Paleo Breakfast: Ham, Eggs, & Sweet Potatoes

The title is not creative. Every so often I can't come up with a good name for the recipe, so it gets 

a title of exactly what it is. It's a paleo breakfast and it's made of ham, eggs, and sweet potatoes.

If you've got something creative to call this thing, let me know. 

I'll edit the blog just for you if the name is that good.

The PBHESP

4 eggs

4 slices of a ham steak

6-8 slices sweet potatoes

1-2 tsp coconut oil

hot sauce, optional

Melt the 1 tsp coconut oil over medium-high heat and place your slices of sweet potatoes

on the pan to cook. On another pan, cook up your ham steaks. Once the sweet potatoes are

cooked, remove from the pan and cover. Place the other teaspoon of coconut oil on

the pan to melt and fry up your eggs. Cook to your preference (over easy or over hard).

Layer the H.E.S.P as you wish, sprinkle with salt and or hot sauce. The end.

3 Great Things

I'll prepare you. None of these have anything to do with each other and are in no particular order. 

Just a few things that were on my mind I thought you all were dying to do know.

ONE

Ty hit 2 home runs in our softball game on Sunday. Great for him, bad for me...it meant I 

didn't stand a chance to hit one myself or it would be considered an out. Good thing I don't
stand a chance to hit one out anyway. Our team put another W in the books with 

some help from 2 great coaches and fans! Go CFE!

#otherteamsdontstandachance

TWO

I started a "new job" last week. I don't know why I put that in quotations, but I just did and I'm
leaving it. Anyway, I'm still a float pool nurse, but I will also be an IV therapy nurse. 

Great thing is that I'm learning new skills placing IVs, changing central lines and ports, and
drawing blood...bad thing was for those first few people that had me to do their IV. They were
good sports. I'll leave it at that. Trust me, I will be good. But also trust me that I still need
lots of practice. I'm not perfect even if you once thought I was.

#pokingpeoplefordays #practicemakesperfect

THREE

Well the great thing is I had good intentions on getting to the third thing, but the bad thing is
now that I'm here, I've forgotten the third great thing. So maybe the third thing isn't so good.

#dementiaat27 #yikes

If I think of the other great thing, believe me, I will make sure you know. I really don't want
you all to start believing that I'm forgetful already. What a rough road in life that would be.

That's it for now. We'll be back tomorrow, like it or not.

As always,

♡The Stanleys

Traditions

We all have them. Holiday traditions, that is. But how about a back-to-school tradition?

Ty's been back to school for about 2 weeks now and we thought we'd share what we started

as our new tradition in the Stanley household!

Our new tradition: Go out to a specialty ice cream parlor after the first day back to school!

Don't hesitate, just splurge on something like, let's say...a giant ice cream sundae.

Let's be honest though...

I got it to-go which is weird to get ice cream to go in a box. Like really weird. 

Not sure why I did it, but in the future we'll go and stay at the ice cream parlor.

What's neat right now is that it's just the two of us that can chat about Ty's new classes, the 

upcoming year, and the beginning of the 8th grade football season. But someday, and not soon, 

we can add kids to this tradition. For those of you giving us some grief lately about having 

kids...you'll have to continue to wait!

But for the rest of you...

rather than celebrating the last day of summer or the day before going back to school, think of a 

fun idea your kids would like to do after the first day of school. Not only will it be a fun activity 

for the whole family to do something together, but it will open those communication doors 

between parents and kids (the older they get, the harder this will become so I hear). 

How about some ice cream, maybe a bike ride, or one of their favorite activities?

Give it some thought and give it a try!

♥The Stanleys

Southern Laos: Pakse & Champasak

I've said it time and time again...Laos is just amazing. We look through these photos and

not only miss so much about the country, but also become inspired. Inspired to live as simply 

as possible, just as the people here do. Inspired to do good to others who are less fortunate. 

Inspired to continue seeing the world and all it has to offer. It's crazy how a trip to see

this country and get to know the culture can have so much inspiration, right?

The initial plan was to go to 4,000 Islands but due to a little mishap in getting there, we

missed the last bus. Instead we paid a tuk tuk driver to take us out to a rural area, 

which of course is right up our alley! Champasak it was and here you have it.

How to enjoy a non-touristy area and have plenty of time to relax:

*Take a bus (cheapest way) or tuk tuk to Champasak

you'll quickly see how rural you get from Pakse to the land of one main

dirt road and very few places to go. The tuk tuk will allow you to see more of the land

and capture photos while you drive as the bus would not allow for good photos

and all the fresh air!

this is where you hang out of the tuk tuk. Be sure to hold on so you don't go flying out!

*Stay at Anouxa Guesthouse ($12-20 USD) for a cheap bungalow on the river

or Inthira ($25 USD) if you want to splurge. Inthira's restaurant was one of 

our favorite places to eat...we found that it was clean food and no GI issues

while we were there!

*Play cards under your mozzie net during a major storm! 

Why not?

*Wake up to a view of the river, people fishing or boating, and sometimes a major rain storm!

*Enjoy breakfast on the deck over the river (don't worry, it's covered) or head to Inthira's restaurant.

*Visit Champasak Spa

even if you've never had one, now is the time. When you only pay $30-30 USD per person

for a full day of spa treatment, you can't go wrong! We decided to splurge on this

part of our vacation and why not when it goes to a good cause! They are located next door

to Anouxa guesthouse, the owner is a French woman, and their intentions are to provide

Laos people with a good job, good working hours (not overworked and not underpaid), 

and especially making it non-sexual as other massage and spa places do in SE Asia.

Between each service you'll get to sit in the garden, looking out over the river and

enjoying small cups of wonderful tea and fresh fruit. Can't go wrong here and what a 

great cause to give to all while you get time to relax in the middle of your backpacking trip!

*Rent bikes from your guesthouse

take to the dirt & gravel road until it dead ends at the 

'mini Angkor Wat' aka Wat Phou

All the ruins are left here at Wat Phou, some held together a little better than others 

but many pieces are scattered on the grounds

*pay close attention to the way of life!

simple living at its finest here in Southern Laos

the local "gas station"

*Stop to see how rice paper and rice noodles are made

There's a couple that lives off the dirt/gravel road and although he does not speak

English, he is willing to point and show you the process as he did for us.

Now tell me that's not inspiring...how hard these people work in those rice fields in the scorching

sun, making rice paper and rice noodles from scratch, biking or walking everywhere, and

living in conditions none of us will ever experience in our lives. These people were all so kind

and never without a wave or a smile as we rode by their homes. And those kids, you would

never expect so many of them to be so excited to see new faces and people running to the front 

of the house and yelling out one of the only English words they knew..."Hello!"

Some of this doesn't look "beautiful" by our standards, but this country has beauty written all

over it. It will continue to amaze you in all parts of the country. If you're intending on

heading that directions, have a wonderful trip. If not, we still suggest you try to find 

a way to get to Laos!

Thanks for sharing your beauty, Laos.

♥The Stanleys