Word

To your mother. 

 (source)

(Sorry, I couldn't resist a Vanilla Ice reference.)

Word: 

" a speech sound or series of speech sounds that symbolizes and communicates a meaning usually without being divisible into smaller units capable of independent use"(merriam-webster)

Words are something we very often take for granted. We read, speak, hear and write them on a daily basis. We use words to express our feelings and emotions both good and bad. We use words to describe the beautiful and the horrific. Sometimes, we are at a loss for words. Sometimes, we should be at a loss for words. But how often do you stop and think about the true meaning and implication of the words you put forth? Our brains (and society) are on autopilot most days and spew words without truly digesting and appreciating their meanings. We say things like "Hi, how are you?" to people at the grocery store without missing a beat. Sometimes without even stopping to hear the response. Or "Thanks, you too" as a response to the cheery "Have a great day!" the checkout person threw at you at Target. Word spewing without second thought.

But words have meaning. Often significant meaning. Meaning that deserves a second thought. Meaning that deserves daily thought.

Last year my sister-in-law proposed a new tradition in our family. Each family member was to pick a word to focus on throughout the year. A word we felt that would impact our life in one way or another (She came across the One Little Word idea on this blog if you care to read more). And being the adventurous sort that we are, we obliged. And when we gathered for our annual January Birthdays Dinner, we shared them.

My word for 2010 was Enjoy. Simply put, I wanted to enjoy the heck out of life. I figured it was a safe choice because I generally do enjoy the heck out of life. But i wanted to purposefully focus energy and thought on doing so. And since I was in the midst of "morning" sickness, I was trying to do whatever I could to not focus on the 24/7 puke-fest feeling I had going on. So enjoy, it was. 

And i did. I enjoyed 2010 immensely. Some parts more than others but that's life. But, did I intentionally and purposefully focus my energy and thoughts on that enjoyment? No. To be honest, I forgot what my word was halfway through the year.

This year when we decided to embark on the word challenge again, i was a bit hesitant. I had a list of words but couldn't narrow it down to just one. I really wanted to find a word that I could be successful with. But I couldn't figure out what that "success" should be or look like.

One word kept coming back to me again and again. It was actually the word I had chosen for last year and then forgot about until about March. So I picked it. Or maybe it picked me, I don't know. But i am hoping it is a word that I can focus on, think about and embrace. A word that will inspire me to truly enjoy (ha!) all that I have and all that is. And bring that enjoyment to others. 

So without further ado, I give you, my word. 

Abundance

1: an ample quantity: profusion

2: affluence, wealth

3: relative degree of plentifulness

(merriam-webster)

I am going to focus on the abundance I have in my life.  In all areas of my life I am blessed and more often than not I take it for granted. It is so easy to focus on thoughts and feelings of scarcity or negativity and pretty soon all that I do have is no longer "enough".  I don't know who made the rules as to what is "enough" but they can take their "enough" and shove it.  But not only do I want to focus on my (and my family's) abundance,  I want to create/share abundance in other peoples lives as well.

So there you have it. Nine letters, one word. BIG implications. Endless possibilities.


Care to join us? What is YOUR word for 2011?

PetCakes giveaway ends tonight!

Just a reminder the PetCakes giveaway ends tonight! Right now only TWO people have entered, so odds are good!

These cuties would make a great Valentine's Day surprise for someone!

That would be one heck of a party.

Olive: Mama, do you think Elton John can come to my birthday party?

Me: Hmm. Well, I know he is very busy with his new baby so I am not sure he will be able to make it.
 

Olive: He could bring his baby with! Penny will play with him!

Me: That's a great idea. We'll talk more about it when your birthday gets closer.
 

Olive: Hmm, ok. I'll send him a text. 

So, what do you say Sir Elton? Are you free June 13th?  Text me.

Taste the Rainbow

 A few weeks ago I stumbled across a blog. A simple, humble food/photography/daily life blog that for whatever reason resonated in me. I took some time to go back and read the posts from the beginning and was amazed at how connected I felt to this complete internet stranger. Not to mention, the recipes look fabulous. I am now a follower and am inspired daily by her posts and recipes. 

The blog is Oh She Glows and you should check it out. 

Why?

Because I said so.

Why? 

Because I am the Mommy, that's why. 

Why?

Don't start with me. 

I made this delicious concoction the other day and I HIGHLY recommend that you try it out. So good. And good for you! As always, my adaptations are in blue.

  

Spicy Rainbow Rice and Bean Salad

(adapted from Oh She Glows)  

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
• 1 tbsp oil of your choice
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (I used red onion because that's all I had on hand)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander (did not use)
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (optional)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 green onion, chopped (optional)
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 tbsp Tamari (organic soy sauce) (I used low sodium)
• 1 cup frozen peas (I only used 1/2 c. I am not a big pea fan)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated (I finely chopped a half a bag of baby carrots.)
• 1 tsp Earth Balance (or your butter/margarine of choice), to stir in

Directions: 

1. Cook the basmati rice on the stove top according to the package directions.

2. Chop all vegetables and get all of your ingredients ready before beginning this recipe. (Did this while the rice was cooking)

3. In a large skillet, add the tablespoon of oil over low-medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté on low-medium heat until golden. Add spices, garlic, and optional green onion and sauté on low for a few minutes until the spices begin to bubble slightly. Be careful not to burn.

4. Add in the Tamari sauce and the drained and rinsed black beans and stir well. Heat for about 5 minutes on medium heat.

5. Add the frozen peas, grated carrots, and frozen corn and stir well. Heat on low for another 5 minutes.

6. Stir in the cooked and drained rice and a teaspoon of Earth Balance (or butter).

Enjoy! 

Makes ~ 6 cups

I enjoyed this hot off the stove and also cold the next day for lunch. The flavors definitely develop more that longer it sits. I had it for lunch for several days. Yum, yum.

Sorry my adaptations are in such a small font. Blogger has decided that once I change a font size, it shall remain that size no matter how many times I try to change it. Blast you Blogger, blast you! 

Wordless Wednesday. Er, Thursday.

Back in the Swing of Things

Lately I have been in a rut. A knitting rut. (Yes, I know there are other areas of my life that are in a rut. You don't need to remind me.)

The last time I picked up my knitting to needles was approximately October 2009. I started knitting Olive a sweater. An adorable swing sweater coat called, The Swing Thing.  

But I kept messing up and had to restart it several times (I am not a very seasoned knitter). And then the holidays came and I got busy. And then morning sickness came. And. And. And. You get the drift. 

Needless to say, I never got around to finishing it. And now it would be too small anyway. 

But today I started a quick little knitting project that has got my knitting mojo flowing again. I can't share what it is because it may or may not be a birthday present for someone who may or may not read this blog. I will post pictures next week after the birthday festivities.

So maybe I'll pick up the Swing Thing again. But now it will be for Penelope. Sorry Olive. 

Do you knit? What are you knitting now? 

Wordless Wednesday

I asked, you answered.

Remember a few months ago when I told you I needed something to read? Well, dear readers, I found something. A few things actually, thanks to the suggestions you gave me.

I have recently read:

Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel

Little Bee

Out Stealing Horses

A Reliable Wife

I can honestly say I recommend them all. They are all very well written with well developed characters and intriguing storylines. 

I am currently reading:

The Gentleman Poet

The Eat-Clean Diet

Little Women (One of my all time faves. Reading it on my phone with the Nook app. It's perfect for reading while nursing my very distract-able bebe. Because God forbid I try to interact with her when there is eating to be done. (Her death stare is very convincing.) A girl after my own heart.) 

It feels good to breathe again friends, it feels good.

What are you reading right now? What's on your 'to-read' list?

PetCakes: Review and Giveaway

Recently I was given the opportunity to review PetCakes plush toys thanks to Business2Blogger (Awesome site for matching bloggers with businesses to do product reviews and giveaways). Once I opened up the box and saw the cuteness that are PetCakes, I knew they would be a big hit with a certain toddler in my house.

Here is a little about PetCakes;

"Well Made™ Toy Manufacturing Corporation (www.wellmadetoy.com), introduces PetCakes™ (www.petcakestoys.com), a new collectible plush pet line that will be a sweet treat for children ages 3 & up. Each PetCakes animal features a “frosting” hat, comes nestled in its own cupcake wrapper and has its own whimsical backstory. At first look, children will see a delicious cupcake but will then be surprised by the pet they find snuggled inside! Combining sweet faces and cuddly plush with a clever cupcake theme, PetCakes are collectible and provide hours of open-ended imaginative play. PetCakes make perfect gifts for a special friend and for pet lovers. "

Olive LOVES to play with the PetCake dogs. She thinks they are "so cute and soft" and loves to cuddle with them. She also loves to play the "cupcake game". In short, I pretend to eat the cupcake and then shriek and say "Oh my goodness, that's not a cupcake, it's a puppers!" Good times, good times.

I have to agree with Olive, PetCakes are pretty sweet. Not only are they adorable, but they are very well made. The four we received to review have been well loved over the past month and are still in great condition.

Buy It:  PetCakes are for ages 3 and up and each one of the PetCakes has a suggested retail price of $13.99.  PetCakes are available at specialty stores, www.toysrus.com (online only), www.etoys.com and www.amazon.com

Win!    One reader will win Two PetCakes plush toys! (Chosen by the company)

Here's how to enter: (Leave a separate comment for each entry. Please leave your email address with at least one of your entries!)

• Tell me who you would give PetCakes to if you won. Keep them for yourself? Give them to your crabby co-worker? Valentine's Day gift for someone special? 
• Follow Some Sort of Nonsense
• Follow SSONonsense on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway-Leave the URL where you Tweeted.
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to my site-Leave the URL where you blogged
• Like PetCakes on FaceBook

Open to U.S. mailing addresses only. Giveaway ends January 31, 2011. Winner will be drawn using random.org and will be posted on this blog as well as emailed (so make sure your email address is included!). Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn. Products were given to me free of charge, no compensation was given. The opinions stated are my own. 

Good luck!

Here is the problem I have with working out...

I am constantly STARVING!!

I am blessed with a fast metabolism as it is and when I work out/run, it kicks into over drive. And I am breastfeeding, so that doesn't help matters.

Today I have eaten:

Green smoothie (an orange, banana, 2c frozen fruit, 3c. baby spinach)
Oatmeal with raisins, almonds, honey and hemp hearts
Peanut butter toast
almonds, dried fruit
an apple
baby carrots and broccoli with hummus
turkey sandwhich with lettuce, avocado, tomatoes on whole grain bread

grapes
small bowl (1/2c) black beans
handful of chips (I know)
another piece of peanut butter toast
protein shake
2 poached eggs with toast

another apple

2 spoonfuls of peanut butter
bowl of lucky charms (again, I know)
two slices of turkey
approx 80 oz of water
a cup of decaf coffee
a cup of tea

And I am still hungry! And this is just from doing 20 minutes of exercise (30 Day Shred. Don't knock it until you try it).

And since I am avoiding dairy, my go to protein snacks of cottage cheese, yogurt, string cheese etc are a no go.

Anyone else have this problem? What else can I eat?!

I am going to bed before I gnaw my arm off....hopefully I don't dream about an all you can eat Chinese buffet like I did last night.

Playdate.

Olive had a friend over to play yesterday. They had the best time together! Over the course of the day they:

played with play-doh (and thankfully did NOT mix anymore colors together)
colored 'beautiful art'
played and chatted with Penelope
had snacks
pretended they lived in a tree house
took a nap together
read books
danced
went to the bathroom together

It was a great day full of laughter and playing. I think Olive's friend is coming over after nap today.

What's that? You want to know her name?

Marigold Trout. (Her long name is Double Trouble Marigold Trout)

She's 16. 

She's a 'little girl grasshopper'.




And I hope she never goes away. 

Not gonna lie...

The control freak in me just freaked. I hate when play-doh colors mate.

*shudder*

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Vitamix this, Vitamix that...

So, our blender is toast.

Well, it's not really toast, it's a blender. But it's a blender that no longer blends. Ok, it blends but not very well. And when it does blend, it smells. Horribly. Like something is burning. And the base is covered with a fine black dust. And when you're trying to blend up lawn clippings from your yard to make a green smoothie, it tends to sputter and choke. It's not good.

And by lawn clippings I mean a variety of tasty greens. Oh so good...once you toss in some fruit. :)

A crucial part of making smoothies is, you guessed it, a blender. And a good blender at that. Not a cheapo that can't blend frozen fruit and fresh greens into a smooth, silky delicious beverage. Because let me tell you, there is nothing worse than getting a chunk of kale stuck in your teeth because your blender isn't up to snuff. Grody.

So I started asking around about what kind of blender we should get and the answer has been pretty unanimous.

 (Vitamix)

Get a Vitamix!
Have you heard of a Vitamix?
A Vitamix costs a lot, but man is it worth it.
If you make a lot of smoothies, you need a Vitamix.
I LOVE my Vitamix!
Vitamix for President!
And so on and so forth.

Let me tell you, I would LOVE to have a Vitamix. LOVE to. But unless a) they drop the price by $400 or so or b) I win the lottery, it's not going to happen anytime soon. My smoothies will have to be made in some other inferior machine. I'm sorry smoothies, I know you deserve better. It's not you, it's me.

Do you have a Vitamix? Is it worth it's weight in gold? Why is it sooo special? Does it cut up all your smoothie ingredients for you? Does it come with a bumper sticker and super secret handshake? Do you want to give it to me because you're awesome like that? Hey Vitamix, want to hook a girl up?

If you DON'T have a Vitamix  but some other high powered blender that gets the job done, what is it? Or is there really no such thing?

Off to slurp choke down a (far from smooth) smoothie...

I see London, I see France.

At some point today my jeans ripped. 

Along the seam of one of the pockets. 

One of the BACK pockets. 

Which means my bright yellow polka dot underwear were on display for all to see.

And considering I tweaked something in my back yesterday/during the night and spent most of today hunched over like Quasimodo, means a whole lot of people at Target got a free show. 

AWESOME.  

Granted I have worn these jeans almost every day since I got them a little over a year ago (yes, even through pregnancy). They definitely served me well. But it still makes me a tad bit crabby. Ok, a lot bit crabby.

Now I will have to wear one of two other pair of jeans I own. Shall I choose the ones that are too loose and baggy and look sloppy after 2 minutes or the ones that are a bit snug in the waist and 3 inches too long? Both are GAP jeans, same size, different styles.

Can I just say how disappointed I am in GAP jeans these days? A few years ago they changed the denim they use for their jeans. It has more spandex in it or something. They stretch out if you even look at them.

But not only that, the fit is so radically different between styles (and even within the same style) that it makes me crabby to even think about trying jeans on. I used to walk in, grab a pair of long and leans in my size and head for the checkout.  No need to try them on.  Not that it matters now, because we no longer have a GAP. 

So I guess I am looking for jeans suggestions. What is your go-to pair?

Please don't say GAP, I don't think I can take it. 

Green Smoothies

Lately we have gotten into making and drinking green smoothies. It all started with an excess of greens in our CSA box. I threw a handful of chard in the blender with some fruit and voila! A new obsession!

Not only are they delicious, but they are an easy way to up your fruit and green intake. I have been pretty amazed at how good they taste and how good they make me feel. A great way to start the day. Olive loves them too, which is awesome since she is kind of boycotting fruit and veggies right now.

Our basic recipe consists of:

2 oranges

1 banana

2 c. frozen fruit (tropical blend with mango, pineapple, peaches and strawberries)

1 c. water

~3 c. greens (we alternate between baby spinach and kale, but pretty much any green will work)

Throw the fruit and water in the blender first and blend until smooth. Add the greens and blend again until smooth. Really blend it well so it's nice and smooth otherwise you'll end up with chunks of greens, which aren't the most appetizing. It helps to have a good, high powered blender. Which I don't. But that's a whole 'nother post.

Like  I said, I am amazed at how good they are. You might have to play around with the amounts of fruit/greens to find a flavor that's good to you. And adjust the water amount depending on whether you like your smoothies thick or thin. I prefer them on the thin side so I can slurp them up with a straw.

I like to drink a green smoothie in the morning for a little boost of energy. I am not a big breakfast eater (or at all), so I have been drinking a smoothie when I wake up and then eating something an hour or so later. It seems to set me up for healthier eating for the day. Well, most days.

If you want to read more about green smoothies and get some great recipes, I found this book to be helpful: 

Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Towards Natural Health by Victoria Boutenko.

So why not whip up some green goodness tonight? Who knows, you might like it!

Do you already know about the goodness of green smoothies? What is your go-to recipe? Feel free to share!

Eleven in '11

I have never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions. Probably because I never follow through with them. But I've decided this is the year I am going to make a list of goals and try my darndest to accomplish them. Are these goals ridiculously challenging? No.  Are they attainable but still somewhat challenging? Yes. Baby steps people, baby steps.

And without further ado, here they are (in no particular order):

1. Learn to sew. 

2. Run a half marathon. If my back/knees/feet will allow it. If not, then a 10K or two. Heck, 2 miles might be pushing it. We'll see. Maybe I should just say start running again.

3.  Eat clean/less processed food. We don't eat much as it is, but I would like to cut it out as much as possible.

4. Learn to drive a stick shift 

5. Exercise DAILY (pretty sad that this is even on my "to-do" list)

6. More positive, less negative. Thoughts, actions, people, feelings, etc.

7. Spend less, save more.

8. Volunteer

9. More meal plans. Less grocery shopping.

10. Take golf lessons. Maybe. Still undecided about this one. 

11. Enjoy the crap out of each and every day. Life is too short not to.

So there you have it. Nothing earth shattering, but it's something. I have a few others I am kicking around that may or may not be added on to the list. We'll see as the year progresses...

And with that, I am off to enjoy a glass of wine while planning meals for the upcoming week. See? I'm doing great already! :)

My prediction for 2011?

Bright and Bold. 

 (west elm)

I ordered this duvet cover last night from west elm. Can't wait for it to get here. It was on sale for $50 and there was an additional 20% off code available, so we got it for $51 including shipping and tax. Not too shabby!