Helene's 9th Birthday

For Helene's birthday, I took her and three of her friends (Megan, Sydney & Becca) to the American Girl Doll Store.

 The girls shopped with their own money, while

 their dolls got new hairdos at the salon.

 And took a little break after shopping.

 On Friday night (as a birthday gift), Helene got her ears pierced.  Today, she used some of her birthday money to get her dolls' ears pierced, too.

 We went to the Cheesecake Factory for an early dinner after shopping.

 The restaurant is "doll friendly", so each doll got her own high chair that clips to the table.

Then we drove back home for some Nyan Cat cake.

A Month Without

I've been eating "Paleo" for  an entire month now.  That means water, coffee, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, fruits, vegetables and nuts only (no grains, dairy, legumes, added sugar, or anything processed).  I stuck to it strictly for an entire month!  I've never done anything like this before, so I'm kinda proud of myself. :)  

To make it more clear, that means for 28 days, I have had no cereal, no oatmeal, no bagels, no muffins, no yogurt, no scones, no lattes, no sandwiches, no tortilla or corn chips, no toast, no Dr Pepper (NO DR PEPPER!!), no cookies, no cake, no french bread, no salad dressings with added sugar, no Reese's peanut butter cups, no beer, no butter, no Power Bars.  Those are just some of the things that I used to eat on a somewhat regular basis that I have done without.  I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting.

I HAVE been eating the colorful foods pictured below!

Sweet Potato Chips (this is before I tossed and baked them)

Tilapia with roasted vegetables

Chicken with mushrooms, pine nuts, basil, etc.

Leftover chicken with avocado slices and picante sauce

(makes a good lunch when you can't have sandwiches)

Stuffed Bell Pepper, Salad, Roasted Green Beans

Now that I have lived this way for a month and given my body a chance to adjust, I am going to lighten up a bit.  I thought I would slowly add things in to see what bothered me and work my way back up to my old "normal" diet, but I am modifying that plan slightly.  I have had so much energy eating this way.  I don't want to ruin it.  So, I'm going to allow myself occasional "cheats".  95% Paleo and 5% Other.  But for the most part, I'm going to continue this way of life.  I feel leaner and stronger and have a more consistent energy level throughout the day.

Care to guess what my first non-Paleo "cheat" was?

A Post A Week (maybe)

I have a friend who is trying to post a photo every day this year and blog about it.  The pressure of that would just stress me out, but I do think I will make it more of a goal to post something weekly.

Today's theme: sunsets and sunrises

This is the view from my family room this evening:

When I see this much orange and purple through the windows, I run for my camera.  I was without a camera for a couple of months this fall, and it killed me to see this beauty and not be able to capture it.  Not that a photo truly does it justice; the colors here are exquisite, but at least now, with a new camera, I can capture some small part of it to look back on later.

Two more of tonight's sunset:

And yesterday's sunrise:

Looks like the sky is fire, doesn't it?


I've had thoughts lately of wanting another house.  A smaller house, closer to my son's school, and perhaps with an HOA that allows chickens.  This large house out in the boonies (okay, 10 minutes from town) was great over the winter break, but as the kids started back to school today, I had thoughts of moving again.  It sure would be convenient to be closer.

These photos remind me of why we bought this house in the first place.  The views.  When we walked in here with the realtor 6 years ago, the blinds were all open, the house was empty, and my eyes were immediately drawn outwards.  I gasped and said, "John!  This is the place!"  He shushed me and told me to keep a poker face in front of the realtor. :)  There are many places closer in to town that do not have a view of the mountains at all.  I love the mountains.  Always have.  And living here, I realize how volatile they are.  They change every day . . . in amazing and awe-inspiring ways.  This is why we live here.