CrossFit For The Kiddos...A B-Day Gift Idea

While we were out of the country, our sweet nephew Casey, had his 3rd birthday. I'm not 
sure how time went that fast, but it apparently has! That also means I'm three years older and 
wiser too, right? I'll tell you what though...it was so hard to be away from those kiddos 
and only be able to watch them grow up via FaceTime. On the other hand, it's also hilarious 
watching them wonder "why in the world are Aunt Dori & Uncle Ty on the computer 
screen?" They sure got a kick out of it!

Since we knew we'd be gone over his birthday, we prepared a mini scavenger hunt 
with CrossFit themed gifts for him. Check out the "how-to's" below each photo!

CrossFit Kids Birthday Gifts

*CF themed shirts

*a new pair of workout shorts and socks 

*a homemade kids CF box 

*a homemade barbell with "weights"

*a purchased version of a kettlebell. 

Check out Ty's craftiness as he made majority of the birthday gifts! And can I just tell you

how amazing my husband is...his craftiness, finding all the time to make this amongst

everything we had to do before we left on our trip, and his love for our niece and nephew.

Purchased here at Amazon

CrossFit Kids Barbell:

*PVC pipe cut to size

*material cut into weight-like shapes

*cut holes in the center of your material and squeeze the pipe into the holes for a snug fit

CrossFit Kids Box:

*get plywood in the scrap section at Home Depot (got it for $1.48!)

*cut the plywood down to get the box a size close to 10x12x15

*nail all the sides together

*have a kid test it out!

Homemade Tees:

*1 pack of tees, size accordingly

*stencils OR your best drawing ability (I use stencils, Ty used his ability)

*your choice of wording...here are a few of our examples

The front says 3, 2, 1 and the backside says GO! 

(in case you couldn't read)

The letters are for our gym we go to with Mike & Allison. Figured Casey should

have a t-shirt just like the rest of us, right?

Get creative...we used part of Casey's name in there as he'll have his own

gym at home. If you're interested in joining his gym, you'll have to ask him about it!

And of course...beast mode! We couldn't help ourselves especially

knowing a three year old would be wearing it.

Can't believe you're 3, dude. We love you!

♡The Stanleys

3 Things I Wish To Never Do Again

Yesterday was great and ended in an unforgettable way...it started with a good workout, 

checked off all the things on my to-do list, had lunch with friends at Mint Tea, tandem 

biked down the waterfront with Ty, and then, well then it went downhill. 

Quickly.

I thought, 'what a great idea it would be to go on a nice jog and look around at houses for 

sale in the area.' In fact, I'm pretty sure I said that to myself. No joke. I took off and 

that became problem number one:

*stepping in tar!

I thought it was smarter to avoid the road paving, the traffic at the light, and having to wait for 

them to let me cross the street. So instead what do I do...I cross the street on my own, away

 from where the workers and cars are thinking I'd outsmart them. As I was in the middle of 

the road, I began to realize I went straight through the new asphalt/tar. Sure made for one 

sticky run from there on out. Lesson learned...cross where you're suppose to cross.

I made my way through the neighborhood and awkward moment number two happened:

*getting hollered at by high schoolers

Mainly it was just embarrassing in the social situation with people around with young fellas 

yelling out at me. Those hey baby, gorgeous, get at me type of hollers aren't really my thing. 

And on many levels, in fact. The upside to it is that it made me feel like I'd never aged a day. 

Definitely got those genes from my mama. The weird side is that, do I seriously look like 

I'm in high school still? And even more so,  those boys didn't realize is that I was 

definitely not their age and that I definitely go home to do fun stuff like blog, 

cook, and clean. Probably not their idea of fun.

And back to the running...I was feeling alright for the first part, then it hit me. And we all 

know what that means. Or at least you should by now if you've read any other of my stories.

 Well this time, I was out of luck. I was nowhere near a bathroom and I knew I was not going 

to make it those short 11 blocks back home (pathetic, right?). Trust me, it's happened 

before with only 2 blocks to go. It's an awful feeling. Anyway, I've gotten away 

with using all other toilets in the Portland/Vancouver area and I had always 

dreamed of this moment happening once in my life. It just happened:

*used a random person's bathroom in the neighborhood!

For most people, probably something embarrassing to do. I've just had awful thoughts of 

having it happen in the wrong part of town. I was fortunate enough to have met a lovely 

gal and even have a long conversation after I came out of her house. I'll be honest, it was nice 

but it was also an awkward conversation considering the terms we met on. There's many

of you out there who have had that "what if" thought of having to knock on someone's door

to use their toilet. Don't tell me you haven't because I know there are at least a few of you!

It was quite an eventful evening and it all went down within a 45 minutes time frame. 

Lucky me, right? Next time I wish to never have to do any of them again! 

And on that awesome bathroom issue note (that none of you probably wished to hear about), 

we look forward to sharing our next few blog posts with you about Northern Thailand, 

a recipe, and a birthday gift idea! Until then...

♡The Stanleys

Fall Apart Mini Paleo Peach Pies

So I've been phoneless for 4 days. Awesome, right? It's a weird feeling when your 
purse is that much lighter and to never have to worry that I've left it somewhere 
considering where it landed I won't be getting it back...those things don't float 
I'll tell ya that much! It was just a smooth sailing down to the bottom of the 
Columbia River. Somehow I keep thinking I'm not meant to have a smart phone. 
Or maybe I'm suppose to keep using the good ol' 'crackberry' until that thing truly 
dies on me. Hopefully that's not the case so on that note, who has an 
iPhone they want to sell me??

Until the day I get another phone, give this recipe a whirl!
....
This was not meant to be a 'fall apart' pie by any means nor does it fall apart 

because I have that sort of touch to making pies. It literally just fell apart when I 
would move the cooked pie from the mini pie maker to the plate. Nothing other 

than that. Sure made it easy to find a name for them!

But on another note, they were yummy! The outside had a nice crunch to them 

while the inside cooked just right with a good tender texture of pie crust mixed with 

peach pie filling. And when a scoop of plain coconut or vanilla coconut ice 

cream tops it off, you've got heaven in a bowl!

Here's what we did to make these little guys:

*Peach Pie Filling

4-5 peaches, chopped up nicely (I left the skin on as well)

1/2 C coconut palm sugar
3 tbsp arrowroot powder

pinch of nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

Mix ingredients in a medium sized bowl, place in fridge, and allow to sit 

while you make the crust.

*Elana's Pantry Pie Crust

2 C almond flour

1/8 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 egg

Place the almond flour and salt in a food processor and mix briefly. Add the oil and egg.

Pulse until it turns into a dough ball. Press your dough into your mini pie maker

or if you want to make it easy on yourself, make one big pie. Use a 9-inch pie dish

if you decide on making just one big pie. Otherwise it will make up to 4 mini pies 

depending on how thick you want your crust.

Once you've got your crust in it's right spot, add your paleo peach pie filling to each 

mini pie or the one large pie. Cover each pie with a thin layer of the dough. 

Bake accordingly per the directions of your mini pie maker or bake until the edges 
start to brown on the big pie. (Side note: the almond flour crust may cookie 
differently in a pie maker, so it's something you'll have to test out on yours!) 
Once complete, let it cool down a bit. Serve on its own or 
with some Bliss coconut or vanila ice cream. Either way is tasty!

Looking for a mini pie maker?

Breville mini pie maker...
heavy duty, cooks pies extremely well, and makes for an easy clean up!
Ours is from Williams & Sonoma, but check out all online options.

You've got to love summer, peaches, and some tasty pies all at once!

♥The Stanleys

All Natural Lip Balm

So I'm on this kick. And I get on kicks every so often. I'm calling it the "all natural" kick. It 

started when I didn't use a straightener, curling iron, or hair dryer for the 6 weeks when we 

were gone. That turned into..."how long can I go without using any of the above?" So far we've 

been home for nearly 3 weeks and I still have yet to use anything! By no means is it some life 

goal of anybody's, but for the moment I've turned it into my goal. It saves time, money 

indirectly (I use less electricity), and my hair itself. Really cool or
really stupid, I'm not sure which yet!

Then there's the all natural lip balm...

but I'll be honest, I can't take credit for these. My amazing mama put her time into making these 

cute little all natural lip balms for favors at Kari's shower. We like to call them paleo lip 

balms, but can lip balms even be considered paleo? I don't even know but I like to think so.

We all know how I like quick and easy projects right? Well, my mom said these lip balms 

were just that! Now you can either go buy all the stuff or you can use the ton I have 

left in my basement. Either way works. But trust me, I have lip balm ingredients for days!

Ingredients

3/4C + 1 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp beeswax (white or yellow)

1 capsule vitamin (opened and squeezed out)

25 all natural scented oils, any flavors/scents

1 oz. containers, any type (look on google for them)

dropper

washitape (optional)

labels (optional)

1-3 glass containers (microwave safe), depending on if you want multiple flavors

I purchased the ingredients from this website:

http://www.bulkapothecary.com

Instructions

Place the coconut oil and beeswax into your microwave-safe glass container. Heat on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between with a plastic straw until the beeswax melts completely.

At this point you need to decide if you're doing one or more flavors. If you plan on doing

more than one, you will need to separate out the oil-wax mixture into other glass

containers. Add the flavors you want to each mixture, stir well, then pour into

your jars, tins, or tubes. Let it cool completely. Then decorate and label

as you wish! As quick and simple as that!

Now that they are in tins, you can place them on a fun piece of paper to give away as

party favors OR you can decorate/label the containers and give them away as you wish.

♡Cori & my mom!

A Colorful Shower For a Color-Loving Bride!

One of my best friends is getting married and for those of you who know me, most likely 

know Kari. We've gone hand in hand throughout our lives with attending schools 

together, playing sports together, and now we work together. Not too many people can say 

they've shared that much with their best friend or at least that's my assumption. 

I could be way off and that's fine too.

Anyway, this last weekend we celebrated her bachelorette weekend at the beach and then 

had a little shower on Sunday back in Portland. I have to admit, I stole this shower idea 

from a website I found on Google but threw in my own touches here and there. The bright 

colors were chosen because Kari has always loved bright colors...yellows, oranges, you 

name it. The other reason for the yarn is that Kari's grandma taught her to crochet 

before she recently passed away. It was just perfect to tie everything together. 

Here are some photos and all the "how to's" for the crafty!

Welcome Table:

Welcome the bride and her guests with a little decor right outside the door!

*use the invitation that were sent out for the shower

*add a photo of the couple (let the bride take all the photos home with her)

*bring in the decor used in the rest of the house (yarn "knots")

*throw in one more piece of decor the bride can use later...a handmade wreath!

Not pictured: entry table inside the house

*this table will have the thank you cards and envelopes for the guests

to address to save the bride time later when she writes the thank you notes!

Living Room Table:

Utilize some of the yarn to wrap letters and place on a free table in the house.

Displaying more photos of the couple is fun for guests to see what the couple has done

together in their relationship! Throw some of the decor on the table that is

used throughout the house...another vase with the yarn knots acting like flowers!

Drink Station:

*use colorful straws (found at Target) or use washy tape around clear plastic 

cups to give the drinks a little splash of color

*use splashes of colors with kitchen towels if needed (under punch bowls or to pop out other decor)

*we stayed simple and used a white pitcher tied with teal and white wrapped string for 

the water, a punch bowl for lemonade with fresh strawberries, and wine for

an alcoholic beverage. simple, simple simple!

Food Table:

*include your fruits (mixed fruit on kabob sticks), your veggies (hawaiian style paleo coleslaw),

protein (pulled pork), some carbs (hawaiian sweet rolls), and a little snack (dipped pretzels)

*again, photos of the couple. This is thrown for primarily the bride, but it did take two to make it work!

*include a few pieces of decor similar to other tables (vases painted, colorful flower yarn

balls, lemons for the color and different textures, etc)

*make a backdrop (strings cut to size needed, then tied on each dowel...it takes forever, trust me!)

*if you did anything creative at the bachelorette party, add that in as well...we all put on

lipstick, kissed the paper, then signed our lips. It as then framed and placed on the table. So cute!

Utilize your space: a hutch

*make the extra space a dessert bar. Cupcakes, cake, lemon bars, chocolate something or rather, etc.

*if you choose brownies or lemon bars, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to give the

desserts shape OR use the cookie cutter and sprinkle powdered sugar on each square within

the shape of the cookie cutter. It will dress up the dessert a little more than just a square!

*tie the theme together: "knotted in love"...

hence the yarn 'knots', rolls of yarn leftover, the theme saying, the meaning of "knot" in a

frame or whatever word your theme involves

Utilizing space: mantels

*again, find things the bride can reuse...letters and a heart painted the wedding colors.

However, to make it more shower themed dress it up with the colored twine.

That way she can remove the twine and use the letters at the wedding or in her home later.

*bring in other colors and textures by removing candles from the hurricanes and add oranges instead!

 Exit table:

*place the bridal shower favors on this table as the guests leave. That way they won't

forget their gift and thank you note for coming to the shower.

*party favors: all natural/paleo lip balm with the base being coconut oil and beeswax!

(lots of credit to my mom who made tons of these things for the shower)

Thanks for getting married Kari & Russ...

another excuse to throw a party, makes some crafts, and decorate. 

We look forward to the big party and tying the knot in a few weeks!

♥The Stanleys

The CR & Some Good News!

Gah, I get so giddy to go out on the boat. I love the water, the breeze, the sun, the smell, 

and that feeling it gives me when we get out there. We spent all our summers growing up in 

that big stream of the Columbia River water, so after missing out for the last 6 weeks it was the best 

feeling to be back out there. And to top it off Ty and I not only got to spend the time with my 

family but our good friends Nick, Pennie, and Turner!

And best news while we were all having a blast on the river...CURT GOT THE J.O.B!

Although he thought it was his worst interview ever, they called him only a few short hours
after while we were out on the river to offer him the job. He'll be teaching at Parkrose
Middle School starting this fall and we are so happy for him!

Other favorites of the day: 

we got my mom in the water (that's a huge deal) and up on her ski on her first try after not 

skiing for 2 years and then Pennie got up on one ski with no problem after nearly 10 

years! Ty skied on 2 skis, which he said he has never felt so unathletic in his life and nearly 

got up on 1 ski. Let's just say it was a very exciting day for all!

An awesome day in the books...

Columbia River nostalgia, new memories on the river, and a 

great BIG congrats to my bro! We are thrilled!

♡Cor & Ty

50 Years...

One of these days I swear I'll get back to blogging about cooler things like paleo recipes, crafts, 

or activities that are more worthwhile for you all. For now you get to read about really 

interesting things such as the cassette tape. Exciting, I know. Don't pee your pants 

with excitement. Save it for a good laugh or just save it and don't 

pee yourself in general. For everybody's sake. 

On a serious note...we're going to bed before 11pm! Awesome, right? We're looking 

forward to getting back to 930pm. Yes, call us old but we love our sleep! 

What else is old, the cassette tape...I was reading an article in Time magazine last week
and found out that this month celebrates a big anniversary for the cassette tape.
Who would've thought the cassette tape would be such a highlight in life! Weird.

My first tapes were Ace of Base and Amy Grant.
Ty, on the other hand, had MC Hammer.
How cool were we?

What was your first tape? We'd love to hear about them!

Happy 50 years to the cassette tape!