I hope you think of me.

While most songs from the Debut album take me back to the teenage angst and feelings of longing that are unique to the high school experience, Tim McGraw withstands the test of time and seems just as relevant to Mallory at age 33 as it was to Mallory at age 16. I relate to the themes of Tim McGraw now as much as I ever did. For me it really captures the human need to mean something to the people that come in and out of our lives. Each phase of life brings in new people and the transitions between phases can mean people who meant a lot to us at one point are gone. A childhood best friend, a first love, a college roommate, these are the people we share BFF bracelets with, risk everything to hold hands with, stay up til midnight sharing stories and secrets and laughter with. Because of time and space these relationships can fade until one day you realize they are so far in the past, and potentially gone forever. All these people who were so important to a developmental stage of your life become people you realize you may never see or talk to again. Even if you did connect now, could it be in the same way as it was before? The relationships that we had were so specific to where we were, and as time marches on we cannot return to what was. Sometimes that makes me feel so sad.

It's nice to believe that my existence in someone else's life was meaningful. I hope that our connection transcends the time and space that has since separated us.

We spent a beautiful weekend in May hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim from the North Kaibab Trail to the Bright angel Trail. I got roped into the whole event by my brother, aunt, and husband who wanted to make the trip. My aunt and brother had done it multiple times before, but Daniel and I were first timers. 

My honest opinion on the whole trip, it was more difficult than I imagined, but also so much more beautiful than I thought it would be. The whole trip down the North Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch was beautiful, especially in the early morning light. The walls of the canyon were so vibrant and there were so many beautiful plants, I definitely thought it would be more of a desert feel. The trip up the Bright Angel Trail was difficult, but also really beautiful. 

I feel like were were pretty well prepared, having regularly exercised extra so we could be prepared for the trip. We also were well prepared with water and food thanks to the suggestions of those that went before. It was nice to go in mid-may because it did get pretty hot in the afternoon, but it was also not too bad, it definitely could have been so much worse. 

Alright here are the pictures to prove the journey. I'm so glad I did it when I did. It was an awesome experience!

Early in the morning down the North Kaibab Trail. These first few hours of the day were my absolute favorite! It was cool, the morning light was beautiful, and it was all downhill!

Stopping at the first bridge.

The beautiful view we had for hours!

We basically got to this point where were just walking back and forth up the canyon wall. It was tough.

I have two daughters, so many of these books tend to lean more girly, but some of them are just right for boys and girls alike. I read these books aloud to my daughter some starting when she was almost three. Now she reads them all by herself. I'd say these books are great from age 3-8. I'll share them in order of when I would introduce them from easiest or lowest grade level to more advanced. I hope you love these books as much as I do. 

Want to shop all of my first chapter book recommendations in one place? I've put all of my favorites together in my Amazon Storefront.

Mercy Watson | I love the Mercy Watson books. There are six of them and they are delightful stories about a pet pig and his adventures living in a subdivision with Mr. and Mrs. Watson. I have read these books so many times with my daughter. We have laughed together at the silliness. I remember the summer we got these books my daughter was almost three and we were driving across the country for a family reunion. We read these books over and over again in the car during those 72 hours. It kept us both quite entertained. Highly recommend this book when you want to read something in between picture books and chapter books. The chapters are short and colorfully illustrated.

The Adventures of Sophie Mouse Books 1-4 | Books 5-8 | These books I read aloud to my daughter just before she turned three as well. The main character Sophie Mouse has lots of adventures in Pine Needle Grove with her best friends Hattie and Owen. The characters are kind and always seem to be able to solve their problems and overcome their challenges. I love this series and am always looking forward to the next book since the author is continuing to write for this series.

Anne Arrives & Anne's Kindred Spirits | Since Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite books, I knew this adaptation of the book for young readers would be something I would love to share with my daughter. It is lovely. These books share the first part of the story of Anne of Green Gables in a child friendly way. Other books are sure to come.

Wellie Wishers | I have been very impressed with the American Girl Wellie Wishers books. These books are about a group of friends that work together to create lovely experiences in Aunt Mirandas garden. I love that these girls support one another and do their best to be good friends to each other. I was thankful for this recommendation to add to our home library.

Violet Mackerel | I especially love Violet Mackerel's Natural Habitat, but the whole series is good. I love this little girl because she thinks deeply about the world around her. I think it is a great example to share with my girls, to show them to think a little deeper, to discover more, to understand more. 

Zoey and Sassafras | Zoey is a young scientist with the ability to see magical creatures. Along with her sidekick cat Sassafras she is able to help magical animals in need. I love how this book teaches my daughter about scientific principles while being fun. I also love how Zoey has to try multiple things before she gets it right. It is a great example of perseverance as well as not needing to get everything right the first time.

Mouse Scouts | I love these books about a little mouse scout troop. There are six mice with very different personalities and I love being able to see how they each individually react and overcome when faced with the same challenges and experiences.

Heartwood Hotel | This adorable story about Mona Mouse who finds herself working at the amazing Heartwood hotel in the middle of the forest is probably one of my favorite books to read aloud. I dream of being able to stay in the Heartwood Hotel someday, it is that magical. This place really comes to life. I love each of these four books and all of the characters inside of them.

The Magical Animal Adoption Agency | Another great series book about a little girl named Clover who volunteers to help at the Magical Animal Adoption Agency. I love this book because it highlights a girl who feels quite ordinary but actually has a special skill of being able to work with these magical animals. It is lovely to watch her come to understand that about herself.

The Magic Tree House | My daughters have both been obsessed with The Magic Tree House series at some point in their lives. I feel like it is such a good series because kids are able to explore different places in time and space, while following a simple structure and storyline. 

There you have it. These first chapter books and series books are all so good. We have almost all of them in our personal library and read them time and time again. I have loved sharing them all with my first daughter and look forward to the day I get to do it again with my second. 

If you are interested in some of my other favorite book lists you can find more below!

8 Book Club Recommendations For Adults

Halloween Books For Kids | Thanksgiving Books for Kids | Christmas Books for Kids | Valentine Books for Kids

What books do you love to share with your children? I am always looking for good books with good stories and good morals to share, so I'd love it if you left your recommendations below!

Mallory

*Some links in this post are part of the Amazon Associates Program, which means if you purchase from this link, I get a tiny bit of money, but it all adds up so thank you for supporting my family. It means a lot to me!

I love reading affirmations. I love taking affirmations into my meditation. I love the feeling a good affirmations gives me. Today I want to share some of my favorite affirmations. These affirmations feel good to me when I say them. I think that is the most important part of choosing affirmations, do they feel good, do they feel like something you want to be true or can in some way (even a small way) believe to be true. If so they are going to be so much more effective in your life. I hope some of these affirmations will resonate with you and you can use them to elevate your own life.

Health & Wellness

I accept health as the natural state of my being.

Each cell in my body has divine intelligence. I recognize my body as a wondrous and magnificent machine, and I feel privileged to live in it.

Changes can begin in this moment.

I rejoice in who I am. I am a beautiful expression of life, flowing perfectly at all times. I am both powerful and desirable. It is wonderful to be a woman. I love myself and I am fulfilled.

I choose to love life. I am filled with life, energy, and the joy of living!

I am whole, perfect, strong, powerful, loving, harmonious, happy, and unlimited.

I choose to be healthy and free.

I am loved. I am safe. I love my life.

I declare peace and harmony within my and all around me. All is well.

I allow my mind to relax and be at peace.

I easily release that which I no longer need. The past is over and I am free.

Success | Work | Prosperity

My unique creative talents and abilities flow through me and are express in deeply satisfying ways. There are people out there who are always looking for what I have to offer. They find me with ease.

I share what and who I am for I know we are all one in spirit.

Divine intelligence gives me all the ideas I can use. I move forward right now.

Whatever I am guided to do will be a success. I am blessed beyond my fondest dreams.

I am totally open to the abundant flow of prosperity that the universe has to offer. Abundance flows into my life with ease.

My good comes from everywhere and everyone. The world is a safe place. Love is everywhere, people are so friendly, and I always have what I need.

Family

Harmony, joy, beauty, and safety surround me and my family.

Spirituality

I am one with the power that created me, and this power has given me the power to create my own circumstances. The universe totally supports me.

I accept divine guidance and am always safe.

Personal

I welcome miracles into my life. God works miracles everyday.

I trust that something wonderful will happen to me today.

I am expecting to have an amazing year. I expect the miraculous.

In the infinity of life where I am all is perfect, whole and complete.

(Insert your name), I love and accept you exactly as you are.

Mallory

While affirmations are so good on their own, taking affirmations into meditation makes them even more powerful in your life. When you meditate you give yourself the time to truly focus and live in the good feelings that positive affirmations can create. If you want to learn how to make your own amazing meditation practice, I invite you to take my Introduction to Meditation course on youtube. Here you will learn how to take affirmations you love and create a positive and powerful meditation practice perfect for you.

We love a good bowl of soup. This recipe for Tortilla Soup is so easy and so delicious! It is a great way to use up leftover rice. It is quick to put together and easy to double. You can freeze it and warm it up for a later time. It feels like there is nothing you can't do with this delicious soup. 

Eating a healthy whole-food, plant-based and vegan diet means that traveling can be difficult. I love to make this soup when we are traveling or are going to someone else's home. It is easy to put together if we are using someone else's kitchen, or we can make it ahead of time and freeze it to take with us for an easy, filling meal.

Try it out for yourself and let me know if you like it in the comments below!

Tortilla Soup

Serves 4

1 Onion

4 Cups Vegetable Broth

2 Cups Mild Salsa

2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed

20 oz Canned Jackfruit

10 oz Frozen Corn

2 Cups Brown Rice

1-2 t. Cumin

1-2 t. Chili Powder

Toppings

Cilantro

Lime

Avocado

Toasted Corn Torilla Strips

1. Begin by cooking 2 cups of brown rice in a rice cooker or on the stove according to package directions. 

2. Preheat the oven to 400. Thinly slice corn tortillas into strips and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, tossing half way through and watching closely at the end to prevent burning. Remove from oven when nicely browned and set aside.

3. When rice is finished cooking, place a large pot over medium heat on the stove. Chop onion and add to the hot pot. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring sparingly, until the onion starts to become translucent. Add water 1 T at a time as needed to prevent sticking. 

4. Drain the jackfruit and cut off the core. Shred the jackfruit.

5. Add vegetable broth, salsa, black beans, shredded jackfruit, frozen corn, cooked brown rice and spices to the soup. Cook over medium heat until warmed through.

6. Prepare the toppings: dice the avocado, cut a lime in half for juicing, and chop the cilantro.

7. Fill bowls with the soup and enjoy with desired toppings.

If you are looking for more delicious plant based meals to enjoy, I'm sure you will love my Ebooks Earth Fed Family and Whole Plant Foods. Each cookbook is filled with healthy whole-food, plant-based, oil free and vegan recipes that our family loves. 

It is just starting to turn seasons from summer to fall. We have had a full day or two that have given us a preview to the glorious weather that comes with the changing of colors. Each day it gets just a bit cooler, with the final heat of summer hitting us in the middle of the day, but everything fall is becoming more and more attractive to me.

One taste of fall that I love is apples. One autumn when we were living in Pittsburgh we went to a little farm and they had samples of apples of all sorts of varieties. It was just what my dreams are made of. One of my favorite things to do with apples is put them in oatmeal. I like to cook them down with the oatmeal so they are nice and soft. Add some cinnamon and raisins, and it is the coziest breakfast or dessert. 

Here is how I make one of my favorite oatmeal bowls!

Have you ever tried chia seed pudding? It is incredibly tasty and simple to make, just make sure you make it ahead of time so it has the full amount of time to set up. 

When we want to have people over for a meal, we love to make this cherry chocolate chia seed pudding for dessert. It is incredibly easy to put together beforehand, and then when dinner is finished all you need to do is pull it out of the fridge and enjoy.

Give this pudding a try today and let me know what you think about it in the comments below!

Cherry Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

1/2 Cup Chia Seeds

1 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

3 T. Cacao Powder

6 Medjool Dates, pitted and stems removed

1 1/2 Cups pitted cherries, fresh or frozen

1 t. Vanilla Extract

1. Add almond milk, cacao powder, Medjool dates, cherries, and vanilla extract to a blender. Blend until everything is combined nicely and dates are chopped very finely.

2. Measure 1/2 cup of chia seeds into a bowl and mix with blended ingredients. Place in the fridge for 8+ hours to allow the chia seeds to set up like pudding. Enjoy!

If you are looking for more delicious plant based meals to enjoy, I'm sure you will love my Ebooks Earth Fed Family and Whole Plant Foods. Each cookbook is filled with healthy whole-food, plant-based, oil free and vegan recipes that our family loves. 

I've shared my favorite Halloween Books, and Thanksgiving Books, so now it is time to share my very favorite Christmas books. One part of Christmas I so look forward to is pulling all of our Christmas books off the shelf and finding a cozy spot to read them together. They are some of my favorite books to read with my little ones.

And there you have it. Each of these books completes Christmas for us. Am I missing any? I know there are some many out there and new ones each year. Let me know if there are any others that are a must have! 

Although lunch is sometimes difficult, it doesn't have to be. We love making these quick and simple fajita quesadillas for lunch for the whole family. If you want to make it super simple you don't even have to make quesadillas, you can just put the refried beans and veggies topping on some cooked brown rice. Either way it is so delicious and satisfying.