Too Much People

A few weeks ago Babycakes and I had a playdate with some friends. The other little girl had one of those plastic Flinstones-style cars, that kids have had for generations.

Babycakes was driving and the other little girl wanted to play also, so she started climbing in the side. They almost fit, but not quite. "Too much people!" Babycakes whined, as she was squished against the hard plastic sides.

That is how I feel, right now. Too much people.

This is Babycake's birth month, and we did two birthday parties. One here where we live, and another in our original hometown. We started this because we thought it would be easier on our families...but apparently it isn't good enough for some people.

*insert long family drama here*

Thankfully, along with being tired I am also angry. I say thankfully because for a long time I was just tired. And anger is slightly energizing.
I am thankful that there is a part of me that realizes I have done everything I can and am at my limit, and am getting better at vocalizing and pointing out that limit.

I am thankful that I was able to enjoy my time with those who did understand our conundrum.

Anyway. That's what's up with me at the moment. I am suffering from too much people.

I want to lock myself in the bathroom with bath salts and a glass of wine and a good book and just have 30 minutes to myself.

Too much people. Time to get back to myself.

This or That?

Some of these came from various pins on Pinterest, some from my own brain

Cookie or Cake?
Dark or White Chocolate?
 Tea or Coffee?
Bath or Shower?
Cold or Hot?
Instagram or Twitter?

Vine or YouTube?
Is Vine still a thing?!
Celebrities or YouTubers?
Bands or Solo Artists?
Flats or Heels?
Neutrals or Bright Colors?

Early Bird or Night Owl?
Neither. I rock a mid-morning

East Coast or West Coast?
East Coast
Sweet or Salty?
Combine them
Romance or Comedy?
Comedy, always
Dogs or Cats? 
Dogs, always
Music or Podcasts?
TV show or Movie?
TV Show
Fruits or Veggies?
Autumn or Spring?
Stripes or Spots?
Polka Dots! (so Spots)

Busy Weekend!

We had a super busy weekend, and I'm still feeling kind of tired.

But it's a good kind of tired. A happy, my life is so full kind of tired.

Friday was a local festival. I got off work a little early to rush and pick up some last minute things for Babycake's birthday, and Hubs grabbed a pizza on the way home. We ate super fast, a friend stopped by to drop off something...we chatted on the porch for a bitand eyed the weather to decide how long we had until the rain came. After she left, we decided to chance it and rushed over.

Unfortunately, Babycakes was not really big/interested enough for the rides and such...and the one thing she did want, had an empty ticket booth.

We pacified ourselves with ice cream and people watching, then hurried home before the storm hit.

Saturday morning, we did our workout switch. This is where Hubby works out with F3 for an hour, then I work out with FiA for the next hour...switching off care of Babycakes in between. I hadn't planned on going since Babycake's birthday party was that afternoon...but a friend tried to publicly shame me on Facebook, who has been avoiding our invites to work out for I was feeling real petty.

I hopped my happy little ass out of bed and made sure to be there on time...and once she showed up, late, I flat-out told her I was not interested in any of these "My husband is working, I gotta make dinner, etc" day-to-day BS excuses that she gives me.

Which she agreed too...and then later told me why she can't come for a month.

The rest of that morning was basically getting stuff for the party and posting in the Facebook event to just wear bathing suits and rain boots if the rain didn't stop. We had already booked the park and told Babycakes and I did not want to change plans. I was almost ready for a Mud Party but it stopped.

This was probably the first of her parties where I legit loved it. Last year was at our house so I was super paranoid about getting everything cleaned, Hubs was on a new crazy schedule because he had just switched jobs, and we invited way too many people. 

I liked the park so much better, so much easier, and totally worth the rental fee. All the kids played- although my girl wanted her CAKE immediately. Seriously, she thought "birthday=cake."

Overall it was a great day, but we had to hit the bed quick because we had a busy day Sunday too. We went to church, then rushed home to get Babycakes a mini-nap before heading to a friends house early in the afternoon. We helped with a community egg hunt sponsored by our church. It was super fun, and lots of people showed up. Then, we had a smaller egg hunt just for our kids, who did not attend the big one. As most of them were toddlers, it would have been difficult to keep up with them plus actually run the big hunt. They were so excited...but hot damn, little kids can't see brightly colored eggs for crap, haha! We ended up hanging out for a long while, letting the kids run crazy while the adults played Song Pop Party.

We hit the bed EXHAUSTED Sunday night, but it was worth it. The weekend was filled with friends and fun, although my pettiness and snarkiness apparently got a little much in Hub's opinion. I can't tell if it's good or bad that I'm feeling fiesty enough to put my opinion out there...I don't want to be rude, but I'm also glad I'm not internalizing EVERYTHING still.

Loving Lately: April 2019

I really miss the Add It To My List link-up, but it seems to be dead. So, I'm going to just share stuff on my own. If anyone is interested on making this a link-up, let me know. Or if you know of a similar link-up that posts on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

Stress Should Not Be Our Accepted Resting State by Stephanie

 Made these recipes in the past month and they were all SO yummy!

  • Salmon & Rainbow Veggies 
    • This was my first time cooking asparagus, and I'm not great with fish or Asian food. But even though I was cautious, this was so good. I also had never used raw ginger before and was worried it would be too much, but it totally worked. Served over some buttered white rice (next time I will try to plan ahead & have brown).
  • Greek Chicken Sheet Pan
    • This is definitely a new house favorite. So good. I added grape tomatoes and chickpeas and feta, which really take it from good to amazing...but it definitely was amazing. Served with pita bread and tzatziki because...tzatziki is always a good idea.
  • Salsa Fresca Chicken
    • This was super yummy, but next time I will make my own pico de gallo because what we bought from the store was slightly spicy somehow...too much onion and something else? Served with some store mix cilantro & lime rice...I really need to learn how to make this myself.

    Queer Eye
    OMG this show is so dang on sweet! It's so lovely and kind and gives me hope in a very hard world.
    Doctor Who Series 3
    TBH, I really didn't like Martha when I first watched Dr. Who. I hated that she pined after Ten, I hated that he didn't see it (until it was too late)...but I've grown to love her. I've grown to appreciate that she gave herself the opportunity to do something amazing and push her and learn even though it hurt her to be around him. Now that I know her trajectory, I can see bits of her personal strength that I missed the first few rounds. Very glad I re-watched.

Show Us Your Books Link-Up: April 2019

It's book day! Woo hoo! Three books doesn't feel like a lot, but there is one that I haven't finished yet even though I should have (Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible's View of Women by Sarah Bessey)...and one reread because apparently my brain is tired and wanted some comfort (The Reef by Nora Roberts).

Anyway, on to the new & completed reads for the month.

The Women's War by Jenna Glass
TBH, I really liked this book...and then I read the reviews and felt kind of bad about it! Lots of people didn't like it, or think it was inclusive enough to truly be labeled feminist. And that may be fair...I don't always read critically, sometimes I like to just turn my brain off from it's over-analytical tendencies and enjoy a made-up story. I did like the ways that people were shown from many different sides and things weren't always what they seemed. I didn't always agree with them, but I enjoyed the overall story and world. 

Everyone has loved this book...and I did not. If you are a person who cares a lot about plot and tying up all the little loose ends...this is probably for you. But I am a person who always falls for character, and I couldn't ever really care about these people. It was tiring to match up everything and keep up with it...and it just wasn't for me. A good theory, but there were too many twists and additional weird rules and blah. It was just not for me.
(but really like a 2.5...I should have just DNF'd).

Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I read this immediately after  7 1/2 Deaths, and it was a freakin' breath of fresh air. It's told basically all in interview format. There is very little description of setting or's all about the characters and that is 100% what I'm here for. Loved it. Also loved that it managed to be just as compelling as The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, also by TJR, while being a totally different format. Behind the times, but I'm so getting on the TJR train. 

What have you been reading this month? 
Link-up & let us know!
Life According to Steph

Current Thoughts

We subscribed to a local CSA- Community Support Agriculture- and I am SO PUMPED. Basically, it's a subscription box from a local farm. Each week we get a box of fresh produce and fruit. We had to pay upfront, which is a little intimidating, but it works out to about 25$ a week for several months. We've considered this for a few years and finally pulled the plug. Because I also always consider growing a garden...and then don't. Oh well. This is step one, okay people? I was also worried about pickup due to our wonky schedule (shift work kind of suuuuucks, FYI) but it has several pickups around town and one is literally right beside my work so YEAH BABY. Going for it in 2019!

My coffee might be kicking in.

I've been working out consistently for about a year and half. I don't go super hard, y'all. But I usually go 1-2 a week, sometimes 3 times if all the planets align just right and the angels sing a heavenly chorus. Hubby has said repeatedly that he can tell, specifically that my thighs were much more toned. Well, in the last month...and there is no other way to say ass and thighs have exploded. Like, I cannot fit in any of my pants. I thought I was going crazy but Hubs confirmed that there has been a big change in the last few weeks. It's all nice and toned, but it's getting real thick. I was considering going to dresses just so I am not constantly having to buy new pants, but now I gotta deal with chub rub and I feel a little weird about constantly rubbing coconut oil on my thighs at my desk. End up desperate buying some jeggings at Walmart that are surprisingly comfy...but we'll see how long they last.

I made these No Bake Energy Bites the other night with Babycakes, and they are so good! I added about 1/4 of melted coconut oil and some cinnamon, which took them from decent to freakin' amazing. But I need to make them into smaller balls, because Babycakes pops the whole thing in her mouth. So does Hubs, but he's not a toddler so it's less concerning. I might also try making them into bars, because Babycakes is obsessed with Nutra Grain Bars so maybe we could do this instead. We'll see how much energy they actually give me, but either way they're delicious. I originally found them while looking for an easy dessert to make for a friend who recently had a baby, and figured she could definitely use some energy with a newborn!

Someone on FB posted about the lack of produce if the Mexican border closes...and someone else commented that it would be good for produce growers in FL and CA and we could import from other countries like Chile &, cool. Because I'm sure farmers will magically get more land and crops and workers and time and energy as soon as the border closes. And it makes total sense to depend on OTHER brown people from countries that are farther long as it's not Mexico, right?!  Are we learning nothing from the mess that is the Brexit exit? Sorry, dumb question, of course we aren't.

Spring is officially here. There are "pollen ponds" everywhere and I am currently dealing with an increasingly intense sinus headache.


What's up with you lately?