Loops and Boxes and Globes

I blog largely to escape the news and my twitter feed and turn inward to the glories of a curly-headed toddler who has a song about all the continents, but to be clear, the most positive spin I can put on my mood for the last few weeks is this:

The deadline to register in Texas is Oct. 9th. Check to see if you're registered here. You might have been registered in the past, but have since been unregistered for some reason or another. Check, verify, and register again if needed. The midterms are one month away and I would like my present to stop looking like a dystopian future.

Moving on. I forgot to post these last time, but there's a temporary, interactive art exhibit in the plaza behind my building and we explored it last Friday night after an impromptu al fresco dinner.

It's a collection of large circles you can sit inside and pump a bar back and forth to make black and white animations of well known fairy tales spin around you.

It was super cool and I loved that it just popped up in our backyard!

It was a gorgeous night and we watched the sun set as we drove the 5 miles home.

On Saturday night we did the Frito Pie pizza we were supposed to have on Friday but couldn't because of the gorgeous weather that required patio margaritas and it was SO GOOD. Go make one today. Store bought crusts (thin! thick crusts won't cook under the chili) and canned chili totally allowed and recommended (and until last Saturday I'd never had canned chili in my life, but you need it to be thick and not watery; I did one can turkey chili + one can ranch style beans). Top with a layer of crushed fritos and dollops of sour cream and it'll blow your mind.

We went to Melt on Magnolia Ave. for the greatest sundae ever afterward. (Scoops of Salted caramel + Apple Pie + Pecan Butterscotch Cake with fresh whipped cream topped with some magical crispy granola-y crumble.) James ate 95% because I'm not a big ice cream person, but my stolen tastes were so incredible I considered coming over to the ice cream dark side.

We bought the kids McDonald's vanilla cones on the way over because they cost 50 cents each and we're cheap and they don't know the difference. All in all, it was a great night in my favorite part of town.

On Sunday we had a great family walk with our little CoraBunny riding her big girl bike the whole way! We've mastered turns and stopping, but still need a little push to start. She is SO PROUD and has maybe finally turned the corner from wanting to jump right back on her beloved scooter after a few back and forths on the bike to actually being excited by it and wanting to ride it even when we aren't strongly suggesting it. Later in the day Claire asked to go with me to my barre class. I told her she could only watch, but she was an enthusiastic +1 with her vintage American Girl doll book (currently devouring the Samantha series) and the last ounces of my chai latte.

Her little face peeked through the window between our lobby and my class and she got a total kick out of seeing me teach (just like I got a kick out of waving at her throughout). I gave her a big hug at the end and she yelled "ew! you're all sweaty!". But with love.

As an update on the last post: mere hours after publishing it, I woke up and ripped the tags off the Stitch Fix jeans and striped top and wore them to work. If it hadn't been 95-freaking-degrees I would have worn the burgundy blazer too. I love them. Thank you for all your comments, I felt your strength and solidarity for great black jeans as I pressed "check out" on the website.

It was casual week to celebrate the fiscal new year and I wore them with my burgundy Saucony's and a necklace I actually got from a Stitch Fix box two years ago and felt very pleased indeed. Even better- on a whim, I listed the green maxi dress on a Stitch Fix b/s/t board and it sold in about 2 minutes. I mailed it off today and now I get to keep my 25% discount, not pay for a dress that wasn't perfect, and keep my other four items guilt free! It was all so fun it's taking all my willpower not to sign up for another box immediately. Who knew not-shopping could be as fun as going shopping?! (Referral link: If you sign up here, you get $25 off!)

And then, fresh from my Stitch Fixed success, I got to wear my ghost leggings for my Thursday night TCU barre class! Huzzah! Ghost legging season is here!

(A friend asked about the set-up for this headstand, so I had James snap a quick video this morning. Once you're up you can hold it forever or use it as a fun variation to mix into your chaturanga.)

Yoga has been such an empowering things for me. I'm still not very flexible, but I can do the strength poses and mastering a new one is a high like no other.

Speaking of highs, Cora is VERY excited to show you her latest school project.

It took days. Punching out the continents.

Gluing everything in the generally geographically correct location.

And then a song! A song so joyfully sung SO MANY TIMES.

I adore preschool.

On to food! We're headed to San Antonio for the day tomorrow and will eat lunch in the car on the way and dinner at my grandparents' retirement community, but here's the plan for the rest of the week after that:

Sunday: Cheesy Cauliflower and Potato Soup, served with sliced meats, cheeses, and crackers. (We were supposed to have this last week, but ended up eating Thai on the couch while watching Season 3 of Man in the High Castle.)

Monday: Chicken Pot Pie

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Vegetable and Beef Barley Soup (I add a bunch of sliced carrots), serve with warm crusty bread.

Wednesday: Southwestern Quinoa and Black Bean Casserole, with chips and tortillas on the side.

Thursday: Out! My barre class is canceled bc TCU has a home game, so I'm going to swim lessons and getting to watch all my kiddos! Then we're getting something to eat out on the town because it's just that kind of crazy mixed up night.

Friday: Pizza night! Maybe more variations on the pesto pizza rolls, maybe calazones, maybe just regular pizzas. Definitely with this dough because it's easy and works every time.

Saturday: Crockpot Chicken and Wild Rice soup, served with warm bread, obviously.

(Btw, this butternut squash pasta from last week was amazing. Highly recommend.)

It may never actually feel like fall, but I'm determined to eat like it anyway!

(Babies' first Starbucks tea; by their attire, you can tell it's freezing outside.)