Busy, Busy, Busy… January 23, 2010

I feel like  I pretty much haven’t had a moment of downtime since Sunday….  So happy it is the weekend! I had a great week but I am ready to relax a bit.

This weeks highlights:

~I got a new puppy!

~I got caught up on my school work

~I got to cook dinner for my whole family(11 people and 4 dogs in my not so big apartment)

~I got to be part of throwing a spectacular surprise 70th Birthday Party for my grandma

~I got to drink some homebrewed beer with good friends

~I finished a great book

~I ate some great and healthy food

~I did yoga everyday!

~I picked up job applications!

And now, the Sweetest Things in pictures:

The new lady in my life:

This was a fantastic and healthy pasta dish I made and enjoyed with a glass of wine and the funniest book ever!

My big and my little:

My sister, brother and I actually all got puppies this week. My sister and I got sister pups and my brother got a big dog pup. This is Winnie(my sister’s), Miley(my brother’s) and Bella(mine).

Homemade carrot cake with 70 candles for my grandma’s birthday!

My grandma’s party was a “flower party” because she has everything she would ever want or need. We all just brought flowers and filled her house with them

Cupcakes always make my “Sweetest Things” list and these were phenomenal!

My grandma, cause she is just kinda my favorite person ever!

Plans for this weekend include:

~cleaning my home

~coffee with my best friend Crystal

~relaxing, drinking coffee and reading

~girl’s night at Katie’s

~Sunday brunch

~homework

~cleaning out and organizing my desk

~getting some writing done

~popcorn, movies and games tomorrow night

Have a great weekend everyone!

P.S.~ I just realized my Jess. page needs some serious updating and I will also be doing that this weekend

My Sunday Love Affair. January 17, 2010

As you will quickly learn if you become a regular reader, I am head over heels for Sunday’s– or Lazy Sunday as I more commonly refer to them. For no sort of religious affiliation whatsoever, I see Sunday as a  holy day, a day to rest and renew and prepare for the coming week. I generally will not make definate plans for Sunday but instead choose to just see where the day takes me… I sleep in a little, drink coffee or tea (or this morning chai) and read in bed, do some yoga, make a brunch fit for a queen and just hang out. I often end up going to my mom’s to hang out with my family and have dinner, I do some planning and organizing for the week ahead (something I very much enjoy), I spend the evening in a candlelit bubble bath and end it with a movie. It is so nice to have this day to look forward to every week, it can really get you through the exhaustion when you know you will have a chance for pure relaxation and enjoyment. Despite the last week where I was ill and then celebrating my birthday, I do have actual responsibilities and obligations and it can definately get a little overwhelming at times, but I always know I will get a day to recoup. It takes a little planning and usually a jam packed Saturday to be prepared to be able to just relax on Sunday, but it is well worth it! I treat it as an obligation, and it is, to myself and my happiness.

On to soup:

I made some white bean and veggie soup the other day, and while I think it could be improved a little bit, it was quite tastey. I am horrible at measuring things(meaning I don’t), but I am working on it since I hope to write cookbooks someday. Here is the general  process:

Into the Pot:

~8 cups of Chicken Broth

~3 diced potatoes

~some mushrooms

~a bag of baby carrot

~2 stalks of celery

(I added more veggies than pictured once I put these in the pot and realized I would need more)

Let this simmer a while until the veggies start to soften and then add:

~2-3 cans of white beans(I used Cannelini and Great Northern because that is what I had)

~pepper and garlic

Reduce heat and simmer about a half hour more.

This is when I really wish my immersion blender had not broken because it would have been so. much. easier. I poured the soup(in about 4 batches) into my blender and pureed it and then poured it into a bowl and then back into the pot once the last batch was in the blender and stirred it all together for a yummy, creamy, healthy and flavorful soup! This made a ton so I ate a big bowl, kept enough for a few more bowls out and froze the rest in several quart size freezer bags.

Served in my new favorite bowl with some amazing chewy tuscan garlic bread from Wegman’s

Off to enjoy the rest of my beloved day! I hope you get to do the same!

Life is good. January 15, 2010

My oatmeal bowl told me so.

I made the usual oats this morning:

~1/3 cup each old fashioned oats, skim milk and water

~dash of salt

~a generous amount of cinnamon

and for toppings/mix ins

~3/4 of a medium banana(I cook 1/2 of it in the oats and slice up the rest for the bottom of the bowl)

~1tbls of crushed walnuts

~1tsp dark brown sugar

~1tbls natural peanut butter (kept on the spoon a la Kath)

Plans for the day include:

~grocery shopping!

~going to the newly reopened library

~an afternoon of extravagant lounging with Crystal

~homemade soup for dinner

~coffee and catching up with an old friend that I haven’t seen in awhile

~watching “Across the Universe” and hopefully playing games this evening

30 and Fabulous! January 15, 2010

So, I lied when I said I would be back to post my daily meals. Really, I just didn’t think it out. I was still quite sick and really had no appetite all day so I only ate random bits here and there….Luckily I am feeling much better now. My throat is still a bit sore and itchy and my ears are clogged but I know longer want to spend every minute of the day on the couch… Hoping to be 100% in the next few days (and go grocery shopping) and I will get some food and recipe post up!

Yesterday was my Birthday. I turned 30! People get weird about turning 30 but I have been excited about it for quite sometime. I had a really great time in my 20’s but I am ready to move on to the next chapter in my life. I certainly feel ready for a whole new set of adventures- having children, getting married (I suppose I need to find a partner first lol…), buying a home, opening my business, publishing my books…. I am very excited and inspired by the possibilities this new chapter holds.

I had a great birthday filled with people I love, good food, laughter, gifts, cake, good beer, good conversation and some good old relaxation. It never fails to amaze me how much love I have in my life and it reaffirms what I already knew- I am truly blessed.

Some of the Sweetest Things the past few days:

these super sweet bday pj pants that I got for $3.99 at old navy

Birthday Dinner with My grandma and uncle

3 am birthday cake and ice cream on a cupcake plate

Emma all snuggly in my bed in the morning- cranky I woke her up.

Oatmeal

And some more unpictured things I am grateful for:

- birthday morning visits from josie and crystal

- brunch with leanna and zara

~hanging out with my mama on my birthday

~going out and having good conversations with katie

~brunch with crystal and renee

~a random tj maxx excursion that resulted in some great finds including 2 pairs of jeans for $30 total and a picture for above my bed(which I have been looking for for quite some time) and a great new bowl for oatmeal which will make it’s blog debut soon. I got some other fun stuff but that those were my most exciting finds

~a relaxing evening of eating leftover tacos and watching movies at home

 

 

MIA January 12, 2010

Hey guys!

I have been gone for a few days but nothing much has happened in them. I had my birthday party Saturday night which was fun, but would  have been more fun if I, and 1/3 of my guest list had not been really ill. There is a nasty head and chest virus going around here and everyone I know is getting it. Besides the party, I have spent the last 2 days sleeping. Here are some pictures from the party:

There were another 6-8 people there that seemed to evade my camera in the early part of the evening and it died about half way thru

My actual birthday is tomorrow and I am hoping to be feeling a lot better by then!

I will be back tonight to do a more traditional food blogger  post of “this is what I ate today”

Disconnecting. January 6, 2010

I decided to take yesterday off from the internet. I spend so much time in front of a computer between school, writing, my blog reading obsession and quest to constantly be learning and it is nice to just get away from it every now and again.  I actually didn’t do too much of anything yesterday- went to class, took a great nap, cleaned the house a bit, did some homework and watched netflix until my early bed time.

I am actually not feeling very well today and have been super exhausted despite my night of great sleep. I believe I am getting a little sick, which is just not an option since my 30th birthday party is this weekend. My plan is to just take it easy and relax the next few days- lots of rest, tea and vitamins- so I feel fantastic come Saturday. Unfortunately I was not so good at that today but life is just too fun to sit still sometimes….

Today’s Sweetest Things:

~These gorgeous $.99/bunch flowers from wegman’s (this is 3 bunches)

not sure what that weird line is about….

~starbuck’s date with my best friend

~new perfume

~still laughing at the way my dog bounds thru the snow, even after watching her do it the last 7 winters– i just love it!

~finally having some idea what is going on in my web based marketing class

~half price shopping at the salvation army

~these super great slipper boots I got for Christmas from my mama

~watching the new Harry Potter Movie

I really do want to get some food pictures and recipes up here soon. I intend food to be a big part of this blog, since it is a big part of my life. Hopefully once I am feeling better I can get on track with that, right now I can’t stand the thought of cooking or eating anything

Snow Day!? January 4, 2010

No such luck

When you were young, do you remember going to bed on a snowy night just hoping school would be canceled the next day? I would always have the worst time sleeping and I would wake up super early and turn on the local radio station and sit with my fingers crossed waiting to hear the name of my school. Once you did hear that school was cancelled, you were far too excited to go back to sleep. Well pretty much the same thing happened this morning, but unfortunately, classes were not canceled. Despite the fact that it looks like this outside of my house:

So, I went to class.

After class I went grocery shopping for my birthday festivities this weekend and then I spent the afternoon hanging out with my lovely Grandma. I helped her out around the house and helped her prepare dinner for the family. I love my grandma and pretty much any day spent with her is a good one. I am now full of good food, tired, comfy and happy

Today’s Sweetest Things:
~hanging out with my grandma
~ a delicious dinner of stuffed mushrooms, salad and garlic bread with my family (I even got to bring home my stuffed shells since I was too full to eat them)
~watching Sex and the City and drinking tea to end my day
~this big lover is always a highlight to my day

~fresh produce

On the agenda tomorrow:
~class
~a tea date with Vanessa
~baking something (with lots of pics and recipe for the blog)
~finishing up my birthday party planning
~buying some new books (I am desperate for some good books-any suggestions?)

New Beginnings… January 3, 2010

I love the feeling of possibility that comes with a new year.  Rather than make resolutions per se, I like to take it as a time to reflect on what I have accomplished and where I have grown in the past year and to make a list of things I want to work on in the coming year. Life is a continuous work in progress and while I am quite happy with the life I have, I never want to stop trying to grow and improve myself.

Things I accomplished in 2009:

~started writing more and developed some professional opportunities

~I am 3 terms closer to completing my degree

~maintained good friendships

~developed relationships with my family members

~purged a lot of excess stuff from my home

~made my home 100% my own

~learned how to live with someone else(even if it didn’t work out, I learned a lot)

~gotten a little bit better with money

~started writing my own recipes and experimenting more in the kitchen

~remembered to be grateful for my life almost every single day

~got back in the habit of playing more

Things I want to work on in 2010

~continue to cultivate relationships with friends and family

~continue to develop cooking and baking skills

~develop regular yoga practice

~get a job and stick to a budget

~get rid of even more stuff

~explore new creative outlets

~volunteer more regularly

~be more aware of what is going on in the world

~write the book a friend and I have been talking about for years

~continue learning!

~read vorociously

~find some new music to listen to

~hike more

~grow some vegetables

~learn to bake bread from scratch

~run in a 5k

~Blog regularly

Other things will certainly develop as both the year and I do, but that is what I am working on for right now.

Some of the sweetest things in my life lately:

1. My super awesome neighbor who shovels me a path (many times a day in the current blizzard like weather)

2. Having a slumber party with these cuties

3. Celestial Seasonings Candy Cane Lane Tea

4. Confetti- I just love the stuff and wish it was more appropriate on a daily basis

5. Instant Netflix while being snowed in the house for days!