inspired by 2/28

i peruse the inter webs a lot.  it inspires me. whether i am looking at pinterest, scouring for recipes, doing some good reading (or writing on occasion) i am inspired.  and it makes me happy.

i feel like i am in a constant state of inspiration. looking for ways to wake me up, get me going, do things better, find solutions, be calm with myself. it's about being open and accepting.  challenging myself and listening. i love the feeling.

i am adding a new category on my blog.  "inspired by". all things that make me feel something, or want to do, make, or find something. and maybe in some way it will inspire you.

check it out:

this to do list. 

i keep many lists on all kinds of notebooks and paper.  i have a paper agenda, yeah i'm old school like that.  but it's too big to carry around.  but this type of list taking, and in some sense memory keeping, sounds like something that would work for me.  i especially like that he talks about being busy vs. being productive.  i'm giving it a go in march and i'll let you know if it works.

this planner.

i am using a planner i bought years ago and it works well for me as a calendar and notebook.  but it's a plain black, nothing special, office depot binder.  this would just brighten my days.  soft leather, bright yellow color and so en vogue.  i will get everything organized with this, right? the only problem is that you can't find it anywhere. it looks like it's being re-stocked and all the local shops are out.  but i'll keep looking.

these colors.

peach and mint. so 80's. but so fresh. throw in some silver and gold and i'm good.  lots of potential for pretty things. items from target dollar spot and michael's.

these cupcakes.

source: a beautiful mess

the oscars are this sunday.  how fun would these be?  recipe found here.

this song.

the other day i went for a run with my new phone.  and then i realized that i hadn't downloaded my run playlist yet.  after a brief panic attack and talking myself out of going home i found comfort in the imagine dragons station on pandora.  and then this song came on and it changed my mood. it made my run more enjoyable and brought a big smile to my face.

this kitchen gadget.

i used my crock pot this week to make balsamic pork roast and it was so good.  i set it up at lunch, ran it on high for four hours and let it sit in the crock pot until dinner time. it has inspired me to look for more easy to make crock pot recipes.

this quote.

here's to imperfection.

our weekend in photos

there are lots of weekends to share. lots of stories and photos. i'll get to them eventually.  here are the stories from this past weekend.

on friday night, sofia and bobby went to the father daughter dance.  i. love. this. event. it's sweet and meaningful and fun.  i love that they get to dress up, and get corsages and dance the night away.

they had a blast.  and they are looking forward to next year already.

the boys and i had our own time together.  we went to pieology and enjoyed every bite.

we came home to video and olympic games.

saturday morning started with a run for me, and then a stop at starbucks for some coffee.  some customers were celebrating a birthday and one of the ladies made this adorable cake.

bobby took the kids to notre dame for the opening of the new baseball field.  jordan played in the marching band for part of the ceremony and his bff ryan is on the nd baseball team.

the coolest part was listening to neil diamond sing "sweet caroline" - bum, bum, bum. check out the video here.

for dinner we went to my niece's house to celebrate her graduation from the aveda school of beauty.  my brother and sister in law made fish tacos that were the bomb.  and of course there was karaoke - you know who was excited about that.

sunday, andrew had his team picture taken and then we headed to the park to enjoy the amazing weather and get some practice in.

baseball and selfies. and it was fun running into some friends from school.

final stop was the bookstore.  we had to go to burbank for that since there are none in the valley. jordan needed a book for english class and sofia needed one for a book report.

and i stumbled upon this.

i'm declaring this my new motto.

and that wraps up another mitas weekend.  busy, fun, and memorable. just like any other weekend in our lives.

2014 weekly menu: week 9

here's an example of when things go wrong.  i made turkey meatballs and was working on the sauce for the subs.  i had put the hoagie rolls under the broiler and then forgot about them.  i started smelling the burnt bread but thought i was burning the sauce and then realized it was the rolls.

i literally panicked about what to do. it was late, everyone was hungry and i didn't have an alternative. i took the burnt top half of the rolls off and used the bottom half to make the sandwiches.  as it turned out jordan and bobby grabbed dinner out because they were coming home from rehearsal and it was late.  so i was able to get 3 sandwiches out of this disaster.  the next day i made some pasta and threw in the meatballs for the kids lunches.  so it all worked out.

when life gets busy i often make mistakes. my biggest one is thinking i have something in the pantry and finding out as i'm making dinner that i don't. it happens and we deal with it. and if it goes terribly wrong we have cereal for dinner.

weekend eats
saturday: fish tacos at my niece's graduation party
sunday: pizza and salad

making this week
monday: salmon with pepper jelly, brocollini, orzo salad
tuesday: chicken pho, egg rolls
wednesday: crock pot balsamic pork, mashed potatoes, spinach salad
thursday: breakfast for dinner: waffles, eggs and sausage
friday: pizza

currently | february 2014

falling asleep to the olympics every night.

thinking my winter olympic sport would have been cross country skiing or the biathlon.

hoping jordan is at ease with his class selection for next year. high school is tough.

loving my new hair cut.  almost 4 inches chopped off last week and it feels great.

working on changing my mind set.  new perspectives have been helpful.

excited to see sofia perform in her class play next week. i caught a bit of the rehearsal yesterday and she sounds great.

proud of andrew who made a basket at the last game of the season. go eagles!

looking forward to seeing neil diamond perform at the notre dame baseball stadium opening.

feeling like i cheated because i ran on the treadmill this morning, but this wind is crazy.

enjoyed watching the last episode of goodluck charlie with the family - we love that show.

happy to be cheering on the aaa dodgers and the knights swim team this season.

bracing myself for more running around this semester.

waiting to get a new phone - maybe this weekend?

remembering a quick, but fun trip to the beach last week.

planning for change, good change.

2014 weekly menu: week 08

lately we've been surrounded by good food, family and friends. birthdays, galas, feasts.  lots of celebration, wine, dessert and happy moments.

and there is more to come this week.  thank goodness i'm running to burn off all most some of those calories.

weekend eats
saturday: mardi gras feast at notre dame
sunday: birthday dinner for my brother in law

making this week
monday: sushi - valentine's day make up dinner
tuesday: entomatadas and rice
wednesday: salmon with pepper jelly, broccoli and orzo salad
thursday: turkey meatball subs, green beans
friday: dinner with the boys - bobby and sofia will be at the father daughter dance

hope you indulge this week in something good.

2014 weekly menu: week 07

not the best gnocchi i've had but worth trying again.

getting over another memorable weekend.  the school gala on saturday was the best one ever!!  we had a blast with our friends, honoring our wonderful teachers and bidding on cool auction items.  it was an elegant, touching night.

this week i'm working up the energy to get things done that i neglected last week.  we have visitors on campus, our first week of baseball practice and another exciting weekend to look forward to.  i'll be doing it all while watching the olympics.  

oh yeah and valentine's day.

weekend eats
saturday: gala dinner: salmon, filet, potatoes and green beans, dessert bar
sunday: mexican food

making this week
monday: chicken, sausage and vegetable stew - didn't make this last week and i have the ingredients - except the wine
tuesday: turkey burgers and oven fries
wednesday: asian style chicken soup
thursday: pizza
friday: ?? maybe sushi

did you have a great weekend?

around here: february

we are in full gala and auction mode.  our biggest school fundraiser is this saturday and although i am not chairing this event (phew) i am helping the ladies with wrapping baskets, making place cards and supporting their amazing efforts.  looking forward to the night and bidding on some cool items.

it's report card time and sofia has improved in so many areas.  she is working hard at reading and spelling.  i especially love that the teacher wrote she is a good friend to all.  so good.

andrew also improved his grades and achieved first honors for this semester.  he's managing the middle school life with care and finding the balance between responsibility and goofing off.  i know he was dedicated and spent extra time studying and working on his writing, and it paid off.  woohoo!

jordan had an amazing first semester as a high school freshman.  with everything that was going on in the fall; water polo, marching band, football games, honors courses, bobby being gone, stress everywhere, he managed to earn a 4.3 gpa and made the maxima cum laude honor roll.

bobby is working, working, working on movies for work and school.  he's in the big leagues now and it's so exciting.  can't wait to share more.

i am excited about rain this afternoon.

i am even more excited about the winter olympics starting tonight.  even with all of the controversy of this olympics, i know we will see some great stories that will inspire and move us.  go usa!

running is hard.  starting over is frustrating. but i'm putting the miles on knowing that it all comes together as long as i stick with it.

photo by grandma sue

we helped out at the notre dame bandcake breakfast last weekend, flipping pancakes and scrambling eggs.  and we even got to take home a prize.

i was a chaperone for the field trip to the sciencenter.  i love hanging out with the second graders.

and seeing this again was awesome.

guess who's excited about this?

i am finally taking a calligraphy class.  it's an online course so i work at my own pace, upload the exercises and the teacher critiques the work.  i need to work on evening the pressure of my stroke and not using so much ink.  this is so fun and right up my alley.

around here... life is good.

2014 weekly menu: week 06

our chinese new year dinner. some bought at a restaurant, some from trader joe's, and some homemade.

what happened to last week?  it went by in a flash.  it feels like i just sat down to menu plan and now here i am again.  i was able to follow the menu for all but one day last week, so i've added that dinner back to this week.

doubt we'll have pizza on friday since we will be busy getting ready for a big fundraiser for saturday night. but i'll fill that in anyway.

weekend eats
saturday: leftover chinese food
sunday: pizza and salad while watching the (terrible) Super Bowl game

making this week
monday: ricotta gnocchi, salad
tuesday: turkey chili, cornbread
wednesday: chicken, sausage and vegetable stew
thursday: roasted salmon with avocado and grapefruit salsa, couscous
friday: pizza

crazy week, and crazy weekend ahead.  hold on cause here we go.