plain + simple

A day in the life….

There has been a lot of talk in the blog world lately of what else goes on in our lives besides what we post.  My thoughts on this are as follows: 

There is no way we can possibly blog about it all.  I mean, my posts are long enough as it is….snoooooze…do you really want to hear about Chris + I watching the Price Is Right?  Well, here’s one post, with a little more detail into our everyday….b.o.r.i.n.g. ;)

Since I go to bed between 1-2am every night [would be different if I had a j-o-b] I get up around 8:30-9:30am.  I HAVE to brush my teeth ASAP upon waking and splash cold water on my face.  I feel like I wake up with a puffy face and cold water helps.  Yes, get ready for the details!  I then have to blow my snot-filled nose, thanks to the Colorado dryness, so I can breathe.  Even my 80-100oz water per day consumption does not help.

Then I release the beast from her cage [kenna is caged, dakota is not, for obvious reasons], at which time lots of crazy noises come out of Dakota’s doggie breath mouth.  She plays LOUDly.  They instantly start harassing each other [lots of ankle biting] at the top of the landing and then run faster than the speed of light down the stairs.  This continues when I unlock + open the door to our little fenced in yard. This is where my water consumption starts.  16oz before breakfast…just have to do it…SO dry!

I let the doggles in and immediately start preparing my oats because I am ravenous the moment I arise.  Don’t get between me + food in the morning!  Oatmeal is 85% of my mornings.  If not oats, it’s usually a smoothie of sorts and will probably be bright + GREEN.

Plain + Simple Oats – Sometimes simple IS better.

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1/2c oats + rice milk + water + vanilla + cinnamon + 1 small banana mixed in at the end and topped with PB

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I make mess #1 of the morning, photograph my concoction by the window or in our bar/yoga/reading room, and then chow.  Oh, and I get my coffee brew on as well. 

[okay, that’s not ALL from my oats]

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Our lovely $30 craigslist chairs!

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Then my morning gets sucked into a vacuum as I enter the world of twitter + gmail + food blogs.  Time for LUNCH. LOL.  Okay, maybe not that bad, but close to it.  I read a few blogs, respond to comments, and stuff my face with warm delicious oats.  I peruse the Craigslist ads for the day, coming across things like “bikini model barista wanted” and “looking for EXPERIENCED hostesses.”  I apply to jobs by email, which is what they all want, and then wait for nothing because no one emails back these days.

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Chris does the same.

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I also talk to my dad on gchat about every other day in the AM.  I talk to my mom almost everyday when she gets home from school [she’s a speech therapist].

Then I try to lift my “can’t find a job…broke as a joke” spirits and read food blogs.  I read quite a few on a daily basis and find more + more that really interest me everyday.  I try to limit it though.  I was completely anti-twitter for the past year and now I am addicted.  Oops.

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Now, hunger has set in, and I’m sick of sitting on my arse so I decide to make lunch.  This usually involves a salad, greek yogurt, maybe some sort of sandwich, veggies, or dinner leftovers etc.  More photographing ensues. 

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Leftover hummus and veggies + Sunshine Falafel Burger, topped with goat cheese + Chobani Vanilla with cinnamon

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p.s. Chobani Vanilla is SO SO much better than Oikos Vanilla…I hope I can find Chobani Plain to try soon!  However, I do like that SF Oikos is organic. 

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The dogs do this.

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Mess #1 + Mess #2

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Aaaand clean.  I hate dirty dishes!  I’m pretty quick at cleaning the kitchen and I don’t really mind doing it.  The only thing I hate is how my hands are DRY [like my snotty nose] from the Colorado air.  I am always bursting with cracks that are painful, especially when cutting hot peppers and squeezing lemons.  Helllooo earth to Ashley, buy kitchen gloves, duh.

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Some days a load of laundry might get thrown in by me or the hubs but most days it won’t.  Some days I make up to FOUR kitchen messes and some days the husband is nice enough to clean them up for me.  In between all of this, there is the almost always the constant ruckus of Kenna + Dakota going on in the background.  Sometimes it resembles noises straight out of the WWF.  Once in awhile, they sleep ALL day, like today.  I usually tell Kenna to “lie down on your bed” at least 15x per day.  Put Dakota’s bed by the heating vent and you won’t hear a peep out of her.  I think one day she is going to melt.

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Dakota is your typical loud/vocal boxer.  It sounds terrible but she’s really just playing!  Kenna is silent.  Here’s a recap of a typical play session outside:

  • Dakota: ROOOOAR
  • Kenna: do dee dah dee dooooo waggy tail
  • Dakota + Kenna: Stop + stare
  • Dakota: ROOOOAR
  • Kenna: I want to eat some snow.

On very special days [only about 5 times ever, but still too many], Kenna likes to eat her poop and then I have to clean up her regurgitated mess.  Let me tell you how fun that is!!!!

……

Now, I start to get antsy as my life as a stay at home mom blogger, with no income, gets a little tiresome. 

This is when I go outside for either a walk/run around the park or a walk to the gym and a workout.  This time also lets me get my fill of people watching in.  I love seeing all of the dogs and mom’s bopping along with kids in tow.  Then I come home and whittle my middle or something of the sorts.  Then I shower [or stay stinky] and go on my weekly almost daily trip to Whole Foods.

Some days I also go to Target.  Ohhhh Target.  Last night I had the pleasure of picking a few things up to hear a mother talking on the phone with her mother, with her kids tagging alongside her.  They were being a little loud + rambunctious.  I get to hear her yell at her kids [ages ~ 4 + 6] and then tell her mother “Why don’t the kids listen to me??? It’s because they are RETARDED!!!”  The kids were right there.  Fabulous.

……

If I have learned anything in the past few years, it’s that life is about balance.  My eating habits are much more balanced than they used to be and it has helped me mentally and physically. 

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A balanced dinner.  Pizza, a bit of indulgence.  Pizza topped with organic sauce + red pepper + mushrooms + spinach + herbed goat cheese, not quite so bad.  Two pieces are totally satisfying when eaten alongside a HUGE pile of steamed broccoli [looooove] and 2 servings of smooth + creamy WF applesauce.  SO so so good.

Appx. a 500 calorie meal…doesn’t look like it though!!  I don’t count calories, but that’s just to give you a rough idea. I think the WF dough was about 150 cals for 1/16th of it.  These 2 slices were two servings of the dough [I used the other half of the dough the other night]

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Chris has his half and I have mine :)  Half of mine is for tomorrow, minus 3 more bites I took after dinner, hehe.  I <3 leftovers!

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If a meal doesn’t make it on the blog, it’s not because I’m eating a filet o’ fish [haven’t eaten fast food in many years], it is because I don’t feel the need to publish every single bite + morsel I put into my mouth.  However, I also do not try to hide things I’m eating by not photographing them.  Usually my night time snacks are not photographed because that is when I’m photo-editing + blogging.  My snacks usually consist of yogurt, cereal + milk, dark chocolate, a scoop of ice cream, or stove popped popcorn.  I try not to keep the tempting foods in the house and it actually works!

Here are the pnut butter cups I made the other night courtesy of Angela’s recipe, with a few minor changes.

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My daylight was diminishing.  Bad shadows!!

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Most of the time a small bite of something sweet is enough to curb my cravings.  Like last night…this bite was perfection! 

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But tonight, I needed MORE chocolate!!!

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I’m trying to perfect the this hot cocoa to fit my taste.  It is still too rich!  But still, more than drinkable…sluuurp!  Love the marshmallow puffs on top…mmmm [they are from WF but I can’t think of the brand!]

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Have you had enough yet?  Chris and I have a few TV shows we watch weekly.  Right now it’s, 24, Modern Family, The Office, a new HBO series I can’t think of, I watch Grey’s..and I think that may be it.  A few other favorite shows are Dexter + True Blood!!! Loooove them!

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It’s hard to believe we’ve been unemployed since leaving Charlotte in September.  [he has been unemployed longer]  We spend almost every waking minute together and luckily aren’t sick of each other yet! ;)

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We do have much more glamorous days than craigslist, twitter + The Price is Right.  Being unemployed lets us get the most out of our snowboarding passes.  I love mountain days with Chris!  We also have some awesome friends + family in the area that we hang out with on a regular basis.  Although stressful, I make the most of my time at home and keep extremely busy!  I am having a really good time cooking + working on my photography.   I also know this situation is only temporary.  We both have degrees and I know we will find jobs that fit us at some point in the near future! 

For now, I’m excited about my new part-time writing job with Natural Food List.  I’ll update you when my articles are on the site!

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TMI?

Probably….but you know that’s just how I roll…

LOVE all my readers!!!! :)

~Ashley