Valentines Day

I am 31 years old and never once, not even in grade school, have I ever had a Valentine of my own. As a teen and a younger adult this used to really bother me. I guess it's still a little sad even now, but I've learned to appreciate this day without getting caught up in the "Single Awareness Day" mentality. This year I put a little different spin on it. It was inspired by one of my dearest friends, who always seems to be living an exact parallel life to me, no matter where we are :) She has taken to sort of dating herself. She is falling in love with herself. She is finding true beauty in who she really is. Not very many women can do this. We always tell each other "if only you could see yourself the way I do". Try it, it's not that easy. It takes a brave heart and a kind mind. And yet once in while if you can catch a glimpse it can give you more strength than you can imagine.

I suppose I've taken this into my own life lately...hence my latest fascination with embracing being a woman. I've always had a strong belief in the power of women. I've been raised knowing how incredible and magical we are. And yet I've spent much of my life living as hidden from femininity as I could. But lately, I'm find such beauty in ruffles, lace, and pearl.

So this year as Valentines Day was sneaking up on us, I looked around and found not cupids and lovers and romance in the decor, but I found the beauty of women and femininity. I saw lace, I saw pink, I saw hearts. And I gave them all a mental hug. On that "dreaded" day I curled my hair, I wore pink and jewelry, and most importantly I wore a smile. I loved myself. I wished everyone a sincere happy day, no matter what their plans were. Once I was done with work, I do what every girl wants...I spoiled myself :)

I went to a new store that I hadn't checked out yet. I went with the expectation that no matter how much things cost, I was going to by myself a present, because today I was the best date I ever had :) Fortunately for me, and my pocketbook, this new store is very affordable, and therefore, my new best friend hehehe. There's a whole wall of $5 and under jewelry. I got 3 rings for $10. I got a darling! red, felt jacket for $20....this coat alone makes me feel like one of the cutest and sexiest girls in this town....which isn't really hard to do, but it's hard for me to feel :) So, without much further ado....here is my haul from Mila Couture!

 I'm totally getting a kick out of the fact that on the counter are birth control pills bahahahaha. Classic.

 Rings, earrings, necklace, oh my!

 Learning how to strut my stuff and taking a little inspiration with me :)

And so I survived, and thoroughly enjoyed this years Valentine's Day. Don't get me wrong, I was still holding my breath for a bouquet of flowers from a suitor, I still felt the slight sting of disappointment that is inevitable. But I also found so much to be thankful for. I took the bad with the good. And really, isn't that the point of life? At the end of the day if you still found the good along with the bad, felt the balance of life...then I'd say you're doing ok :)

A Foggy Day Off

Once Upon A Time, a princess woke up in a magical kingdom.....the kingdom of FOG!!!!! Actually it was me last week and it was AWESOME!!!!! I love fog. I think it's like getting a big hug. There are lots of different kinds of fog. I've had the privilege of living in several places that offer fog ---

Arizona, where it sits on the mountains (hills really) and all you want to do is ditch school to go hike them and play hide and seek....but by the time you get your boots on and your water bottle filled the fog has dried up and it's just another disappointing day for weather.

San Diego (not live, but visit) has it's daily morning fog which gives you false hope for the day....then burns off just a couple hours later....total disappointment (you may still think it's foggy, but it's just smoggy)  :D

Alaska offers up fog almost every day too...only this, you quickly learn doesn't burn off...instead it gets thicker and thinner and thicker and thinner depending on...well no one knows for sure....but fog can mean one thing....a WXCL ---- weather canceled day!!!!! Which means you get up, you get ready, you get to work, and find out you get to go home and have the day to yourself!!!! (unless you work in the office and then you get a day of angry passengers and catch up work :) Now, if you're an Alaskan (legit or honorary) you've quickly adapted to live with the fog and the weather so you don't even notice it...you go fishing, you go camping, you go hiking, you go crafting, or you go drinking....that's really all you do in Alaska whether the weather be fair or not :)

Idaho - Most of the time I've found the fog to be similar to Arizona fog. It doesn't disappear quite as fast, but it's almost as rare and just as motivating and inspirational. It's a change from the sun and blue sky (which many appreciate, I hear) But it does tend to disperse as the day drudges on....you'll keep your clouds, but the mysterious fog...it drifts back to it's hole.

A couple of weeks ago we were blessed with one of those all day kind of fogs, though :) And as I mentioned - it's inspirations to me :) I took hold of it with both hands and poured myself into my projects that day - in the kitchen! I wanted to accomplish something very domestic, but still be able to watch out the windows. So I cooked and baked all day :)

Of course I had to start the day with Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes (thank you Pioneer Woman). Kattie and I have tinkered with the recipe a little to make it more WW friendly, but surprisingly it's not that bad originally. But the best part is the taste!!!! These are, by far, the yummiest pancakes I've ever had! So I make a bunch to have on hand. I can throw them in the toaster in the morning and munch a couple before work...always a good staple with which to start the week. (Not sure why I just reverted back to college grammar and could not bring myself to end that sentence with a preposition no matter how uptight and formal it sounded hahaha....but I am happy to supply with you constant horrid punctuation.....and run on sentences.)

Next would be some Pioneer Woman meatloaf! Once again, I had to tweak the recipe to suit myself....most important change - Elk burger!!!! A) It totally leans it up. B) It tastes delicious! C) I had it on hand...or rather...the parents had it on hand and since I'm house sitting for a month I helped myself :D...and yes...that is bacon on top....ok, so probably not the best on a "diet" but I'm here to live baby, and bacon on meatloaf just sounded way too good to pass up :) Now obviously one person cannot consume this much meatloaf in a healthy amount of time so I've frozen some to feast on later...dinners forever!

Something that is becoming quite a bi-weekly ritual for me is baking bread. This is the easiest bread in the world to bake and it is delicious! In 1 hour (start to finish including baking and clean up!) you can have 4 gorgeous loaves of bread! I have a tendency to get distracted and let mine raise a little too long :) which means they don't fit in the toaster so easily, but they make a mean french toast! hehehe. This recipe comes from Pantry Secret and is so easy...the only weird thing is you need soy lecithin (which you actually find in the ingredients of a ton of products) but is not so easy to find in a grocery store. I found me some in a kitchen store in Ogden, UT....pretty obscure....but I bet if you look in a whole food type place you can pick some up...Idaho Falls doesn't believe in whole food type places......meh.

Ok, so I'll admit this one is not too healthy either, but it's a necessity on a foggy day baking frenzy :) And to be honest I actually did pretty well with these guys...I put most of the dough in logs in the freezer for another rainy day and the rest of the cookies I took to work :) But man, did they smell good ;)

Last, but not least, I made me a shrimp quesadilla that was AWESOME!!!!! But I was so hungry from all the cooking that I devoured it before I thought to take it's picture....but it was awesome....I promise :D...thank you Super Bowl leftovers!

Anyway, I had a very productive and successful day. I'm still eating off meatloaf and bread....and that's even after giving Nikki and loaf and the dogs shared a loaf.....yeah....don't get me started. They survived both the digestion and the scolding :D So thank you, Foggy Day Off. You are awesome too. And I miss you.

Pel'Meni

Juneau has a restaurant that all late night creatures flock to when their night is coming to a close. It's a late night meal that can heal anything the night has done to you. It is not something you can explain. It's something you must experience. This restaurant only has 2 things on the menu - meat or potato. But the final product, no matter the filling. Is the tastiest Russian dumpling ever!

I've been craving these like no other the past few days. So I did a lot of looking online to find recipes...but no matter how much I looked it just didn't sound right....it didn't sound like what I knew and loved. So I went to my "go-to-guy", Josh, and got the rest of the info I needed. (You must understand, Josh knows everyone and everything and he is one of the best chefs I know...this combined meant there was no way he would let me down.)

So I picked what I thought looked like the best base recipe for pelmeni. I found it on Natasha's Kitchen Blog. Then I went to town for 3 hours! I even got Mom to help with the assembly line and stuffing the little buggers. Once we had the first cookie sheet full I popped it in the freezer quickly. By the time the rest of the meat and dough was used up the first tray was frozen and ready to be boiled.

We used a really large stock pot and I boiled the whole tray at once (28 dumplings total) for about 10 minutes (3 minutes after they float to the top). They stuck a little and that many frozen guys at once cooled my boiling water, so I would probably do fewer at a time in the future. (Note that I only boiled 1 out of 4 trays which means I will have plenty in the freezer for a quick dinner later!)

Once they were ready I got 7 into each bowl (like I said, a LOT of dough so this was a bit much, but once I figure out the portion sizing when I create them again this might be a good serving size?) I dribbled some white vinegar, Sriracha (hot sauce),

 (this is one of my most favorite hot sauces! You can find it in the Asian section of most grocery stores), chopped cilantro, yellow curry  powder (doesn't seem that important, but makes a huge difference in flavor!), and dollop of sour cream. Pick your favorite soda out of the nearest vending machine or fridge, and you are set!

I still need to work on the amounts to use for the toppings....they were close, but not close enough to my Juneau favorite :) But at least I know all the ingredients. This is one dish worth mastering. It's so unique and flavorful. If I remember right, they are served with a slice of sourdough bread (true to Juneau style).

Weight Watchers Point Value = 10 (including sour cream) (though this can change drastically as I better master sizing and how many in a portion....I'll update this number as I master the final outcome :)


Once again - lesson learned -- take more pictures!!! I didn't take any during this whole experiment. So now I'm scrambling.....bad blogger! Bad! :D

PS...Here's a great blog post describing Juneau's Pel'Meni. It can give you an idea of the ambiance of the place and why so many around the world have a soft spot for the little, dirty, odd place of "fine dining" :) It also starts to illustrate why I have such a love/hate relationship with cruise lines.....evil necessity for now :(

Daily Hobby

A few years ago my sister was planning her wedding. She, like any normal bride, wanted everything to be perfect and beautiful....she had one challenge.....her Alaskan, hippy-esque, make-up free maid of honor - me. :) So she did what any brilliant, financially well to do sister would do...she and Mom treated me to a day of a makeover at the M.A.C. store. They hooked me up with everything I needed to get started. At first I was completely mortified. I was embarrassed that I would end up looking like a clown for the rest of our shopping day. I was embarrassed that I was 28 and didn't know how to wear makeup. I was embarrassed that I was getting spoiled and didn't even care about the end product.

This may sound so ridiculously shallow (bear with me because I really don't mean it to be), but that day changed my life :)....my sister has a tendency to do that to me....change my life ;) Since then I have found a love of makeup. Many late nights and early mornings you can find me tucked under my covers with my phone in hand watching youtube videos on makeup tutorials. For Christmas this year Ozker (bless his heart) got me an eyeshadow pallet of 88 colors. I've taken the mindset of "makeup = vanity, makeup = high maintenance" to "makeup = art". It is so much fun!!!!!

I remember as a youth I read in a magazine somewhere that you should never try to match your makeup to what you're wearing. You should just stick to what looks good on your specific skin tone and eye color. Well who the crap can judge that? So I've joined the ranks in breaking that stupid rule! Yay for silly rule breaking :)

Ok, right now you are about to see some really HORRIBLE photography. The lighting is crap, it's done by me with my phone, I'm rushing out the door to work....everything about these pictures are gross. They were basically taken to show my inspirational sister as something to giggle about, but it's getting the point across at how much fun I'm having. :)

Yellow eyes worn with a black sweater and ginormous yellow wooden earrings.

Pink eyes worn with a pink sweater....I later figured out how to tone this one down quite a bit more as  bright, clown pink, with orange hair isn't the best look haha. Fortunately this was a day off and not too many others had to witness it :D But the toned down look actually worked really well!

First attempt ever at false eyelashes....they didn't last long as I need quite a bit more practice with them, but they were super fun!!!

Anyway, like I said, i need to work on the pictures...like with hair and clothing finished....But I'm having a blast every single morning and that's all that matters :) I've finally learned, after 30 years of life that it's ok to try to make yourself beautiful. And it's even more ok to truly feel beautiful. That's not a feeling I'm used to, but I'm trying to do it gracefully and sincerely. But most importantly, don't take yourself too serious. Have fun. Giggle in the mirror if you've made a mess of yourself. Take a picture to prove that you're a goof. Then the next day start all over again, giggling the whole time and loving every minute of it :) That, my friend, is even better than coffee :)

Addiction of Pintrest

I have recently been invited to join the obsession of Pintrest. I must admit...I am delighted!!!! For any that may not know, Pintrest is basically your own virtual corkboard where you can attach anything fun you find on the net. You can categorize all your treasures - Things to make, Recipes, Dream House details, Holiday decor....the possibilities are endless! Needless to say, my collection is growing quite rapidly. The best part is the Pintrest homepage is a constant ticker of everything every other member has pinned....so you can watch thousands of everyone's inspirations roll by :)

It's very easy to get caught up and spend hours playing and looking and collecting things you love, but I'm trying my hardest to limit my time looking, and dedicate more of it to completing. I've already made my first project :D

This bracelet was made by sewing beads on a leather cord. I made it long enough to wrap around my wrist three times. I like the chunky, yet natural look of it. All it took was a couple episodes of Glee and I was all set up :)

I'm afraid I got cheap leather from Michaels and my bracelet smells like fish....it's weird......but the smell is fading and I'm still in love with it :)

You can find the tutorial to make your own bracelet here. I think I'll make a few more :)

January Thaw

So there's a thing around here they call "The January Thaw". Personally I'm not a big fan. A.) I like the cold...it's why I moved to Idaho. B.)  Wearing my brand new down coat has becoming sweatingly uncomfortable and I'm forced to go back to just a jacket. C.) I haven't even fallen down on the ice once this year! D.) I really want to try out the sleds on the back of the quads without having a backside looking like Kate's :D.....anyway, the list could go on and on, but I'm not one to complain.......heh.

On the plus side, I actually am enjoying the "warm" weather. It's got me so excited for camping this summer! I think I'll pull out the maps and get a plan together :) Yesterday while I was home for lunch Ozker kept scratching on the back door so I slid it open enough for him to come in and out. He likes to hang out with all the sparrows chilling on the bird feeder. I sat at the table eating my lunch, commenting on Facebook how strange it was to be able to keep the door open, and enjoying the smell of the fresh air coming inside. All of a sudden

Flitter Flutter Flap!

In comes a zooming sparrow! She fluttered around for a couple seconds until she found the big picture window. I almost got her a couple times, but no such luck. Finally I realized this might take longer than I had so I called in to work to let them know I might be a couple minutes late......I even took pictures just in case they didn't believe me hehehe

She finally found the top of the cupboards in the kitchen and hid behind a tin. I snuck a picture while she took a little breather. Just as I was getting ready to go in for another grab she flew straight for the back door and smashed into the glass. She dropped to the ground and not even Ozker was going to inspect her. I think we were all pretty nervous about the outcome. I gently lifted up her limp body with flopping head and got her outside on the rug. She laid there for awhile, but I could see she was breathing. I couldn't bear to go back to work without knowing if she was ok. After a couple minutes a few other birds came back to the feeder and down to the rug to start pecking at the seed. I saw her head come up a little.....she was curious I think :)......

After a few more seconds she was good as new :) She hopped around with her buddies...

Then she flew off into the closest tree. :) Happy ending and a few lessons learned A.) Close the screen door. B.) If bird enters again, open the backdoor all the way. C.) I am not as Dr. Doolittle-esque as I used to be....must work on that....

Yay for summer heat and camping in the nature! :)

Fresh Starts

So it's a new year. With a new year comes reflection on ones self, and goals to make improvements on life. After catching up on some of my favorite blogs I have vowed to update my blog more often. I think it's a perfect way to continue the concept of "New Year Resolutions" alive in you mind all year. As I think about blog posts and my life it can help to be a reminder of who I really am. It can help me take stock on things I need to focus on. Hopefully it can keep me away from that blasted Facebook and make me do something a little more productive :D

Just as I made a mental note in my head that this would be my new "thing" this year, wouldn't you know it, my phone crashed and I lost all the pictures I've taken all year long :(. I'm doing my best to keep a brave face about this loss, but the truth is, I'm crushed. Those pictures have been like a journal to me. They weren't only of neat things...like a certain look on Ozker's eye, a sunset sent to wish someone good night, or my giggling nephew. They were notes to myself - a recipe to try, a book I want to read, a project that one day I'll get to. Now they are all lost.

And so as a salute to my loss I am posting no pictures with this blog. I really hate a blog post with no pictures. It's quite annoying and lazy, in my opinion. And yet it seems appropriate today. It's sad and it's dull. And so.....*drum roll*.......I vow to start backing up my phone photos!!!!!! Hard lesson learned. Meh.

You know, it's just occured to me that I may eat my words only inches above this line.....for if I am truly committed to blogging more, who's to say I won't have a post or two with no pictures.......hmmm....I really should consider having no more opinions.....

This weekend I've also focused on setting up my home. I've been in my apartment (yes, mine, just mine all to myself :) ) for almost 1 1/2 months now. I still have a million boxes in my garage and Dad's shop to go through. So far I'm impressed with the amount of stuff in the garage sale pile, but there's still much to sift through. But this weekend I've really got it feeling like home :) I've got art on the walls, books on the shelves, and coats hanging on the rack :) It's very cozy. I keep candles burning, music or movies playing, birds eating out of the feeder on the deck.

I keep feeling like I'm just playing house, like I'm borrowing it or tending it for someone else, but I look around and it's all really mine :) I know it seems silly to feel so giddy about it all, but I'm 31 years old and I'm finally starting to feel like an adult. I can come and go as I please, eat what and when I want, walk around naked, sleep if I'm sleepy. I'm more broke than I've ever been in my life. That's getting a little scary, but I think I have a plan for that.....I hope :)

And so, with a clean slate on my phone disc, a clean slate in my living situation, I'm ready to start this year off with a bang :) I have a million possibilities ahead of me, many choices to dwell on and decisions to make. I think it could be a quite a productive year if I keep my act together :) So here's to new beginnings and good luck! :) Bring on 2012!