Monday Thoughts :)

Hey There,

I hope you all had a very nice weekend! Even though it was over in the blink of an eye (as they all are!), I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful weather and spending time with friends.



 

On Saturday evening, I went to a phenomenal surprise 30th birthday for the stylish cowboy in the center of all the ladies :0)



 

I think it's safe to say that if there was a bouncy castle, he would have been in it! Who am I kidding, I would have been, too.

I ate some colorful food.

Whipped up a Sunday snausage frittata for PJ and I. Yes, I meant to write snausage.

Sipped lots of Pellegrino out of wine glasses. Honestly, if you haven't slurrped this sparkling goodness out of a fabulous glass, try it. I promise it tastes better and you feel oh so fancy.

I made this AWESOME dish on Thursday evening.  It's hiding under the creamy chickpeas, but I served this yummy spinach and chickpea mixture over polenta.

Moving along, I thought I'd  share some wonderful words that I stumbled across last week. This weekend, I thought a lot about how being the victim of judgement  is completely unavoidable. Whether you call it judgement or not, we are constantly forming opinions of those around us. At the same time, those individuals  are developing their own thoughts and ideas about us. While the word judgement has a negative connotation, the fact that people judge and criticize is part of human nature in my opinion. With that said, no matter WHAT you do or how you act, someone somewhere will find a way to criticize. With that said, I have thought a lot about the importance of doing what YOU feel is right; whether that means helping someone, leaving a party early, or asking for help. People are always going to have their opinions. It's unavoidable, so do what makes YOU happy. As a friend once said to me:

Have a wonderful Monday, and don't forget to check out this post to win a free Rodan and Fields skincare regimen. We will be choosing the winner THIS WEEK!  DON'T miss out!  We are giving away a regimen to one out of every fifteen  people who enter. That person could easily be you. PS... if you enter you are not getting added to any mailing list... you just get free face products :) #Winning!!

xo

Sarah

Freaky Pudding and Flowers

So, I know this is random, but I've had the pleasure of consistently interacting with some lovely southern friends over the past couple of months and all I wan't to do is start off every post with hey y'all. It just feels so right!

 



 

 

I'm not going to succumb to the urge since I am fully aware that I reside in the part of the country that is perhaps most opposite from the south. I just had to get it out, though. I feel better all ready.... y'all!

 

Alright, moving along. I started today with some yoga and breakfast. I'm trying to switch up my yoga routine and practice in the morning before work. I've been noticing that while my after work practice is quite soothing, by the time I make dinner, take handstand breaks, clean up, and finish up work , it's about 9pm  before I sit down to unwind. My free time in the evening just seems too short! So, I'm trying something new on for size. I'll let you know how it goes. So far, so good.



 

A little photo update for you! The first pic was taken in November, and the second was taken a couple weeks ago. It's so exciting to see the results of consistent practice coupled with patience and a sprinkle of faith! Although it's probably a tad difficult to see, my feet are in fact grazing my head in the second pic! I never thought I would be excited to kick myself in the head, but I've been proven wrong!



 

I started the day with some chia pudding and a side of grapefruit (not pictured). As happy as I am to welcome the spring and summer, I will miss the superb citrus fruit that I've been enjoying over the past couple of months.  Has anybody tried chia pudding? I love it, and for only having two main ingredients, it keeps me pretty satisfied. My mom says the look of it totally freaks her out, and I guess I can understand that. The only issue I have with chia pudding is that the little seeds get stuck in my teeth, and I find it quite difficult to get them out.  If you're interested in making some of your own freaky pudding, here is the recipe:

Chia Pudding 

(1 serving)

-1 cup almond milk

- 3 tbs of chia seeds (I added a little more than 3)

- 1/2-1 tsp vanilla extract

- drizzle maple syrup, honey, agave and serve with fresh fruit

Directions: Combine almond milk with chia seeds, mix and refrigerate from 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can also make a bigger batch in advance and store in the fridge.

Toby sleeping with Kale :)

My lunch box! Avocado and veggie wrap, orange, celery and cucumber sticks, and a bunch of cashews and almonds.

Kale, sprouts, tomato, and lots of leftover homemade guac in a sprouted grain Ezekiel wrap.

Cuppa tea :)

I'm changing lanes again. As I was perusing Facebook this am, I came across this quote, and it stuck with me all day long. Let's face it, we live in a competitive world. I know that at times I find myself trying to be "better than x" instead of keeping my eyes on the road and just doing my thing. There is so much pressure to be the best, to shine the brightest, and to achieve the most. We are conditioned to believe that there isn't enough to go around. While society does train us to compete with each other, in my opinion, there is a lot of needless competition that is completely self imposed. A flower does the best it can to bloom, right? Whether the flower next to it is bigger, or prettier, or more colorful is really no concern to said flower. Just because its petals may be less perfect than those of the other flowers on the block does not make the flower any less bloomed. Sure, it's great to snag a little inspiration from our surroundings, but competing does not lead to inspiration. I'm going to try to be more like a flower. You with me?

Hydrangeas... my favorite :)

Ok, kids. Time to go. Make sure to take a look for an EXCITING post coming tomorrow morning! You don't want to miss it, just sayin' ....

xo

Sarah... and Toby

 

Whirlwind!

Hi there strangers! Long time no chat, huh? I honestly don't even know where to begin with this post! The past month has been a bit hectic for me as I've been traveling for  all but a few days of the month! It's been fun  to be a bit of a jet setter if you will, but I was more than ready to return to my regular life when I finally arrived home Sunday afternoon. Having to literally be all over the place physically taught me just how important it is to take time to reconnect and take care of yourself even if your environment or circumstances may be unfamiliar.

Thankfully, I never got to this point :)

In all seriousness, it was a great month. Work was exciting, I traveled to Texas, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Boston, and Vermont (some for work, some for fun!),  saw great friends, hung with family, had a little getaway with my man, and managed to eat some yummy food and fit in some yoga in the interim. Since it's been a month, I figured a little photo montage might be the best way to get you all up to speed :) Enjoy!

I went to a rodeo...

Rode a Texas longhorn.... ok, so I sat on it...

Carried an apple orchard around in my work bag...

Ate delicious room service...and then some not so delicious room service (not pictured :)!)

Went to Vermont

Stayed at the beautiful and unique Moose Meadow Lodge in Waterbury, VT. Purchased this mug which is my new fave:)

Enjoyed yummy homemade B and B brekkie

Tried to take a selfie?

Enjoyed amazing farm to table food at Hen of the Wood in Waterbury to celebrate PJ's big 3-0!

He enjoyed lots of fun brews..

Feathers on beer? I like it. I like feathers.

Visited Ben and Jerry's!

Sipped lots of this...

Wore this green fleece for approximately 3 days straight... I love VT :)

Rode in a tow truck... more on that later.

chilly willy.

Not so chilly willy!

At at Virtu in Scottsdale, AZ... awesome.

Grilled octopus as art? Yes please.

Managed to squeeze in a little yoga...hehe

Brought back presents :)

Got some presents!

Smooched an incredibly cute little guy...

Enjoyed some veggie goodness in Boston.

Received my Reverse replenishment which I am loving:)

Saw the worlds smallest Tabasco... how cute?!

But really missed these two sleeping beauties :)

I will be back to regular blogging activity this week :) Hope you enjoyed the recap!

ohhh... and I couldn't depart without sharing this...

I couldn't agree more....

xo

Sarah

Pics from the Weekend :)

Hey There!

I hope your weekend has been great. I wanted to thank each and every one of you for your kind words and support on this post. Seriously. When I put some of my "stuff" out there, I certainly did not anticipate the warm comments, emails, and texts that I would receive. I feel lucky to have such a fantastic network of family, friends, and readers.

Here are some pics from my weekend.

Accidentally took my lipstick covered napkin home with me from dinner Friday evening. I received a belated birthday gift and mistook said napkin for tissue paper! Oops.

My kale bag. Yeah.

Devils Game.

Love.

Family at Dinosaur BBQ after the game!

My meal. Korean bbq ribs.

Sleepy pup.. per usual.

Tea with a special tag :)

Tea shopping.

Enough Said.

Something to think about:

XO.

Be Good,

Sarah