What I'm Loving Lately

 Woohoo! It's another installment of What I'm Loving Lately! To see past W.I.L.L. posts, click HERE

I love writing these posts because I think it's so important to tune into all the things we love....big or small. They all help make life extra special. 

1. Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions----T Swift is serving up the surprises this year and I am so here for it. This is a special that premiered on Disney Plus last week (this and Hamilton are worth the price of admission alone. Hank would say continual access to Ratatouille and The Incredibles are the masterpieces of Disney Plus). Folklore is probably my favorite album ever. I love every single track and this special is so eye-opening as it shines a light and gives backstories to every single song. She performs with Jack Antonoff (who is basically Ric Moranis' doppelganger) and Aaron Dessner in a stripped down, acoustic style at a cabin in upstate New York. It's beautiful and proves that Taylor's music is maturing as her audience is growing older. This documentary is definitely something I'm loving lately. 

2. Christmas music and decorating! I am in holiday music 24/7 phase now and we finished decorating our house for the holidays. We moved here at the beginning of January so it's been so fun to decorate our new house (last year was very paired down since we were packing up). In terms of music, I LOVE Carrie Underwood and John Legend's song, "Hallelujah." Listen asap if you haven't heard yet. 

3. Skinnydipped Nuts: I randomly tossed these into my cart a few weeks ago and these are delightful. They're yogurt and chocolate coated nuts. There's lots of fun flavors but the lemon almonds are my fave. Smiths carries a few types but Harmons has the most different varities. These are a perfect sweet little snack. 

4. Time at Home: Besides work and a few errands, we really do pretty much stay home. That means I rarely wear makeup and real clothes from Friday afternoon to Monday morning. I do miss outings and date nights, but with my Monday through Friday feeling so busy (especially this time of year!), I've been savoring these slow weekends. AJ's parents came last week for Thanksgiving. We enjoyed our meal together and kept it nice and small just the 5 of us. AJ made his first ever turkey on the Traeger and it was soooo good! I was really excited to host my very first Thanksgiving for my family and AJ's, including our siblings, but with Covid, we kept it simple. It was still a lovely time to relax and cook at home. I made a new corn casserole and roasted garlic mashed potatoes. AJ's mom made delicious pumpkin pie and orange cranberry sauce. We had lots more sides and I have been loving the delicious turkey sandwiches in the days that followed! 

5. Shows: The DVR is back in action after a slow period there. Here's a quick rundown of what's playing over here:

-Shark Tank: forever and always. I love this show. 

-The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City: Ohhh my goodness, I love this trainwreck! It is so fun seeing familiar restaurants and sights! The women are over the top and NO, they do not represent Utah women (well, maybe some, haha). 

-My Big Fat Fabulous Life: This season is sad since Whitney is so happy about her engagement but we know in real time, the relationship blows up. This season was also filmed right when all the lockdowns started so that's been interesting to watch too. 

-Hillbilly Elegy: This book is wonderful and the new movie on Netflix is excellent too. It's hard to watch but also uplifting. If you've read the book, watch this, I think you'll love it. If you haven't read the book, pick it up! It's the true story of a Yale Law student who is called back to his small Ohio town and confronts his "hillbilly" roots of his family's history in Appalachia. It's heartbreaking and inspiring. 

-Virgin River: I really enjoyed season 1 of this show and was excited to see season 2 on Netflix. I haven't watched yet but I'm excited to dive in.

-The Bachelorette: I think the guys on this season are really endearing and entertaining! I hope Tayshia finds love. She's classy and fun. 

-The Good Doctor: I love this show and I really appreciated how they handled Cornonavirus. I love the medical drama, the relationships. It's just a great show. 

-Southern Charm: This season is really different as some of my fave cast members aren't on this season, but this falls in the same category as Real Housewives---an entertaining, eyerolling, hilarious trainwreck. I've watched every season so I suppose there's no quitting now! 

6. Holiday Fun: I love this time of year but I love it even more now that I have a toddler that is VERY into the holidays this year! We have tickets to see some drive thru light shows (Cross E Ranch and Christmas in Color for those who are local), but we also love just driving around looking at lights! 1731 Hidden Valley Club Drive in Sandy is amazing and we've been twice already! There's a line just to get into the cul-de-sac, but it is worth it! Let me know of any other great lights around town! 

Now I haven't received my phone bill yet this month so don't come crying to me if this number charges an insane amount, lol. But this Santa voicemail is a FAVORITE around here. It's a cute little recorded message from the Big Guy himself reminding kids to LISTEN TO THEIR PARENTS. Amen, Mr. Claus! (951) 262-3062

There is so much to LOVE...in the midst of this weird year. Lots of sparkle to savor. In the midst of the peppermint, glittery, Hallmark movie, frosted and festive fun, I want to keep the real meaning of this season front and center. This quote from Ann Voskamp spoke to me this week. 

Savor Your Sparkle,

Leslie 

That Fall Feeling

Hello hello. 

   I haven't done a picture update in a while so I'm doing that today. I love keeping our memories in this little space on the internet. It's officially Fall (and no, not like that means pumpkin stuff is out, but it's like actually fall weather-wise) and I adore this season. I love the decorations, the crisp air, the seasonal events, and yes, I like that the fall is a sign post that holly jolly Christmas fun is just around the corner. But also, the Fall can feel hard. I hate it when the days get shorter and it feels like 10pm right around dinner time. I can start to feel that teacher fizzle from the high energy go-go-go of the first weeks of school catching up with me. And this year, man, this year it alllll just hits differently doesn't it??

 I was trying to express to AJ the other night what this season feels like and the word I landed on was heavy. The Pandemic feels heavy. On one hand I am so totally over it and ready to move on, but on the other hand, I know that numbers don't lie and the higher than ever case counts are alarming. It's scary. Also politics. Very heavy. (Insert the wide mouth emoji here). The world (our country in particular) feels broken. Damaged. I know better than to think that we will be this divided forever but DANG. So yeah, heavy feels about right. But when things feel too heavy, I have to remind myself that maybe I'm not meant to carry it all. In fact, I know I'm not. But sometimes feeling a bit of that weight can be a good thing. It creates awareness that what we do and say matters and that while I know who holds this whole thing up (God, in case you were wondering), we can all do our part to carry some of that heavy for each other too. That is a long and winding way of saying, I see your heavy too and sis, it's totally possible to live with "The fall brings out my happy/basic/extra self/give me all the pumpkin spice everything and how freaking cute are baby pumpkins" and also "Yikes. Dayyyyyummm. 2020, what else you think you're gonna pull?" at the very same time. (But keep in mind, despite the despair that creeps in my heart when I watch the news or the *literal* lack of actual light in our days, Fall also means the return of Reeses pumpkins, the return of some of my TV faves,  crunchy leaves, and infinity scarves ..anything really to lighten the load, I'll take it!). I was meaning to write two separate posts this week, a photo update and my little musings on how life feels uncertain and unknown but this is my dang blog and I'm just doing 1 post this week. See: "heavy." 

Remember that country song, "These are My People?" I always think about that when I see a pic of my little crew. These ARE my people and they are my everything. We've been going on lots of walks and adventures. 

I visited Hadley. I just love spending time with her. 

To say our Traeger has been getting a workout lately is an understatement. We've done flank steak, meatloaf, chicken kabobs, apple cobbler, burgers, and this weekend, a giant brisket. We've got pork belly and chicken wings on the docket next! 

We visited the Zoo! 

We ordered some photos on canvas for our front hallway. I think they look so good! We also took off the front of Hank's crib. He loves his "big boy bed." He is getting so grown up! 

School is going well. Someone please remind me how exhausted I will be the first month or so of school. Every single year I forget how those first few weeks are (Like I want to be in bed at 8 pm sort of tired). My class is cute and I pray we can stay healthy and together all year. I got a Donor's Choose funded this month with all sort of holiday teaching goodies including all these gingerbread themed books! So fun! Also, how amazing is technology?? My kids had a zoom call this week with the Ogden Nature Center and we got to see some cool animals and get questions answered live! I need to remember how awesome technology can be because we watched The Social Dilemma last week and I was about ready to throw my phone in a river. (I highly recommend the movie. We already know what technology is doing to us but I believe it pays to hear it over and over). 

Speaking of Neflix....GUYS. GUYS. This was just a little half hour thing on Netflix's social media platforms (I thought it was on actual Netflix and kept refreshing like an idiot), but we watched this Friday and it was so perfectly adorable. I love revisiting the Banks Family! 

I've also been doing plenty of this.....

Check out my September Reads HERE

Well that post got super duper long. That's for reading along. May we all find some light and let down some of our heavy. 

Savor Your Sparkle,

Leslie

Life Lately

Hello! 

    I'm coming to you from the other side....the other side of school starting! Here is a very brief rundown of my thoughts 5 days in: 1. My class is awesome and I hope and pray we can be together all year. 2. I really missed in person teaching. 3. Teaching/being in a mask alllll day is hard. 4. I definitely miss aspects of pre-covid school. 5. I'm exhausted but good exhausted. It's been a whirlwind but in a world that feels so crazy, it's nice that my little classroom corner of the world feels sort of "normal." I can feel that fall crisp-ness in the air and I've been enjoying my fair share of Starbucks pumpkin cream cold brews and burning my fall candle. I just love it! (And no, I haven't had my PSL Hadley/Mommy traditional day yet, but I have it on my calendar). 

I've got some super random Life Lately pics for you today but first I just had to share this adorable one. We had a family photo shoot recently and this picture makes me melt. We are always cheering on our little man!

 Have you tried these Mediterranean Bowls?! I posted this recipe last week and these babies are so versatile and delish! I have them on the menu again next week! 

I found these delicious and convenient mini pancake packs on my last visit to Costco. There are 25 pouches with 2 little pancakes in each. The perfect easy breakfast for Hank! I told him since they're made in France that Ratatouille made them. He thinks that's hilarious. 

We are soaking up the sunshine and LOVING our backyard so so so much! On Sunday we were out there for hours while dinner cooked on the Traeger. Pure bliss. 

Two internet faves from this week.... This meme made me laugh. First, it's got Leo. Second, I LOVE a Starbucks tumbler. I almost always have one with ice water in it by my side. 

Second, I've gotten really into the podcast, The Bible Binge, from the same creators of my most fave podcast, The Popcast. They are doing a new series called "Faith Adjacent" where they tie pop culture to concepts of faith. The premier episode in this series was about Hamilton and this Hamilton Benediction is absolute perfection. 

That's it for this Wednesday! 

Savor Your Sparkle,

Leslie 

Mediterranean Bowls

 I am so excited to share this recipe/concept with you today! I am always on the hunt for super easy prep ahead meals and these Mediterranean Bowls did not disappoint! The best part about these is that they are so versatile. I made a vegetarian version this week but how good would these be with This slow cooker Greek beef?!

I got the inspiration for this recipe from a few different places----

Pinch of Yum Quinoa Bowls

Beauty Bites Mediterranean Bowls

Delish Greek Power Bowls

Are you ready for the recipe???

1. Make quinoa (or rice!), put in bowl

2. Top as desired

3. Enjoy! 

Really, though, just add whatever you like!

Here are some topping ideas. I put stars by the ones we used. 

*feta
*black olives
kalamata olives
*hummus
Tzatiki sauce

shrimp 
*chickpeas
*sun dried tomatoes
zucchini
cherry tomatoes
*diced cucumber
*baby spinach
chicken
red onion 
pita chips
avocado 
*roasted red peppers
olive oil drizzle 
Greek yogurt (with some lemon juice mixed in, yummmm) 

For our version, I made a version of the roasted red pepper sauce from Pinch of Yum. It could not be easier--I just put a 16 oz. jar of roasted red peppers, the juice from a lemon, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup olive oil (I used a few dashes of TJ's roasted garlic olive oil too), and some garlic and put it in a blender till smooth. SO good!

There you have it! Mediterranean Bowls! I did all the chopping and  made the red sauce and the quinoa on Sunday. These only took 5 minutes to get on the table on Monday evening.

Enjoy!

Savor Your Sparkle,

Leslie

Turtle Brownies

I'm so excited to share this recipe with you today! I modified some recipes I found online and came up with this yumminess! My original inspiration came from This Site. 

These delicious chewy chocolatey treats could not be easier and come together so quickly. 

                                             

Cast of Characters:

-Fudge Cake Mix

-1 stick melted butter

-1 bag soft caramels

-1 can evaporated milk, divided

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1 small bag chopped pecans

-1 and a half cups semi sweet chocolate chips 

1. Preheat oven to 350 and coat 9 x13 pan with nonstick spray

2. Make brownie batter by mixing cake mix and melted butter with 1 cup of the evaporated milk

3. Spread half of batter into pan and bake for 15 minutes

4. Prepare caramel sauce by putting unwrapped caramels and the rest of the can of evaporated milk in a saucepan on low and stirring until you reach sauce-like consistency.      

5. Take brownies out of oven and pour caramel sauce on top.

6. On top of caramel sauce, sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans (I used a small bag of chopped

 pecans, but next time I'd definitely add more and maybe even use some whole ones).

7. Dollop the remaining brownie batter on top (I just did 6 or so scoops right on top of the caramel/chocolate/nuts)

8. Bake for 30 minutes. Most likely your toothpick won't come out completely clean since these are gooey by nature. At 30 minutes they should be done. Cook for a little less time if you want them super cake like or longer if you want them crispier. 

9. Enjoy! I like mine warm with a glass of milk. 

There's are super easy and are so so so delicious! 

Vegetarian Curry

It's been a minute since I've posted a recipe on here! I have been really enjoying cooking and baking lately and wanted to share this recipe I made during quarantine and is a new fave around here. I've made some variations of something like this over the years but I think I like this version the best. This is super easy to make and has a nice little spice to it. This is a really forgiving and flexible recipe, so feel free to add or subtract as you see fit. 

Cast of Characters:

-splash olive oil

-2 tsp. minced garlic

-1 and 1/4 cup coconut milk--one can is plenty

-2 cans chickpeas

-2 tbs. red curry paste

-2 cups (ish) snow peas

-2 tsp curry powder

-1 tsp onion powder 

-juice of half a lime

-a few shakes soy sauce

-1 tbs.brown sugar

-Rice to serve

1. Heat some olive oil and the minced garlic over medium heat. (Sometimes I add chopped onion but I didn't have any. See? flexible). 

2. Toss in both cans of chickpeas and snow peas and sautee for a few minutes. 

3.  Make your sauce right in the same pan by adding in the coconut milk, spices, and curry paste. (The amount of curry paste really determines your spice level. I've made this 4 times with the same little jar and just finished it). 

using Hank's little airplane spoon because it's all that would fit in the jar 

4. Add the lime juice, a few shakes of soy sauce and the brown sugar. Turn the heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. 

5. I am all about simple so I like the frozen brown rice, I heated it up for a few and spooned the curry mixture over the top. 

 

And that's it! Simple, super easy to modify, flavorful! Enjoy!

Savor Your Sparkle,

Leslie