Food Blogging

I usually don't blog about my food, but I have recently been changing how I eat.  With the change I have been going nuts posting food photos on Instagram and Facebook.  Finally on Facebook someone asked if I blog my recipes.  So here I am, blogging the first of what will be many I hope.  Any recipe I use that is straight from someone else I will just blog some photos of how mine turned out with a little review and link.  For today's recipe I give you Protein Bites(Protein Balls as my kids called them).  There are tons of these online and this is my take on one. 

Ingredients
1 cup oatmeal(I used old fashioned because that's what I have)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey(Sam thought they tasted to much like honey, but I am a honey lover)
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 Tbs chia seed
1/2 cup chocolate chips(I only had big ones so I chopped them up some)
1 tsp vanilla 

Instructions
Mix everything together until thoroughly incorporated.  Let chill in the fridge for 1/2 hour.  Roll into walnut size balls and enjoy!  You may want your balls smaller so you can easily pop one at a time into your mouth.  Mine turned out to be a couple bites.  They are super yummy and filling.  They were a great snack to have in my fridge for hungry kiddos and moms alike.
 

Magical Forest

Who knew?  I live super close to a magical forest!  Okay, it's not really magical, but when I was there it sure was beautiful enough to be one!  I don't know if it was the moss.

Or the light. 

Or a combo of both.

But whatever it was I am sure glad I was there to take a photo and share with you.

Enjoying what I can

We have been blessed with some amazing weather here.  I would be telling a lie if I said I didn't want to be out in it, but with a family who just seems to not be able to get well there is not a lot of out door fun.  So instead of being bummed I am enjoying what I can.  And what I can enjoy right now is beauty out my window.  Out my window isn't always pretty.  It's an alley with apartments! But sometimes with enough zoom power I find beauty.  The mist rising off this roof was just magical to me.

Morning fog

Here in the Great Northwest we have been having some fog.  And sometimes the fog can feel all consuming and kind of a drag.  Not this fog though.  I don't know if the fog is really any different or just my state of mind, but either way I have been enjoying the fog!  I decided to take a couple pictures at my friends house to try and remember my happy fog.  I was going to head out this morning to capture some more of the morning fog, but Caleb woke up with a fever.  Taking care of him is much more important then my fog.  That can wait for another day.  Another blog.  For now I will post these.

And as we drove home the fog was lifting and I couldn't resist a shot of the sky.

Minimoon!

I know, I know.  I have already put these on Instagram and Facebook, but for those of you who don't see me there I thought I would share these here also.  I love them so much!!  Last night I was at my back door when I looked up and saw the moon.  It was AMAZING!  The way it was lighting the sky around it.  The way it was behind the tree.  I fell in love.

I decided I would try and take a picture.  Now most the time night pictures never turn out how I want, but I just had to try.  I wasn't about to get out the tripod, so I was relying on a steady hand so the blur factor wasn't super crazy. 

In the end I was very happy with what I got!

And after I happened to be checking out the news online and found out I had captured a minimoon!  I didn't even know there was such a thing!  It turns out that last night the moon was at apogee(the farthest it can be from earth) and it was full.  When both things happen together you get a minimoon.  This last happened in 1994 and won't happen again until 2052(per my Google search)!  But if you missed it don't worry try to catch the supermoon August 10th.  The difference between the minimoon and supermoon is 14% and catching the moon at the right point in the night sky will make a difference on how big it looks!  The difference between the two is so slight you can't really tell with the naked eye, but if you compare side to side it is very neat.

 So I wasn't going to include this last picture, but as I was researching I found out I also happened to capture Jupiter in a photo(It's the tiny dot in the top of the photo)!  Jupiter happens to be in perigee right now(the opposite of apogee), so it's easy to spot.  It is also part of the constellation Gemini(which I happen to be).  Okay, I think that is enough facts on the sky for one day.  I hope you learned as much as I did! 

Shooting Hoops

Now that the boys have gotten a little older(still can't believe they are five) we decided to start them in sports.  The sport for the moment is basketball!  To say my boys have skills......well that might be stretching a little(or lot).

But they do seem to really enjoy it.

And they have a cute cheer section.

And even make a basket once in a blue moon.

  Or they don't make it, but still try hard.

Jeff is the team coach and that has been fun for the boys.  So far they have done two practices and are looking forward to their first game.  Trust me, their will be more photos(I really need to practice) and more blog posts about the boys adventure into the sports world!

FIVE!!!!!

Yep, the twins are now FIVE!! 

How in the world did that happen!  I guess one day at a time.... Here are some photos of how we spent their big day.

In the evening Jeff and I took the twins to Red Robin where we ate with their aunt. 

They really wanted a sundae and to have a people sing to them.  They got both!  I don't have any photos from that because well, it seemed kinda weird at Red Robin.  After dinner they got to go out and enjoy a shopping spree with their aunt at the dollar store.  They were thrilled!  Yep, we have moved into a new season with the boys and I am thrilled.  Stay tuned to see one thing the boys get to do.....

Doyle Christmas 2014

Samantha pointed out to me the other day that I haven't blogged for a while.  With holidays and strep throat I have gotten behind!  But no fears for you handful of readers I have plenty to add!  I will start with Christmas. 

We had a very nice Christmas this year.  We started at home.  This year I had each kid sit in front of the family and open their stocking.

After that each kid took turns sitting in front of the family and opening their gifts.

Isaiah was super cute because he didn't want anyone to peek and see the gifts before they were open.  He sat like this!

And then we let all the kids work together and open the BIG gift(leapfrog ultra).  Josh's face says it all.

Then it was off to my moms house.  It was too crazy to capture many photos, but I love this one of Aspen watching her butterfly fly!

But once the crazy calmed down.  There was a cute baby.

And family music.

I would say the day was a huge success!