Since my husband’s car lease was up last month we have been searching frantically for a gently used car replacement for him. My vote was for this one but it turned out that would not have been the most practical solution. We went with a VW Wagon. We’ll be loading up for a drive to Palm Springs this weekend. Movie quote of the week is a classic in honor of our automotive focus this month. Happy Friday and Happy Guessing!
Posted in Entertainment
Tagged Movie Quotes, Movie Trivia, palm springs
Long gone are the days when boys would harrass me with cannonballs while I tried to bake in the sun echoing the 80′s “must be tan” mantra. However, as I relive my childhood through my son I am coming to understand that cannonballs are less about getting me to shriek in a splash of surprise and more about the pure joy of the jumps themselves.
{Ready}
{Set}
{Go}
{The Aftermath}
{Did you see that, Mom?}
Posted in Family
Tagged Cannonballs, kid jumps into pool
I typically avoid making this dish because I rarely eat cheddar cheese anymore but every once in a while the occasion calls for some yummy cheesy goodness, which in this case was a new study we started on Thursday night for Jr Highers called “The Case for Faith” which deals with questions like “How could a good God exist when there is so much suffering in the world?”. Trying to think of something easy to make that would feed lots of kids and please a crowd did not result in health food necessarily but it was a step up from pizza. Here are simple step-by-step instructions for my take on this classic favorite.
{Step 1: Grate the cheese. Translation: get one of your kids to help you grate the cheese}
{Step 2: De-bone the pre-cooked roasted chicken that you picked up from the market 20 minutes prior}
{Step 3: Strain the diced chilis and black olives and set aside in a bowl}
{Step 4: Heat the Enchilada sauce until warm then dip the corn or wheat tortillas into the sauce until completely coated}
{Step 5: Assemble the Enchilada right in the 9×13 inch non stick baking pan}
{Step 6: Roll up the enchilada and repeat process until the pan is filled}
{Step 7: Evenly coat the pan of enchiladas with the sauce}
{Step 8: top with cheese and olives and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese melts}
{Serve with Mixed Greens and Chopped Avocado}
Posted in Food
Tagged crowd pleasers, enchilada recipes, kid friendly food, semi homemade chicken enchiladas
Every now and then I come across an old photo that speaks a thousand words. This one starts out by saying “Umm… Mom…I know I’m in trouble but I really wanted to see what it felt like to get into the bath with all my clothes on and it was just easier to leave my shoes and socks on too…” Clearly that’s his perspective but I’m sure yours is more like “What kind of mom leaves her 2 year old unattended long enough to let things like this happen?” This story and so many others are why this blog is called All Things GRACEful…It’s pure Grace that I got such a cool kid and pure Grace that he’s still alive.
Further proof. I’m pretty sure that box of Borax states “keep out of reach of children”. In addition, this photo violates a slew of child labor laws but in my defense, Luke was faster than the average two year old. I set down the pan of water, the Borax and the tile scrubber just long enough to leave the room and grab a rag. Luke proceeded to dump the Borax on the floor, dip the scrubber in the water and get to work in record time. See that computer in the top right corner? Yeah…Things could’ve gone a lot worse..
Posted in Family
Tagged Family photos, fully clothed bath photos, funny kid photos, photo stories
With Mother’s Day and my corresponding desert family vacation around the corner, I’m compiling a wishlist. Here are a few things I’ve got my eye on in preparation for both. I hope they inspire you!
{Epiphanie “Clover” bag in Turquoise. A camera bag that also fits my laptop and is cuter than my purse? Yes please!}
To celebrate their 85th Birthday, the World famous Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood is offering a series called ”25 Cent Classic Movie Mondays” . Their first showing was of Breakfast at Tiffany’s on April 23rd and it quickly sold out, no surprise. I did not make it to the showing but am eagerly anticipating the announcement of the title and date of their next “25-Cent Classic Movie Mondays” film. You can follow the announcements on Facebook and Twitter here. Below is this week’s movie quote of the week. I spelled it as the actress Milla Jovovich pronounces it in the movie. Happy Guessing and Happy Friday!
I am a firm believer in quality over quantity, especially when it comes to time (or at least that’s what I tell myself whenever I start to feel guilty for not making the choice to be a stay-at-home-mom). This philosophy keeps me intentional about scheduling little mini getaways like this one and the one to La Costa last weekend. Although we were only there for one night and half a morning we made the most of our time together. And it’s brief but beautiful times like these that can bring back just the right amount of life balance.
{I spy}
{Gift Shop}
{This may be the last year Luke is small enough for Jeff to toss in the air}
{Racing Games at the Arcade}
{Breakfast View}
{Mommy’s Shades- Retrospecs}
{I successfully refrained from buying this irresistable coral when I couldn’t answer the question”where would I put this where it won’t get broken?”}
Life is all about perspective. There are some things I’ve spent many a New Year’s trying to change when it turned out all I needed to change my behavior was a change of perspective. This 9 minute video by Dr. Mike Evans, a family practitioner in Toronto with an interest in preventative medicine, helped me to look with new eyes on an old adage. Here’s to new perspectives!
I am so blessed to have a husband who shares the domestic burden with me. He often spends his day off (which is designated as Monday) cleaning the house, doing the laundry & the grocery shopping, picking up Luke from school, babysitting and then making dinner for me. This consistent behavior over 5 years has earned him the title of “Super House Husband” which he wears proudly. Last week he made his famous organic greens salad with chopped chicken. I don’t know about you but food just tastes better to me when someone else prepares it. Thanks Honey!
{So he didn’t use a cutting board.. there are worse things in life!}
{Organic Greens Salad with Chopped Chicken- Yum!}
We had the exquisite opportunity to experience a Villa for a night at the La Costa Resort and Spa in San Diego (technically Carlsbad, CA) last weekend. We took lots of photos which I’ll share later this week but I thought I’d start off by giving you a tour. Happy Monday!
Posted in Travel
Tagged Family getaways, Luxury Hotels
