The Real Food Challenge

I love accepting challenges but I have a real hard time seeing them through. The Green Smoothie challenge last year is a great example. That said I still accepted to do this one in February. It's 28 days of eating nourishing real foods, something we are pretty good at doing anyway but I'm hoping this will help remind us to be better at it. I'm especially interested in the kicking the sugar part. I'm hoping to get Sylvia on board with this one as she's in need of an sugar intervention anyway. Anyone know of a sugar's anonymous meeting? :^)
Anyway. I will keep you posted on our progress....or lack there of.
I've also made the move to go to the Y 3-4x a week. I figure it's better for me than prozac and it has a similar effect. I feel so much better about myself and my day when I work out . On my good friend's suggestion I picked 4 class that 'fit' into our 'schedule'. ( we have schedule?) I'm going to look at it like a 4th job that I have to show up for . I'm also still doing my year and day jazz. It was on hold over the holidays but I plan to pick it up full force soon. Oh, and I'm also working on getting my Reiki business back in business. If you feel inclined you're welcome to plaster my website around( I'd appreciate it and do the same for yours if you want!). www.reikiforabundance.com
I'm off to organize the kitchen!

BookMooch

I just found out about the coolest website! It's called BookMooch . You get to swap books with people all around the country. If you send a book to someone you get a credit to use for getting a book from someone else. I'm very excited to try it out as I love to read but hate to spend money on a book. I have a few bookshelves full of books that I keep as refrences or as 'friends' ( you know, the ones that make you feel happy just seeing them there). I also have a quite a few books that I read once and don't plan on reading again. I forsee a new home for them soon!

Random Photos

This is what my twelve year old looked like on her birthday morning.


Delicious Gingerbread cake with Lemon-Lime Icing
Project Day

Good Morning Muffins

Dates, hemp seeds, carrots, lemon zest, oatmeal, oh my!
I threw these together this morning with the help of my assistant.

They turned out so moist and flavorful that I'm going to record the recipe to make again. At least as well as I can remember it. :)

Dry ingredients:
1/2 cup oat
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
a lot of cinnamon
salt

Wet:
1 egg
1/2 cup yogurt(blueberry was good)
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbl maple syrup
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 chopped dates
1/4 raisins
1 banana ripe and mashed
1/4 grated carrot
lemon zest
vanilla

combine....combine.....then combine :) being careful not to over mix dry and wet ingredients
bake for 25 mins in 350 degree preheated oven.

Happy 2010!

I suggest stepping outside of your own way this year and allow for the expansion of your perceived reality. Step away from the mainstream news(what is more poisonous than Fox?) and make up your own! Do your own commentary and fact checking. Allow for weaker personal boundaries and uncomfortable social situations. Accept the kookiness of others and embrace your own ramblings.
Re write your personal history to reflect the person you've chosen to be today.

You won't regret it. Or maybe you will. As always, the choice is up to you.

Introducing.......Ginger!

I've waited all year to find the right dog for our family and Saturday we did. We went to the ARL in search of a Cairn Terrier that was up for adoption. I'd called the night before to make sure she was available and they assured me she was. We ( my mom and her wife,Crayola, Jasper and I) were at the front of the line waiting outside of the ARL the next morning. I went straight to the first staff I could find and asked for the dog, Cocoa.
They searched their database and found that sometime from when I'd called to when they opened today she had been adopted or taken away due to medical reasons. They seriously couldn't tell me which one. While we where waiting to find out about Cocoa, Crayola was scouting the other dogs. She spotted a cute shitzu terrier mix and got us a 'hug' room. Needless to say we loved her and adopted her straight away. We had a list to the universe of criteria for our dog. Small but not to small, not yappy, doesn't shed(much), playful and independent. Ginger fits this bill and then some!
Thank you Crayola! You gave us an awesome gift :)

Gingerbread House

Building a Gingerbread House sounds like a pleasant activity to do with your family, right? Joining in the holiday spirit while creating memories that will last a life time?
Sounds good, count me in!
Costco has had a pre-built all necessary items included ginger bread house on sale for the last month. It kept tempting me by it's pretty colors and promise of ease until I finally gave in and bought it.
We waited until we were all available to help on this great project. With two snowdays last week we agreed to combat a couple hours of cabin fever by decorating the (mostly) pre assembled house. Easy and merry and fun.

Not so much. Sylvia gave up after a few minutes of messing with the icing. Joe did a valiant job assembling the tree and ginger bread men. Though they eventually had to have a few emergency 'surgeries' to re-attach lost limbs. The box's promise of ease and beauty taunted me as I kept looking at it for support and reassurance. Jasper had the most fun as most of the candy was added by him. He was pretty mad though when they all started to slip down the sides in some gingerbread house meets haunted mansion massacre scene. It did take up a couple hours of our time and instead of going all 'Shining' on each other that night we where able to take it out on the box which ended up nicely mutilated by a pair of scissors and a 4 year old's zealous desire to destroy.