October's Menu

It's Fall Ya'll!!!  While Fall is my very favorite season, I am having to come to terms with the fact that we are not going to be able to do all our usual traditions because we are going on a big vacation.  It will make it worth all those things I will miss this Fall.  I just gotta keep saying that to myself for the next 20 days.  (I do love my traditions!)



Here is a fabulous fall menu that I hope you will enjoy!!

October Menu

~K

August Menu

Summer is just flying by...like always.  While Team Holmes has been ripping and running as usual, I still had to find time to stock up on some tasty meals for August.  Just because I don't go into work in the summer, does not mean I feel like figuring out what's for dinner!

This past weekend I had my first "private session" freezer meal session and we had a ball! We decided to do a "past favorites" menu, with only a couple new recipes thrown in.  It was the first freezer session that ever had a beer run in the middle.  And I gotta say, I kind of liked it!

Here is August's menu.  All those items in orange can be made ahead as freezer meals.  Or not.  Up to you!  And feel free to throw in beer runs as necessary!

August Menu

Enjoy these recipes!

~K

How My Daughter Got Me Back into a Bikini

What is it about summer that makes it go so fast and makes the kids grow up even faster than normal?  I swear when I get back to school, my students look like they have been on Miracle Gro for 2 months and my own children are no exception.

For my own personal reasons, I have not allowed my now 13 year old to wear a bikini.  At the beginning of the summer, she asked me, "Mom, why don't you let me wear a bikini?"  and I said, "Why do you WANT to wear one?"  She says, "The only kids that wear tankinis are little kids and the only teenagers that wear them are the ones who are ashamed of their bodies.  I don't want people to think I am embarrassed of my body."  Which, is short of a miracle coming from her, because I have definitely heard non-flattering comments regarding her body come from her mouth on more than one occasion.  Hmm.  Well, that was a pretty valid argument.  After talking it over with her father (and determining that she would be a great lawyer one day), we decided that we would allow her to start wearing a bikini.  Sigh....

Somehow I manage the trauma of shopping for a bikini with my Teenie and I am pleasantly surprised that this seems to make her more confident instead of less confident.  Then, I get to thinkin'.  Why did I stop wearing a bikini?   If my 13 year old, who is at the most self-conscious time of her life, can wear a bikini proudly, why can't I?   Why can't I let go of the terrible 80's idea that was drilled into my teenage head of what was beautiful and the normal size (think Jane Fonda work out videos and terribly skinny chicks)?  Why aren't I embracing who I am and what I look like right now?

If you go to any beach or water park, you will always find all types of shapes and sizes in all types of bikinis. What I am trying to say is this.  Someone will always look better than you.  And someone will always look...less in shape than you.  But that's not what I see when I go to these places.  I see people of all body types letting it all hang out who don't seem to care what other people think.  And it makes me just a little bit jealous.

So I had to take a step back and give it a chance.  I channeled another lesson I have learned this year...don't buy cheap clothes.  Yes, I had to spend some money on a bathing suit.  I love you Target.  Really, I do.  But your bathing suits are not made for grown people.  So for the first time in forever, I went to ....(pause for dramatic effect)...the mall.  Guess what?  It's just as expensive as I remember it!  But seriously, bathing suits are on sale in July.  Summer's over, I guess, folks.  So, that helped me a little.  It also helped that many of the bathing suit tops came in actual bra sizes instead of S, M, L. Score one for the grown people (bless you Dillards!).  And so I found 2 bathing suits that I actually really liked and purchased.

And then it occurred to me that maybe that's what we all need to do.  No, not wear bikinis.  Maybe we all need to be a little less worried about what's going on on the outside and more about what's going on in the inside.  I watched my daughter, who is not entirely comfortable with her figure, embrace it and love it and be proud of it.  She inspired me.  I don't LIKE wearing tankinis.  They make me feel frumpy and old.  So what the heck am I doing in one?  I need to embrace me, not just the good parts, but all parts.  And so, I did.  Score another one for being fierce in 2016.

Happy Summer, Ya'll!

~K

July's Menu

Happy July everyone!  Summer is in full gear now and who amongst us wants to worry about what's for dinner?  No one.

Well worry no more, here is your delicious July menu!  These meals are clean, healthy, and take advantage of all the great produce available now.






This month I had 5 fabulous ladies working with me on freezer meals.  We made 19 meals in 5 hours! And we weren't just throwing things in a bag.  Our meals this month included things like Tomato Basil Burgers and Pesto Bacon Stuffed Chicken.  Yum!  The menu items in blue are the things we froze.  So...feel free to try to make a few on your own and throw them into the freezer for later!  You won't regret it!

July Menu

I hope these recipes will give you a chance to try something new and have a little more time in your summer!!

Enjoy!
K

What I Really Wanted to Say on Father's Day

Father's.  Sometimes I think they are a lucky bunch.  My husband can't remember who my children's teachers are.  He doesn't remember who likes Doritos and who likes Lays.  He never fills out permission slips.  He doesn't take them to lessons.  Sometimes I get so frustrated.  It's just not fair. Why do I have to remember all this stuff?  Help me out here, dude.

We are all gifted for different things (whether we are the same sex or not).  And life gets a whole lot easier if you learn and accept that.  While you can learn to do certain things, you may never a knack for it. So don't be envious of someone who has different talents than you, just admire them.  (Maybe if you are really nice to them, they'll even give you some tips!)  Embrace what your gifts are and don't expect others to have the same ones that you do.

My husband is never going to remember who wants Doritos and who wants Lays. But what he does give my girls is so much more important than the correct bag of potato chips.  They know they are loved.  They know if there is an issue and he needs to intervene, he will fight for them for as long as it takes.  More importantly than just feeling loved, they know they are valuable, intelligent and precious, not only to us, but to the world.  Anyone that doesn't think they are doesn't deserve to be their friend or good forbid, their boyfriend (they will probably stop liking their father around that time - you know, when they are 50!).

I love how much he talks to my girls.  About history, about current events, about life.  They know he can help them solve their problems, if that's what they want.  They know they can just vent to him too and he will understand.  He values what they have to say.  They know what it means to be a family. That sometimes you don't know what someone wants exactly, but you will do the best you can and listen and love them. They know what it is to work hard, to provide for your family, and to make sure you take time to have fun too.

 
So what I really wanted to say to him on Father's Day was, I love you for the gifts that you have.  I love you for the wonderful job you are doing raising two girls in a world that has gone crazy.  And I love you for making the whole thing so darn fun.  And for goodness sake, don't give the Teenie the Doritos.

Thanks to all the Dads out there who are giving it their all!

~K

How My Stitch Fix Sylist Became My BFF

So...I really wanted an end of school/beginning of summer fix and decided to lift my once a month fix ban.  I asked for a special kind of fix, just tanks.  Is that weird?  I don't know.  I had read where people asked for just jeans to find the perfect pair and so I thought, why not. While some of the shirts I got were more in the sleeveless category than the tank category, I still loved them all and felt like my girl delivered.  I said that I wanted to have another fix in July so I really did not want to spend too much money on any one shirt.  And let's face it, I am not spending $60 on a tank top, you know I'm not.  So let me share how it all worked out for me.

I had a great day Monday.  And I wasn't expecting to.  But I got a crazy amount accomplished and it took a lot of stress off me.  Then I got a text from my Tweenie..."Your fix is here".  This was sizing up to be the perfect day.

I swear peeking is the very best part.  First I look at one side...

 Then I look at the other...

And man, I was E.X.C.I.T.E.D.

Look at my excited face.

So if you have not followed my blog in regards to getting a fix, here's how it works...I get my fix.  I geek out.  I look at everything.  I geek out some more.  I look at the price sheet.  That looks like this.

In case you can't tell, that is anguish and fear over how much is it going to cost.

Then, before I start freaking out about what I can keep and what I can't, I try everything on.  Because some things might look good in the box but not good on my body or, they might not fit.  So, no, I am not going to start worrying about what to keep and what to send back until I get to this stage.

So...here goes.  I know you want me to shut up and show you the pictures already.

Item #1 - Pixley Brook Dot Print Tie-Waist Top - $44

I feel like Stephanie Y (that's my SF BFF, aka, my stylist), sees polka dot and is like, oh yeah, she'll buy this.  She's pretty much correct.  What's not to love about this shirt?  Beats me.

VERDICT:  KEPT

Item #2:  Daniel Rainn Angelika Crochet Detail Top - $64

      SSF BFF said she knew this wasn't a tank but it was mint and she thought I would love it.  It's still sleeveless, which is good enough for me.  Well played, SF BFF!  Again, what's not to love?

VERDICT:  KEPT

Item #3:  Aratta Millicent Split Back Top - $54

First of all, apologies on how wrinkled it is.  I can't be ironing clothes if I don't even know if I am going to buy them.  I don't even want to iron when I do buy them!

 




If that's not fun enough, look what the back does!

She actually saw this tank on my Pinterest board and sent it to me!  A first!

VERDICT:  KEPT

Item # 3:  41 Hawthorn Montgomery Cross Front Knit Top - $48

 




This is so comfortable, I could wear it to bed.  I love everything about this shirt.
VERDICT:  KEPT

You're not going to believe this, but it just keeps getting better.  I saved the best for last.

Item #5: Renee C Leela Racerback Top - $44

OMG....how much fun is this shirt?!

                    

Wait! There's more!

VERDICT;  KEPT

So, my total came to $50 over my budget.  But here's the thing, if you keep all of it, you get a 25% discount.  So, if you start picking and choosing, your aren't going to do as well.  (I mean, you don't want me to LOSE money in this thing, right?)  So I spent $34 a shirt basically, which isn't bad, even for a cheapskate like me.  Just help me explain to my hubs that I need a $50 loan until next payday. So, yeah, opps, I did it again.  No returns SF!

Did I mention I was going to Disney in October?  I mean, these are vacation tops right here people. Ok, I can't waste all night justifying this to you.  I gotta go find something to wear with my top tomorrow.

~K

My heart Healed a Little Bit Today

When someone you love and live with has been hurt, it can really take a minute to heal from that.  You think you get out of your circumstances and everyone will be just fine, but it just doesn’t work like that.  It’s like a physical wound that has to scab over and then heal.  It takes time.  I think that is why I am so anxious for summer this year, because I feel like it will take that whole 9 weeks for us to relax and regroup and yes, to heal.  I mean, some days I feel like I am trying to love my daughter so hard that all her brokenness will stick back together. 

Throughout everything, and there were a lot of things, my lowest point was when my daughter couldn’t sing.  She has a beautiful gift from God…an amazing voice.  And at some point in all of this, I am sure that she felt like that was all she had left.  I will never forget the day of her voice lessons when she just had nothing.  She was exhausted from not sleeping and she was completely stressed out.  And we kind of felt like "Now what's left?".  I promised her she would heal, we would all heal, and things would get better.  

There are much worse things that people go through in life, such as families splitting apart or dealing with a serious illness or losing loved ones.  And those people heal too.  It might take a little longer and in some instances, you never completely heal.  There will always be a whole in your heart where that person was, or where your family was whole.  And most always, you have scars left.  Many times, these experiences make you a better person.  More compassionate.  More empathetic.  My daughter was already a very kind-hearted person.  But I know now that for the rest of her life, she will build others up because she knows what it’s like to be torn down.  I know that she will be a champion for the underdog.  And I know that she is stronger and braver already at age 13 than I ever realized.

Several weeks ago, you may remember, she had the flu.  Well, the flu doesn’t do much for your voice.  Today she had a voice recital.  The last couple of weeks have been a struggle with trying to get her voice to recover from the flu.  She was supposed to perform two songs.  I suggested she ditch one of them.  She wouldn’t have it.  She forged on and worked and worked and I prayed and prayed.  This was so important to her and to me.  Not because it was some professional debut.  Not because she was supposed to be perfect.  Because it represents something.  It’s her gift.  It’s something that we thought couldn’t be taken away.  And then it kind of was.  Her gift, being back and fully intact, represents her healing.  It represents her moving forward.  And it represents something she can give to the world.  That beautiful gift that touches my heart and, I hope, the heart of others, who hear it.  It represents her ability to rise above it all.

And like a phoenix, she rose from the ashes.  Today I saw her whole again.  Surrounded by the people who love her the most and listening to her sing, my heart healed just a little bit.  When she sings, I see all that is beautiful and perfect about her.  And I know that we will get through this.  Healed, but always touched by it, and made a little different by the experience.  And we will take the powerful lessons learned and know that with God and our love for each other, no one can make us broken.  Not for long.

Now, if you will indulge me and forgive me for a braggy, proud momma post, I would like to share one of her songs with you.

"On My Own"

Cassidy - On My Own

Cassidy with her wonderful voice coach, Nicole

Enjoy~

K