Indoor picnic

IMG_3275.JPG

Yesterday, I was on dinner-duty. After a week of crazy, I really wanted something simple. I needed to balance "healthy" for my Whole 30 father, with "child friendly" for my nephews visiting from out-of-town. Since I obviously had not planned ahead, a store-run was in order. Sprouts it is. 

I headed straight for the meat counter. The prepared Western Burgers are the family preference, while the zip of the Jalapeño Cowboy Burger is my favorite. Knowing the little ones love fruit, I smiled when I found watermelon and grapes on sale. Part of the decision was based on price, the other on color. I'm all about a pretty plate. Ever since I found 7min steamed sweet potatoes, it's an easy last minute grab. 

Sidenote: I truly appreciate Sprouts. Having quickly found all the fresh items I needed, I was in and out. But only after having a lovely conversation with the guy behind the meat counter, some friends, and a few strangers. The sweet lady restocking the watermelon cut me a sample, convinced me the smaller ones were sweeter. and then picked one out for me! End sidenote.

I cut the watermelon and washed/de-stemed the grapes. After peeling and cubing the sweet potato, I staged it in the steamer on the stove. I then sliced a couple small tomatoes and rinsed a few pieces of lettuce.

Once Sister called to let me know they were on their way home, I fired up the grill. So thankful for my grandfather's grill! It has made dinners so much easier. With the grill heating up, I turned on the sweet potatoes and threw a few burger buns in the toaster oven. Dinner was ready 10-15 minutes later. The boys were content, Sister went on and on about how good the burgers were, Mom had a gluten-free dinner, and I fed the family in 30 minutes.  Win!

Pineapple Plop...Plopping Pineapple

I've tried plopping into a T-Shirt, scrunching with clips, using a silk pillowcase, and many other ideas...but this is my favorite. So here is the Pineapple Plop.

Why have I adopted this method?

I love curly hair! And I'm slowly learning to love the version of curly hair God gave me. Through this process I've learned:

  • My curls are extremely fragile when they are wet, therefore the first few minutes after I wash my hair are critical. If I don't act quickly, I will end up with wavy hair at best.
  • Putting my hair in a scarf allows my hair to dry without fighting gravity while buying me some time to do other things.
  • The scarf also expedites the drying time therefore reducing the amount of heat (aka damage) from the blow dryer.
  • The pineapple helps to protect my natural curl. (Clips and normal plopping held my hair in one place, almost too securely, causing kinks and weird twists rather than allowing curl.) 
  • While the overall process takes more time than straight diffusing, I'm actually spending less active time on my hair.

Curling hair is as unique as the individual. But the more I learn to work with my curls the more I enjoy them. 

 

If You Give a Morgan a Shirt...

A couple seemingly valid factors play into my outfit choice today. 

  1. I don't want to shower 
  2. We have clients coming in so I need to look extra professional 
  3. We're having a work lunch out in the warehouse, so I need to be prepared for 90-degree weather

So with this list swimming in my head, I start getting ready. For me, second-day hair usually means adding some powder and pulling it up. When the hair goes up, I prefer collared tops. I'm slightly self-conscious about the back of my neck. So I grab a high-collared, sleeveless lace top which meets all the criteria: works with my second-day hair, promises to conquer the heat, and adds a professional touch with the lace. Of course with that top, the foundation layer requires extra consideration to hide straps.

Then, to find pants - hopefully not the same pair I've wore the last two days. Since I'm wearing a dark top, I opt for lighter jeans. But the jeans required a belt. However, my everyday belt is brown, so I grab the blingy black one. If I wear a fashion belt, I should really tuck in my shirt. If I tuck in my shirt, it draws attention to my backside. So, half-tucked it is. Shoes. Well, I'm wearing a blingy belt, so the sandals I slid on are now vetoed. Boots it is. With boots I now need socks. These jeans are too short, so guess I'm tucking them into my boots. Whew, I think I'm done. 

As I glance in the mirror on my way out the door I realize my hair is pulled back - pause and insert earrings. 

I am now way fancier than I intended, all because I didn't want to take a shower and so I grabbed the lace top. 

With a few alterations, I think I just might have the making of the next rendition of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie....