on a monday...

a day in the life, that's the the prompt for todays (errr, yesterdays) challenge.  better watch what you ask for...because thirty one (31!) pictures later, well...

obviously, i snapped these with my phone throughout the day.  since i am a nanny, my days change every day, this day depicts a pretty close to normal day for me...see if you can figure out my day, as you progressively look at the pictures...

a day in my life, and this day happened to be monday.  yawn.

p.s. my favorite picture is the one with all the stuff in the passengers seat including a half eaten ice cream. because of course, a backseat seven year old only wanted half and then said, "can you hold this please?" sure kid, let me hold that WHILE I DRIVE...

at least he said please.

do you love my blog redesign?  lisa did it, because she's pretty awesome!

the pantry is clean and so are the brownies. hallelujah!

a month in to eating clean, and i think it might just stick.  it is great to feel like you know exactly what is going into your body and not feeling any guilt for eating anything!  and as you roll your eyes thinking we must be crazy, guys...you can eat anything!  i have made two batches of clean brownies and loved every last bite of them.  and heck yes, we licked that batter bowl clean.  we were like two rabid dogs when the word clean and brownies came out of my mouth and then when i made them and they were good?

fuuuuuugetaboutit.

so most ALL of my recipes are coming from thegraciouspantry.com---she is the genius behind my nonstarving self.
because of her, i have had pizza, brownies, and then the normal clean eating food as well.  so go give tiffany some love.
because well, she's the reason i ain't hungry.  and i've lost fourteen pounds to boot.  {speaking of boots, fall is here, and that means i need some new boots.  camel.  camel boots.  need.}

since we are clean now, we cleaned out the pantry.  see how that works?  clever, huh?
no 'bad" food in da house.  
nothing.  
so how can you "cheat" if all you have is clean food?  
yeah, i know.  stinks.  
up there, that's the before.

i mean, a girls gotta make room for her flax seed and chai seeds, the wheat germ is in the 'frig, don't you worry.  and while i am clean geeking out, i'll tell you this.  we have bee pollen too.  truth.

feels so great to know what is going onto your body.  to know exactly what is going in.  and it's all good for you.  every bite...good. for. you.  amazing.
wanna see what is not clean though?
this.

and since i am so confessing the degree to which the 'frig is a disaster.  i kinda like it.  i think it has personality.
a valentine from my mother in law.  and i mean, isn't it the cutest little thing ever?
a vintage postcard of the ryman auditorium that i got for my mom, that i can't seem to part with.  think it might be a framer.  just call me an indian giver.
and laura.  laura palmer.  who doesn't have her on their 'frig?

so i have showed you the insides of my cabinets, showed you the mess of my 'frig...tell me, what does your 'frig look like?

mess?

clean?

organized chaos?

and while i am writing this, i am waiting for these to come out of the oven.

brad thinks i'm a genius in the kitchen.
and i say "thank you lord and thank you tiffany."

timers going off, gotta go!

pixies at the ryman.

saturday night, the pixies were in nashville at the ryman.

and this is the best my phone could do.

i didn't know what to expect, but it was awesome.

entertaining and fun.

the family wash.

when i first moved to east nashville, i told myself it was temporary.  that i would not like it, but make the most of it.  i was a little aggravated with my previous living situation and was desperate to find something cheaper and something fast.

then my mom performed her minnie pearl act at the ryman.
which meant i saw my cousins wife that i never see except for christmas.
and i then i happened to have an extra ticket to a show that i was going to that night.
so i invited her.
so we chatted the night away and she spent the night.
in our chatter, she just happened to mention that she is related to dolly.
as in parton. (enter jessica freak out.)
and i temporarily freaked out and asked her like thirty times if she was sure.
she was sure.
then i deemed her the coolest person alive and my favorite relative.
but she is really not even related.
still, she is my favorite.
then she mentioned that her BFF had a house in east nashville.
i got scared.
because i lived in belle meade, and i was scared of the east side.
and i was attached to my house.
and i hate change.
but i was desperate.
so we called her, her BFF.
a month later, myself and my stuff moved to east nashville.
and i made a home.
my home.

occasionally, well every week, my new roommate...we'll call her steph...would come downstairs and ask me if i would like to go to the family wash for pint and pie night.

1.  i had never heard of the family wash.
2.  i really didn't understand the concept of pint and pie, but did not want to tell her that i was that uncool.
3.  it's east nashville, i am a west sider, i am not going to like this place.  much less go out and contribute.
4.  i do not drink the al-key-hawl so there really is no need to participate in pint and pie night.
5.  what IS pint and pie?
6.  like apple pie?

fast forward a few months later.

i am now a happy resident of east nashville.
i enjoy this place a lot.
the family wash, especially.

and on tuesdays now, braddstudios and i go to the wash (that's what you call it if you live on the east side and are cool...)
here is what we get:
Baked Brie

with jalapeno cranberry relish, honey and toast (yum, ummmmm)

braddstudios participates in the pint and pie for $10 because he is waaaay cooler than i will ever be.
p.s.  the pie part is Traditional Shepherd's Pie

fresh vegetables, ground lamb and beef, covered with mashed potatoes and sharp cheddar cheese with garlic

last night he added a little steak sauce to his pie at my encouraging.  mainly because i like to play with food and i thought it sounded awesome.  i was right.
i like to get the mixed green salad with quinoa.  i still have a hard time pronouncing that, but am convinced it is addicting, and it has green grapes in the salad.  bonus.

i said all that to say, if you are a resident of nashville, east, south, north, west...you should go to the family wash.  the food is yummy and you will not be disappointed.

and if you invite me, the company will be excellent.

and this is just a few of the randomness that awaits you there.  i think the wash might have a hoarding problem, but hey, who am i to judge.

oh, oh oh...and...
you will never believe what happened to me this past christmas.  after finding out that my cousins wife is my favorite relative AND that she happens to be related to dolly...

she went and gave me free passes to dollywood.  just handed them to me all cool like.  can you even believe that?  i have always wanted to go to dollywood and now it is in my near future, seeing that i have to use the tickets by the end of the year.  AND she gave my two, sooooo that means that i get to drag someone with me.  l.u.c.k.y. them.

go to the wash.  the family wash.  you will not be sorry.

i promise.

cross my heart.
hope to die.
stick a needle in my eye.

okay, i am done.

d-o-n-e.

done.