Good Morning – what’s left of it. Regan woke up with a fever this morning which I was sort of expecting because she has been coughing and her nose has been running all weekend, but amazingly she isn’t feeling bad enough (yet) to not be into everything and not scream about everything and not tell me no about everything!!

Because of all this my last day off is quickly getting away from me. Jason did let me sleep in a little this morning since I don’t have to go to work and he still does. I was awakened by a lovely mug of piping hot coffee coming at me around 8:10 this morning. What a way to wake up. I think he knew I was in for a rough day at home with the girls.

I, in turn, made him a quick but yummy breakfast before sending him off to work. We have a ton of instant oatmeal packets (that no one eats) and I have seen a certain blogger make this a few times so I figured this was the perfect morning to try it out on him. I hadn’t made oats yesterday so that gave me the extra push I needed.

Tina’s “Baked” Instant Oatmeal the RFM way!!

What I used…

• 1 packet banana bread instant oatmeal
• 1/4 c canned pumpkin
• 1/4 c liquid egg whites
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp organic ground flax seed meal
• 1 tbsp dried cranberries
• 1 tsp organic blue agave nectar

Then:

• spray a cereal bowl with nonstick cooking spray
• add mixed oatmeal to the bowl
• cook in microwave for 2-3 minutes
• top with a spoonful of almond butter
• VIOLA!

It was pretty tasty, filling and Jason even liked it. WIN!!

Valentine’s Evening Recap

I needed a little snack a couple hours after lunch so I made myself one of my favorites. It was just enough to hold me over until dinner.

My mom arrived right on time so Jason and I hit the road. The girls were excited to spend the evening with Nana and we were excited to spend the evening ALONE!!

Due to the mini blizzard we had ALL DAY LONG we had a slight change of plans for dinner. We ended up going to one of our favorite restaurants that is in our neighborhood, Ranoush.

The weather seemed to have dampened the restaurant business last night, but we were not to be held back.

Ranoush was all ready for the big evening.

I think they had a lot of cancellations because we got right in and many tables were empty. Score for us!!

We had our usual, the traditional mesa for two, and it didn’t disappoint! It’s a platter filled with hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, fried cheese dumplings, rice wrapped in grape leaves, tabouli and some kind of a fried meat thing that Jason likes. Needless to say – it is something he and I are in love with!!

My first plate looked a little something like this…

I had seconds and thirds of everything because it is just that good. Then the lovely people at Ranoush brought a fresh made piece of their famous dessert -knafeh. It’s this cross between cheesecake and baklava and it’s sweet, but just barely. It’s the PERFECT dessert for sure.

It was the perfect sized piece for us to split and not be overstuffed.

After dinner we went outside and played (for about 5 seconds) in the snow!!

Then Jason had to clean off my car!

My window was covered in ICE!!

Finally the defroster worked and we were able to drive.  We have both been dying to see Sherlock Holmes…

So we braved the deserted streets of St Louis to go see Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law play Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson.

We just barely made it to the theatre in time, and it was PACKED!!!

We had to park at a restaurant on the other side of the lot because there were NO parking spots at the theatre at all. Oh well – we made it, got our tickets and the movie started. It was SO GOOD!!!! I highly recommend it to EVERYBODY!!

After the movie we made a quick stop at Jason’s work to pick up a thank you gift for my mom for watching the girls and braving the weather for us. She’s a great mommy!!

Jason and I each stole two before we got home.

All in all Valentine’s Day was a win!! Hope you all had a great day too!

A New Winner!

I still have not heard from Megan @ Healthy Hoggin after quite a few attempts to contact her. Sorry Megan!! So I am forced to choose a new winner.

Without further ado – the NEW winner of the Coconut Bliss giveaway is…

Elisabeth – My favorite flavor of ice cream varies but almost always includes some type of chocolate! It pairs well with anything- mint, peanut butter, toffee, cookie dough, coffee… chocolate is a best friend to ALL of those flavors!

Elisabeth, please send me your mailing address and I will get you the coupon for a free container of Coconut Bliss right away!! CONGRATULATIONS!

Now, dear readers, I have to deal with the maintenance guy who just showed up at my door and ruined my day – AGAIN!!! Isn’t a sick and unruly 2 year old enough for one person to handle???

Life is like a blanket too short.  You pull it up and your toes rebel, you yank it down and shivers meander about your shoulder; but cheerful folks manage to draw their knees up and pass a very comfortable night.  ~ Marion Howard

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