Addition to Truth! Post

Bor found this on Pinterest, and I had to add it as a follow up to my last post about Common Sense. It was too funny not to share! :)

Mad Lib Friday

In looking back at my Blog Idea pins on Pinterest, I came across the idea of doing a weekly Mad Libs (thanks to Mad Libs Monday). I won't be doing a whole blog about it, nor will I be doing a whole year about it, but I did think that in honor of February and Leap Year that I would do one each Friday in February. 

I don't know about you, but I LOVED Mad Libs as a kid STILL DO!! I think they are HILARIOUS!! I'm hoping that some of ours will turn out that way!!

Ok, here's the way it will work. On every Thursday I will post a list of words that you need to come with with (parts of speech, colors, names, etc.) You will leave your list in the Comments Section of that post. On Friday, I will post the Mad Lib as well as everyone's responses to it. To make it even better, I am going to do a song version of this game!! If you know me at all, you know that I love music and song lyrics of all types, so this is oh so apropriate! It will be super fun since you won't know the song when you are picking the words!

Sounds pretty fun, huh?! I thought so too!!

Now, this is only going to work if you participate, so set an alarm on your phone or something so that you will remember to check in on Thursdays and give me your list!

Just to make sure we are on the same page...Here is a run down of the basic parts of speech...

A noun is a person, place, thing or idea
A verb is something that you can do; an action word
An adjective is a describing word (describes a noun)
An adverb describes a verb (usually ends in -ly)

I'm hoping all the others are pretty self explanatory. If you have any questions throughout - google it or ask me.

I sure hope this works out like I'm hoping it will, because I am super excited about this!!!

**And don't worry about me not finishing this...I know I have had a track record of that in the past, but this time I have already pre-done all of the posts. All I will have to do is have them posted on the correct days. Smart thinking, eh?!

February Plan

Another Great Pinterest Find!!!

During the month of Feb, I'm really going to try to step up my workout routine. I mean, really, I owe it to myself after Nov and Dec!!

As you know, I've already started back Couchto5k and am trucking right along with that. I've added in Zumba twice a week, which I really enjoy. I'm feeling pretty confident about both of those and thought I would add in this Fab Ab February too.

It looks feasible. I love these routines that start off fairly easy and work you up. I also love the fact that I can do this at the gym or at home with no problem. The only thing I may change is the Rest Day. I may make it on Sun instead of Sat. I'm not sure yet...still thinking on that one.

So, who wants to join me?!

Truth!

D and I talk about this almost EVERY single day! It really does seem like no one has any common sense any more...and that is SUPER frustrating!!

Evening Ranting

Is it just me or does anyone else have an area of life that they just can't seem to be good at?! I'm not talking painting or drawing or some other talent. I'm talking a real aspect of life that you seriously cannot do well.

I have one, and I hate it! I feel like just the time that things are going ok and I feel like it might be different...BAM...reality check...I am still horrible at this!!

I mean, I try (some times too hard!) I definitely have the "want to". It just doesn't seem to work out for me. The thing I hate the most is that my lack of ability to be good in this area of life affects other people. So, not only am I frustrating myself but also others.

Maybe I'm the only one in this boat. (Believe you me, it wouldn't be the first time I was riding solo in a boat of life!) To be truthful, I hope no one else feels like this, because it is miserable!! I hate feeling like no matter how hard I try, I just can't do it - at least not as well as I should be doing it. I know we women put a lot of extra pressure on ourselves, and I really try not to do that, but some times it just happens!

I've always heard the saying, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!" Maybe that's what I need ... To just keep trying. Surely one of these days I'll get it, right?!

Follow-up Report

I would like to report in that a) I was able to do both Couchto5k and Zumba like I had hoped last night, 2) I am still alive, and d) I'm not hurting near as badly as I thought I would be - I know, there's always tomorrow for that too!

Like I said, I have had a Friend Crush on Zumba for a long time...and rightfully so! I had a BLAST!! I can't wait until my next class on Thursday!! I'm really hoping that teaming this with Couchto5k will produce some fast results!! I'm also hoping that combining the two will not interfere with my ability to WALK!!

On a semi-side note...I was very mad at Mir about half way through the class! One of the songs that they played every single day during the poolside dance lessons in Cancun was on our video. I'm not talking just the song. I'm talking the same dance too! The dance that Mir would NEVER get up and do with me! If I had learned that with the other group in Cancun, I would have been an all-star last night!! Oh well, guess I'll just learn it without her!!

Monday and Exercise

Three things that should not EVER go together are … cold, rain, and Monday! Seriously, they are all bad enough on their own! I hate them all individually, but combined, they are a brutal force that cannot be fought!

Today is one of those dreaded days, and it has been MISERABLE! I am freezing and cannot seem to get warm, despite numerous attempts! I want to snuggle up (in my leopard print Snuggie – yes, I have one, don’t judge me!) and take a long nap or at least watch something good on TV. The work day has been a Monday Workday, if you know what I mean! This is just a bad combo all the way around!!

Is there light at the end of the tunnel?! Why, yes, I believe there is…

Tonight I am going to my very first Zumba class. I’ve had a friend crush on this form of exercise for quite a while, but never had the opportunity to take a class or the ones that our gym offers are at wild and crazy times that I can’t do. I’m pretty excited about this!! Dance + Exercise … this has to at least be fun, right? Plus, there are some ladies signed up that I really can’t wait to watch!! Back row, here I come!!

If my plans work out like I’m hoping, I should be able to get in a little Couchto5k run before I have to be at the church for Zumba.

Speaking of…I guess now is a good time for a Couchto5k catch up/confession. I really love this program! I NEVER in a million years would have thought that I would have ever participated in a running program, much less liked doing it. Don’t get me wrong, there have been days that I dread getting on that treadmill; days that I tell myself the whole time that I can’t keep going; and days that I don’t think I can move up to the next level. I don’t LOVE love it, but I do, you know?!

After I wrote the first post about starting this program, I hit the ground running (pun intended!!). I was killing it. I rarely ever missed a day and was even going to the gym on my normal “off days” to make up if I did. I could really tell a difference in my stamina as well as in my physique. And then I went to Cancun. And then Thanksgiving came. And then Christmas. And then New Years. And well, you know the rest of the story. I was going hit or miss during those weeks (months), but I wasn’t back in my routine. I was missing way more than I was hitting. It seemed like every time I turned, there were too many things that kept me out of the gym. I hated it and hated the way I was feeling.

At the first of the year, after life calmed back down, I decided to jump back in. I was unsure about picking back up on Week 5 where I left off, so I decided to go back to the beginning and start fresh. The hardest part about going back to the beginning was the million and twelve reps that you have to do. It wasn’t hard to run those minute runs like the first go around, but it seemed like that work out went on and on forever!! At Week 5, since you run for longer periods, you don’t have to run as many. Guess there kind of are perks to all the weeks.

Although I’m just getting into it good (I didn’t actually start the first week in Jan since David was so sick and I couldn’t make it to the gym AGAIN), I have been able to stick to it on a regular basis since I started. I’m hoping that combining it with the Zumba will help and be fun all at the same time. Guess we’ll see at 6:30…sure hope I don’t break anything!! J

Chocolate Lounge

Ok, if you live near Asheville (by near, I mean, NC, SC, or anywhere in the Western Hemisphere) you HAVE to try The Chocolate Lounge!! Today was my second visit, and it was just as wonderful today as it was back in the Spring.

This place is exactly what it sounds like! It has a "coffee house" setting but serves all things chocolate. (There are a few non-chocolates, but I don't know why anyone would order those things!) By all things chocolate I mean - chocolate cake, chocolate truffles, chocolate cookies, chocolate bars, liquid truffles, hot chocolate, cold chocolate, drinking chocolate, chocolate Creme Brûlée, chocolate pudding...Have I made my point?! This place is AH-MA-ZING!!!

So, seriously, plan your trip now!! And if you are needing a place to crash while you are in the area, check out those B&Bs I mentioned in my previous post. Black Mountain is half an hourish from Asheville.

You will NOT regret it!! (Your waist and the scale may, but you won't!!)

**on a side note, I think this App on my phone was a great decision! Every time I see that icon staring at me, it makes me want to blog something!**

Testing 1, 2, 3

After my post about not being able to post from my Fire, Mir told me about the Blogger App for iPhone. I decided to give it a try from my phone and see how it works.

I haven't checked my Fire for the App yet, but I will later, and I'll prob do another test then (just warning you!). I hope this works. Maybe it will make posting easier so I can do it more often. :)

Thanks, Mir!!!

Sips N Strokes

Don’t judge it before you try it!

I’ll be honest, the first time I heard about Sips N Strokes was on FB, and I had no idea what kind of crazy thing some of my friends were into. The more and more friends that I saw were doing it, the more curious I became. I looked it up and discovered it is actually a painting class, not some dirty strip club or crazy game! We didn’t have one in Greenville (until recently), but I wanted to try it out.

I’ve done a couple of classes at Vino and Van Gogh, and loved them, but I secretly wanted to be in the Sips N Strokes cool club. Some friends and I needed a Girls Night and, since they live in that area, we decided to give it a try.

I was not only excited about doing a Sips N Strokes class with Bethany and Anna, but I was also super excited because we would be doing my most favorite painting, Starry Night by Van Gogh. I won't lie and say that any of ours looked exactly like his. (In our defense, I didn't really feel like the instructor's looked exactly like his, but that's ok). This was actually the hardest class that I've ever taken, which made me feel bad since it was Bethany and Anna's first time doing anything like this. I feel like this one should have been labeled for more advanced painters, but that's just me!

Here are a few of our pics …

 The 3 of us before our class began.

 Anna and Bethany working hard.

 This was my painting at our break time. The dash technique is actually much harder than you would think!

 Bethany and Anna's paintings toward the end.

 My finished painting. Please excuse how massively large my front tree is. I apparently got a little carried away!

The 3 of us with our paintings.

I probably shouldn't do this, but here is Van Gogh's painting. As you can see, ours aren't exactly like his, but I think we did pretty good to be amateurs!! I was very proud of us!!

Artists or not, we had a GREAT TIME!!

Reb and Bor Convo

My sister, Bor, and I share work stories all the time since we work in very similar settings. (For those of you wondering why my mom would ever name her child Bor, her real name is Deborah. We just call her Bor). We share stories about stupid people, funny people, nasty people and everything in between! Yesterday she cracked me up yet again! This one also comes with a pic, so I thought I would share it. Before I do, I want to share our text conversation. I was hoping to do one of those cool screen shot convos, but it was too long to screen shot! L

This was the convo…

Bor – Queen of the mullet just came in my office. I really want to take a picture of it!!

Reb – Bahahahaha! D and I just LOLed!!

Bor – You would really laugh harder if you could see it, but there is no discrete way to do it.

Reb – Ok, that’s freakin' awesome!

Bor – Girl, that brought tears to my eyes! I snapped that as I walked by. Haha.

Reb – Nice covert op!

Bor – Carrie said she didn’t even see me take it. I about peed my pants when I saw that it took.

Reb – That’s hilarious!!

This is the kind of stuff that fills our relationship!! Love her!! J

Black Mountain Inn

I’ve got to figure out how to do this blogging thing a little bit better. Since our laptop was old and outdated and I got a Kindle Fire for our anniversary, we decided to get rid of it and not get a new one. The only probs with that are a) I can’t figure out how to work my blogging on my Fire and 2) I don’t feel like sitting in front of our desktop computer when I get home from work. Most days I just want to veg out on the bed while watching TV. I don’t feel like going into the office to sit alone and type. I know that is pathetic, but it is just true!

Last time we met, I was telling you about my parents moving back to Guatemala, so let me pick up there…

While David was at home sick, he surfed the web A LOT. Those of you that know David know that this can be dangerous. This time, however, it was a good thing! He came across and Living Social deal for a B&B in Black Mountain, NC and booked it for MLK weekend. He didn’t realize at the time, but that was the same weekend that my parents were leaving. That meant, they were arriving in Guate about the same time that we were arriving in Black Mountain. That was a great distraction!!

If you are ever in Black Mountain (I was going to abbreviate that, until I realized the abbreviation would be BM. Don’t know if that would make you want to go there or not!!) and are looking for a good B&B to stay, let me recommend 2 for you – the Black Mountain Inn and the Red Rocker Inn. Why two?! Well, we stayed the weekend at the first, but ate dinner one night at the second. Both were really nice – and the food was FANTASTIC! Our inn was much smaller (only 5 rooms) and only provided breakfast (which was a REALLY good home cooked meal). The RRInn had a full restaurant that served all three meals (only bfast was included in your stay though). We may try out the RRInn the next time we go, but we would def go back to the Black Mountain Inn!!

We had a very relaxing weekend that involved doing a whole lot of nothing. It was perfect!!

We aren’t much on taking pics, but I did manage to snap these…

 The Black Mountain Inn

 Breakfast Sunday Morning

It snowed a little bit Sunday. It wasn't much, but it was pretty!

Some Days are Just Stupid!

I haven’t blogged any this week, because I haven’t had anything pressing on my mind…well, that I felt like blogging about. I tried to come up with some lighter material, but I really was drawing a blank. I did have a great idea from a FB/blog follower – to blog about how cool my brother is. (Thanks, Stephen, for the idea!) I may come back to that one on another occasion, but for now, I’ll just face the music and post about what is really pressing on my mind.

Today was the day that I have been NOT looking forward to for the last 6 months! I knew it was coming, but for some reason, I felt like if I didn’t think about it or talk about it, it wouldn’t come. That’s silly, I know!!

Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate this day. I just don’t like it. I’m thankful for it, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it. I think it is kind of along the lines of my dad’s famous words, “I’m not saying YOU are stupid. I’m saying what you DID was stupid!” I’m not saying that what this day means is stupid. I’m saying that what has to happen for this day to take place is stupid!

On this Friday the 13^th, my mom and dad boarded a plane heading back to Guatemala for 4 more years. Again, don’t get me wrong. I’m not upset that they are going. I am so thankful that the Lord has given them the desire of their heart and allowed them to live among and work with the people in Guatemala. I am thankful that they have accepted this call and are willing to spend their “retirement” (haha, yeah right!) sharing the Gospel message with those precious people. All that being said, saying Good-Bye yet again is very difficult.

You would think that eventually that would get easier, but it hasn’t nor do I think it really ever does. My cousin reminded me that this is not Good-Bye but a See You Later, which is very true. As I have mentioned in the past, I am very thankful that our family is experiencing this in the time that we are – as in the technological age. I really don’t know how Lottie and the other missionaries of the Old Days left their families literally not knowing when or if they would see each other again. Now, that was some killer faith!!

I’m hoping you can see our predicament - Happy yet Sad…Thankful yet Wanting to be Selfish. However, when looking at the situation, there are SO MANY MORE good things that totally outweigh the hardship of saying Good-Bye – the Pros are much greater than the Cons!! Although this day was hard, I am so proud of my parents and their work. I’m thankful that they are getting to do the work that they are doing. I am also thankful to have a tropical location to visit on a regular basis. J

So, those of you that live near your family, be thankful. There are a lot of us in this crazy world that would love to see our families more. As a matter of fact, if you even have a family, be thankful. There are a lot of people that don’t have that luxury!

We really should all be more thankful, but I’m not going to go down that road again. I’ve done it twice now! J

Kale Chips

I know that this makes two recipe posts in a row. I promise I won't make a habit out of this, but I really felt like these were two recipes that I should share. I really feel that they will benefit your life!  

Seriously, go the grocery TODAY and buy some kale. If you are like me, it will be the first time that you have ever done that, and it is ok. (In case you are wondering, what in the heck is kale - click that hyperlink for a brief rundown. You will find it in the produce section with all the other greens.)

Now what to do with this crazy stuff...

You will bake it - in the oven - like chips. (I love chips!!)

Don't snarl your nose like that, you haven't even tried it! Didn't your momma teach you that you can't not like something until you at least try it?!

I'll admit, I didn't run out the first time I heard about it and make it. Mike and Mir were the first to tell me about it. He LOVES it!! To be truthful, I have had a friend crush on these chips for a while. I just haven't gotten around to making them. Not because I was scared of them, but because kale isn't normally on my grocery list, and I really just forgot about it until now.

I will tell you though, it was EASY to make and YUMMY!! I'll definitely be making this again...

Baked Kale Chips

New Breakfast Idea

Breakfast is definitely the hardest meal for me. I know it is the "most important meal", but it can be always is so hard for me to have enough time in the morning for decent meal. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love breakfast food. It just seems like I am rushing out the door at the last minute every single day. I really don't think it matters what time I wake up. I always seem to be rushing out the door at the last minute. I really don't know how it happens, but it does!

It is a rarity that I ever eat anything before I leave the house. I usually grab something and eat in the car or wait until I get to work. Because of that, it is difficult to eat substantial and healthy foods. Believe you me, I've eaten my fair share of instant oatmeal and grits, a variety of bars and granolas, and even cereal.

I posted a while back about the microwaveable omelet. I feel really pathetic saying this, but I really didn't have time for even that. I know it only cooked for a minute or so, but the prep really did take a few minutes - and when you are counting seconds, that isn't good. I tried to make it at work, but that didn't work that well either. First of all, it was difficult to tote everything that I needed with me in the morning. Plus, everyone complained every day that I made them, because eggs don't smell the best when cooking.

I know this will be hard for you to believe, but I actually found this new recipe on Pinterest. (Seriously, how did I know anything before that site?!) I pinned it a while back, but just decided to give it a try last week. Thankfully, it was a SUCCESS!! It was super easy and very tasty. I won't lie, the prep work does take some time, but the good thing about that is, you do all the prep and cooking way before you have to eat them. That is just what I need!!

Although I found the recipe on Pinterest, all the props go to Anna over at Snacking in the Kitchen since it is her recipe. As with pretty much every recipe, I didn't follow her recipe exactly. Actually, I just used it as a guideline and really did my own thing based on what I had to work with at home. That's the best thing about omelets...you really can do a lot of stuff with them! Her recipe calls for 12 muffins, but I only made 6. Since I'm the only one eating them, I thought it would be better to make them fresh each week.

I have made these twice now. The first time I only added Canadian Bacon and Green Onion. Tonight I added mushrooms to that mix. Like I said, though, you really could do a ton of stuff with this. The sky's the limit!!

Broccoli and Italian Sausage Egg Muffins

Ingredients

1 pound Italian Sausage (sweet, mild, hot variety depending on your preference)
1 cup broccoli florets
8 large eggs
1/4 cup milk (or half and half depending on how you're feeling that day)
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
salt & pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese as needed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a large saute pan, over medium high heat, brown Italian Sausage for about 5 minutes, or until the sausage is no longer pink. Remove from heat and stir in broccoli.
3. Whisk together eggs, milk, oil and baking powder.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Lightly spray a 12-cupcake pan with oil.Spoon out the sausage and broccoli mixture evenly into each cupcake.
5. Ladle the egg mixture over sausage and broccoli.
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes. 

2,000 and 12

2012, Are you kidding me?! Aren't we all suppose to be dead by now?? Or shouldn't we at least be driving flying cars?! How in this world is it already the year two-thousand-twelve?! Doesn't it seem like just a year or so ago we were bringing in the new millennium and wondering if the technological world would crash?! How has it been 12 years since all that happened?! I can't believe it!!


I must admit, I'm a sucker for the year end recaps. I love looking back at the past year - good and bad. I watch the recaps of music, sports, entertainment, politics, etc. As with every year, there were some ups and downs, good times and trying times in 2011. That's typical, though, right?!

It was no different for us either - ups and downs, good and bad.


David has had some pretty complicated health issues from his months of testing for his headaches (which still aren't completely gone) to finishing out the year with pneumonia! The summer brought my Mom and Dad's first Stateside Furlough. (I'm so sad to see that come to an end!!) We were able to renew and strengthen some friendships, but we also lost out of some great friendships too. We said goodbye to some people we care deeply for and also celebrated new life (physical and spiritual) with friends and family. We traveled - domestic and foreign. We tried new things. We learned things that work and don't work for us.


Overall, I think it was a good year. I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us.


Now, I'm not one for all the New Year Resolutions. I think it is kind of silly to make all those lofty plans, because no one really keeps them. I do have some hopes and ideas for the new year, but I guess we'll have to wait and see what all is in store for us.


I guess this post is a To Be Continued ...

25 Days of Christmas Love

This is the final look at the 25 Days of Christmas Love board that I made for David. I didn't keep up every single day at the same exact time with my cards, but it was fun to add them each day. It REALLY helped to have made them all before December so I didn't have to keep up with that part too. It was fun making the board, and David seemed to enjoy reading the notes each day.

Christmas Love Board = Success