Sequins and Granola

I am a volunteer by nature- an 'I love you so I'm going to make you happy' kind of gal. I have a heart for helping others, giving back, making people smile...it's just in me. Somewhere along the way I started believing that me helping others meant coordinating a large volunteer effort, or donating $100 at a time, or getting in a routine or rotation of some sort that would be an ongoing effort. A weekly ritual of sorts that I would be fulfilling God's will one huge, everybody can see it, wrapped in a pretty red bow, act of ministry. But as a mom of 2 busy boys & a wife of a traveling hubster, what I thought ministry looked like has changed a bit with time.  A month or two ago I was shopping at a store, casually thumbing through the prints in the home decor section & spotted a beautiful picture with these words written across it: "DO SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE." There in the middle of a large discount store I had an "aha" moment.  Every t...

Most mornings we are running around like 3 crazy headless chickens (Translation: "chickens with their heads cut off" means running in every direction crazily). Most mornings I'm barking orders at the boys while stuffing their lunch boxes & trying to at least wash my face & brush my teeth before hopping in the car to take them to school. Most mornings I do lots of things wrong, but every morning there's one thing that I feel like I'm doing right. If the morning falls apart, if soggy cereal & sugar laden milk is spilled all over the floor, & shoelaces wouldn't stay tied with super glue I STILL get one part of our morning right. Every morning on our way to school while the boys are strapped in, without the radio on, while I have their undivided attention I speak over them. I say "you are men of integrity, character, & honor. You are first & not last, you are the head & not the tail, you are above & not beneath. Your feet are b...

I'm a runner...& by runner I mean I like to run 3-4 miles 5ish days a week. I'm a this is my me time runner, a this is when I talk to God runner, a I quit once it's uncomfortable runner, a y'all are crazy to run marathons runner. I love to run my few miles right after I drop my boys off at school- it's part of my routine, I pull back into the garage & hit the pavement without even going back into the house. My body knows what's happening, my mind is aware of what comes next. It's comfortable. This morning I decided that since I felt so good at the halfway point that I should just keep going! Some runs are easier than others, not sure why but your body just cooperates- this morning's run was one of those runs. I thought, "hey, I'll run 6 miles today!" Crazy. So as I approach the 3 mile mark I turn around & start back on the same path I have traveled, headed back home. Three miles there, three miles back. And can I tell ya, those ...

I'm not kidding when I say I could feed my kids this little recipe for every meal & they'd never complain. They love it- & my hubby too! It's a healthy, feel good about feeding it to your kids, recipe. I typically make it with either whole wheat or quinoa elbow pasta to pump up the fiber & protein. If you follow my blog much you know that I'm really into sweet potatoes, they're my go to- so it's no surprise that this recipe calls for a puréed sweet potato. This sauce is measured for a 13-16 ounce box of dry pasta. If you're doing less (like the box of quinoa pasta pictured) use half the recipe for the sauce. Here's what ya need : - 1 box cooked pasta (make sure to salt your boiling water to season pasta & put a chug of olive oil to prevent pasta from sticking together. Cook to pkg directions, don't over cook. No one likes soggy pasta😜)  - 2 Tbsp butter (I'm a realist, so I use the real thing- but if all you've got is some...

Around my neck of the woods fall means one thing: Football! And that means gameday attire of course! My husband is an Arkansan, born & raised so I'm sure it's no shock that around my house we are Razorback fans. For this post I'll be repping the Hogs showing you fun ways to wear clothes that are already hanging in your closet! Just pretend it's your team's colors instead of red- & some of you are fortunate enough to have two colors to choose from!  Here are some great tips to get you on the right track: - An awesome black & white stripe or geometrical print will pop against all your game day duds! - Leopard print is a neutral- it's true! It goes with everything! - You don't have to wear a school t shirt or a shirt with your school mascot anymore, just wear your school colors ! - Sequins , glitter , & bling are always acceptable when it comes to gameday apparel.  - A little leather , fur, or suede will make you look super jazzy! - Mix p...

Yep- you read that right- zucchini in your pancakes! And they're so easy it feels like you're cheating! Think of a warm, sweet, soft blueberry muffin in pancake form- mind blowing, right?! Plus it's healthy! Score! If you're opposed to a little store bought help feel free to just add zucchini to your favorite whole wheat pancake recipe, but for convenience sake (bc my 9 &7 year old keep me crazy busy) I've taken a little help from Ms White! Get it: -1 package Martha White whole wheat blueberry muffin mix (told ya- easy!) - 1 egg - 1/2 medium zucchini  - 1/2 cup milk (I used buttermilk because that's what I had but you can use soy or almond or good ole cow milk) Do it: - mix all above mentioned ingredients in a bowl (grate your half zucchini right in there using your favorite grater- I use a hand held cheese grater) - whisk it all together until kinda smooth ( I mean a little lumpage never hurt nobody) - cook over medium- high heat until bubbly then flip-aroo...

Latest article that I wrote for Women's Inc Magazine. Check it out!  www.womensinc.net/node/1718 Guilt Be Gone By Brooke Allen 3:00 in the afternoon - that was always the hardest. My boys were 6 months & 3 years. We had moved to a new town, no family, few friends. By 7:30 every morning my hubby left the house headed to Clinton or Marshall, AR for work. I stayed home in Conway with those precious babies...all day...by myself. 3:00 was the reckoning hour for me, when we were in the thick of it. My energy was usually depleted by that time of day & the clock was ticking in warp speed toward 5:30 when the hubs would be home. Of course I would’ve gotten “nothing” accomplished. Or so I thought. Looking back now I see that what happened at 3:00 was guilt. That was the time that I looked up from playing with my toddler, nursing the baby, cooking them meals and snacks, & panicked! It was almost time for the hubby to get home & what would he think of this mess? He would probab...