Upholding My Own Standards

All in All, I'm a pretty lucky girl. I was raised by two loving parents, enjoyed life with a co-partner, have held on to the same best friends, got the college experience, and now I enjoy life with my very own prince charming. I'm blessed to have been able to pick up, move across the country with love and support, and within 3 months find a very busy but good job. At work I was immediately given lots of responsibilities, and challenges. I'm praised often, and my co-workers seem to think I'm an added benefit to the team. My thoughts on my job vary. Maybe it's because I took a pay cut, or because in any given week, I rarely work 40 hours but typically 50-60 hours, all for what should be 40 hour a week pay. I've seen great success at work, and there is never a dull moment. Yet-- I never leave feeling "full".

You see, I went to college. I worked real hard. I made average grades, and worked towards a sense of independence. I majored in two things that I loved, and created life goals for myself. I first graduated and got a good job, but was rarely happy. Upon leaving that I found something that I loved. By chance and a good friend I began volunteering with an organization and my life changed. 

I felt that full feeling, despite no pay. I felt satisfied, even when hope seemed far away. I felt empowered, by the littlest of actions. And when it was all said and done, I knew it was a passion more than a calling.  

I'm lucky to have a job, to live with someone who loves me, and to have my health among many things. But being type A isn't easy when you feel as if you aren't achieving the goals you have personally set for yourself. It causes you to become frustrated, and unsatisfied with the current situation. 

But I know-- this little light of mine shines, because today I received a phone call that was a mere flicker to my soul. And from that phone call I remembered "your strength humbles me, your stories make me brave, and your hugs continue to embrace me".  Right then I made the decision to re-work my schedule to follow my passion & to uphold my own standards....

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Wreath Monogram Christmas

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Low Sugar, HOMEMADE granola!

Homemade (low sugar) Granola

Next week I’m headed out of town for a few days. I’m taking a red-eye back to the East Coast. My Godfather’s son is getting married, and to me they’ve always been just like cousins. It will be a good time to see everyone including my family. Since both flights are at weird hours I thought it’d be best to pack a snack. I wanted something that wouldn’t melt, wasn’t terribly messy, and didn’t have an odor.

Nick and I have been talking about making granola so I thought this was the perfect time to try making a batch. I searched high and low on the Internet of recipes. Some had things like peanut butter, agave, sugar, cereal, coconut, dried fruit, and other liquid components. I wanted to make something that was on the “ healthier” & “lighter” side. I stumbled across two recipes that had ingredients that I liked and I combined them.

Low Sugar Granola

Bake: 325/350 for 55 minutes total

1^st (350)time: 15 minutes

2^nd(350) time: 20 minutes

3^rd (325)time:20 minutes 
*if your oats are too brown, pull them out of the oven (they will burn!)!

·                     10 cups Old Fashioned Oats (I used 42 ounces of Old Fashioned Oats!) Substitution: If you can’t find old fashion you could use quick oats; they’re finer to cook faster. During baking check to ensure the oats are not burning

·                    ¼ cup ground flaxseed (I use golden most the time)

·                    ¼ cup wheat germ (this is found on the cereal aisle near the oatmeal; hot cereal)

·                    2 tablespoons cinnamon

·                    1 tablespoon ground ginger

·                    ½ teaspoon nutmeg

·                    ¾ cup vegetable oil

·                    4-41/2 cups of nuts any combination will work. (I decided to use what was lingering in the closet… almonds and pecans)

Here is what I used to make 4 ½ cups of nuts/seeds--

§  ¼ cup silvered almonds

§  ¼ cup pecan halves

§  2 cups raw pepitas

§  2 cups raw sunflower seeds

·                    2-3 cups dried fruit any combination will work.

Here is what I used to make 2 cups of dried fruit--

§  1 cup dried cranberries

§  1 cup mixed dried fruit (blueberries, cranberries, and mangoes)

·                   3/4-1 cup honey (you want your mixture to be glistening)

** Optional:  ½-1 teaspoon of fresh orange zest

Step one: combine oats, splenda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger in a large pot. Stir all dry goods together.

 Remember: you *MUST* grind your flax seed!

Step two: line 2-3 baking sheets with tin foil

Step three: mix oil, wheat germ, and flax seed into the oat and spice mixture.

Step four: spread mixture onto lined baking sheets.

Step five: bake for 15 minutes

Step six:::: flip oats with spatula, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Step seven: heat honey in Pyrex measuring cup for approximately 40 seconds in the microwave (until honey is thin). Once honey is removed from microwave zest ½-1 teaspoons of fresh orange zest into honey.

Step eight: once oat mixture is out of the oven, gently pour mixture back into large pot. (Be kind to the tin foil, you will re-use it) Remember to turn off your oven!

Step nine: mix in dried fruit to mixture, and stir.

Step ten: mix nuts and seeds into mixture, and stir.

Step eleven: slowly stir honey into mixture.

Step twelve: spread mixture back onto tin foil covered baking dishes.

Step thirteen: place-baking sheets into the oven, let sit in oven over night.

(Recipe adapted MotherNatureTalks.Com)

Additional Information: I typically now use dried blueberries, dried cranberries, and golden raisins. For nuts I use raw silvered almonds, raw sliced almonds, raw sunflower seeds, raw pepitas, and a little bit of raw pecans. When I am about to get chia seeds I also add those to the mixture.

Enjoy!

For the LOVE of Pumpkin

For the Love of Pumpkin...

         I love pumpkin! I love Everything pumpkin. I am sucker for anything with pumpkin on the label (even though I’m sure it’s really butternut squash, and I’m typically not a fan… or maybe I’ve just convinced myself that!). I love the candles, and decorations, and just the cool weather (well the last 2 days of cool weather, Summer can have the 90 plus degree weather back!!).

         Here are a few recipes I have made and documented. Please enjoy these recipes, and share

Pumpkin Pie Spice- is merely a combination of a few of dry ingredients. Mixing your own can save you about 4-6 dollars! (Simple Delight: Try adding to your favorite cup of coffee!)

Pumpkin Pie Spice:

·      1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·      1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

·      1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·      1/8 teaspoon allspice

Combine all ingredients, and store in an airtight container.

(Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.Com)

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins- This is the easiest recipe, and by far my favorite. Always a crowd pleaser!!You can make these muffins into small loaves as well!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins:

Bake: 325 degrees, 20-25 minutes

·      1 cup Pumpkin Puree or Pumpkin Pie Mix

·      1 spice Cake Mix

·      1 egg

·      1/3 cup of oil

·      1 teaspoon vanilla

·      1 ½ cup Chocolate Chip

Combine all ingredients and bake.

(Recipe adapted from family friend Carol C.)

Pumpkin Cookies with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting:

Bake: 350 degrees, 13-15 minutes

Pumpkin Cookie Ingredients

·      2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

·      1 teaspoon baking soda

·      1 teaspoon baking powder

·      2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

·      ½ teaspoon nutmeg

·      ½ teaspoon salt

·      1 stick of softened butter ( ½ cup)

·      1 cup white sugar or * 1 cup Splenda

·      ½ cup brown sugar or * ¼ cup Splenda brown sugar

·      1 egg

·      1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree

·      1 teaspoon vanilla

·      2 tablespoons ground flax seed

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

·      ¼ cup pumpkin puree

·      4 oz cream cheese

·      ¾ cup powdered sugar

·      ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

* Optional: chopped pecans or walnuts, use to sprinkle on top of frosted cookies!

Pumpkin Cookies:

Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, & salt) * I added an additional dash of pumpkin pie spice

Cream butter and sugars together with mixer. Add pumpkin, vanilla, egg to the butter mixture. Slowly add dry ingredients. Continue to mix at medium speed. Roll dough in to quarter size balls and place on cookie sheet. Cookies should be about 2inches apart so they can properly rise.

Frosting:

Mix powder sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cream cheese, and smaller portion of pumpkin puree

Once cookies have cooled, spread frosting on cookies. For an additional flavor add your favorite chopped nuts on top!

These cookies were wonderful! They’re so moist. I used both granulated Splenda with fiber, and brown sugar Splenda in this recipe. By using Splenda I saved the batch almost 800 calories. In addition the flax seed, Splenda with fiber, and remaining pumpkin in the frosting increased the fiber count drastically! *This batch had approximately 54 grams of fiber!

(Recipe adapted from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen)

I Don't Want To Wait Till Tomorrow To Tell You How I Feel.

It’s 9:30 on Friday morning, and I’m sitting outside listening to the birds’ chirm on top of Matt Nathanson in the background. It is cool outside, the sky is the perfect shade of blue, and there isn’t a cloud in sight.  Had you told me one year ago, that today I’d be sitting in California in the backyard of someone I love so much, I would have laughed. I would have cracked up, and called you crazy.

I’ve been wanting to blog so badly lately. Each time I sit down I have a million thoughts racing through my head, but I can’t seem to get them to the digital piece of paper.  Here is my final attempt to get all of this off my chest. …  … (Forgive my rambles, rants, and disorganized chaos.)

A year… I can’t believe it’s gone. There are so many “ year” marks going on my life, I find it so joyous! I feel like I’ve said that statement, 1 million plus times. I just keep standing awe, but I better get moving before the next year passes me.

In an attempt to say something different that past entries, I’ll start here.

********************************************************************************************

I’m moving… I once thought I’d like to be that independent girl who did it on her own (I’ll always be the girl that made it from scratch.). Who wanted to be “selfish” but only ended up being selfless and rather tired. I use to dream that I’d live alone, and am the epitome of independent, do-it-yourself, woman.  However I realize … those were just were only daydreams, and this is how reality is playing out. 

I’m moving…

I’m not moving to the neighboring city where all the 20 something’s go after they’ve left home. (Whom am I fooling, that’d be too normal!)

I’m not moving to the Big Apple where I once thought I wanted to starve and teach under privileged children. (Whom am I fooling, that’d kill my parents)

I’m not moving to the beach where I run when the world seems to be too much. (No never, that would be to close to understandable)

I’m not moving around the corner to establish my independence from my family. (Ha- that’d be too easy!)

 I’m moving 3,000 miles to be with the love of my life, I’m moving to be with the handsome groomsman who stole my east coast heart, and took it to the west coast.

 I’m moving to C A L I F O R N I A.

This big life change is scheduled to happen after my finals days at the North Carolina shore in mid-late August ( I am announcing that so you can mark it tentatively in your calendars! HA! )

If I kept this post filled with sentimental blurbs, I may lose followers. And since I’m horrible at updating. I’ll bring in the humor.  My boyfriend is great, wonderful, amazing, sexy, intelligent, kind, and funny (go ahead friends, vomit that I’m becoming THAT girl)…. BUT sometimes his sense of style sucks.  You will have to stay tuned as we do a “trading spaces” over the next few months.  We’re going to trade single nick to committed nick.  Transformations include: the industry size kitchen trashcan, the all-natural rock table, the rags to bath towels, and many more!

While I’m preparing to move, forgive me I may get emotional. I may cry over one glass of wine instead of crying over many bottles. To my friends, and followers it’s because of you that I’m in the place I am today. It’s because you stood behind me telling me to seek happiness that I can take this leap of faith. Because you helped me dare to dream, I can now dare to live.

I love each and every one of you. I’ll continue to cherish the moments we have as neighbors. But please know that mileage will not separate our hearts. Please forgive me ahead of time if I tell you this when you're not prepared. Or if you find a card on your door step with smudge marks, it's because I can't let the moment wait till tomorrow to you how much you mean to me. You’ll always be my friends (you'll most likely always know my dark secrets, and know me best), and my door will always be open. And if you find yourself 3 hours ahead of me, lost, confused, over-joyed, scared, ecstatic, or complacent you can call at any hour, our friendship knows no time difference.

Meet me in California.

*I want to finish my first marathon with a smile that is contagious*

*I want to finish my first marathon with a smile that is contagious*

New Years Resolution # 1

is OFFICIALLY DONE!

Thank you for all who believed in me. 

Thank you for all the donations.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

First Day of the New Year

feeling

Thankful

Followed by

…

new

Resolutions

I am thankful. I’m sure I sound like every other person on January 1^st. Either you’ve loved it or you have hated it, none the less a new year is here—even if we’re not all ready for it yet!

Below are the items I’m most thankful for. No specific order, each holds a special spot in making me thankful for a successful year in 2010.

Comfort Zone Camp- Comfort Zone Camp is a non- profit bereavement camp for children 7-17 who have lost a parent or sibling. Camp is 100% free and matches a child with a one on one mentor for an entire weekend. I am honored and humbled to have been matched 7 times in 2010, and to have directly worked with 10 little girls. Because of the strength these children at camp have shown me, I’ll be running my first marathon in a few days. I have raised enough money to send 6 kids to camp ($500- per child to attend camp)!!!  Not only have I learned so much about myself from the children, but from the dedicated volunteers and staff as well.

Reminding myself that there is no time for misery- In May I threw in the towel. I had recognized (10 sizes later, and many cocktails) how miserable I was at my day job. I decided to ditch security, and seek happiness. Because of my courage to leave I believe everything else fell into place.

True friendship knows no distance- I grew up traveling the states. I called home the state before the current one, and never thought I’d settle. I remember crying when I’d say goodbye, and hoping I’d see these people again. Thanks to communication being easier, the pain of the goodbyes seem to never have existed. My girlfriends don’t seem far away at all. This year I experienced weddings, new life, and the honoring of a lost life—all with those that I consider my true friends.

As for the New Year—I’m open for suggestions on how to improve life. Below are some of my lighthearted thoughts.

*I want to finish my first marathon with a smile that is contagious* I want to laugh until the wee hours of the morning, because it doesn’t matter about the time difference*I want to volunteer* I want to hug a child, and whisper  “you’re going to make it” in their little ears* I want to eat dessert for breakfast* I want to inspire those closest to me* I want to whisper I love you, even when I’m mad* I want to be accepted into my a Master’s program* I want to see the world* I want to risk sharing my deepest thoughts with those I love most* I want to make time for friendly e-mails* I want to answer the phone even when I’m busy* I want to stay at the gym after all the New Year’s Resolutions have been dropped* I want to encourage more people to try my vegetarian lifestyle* I want to dare to do the impossible with the blessing of those closest to me.

All of which I’ll try in 2011