff---realizing that we have too much and need far less.  For the girls, it was a meaningful lesson in paying it forward and helping those in need by paying it forward.

We found that driveway visits and FaceTime aren't really adequate substitutes for time with family.  But we found that we were grateful to at least have that.  Whether it was BINGO via Zoom with family across 4 states, FaceTime story time before bed, Teams meetings with colleagues in other markets or online classes technology offered us opportunities to connect with people we were missing fiercely.  

Certainly I'm not advocating that we minimize or marginalize the LOST pieces.  They deserve our attention, too.  It's only fair to feel the feelings we have about those LOST things.  It stings.  And it's hard.  And it's sad, frustrating and unfair.  All of that is true.

It's also true that by giving our attention to what we've FOUND, it helps heal the wounds of the things LOST.  Each day, I try to add something to the FOUND section of the list.  I invite you to do the same.  

xo,

Amy