Whirlwind.

Our lives have felt like a whirlwind lately.  So much has been going on in such a little time.  It's been a testing of ourselves, but we're doing good!  Here's a lot of updates for you,

first off, this weather?  beautiful!!! mark & i are enjoying it SO much, and realizing that we love fall here more then in nashville!

SO, to my surprise, our tomatoes are ripening and we are eating them!!  This is way exciting to us, because our garden failed pretty bad in all other areas (ha) so we'll take all we can get.  And, we are pretty proud :)

Another thing that has happened in the past couple weeks, was that I lost my job :(  The family i was working for had to unexpectedly relocate to Texas.  I was pretty sad, and will truly miss this little man:

However, throughout all my worrying, I must have forgotten that we have a God who provides, and the VERY NEXT DAY, i got a new job!!!  Doing mainly housework for another family, and occasional childcare for this little cutie:

it's a little stressful right now with trying to incorporate a job with childcare for Owen, but we're making it! :)

Owen also turned 18 months this month.  6 more months til two years old...oh my goodness.  Here is a preview of the pictures we got done.  However, they are ALL on my facebook if you'd like to see the rest:

He is so awesome.  Now weighs 26.5lbs! :)  Doing better with learning more words, and is such a smart little guy too!  All his molars finnnnnnally came in, so the waking up mid-night is slowing down.  However, we just took him to the doc to find a DOUBLE ear infection.  So thats been lovely. ;)

He's been spending some good time with his buddy Riley lately.  Riley is 6 months older then Owen, and is so good to have around!

(mark was pulling them on his longboard.  they LOVED it!)

and lastly...i totally made the homemade lemon bars..and wow..YUM!

(this is just the crust before the filling.  Made of almonds and pecans and eggs!)

yumyum good.

love to all.

The Burkey's

my happy little family.

We've been having a lot of this lately:

and i'm LOVING it!

<3

Down on The Farm

Owen, my mom, and I all took a trip to an Organic farm and meat-market today.  It was a cute little place, with some nice products, But i think Owen's favorite part was all the animals!! There were goats, dogs, cats, and cows too!  Owen took ESPECIALLY kindly, to the kitties!

He did really well giving "nice touches"

:)

Sweet Tooth

My husband has a LARGE sweet tooth...now, after marrying him...I as well, have a LARGE sweet-tooth. This sometimes poses as a problem, as we all know that sweets, in bulk...are NOT good for the body.

I'm always on a hunt to find "sweet" recipes that are GOOD for you.  Sounds like a joke, doesn't it?  Well, i don't find much...besides the occasional "dark chocolate covered strawberry" I don't have a lot of ideas.

WELL, check out this awesome thing i just found.  If you like Lemon Bars, this is FOR YOU!  If you don't...you'll have to find some other dessert that satisfies your sweety tooth AND can double as "healthy!"

I found mine for this week! wahoooo!!

Check it out!

Healthy Lemon Bars

Filling:

3 whole eggs
1/4 cup honey (I found the smaller amount was perfectly sweetened enough – raw honey is your best option)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup coconut oil (I cut back on the coconut oil from the original recipe since it was too strong of a coconut flavor to me. 1/4 cup was perfect! Choice virgin cold pressed unrefined coconut oil for best nutritional value.)

Crust:

1 cup of raw almonds (soaked and dehydrated, if possible)
1 cup of raw pecans (I have used practically any combination of nuts here!)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup of melted virgin coconut oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon sea salt

Filling Directions:

1. Blend the eggs, honey, and lemon juice together in a small sauce pan until thoroughly combined.
2. Turn the heat on to medium high and add coconut oil, mixing regularly until the oil has melted.
3. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and bubbles.
4. Remove from pan and place in a bowl in the refrigerator to cool and thicken further.

Crust Directions:

1. Place nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed. You may have little chunks of nuts, and that is fine.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse again until well combined.
3. Spread over the bottom of a greased 8 x 8 inch pan.
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes in a 400 degree oven, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
5. Cool completely before layering the filling over the top. Return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.

(recipe taken from www.passionatehomemaking.com)  check it out, it's awesome!