Running in Circles: favorite things

Showing posts with label favorite things. Show all posts

I'm so glad we could get some family pictures done this fall. These are our first as a family of four. I feel so blessed to call these people family. I hope our Heavenly father knows how hard Brice and I are trying hard to raise a happy and righteous family.

There are so many "things" I wish we had at this point in our marriage and family but looking through these pictures seriously just makes me count my blessings for happy and healthy little babes and a wonderful husband.

I can't wait to get some of these up on our walls! A big thank you to our friend and home teacher Eric Germann for taking them for us.

This is one of our favorite summer recipes because you don't have to use the oven on a hot day.

Its the perfect side salad for sandwiches, a Sunday dinner, or to eat for lunch the next day!

Couscous Salad:

2 T olive oil

2 cups of Israeli couscous

4 cups of chicken broth

1 1/2 T fresh Rosemary (minced)

1 green apple chopped into small pieces

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 slivered, toasted almonds ( toast them on a baking sheet at 350* for 8-10 minutes)

Dressing:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 T pure maple syrup

1/4 cup olive oil

1 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. ground black pepper

- Heat olive oil in sauce pan on medium high heat.

- Add couscous and stir occasionally for 3-5 minutes

- Add chicken broth and bring to a boil

- Lower the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the liquid evaporates

- Transfer to large bowl to cool (1 hour at least)

- Add the rest of ingredients and toss with dressing

I wanted to share one of our favorite and most used toys-

a wooden alphabet puzzle!

Hazel has been learning her letters pretty quickly and loves finding the letters we ask her to find.

We've found it really useful to use word associations with each letter. For example "A" is for apple, "D" is for Daddy, "K" is for Kajsa, etc... (Seriously Crystal, Hazel still asks for Kajsa daily). She knows about half of her letters but can find almost all of them by using a word association. I think our next step is to get to actually say the name of each letter.

It's been so fun for us to see her learning and so fun to have a non-musical toy that Brice and I like to lay on the floor and play with :)

Our next big learning curves are a big girl bed and potty training- any tips? Let's hear em!

I read this blog post this week and it has really hit home. I've thought a lot lately about the role of women and especially moms in my own little environment. I am so thankful for my friends here in Provo that are also moms...I'm grateful for their conversation during a dull afternoon, for their insight at parenting, for their willingness to help, and especially for sharing their many talents, hobbies, successes, as well as fears, failures, and imperfections. I am so grateful for mom friends to sit out on the lawn with and watch our kids play and I sincerely hope that I will always be the mom & friend that lifts others up and celebrates others.

"We teach our kids that different is good, that life would be boring if everyone were the same. But when people are different than we are, or, more pointedly, better than we are at something, it makes us feel insecure...like them being great all of a sudden makes us less good. That feeling makes us scramble or insult or dismiss or excuse just to put ourselves back on higher ground.

But instead we sink, and we bring other women down with us.

I don't want people to dial things down so I can feel secure. My friends don't need to hide their talents so I can feel better about myself. I want to live in a community where women can showcase their strengths and pursue their talents at home and in the workforce without the fear of being or looking "too good."

When women excel, at anything, it is good for all of us. I love that my kids get to be part of crazy creative class parties and caring playgroups. I'm grateful for intuitive physicians and gentle dentists that keep my boys healthy. And I like bringing what I have to the table too. I like helping with essay writing and reading. I like sharing book lists, favorite museums, and a few good recipes. I like pulling a little extra weight in the school or classroom or driving to soccer practice while another mom is out on the police force or nursing a newborn.

I spent most of my college years studying literature from a feminist perspective, and in hindsight, I may have had it all wrong. Feminism is different for me now. To me, a real feminist allows all women to discover what their best self is, and then lets them be that best in a world, nation, and community that refuses to cut down what is painstakingly being built inside the home or outside of it. We should celebrate the opportunity that women can be anything, from a corporate leader to a killer room mom. There is a seat for everyone at the table and we all benefit when everyone gives their best to make things work."

You can read the whole article HERE

Wishing for new shoes. Wishing that I dressed beautifully and comfortably. Wishing that this candle never ran out. Wishing for a house that I can decorate with lots of love and color. Wishing for a yummy green smoothie.

I just wanted to announce on a greater scale that I am doing private Pilates lessons again!
If you're in the Utah County area and want to get a great workout in let me know!

Private 1 hour lessons for 1-2 people ($20)
Work with stability ball, resistance tubes, Pilates ring, and most importantly your own body

For more information email me:

breann.ruth@gmail.com

Everyday on my plate is a yummy salad! Most days it looks something like this.

Summer Berry Salad

-Romaine lettuce

- Blueberries

- Sliced strawberries

- Sliced green apple

- 1 strip of bacon (cut up of course)

-1 tablespoon of granola ( you could use almonds instead)

- Raspberry vinaigrette

-this is just a stock photo but it looks pretty similar-

This salad has made it rounds on my lunch or dinner plate almost daily for a while now. It is just so light and summery. If you want to make it a little more filling add a piece of grilled chicken breast or eat it as a side to a yummy panini sandwich.

Enjoy!

I've been on the wait-list at the library for this book since early July! Finally this week it was all mine. I finished it in hours.

I couldn't put it down.

It made me so grateful for life.

So grateful for family.

So grateful for my sweet babe who looks at me with such innocent eyes.

So grateful for my body. It may not be what I want it to look like, but it is so capable of so many things- especially the everyday things that I take for granted.

So grateful for my husband-for loving me and promising to spend eternity with me.

So grateful for the gospel. For a loving Father in Heaven who loves and protects his children.

Read this book and you will walk a little taller and have a smile on your face all day- it just makes you feel good and want to be better.

For the past few weeks I've chosen to run mostly indoors at the gym or at the indoor track. For safety? yes. Because nobody can run with me? Sure. But lets be honest..Both of these locations have bathrooms close by for my every 3 mile pit-stop. So far this is the only thing affecting my running and I'm happy about that!

Well when I'm on a treadmill at the gym there's a T.V. in front of me and while usually there's nothing really entertaining on it usually helps to distract.

This week I rediscovered the game show, The Price is Right!

I remember being four or five and after seeing my older siblings off to school I would help my mom fold laundry (mostly match socks) and we would watch the Price is Right. I think it is such a classic show, everyone is so happy to be in the audience, if you get chosen to participate you can only win, and they give away brand new cars like they're burning holes in their pockets! I even cried two days in a row watching participants win! Pathetic but entirely enjoyable.

Drew Carey is doing a good job of holding down the fort. Plinko or Cliff Hangers game will always be my favorites. My bucket list now reads: 101. Be in the audience of the Price is Right.

And lastly,

"Don't forget to get your pets spayed or neutered."

Woke up at an early 7 to get Brice to New Student Orientation at 7:30 AM! As I struggled to get out of bed, Brice so kindly reminded me my first class tomorrow is at 7 am. oops! Good thing it is an Athletic Training Lab, so I could practically sleep in workout clothes, wake up, brush my teeth, and get to class. Lazy much? After dropping Brice off I headed over to the gym and ran 10 miles in 1:20:00 and did twenty minutes of abs, squats, and push-ups. Now I'm showered and ready to go babysit for the Hunter Family. Miss them and Love them! I have nanny-ed for them since I came to school three years ago, but now I have a real job so today is probably the last time I will see them for a long while. Then its BBQ Porkchops with glazed pineapple and coconut rice and broccoli for dinner. Hopefully I can sneak in an episode of Chopped or a game of speed scrabble and call it a day. The last day before school starts all too quickly.

When I think of my college years, the Hunters will be my first and most cherished thoughts

-Breann

These are the things I'm craving. It is fall. Brice won't admit it yet, but summer days are a thing of the past. The mountains are covered in red and yellow trees, the Y is lit up for Homecoming week, there are leaves all over my car, and its been rainy for the last few days. We have a candy jar full of candy corn (that I've already filled twice), a few fall decorations, and a brand new candle- pumpkin nutmeg. It is seriously so yummy I could eat it!

The days go by so quick- for only two of us we stay pretty busy! Last week Brice got 108% on a Physics test, yep highest score in the class! And I've been able to keep my running up- last week I capped off at 54 miles. We're grateful for the past weekend of conference, for the new season ahead of us, and for the time we get to spend together.

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