Revolution, Activist Gifts and The Need to Read Are This Week's Links From Around the Web

Revolution at the Washington Post 

Donate Books to Prisons I know where my read books are going! 

Fake a photo of Santa! So much fun!

12 hand-picked gift ideas that promote inclusivity and peace for the activists in your life

The Need to Read

How to make the Ultimate Cheese Plate

How to Make the Ultimate Cheese Plate

The Holidays are in full swing and that means celebrations, parties and gatherings. I love putting together a quick cheese plate for my guests and have even found it to be a great appetizer to bring along to parties. I especially love using Stella cheeses in my platters as their selection is superb and delicious!

A good cheese plate can be a conversation starter and a fantastic centerpiece. It may look complicated but a winning cheese plate can be simple to put together if you follow a few guidelines.

1. Mix up your cheese textures - have a soft, semi-firm and hard/aged cheese - to provide a wide selection. Stella cheeses are available in many different varieties and textures to match any celebration. 
2. Have different types of cheese - cow, goat, cheese. I always include Stella Parmesan Cheese in my cheese plates. It's got a great flavor. 
3. Go nuts with nuts, fresh fruit, olives, dried fruit and jam.
4. Offer 2 or three different crackers.
5. Give your plate 30 minutes at room temperature before serving to your guests.

Cheese Lovers Rejoice! Stella Cheese is hosting a contest to win a trip to Napa Valley -  'Enter Here To Win A Trip To Napa Valley With Stella Cheese'

Looking for more great and easy recipes? Check out the Stella Cheese website! 

Advent Season 2016

For the past few years, I've created an Advent Calendar full of activities for the girls. This year is no exception and I'm really excited about what I've put together this year. May the girls cry when they meet Santa, squeal with excitement at the Gingerbread Houses and end the season with delightful memories of the Advent Season. 

Sunday, November 27- Attend the Pacific Northwest Ballet Nutcracker 

Monday, November 28- Visit Swansons Nursery to see the Reindeer

Tuesday, November 29- Make a Paper Garland for the Tree 

Wednesday, November 30- Drop off Socks at the WeCount Box of Sox 

Thursday, December 1- Decorate for Christmas

Friday, December 2- Visit the Sheraton Gingerbread Village 

Saturday, December 3- Visit Santa Claus at University Village 

Sunday, December 4 - Make Christmas Cards for the Preschool Teachers

Monday, December 5- Visit Lahaina’s famous banyan tree wrapped in Christmas lights

Tuesday, December 6- Go Whale Watching

Wednesday, December 7- Go to a Luau 

Thursday, December 8- Sing Christmas Carols on the Beach

Friday, December 9- Collect Sand and flowers to make Hawaii Ornaments

Saturday, December 10- Celebrate Grandpa’s Birthday by floating candles in the ocean

Sunday, December 11- Listen to a reading of Twas the Night Before Christmas

Monday, December 12- Make Paper Bag Reindeers and Eat Reindeer Poop (Chocolate)

Tuesday, December 13- Make Christmas Treats for the neighbors

Wednesday, December 14- Collect Gifts for a Giving Tree

Thursday, December 15- Walk Olympic Manor and check out the Christmas Lights

Friday, December 16- Visit Snowflake Lane in Bellevue 

Saturday, December 17- Watch the Christmas Ships at Carkeek Park 

Sunday, December 18 - Drive Candy Cane Lane to look at Christmas lights

Monday, December 19 - Celebrate Mommy’s Birthday and take pictures of the Christmas Tree Lights

Tuesday, December 20 - Make Christmas Cards for Grandparents

Wednesday, December 21 - Celebrate Maggie’s Birthday!

Thursday, December 22 - Watch a Christmas Movie and eat Popcorn

Friday, December 23 - Buy Christmas Cookies for Santa at Larsen's Bakery

Saturday, December 24 - Christmas Eve Church Service

Project 52 - Week 37

Maggie appreciates a good Cheese Plate!

Project 52 - Week 36

I took the girls to one of my favorite wall murals today to take photos for their Thank You notes. They actually participated a fair bit so I got my shot! It's rare these days that they will do posed shots for me.

Giving Back, Get Involved and What to Read Are This Week's Links From Around the Web

Give Big with Pure Gratitude PureBarre is hosting a day of Gratitude on Nov. 20th! Join in!

Barre3 Bring 3 Cans of Food for a free class between Nov. 17 and Nov. 24th

Get Involved! Reach out to Your Representatives! @karawrite has put together this great google doc with information on what to say when you call your representatives whether you want to thank them or ask for a call to action. Democracy is about getting involved and this election season has really awoken me to the importance of doing just that. I've always emailed my reps but not enough. I'm making this a priority in 2017.

13 Children's Books that Encourage Kindness Adding these to our library! STAT!

Don't Let 2016 End Without Reading These Books Must READ FASTER!

How Your Family Can Give Back this Thanksgiving I love all these suggestions!

10 on 10 (November)

A few days ago, a long anticipated app, Filmborn was launched. I was so excited about it that I wrote an article on it for Seattle Refined and decided to do my 10 on 10 in November using only the Filmborn app. It helped make a depressing day, much more fun.

Week in Review - 11.12.16

I missed last week's week in review and then this week was just stunning. I never believed that Hillary would lose the election and the reality of that has been sinking in all week. This has spurred me to new action. I will be making some changes to my volunteer efforts in 2017, donating to some new organizations and getting more involved in my political community. My children deserve all that I can do for their future and so I will be doing all I can do.

Exercise

Exercise was great these past two weeks. I ended my Transformation program with a lost of almost 7 lbs and a 1 1/2 inch loss from my bust and waist along with a 2 inch loss from my hips. I kept up my 3 day a week boot camp sessions and pushed myself to lift higher weights.

I also attempted a cycling class after a month off for my hip bursitis. I've pretty much graduated from PT for it and wanted to see where I am. I left early but only 10 minutes early. My hip is sore today but otherwise I'm good. I think I'm almost back in the game with much stronger hip muscles.

I took Molly to Family Boot Camp at my gym where she said she wasn't going to participate but then ended up having so much fun.

Food

Since my Transformation program has ended, I've been indulging a bit more which needs to be nipped in the bud. I did discover that the Magnolia Metropolitan Market has some awesome sushi and a poke bar. I may have gone there twice this week for lunch. 

I also received the largest head of cabbage I've ever seen from Full Circle Farms last week. I am preserving some kraut with it and making so many meals of cabbage slaw. 

I participated in a filming last week and had the opportunity to try Heritage Distillery Brown Sugar Bourbon. It was delicious! 

The Girls

Our big news with the girls this week is that Maggie has potty trained. After talking with her preschool teachers, we decided to do the three day plan and she did awesome! She's had a few accidents but is really doing great!

I also took our family portraits this past weekend and while we got a great shot (which I will reveal later), it was so hard! Next time I attempt this, I'm going to ask someone to come and stand behind the camera tripod to engage the kids.

Other Goings On

At the end of my Transformation program, I was giving an awesome book, "You are a Badass" and I can not wait to dig into it. I just need to finish my parenting book club book and then I'm going to learn how to be a better bad ass! 

Stories Published

Seattle Refined: Easy ways to get festive this Thanksgiving season

Seattle Refined: The 5 Most Photogenic Locations in Seattle

Seattle Refined: A Beginner’s Guide to Circus School

Project 52 - Week 35

Dear Molly and Maggie,

We held elections this week and it was disappointing to say the least. I had really hoped that our nation would have elected in our very first female president. Instead we did not. I've been crying all week, trying to make sense of it all. I want to raise you two to be strong women, women who get things done, women who are respected for their work. Our current culture means this will be an uphill fight but you see, your Mom is a strong woman who gets things done and doesn't let adversity get in her way. 

Because I have few words at this time, I'll end this note with Hillary Clinton's words in her concession speech. Believe these, my girls. 

"and to all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams."

Love, 

Mama

Project 52 - Week 34

We spent some time at the Children's Museum this afternoon. The girls were wild and ran straight to the Sound Transit bus to play. 

Monthly Goal Check-In (October)

Just when I think that the months can't go by any faster, they seem to speed up! I can't believe it is already NOVEMBER! 

1.  Workout 4 times a week - I've been working out 5-6 times a week with my Transformation project and loving it. I've been going to PT and my hips are doing so much better! I'm considering this goal tackled and done. 

2. Complete Whole30 in January 

3. Keep purging the house with the Bowl Full of Lemons 14 Week Plan - The purging continues! I'm about two weeks behind but getting it done! 

4. Complete Four (4) Day in the Life Challenges and participate in at least ten 10 on 10's - I'm going to do a Day in the Life Challenge in November (TBD) and did another 10 on 10 in October. 

5. Complete TKGA Master Knitting Level I - I have scheduled time to work on this at least once a week to get this done but honestly I may need to finish this in 2017. 

6. Grow a kick-ass Garden! 

7. Read for 15 minutes a day- This is such a habit now and I totally do this everyday. I'm considering this crossed off too. 

8. Volunteer with two organizations and include the girls.

9. Catch up on my yearly photo books of the girls - So yeah, still haven't done this. 

10. Get back to Blogging on a more regular basis and focus more on my writing.

Happy Halloween!

Molly and Maggie are really into Halloween this year and love their costumes! I sense they'll be wearing them for months to come. We have big plans for Trick or Treating tonight and I'm hoping the rain stays away.

Week in Review - 10.30.16

Sometimes you look back on a week and totally realize why you are exhausted! This was one of those weeks. It was crazy good but I could really use a good nap. 

Exercise

Scott went out of town this week so I missed my usual Monday bootcamp but I made up for it with a pilates class on Sunday and barre3 on Tuesday. Wednesday I was back to boot camp and made it again on Thursday. Friday I was ready to go when I learned that our trainer was down for the count with a migraine. When you workout at 6 a.m., substitute teachers can be hard to find. Due to the aforementioned exhaustion, I took the opportunity to go back to bed. And this weekend was way too crazy with Halloween activities to get a workout in. However, I did get four awesome workouts in and I feel pretty good about that!

Food

It is all about squash around here! I made a delicious Stuffed Acorn Squash dish and shared it earlier this week on the blog. I expected Halloween candy to be a struggle but I decided to just accept it. I let myself have a few mini bars of candy and really enjoyed them. It was totally worth it. 

The Girls

The girls had a busy week. Maggie was asked to not come back to ballet class for awhile so that was exciting. Maggie's class also went on a really fun field trip to Swansons where they got to go on a hay ride. On Friday we headed over to Scott's work for some office trick-o-treating where they raked in the candy loot. We followed up with a visit to my Mom's place where they scored more candy and finished our night at the elementary Harvest Festival. It was a crazy day. Their costumes are on point this year and I'm pretty proud of the job I've done with Molly's make-up. She wanted to be a scary vampire so I made it happen. 

Other Goings On

I started and finished Maria Semple's "Today Will Be Different". I started a Unicorn Scarf for Molly's birthday present and have spent a lot of time planning for NaNoWriMo. I'm attempting to write a 50,000 word novel in November which is kinda insane since this is a busy month for me. I have the girl's birthday party, Molly's birthday, Thanksgiving and a house to prep for guests. 

Stories Published 

Is 6 a.m. too early for a yoga/dance party? We think not

Project 52 - Week 33

Halloween festivities started early this weekend with a visit to Scott's work and my Mom's place. I got the girls to pose for some photos in the ravine near our house. I've convinced them that the chicken that was living there is now a ghost who we cleverly call, "Ghost Chicken". Maggie was searching for it the entire time I took photos so I made it work. Molly was a very scary vampire! 

Stuffed Acorn Squash

This past weekend, I picked up a 40 lb box of winter squash. I started dreaming of all the dishes I could make with the squash. I have squash bread, squash soup and squash muffins on the list but I knew I wanted to start with my favorite way to serve squash, Stuffed Squash. I am a true squash lover even if the rest of my family is not.

Last night I decided to make something to convince them that squash is the best food. I took two acorn squash and stuffed them with sausage, onions, apples, mushrooms and dried tart cherries. The filling reminded me of a good stuffing without the bread which means this is a great dish for those who are gluten-free or doing a Whole30 (leave out the cheese if you are Whole30ing). 

I wish I could report back that the family gobbled up the squash and said I had convinced them but their distain for squash runs deep. They did however love the stuffing and asked for more. The chickens loved the left-over squash and I loved the entire package. If you have a deep love for squash, this is the dish for you! 

Stuffed Acorn Squash



by Rebecca Mongrain

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes




6080030



Ingredients (4 servings)

2 large acorn squash
1 large onion, diced
1 large apple, diced
1/4 cup dried tart cherries
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
14 oz sweet Italian chicken sausage
4 oz chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
6 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper, to taste




Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray the cut sides of the squash with oil and sprinkle with salt. Place face down on a large baking sheet. Bake until tender and browned on the edges, about 40 minutes.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil before adding onion and cooking over medium heat until brown, about 10-15 minutes. Remove onion and place aside.

Place sausage in saute pan and brown before adding cooked onion, apple, mushrooms and dried cherries and cooking over medium low heat for about 10 minutes.

Once the squash is cooked, fill them with the sausage mixture. Make cure to pack the filling in tight. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 10 additional minutes until the cheese is melted and the squash are golden.


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Unicorn Moms, Halloween Photos and NaNoWriMo Are This Week's Links From Around the Web

Be a Unicorn Mom, Not a Mom Shamer I've been working really hard at lifting other Mom's up when I can. Giving them the knowing nod, offering help when I can and smiling at everyone. And selfishly, I'm LOVING it. I feel better about my parenting and I love building others up especially Moms when they are in the midst of tantrums. 

Halloween Dinners Halloween is on Monday so I'm scanning this list for dinner ideas! 

How to Take Awesome Halloween Photos Very Timely!

What Knitting Can Teach Us About Parenthood

How to Survive NaNoWriMo I'm doing NaNoWriMo in November so I've been reading this article, over and over. I'm ReeBecki on the NaNoWriMo boards.