ice pretties

We are getting some ice (and hopefully snow later tonight!) here in Oklahoma...
so while we are staying close to home, we obviously had to bundle up and go inspect it all!

I absolutely love watching these two beauties explore the creative designs God made in nature.
And one of may favorite sounds is hearing icy leaves crunch under our boots.
Though its cold outside, my heart is warm!

Hope y'all have a good and warm and snuggly weekend!

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Paleo. Whole30. Clean Eating...a little food update!

ok I feel like i need to do a quick eating update here...
I had mentioned recently, here and on Instagram, that the hubbs and I were starting to eat Paleo/Whole30 again.
A few weeks ago, we started the Whole30 challenge which cuts out all carbs and processed sugar.
I went through the awful sugar withdrawals for a few days and already felt better.
I'm a big believer in cutting sugar to lose weight and add health!
(read about my big post-baby weight loss and how I broke my addiction to sugar here)

After about a week, we decided that doing the super-strict Whole30 was not gonna be best for us this time.
That said, we have still been eating Paleo most of the time.
Parker has been doing it about 90 % of the time, and me about 75%,
as I am not trying to lose weight myself, just trying to feel better and have better energy!
And that I do.

It feels good to eat cleaner, even if it's not 100% of the time!

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I will be sharing some food ideas, including Paleo and Whole30 stuff, because I know so many of y'all are interested in that! And like I said, even though we aren't doing it as strictly as we had planned, we are trying to eat a lot healthier.

In addition to sharing new recipes and ideas, be sure to check out the Paleo recipes I have posted in the past...
Check out the "Yummy" tab over there ------>
and then look in the Paleo section!

so here are a few of the things we've been eating, just in case you need a few new simple ideas!

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Zucchini Bacon side-dish:
Cooked sliced Zucchini in a little bit of Olive Oil on the skillet,
added some crumbled bacon, pepper, and seasoned salt.
Is a really good, easy side dish to compliment any meat, or just a quick yummy way to get a portion of veggies!

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Sweet Potato Chili Fries
This is hands down one of my favorite Whole30 meals, I make it a lot!
I'll share the recipe here soon.

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Turkey Roll-Ups with homemade mayo, avocado slices, tomato slices, and crumbled bacon
Eat with plantain chips and strawberries,
A good lunch idea, my hubby loved this!

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Egg Scramble with turkey sausage, Bacon and fruit
a yummy, paleo, filling breakfast!

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Whole30 Sausage Apple Hash
a YUMMY dinner, or
a good side dish with a main portion of meat, if you need a little extra protein.
*this is a great dish for you Crossfitters out there!
also, my littles love this meal!!
(recipe posted here)

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Spicy Honey Chicken
Another fav around here, especially for Parker bc he loves spicy food!
be warned, this def has a kick!
*this is not Whole30, bc it uses honey, but it IS Paleo!
(recipe posted here)
I posted this forever ago before i changed up my blog, so the post may look a little funny!

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Whole30 Tuna Salad
another great lunch idea!
(tuna, chopped celery, chopped apple, chopped walnuts, a little mayo, a little mustard, salt and pepper)

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Hope those helped give you some new ideas if you attempting to eat a little cleaner like we are!
If you want some more Paleo or Whole30 ideas that I posted in the past, check that out here.

Hope y'all have a good Wednesday!
Be blessed today.

cherish the long days...

The cold showed up this week here in Oklahoma.
which basically means I've been shivering all week.
I looooove cold weather, for the season...but i just don't do so well in it, ha.
(I'd be pretty grumpy if I lived somewhere like Alaska. or North Dakota.)

But we've still been trying to make the most of our days, including bucking up and bundling up,
to go play outside in the cold.
But I really am ok with that...

Because you know that saying,
"The days are long but the years are short." ?
That's one of my fav quotes, but I'm finding lately how TRUE,
how wonderfully and terribly true it is.
I know mamas say this all the time, but I really do wish I could make these times last longer.
(dont get me wrong there are many many moments that I wish would just hurry up and be over...
like almost-2-year-old-tantrums-by-a-sassy-little-princess-i-know.)
But I do.
I want the little moments that make my heart skip a beat to make a lasting impression.
They do, but sometimes I jut forget about those sweet moments in the middle of the tantrums.

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I want to jump at the chance to play with my little ones whenever they want me to, even when its cold outside...because someday they will have other things to do than play with mommy.
I want to remember that when Abigail asks me 1,683 times if she can have a cookie, and my answer doesnt change....that I will miss it someday, when she's wanting to eat snacks or spend meal time with friends.
I want to remember the nights when Bethany is teething and needs a little soothing and rocking at 4 AM, even though it makes me bone-tired the next day...because someday she'll be a big girl, and may not want any snuggles at all.
I want to cherish the innocent questions about life, God, and everything she can think of...because someday she'll think she has all the answers and may not ask me anything.
I want to remember how fun it is to see the girls run and jump at the sound of their Daddy coming through the door. (which really may never change...they ARE their Daddy's girls)
I want to remember the long bedtimes, the chaotic dinnertimes, the splashing bathtimes.

all of it.

okay, life, can you please just press pause?

So when those days (and nights) are long, remember that the weeks, the seasons, the years...
they are short.

Cherish them, friends.

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