.30 day journal challenge - almost done! (a little late, i know).

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i know the 30 day challenge has been over for a while . . . and i DID all my pages (except the last 3 . . i think i am just avoiding ending the thing cause i liked it so much)...

so here they are - a little late (and you can see the pencil on some of them because i can't find my gummy eraser- that's how much of a hot mess i am right now).

Journal Prompt 18: Music is one of my most favorite things ever!! It translates emotions that I can't even imagine putting into words. I love it. Today I want you to create a playlist of some kind. It can be your summer playlist, your July playlist, songs from your wedding day, or favorite songs of all time :) This one will be another fun one to look at down the road :)
i picked our wedding soundtrack . . .
1) candle lighting song "the three of us" by ben harper (instrumental)
2) seating of grandmothers, mothers and entrance of groom: "bridge over troubled waters" by simon and garfunkle (i KNOW! big hippie!)
3) entrance of wedding party: "forever" by ben harper
4) entrance of BRIDE (and flowergirls) "songbird" original by fleetwood mac, covered by denison witmer
5) unity candle ceremony: a song written and played for us by our good friend jacob white.
6) recessional: "tonight, tonight" by the smashing pumpkins (we were children of the 90s, i guess)

Journal Prompt 19: Today I want you to create a "guide to your city." What are the must-see things that you would want a visitor to experience in your city. This can guide can be for your city, town, or state. I am really excited to see these and to maybe even use them in my future when traveling!! Have fun with this!!!

i picked my favorite things about providence, RI where i currently live . . . come and visit and we'll do all these things!!

Journal Prompt 20: Here is the age old question, what is in your bag?? This has always been a great photo prompt that i have seen all over the blog world. Today, you are going to write about the contents of YOUR bag, or illustrate it, or take a picture of it, whatever :D
things in my purse: cds (the new she & him and the new jakob dylan), my ipod, pens, lots and lots of change, free drink ticket from a roller derby party, my passport, car charger for my phone, chapstick made by the wonderful neo hippie mama, cortizone cream for my bug bites, natural hand santitizer from whole foods, cell phone, keys, my wallet with the owl on it . . . sunglases . . . more . . .

Journal Prompt 21: What is your most favorite quote? A quote that inspires you, or your mantra. I literally have 4 journals from college filled with quotes that inspire me and make me smile. Today is the day to share your inspiring words with your friends :)
i have a magnet with this quote on it up in my massage studio. i constantly need it to remind me to calm down, breathe and give myself a little grace.


Journal Prompt 22: Today I want to know what your favorite holiday is!! There are soooo many holidays out there and the cool thing is that they differ depending on where you live, your family, and your religion. Teach me all about your favorite holiday and why it's your favorite :)
i never really got to celebrate many holidays growing up . . . just birthdays and christmas and thanksgiving and easter (but with no easter bunny and no baskets! and def NO halloween!) . . . it has a lot to do with my parents and their religious beliefs. but NOW i get to choose for myself and my family what holidays are important to observe, and while the man-friend and i aren't terribly religious at the time being, we do like to follow the marking of the seasons with different celebrations. the man-friend observed lent this year. and i. really. love. advent. i had never even heard of it while growing up. it wasn't something i knew about until maybe the last 4 years or so - but i LOVE birthdays and christmas and the idea of spending an entire MONTH anticipating the arrival of a holiday? fantastic! i love the symbolism behind each candle and the idea of coming together and talking about them as a family. it's sort of like a version of chanukah or something. i really like it. i mean c'mon, i celebrate my birthday for a week if i can get away with it! why not celebrate christmas for a month?


Journal Prompt 23: Today I want you to fill an entire page in your journal with one of the elements of art. As an art teacher, I have to talk about all of the elements of art...daily.
Here they are:
1. Line
2. Color
3. Shape
4. Space
5. Texture
6. Form
i chose space (negative space drawing of the sunglasses) and line to create the space and textures. i like it.

Journal Prompt 24: What is your most favorite place in the world? Is it a country, a town, a room, a secret place that no one else knows about? I know you have one, I want to see it!!
my favorite place . . . i have really been homesick a lot lately. i think it's summer and springtime that are the worst. who am i kidding? i ALWAYS miss home.

Journal Prompt 25: I want you to think about your day today. If you had to describe to me in one word, or one short phrase what would it be?? Us this phrase or word repeatedly on your page, trying out new fonts :)
well it was.

Journal Prompt 26: Today you are going to write out your favorite recipe!! This can be written, illustrated, cut and pasted, something. It is always really good to document these small little pieces of your life. Don't you think?
BEER BREAD!!! try it! so easy and SO GOOD! it really impresses the men for some reason. let me know what you think.


i have 4 more prompts to post and i'll be honest, i haven't done them yet. but i will!!!!


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yep, been homesick, been hot, got the WORST sunburn at beach day #4 yesterday, working a lot, looking forward to a few camping trips, my birthday and a special wedding anniversary next month and then . . . school starts again for the man-friend. how is summer almost over?

got an AWESOME post card from some very special friends today! they wrote a lovely note and picked an AWESOME card - you can't see it, but the rest of the postcard says "stumptown coffee roasters." the most delicious coffee that could ever be roasted comes from these fine people.
it's good to have love in your life, isn't it?

.dinnertime.

having our own garden has been a blast! we got a good, early start on it this year and it is already going strong. we've even started harvesting some leeks, herbs and greens and adding them to our meals.

here's a yummy frittata recipe that we adapted and completely altered from "1000 vegetarian meals" cookbook:

step one: go to the garden and pick your fresh ingredients.

step two: wash your fresh ingredients
step three: begin to boil some sliced potato, while also sauteing up some leeks, garlic, shallot and onion
step four: have the man-friend chop up broccoli while you chop up the rest of the greens and herbs from the garden (bok choi, turnip greens, kale, chard, cilantro). add all these things to the skillet
step five: have the man-friend beat about 5 eggs while you add spices to the veggies (turmeric, garam masala, garlic powder, ginger, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder, etc). mix the veggies in to the egg. drain the potatoes now that they are soft and add them to the egg mix too.
step six: scrape the bottom of the skillet clean and add a little oil. pour mixture into skillet and let it cook until the egg begins to look more like an omlette and less like straight-up liquid.
step seven: grate some cheese over to the top of the frittata (we used swiss!) and then put it under the broiler until cheese is bubbly and egg is cooked through (be sure to use a skillet that can go in the oven or you will melt the handle!! we heart our cast iron skillet).
step eight: let it cool, slice it up and enjoy!!

.beets me.

i found this recipe for a DIY lipgloss made from beet juice, olive oil and powdered sugar! yum!

i think i'll send the man-friend to the farmer's market for some beets while i am at work on saturday so i can try it . . .

.smooth.

remember how i said i was going to make a kefir smoothie? well. i did and it was delicious. so yummy, that i had to share!!!

kefir is a delicious fermented, cultured dairy product. it is sort of like yogurt in a sense because it has live cultures and is super good for your immune system. but it is more of a beverage than yogurt (more liquid of a consistency). read this for more awesome info about kefir, what it is, what it does, and why you should love it.

here's how i made my smothie. a sort of DIY tutorial, if you will.

i started with a blender/juicer and added chopped up organic mango, organic banana and some organic frozen berries.
then i added some flax seed meal {about a TBSP}
flax seed is a great source of fiber and healthy fatty acids. adding a small amount to smoothies is a great way to add fiber to your diet. i also use ground flax seed meal as a substitute for eggs when i am baking for my vegan friends {heat 2-3 TBSP of water with 1 TBSP of flax until it takes on an egg-like consistency. this = one egg}. read this article for more about the awesomeness of flax.
anyway, after adding the flax, i added some local honey {local honey is GREAT for reducing seasonal allergies read this short article for more info on the benefits of local honey} , poured in the kefir and blended it up! it was pretty purple with bits of delicious mango floating in it! the banana and frozen berries gave it a great texture. the honey made it sweet like dessert, but really it was a great big helping of good-for-you fruit and cultured dairy!
remember to compost your fruit and vegetable scraps! {and pay no attention to the dog-hair balled up on my kitchen floor. i sweep EVERY DAY! malamutes are just fur-factories}.

there you have it! my nutritional overdose of information. that smothie was delicious. and served in an alaskan amber pint glass {procured fair and square from the summer i lived in juneau, ak}. my favorite beer, mmmmmm.

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spent the morning working in the massage studio and then ran errands in the FALLING SNOW after all my clients left. hit up the bank, post office, grocery store and . . . urban outfitters and details {a local socks/tights/legwarmers shop . . . they had a winter sale! legwarmers for $6!!!}. urban outfitters is weakness of mine. i got m ward's album "hold time" on vinyl for $4.99!!! yummy. i also picked up some arnica gel and homeopathic tablets . . . roller derby practice made me a little sore last night . . . remind me to tell you about "blood and thunder" sometime. so fun!

.good day to stay in.

spent most of the day curled up on the couch watching old episodes of LOST online with the man-friend. i also spend about 3 hours browsing around on lostpedia. this was either a total waste of time or a fantastic decision. not sure yet. based on all the things i wanted to accomplish today (filing, finishing organizing my new amazing studio space, getting my package in the mail for my sister and the little sprout due next month, etc) it was a horrible choice. it was, however a fantastically windy and rainy day. the perfect kind of day for an after work nap (left the house at 6am for work, arrived home by noon, soup in the crock pot by 12:30, head on the pillow by 1 - woken up by crazy wind shaking the house about an hour and half later) followed by coffee and snuggles on the couch.

also, due to the fact that i was entertained by lostpedia, the man-friend was able to get 3 hours of school work done without my interrupting him.

the man-friend made an AMAZING pizza for dinner tonight (with whole, roasted garlic cloves! yum! cut the top off a head of garlic, set it in a tin foil hug, drizzle with olive oil and leave it in the oven for at least half an hour. scoop out the cloves with a knife. put it on your pizza. or spread them on crackers. so. good.)

i, in turn, made an entire crock pot of soup (kidney beans and garbanzo beans [soaked overnight] veggie broth, onion, sweet potato, gold potato, garlic, coconut milk, curry spices and honey) so that he will have stuff he can just heat up to eat while he keeps studying. he's in the last mad dash for his prelimenary exams for his phd. i am so proud of him! he's put in so much work. he still has so much more to go - but as of thursday next week, he'll have a huge portion of it behind him. he will be what is called ABD (all but dissertation), meaning he will have finished all necessary work to complete his phd except for writing his huge-ass dissertation (which will take years).

anyway, that's how i spent this crazy, rainy, windy day. tomorrow? more early morning work and roller derby practice. maybe i'll finish sorting through my studio in between?

what is your favorite rainy day activity?

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currently listening: fleetwood mac "rumors." never gets old.

.CUPCAKES!.

well, not really cupcakes. i don't really eat a lot of sweets, but i was suuuuper craving cupcakes today . . . i scoured the kitchen and found a hidden box of trader joe's banana bread mix.

so, i pulled out my awesome ceramic muffin tray, my unbleached baking cups and mixed me up some banana bread in the SHAPE of cupcakes.

i'll be making this frosting for the top.

and instead of eating them all myself, i will take them to miss K's birthday tonight.

gotta go get them out of the oven!!!

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p.s. i really do usually make my own banana bread from scratch, but this was a CRAVING! an EMERGENCY! you understand.

.friday fancies.

pretty proud of my outfit today. got this new skirt on clearance for $5 yesterday. yessss.... i only buy things resale or on clearance. i just can't afford to be buying things shiny and brand new and full-price. but anyway, i knew it was a good choice when i was fixin' the hair and the man-friend walks in and says "hey cute girl!" so full of win.

hudson, however, is NOT impressed:
we got him that stuffed duck for christmas and he's already broken the squeaker. now he uses the duck as a pillow. so cute! i LOVE that he doesn't rip the stuffing out of his toys. he is actually really gentle with them. carries them around and grooms them. sort of like they are his babies. he's so special. we love him!

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in other news, i am being punished for making the most kick-ass dinner last night! the man-friend is SO FULL that he is making me WAIT for our friday breakfast outing until he is hungry. it's been . . . 13 hours since we ate dinner? and he's still not hungry?

it WAS a good dinner. i bought some rustic, sourdough olive bread from the local bakery. i sliced it open and topped it with grilled tempeh, swiss cheese (from non-hormone treated cows) and popped it in the oven to get all melty and toasty (both of those adjectives are REAL WORDS dispite what the man-friend might say) . . . when it was finished we topped it with fermented, raw cabbage (kimchi, or saur kraut) - at least an inch thick- and some organic thousand island dressing. put the top on that sandwich and you've got a vegetarian reuben to DIE FOR. pair that with a side salad of baby spinach, pecans and bleu cheese . . . you've got a delicious, nutritious meal . . . and apparently a meal that will cause some people to not be hungry 13 hours later.

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as long as we are talking about fermented foods, here is a great article about the benefits and history of fermented foods. in short, fermented vegetables (in the meal above this includes the tempeh, the kimchi, the cheese, the sourdough bread and possibly the relish in the dressing) are beneficial because of the awesome healthy yeasts, bacterias, flora and fauna that they can add to the delicate ecosystems in our digestive tracts. this helps the food we eat to be more easily digested and it helps our immune systems to ward off any unwelcome visitors.

as i continue to educate myself on the topic i will be able to provide better information. for now, read the article i linked to above and read up on the topic for yourself. i'd love to hear what you have to say!

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so, i hear the man-friend coming up the stairs . . . maybe that means he is FINALLY hungry and we can go to our favorite breakfast restaurant. check it out: julian's.

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oh, one last thing, for those of you who LOVE the fleet foxes, check this out.