Menu of the Week

Lemon-Pepper Shrimp Scampi, Rice, Broccoli - An easy weeknight meal that my boys love. 

Sweet Potato, Kale, and Corn Chowder - As always, blogland is a source of great meal inspiration. I found this one via The Bottom of the Ironing Basket, and it's a keeper. Both boys whined and moaned when I told them what we were having for dinner, and both of them cleaned their bowls. I love soup weather - it's a great way for me to fit in a meatless and veggie-heavy meal option. The use of coconut oil and cinnamon in this recipe make it a little sweet, and I used the blender a bit more than called for so that the kale was broken up into small pieces - this made it easier for the boys. (Personally, I would've loved to keep it chunky.)

Pesto Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage and Green Beans - I was about a week too late and lost about half of my basil to frost (winter's coming!), but I still managed to make a good-sized batch of walnut-basil pesto this weekend. I am going to use the first portion to make this orecchiette. I leave the sausage out for me and Nathan, and sausage it up for Kevin and Aaron - I love meals where it's easy to keep the meat separate.  

Other nights: Kevin and I are going out (weeknight date night! crazy!), so Aaron is going to make grilled cheese and tomato soup.  Friday nights with soccer practice have mostly become pizza nights.

Dresses, dresses, dresses...

Help! I want to get a new dress for this year's holiday parties. I've been getting by with old wedding/bridesmaids dresses for a while, and I think it's time I add an actual party dress to my wardrobe. The problem is...I hate shopping.  I will probably have to go to the mall (ick) eventually, but maybe I can narrow down my search before I go.

I did some looking online, and the above pictures represent the dresses I saved. I like the cute cocktail dresses, but then I have to remind myself that it will be December in Boston - when I remember that, I start to appreciate the long sleeved options. The main goal is to be cute and comfortable, though.

Do you have any opinions?  Please share!

Top row (left to right):  #1 , #2, #3
Middle row:  #4, #5, #6
Bottom row:  #7, #8, #9

Weekend Recap and Goals

It's beautiful Fall in New England. I say it every year, because every year it's true - there's nowhere better. I almost pulled over to the side of the road on my way to work a few days ago, because the color of the trees was so breathtaking. I was driving through a sea of orange, and it was gorgeous. 

On Saturday, we took the opportunity to have a friend take family pictures for us. It was a spectacular day, and we walked around the lake at Wellesley College. It was a good long walk, and the boys mostly cooperated. I haven't seen the results yet, but I'm hopeful that there is a holiday card shot in the bunch. 

On Sunday, we went to watch Kevin finish his half-marathon. His only goal was to beat his time from last year, which he did, so he was happy. I'm happy that my boys got to see their dad achieve his goal. 

The best part about the weekend, though?  On Saturday afternoon, I was busy putting everything back into our pantry (I probably haven't mentioned, since I haven't been here much lately, but we're painting the interior of our house. It's chaos.), and Kevin took the boys outside to play football. All of a sudden, the house was quiet, and I got tired. Like, 'had to sit down and close my eyes immediately' tired. So I got on the couch and closed my eyes. For over an hour.  It was amazing. I haven't taken a true nap in forever and ever, and I absolutely needed it.  

Goals for the week:

I know, I haven't done these in forever, and it's already the middle of the week, but making goals is a good thing anytime, right? 

1. Write another blog post.  I miss this space. Gotta get my groove back.

2. Get at least two more workouts in.

3. No alcohol. I'm taking a booze break. I'm busy and tired, and I need good sleep. Which leads to...

4. Go to bed earlier. Lights out by 10? Is that even possible? Let's see.

5. Start putting the house back together. It's stressing me out.