currently... smooth criminal

The deal: Use our themes or use your own - just let us know what is 'currently' going on with you. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the other bloggers linking up - especially to my amazing co-host Randalin of Kale & Beans.

This week's themes: 

reading, eating, enjoying, learning, wishing

I am excited to start Reading our next book in The Ladies Who Book Club. If you are looking for a good read (this I cannot promise since I haven't read the book yet) and an AMAZING group of supportive, honest, wonderful, funny, empowering women to read a book with at a relatively slow pace and share your thoughts, inspiration, and sometimes links to emotionally powerful Dove commercials with... then girlfriend, step right up and join us. We start discussing Amy Poehler's Yes Please! on May 15th.

Loretta was the lucky recipient of a grocery bag full of play donuts, cupcakes, cakes, and fruits from her babysitter who is retiring in about a month. We are so sad to end this chapter in our lives that began when Etta was six weeks old. Although we are thrilled that Kristie gets to live her dream and retire to the coast. Anyways, we have all been Eating at Loretta's tea parties which are dictatorial affairs where she hogs all the pink and white play sweets and only shares them with her My Little Pony and sometimes she hands you a sizzling hot cupcake fresh from the toy oven and goes, "It's so hot! Szzzzzz!" and laughs when you play have to drop it. She's a nut.

I have been Enjoying Otto's performance of Smooth Criminal from last weekend's Montessori talent show. I'm so proud of him!



We've fired up the karaoke machine a bunch lately. I have been Learning Jay Z's portion of Empire State of Mind. Someday I will be at the receiving end of a duet karaoke challenge and I'm gonna kick some serious ass. Otto has been all over Weird Al's Trapped in the Drive Thru. That's an hour-long song that's difficult to listen to a six year old plod through 150 times, I'll tell ya. Loretta? Let It Go til the sun don't shine. And Rob surprised me (I'll tell ya!) by trying to get away with Drunk in Love the other night. Dying laughing for so many reasons. And he had to mumble the whole thing because children! Have we all seen these lyrics? I don't think I could handle a life as sexy as seems to be happening at the Carter-Knowles home.

I'm Wishing for a little burst of energy this weekend. I have new pants to add to the shop! I just need to get the pictures edited. And then... planning on doing a booth somewhere this summer which is exciting and scary to think about all at once.  

That was this week & here are next week's theme's:
growing, playing, singing, choosing, looking 

the ladies who book club

You are invited to join our virtual book club that is now on its 3rd book & has over 20 members from 3 different countries! Some are working moms, like myself. Some are single ladies. Some are stay at home moms. Some are career professionals. I can't even tell you how honored I am to be a founding member of this amazing group of women who come from many walks of life and bring their own thoughts, passions, and insights to our weekly discussions.

The group is intended for ladies who are interested in reading a little, inspiring each other, discussing their thoughts, and socializing online since we all live a bazillion lightyears apart from each other plus who has time to socialize in person anyways?

Details below but first I just want to moon over the amazingness that is internet friends... I have met some of the most important women in my life through this little blog. Katherine is one of them, she lives about twenty minutes away and our kids are obsessed with each other, but we "met" before I ever lived in Oregon. We met via the blogosphere (yes computer "add to dictionary" for lack of a cooler word) and because of Katherine I was able to move across country two years ago, from Tucson to Eugene, a city I'd never even visited, and feel like I had a friend in town right away.

Because of the blogosphere I can basically talk to people I love and care about, who make me laugh and inspire me to be a better mother, professional, and just plain human, any time of day or night. Anyways, that is what this book club is about. I am so excited about this little group. Please join in, if you've already read How Remarkable Women Lead feel free to chime in as we open up discussions chapter-by-chapter each week (starting today for this book) and if you aren't interested in How Remarkable Women Lead just wait it out and join in for a future book. Whatever you like, it's a casual group of ladies who book club.

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Details: ladies who book club is a “closed group” on facebook. We tackle one chapter a week and use the group wall to open up discussions, inviting other members to join in by either commenting on a thread started by Katherine or myself or start their own discussion point. Each week following we will begin discussion on a new chapter. Our plan is to keep things pretty free form. Everyone will likely have a different take on what they’re reading based on where they are in their lives. More than anything we just want to provide a place we can freely discuss the book and how we can apply the principles in our lives. Sound like something you need in your life right now? If you want to join us in reading How Remarkable Women Lead, just click here and request to join!

currently... exciting ketchup stories

adorable grump child by Me, adorable arrow pillows c/o KungFooKids

Currently is a weekly link-up that I happily co-host with the fabulous and amazing ♥ Randalin ♥ of Harvesting Kale each week. We hope that you can participate by writing your own Currently post (using our themes or your own) and please join us by linking up. What have you been wishing, typing, moving, thinking, laughing this week? Over here, we have been...

Otto has been Wishing for some pumpkin pie. I made my first pumpkin pie a few weeks ago and both of the kiddos gobbled it up (personally I thought it was OK, if a little on the small side with a slightly burned upper crust). Last weekend I made blueberry pumpkin muffins and "mommed" up the recipe as follows: whole wheat flour, hidden chia seed, hidden flax, reduced sugar by 50%. Etta loves them and has been pooping like a dynamo all week. Otto is skeptical but will eat them while skunk-eyeing me suspiciously. He's been told that if he snacks on the muffins this week that I will make another pumpkin pie this weekend. And the bribe is working!  

The only thing new I have been Typing is the FB page for our Ladies Who Book Club which Katherine and I started this week. I can't believe we have 18 members already! I am so excited to book club with some of you. Our first book is Lean In which we start discussing Chapter 1 of on Monday. Anyone is invited to join in, we would love to have you.   

Etta has been Moving the contents of our pantry, organizing and disorganizing the lower shelves. Her favorite is a big box of organic ketchups I ordered from Amazon* (she likes to stack them in the middle of the kitchen, then put them all back in the box) repeat, repeat, repeat. She is also a fan of taking the giant tub of animal cookies and hauling it across the room, throwing it at the back of your legs while you are cooking, and demanding, "COOKIE!." She likes to say cookie the way Cookie Monster does, so at least it's like being attacked by a cute, if demanding and deep-voiced, elf.

I have been Thinking about little things we could do to cut back and save money here and there. Instead of my usual meal plan, for next week I am going to inventory everything we have in the cupboards and try to plan meals out of what we have around. Hopefully that will mean only having to shop for fruit, veggies, and things we are out of. It won't be gourmet week, but that's ok.

Laughing at myself for how much I love this Tesco commercial. I have watched it an embarrassing number of times. It may be the Love Actually of commercials (as in the most honest, sweet, and sincere commercial ever and I will judge you if you don't like it).

Grab a hanky; it's sappy like nobody's business.
     

That was this week. Here are next week's themes: 

missing, reading, drinking, eating, planning

* We have a little bet going about these ketchups. I ordered a dozen and was going to subscribe to an every-six-months delivery to save a bit. Rob thought that was crazy-fast to burn through a dozen ketchups. He eats ketchup, so do the kids, and I don't, but I do the shopping and I swear I buy ketchup every freaking week (kidding not kidding). Anyways, we are all very fascinated to see how long it takes our family to eat 12 bottles of ketchup. Aren't we exciting!

the ladies who book club

You are invited to join our newly launched virtual book club that is intended for ladies who are interested in reading a little, inspiring each other, discussing their thoughts, and socializing online since we all live a bazillion lightyears apart from each other plus who has time to socialize in person anyways?

Details below but first I just want to moon over the amazingness that is internet friends... I have met some of the most important women in my life through this little blog. Katherine is one of them, she lives about twenty minutes away and our kids are obsessed with each other, but we "met" before I ever lived in Oregon. We met via the blogosphere (yes computer "add to dictionary" for lack of a cooler word) and because of Katherine I was able to move across country two years ago, from Tucson to Eugene, a city I'd never even visited, and feel like I had a friend in town right away.

Because of the blogosphere I can basically talk to people I love and care about, who make me laugh and inspire me to be a better mother, professional, and just plain human, any time of day or night. Anyways, that is what this book club is about. For those who are interested, we're going to read one book at a time (we're starting with Lean In and will then vote together on the next book and so on...) and add another level of things we have in common... book reading. I am so excited about this little group. Please join in, if you've already read Lean In feel free to chime in as we open up discussions chapter-by-chapter each week (starting Monday 18 November) and if you aren't interested in Lean In just wait it out and join in for a future book. Whatever you like, it's a casual group of ladies who book club.  

******

Details: ladies who book club is a “closed group” on facebook. Between now and Monday 18 November book club members will be introducing themselves and reading the first chapter. On the 18th we will open things up for discussion on Chapter 1. We’ll tackle one chapter a week and use the group wall to open up discussions, inviting other members to join in by either commenting on a thread started by Katherine or myself or start their own discussion point. Each week following we will begin discussion on a new chapter. Our plan is to keep things pretty free form. Everyone will likely have a different take on what they’re reading based on where they are in their lives and careers. More than anything we just want to provide a place we can freely discuss the book and how we can apply the principles in our lives. Sound like something you need in your life right now? If you want to join us in reading Lean In, just click here and request to join!