It's the Little Things

Growing up, I was always an athlete....

soccer and t-ball when I was little, then basketball and softball...

and finally volleyball and track...

However there have been only a few times in my life where I have actually worked out regularly...like that one summer, in high school, so I wouldn't be sore when volleyball two-a-days started. Oh, and a couple years ago when I shared a trainer with my sister-in-law and we worked out regularly at the gym...

Other than that, I ashamedly admit, it has been hit or miss...and by that, I mean mostly miss. (By the way, my ego has left the building.)

It is the little things though...There is progress...I have worked out 23 out of the last 24 days!!! 

Do I feel like it every day? Hmm...NOPE. Do I feel better after? Absolutely. 

Am I able to do everything I want to do, or feel like I should be able to do, during the workout? Not at all. Do I notice small victories each time I do it though? Definitely. 

Each day I like it a little bit more than the day before. Each day I am a little bit stronger than the day before. 

And...my pants are looser!!! My post-baby belly is starting to shrink. It isn't immediate. But it is progress. 

I'm not perfect, but I'm growing (or in this case...shrinking????). 

Growth is progress. Growth is the ultimate goal right? This whole journey is pointless if nothing but my pants size changes. The way I do life has to change. The way I think about food and exercise has to change.

I don't want to go back. I want to be mentally strong. I want a healthy lifestyle. I want working out to be what I do every day...kind of like eating breakfast. It's just something I have to do...something I get to do. 

Journey with me??? 

Concluding Enough

It's a sunny day, the flowers in the front bed are blooming, the lawn is green.
There is laughter coming from the swings in the back yard. This is life. This is enough.

Each day at work gets harder than the day before. You're tempted to quit, but you also can't be without an income. You can't be without a job. What would your family think? What would everyone think? This is life. This does not have to define you. You were created with a divine purpose.
You are enough.

You look around you...she's skinnier, she's more toned, she has way prettier hair, she has more money, she has cuter clothes...it could go on and on. Each one of these observations brings your own insecurities to light. This is life. He created you. He is enough. 

Why, so often, do we believe the lie? Why do we let it get to us? Why do we give it power over us?

There is always room for growth. To be stretched and changed. 

I often have to remind myself that God didn't mess up when He made me. I have quirks, idiosyncrasies, strengths, weaknesses..all things that make me unique. All things that have some sort of purpose and reason. 

I must learn to trust.

I must learn to let go.

I must learn to believe that He made me to be enough. Together, Him and I can do great things!

-A

A Little Art..And a Whole Lot of Sarcasm

Modern Art Show. Boise, ID.

First of all, those two things don't necessarily seem to go together. Don't get us wrong, we love us some Boise.....but it isn't a place we would say does modern well...or at all, really. The art show was held at the Modern Hotel. Imagine this, quaint, chic, clean lines, black top hats for each bar tender, and martini glasses.... sounds sophisticated and modern, right? Yea, not so much. More like old rodie motel halfway modern, halfway retro-sort of fixed up?

~ ~ ~

Sheila: Um... well, uh... this isn't quite what I expected....

Alicia: Hmm. Right.

Sheila: To the bathrooms first?

**The bathroom was quite the experience. Really, who plays with a record player while sitting on a public toilet? Cool idea, but gross.**

Exit bathroom.

Sheila: Are those plastic tubes attached to that fishing line considered art???

Alicia: I hope not. It is fishing line, run through old plastic tubes (they were yellow with age!!), attached to a metal bar with zip ties. Well, maybe we should check out some other art...er...uh...

~ ~ ~

Room 101: Paper Mache - we haven't hit the age where we have kids doing paper mache projects in school yet, but we imagine if we did, they would turn out something like the art in this room (or possibly even better??)...leaves and twigs attached to white paper mache. No joke, all over the room...on the walls, on the bed, all a little bit different....but all with the same "flair" to it...yes, we are choosing to call it "flair".

Room 121: Woman on Bed - We actually have no idea what the art even looked like in this room because we were too taken aback by the woman, laying on the bed, gazing intently at the ceiling above. Is this Modern Art??

**Everyone kept saying the "better art" was on  the second floor ... so we mad-dashed it up the stairs hoping for some inspiration. Paused at the top of the stairs for a quick selfie modern art impersonation.**

Room 206: Folk music- We really do like folk music and had high hopes as we entered, but as we took a few moments to take in the music, we wondered if the musicians even liked their own stuff. No smiles, no eye contact. No expression besides moving hands. Folk and modern as one?? Yea, probably not.

**While a majority of the rooms were not quite our scene, there were a couple we actually really liked.**

Room 214: Faces - The Interfaith Sanctuary for the homeless. How can you not be inspired when looking at beautiful face portraits of those who have overcome adversity?  We were enamored by the faces we saw when walking in this room. Each black and white portrait told a story...a story of hope for that individual.

Room 219: Americana - All the pictures in this room were a mixed media type of art. The artist used magazine clippings in combination with his painting to capture images of Retro America. It was unique, colorful, and actually something we would hang in our houses.

Room 228: Amazing Photography & DJ Room - Bright colored photography that captured the true beauty of Idaho. (Modern Hotel pictures not included.) Young, vivacious, art enthusiasts, excited about the raw beauty on canvas. DJ dude was dropping the beats like a mad dog. The photographer even said to Sheila, "Hey, thanks for checking my art!" and Sheila giggled.

Sheila: Well, I think we've seen the show. I'm hungry.

Alicia: Me too. Not quite what I expected.

Sheila: Yea, I wish I was artsy enough to get it. But I just don't. My feet hurt. So, you think we should try and reserve a room next year?

Alicia: Yeah! We could pull something off.


**Disclaimer: We are pretty sure we don't have any Modern Artist friends, but on the off chance that you did in fact have a display room at the Modern Art Show, we are sure that we saw and LOVED all of your work.**

-A and She

Step One...and a half.

A Better You. The Food. 

I have a LOVE/LOVE relationship with food. Besides coconut, fried liver and sauerkraut, I like pretty much everything...the bad, the good, the sweet, the salty, the fried, the grilled. I am also a Mom of two sweet girls with three different part-time jobs...I can't be spending all day cooking complicated foods...And I can't be spending obscene amounts at the grocery store buying expensive food. I decided, from the beginning of this journey, that I have to figure out how to make it work for me and my family!!! If I can't figure out the food part of this, there is no way that this will work!

Since being on the 21 day fix, here are a few of the things we eat regularly at our house...I've also included a few simple recipes (if you can call them that) for you to try!!!

- - -

Breakfast:

Eggs, turkey bacon & veggie scramble

Oatmeal with a little almond milk, raspberries and bananas

Breakfast sandwich revamped

Breakfast Sandwich Revamped

Whole wheat toast

Spicy Mustard

Egg (fried in 1/2t. of olive oil)

You can add whatever veggies you want to this - onions, green peppers, spinach, tomatoes, etc...

- - -

Lunch:

Chicken salad with Feta

Egg Salad Sandwich - (Hardboiled eggs mixed with 1t olive oil, cumin, and paprika, on top of whole wheat bread)

The Wrap

The Wrap

6" whole wheat tortilla (I put a little spicy brown mustard on mine)

Sliced deli turkey (3 or 4 slices)

Romaine Lettuce

Diced Tomatoes

Feta Cheese (We LOVE Tomato & Basil Feta) 

I have these a couple times a week!! They make great lunches...you can also add more veggies if you have them, or do grilled chicken instead of deli meat. So simple!!

 We also wrap these in tin foil and take them on the go, if we need to!!

- - -

Dinner:

Chicken, broccoli, apple, feta salad

Lite Chicken, tomato, basil pasta

Pita Pizzas

Oriental Chicken Salad

Oriental Chicken Salad

Steamed brown rice

Green cabbage

Grilled Chicken, diced

Green Onions

Newman's Own Sesame Dressing (Lite)

Sriracha Hot Sauce (optional)

Toasted Sesame Seeds

Tip: I buy the big package of whatever chicken is on sale at the grocery store. If it comes with skin, I take all of that off. Then, I put a dry rub on the whole package of chicken and grill it up. We use this for lunches and dinners until it is gone. 

It is soooo easy and then you only have the chicken mess one night!!! 

- - -

None of these recipes or ideas are complicated or anything special, but my family loves them!!! 

What healthy meals does you enjoy? I would love some more ideas!!!

-A

Enough. As I am.

My father is an ambitious man. He loves to learn and grow, so much so that he has two doctorates. I grew up watching him teach, preach and help people and it made me want to follow in his footsteps. And so I did. Sort of. I started teaching Sunday school classes at the small age of 6 and ever since then I knew I  was going to be as ambitious and successful as him. My life goal: to become a teacher and change the world.

I eventually did become a teacher, but somewhere on the journey, I started believing the lie that my worth was wrapped up in my accomplishments. Out of no fault of my father, I found myself believing that my career determined if I was enough or not. Do you ever feel that same pressure? Maybe for you it's more about personal goals like when you get married, how many kids you have, or how much money you make. For me, I've had a hard time believing that I am enough even if I'm not a teacher or a successful writer or even if I don't change the world...

In recent years, God has taken that lie and turned it upside down. My "career" has taken some twists and turns that I didn't plan. It's been really tough, but with those turns, I've been pushed to sit in a place where I don't feel as "successful" and I've had quiet time to find Sheila.

To tell you the truth, the more I find the Sheila that isn't wrapped up in career success, the more I like her. The more I like her, the more I feel like she is enough. Don't get me wrong, it's a work in process. I fight the lie often, but I really believe the more I strip it all away and rest in who God has made me to be (a goofy, adventurous, loud mouthed jokester who loves people) the quieter the lie gets and someday I will be able to be a teacher and still know that Sheila is more than enough.... just as she is.

~ ~ ~

This is probably an appropriate place to stop the blog post, but I really feel like I want to speak directly to you, the reader.

I hope you know that you, too, are more than enough. No matter what place in life you are in and no matter what unexpected turns have come and gone from your life, you ... just as you are... is more than enough. I pray that you too will have opportunities to enjoy the very core of who you are and who God made you to be!

As we journey together, let's help each other. We would love to hear ways in which you are learning that you are more than enough! Email us at picklesandpeanutbutteradventure@gmail.com or comment below!

-She

Each week, Sheila and I want to take you along as we do something just for FUN!!! It can be any number of things, but today, we would love for you to come along with us on a hike!

I grew up in Montana, where the trails I hiked were amidst green trees, along a creek, beautiful scenery....well, you get the picture. Since moving to Idaho, it has taken me a long time to appreciate the type of hiking available here...you know, the kind with no shade, a lot of dirt and dust, amidst the sage brush...not quite as beautiful, but I have learned to enjoy hiking here!!

Today Sheila, my two girls, and I went to a park and hiked on a bunch of the different trails. Emma ran as often as I would let her and Kennedy seemed to have a pretty good ride on my back.

Here she is before and after..the hike sure wiped her out!! It must be terribly tough riding on the back of someone else!! :)

Emma and Sheila decided to do a little yoga along the way. 

 It was such a great morning....time to get outside, enjoy the sunshine, have good conversation and do something physical. Makes for a pretty great Friday!!

-A

Embrace Awkward

A Better You. Be Brave.

I've never considered myself an athlete nor have I ever considered myself physically strong. I was the girl that was more of the "artsy girl". I sang, acted, and loved the stage! Athletic was never part of describing me.

I have never really done hard physical activity. I've never pushed my body to do difficult tasks. I've always stayed in the comfort zone. Yet, as I get older, I feel my body and mind needing another push to stay young and healthy. It's not really about a "diet" for me as much as it is finding ways to push myself physically... so I started being brave to try new things. I think most of us have this fear of looking awkward or silly and so we don't try the things we've always wanted to do. Yet, I decided a month ago that I wasn't going to worry about awkward or silly:

1. I started going to an adult dance class. 

I'm kind of awkward at it and a lot of times I end up just laughing at myself, but it's something that I've always wanted to do and it pushes me physically!

2. I started doing more yoga

This is another thing that I feel pretty goofy doing, but I feel so much better after I try a few different poses. It's making me stronger!

3. I'm pushing myself to go harder than I thought I could!

You see me back there? Yea, that's me trying my best to not pass out! Riding a bike up a giant hill is stinking hard!!!! But, I am learning to push my body because I am stronger than I think I am. 

New things have helped me to see a new part of me. They have pushed me outside my box. They have helped me to be alright with awkward. And most of all, they have inspired me to LIVE life more fully!

What new things are you trying?

-She