Hello and happy Monday! How was your weekend? I hope you are enjoying an extra day off today in honor of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

It was a nice weekend around here. Mom came up on Friday afternoon. I realized I had been so distracted last week that I hadn’t even told the kids she was coming so the last minute surprise made for some excited kids! Mom and the kids played a Monopoly Deal marathon while David and I did a pizza making amazon live. I’m still getting comfortable going live, but it’s a neat extension for me to get to explore and I’m finding it more fun the more comfortable I get.

Saturday was cold but beautiful. We headed to Lake Norman State Park to go for a hike. Our favorite hike, Lake Shore Loop, was closed for renovations. We gambled on another nearby trail (for locals, I think it was the northside of the Lake Shore Loop? We entered from the same parking lot). Though the beginning part felt like walking through a backyard, we kept going and it turned into a lovely trail with some lake front viewing. Just over three miles later we headed home for lunch.

We spent a relaxing afternoon playing some spades, chatting, and completing a mini garage clean out. The new year desire to purge and organize might finally be creeping up on me. Saturday evening we watched Hailey play basketball. Her team got rocked, of course on the game mom got to come watch, but it’s still always fun watching her play!

We grabbed dinner at Fresh Chef afterwards. I love that restaurant but definitely ordered wrong when I went with the chicken picatta. It was rather flavorless and I knew I should stick to what they are known for- their amazing kale salad!

On Sunday we hugged mom goodbye and headed to church. After church the kids got a fire going in the backyard and we all spent some time outside. David talked me into an interval run- 3.5 miles- and this morning I have the achy hip to prove it. Thank goodness today is my chiropractor day; it always helps so much.

For dinner I made braised short ribs over mashed cauliflower (boil the cauliflower florets, mash, add splash of half and half and salt, then use the immersion blender) for dinner with such a delicious and easy salad- Chosen Foods bottle Caesar dressing massaged with kale. Then I tossed some slightly stale sourdough with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt and toasted it at 375 for about 12 minutes for homemade croutons. Delicious!

Now I’m getting my mind set for the week. Some things I’d like to accomplish:

• Staying present and engaged with school (when I have a lot on my mind, this tends to slip, so keeping it at the forefront)
• Clean out my closet
• Make a meal for a friend going through a tough time
• Declutter the kitchen (get ride of the few things I don’t use and put items in more logical spots for easier work flow). I saw Kate from Naptime Diaries mention recently that we sometimes hold onto things because we have spent money (sometimes good money) on them, but when we hold onto things that aren’t serving us, we continue to pay for them with our mental energy. That’s exactly how I feel about a lot of items right now.

I hope your week is off to a great start!