August by the Numbers

Another month down. Another month filled with life and memories...so much to be grateful for.

ONE book read (Fly Me Home - Jennifer Weiner)

TWO A. new albums purchased (Colbie Caillat and Marie Digby)

TWO B. concerts attended (Huey Lewis and the News and Sugarland)

THREE Back to School nights attended.

SIX sweet friends celebrate their birthdays. Lots to celebrate.

SEVEN A. layouts created.

SEVEN B. blog posts recorded.

FOURTEEN soccer games played(Tanner and Carter).

FIFTEEN days into the new school year.

TWENTY seconds shaved off of my timed 1.5 mile run at Fitness MD.

TWENTY TWO Fit Club classes attended(I only missed one) at Fitness MD.

SIXTY ONE.TWENTY FIVE miles walked/jogged this month.

Happy Birthday to You

Here is my latest Green Tangerines Kit Club layout(you can find the other girls layouts here). Back in July, my sweet,sweet friend Meridee let us all know that she was coming to town. We jumped at the chance to have dinner with her. Knowing that her birthday was just a week away, we decided to make it a birthday dinner while we had her here. It was so very nice to see, hug and visit with her. She is just one of those good souls...such a wonderful friend!

My Happy List

I have wanted to join in on the fun and create my "official" Happy List for a while now. I often blog about the things and people who make me happy on a regular basis.. Mamarazzi has been blogging her Happy List on Fridays for a while now. Her lists always make me smile and remember all that is happy in my own life. Okay, so I realize that I am a day late, but I am doing it.

The things that are making me happy this week are:
A really busy week. I know that may sound weird but being busy(for the most part) makes me happy! It means I am healthy and able. It means I have places and friends to see. It means I am out, enjoying this beautiful world.

I am happy that I enjoyed several fun activities this week.














(photo via Stephanie-thanks Steph!)

I saw The Help with about 16 girlfriends one night this week. Fabulous movie...run out and see it...NOW!I thought it did the book(which I loved/adored)justice. I know our world still has a ways to go but after seeing that movie, I am glad that we have come this far.
















I enjoyed a fun activity night, Survival 101 with the Young Woman at church. For Morghan's Survival 101 class she taught us different ways to style our hair. So fun to see those girls doing each others hair and some of the leaders, mine included! They actually got my stick straight hair to curl and keep that curl.















I got to escape on Thursday night and see SUGARLAND and Sara Bareilles with fun friends at Raley Field. It was kind of a last minute thing for me and I am so glad it worked out and that they thought of me for that extra ticket(love you, girls). We had tickets for the floor. I have always been a SUGARLAND fan(sorry Laurie H.-LOL) and after seeing them live, I LOVE them even more. They put on a great show. I am still dancing and singing to their albums. Making me happy for sure!















I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how involved John is in our boys lives. He is such a great Daddy. He supports our boys in all they do. It makes my heart so HAPPY! I hope my boys know how lucky they are to have him in their lives. The basketball team for Garrett's age was in need of a coach. Mind you, Garrett was not even signed up to play for the summer session. The owner of the basketball league called John up and told him he needed him as a coach. John didn't hesitate and said "yes." Garrett was so pleased.























The gym makes My Happy List this week. Never in a million years would I ever have thought that would make any happy list of mine. The Fit Club classes at Fitness MD were hard this week. There was lots of running. I am still holding firm to the statement, "I am not a runner." I am not a runner but boy did we run this week. It was hard and I did it. That made me happy, after the fact :-).

I could seriously go on and on with MY Happy List! There are so many things that are making me happy. I will leave you with these few things that made the cut this week. I am pretty sure I will be back next Friday with a new list.

What would land on your Happy List this week?

back to school...back to reality

Summer has ended. I was(still am) in denial, big time. So the boys have been back in school for just about a week and a half now and I am just getting around to blogging about it. I was so sure that once they went back to school, I would have all of this free time. Who was I kidding :-)? I have felt 100 times busier(in a good, busy kind of way)this school year. The first day of school went off without a hitch. I attended the 5 am Fit Club class to ensure I didn't miss my workout. I came home and made German pancakes for everyone while the boys got ready. We had to take the traditional 1st day of school photos. I can't believe we have a 7th, 5th and a 2nd grader.


















There were notes tucked into the lunch boxes/bags. There were new shoes/clothes/school supplies. There were flowers for the teachers. There were gifts for the teachers. There were happy boys, ready for a new year, with new teachers and friends!




















We are looking forward to a wonderful year with lots of growth, new memories and fun adventures.












p.s. Just in case you are wondering, the scrapbook layout has already been created. Here is this weeks Kit of the Week for Green Tangerines. These kits are now available. You can call and purchase yours at 916-771-8010.

Recipe Share

This is our new favorite way to grill our chicken. I tried it for the first time on Father's Day. We have made it several times since then. Just so you know, the left overs are perfect,chopped up and thrown in a salad for lunch on the following day. Enjoy!

Spicy Honey Chicken
by Our Best Bites



8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 2lbs (you could use breasts as well)
2 tsp vegetable oil

Rub:
2 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder (it's there in the spice aisle...you just have to look hard. I found some at Target.)

Glaze:
1/2 cup Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

I'm gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It's sugar, and it's gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It's totally worth it once you taste this stuff.

If you don't have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!

Raimi's Notes:
- I have only used chicken breasts when making this recipe.
- I found the Chipotle Chili powder at Target...I did not know such a spice existed.
- I did not have Cider Vinegar on hand the 1st time we made this. I used regular vinegar and it tasted fine/the same.

first time memories

Feeling a little weepy and sad this week. My family(parents,siblings,aunts,uncles, cousins,Grandma,nieces, nephews...the whole family) members are all headed to Hat Creek. It is the first family camping trip since Grandpa Shore passed away. Hat Creek was his favorite place to camp and fish. As I have read and seen my cousins FB statuses/updates/pictures from Hat Creek, I am feeling a little sad. Sad, that I took the responsible parent route this week. School starts tomorrow and I didn't feel like the boys could miss the first day/week of school. I know we are missing out on a great camping trip. After creating this layout for this weeks Kit of The Week for Green Tangerines, I am feeling a bit happier. I am remembering the fun memories I have of my Grandpa. These photos are of Garrett and my Grandparents, Aunt and cousin. We drove down to the Bay Area when he was just a week old so he could meet Grandpa and Grandma Shore. I am so glad I have these photos and I am even happier that they have now been scrapbooked.

kids {mine} say the cutest things

While were having dinner with John's family the other night, we were filling them in on the upcoming surgeries that would be happening in our family. One of the Aunts wanted to know what tooth would be removed from Garrett's mouth. Garrett explained that he had three "teenager" teeth (referring to his top front teeth)instead of just two. We were laughing so hard. To this 7 year old, they are not adult teeth, they are known as "teenager" teeth. So funny!