bagels, churros, pizza, spaghetti, and garlic knots

So much to write about - what a weekend! I first want to talk about the book I started reading - Wheat Belly. Someone recommended it months ago and although I ordered it right away, I didn't get around to seriously reading it until this past weekend. The information in it is MIND BLOWING. Wheat is not bad for you per say, but the strains we are eating today are very different from ancient wheat strains (aka "real" wheat) and the things it is doing to our bodies are crazy. I'm only halfway finished and I can't wait to read more. Certain parts are pretty dry, as it gets pretty scientific and is full of medical jargon, but the overall message is clear - wheat is not okay. The three facts I can't stop thinking about are:

1. How much wheat is in a grocery store - there is an entire row that is bread and bread products (literally on shelves from top to bottom) and we don't even realize how much wheat is in the rest of a store - cookies, crackers, the entire baking aisle, pasta, frozen foods, and the in-house bakery. It is literally everywhere. 
2. Eating two slices of whole wheat bread raises your insulin levels higher than a Snickers candy bar.
3. When you eat wheat for breakfast you are starving again by eleven o'clock and need a snack before lunch. (Literally just experienced this today, and granted it was only one day, but I switched up my raisin bread with a yogurt and oat parfait and could have lasted a lot longer before eating lunch.)

Does this mean I am never going to eat pizza, or drink beer again? Hell to the no. However, it means I am going to truly think more about what I eat and put in my body and try as much as possible to give wheat the evil eye.

homemade, healthy breakfast trials and tribulations

Those are my bars...

So, I attempted to make a homemade healthy breakfast bar and although they came out looking pretty adorable and are completely gluten-free, they taste horrible. My husband was so excited about them that he has agreed to eat them, but I just can't pretend. The bars end up looking like Nutri-Grain bars, but they sure as hell do not taste like them. The recipe creator made the bars because she started reading the ingredients on store-bought versions and regardless of whether they were conventional, or organic they were all full of sugar. Well, I can assure you ten thousand percent that these are not full of sugar. I did put a pinch in the blueberry filling, but I really tried to make them healthy. There are two tablespoons of honey in the dough, but it does absolutely nothing to sweeten them. I wonder what adding sugar to the dough would do, especially if I only added a quarter of a cup?! I may try it, as I have leftover filling and the ingredient list for the dough is pretty straightforward and easy. I guess it is worth a shot, even though I am attempted to find a Thomas' English Muffin sale and stock up on those. Click here for the recipe (and I made the second version without the oats). 

classically organizing with pegboard workshops

There is a store located in Sommerville, Massachusetts, called Loyal Supply Co. that is my visual happy place. If I could take residency inside of the store, I would. They have a new online shop in addition to their space that is full of the most adorable items. I initially saw them via the Design Sponge Instagram account, and then I noticed them again on the actual blog while I was eating my lunch today. There is a virtual tour of the shop here and this is a link to their online store. I don't particularly need anything, but want everything. They apparently have a dog named Huckleberry too, which is such a perfect dog name! 

setting a long table on a farm and inviting the public

A dinner in California.

Let's keep talking about food! I received the official email about the 2015 Outstanding in the Field dates and locations yesterday and was really thrilled about it until I realized none of them work with our schedule. Ugh. I was REALLY looking forward to treating ourselves to a farm to table meal with wine in nature, but it looks like we are going to have to wait until next year. 

We had a few places in mind, but the dinners either take place during the week, or overlap with plans we already have. We also were not going to pay that price for dinner just anywhere - we had our favorites (Vermont, Maine, Hudson Valley, and western Massachusetts). Hopefully, this idea catches on and more people do it, which would hopefully in turn lower the cost. It is steep, but seems worth it if you are into the outdoors and knowing where your food comes from. The photographs are absolutely beautiful too and who doesn't like a pretty picture? So, I guess I will wait until 2016 and for now, our dinners in nature will take place on our back patio. Click here to browse the wonderfulness that makes up this food movement.

I choose to chew and chew and chew and chew...

so slow...webs are forming

One of the ways I am trying to be healthier is by becoming a slow eater. I inhale food. If there was a contest for being the fastest eater, I would win by a landslide. It is going to be a hard habit to break, especially because I am starting off in the negative; my goal was to begin today and I was running so late this morning I had to skip breakfast (even though I pre-sliced all of my English muffins for a faster, more streamlined run around the kitchen) and then I realized at 1:30 p.m. I still hadn't eaten lunch and had an errand to run at 2:00, so you guessed it, I inhaled my salad, cottage cheese, and pineapple in under ten minutes. Ugh. This is going to be really hard. 

Someone I went to dance school with took this to an extreme (not surprising when talking about dancers and diets) and made an effort to chew every bite eighty times. She didn't eat with the rest of us because it took her so long - she ate by herself in the privacy of her dorm room. It honestly did wonders. She lost so much weight her face practically shrunk in half. I am not looking for anything that dramatic, I just want to eat a little less, get more nutrients out of my food, and actually taste my food (novel idea!) instead of mashing it up really quickly and swallowing. I am thinking about trying for a rate of twenty to thirty chews per bite. In researching this notion, I came across an eye-opening article and learned there are multiple benefits to eating slow. Click here to read the article, which is also where the photo above came from.   

fresh beats for warmer temps and a healthier lifestyle

Lucius - one fine looking band.

I tend to be more motivated about life when I have a few fresh jams to listen to. I re-listened to my Shazam queue last Friday night when I was home sitting in front of the fireplace with my husband. I ended up getting rid of most of the songs and questioned what I was thinking when I recorded the artist and title. Thankfully, I knocked it out of the park with three of the songs and purchased them yesterday. Normally I purchase single songs, but buying two of the three albums seemed like a better idea because of the price (< $10). In this day and age, I say if you can get a song for $.99 or $1.29 vs. an entire album for $7.99, buy the album! The three songs are below and I ended up buying Father John Misty and Lucius. Happy listening!

Father John Misty - Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)

Lucius - Turn It Around

Of Monsters and Men - Mountain Sound

  

take time for yourself and find some sunshine

I am using this as inspiration for my weekend and getting back on track with writing next week (and a whole slew of other things). Be safe, be happy, and breathe. (And thank you pinwheeldesigns for the image, quote, and inspiration.)

back to back travel plans with opposite weather

The miles and elevations of Lincoln Gap Road. The
Warren approach is left. The Lincoln approach is right.

We returned home last Monday from Florida and left again last Wednesday for Vermont. In other words, we went from seventy degrees to "feels like" negative double digits. I can't complain though because Vermont only felt that cold for a few short instances on our entire trip. In addition, having five full days with friends we get to see once a year (sometimes less) is nothing to whine about. Eleven of us shared a home we rented in Warren, Vermont. The home was more of a gigantic cabin than a house and was designed by the famous architect David Sellers. Not only does David design homes, he also designed Lincoln Lodge at Sugarbush and the Mad River Rocket - a sled he created. 

Our five days in winter paradise consisted of skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and sledding. A small group of us even drove north up to Burlington, so we could enjoy a Penny Cluse breakfast and a quick grocery run at City Market. The same group even made time for a hot buttered rum in front of the fireplace at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe. The best part of the entire weekend (for me) was the sledding. I read about a guide service that drives you to Lincoln Gap Road - a road that is closed all snow season because of how much snow it receives. The grade is very steep (6%), making it impossible to keep clear and safe all winter, so the town shuts it down around the 2.7 mile marker (approaching from the Warren side, not Lincoln). We parked our car where the plowing ended and embarked on the mile plus hike straight to the top, gaining about one thousand feet in elevation. Then, we hopped on our sleds and sped down. We joked about going thirty to fifty miles per hour, and although I don't truly believe we were going that fast, there were times when we were flying. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. If you are in the area, make the trip and just keep walking up. Although it is steep, it is only a mile and you will get there sooner or later. The guide service charged fifty five dollars to provide a ride and a sled, but we did it all for free and had the time of our lives - a few of us brought our own sleds and conveniently enough, the homeowner had a few Mad River Rockets ready for our use at the cabin.

a brightly-colored, beautiful, natural-ish party theme

These were the initial images
that sold me. (Though, I could do
without the furry headband...)

Although I saw the inspiration for this theme while searching winter weddings, I think it could be used for almost any party, or celebratory gathering: enter Swedish Christmas. I don't think I would use it for a three-year old birthday party, or a sweet sixteen, but I think it would be absolutely beautiful for a fall or winter holiday, adult birthday, or anniversary. If I liked celebrating my birthday, I would be jazzed if someone were to throw me a party with this theme, but I absolutely despise it so friends - do not get any ideas. I really don't even love the color red, but I love everything about the photos of this wedding. I do think the photos are kind of weird because it looks more like a pretend wedding than a real wedding, but if you focus  on the details and the colors I think you will understand where I am coming from. I am Polish and not Swedish, but I want this party theme in my life, and since we have so many parties (not really) I thought I would document it. Click here to take a peek.

singing, cherry chapstick, and special effects

Ride Katy, Ride!

My husband and I watched the Super Bowl together this past Sunday and did not attend or host a party for the first time in a long time. We did however indulge in a few football-type snacks and adult beverages. At one point of the game we had to laugh at each other because I was tackling a few sewing projects and he was folding laundry - a very different scene for both of us compared to past Super Bowl parties. We were really raging! I guess we are getting older... 

My favorite part of the "game" is the halftime show. I personally think Katy Perry did a great job. She kept it lively and fun, and only pushed the envelope a little by singing about kissing a girl. Her stage was crazy, the lion was super crazy, and who didn't love the dancing sharks and beach balls? I saw an article about a sketchy guy standing and smiling in the background at one point, but aside from that it all seemed to go off without a hitch. I had one friend text me that she wanted to ride a star and my mother told me the other day that she would love to ride the lion. I hope their dreams come true.

no more fooling around, I ain't got time for that now

Hello blog world! I have done a horrendous job at writing lately because everything is going ten thousand miles per minute, but I am here today. I survived the pretend blizzard and am back at work, charging into the new year. This is going to be a big year for me professionally, as I will have (officially) been in this position for a whole year and can stop being mister nice guy and get down to business. This year is going to be the year of assertiveness and direction; I know what I am doing, I just got a glowing review, and I mean business. No more doubting. No more tiptoeing around. 

I am writing this to help make myself feel empowered and so far it is working. I had a very reflective end to my year and I am motivated to make this year even better than the last. It is going to be one for the record books. Watch out world! Here I come. I am going to kick some major ass and take down a lot of names. Roar!  

a welcome addition to our little homestead

Our driveway. Our wood.

I am feeling really adult today; we just got a load of firewood dropped off at our home for the winter. That is so grown-up, I can't even get over it. We had a fireplace and an unlimited wood supply at our last home, so we never really had to worry about running out. Now we have a beautiful stone fireplace and a yard full of pine trees, which obviously cannot be used for indoor wood burning (we also have a number of ornamental trees, but they aren't big enough to be used as firewood...that would just be silly). After doing a bit of research about prices in the area, my husband placed the order last night and we are now the proud owners of an entire cord of wood. We have plans to have our first fire of the season this Friday, after we return home from one of our favorite restaurants on the planet (Drew's Bayshore Bistro). I cannot wait. The pile that is presently sitting in our driveway won't be quite as cool as it is today on Saturday, as we dedicate our morning to stacking it, but as long as we focus on the warmth and cozy ambiance inside our home all winter long and the cardio workout we will receive, I think we will be fine. This is our first cord ever. What a day!    

being me and not just a person with a blog

My account - with-
out actual names,
of course.

Well, it is a good thing I wrote two posts on Wednesday because this blog didn't stand a chance yesterday. I was so busy. I like those types of days because they fly by, but all I had to go home to were chores and a very small bowl of soup because my weekly rationing was way off and I ate too much on Tuesday and Wednesday. Don't worry, I didn't starve (I rarely do). I prefer when days go by quickly and my husband is waiting for me at home with a feast (usually Mexican) and my only goal is to catch up on horrible television. Not this week! I got my rear in gear last Sunday on my "day off" in terms of cleaning and organizing all of our storage (kitchen, cleaning, fridge, freezer, paper products, and laundry) and the cleaning madness was contagious. It had been too long since we reviewed the things in our home and were about due. I had a few things to get done during the week after work and have a few final tasks to complete this weekend. I am very motivated to tackle the rest of the house, so we can sail into fall feeling not only clean, but organized as well. 

I didn't set out to produce a rant about cleaning, but that's where I went. The point of this post was to announce that I changed my Instagram name. I went by mytwotrees up until last night, which makes sense to the people who read this blog, but for the other people in the world it must have been a little confusing. I think there is also something to be said about taking pride in your name. I don't like sharing too much name knowledge on here, but let's just say I went back to my roots and am embracing the kmk in addition to my last name. Changing one's name is a huge deal and often times I don't think husbands realize it. Even after being married for five years there are times when I still have to remind myself my last name has changed because let's face it - I was something else for twenty eight years of my life. That is a long time. I don't want husbands, especially mine, to think I don't like or want his last name. It is just a big switch - a huge switch actually. My old last name still comes out when I have to sign multiple things at work. I start off with the "D" name, but then out comes the "K". It always makes me laugh. Here's to being me on Instie and not hiding behind my blog!  

enjoying a meal in the great outdoors

It was very hard to choose one photo that
accurately displayed the beauty of these
dinners. I went mountainous, of course.

I discovered so many cool things this week and can't stop writing about them. On my way into work on Monday I read the summer edition of Edible Green Mountains. There was an article about an Outstanding in the Field dinner held at Shelburne Orchards in Shelburne, Vermont, where we used to go apple picking. (I'm not going to lie - we also bought cider donuts there, cider, and a ginger-y cider they call Ginger Jack - all amazingly delicious.) I made a note to check the website of Outstanding in the Field when I got to work, and to my surprise and delight it was the most beautiful website I have ever seen. An artist called Jim Denevan, who I actually wrote about back in August of 2013 (click here to read my post), founded this notion of connecting diners to the origins of their food by hosting approximately one hundred and fifty person (sometimes more) dinners, that begin with a tour of the farm and are set-up in the great outdoors. I. Want. This. Now. I missed this summer's round of dinners offered in the northeast, but you better believe I signed up for the emails and put a reminder on my phone for next year. I will have to save my pennies because these meals aren't cheap, but I think the experience and the photographs will make it all worthwhile. I would love to attend one in Vermont, but will probably try to get tickets for one that's a little closer in distance to New Jersey. What a beautiful idea. Click here to visit the website, which in my opinion should win an award.   

a bizarre phenomenon that isn't happening

I was certain that mercury was in retrograde today, but that is not the case. I had never really heard of the celestial illusion that messes with people's plans until just recently, but because so many strange things are going on, I thought maybe it was. Apparently this crazy time happens three times a year when the other planets appear to be traveling backwards towards the zodiac - though they really aren't. It is said to be a good time for reflection because intuition is high. What you should also do is remain flexible, allow additional time for travel, don't sign any contracts, don't start a new job, don't buy a car/house/computer, and don't start a new project. The next one is happening October fourth to October twenty fifth. I only have one weekend of travel during that time span. What I want to know is what is happening now?! My executive director resigned this morning, one of my favorite couples is breaking up, and summer is "over", but it is three hundred degrees out?! I want normal. I am sick of these surprises and I am sick of crazy times. I want normal and boring back. I want to go about my weekdays and make plans for the nights and weekends, and I want everyone to be happy.

we are still feeling the freedom

Not ours, but it looks
just like that!

We set out to buy a Toyota (a Toyota Highlander to be exact), but the recent models are obnoxiously large. I am not one for overly gigantic SUVs - they don't fit my beliefs, or my personality - and more importantly they don't feel safe because there is too much car to handle. We knew we wanted something a little larger than the buggie and after finding out the newer Highlanders weren't made for us, we stared researching smaller Toyotas and Hondas. The results were somewhat frustrating; the Toyota Rav4 doesn't get very good reviews and I have driven a Honda CRV before and was not impressed with the view outside the back window (too confined - need more of a view shed). We thought about the Toyota Venza, but after comparing it to models in its class, quickly realized we weren't actually going to stray from Subaru as we planned. (It's what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.) I am thrilled to report we are the proud new owners of a 2011 Subaru Outback (certified pre-owned, but it is new to us!). While I know a Subaru is less than luxury, it feels luxury to me. We have a moonroof, heated seats, it doesn't rattle when you drive over a small bump, tinted windows, a clock, and an aux cable to plug our iPods into - the buggie has a cassette player (seriously) and the clock hasn't worked since the day we got it. It is also green, my favorite color. We got an outstanding deal on it and it gets great gas mileage on highways (win, win!). We have hardly driven it because we are still using the buggie for local commuting, but plan to embark on a long distance adventure this weekend to celebrate our five year anniversary. I honestly have to keep reminding myself we have it - it doesn't seem real yet - it all happened so fast. When I do remember I get really happy though. It was the first time my husband and I purchased a car together that wasn't connected in some way to family. It made us feel very adult. Not sure what we will call it yet, but I am sure we will figure out something. Click here to feel the freedom.

take the time to write a letter

Although writing a letter to a friend is great, I mean write a letter to a company if you are unhappy with a product. Nine times out of ten it works out for me by a landslide. Enter my unhappiness with a bracelet I purchased last summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Two areas that were very prominent on the piece got worn, even though I barely wore it. The bracelet had anchors on it and pointy things don't go well with sweaters, so I put it away for the winter. I unearthed it this past spring when I started wearing tees and tanks again. I wore it to work a few times and noticed the unsightly areas and decided to do something about it. I initially sent my complaint into the contact form on the website - no response. I thankfully saved what I sent in and resent it to directly to the contact email address - no response. I gave it one last shot and send a hard copy of the email accompanied by some choice (but professional) words - big time response. I was sent the sweetest email in the universe and was offered to replace my bracelet as well as choose a completely free bracelet from their newest line for the trouble I went through. Um, okay! I love my new bracelets and am very impressed with their customer service. You have my vote to support Kiel James Patrick and his preppy, nautical endeavors.  

look lovely, but make sure you feel it too

drink of water, must drink more

Drinking water has always been a real issue for me. I either do it a lot, or not at all - heavy on the not at all. I know it is the best idea ever, but I have to be in the right mindset to drink more than a glass per day. It also helps if I am warm, which is rare. I think I spend eighty to ninety-five percent of my days cold (read: freezing). I try and dress warm, but sometimes I just want to wear a summer outie...and I do...and then I freeze my tookus off...and then I really drink zero water. Now, I keep an extra large cup on my desk to help with my water drinking problem. If I sat at my desk day after day with a small cup, I would never drink any. These last two days I am up to almost two per day because I am still quite sore from the run. I wanted to run my soreness out this morning, but I have dear friends coming this weekend and minimal time to clean after work. Instead of waking up at 6:15 and running two miles, I woke up at 5:30 and started cleaning. Maybe drinking water is the least of my problems. I seem to have a few more issues now that I reread this post...ha!

a blog full of so very much, seriously so much

The Danish duo that
started the blog.

This blog is amazing. The photos they find are the best ever and the captions are just perfect. I know my mother isn't going to love the name of the blog, but I want to write about it and think you should see it anyways. It is called...wait for it...Fuck You Very Much and it is my new favorite place online. It is serene, ballsy, cutting edge, sexual, fashionable, and exotic all wrapped into one well-organized package. It is a blog that makes you feel things and feeling things is great. I have felt the following for these few examples:

• an undying need to get in the sun (July 4th, soak up sun)
• totally grossed out, but curious how the sheets stayed so clean (June 16th, stay in bed)
• I giggled, a lot (June 2nd, hospitality)
• thought damn, she is beautiful (June 12th, Stephanie Seymour)

I could go on, but I will stop. Click here to visit. Have a safe and happy weekend!