a few new favorites...

1. Hunger Games the Trilogy. It's been a long while since I've been into a book that intensely and I enjoyed every page!  Grab a copy. You won't regret it.
2. Crossfit Green Bay.  Sometimes I think I'm crazy and I'm pretty sure my friends would think I am, too.
3. Eating healthier because of our new exercise challenge has given me new places to look for recipes.  Ted and I agree that this Salmon with Coconut Cream Sauce recipe is a keeper. Hope you think so, too.
4. Coconut Oil. And not just for popcorn.
5. My new Sorel Winter boots; so warm.
6. The New Girl. Fox, Tuesday nights. Hilarious.
7. My hubby's new body. lol.  Crossfit works, I tell ya.
8. Dark Chocolate. Really not a new favorite, but I still thoroughly enjoy it and is one of the few treats for which I'll allow a daily indulgence. I bought DH a Chili infused Dark Bar for Valentine's day today. Turn up the heat!
9. Kindle Fire.  I do NOT enjoy fighting over it with my four-year old.
10. Running. Well, I don't hate it anymore, and for me, that's close to making it a new favorite.

Ten Things Thursday: Ten Reasons to LOVE Farmer's Markets

1. Shopping in the open air...there's something Euro-Romantic about buying vegetables and fresh herbs with the sun shining on your back.
2. People watching! Who knew Green Bay had such diversity?
3. Admiring the creativity of others. Like my friend Bethany who started her own little biz, Larky Park. Check them out!
4. Memories with my son. He loved getting fresh root beer from one of the local breweries. He was a sticky mess afterwards, though!
5. The colors! I loved seeing the piles of tomatoes, carrots, green beans, blueberries, raspberries, bi-color sweet corn....ah. It was a festival for the eyes.
6. Yummy treats. Like, fresh spring rolls from the Thai restaurant, or fresh sliced/fried potato chips, kettle corn, smoothies.  Delish.
7. Walking in the local Broadway shops. I never take the time to go downtown to peruse the boutiques there, and it was neat to see what they look like on the inside! Unique stuff.
8. Meeting up with DH for a family affair. He works only a few miles down Broadway, so it's a great place to meet him on a Wednesday evening.
9. Bartering. I love negotiating. In my mind, open-air markets welcome a little bantering before buying.  It gets my juices flowing.
10. Arriving home with my fresh purchases and challenging myself to a little creativity of my own. Now, what will I do with this large bunch of Sweet Basil I bought for only $1.00? Pesto, Bruschetta, Spaghetti sauce...? The opportunities await.

Happy Shopping!

Ten Things Thursday

I'm going to try to start to regularly blog a list each Thursday; it will hopefully be a different list each week and hopefully it will be an interesting list each week.  I had been doing a Ten things Tuesday post, back in the day, where I would recall 10 things I was thankful for that day.  I might revert to that, because it's always a good exercise to reflect on things God has blessed me with, but for now, I'd like to challenge myself a bit and see what else I can come up with...

TEN THINGS I WISH I KNEW WHEN I WAS TWELVE...

1. Boys are different than girls; don't expect them to be something they aren't.
2. Pregnancy would not make me glow, in fact, quite the opposite.
3. As hard as I might try, I would still turn out more like my mother than I ever hoped to.
4. Portion control.
5. That trying to be every body's favorite would cost me more than I even know, right now.
6. Big things do come in small packages.  
7. Being a stay-at-home mom would be a more difficult job than my mom made it look.
8. God gives good gifts, and He takes good gifts away, too.
9. Getting straight "A's" doesn't amount to much.
10. Some friends will be friends forever.  Choose wisely.

Ten Things Tuesday

Today I'm thankful for...

1. T's excitement for almost anything I may have planned for each day.
2. The Zoo. Almost every animal was out and about this morning, probably because of the cool, crisp air.
3. The sunshine. We may have started out with mittens and warm hats & jackets, but as the morning lingered, we shed layer after layer until it felt like a beautiful Spring afternoon!
4. Good friends that are safe, comfortable places of rest.
5. New friends because there is an excitement about the unknown and at each gathering there is a possibility to learn something new about each other.
6. Toddler "giggles."
7. "Under-dogs" on the swings.
8. Playing hard enough that an afternoon nap is necessary for both toddler and Mommy.
9. A clean kitchen.
10. Pre-Easter chocolate tastings...

10 Things Tuesday

1. My son is still sleeping at 8:23 a.m. so I can spend time blogging.

2. My "free" day to run errands, catch up on stuff like thank-yous, groceries.

3. My sister-in-law B and her friendship.

4. Seeing my family on Mother's day and the time we shared over lunch in MKE.

5. Zumba class!

6. My husband's business, and although the economy is awful, he has managed it well and hasn't had to let anyone go.

7. My In-laws: they are now home from FL and relieve some stress for my hubby.

8. My friend Jenni and our conversation last night via phone. I miss her!

9. Hot showers & strong coffee.

10. Spring! Flowers are blooming, the grass is green and sun is shining! Plus, it's still not too hot.