Rise and shine!!! Trust me. I know it’s hard on a Monday morning. I’m feeling the pain of that statement right along with you. I even decided to sleep in an extra hour later than normal because I couldn’t peel my eyelids open.

Likely because I had such a fun-filled, but a little tiring, weekend. You already know that I ran a 15K race. Now, let me fill you in on the rest!

I didn’t get any rest after my race Saturday. But I didn’t mind! We had a fair to visit!

The reason why I love the fall so much is easily because of the many traditions and activities we do together this time of year. This weekend kicked it all of with the annual fair in our area.

Last year, I was pregnant and Makenzie was so much smaller, so we had big hopes of lots of excitement at this year’s fair. And it (mostly) lived up to it!

You should have heard the excitement in her voice!!

Our first order of business though?

We held off on an afternoon snack because we knew we would have to pick up one of these at the fair. Since it was already 4 o’clock by the time we got there, Peter and I were both hungry and ready to partake in our once a year maze of fried dough.

And now I wish you could have heard the excitement in Peter’s voice.

Once we shared that part of our little family tradition, we then got started on all the rides. Our first attempt at rides almost resulted in a meltdown. I thought my little M had reached 36 inches tall by now…but apparently not. She was not thrilled when told she couldn’t ride the kid train.

We diverted the crisis by finding all of the 30 inch tall rides and the ones she could ride with a parent. I think we made out well.

 

Poor baby B had to chill on the sidelines for it all.

He didn’t seem to mind too much. Peter says he is going to be an engineer with how interested he was in all the machines.

 

He had a taste of freedom at the end of all the ride fun. We spent our last bit of time at the fair, perusing the sights and displays.

There were some interesting ones. Do you think I should have picked up some filet mignon and lobster for dinner at the fair?

Or how about feather hair extensions?

They did have some good finds, though.

And I seriously wanted to give this little activity a try!

That would be people in blown up balls. On water. Bumping into each other. It’s like water bumper cars but in a bubble! How cool is that?!

Needless to say, we had a GREAT time. I think the overabundance of pictures can tell you that. I know I just picture loaded you. Allow me one more, though. I just love this one of Makenzie and I getting off a ride too much.

I don’t know why…just feels like it captures one of those special mother-daughter moments so well. Now, I can’t wait to take her to Disney World!!! Although, the kid has to grow a good 6” first.

I hope you all had an amazing weekend as well! And here’s to making it a great week ahead. Have a good one.

• Do you have a special tradition food you get only at certain events?
• Do you like riding rides? Low-key ones? Rollercoasters? Spinning ones?

I wanted to first say thank you again for your continued support of the Stuffed With Emptiness series. It’s a tough one to write (especially today’s), but it always feels so worth it once it’s out there and I hear your response. Thank you.

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Today started out like any other Thursday. I woke up early and wrote my morning blog post. I ate a banana. I went to the gym and ran four miles on the treadmill. I came home and ate more (surprise surprise) pumpkin oats for breakfast.

Things continued in typical fashion through lunch time. You know what Thursday means – family lunch day with Peter at the park!

Today Peter’s work served up the typical sandwich and chips fare.

I picked a sandwich that had a sort of peppered turkey, ham, and pepperoni with pepperjack cheese, then added some tomato, lettuce, and dijon mustard.

Peter also grabbed two bags of my favorite chip flavors for us to share. Cheddar Sun Chips and traditional Salt ‘N Vinegar.

May not have been as good a meal as last week, but the food isn’t the most important part. I will happily eat a sub-par meal in exchange for some family time and our little tradition.

Although, you do all know how if a meal doesn’t satisfy me fully I get a little hankering going on a bit later into the day. This means my Thursday afternoon snack called for something a little different. Something a little more exciting.

I brought home a cookie that came with lunch and felt like having a cozy little treat. Out of nowhere I got struck with an idea that I knew I needed to satisfy.

Pumpkin hot chocolate. Pumpkin hot chocolate. Pumpkin hot chocolate.

And at that moment, today earned the title of “Not Your Typical Thursday”.

To make the pumpkin hot chocolate I simply whisked together the following ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (to taste)

Then I sweetened it up with a bit of Nunaturals stevia drops. I wish I had some whipped cream! It would have taken this already good mix to a whole new level.

If you like pumpkin and chocolate, you must make this!

I think I’m feeling another cup for dessert tonight. But first – dinner! Time to eat! I will see you in the morning with a fun post.

• Do you like chips? What’s your favorite? If not, what’s your favorite salty snack?
• What’s part of your typical Thursday?