Heat+Humidity+Bugs=Unfairly Crabby Mommy

ENOUGH with the negativity...I am leaving it behind in the title of this post, and despite my mood, and guilt for a crabby-mommy day I'm gonna focus on some positives going on lately in these parts.

(Although, I will quickly say this- the pest control guy today informed me that the only US state where termites DO NOT live is Alaska- that, plus the cooler temps= Hannah's heaven)

#1

I have been trying a new healthy eating/exercise routine which is pretty motivating (thanks E)!  and with it , a recipe that I finally got around to trying this week that I'd like you share with y'all is these homemade Lara bars- you know- the raw food bars that cost an arm and a leg and are super delicious???? Well- Tracy over at Shutterbean posted this brilliant idea/recipe to make them from scratch....so I did

and they are TO DIE FOR, and packed with raw protein-fiber goodness.  I'm keeping mine in the fridge wrapped in individual wax paper squares.  I used her basic nut/date ratio (x2) and here's what I came up with for a recipe for my Choco Coco Cherry Bars- YUMMMMMY!

2 cups almonds (unsalted raw)
1 cup walnuts
1 lb (or so) pitted dates)
1 cup coconut (organic, unsweetened)
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder

I combined everything in my food processor, and grinded the heck of it- until it was a good consistency- pressed it all into an 8"x8" wax paper-lined baking dish, and stuck it in the fridge till firm.  Then I sliced them up- into about 16-20 chunks (VERY thick), and individually wrapped them in wax paper squares.
#2
 I finished a new painting today.  What do you think?  It might be divine on my gray living room walls...

it sort of reminds me of the very first piece in this series....

#3
another good thing...flowers in bloom.
We have 1 Peony bush and 1 Mountain Laural bush in our front yard- and they are both in full bloom this week- and I for one, am loving it!!!

we spent some time out front today while waiting for a storm, where we had some sibling photo shoot time...

and a favorite performance

("The lion says roar, the cat says fiddle-dee-dee")

and we ended up with a few sprinkles...

Some days it's really hard being a Mommy- and still keeping it together when life is overwhelming.  But as I lay here on their bed- watching them fall asleep- I can only hope that tomorrow I will have more patience (and less humidity) and I realize, that today was really not that bad...and I am so very grateful for my little angels.