A little bit of A's

Hello again,

WHAT the weekend I had!! Silly me failed to get many pictures, but I will just write about it a little and then move on!

First of all... My guy and I went to my mother's home for the weekend....We got the MOTHER load of Zucchinis...

.... from a family friend...

We also got some "straight from the cow" milk and it's gosh darn fantastic!

I also got a surprise...

Tari was being loaned out to someone while I was away a college, but now that I live closer to home... my mom surprised me and brought her home... 

you better believe I was on her back before long...

fabulous....

We also went to my cousins, daughters first birthday party and gave pony rides...

by this lady... isn't she a peach!

So those were just a few of the many highlights of my weekend... and you better believe i've got quite a few ingenious zucchini eats coming soon!

SO... I have seen on other's blogs that they do little "themes" throughout the week... Well I liked that idea... Like a way to follow a sort of pattern....

I have decided that for the next few weeks, I am going to go by the Alphabet. I am going to start the posts starting with A (of course) and go to Z. Each post will contain a recipe, an exercise/fitness section and a little something about myself... just for fun...

Today starts A!!!

I will begin with the recipe...

A is for AVOCADO

These little guys are amazing, great benefits and delicious... awesome!

Did you know that an Avocado is a fruit?.... sure is, because of its Giant seed!

They are full of good fats and have anti-inflammatory properties. They also contain a significant amount of fiber and POTASSIUM (about twice as much as a banana).

THIS article continues all this information and goes deeper into the many wonderful benefits of Avocados! I eat them all the time.. just can't get enough!

"The EASIEST Guacamole" 

• 1 whole very ripe Avocado
• 2 Tbsp. Salsa
• 1 Tsp. Lemon or Lime juice
• Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel the avocado and mash in a bowl.

 Add the remaining ingredients and mix together well. ENJOY!

Now for fitness :)

A is for ABs!!

I love doing abs..... admittedly though, I probably don't do them as much as I should.... 

But, they are the easiest exercises you can just throw in, anytime of the day!

Having strength in your core is so important... Most important for your posture and supporting your body in general. Something as simple as picking up a grocery bag, or even going for a walk, you need core strength. So, when doing "abs", it really is so important to focus on strength in your entire core, rather than just your abs to get that "6-pack" look... THIS is a great quicky source that explains more deeply what I just said!  

I was going to try and get some pictures of myself doing some of these exercises... but I did not succeed (but that is perfectly fine with me, got some great Google pics instead)

"Just a simple AB/CORE Circuit"

1) Elbow Plank: Hold for 1 Minute 

(SOURCE)

2)  Side Plank: Hold for 1 Minute each side

(SOURCE)

3)  V-Sit: Hold for 30-45 Seconds

(SOURCE)

4)  Bicycle: 25 total alternating sides

Repeat this little Circuit 3-4 times or as many times as you can... and it only takes about 15 minutes max!

and now just a little about me... just for fun

A is for ANIMALS...

As you can tell I am an animal lover!

I grew up on a farm and have ridden horses all my life.

If I had a dollar for every time my mom told us to go help her “unload the groceries” and when we walked outside to find a puppy, kitten, baby bunnies, chicks, ducklings, or you name it, in the back seat of the truck … we would have… well….quite a few dollars, too many to remember at that… which is a lot considering that is not something that happens in every household. 

Growing up on a farm taught me so much about responsibility and strength among other things. I learned about the birds and the bees because we had lots of puppies all the time… and only one boy… he was a sassy pants….

I also learned about preventing the birds and the bees… by attending “take your kid to work day” with my mom… and instead of work, we went to the vet …. to watch this poor little guy lose his… well… masculinity… I watched it …. It wasn't pretty.

I learned about the circle of life from horses getting old, and dogs that didn't much like cats, and rabbits who would eat their babies, and little puppies who just weren't ready for this world.

I learned that you are the least important thing at 3 in the morning, when all you want to do is sleep, and your dog NEEDS to go out NOW. 

I learned that if you don’t take care of messes when they happen, they become a lot more difficult to clean in the long run…. And that lesson was learned in more than one sense.

I gained my physical strength from carrying around 5 gallon buckets of water, throwing bales of hay up into lofts, carrying western style horse saddles (which are not light) around and then throwing them on top of a horse, swinging from the rafters in the barn, and climbing up towers of hay bales just to jump down and do it again.

I could go all day with this. I am so grateful for the way I grew up. Even though half the stuff I just said was more about farms than AAAAAAnimals... but that's okay, whats a farm without animals? Anywho, I can't wait to be able to have animals again and have a LITTLE farm of my own :)....For now though, I love our little apartment, it really is perfect!! 

I hope everyone has a fantastic afternoon... until next time!