Sunday, July 29, 2012

birthday life list


here it is.....a truth....
my birthday is in a few days and i intend on making a list of things i haven't done before but that i want to do.......it will be fairly simple things....not a HUGE life list, but it will be a list that makes my life more enriched.....yes there will be things like learn how to play the banjo...but it will be more simple things to start off with like BUY A BANJO...duh...i have "learn how to play banjo" on my life list already, but i've forgotten the main step, which is to have one to play.  first things first right?.....

go to a blues bar.
get a GREAT haircut.
get a massage...a real good LONG, make me cry kind of massage.
find a sunflower field, drive there, and take my picture in it. 

so far that's all i got...but i can do these things within the month....and maybe in within the week!!  like i say folks, life is in the simple things. 

Monday, July 16, 2012

Moods....

Feeling quiet....contemplative....on the search for something....

Monday, July 9, 2012

we are here to be joyful....


no meat update:
i resisted grilled chicken this weekend, and believe you me it smelled divine!! ...but after the initial urge passed i was over it.  one small step for humankind, one giant leap for animals....or something like that.

scarf a day update:
i am behind, but not for long!...thank goodness for huge crochet needles and thick yarn.  also thank goodness for netflix instant play.

what i know to be true:  we MUST try to have as much fun as humanly possible.  we are here to be joyful and to spread joy.  we are here to love life and each other.  it's so simple.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

travel channel and food network had a baby


i have learned that i have immense patience with food and animals....humans?...yeah not so much.   it's not that i *don't* have patience with humans, it's just that i have MUCH more with animals and prepping food.

so, on that note,  i am making Spanakopita....using phyllo dough for the first time ever.  i feel like i'm lightly coating paper with olive oil....and then preparing to cook it.  it feels all sorts of odd.

also,i feel like i should be on a food network show...or travel channel......or maybe travel channel and food network had a baby and TADA, i am it!! i'm making something greek, while listening to cuban, while drinking something mexican, while also drinking something from florida, while using ingredients from italy......it's all too ridiculous :)...ridiculous good. and to top it off...i'm over the top southern.


(to update, i have lost electricity two nights in a row, SO i am one scarf behind on the scarf a day for charity until august 5th - my bday....will catch up this weekend though...and will post scarves i have made as well next week)

Thursday, July 5, 2012

in addition to....i give the gift of giving back for my birthday

in addition to my recent post....

today is exactly one month until my birthday.   starting today, i will be crocheting a scarf (or two) a day to give to charity....my original thought was that i would do 34 scarves by august 5th and then take them to a shelter as a birthday gift to myself....now i'm dreaming bigger than this.  more updates as the next month goes on......i will try to take a picture and post about it every day.  i like the idea of crocheting scarves because not only is it handmade, but it is functional and can keep someone warm in the cold winter.

do you have anyone who might need a scarf?  do you know of a good charity to send to?  do you want to give a scarf away someone you pass by on the street every day?  ......message me or leave a comment and we can make this happen. 

becoming vegetarian...no wait....being vegetarian


i woke up thinking about making a Peach and Blackberry Galette from Pastry Affair.  in my case though, i will be using blueberries since i seemed to have consumed any blackberries i had....within an hour of bringing them home.....as always. 

yesterday i made spicy black bean (and spinach, rice, garlic, cilantro) burgers/patties for me...but i also prepared tilapia for those non vegetarian folks....i about gagged.  now gagging (exaggeration but cringing for sure) is nothing new to me while preparing raw meat...and sometimes even eating cooked meat....but this was something new. i truly wanted no part in preparing this food...even though it's fish that was in freezer, already bought before i quit eating meat...so there was no guilt having bought it for this purpose.   i just truly don't want it anymore.  that's not to say that there won't be another time that meat will be tempting to me....but yesterday was not the time.

so my point being in mentioning the peach and blackberry galette, then mentioning the food i prepared yesterday is that my cravings are changing.....and it fascinates me to see what my body is doing without my consent so to speak.  it even delights me and makes me giggle when i wake up thinking about a galette instead of bacon. (just please don't tempt me with bacon right now....not sure i'm over that temptation)

i am happy these days....i make new recipes, try new foods, constantly pouring over vegetarian websites.....going to the grocery store is now a new adventure....my mindset is different and the old habits are broken with new habits to create.  skipping over the meat aisles make me see the store in a whole new light.    the guilt i have always felt from buying meat is now gone......who knew that it was taking up so much space in who i am?.....ahhh, the power of old habits.

for right now, my intake of cheesy things has gone up....this i hope fades in time.  bread is a staple now which has never been the case for me.  i am not a bread craver....well, i never was.   i find i get hungry way more now.  i also wake up crazy hungry which never used to happen.  i never thought i would be excited to eat my black bean burgers instead of the fish prepared with lemon and butter.  who knew?....and isn't that the exciting part of life?......changing.....becoming someone else all the time....well, that is if we are lucky.....we get closer to OUR truth....the person we hope to be....the person we were meant to be. 

happy day after the 4th folks!  may you set yourself free from whatever holds you back!


Tuesday, July 3, 2012

comparison is the thief of joy


our biggest downfall is comparing who we are to another....comparing our lifestyle to another one....comparing our hair to other hair.....comparing what we drive to what another person drives...comparing our income to another income...comparing our family to another...and the comparisons go on and on.  it's absurd.  we all are so different, yet so many of us think we are supposed to fit into this little ideal package of what life is supposed to look like.  this has NOTHING to do with joy.  this has NOTHING to do with our own free will to see life as something to love not hate.   this has NOTHING to do with choosing to live our day in a kind way.

would i love to have more money? yes.  would i love to drive a great car? yes.  would i love to be able to jet off on some island vacation whenever i want? of course yes.  do i let any of these things hold me back? no.  do i let what my life "lacks" determine my joy? heck no.  do i go about my day seeking out joyful moments? heck yes.  do i choose to make the most of what i have?  double heck yes.   am i determined to keep a positive attitude no matter the circumstances i am in?  duh.

so,  what we own or don't own has no relevance on the joy we choose to experience.   it's a simple as that.