Best Halloween Movie Ever

Lots more coming soon including a party recap

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Of course this is not a totally "healthy" treat but it is so much better than what you find in the squeeze bottle.  It takes your chocolate milk and ice cream to another level.  It is so simple and a little goes a long way.

Chocolate Syrup
  

1¼ cups sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*

1 cup water

¼ tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp espresso powder **

*I have made this both with Hershey's cocoa powder and Ghirardelli cocoa powder - both come out great but I recommend ghirardelli.

** express powder is totally optional, i have made it without but if you have it - it deepens the flavor of the chocolate

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and cocoa powder and whisk briefly to break up any clumps.  Stir in the water and salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  Once the mixture reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.  Stir in the vanilla.  Let cool before you refrigerate. I store mine in a mason jar. 

dear....

dear running shoes,
we are doing it

only 3 months together and we've logged a lot of miles and many crossfit workouts

we still have a lot more to go, we hit our first obstacle with a 38 degree run on saturday morning

you thought i was going to give up but i finished

dear holiday catalogs,

thank you for reminding me how i poor i am

dear pinterest,

you are so so addicting but dangerous

i really really want to turn away

but you have introduced me to so many wonderful things

dear bobbi brown,

thank you for awesome lip gloss

dear project life,

i swear i haven't given up on you
i have all my pictures, thoughts and momentos tucked away
just not together - i will find the time

dear sweet baby girl,

how are you going to be a year old?

this has been the fastest year of my life

and i have loved every minute of it

but please please will you try to sleep in your crib more than 1.5 hours a night

i love holding you and snuggling you and waking up to your low whisper..hhhhiiiiiiiiii
but i am becoming very very sleep deprived
even though staring at your sweet face makes up for it

dear clean eating,

you are hard to keep up

i'm going for the 80/20 rule because if you know me i will not turn down an invitation for

pizza, nachos or ice cream

cut me some slack

i'm down to one cherry coke a week

i know i cheated last week and had one at 9am instead of my smoothie but it was a really really bad morning

dear halloween candy,

why are you tempting me

not just in the aisles of target or giant bags at costco

but everyday at work at every meeting at every luncheon

ugghh

dear kitchen table,
why can't you stay clean?

dear fall,

thank you for always being beautiful

things that me smile # 465

opening my cabinets to see this

hello fall fiestaware colors, come stay for awhile

we have lots of good stuff to look forward to

late night cereal binges, lazy weekend breakfasts, hot drinks,

quick lunches, soup nights, hopefully some hey josie cooked dinner meals

and THANKSGIVING

letting go

i've always had high expections, i have learned over the years i need to just be real and set the bar a little lower otherwise i will constantly be disappointed
(come on - who doesn't dream of a martha stewart christmas, in a pottery barn house, where you can go outside and take a walk down sugarplum lane?)

as a mother - the bar is really low - i can't control the weather, when babies get sick,  flat tires, photo locations under construction, rose bushes popping all my balloons, incomplete projects and well an eleven month who doesn't want to sit still

i had hopes of something like this

the day went like this

but thats okay nothing in my life maybe picture perfect but its pefect for me and i couldn't be happier

right now

right now i am distracting myself from a messy house, an empty fridge, no idea what to make for dinner, and there still being a hour left in my work day

how to shop at target - i laughed at them - i know you will to - we have all been there certainly item #4

homemade hot chocolate - i made this recipe last year and threw out all those yucky packets - last weekend i didn't have everything so i made this recipe - it was the most decandant i ever had plus bonus whipping cream mixed with marshmallows - who knew it made such a differnce

apple fest - hello fall- i love you

1. philosphy candy corn body wash & lip gloss 2. sweet dangerous not part of my clean eating but so tasty pumpkins 3. garnet hill scarves - i want them both 4. arm candy - a trend i love but could never pull off plus how in the heck do you type all that clanking would drive me crazy

weekends

dear old self,
remember when weekends were for sleeping in, leisurely trips to the grocery store and target, where I could throw a few "extras" in just because, when date nights were dinner, a movie and maybe a stroll through the bookstore or stop for ice cream, not knowing the luxury of cooking a meal start to finish without stopping or having something boil over or burn in the oven, choosing to stay in my pajamas and curl up on the couch and nest all day with a good book, recent magazine or gasp! lifetime movie marathons that you couldn't tear away from, making impromptu plans without having to worry about naptimes, and scrapbooking...

i miss you, some weekends i really do
but now
no sleep, rushed trips, date nights at home, cereal for dinner, never ending laundry, spending paychecks on diapers, are all worth the millions of hugs, kisses, & squeals of delight (that 500 trips down the slide bring)

love you baby girl