Memorial Day Weekend

Hi all!

Sorry for the hiatus, we have had a BUSY last few days. Here is a re-cap of our awesome Memorial Day Weekend:

Friday we both had a long day at work so we just hung out at home and got some rest. My parents arrived Saturday late morning for a visit. We spent most of the visit playing games and catching up. The day turned into a "Boggle tournament", as Kevin called it, between my Mom and I. We always end up playing countless games of Boggle (we are both super competitive) and leaving the boys to fend for themselves. Saturday night we went out to eat per my Dad's request to Texas Roadhouse. Yummy. I always get a 6 oz. steak, veggies and sweet potato. Super tasty.

Sunday morning after a few more games of Boggle my parents headed home. After getting a few things done (including Kevin taking me to Chile's for 2-for-1 margaritas) my brother-in-law Chris, his girlfriend Holly and our nephew Miles came over. We always love spending time with them, and we spent the night hanging out with them, having a couple of drinks and playing this fun game...

...love it!



Hello, cutest baby boy alive!

Monday morning Holly helped me put my spices into this shiny new baby...

...spice rack my Dad got me as a birthday present. Isn't it pretty?

After Chris, Holly and Miles left Kevin and I decided it was time for a home project. We had thrown around the idea of putting hard flooring in the dining room which was, at the time, carpet. We decided to just do it, putting the same laminate flooring in that we put in our kitchen/pantry/hallway/bathroom and bedroom/closet. We spent the rest of the day turning this...

...(sorry I didn't get a before pic with the carpet down, Kevin was so eager to start he just started tearing up the carpet before Chris, Holly and Miles even left)...

...into this. Ta da! Doesn't it look amazing? Just makes me so happy! So lucky to have such a handy hubby.

And of course it was most important on Monday to take time to remember Memorial Day and to remember those who have died serving our country. So appreciative to our men and women who have given their lives for our freedom, and to our past, present and future soldiers who have done, do, or will do so much for us.

How was your Memorial Day?

What did you do to remember our soldiers?

xoxo

Dory





5 Cheers for Friday

I decided that at the end of the week it would really benefit me to look back and think of 5 good things that happened that past week. Whether it be something I accomplished, something I did to make someone else's day better, or something someone did for me to brighten my day. My work life has been so crazy and stressful lately that I think looking back on the good things that happened will be the perfect way to end the week. So, here goes my first 5 cheers for Friday...

1. These beautiful tulips that were sent to me. These were from the Executive Director at another community in our company because I helped her out putting into place a best practice at her community.

2. Donald Driver winning Dancing With the Stars. He has been my favorite football player since I can remember. Since I was little mom and I ALWAYS watched the Packer games together every Sunday. I love DWTS and was SO excited when I found out he was going to be on. He has such an amazing attitude and the best smile I've ever seen. He totally deserved to win!

Source

3. At some point in the week realizing that the upcoming weekend will be 3 days long, and realizing that no matter what is going on at work you are not going to stress about it over your long weekend. Leave it for Tuesday.

4. Taking a few extra minutes to stop at Caribou for an iced coffee. YUM. Totally starts my morning off right.

5. Having one of my residents call me beautiful. Just makes my day.


I hope everyone else had a wonderful week and has a safe and happy Memorial day!

xoxo
Dory

Always remember...

"Faith in God includes faith in His timing" ~Neal A. Maxwell

I need to tell myself this more. Especially now, at this point in my life.

xoxo
Dory

Spicy Turkey Meatball Subs

I love Italian food. YUM. Unfortunately, lots of pasta and pizza don't go with my diet. Here are some spicy turkey meatball subs that are super easy to make and taste delish...and they're healthy too!
Recipe slightly adapted from here.

Start with lean ground turkey

Chop some onion

Chop some garlic

Add some bread crumbs

Some fresh ground pepper

A couple of egg yolks

A few spices

Some grated parm. Form into meatballs (I usually make pretty big ones)

Add to a hot pan (I usually do medium-high)

Flip after a minute or so (I like mine a little crispy) and cook about 10 minutes, turning occasionally

Add your marinara sauce and let simmer

Voila...grate some more parm on top. Add to a hoagie roll or a bun. We use Target brand wheat hot dog buns because they are tasty and super big. I like my bun toasted. Don't mind the unprofessional picture showing a piece of crispy bun I took off to taste...I was hungry!

YUM. Yes, I do eat these with a fork. I haven't mastered how to eat a sub like this without making a huge mess.

Enjoy!

Healthy Spicy Turkey Meatball Subs

Approx 1 lb lean ground turkey

1/4 c. bread crumbs (I use Italian style)

1-2 Tbs grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (get the block of the real stuff, it is SO worth it!)

Oregano to taste (about 1-2 tsp)

Basil to taste (about 1-2 tsp)

Cayenne Pepper to taste (about 1-2 tsp depending on how spicy you want it)

Garlic Powder (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1-2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, depending on how spicy you want it

1 clove chopped fresh garlic

1/2 of an onion, finely chopped

2 egg yolks

1 large jar Marinara Sauce

Hoagie rolls or buns of your choice (I use Target brand whole wheat hot dog buns and they taste yummy)

Mix together turkey meat, spices, cheese, egg, bread crumbs, onion and garlic just until combined.

Form meat into meatballs. Do whatever size you like, just adjust the cooking time if they are a bit smaller.

 Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.

Add meatballs and let brown, about 1-2 minutes each side.

Cook meatballs for about 10 minutes, turning down heat if necessary.

Add marinara sauce (I turn the heat way down before adding for two reasons, so the sauce doesn't splatter and so it doesn't burn).

Make sure the sauce is covering the meatballs.

Cook, covered, for another 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat is 165 degrees.

Toast your rolls if you like.

Add 2-3 meatballs per roll.

Spoon some extra sauce on top.

Grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top.

Enjoy! Yum Yum Yum...

xoxo

Dory

Sunshine

Sunshine...I love it. Sunny days just put me in a good mood. Sunny days make my commute a little more warm and cozy and bearable. Sunny days give me the energy to get home and go for a run after work. Now that the days are getting longer, and I get to see the sun more than an hour or two a day, I find that I am in a happier person in general. I love waking up in the morning with the sun streaming in. Today in Minnesota it is supposed to be around 70 degrees and sunny. Pretty perfect, and that means I am one happy girl.

Source

Lately

The past week has been pretty great. Kevin and I have kept ourselves pretty busy between work, working out and cooking some new dishes. This past weekend we went to a family member's wedding in Rochester and got to see my in-laws, Kevin's brother Chris and his girlfriend Holly, their sweet adorable son Miles and lots of other family members. Momma-in-law and I danced the night away and it was a blast. Things at work are finally starting to settle down so I feel like I can finally catch my breath a little bit. I'm sure it won't be that way for long so I'll enjoy it while I can. I also uploaded the update for the MapMyRUN app and got a pleasant surprise today when, during my run (did I mention today was absolute perfect, amazing, beautiful running weather?), a man's voice chimed in at every mile telling me the duration of my run thus far, the distance, and my pace per mile. I hadn't realized how fast I was running (8 min 43 sec miles are pretty quick for me) and it really encouraged me to keep up the pace. Not gonna lie, I was pretty excited about it. When I got home I found Kevin at the grill with this lovely little dish...



...have I told you how much I LOVE grilled veggies? I think I have, but if I haven't, I absolutely adore them. He eventually made it into this...

...added another tortilla on top, back on the grill to crisp it up, add some salsa on top of that, soooo good!

Now we are done eating, just got done watching Dancing With the Stars (so in love with Donald Driver), and now onto the new Hawaii Five-0 (by the way...Monday's are my absolute favorite TV nights), and I have these two as my company...

...my two boys. Aren't they cute all snuggled up? Diesel is still exhausted from all the running around he did this weekend, and it's pretty nice to have a tired pup. This coming weekend we get to head back to Rochester for Miles' 1st Birthday party, and we can't wait to watch him open presents and demolish his cake.

Oh...and to make my night even better...new Woman's Day AND Vanity Fair came tonight. Pretty pumped. It's the little things...remember?

I hope everyone had as great a week as I had!

xoxo

Dory









May Day

Happy May Day! I totally forgot this little holiday until one of my sweet colleagues (thanks, Ika!!!) brought me this today...

...some pretty African Violets. I remember May Day at Manz Elementary. We always made May Baskets and walked around the surrounding neighborhoods bringing them to the doors of the senior citizens in the area. They were so happy to see us and we were so beyond happy to get out of class and get some fresh air after a long winter. Getting these flowers today made me realize how excited I am that it is May, because Kevin and I have so much to look forward to this spring/summer. The next few weekends will be very busy for us, from a family wedding to a friend's baby shower to our sweet adorable nephew's 1st birthday (cannot believe he will be 1!). A couple of weekends later it is my cousin's first bridal shower, and it will be special since she is the only female 1st cousin I have. My sister will also be in town for the event, and I cannot wait to see her. Her super crazy busy life in D.C. means I don't get to see her nearly enough. We are also taking a trip to Colorado for a family friend's wedding in June, where we will spend our 1 year wedding anniversary. So for me, today definitely is a happy May Day!

How was your May Day?

Did you do anything special for May Day in school as a kid?

What are you looking forward to this Spring?

xoxo

Dory