Valentine's Day & Other Happenings

I've had a rough couple of weeks, feeling kind of low & overwhelmed. It's like I'm running on a treadmill; constantly moving but really getting nowhere. Our weekdays are jam-packed & our weekends are busting at the seams & it's getting to the point that something has to give. I can't keep up with all the obligations I have & my brain is so saturated that I feel like I can't concentrate & give my all to anything or anyone.

The one thing I've been trying to accept over the past week is that it's absolutely impossible to make everyone in my life happy 100% of the time. I get so consumed with worrying about pleasing everyone that I'm making myself miserable. I wish I could be one of those people that just let confrontations roll of my back or didn't worry about what people thought of me, but it just isn't the case. I am working on it though because I need to start putting myself & my family first. When I'm so consumed with who might be upset with me because I can't be in a million places at once, I end up losing my concentration at work & at home & being generally snippy & probably not the most pleasant person to be around.

Luckily we're planning to spend this coming weekend at my parent's condo at the beach so it'll be a nice chance to have some low-key time with my family. The only way I seem to be able to fully relax is when I'm away from home & the thousands of chores & projects that I can't seem to overlook.



On a sunnier note, we enjoyed a delicious Valentine's Day dinner last night after Cam went to bed.



I made a goat cheese salad with homemade balsamic vinaigrette by whisking together mustard, balsamic vinegar, grated garlic, honey, salt & pepper with EVOO. I didn't measure anything or use a recipe, I just added things until it tasted right. I decided I wanted to "crust" the goat cheese so I blended pecans, salt & pepper in the food processor until it was a fine, crumbly texture & pressed the goat cheese into the nut mixture. It was tasty as all heck!



The main course was a shrimp linguine that was absolutely divine! I don't often use the word divine, so you know I must be serious about the tastiness of this dish. Click here for the recipe. Not only was it yummy, but very quick & easy & most of the ingredients we had on hand.

In other news, Cam has been doing wonderfully with potty training. We've been sending him to school in his undies & he stays in them all day long & has had zero accidents (at school) since Friday. After school today he peed on the potty twice & pooped once & I was so proud of him that I danced around the living room!

Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!