Sara’s Must Reads (Heart-Tuggers)

As many of you know, I’m an avid reader. I’m the type of person, that if sitting at the kitchen table for too long will start reading the back of her child’s cereal box. Yes, my love of reading unfortunately derails my life at times. If it comes to eating a meal or finishing a chapter, or at that, an entire book, I’d probably starve. And not even at that…my soul would will my body to stay alive a few more hours just to finish reading.

Placing dramatics aside, Here are a few reads that have impacted my life:

A Fun-Filled Week

*Note: Written a few weeks ago, but didn’t get to post – my sd card reader decided to play mean, and I wanted to wait until I could get my photos.

Spring break is long over. Cue the long sigh. It’s back to reality for my littles and me. The sad thing is that it’s Wednesday, and it’s barely dawning on us. Monday’s routine was a little shaky; Tuesday morning went by a lot smoother. It would have been great had it not been for my cursed allergies, but I digress.

We had a blessed week visiting loved ones and having fun. It was no international resort adventure, but we definitely had a blast surrounded by family. Here’s a few snippets of our fun-filled week.

Blue bonnets and Littles. A perfect ending to a wonderful week.

Zoodles & Noodles

Tonight was a Pinterest win! I attempted to make a home made bolognese and zoodles dish I found on Pinterest. I modified a few ingredients, but all in all, it was a success.

I’ve never made a pasta sauce from scratch.  I’ve also never had zucchini in place of noodles. As much of a zucchini fanatic that I am, I’ve never really spiraled any. Still haven’t. (Wink, wink)

Anyways…here’s what I did.

Be A Champion

via Daily Prompt: Champion

The last few days I’ve been bombarded with images and discussion topics about domestic violence and child abuse. My dual-enrolled students were asked to choose an image to write a visual analysis for their English 1302 course, and for some reason a majority of my juniors have chosen PSAs depicting domestic violence and child abuse.

I’m all for allowing students to choose what they want to write about, but sometimes these images hit me to the core, especially the ones dealing with children. I have to say that I am blessed to not have any personal experience with such ugliness, but I have to be realistic; I’m sure that at least a few of my students probably know of someone who does. I pray that none of them experience that kind of hell.

International Women’s Day

So many people, both men and women, hear the words “International Women’s Day” and automatically start bashing hard-core feminists or preaching to the much more “lenient” and/or reserved ones. International Women’s Day, in my opinion, is not so much a day to go on a political rant, or to toss biblical scriptures at anyone (though I have nothing against the women and men who do – to each their own).

dazzingwallpaper.com

This day is about recognizing and appreciating who you are as a woman and showing others just how powerful and caring  you are. It’s about standing up and applauding the women around you for all they do that goes unnoticed. It’s about standing up for those without a voice. It’s about shielding those about to be beaten. It’s about fighting for those who aren’t allowed to fight. It’s about saying thank you mother, thank you grandma, and thank you sister for paving the way for those yet to come.

A Decade of Love

I can’t let the day go by without writing about my other half. Today is our 10 year anniversary. Wow! An entire decade has gone by and we’re still together. With the chaos of every day life, it’s easy to take the time we have together for granted. I just want to thank God for blessing me with such a wonderful friend and husband. Who would’ve guessed that these two crazy youngins, with a seven-year difference would make it this far. All we ever heard was: “He’s too old.” “She’s too young.” “You won’t have anything in common.” And you know what? There were instances when we felt we just didn’t mesh, but God had more in store for us.

Smiles for miles. Circa 2003.

A Penny Saved: Update!

So far, so good. I’m currently at the 9 week period, and I have my $45.00 saved. 😉

• Positives: Money saved!
• Negatives: Hindsight is 20/20. I should have taken into consideration that I get paid monthly.

I will continue working towards my goal of saving a little each week according to the money chart below.

I’ll keep you updated on my progress. 🙂

His Baby Girl: Rolling With The Punches

In November 2004, I lost my father. It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and my mother, sister, and I were going Christmas shopping. I remember seeing him so happy, and so lively that morning.

My father, up to that point, had suffered quite a bit physically and emotionally. A massive heart attack in the early summer of 1999 changed his life, along with the lives of those who loved him. It’s interesting when you can look back at your life and pin point the exact moment you left childhood behind.

Favorite Picture: Daddy and Me

Baked Orange Pepper Tilapia W/Brown Rice & Quinoa

Baked Orange Pepper Tilapia W/ Brown Rice & Quinoa

I’m a big fan of Tilapia. Yes, I know that there are healthier fish out there, but it’s still a healthy piece of fish, and I like how it doesn’t taste too fishy. Yesterday, I tried a recipe I haven’t  used in a while. I had to modify it of course though, mainly because I didn’t think of making it until the last-minute, and I was missing ingredients.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a recipe writer, so please forgive me. 😉

Ingredients (Feeds 3, or 2 depending on how hungry one’s husband is)

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

• 3 Tilapia Fillets
• 1 mandarin (easy peel Halo)
• half a white onion (optional)
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (optional) or 1 tsp of garlic powder (optional)
• handful of cilantro
• 1/2 tsp of coconut oil (separated) – any cooking oil can be used
• salt
• orange pepper seasoning
• one packet of Uncle Ben’s Medley: Brown Rice and Quinoa with Garlic

Sunday Morning Wake Up Call

On Sunday I had a wake up call. I saw a picture of me that was far from flattering and I knew that I had to make a change. Since I had my little girl last May I’ve gone back and forth from eating healthy and exercising. Because of my husband’s hectic work schedule, my 7 year old’s extracurricular schedule, my baby girl’s defiance of a normal routine at times, as well as my own crazy life, I’ve kind of laxed on the whole workout routine I was use to.