if you knew me in high school...

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

oh mercy. get to know you posts are my favorite. it's like a little sneak into the past that you didn't get to be a part of and also a crazy reflection exercise. i mean...when was the last time you thought about the person you were in high school?

if you knew me in high school...
i had loooooong blond hair that my sister highlighted for me.

if you knew me in high school...
i had two jobs - mowing lawns and i worked at a chinese restaurant.

if you knew me in high school...
i played two sports for all four years - volleyball and softball. i loved volleyball but i was better at softball...and even then, i wasn't that good.

if you knew me in high school...
i was on the speech and debate team! i totally loved it and competed at state competitions. i even have a few trophies...nerd alert.

if you knew me in high school...
my older sister and i weren't really friends. now we're best friends. she went to parties and i was petrified of ever getting into any sort of trouble. needless to say...

if you knew me in high school...
i didn't drink. or do anything against the rules.

if you knew me in high school...
i totally thought i was cool. like...popular. now that i think about it...i'm not sure i was. but what a nice world to live in. completely oblivious. however...

if you knew me in high school...
i was my senior class vice president. granted...i ran the previous two years and didn't win. see...oblivious.

if you knew me in high school...
i had body issues. my boobs were too big. if i could go back i'd slap high school me. i'm sure i had a cute figure i just didn't know how to dress it.

if you knew me in high school...
i ate a slice of pizza and drank a frutopia for lunch every single day. it's a good thing i was so active in sports. again...if i could go back, i'd slap myself.

if you knew me in high school...
i drove an '85 cherry red subaru. i loooooved that little car. the muffler needed replaced so it sounded very similar to a motorcycle.

if you knew me in high school...
i took AP classes and was in the National Honor Society. but i wasn't one of those naturally smart kids. i had to work really hard.

if you knew me in high school...
i was boy ca-razy. however...i was viciously shy. i think i made it out of high school only having kissed one boy...i think. and even that kiss was not a real kiss. it was just awkward at my front door. i'm not even sure what that guy was thinking. it's funny the things we remember.

if my farmer knew me in high school...
he said he never would have dated me. rude! supposedly he was smokin' hot and much desired.

my 15 year high school reunion is looming. it's this summer and i'm 39% sure i'm supposed to be a part of the planning process. (we never had a 10 year reunion.) did any of you attend a reunion? yay, nay? what activities were planned? how was it organized? this is a call for help. h - e - l - p.

kaye + sawyer hit the slopes

Monday, January 11, 2016
good morning! happy monday!

this past weekend my farmer, the gals, and i escaped baaaack up to mccall to squeeze in a bit more skiing. we heard a rumor that conditions were going to be perfection if you wanted to maybe take your very best gal and get her on the slopes for the first time this season.

no, i'm not talking about sawyer. we'll wait until she's two (next season)...although...things are looking promising for her. i'll explain later...
anyway, we headed up the mountain and promised kaye all the hot cocoa if she would take a few runs. she enthusiastically complied (i mean...it was a win/win) and we suited her up. now, you can imagine all the ways things could go wrong when suiting up a three year old in her first layer, her ski coat, her ski pants, her wool socks, now the ski boots, another jacket, now your helmet, next your goggles...top it all off with some goggles. i was cringing with each layer expecting an explosion. but you know what, she did great! she just wanted to get on the sticks.

kaye popped in her skis and my farmer and she were off. up the hill on the chairlift they climbed while i patiently waited with my iPhone and big camera at the ready on one side. my farmer's mom on the other...also with a camera. did someone say paparazzi?


they started down the hill and all i saw was kaye turning from side to side with a smile on her face waving to everyone they passed. "hi! hi!" she takes after her farmer...and farmer's dad.


while we waited for them to go up and down the hill bitty managed to tromp around the snow as i obsessively hovered over making sure she wasn't going to get nailed by some out of control kid on a snowboard. however, it got to be too much. each time she saw my farmer and kaye go by...or grandpa...she would flail around and whine and grunt. it was so obvious she was over the sidelines.


on the next run, halfway down the hill, my farmer let go of kaye's harness started to snag sawyer from me. meanwhile...kaye started flying down the mountain...by herself. naturally, i freaked and started chasing after her, sawyer in tow. there wasn't a chance in hell i was going to catch her, but i was sure going to try! grandpa soon passed me (on skis) and managed to catch up with kaye by the time she was nearly to the bottom...without falling. i turned around and my farmer and his mom were in hysterics. i guess it was pretty funny to see me holding a giant camera and sawyer sprinting after a three year old on skis. long story longer - sawyer wanted to go skiing too, so my farmer grabbed her and skied off to the chairlift with grandpa and kaye.


on the next run all i saw was sawyer gliding down the hill with a giant smile on her face. my once sweet, sweet muffin has turned into a fearless go-getter.

it was such a proud mom moment to see both my best gals on the slopes. in the very near future i fear they're going to be yelling at me to, "keep up, moooooom!" as they fly by spraying my face with snow.

oh hey, friday! | there's not enough time

Friday, January 08, 2016
don't get me started. i've been thinking so much lately about how there's just not enough time.

i want time to workout.
i want time to shower.
i want time to clean my house.
i want time to do my design work.
i want time to sit down.
i want time to work on my blog and write a meaningful post.
but most of all...
i want time to spend with my girls...when i'm not trying to complete another task.
oh...and then there's that farmer of mine. i want more time with him too. always.

how do people do it all?! it's maddening.

oh lord. did i just start our first oh hey, friday off with a suuuuper negative tone? let me start over...

yay! hey ladies! so so SO glad to have you back! i hope we're all feeling rested and focused and ready for the weekend...because we've so clearly recovered from the holidays. i mean...it's been a week since the new year!

if you're new or need a reminder...here's how this works -

1 | grab this here snazzy fall-themed button and link back to Sept. Farm.
2 | link up your post at the bottom of this post.
3 | tell all your friends + have a fantastic friday.


M Y  F I V E - S N A C K S  T O  S T A Y  O N  T R A C K

1 | greek yogurt + fruit
you guys - yesterday after i finished hobbling on the treadmill i was a little hungry. i so so badly wanted to just not eat so i didn't have to think about eating something healthy, but i forced myself to open the fridge and figure something out. i knew i needed a mix of protein and carbs and i had just purchased a giant tub of greek yogurt from costco...so i grabbed that, some blueberries, agave (natural sweetener - it's delicious!), and walnuts. i ended up with 1/2 c plain greek yogurt // 1/4 c blueberries // a smidgen of agave // and 2 tbsp walnuts. it was delicious! it was about a 200 calorie snack and totally satisfying and filling. eat up!

2 | avocado toast
you know that time after lunch // before dinner when you're feeling snacky? you should probably just drink water but you would prefer putting something in your belly? avocado toast is your jam. i LOOOOVE dave's killer bread (sprouted). i toast that up and put 1/4 sliced avocado on top. sprinkle that with salt and pepper and you're in business. if you're feeling extra crazy slice a tomato and put that on top. sooooo yummy. (and if you want to know more about the health benefits of sprouted bread click here.)

3 | apple + cinnamon
have you ever sprinkled cinnamon on an apple? then you're missing out. not only is it delicious, but it apples are full of dietary fiber and cinnamon helps lower blood sugar levels so you're not spiking all over the place. if you're looking to add protein to this snack add a tablespoon of almond butter. yuuuuuum. (i've found you can get almond butter for the least expensive at costco.)

4 | hummus + anything
the trick with hummus is you need to pre-scoop it. it's soooooo easy to overeat because it's so damn delicious. so do yourself a favor and grab a little plate. next scoop two heaping spoonfuls of hummus onto that plate. now pick what you're going to dip in that hummus - bell peppers // celery // rice crackers // carrots // snap peas...or if you're like sawyer...you'll just eat the hummus with a spoon.

5 | hard boiled eggs
i know i know. whomp whomp. but really...it's such a great snack to have on hand. you can make a bunch of them at once and just keep them in a bowl in the fridge. grab and go style! except for the fact that you have to peel it and obsessively salt it. don't salt it as much if you want to maintain the health factor.

if you want some other SUUUUUPER good ideas...i found this article on buzzfeed after i finished writing this. wish i had read it first.

okay! so for all of you on the healthy train - toot toot! i hope this was inspiring! stay on track this weekend...even though all those delicious ipa's are going to look so yummy after skiing. okay...maybe i'll have just one. or two.

link up time! so glad to be back!


@karlibellmeier