Sunshine and Sleepovers

One of the reasons I was so excited to move back to Georgia was because I get to spend more time with this little one!

And yes, that’s Cynewulf in the laundry basket with a bunch of cords dangling inside. We bought him a pet bed months ago and have tried to get him to hang out other places, but somehow he always ends up back in the laundry basket. We pretty much gave up! He just likes it in there. So now there’s always dirty clothes in there just for him.

My parents let Ashley come for a sleepover last night! I spent the first part of the night studying (I do have that little thing called the bar exam coming up…) while she and Jason played video games together.

Once I was done studying, we jammified (jammify, verb; to put on one’s pajamas) and I made hot chocolate for dessert. Can’t get enough hot beverages when it’s so chilly out. Extra whipped cream for little sisters.

We were trying to get a picture with the two of us drinking our hot chocolate together, but a certain someone caught a whiff of the delicious chocolate!

We distracted him then tried again.

Better.

MUCH better!

When we tucked Ashley in Cynewulf hopped into bed with her, but I didn’t think he would stay put because he’s never slept anywhere but our bedroom. But he didn’t follow me out when I left for our room! She said he stayed by her side all night.

This morning I finished up my meal planning and did my big weekly trip to the farmers market. I’m trying not to let our food and budget go by the wayside because of the bar exam, so I’ve actually been trying to cook at least 4 nights of the week. Then Jason takes leftovers to work, which saves us a lot of money and impulse trips eating out. Here’s what we’re having this week:

Sunday: roasted whole sweet potatoes, zucchini fries, roasted chicken for Jason

Monday: Jason’s famous stir-fry

Tuesday: braised lamb shank with leftover mashed potatoes and broccoli for Jason, spinach tagliatele with fire roasted tomato sauce for me

Wednesday: eggplant burgers on ciabatta buns with side of kale chips

Thursday: taco night! (ground beef for Jason, meatless crumbles for me)

Friday: free night (we’ll either have leftovers or eat out)

While I’m at the store getting weekly groceries I also like to get a bunch of flowers! Really brightens up the house.

One thing I try NOT to get at the store is bread. Store bought whole grain breads can get so expensive and are so highly processed with a ton of strange ingredients. Instead, every week I try to make a different bread for us to have for breakfast or snacks. This week instead of a loaf I tried my hand at bagels for the first time!

They were actually delicious! And much easier than I expected. I did white bagels this time because I wanted to get the technique down, but next week I think I’ll incorporate some whole grains. I’m really excited to add another food to the “can make this at home” column!

Once we all had a bagel and I had my weekly groceries all put away, the four of us went out for an adventure! It was in the 60’s today, which was miraculous, and there was no way we were going to stay cooped up. We decided to walk down to Emory Village, which is a couple miles away, for lunch.

We went to Falafel King, one of my favorites! Lots of delicious vegetarian options. This picture isn’t very flattering, but I had a delicious falafel platter with hummus and vegetarian dumplings.

We ate al fresco and enjoyed the weather!

After lunch we couldn’t resist frozen yogurt, which is just next door to the falafel place.

It was so much fun having Ashley with us for part of this long weekend! I can’t wait for many more sleepovers to come.

-Lauren