A Very Dawson Christmas

December 29, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Hello! I hope that you all had a fabulous Christmas and were able to enjoy time with friends and family. I know that the Monday after a holiday can be a little bit of a bummer, so I thought that I would share pictures with you of my Christmas celebration to cheer you up. There are even pictures of cats, so they are automatically better!

Adam and I have started a little tradition by celebrating our own Christmas after actual Christmas. We spend the day in our pj’s watching Christmas movies, opening presents, and making delicious food. This was our third year doing this and it was one of the best!

Our Christmas tree and the stockings hung by the (faux) chimney with care. Plus the first of many pictures of Olaf. It was his first Christmas and I think he loves it just as much as I do. Our other cat Dot wanted nothing to do with the festivities and slept in the bedroom all day long.

Speaking of cats, of course they have their own stocking and we fill it with new toys for them. Olaf actually managed to get all of the stuff out of the stocking all on his own. He liked the laser pointer and this yellow stuffed dog the best.

He’s pretty adorable. Us humans open our presents over the course of the day. Every time we start a new Christmas movie we open another present. I would say that this year was a good year for both of us. Adam got a new beard trimmer, a t-shirt, books, and candy. I got a new teapot, oven mitts, and books/cookbook. Apparently we both think alike because our big gifts to each other were new bags. I got Adam a new leather messenger bag for work so he could look all fancy and professional and he got me an awesome new black purse that is much better than the bright orange paisley tote bag that I have been using for the past few months.

This is his happy face. Back off ladies he’s mine

Super excited about this book. And you can see my fancy new teapot down in the corner

The other fun part of our Christmas is making a bunch of food that we don’t normally make. This year we made pretzels, which were really easy and fun to make. I also made some fried plantains and egg nog, devoured before I could take pictures. For an appetizer I made spinach/artichoke dip without any dairy (so good, I’ll share the recipe soon!), and we had some pumpkin chips to dip. Then for Adam’s dinner I made slow cooker italian beef and he made homemade buns. I had some delicious butternut squash seasoned with some new seasonings I got from Adam’s side of the family. It was an awesome feast! There were also a variety of cookies and treats for dessert!

Pretzel maker extraordinaire!

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and I really love that Adam and I have been able to start some of our own traditions. On actual Christmas this year we were able to spend the day with both sides of our family. We started the day with my parents and my sister and her fiance and then headed over to Adam’s grandparents for Christmas dinner and were able to see his (many) aunts, uncles, cousins, as well as his mom and his stepdad.

Overall it was a fabulous holiday. We were able to spend time with so many family members and shared and made plenty of new memories. My heart is full and I can’t wait to see what the new year brings! Have a great rest of the week and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Friday Favorites: Christmas Edition

December 19, 2014December 19, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I haven’t done a Friday Favorites in a while and I think with the rush of the season it’s a good day to let you in on some of my favorite Christmas-y things.

CHRISTMAS!!!

I don’t care if I’m 27 years old, I still get as excited as a small child about Christmas. Fall may be my favorite season, but without a doubt Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love all of the traditions that come along with this holiday. I love the gathering of friends and family. I love the food and treats that only come along this time of year. I love all the shows and specials and movies that come on TV around this time. I love walking outside right around twilight with a light snow falling. As cheesy as it may sound there really is something magical about Christmas. I still wake up at 4 am on Christmas morning and sneak downstairs to look at the tree and the stockings and take in the beauty of the day. I know that some people can’t stand this time of year. They don’t like the commercialism of the season, they don’t like the rush of activity, and the never ending list of things to do. But I think if we can all remember that feeling of magic that comes very early on Christmas morning and the true gift that we were given, just maybe we can all enjoy Christmas just a little more.

Special Treats

I mentioned before that I love the food that comes along with this season. I actually love food, but I really like the seasonal treats that pop up. Things like eggnog, cookies, and hot chocolate are amazing. I have actually been slowly working through some of my favorite childhood treats and making them a little healthier so that I can enjoy them once again. Some of my favorite “re-dos” have been eggnog and hot chocolate. I also like this version of mexican wedding cakes and I have been working on a healthier chocolate covered peanut butter balls. It’s fun to find new ways to enjoy treats that I didn’t think I could. Plus it’s nice to join in with everyone else and enjoy a cookie or two!

My Cranberry Sauce

I know, another food thing. I like to eat! But seriously I can’t get enough of this cranberry sauce. I put it on everything and sometimes just eat it with a spoon for a snack. It is the perfect combo of sweet/tart/spicy/awesome. If you haven’t made it yet, go to your kitchen immediately. I’m serious. Go.

Downtown

My family has a tradition of going downtown each Christmas. We go to the Christkindl market, look at the windows at Marshall’s, go out to eat, and just take in all the Christmas sights. Now that I live in Chicago, I can go walk around downtown whenever I want and it still hasn’t lost it’s appeal. I like seeing all the lights and decorations and people. I have gone a few time this year and just walked up and down the mag mile. Maybe I’m weird, but I just like being out and about during this time of year even if I have nothing to do. I told you I love Christmas, and I really do love everything about it! This weekend we’re actually heading downtown for our “official” trip and to celebrate my sister’s birthday. I can’t wait!

Christmas Movies

Who doesn’t like Christmas movies? There are so many good ones, but a few of my top ones are Elf, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Santa Clause, Scrooged, and Santa Clause is Coming to Town. There are a million more and I probably own half of them. When Adam and I celebrate our own little Christmas we spend the day opening presents, eating appetizers, and watching all of our movies. It’s one of my favorite new traditions that we started when we got married.

I know this was kind of a personal Christmas edition of Friday Favorites, but I wanted to help spread some Christmas cheer. Of course I could just take Buddy the Elf’s advice and sing loud for all to hear! I’m going to be taking a little break from regular blog posts until after the new year so I can enjoy this time with my family. So until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Monday Musings: Cookie Cutter Bodies

December 8, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I haven’t done a Monday Musing in awhile, so I thought I would bring that back. Sadly while the title of this post has the word cookie in it, there are no cookies. I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you soon I promise. On with my musing.

Most of us want to be thought of as unique. We want to be seen as individuals and to have no one else like us. In general, I would say that these feelings are fostered in schools, at work, and in our daily lives. We are praised for being us and told that there is not another out there just like us. You think to yourself, “I am me and no one can be me like I can.” That all stops though when it comes to our bodies. Suddenly we want to have that person’s abs, that one’s buns of steel, and those eyes and hair.

You have probably thought of your dream body a lot. I know I have. I used to pour over magazines and watch movies and yearn for the perfect bodies that those people all seemingly had. Why couldn’t my body look just like theirs? I wasn’t happy having my own body looking the way I do because it seemed like everyone else looked a different way. How many of you have done that?

I know that there are so many of us who constantly pick apart our bodies and wish to wake up with the body of a goddess. I know that many of us work tirelessly to make that dream body come true, hoping if that we finally look like everyone else we will finally be happy. I know many of us just want our bodies to blend in with the general population instead of sticking out like a sore thumb. I have been there and I have felt those emotions time and time again. It took me a long time to be able to start to accept my body for what it was instead of what it wasn’t.

I think that it’s time that we start valuing our bodies like we value our individuality. We don’t NEED to look like everyone else, in fact unless you are an identical twin it is impossible to look like someone else. That is ok. No, that is great. Just like you want your thoughts, ideas, personality, and talents to be special, you should want your body to be special. It isn’t perfect, but guess what? No one has the perfect body and that is a beautiful thing.

For those of you caught in the dark thoughts of poor body image, I know that you have heard these words before. Love yourself, you’re special, no one can be like you. Those phrases bounce off you and make no impact. They all sound like ways to say you’re not beautiful but there are other things about you that you should be happy about. You might not have the legs of a model, but you’re hilarious. You don’t have long flowing hair, but you can sing like an angel. Don’t focus on your lack of a six-pack, you’re the next Mozart on the piano. Those are all good things to be, but when you look in the mirror and aren’t happy with what you see, those things don’t really matter.

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to look like anyone else! All you have to do is look like you. Stop trying to come up with a way to look like the girl next to you at the gym. Instead come up with ways to be proud of the body you possess. It can do so much and it deserves a little TLC. I know from experience that when you start to love what you have, your outlook becomes more positive. You may never have rippling arms, but you have arms and they are pretty great.

I know this has been a long musing, but I can’t stress enough how important it is that we start loving our special bodies and stop trying to become clones of each other. Start today by being thankful for the body you have and tell yourself that you are special and unique and there is NO ONE out there who has what you have. Be proud of that. Own it. You are you and that is awesome.

The Holiday Cycle

December 1, 2014 / ktbuchs87

Thursday officially kicked off the holiday season. It’s also the start of the season of eating and tips, posts, and articles about how to avoid gaining weight or overeating during the holidays. I’ve even written a few posts like that in the past, but this year I am going to take a different approach. I’m going to tell you to take a deep breath and just relax.

Believe me, I know just how tough it is to do that this time of year. It feels like there is food everywhere you look and parties every weekend and it’s almost like you are just eating every single second of the day. All of these things contribute to an already stressful time. You feel guilty with every cookie you eat, yet you can’t stop eating those cookies. You try to eat well in between those parties just to offset the binge that is inevitably going to happen. It’s all a huge, guilty, vicious cycle and no one looks forward to that.

This is why I am going to take a different approach to the holiday eating season this year. I am not going to worry about every single piece of food that passes my lips. I don’t want to be spending the most wonderful time of the year thinking about food I have eaten, or shouldn’t have eaten, or won’t eat. Adding more stress to my life is not going to help my health in any way, so I am going to do my best to keep calm.

This doesn’t mean that I am going to go hog wild with food. I’m still going to eat real, whole foods and limit my sugar intake. My meals won’t look much different than normal. I’m still going to exercise regularly and go about my days like I normally do, but I am not going to sweat the holiday treats. After years of punishing myself for being “bad” during the holidays, I have learned that it isn’t one meal or treat that will undo all my hard work. It is what I do day in and day out that will affect my health. Worrying over food will also affect my health in a negative way.

You can do it too. Maybe you have spent many a family gathering eyeing all the delicious food and forcing yourself to sit miserably on the sidelines eating carrot sticks. Or maybe you load up your plate and stuff yourself full of your off-limit foods and immediately regret the massive food baby you currently have. You don’t have to let something like food have so much control over your life. Go into this holiday season with that mindset; food does not control you. Know that one meal doesn’t make you unhealthy and one party isn’t going to ruin your progress. You can still enjoy yourself and not feel guilty about eating. Like I said before, take a deep breath and just relax. Focus on all the other things that are going on during this season and trust yourself to do what is best for you. You’re stronger than you think!

Be as confident as this cat 🙂

I hope you all had a great start to the holidays and that you have an awesome week!

Don’t Do That, It’ll Kill You

November 24, 2014 / ktbuchs87

I don’t know if many of you read as many health related articles and studies as I do, but let me tell you: we are doomed. At least that is the feeling I get sometimes. The titles can read all doom and gloom and it would seem that we can do nothing right. From eating the wrong foods, breathing in the wrong chemicals, and even not standing enough, every aspect of our health is in danger. It can be overwhelming and cause you to feel like it is a hopeless cause because no matter what there is going to be something that you do that is going to kill you or compromise your health.

I started feeling this way when I really started to dig into making myself healthier. I wanted to make sure that I was doing everything right so that I could be the best and healthiest. I wanted to be eating all the right foods, doing all the right exercises, and so I turned to health research. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate and value all research. It is what helps us learn more about ourselves and the world around us. Research helps us do better, but it can also be a double-edged sword. Any study that you find proving one thing, you will undoubtedly find a conflicting study proving something else. This is especially true with health research. So when I started in on finding the healthiest life possible, I got confused and overwhelmed. I was doing everything wrong it felt like and if I kept this up it would lead to a morbid end.

I began to worry about everything I did when it came to my health. Was I eating at the right time to get the optimal nutrition from my food? Was I exercising enough or too much? Did I sit down too often? Should I ever sit again? Were the cleaners I used in my house going to undo all the healthy eating I had been reading about? I second-guessed every choice I made, and fretted over if I would ever be able to do it right. Ironically enough, all that worrying about doing everything perfect is what led to me not being as healthy as possible.

Stress is one of the biggest health busters and it can wreak havoc over all areas of your life. It can affect sleep, which can then affect your hormones that help make food choices, which then affect your body, which in turn affects your physical activity. By stressing over all the research that I was taking in, I was doing the exactly the opposite of what I wanted.

I’ll tell you something I needed someone to tell me: you aren’t going to do it all perfectly. There is no way that you can eat every super food out there, perform all the most challenging exercises, eliminate every bad habit that is going to be the demise of your health. It is impossible and it is also ok. You can’t be perfectly healthy and you shouldn’t expect yourself to be. Rather than stress over all the things you have to do or suffer the consequences, focus on doing the best you can. Remember when your parents told you even if you got a bad grade on something as long as you gave it your all and did your best that was what mattered? The same applies to your health. Eat as best as you can, whether that is organic or conventional. Exercise in the way that works for you, whether that is doing CrossFit or yoga. Make as many healthy choices as you can, whether that is using all natural cleaners or walking more throughout the day. The little things will add up and you’ll live a healthier life by doing the best you can.

I’m not perfect, you’re not perfect, and we aren’t meant to be. Don’t let all those studies and research get you down and make you hopeless. Don’t give up or worse, not start, just because it appears to be a lost cause. Making today better than yesterday is a healthy goal, and research says that’s a good thing!