Charlie's wedding

I love my siblings, especially the older we get. Childhood pain is left behind more and more, and I find that we can simply enjoy each other now. Everyone was able to come except Stephanie, Robert, and Laura.

The evolution of my cooking skills

Doesn't this look so amazingly delicious? 

I think it is kind of funny to look back at how my cooking has evolved over the years. When it was just me, back in college, I'll admit that I really didn't eat very well. It would typically be a one item menu such as spaghetti, or even just sauteed veggies. Actually, it was just popcorn or cereal more often then anything else. There was a reason I was so tiny, and honestly it wasn't the great metabolism that my sister Stephanie insists I had.

When I got married I was that typical spouse who wants to impress the other one with their cooking skills... this resulted in lots of fattening casserole type dishes. Picture the majority of the recipes you see floating around on Pinterest, and that basically sums up my cooking early on in our marriage. 

After having Ethan I decided to start eating healthier, and so I stopped cooking with many of the ingredients necessary for those beautiful Pinterest meals. Today it is so rare that I will use cream of chicken soup, because I can't get past how unhealthy it is. Plus, those meals typically take more time then I want to put into them. 

I've gotten into this push to simplify, and I love the meals that are so simple that it takes moments to prepare because most of it is fresh. Like the tacos above, all they are is left over shredded pork with a tiny bit of green chili enchilada sauce mixed in, Monterrey Jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and corn tortilla. Violet was unimpressed and wouldn't eat them, though she picked out the tomato and ate that. Ryan hates corn tortillas and tomatoes so he made his own with flour tortillas, re-fried beans, and a lot of cheddar cheese. Ethan liked the ones I made. I love them. I figure if I keep making these types of meals, maybe my family will eventually get used to them instead of pining after heavy pasta dishes... we can hope right? :)

Not so helpful

I am attempting to get organized in my home, and I am completely at a loss as to what to do. So, I start looking up articles on organization and ADHD (Because organization is a whole different monster to someone who has ADHD, like I do), and I come across this piece of advice:

5. Use a "body double."

This is a friend or family member who sits with you as you tackle mundane chores, like balancing a checkbook, filling out a job application, or reviewing financial statements. Your body double will create a productive atmosphere by sitting quietly and doing an unobtrusive task, like affixing stamps to envelopes or clipping recipes from a magazine.

RIIIIIGHT..... so.... where does one find these "body doubles"? can you buy them at the store? Rent them from the library? I have not succeeded in convincing any of my siblings to move to Wyoming and rent the place next door, though I admit that I have possibly pleaded and begged...

Oh, and the part about "Your body double will create a productive atmosphere by sitting quietly and doing an unobtrusive task..." Do these people have any idea of who this advice is for?!! sit quietly?!! seriously?!! That's not gonna happen, if there were ever such a beautiful scenario to occur where I actually had someone to hang out with and make my tasks less boring, I guarantee we would not be sitting in silence. I am quite certain that is impossible for me... and every other person I have ever met who has ADHD :)