Weekend Coffee Share......Come Sit with Me

It's another week of Weekend Coffee Share. I always love everyone's posts. Are you like me and try to visit everyone? It doesn't always happen but I try. I have loved getting to know different bloggers and I figure if they take the time to write a post, I'll find the time to visit, even if it's a week later.

If we were having coffee we'd probably talk about.....

The weather: It has still been beautiful. Chilly in the mornings and evenings, and warming up during the day. The downside is we've had very little rain and wildfires are sparking and growing. Yesterday (Friday) was hazy and a little smoky as we have a few fires within 1-2 hours of us and it was windy which caused us to experience more smoke. My niece who lives 45 minutes from a larger fire sent this picture. I don't think any rain is in the forecast, at least not for the next week, though temperatures are going to drop. The air quality isn't great, though much better than some areas. Today the amount of smoke and haze was much worse. When you go outside you can smell smoke in the air. It bothers my throat and eyes. 

What we're thinking about: I have been thinking a lot about setting intentions. Being more intentional with my time. Working to create habits that will benefit my body, soul and spirit. It's so easy to just go through the days from start to finish and realize at the end of it that it was "just a day". Not that those are bad, but I truly want to make the most of the seconds, minutes and hours I have. We all have the same 24 hours so it's up to me to decide how I'm going to use those 24 hours I'm given. 

What we're thankful for: First responders in all areas. We live in an area that is hit by wildfires every summer and the men and women who respond without a hesitation to keep land, people, and property safe is amazing. Not to mention other first responders like police, EMT's, Doctors, nurses, emergency services like PUD, restoration companies, etc. who do what they can to help in times of emergency and crisis. Today while at the grocery store, a lady a few check stands over was buying a bunch of water and gatorade for firefighters. She lives close to the nearest fire and while her home is at risk (at a level one evac warning) she came down to buy things for those working the fires. 

What we're reading or wanting to read: I'm almost halfway through our bookclub book "One for the blackbird and one for the crow" It's very interesting. I still haven't figured out where the title comes from. Maybe I need to do a little research on the difference between the two birds and maybe I'll see how it parallels to the story. That's the only one I'm reading right now because it's so long, I want to focus and make sure I can get it done. I just checked my Goodreads reading challenge and I'm 7 books behind schedule...I was ahead. So maybe I need to get another one going. 

What we've watched or listened to: I listened to a couple of really good podcast episodes last week. Of course now I can't remember what they were. If I find them, I'll let you know next week. I also listened to a few TED talks about positive aging that were good. 

Around the house: We had our concrete poured for the extended porch, and painted out how the steps will go. I think it'll look nice. Maybe that will be done in the next month. We also found some great pendant lights for over the island. I like how they look. Still trying to figure out wall art, etc. 

The yellow lines are roughly where concrete will be. There will be three steps, the bottom being level with the grass and have a slight "curb. Then we decided to kind of go off at an angle with concrete to make it easier for mowing but it will give a nice space for planters, etc. 

From the kitchen or a restaurant: Have I made anything worth writing about? Not much, but last week when I fed my sourdough starters (I have two in the fridge), I saved the discard and instead of tossing it decided I would start using it in something. I found a recipe for sourdough flatbread and decided to give that a try. Oh my! It was so good and easy. I don't think I'll buy store bought again if I don't have to. I love when I find ways to make some favorites from scratch because it's usually better and way less ingredients which is always a win. These called for: 

2 c flour, 1 c starter, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 c. milk (next time I'm going to try using oat milk or coconut milk and see how it turns out). 

We did have company last weekend and I made one of our favorite meals. Greek marinated chicken and cucumber salad on flatbread. So good. I used store bought flatbread for this and then tried the homemade a few days later. The nice thing about the homemade it was so much lighter and not as heavy feeling. You can find that recipe here. What I love about this recipe is that I can prep everything ahead of time then I just cook the meat right before we eat.

Just missing the pic of chicken which never looks "pretty".

I decided to add the "or a restaurant" in case we tried somewhere new. We did try a new restaurant in Vancouver, Wa last week for my hubby's birthday. It was called Elements and was really good. I loved the atmosphere and the food was great with locally sourced items. I had their ham benedict and a side of greens with a bright vinaigrette dressing.

Favorite quote of the week: This last week our theme for #WQW was on healthy snacks/eating. You can find my full post here.

Favorite photos of the week: 

This guy posing in his soccer uniform...so stinkin cute. 

Need a laugh? How about a dog and a baby in diapers...lol. The dog is in heat. They are a guardian family. It's a lengthy explanation, so you can look it up if you'd like. I had never heard of this before. 

Last Sunday one of my nephews got married. It was a fun afternoon. There were no kids allowed so my SIL stayed home with Indy and Pepper.

Random or not so random things: Today (Saturday) we are heading to my grandsons first little soccer game. He's excited and keeps reminding me and asking if we're coming. I remember when my girls were that age and playing soccer for the first time. It was outdoor and his is indoor but it will be fun to watch. 

I am hoping, praying, hoping that I can meet up with a few bloggers in a few weeks, in Portland. Terri from Second Wind Leisure and Marsha from Always Writes are going to be in the Portland area and are organizing a meet up of bloggers. The plan is to hit the Dahlia Farms in Canby Oregon and then meet for lunch. It's a Thursday and I usually work on that day so I'm hoping to have one of the gals at work take my day. If not, I'll try to see them at some point. I'd hate to have them so close and then not get to see them.  

I still haven't gotten a post written about our vacation. I do have it mostly complete but haven't added photos and it just seems bland because we didn't do a lot of anything so I'm not sure it's worth writing about unless maybe I include more history, etc. We'll see. I suppose it's worth it since this blog is more of a journal of sorts for me. 

We were hoping to go hiking tomorrow (Sunday), but because the winds shifted and we're getting more smoky skies, we probably won't. 

Well, I think I'll wrap up our coffee time for this week. I have a few other things to do and hope to watch a soccer game in a few hours. 

Check out all the other posts on Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie the Explorer. I'm off to go visit some now. #weekendcoffeeshare

With Joy UNquenchable,

Kirstin