How were your holidays? Mine were crazy busy — literally non-stop — which is why posting was pretty slim in December. Now I’m back at it and I have a ton of changes around the house to share with you in the next few weeks. For now, here is what I’m loving this week:
NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS
(( My sweet nieces and nephew with Graham and Harrison over the holidays ))
I always try to take time to regroup after the holidays and think about the changes I want to make in the new year. This year, I have three.
First, I want to make a greater effort to spend time with my girlfriends — even if that means inviting them on a Target shopping trip with me or bringing them with me to the trampoline park with the kids. Asking someone to babysit is okay once in a while, but I don’t want seeing my friends to hinge on childcare.
My second resolution is to try to be more present with the boys and to plan more activities for them during the day (ie – less screen time!). This is a constant balancing act, and I know it always will be — it’s just something I want to keep at the top of my mind this year.
Third, I want to spend more time improving Park & Division — working on my photography skills, better documenting every step of my projects, and planning ahead for busy periods with scheduled posts.
AN EXTRA LONG CHARGING CORD
I found this set of extra long, extra strong, braided charging cords in my stocking (thanks, Santa!) and they are life-changing. I love that I can lay flat in bed now instead of hanging off the side when I’m looking at my phone! Plus, all of our cords were broken around the charging end, and had to be in just the right position to work. It was one of those things that annoyed us every day but we never took a minute to rectify it with this very easy and inexpensive solution. I love when little things make such an evident boost in your daily convenience.
A RICH, WINTER SEAFOOD DINNER
I made this Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Shrimp the other day and it was delicious. Steve and Harrison were big fans (Graham is still in the separate-all-of-my-foods-and-never-put-sauce-on-anything phase). And I mean, how could shrimp in a creamy buttery garlicky sauce ever not be delicious? I am actually not a big fan of sun-dried tomatoes, so I omitted those, and I also removed the tails from all the shrimp — one of my biggest pet peeves! Why do restaurants (and everyone else) leave these on in pasta dishes? I understand if it’s shrimp cocktail and you’re picking them up with your hands. But I mean, it’s in the middle of your pasta covered in sauce. I don’t want something inedible in the middle of my pasta! *end rant* Whether you share my tail preferences or not, you’ll love this rich, yet somehow still light recipe. I ate mine over cauliflower rice and Steve ate it over angel hair — both good.
A QUICK WINTER READ
I’m kind of embarrassed that I am recommending The Carrie Diaries because it sounds so cheesy. I loved Sex and the City, so when I saw this at the thrift store one day, I grabbed it. On January 2 (is this the official laziest day of the year? It always feels like it — if you’re not working), I picked this book up and actually found it really catchy — I read it all in one day! It was a super easy read and very light, but there were also moments of real insight about friendship and family and being a teenager that I didn’t expect. It’s like a watered down version of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I enjoyed it a lot — maybe mostly because there is no more productive feeling from a day of doing essentially nothing than finishing a book in one day. I plan to order the Summer and the City and Sex and the City books for more quick winter reads.
Park and Division 