Happy birthday to me

First things first. Here are some December creations of mine:)

Monica and I went to one of those follow the leader painting classes. You get to drink while you paint. It was really fun :)

I also made this scarf for Robin. It was the first thing I have ever knitted. Miriam you are next.....be warned :)

I made this silly thing for Katie for the 30th birthday. Don't worry, I got her a real present too :)

This is my favorite thing I have cooked so far. They are cinnamon sticky buns. It was freaking delish. Follow the link (aka click on the pic) to the recipe, then make it, people you feed it to will be so thankful.

OK so today I am 30. Its a new 30. I look great. I feel great. I am great.

As you know I have been challenging myself. I am making stuff, cooking stuff, doing stuff. I love it. Life can be so full of, well, life! I don't want to miss any of it. I do want to spend some of it sleepy eyed on the couch watching old Will and Grace episodes, but overall I really want to enjoy it all. Yes - there will be tears, pain, and shit days, but its when you let those times stop you that you lose sight. Acknowledge them, deal with them - but be full of JOY!!!!! Don't miss it.....

So in an attempt not to miss it I want to compile a 30 for 30 list. I am gonna need your help. This month I want suggestions of 30 things I need to experience/d0 in my 30th year. Here is what I have come up with so far.

1. Eat a dozen doughnuts (which thanks to Cindy, I am signed up to do at the Krispy Kreme Challenge)

2. Run a 10k

3. Run a half marathon

4. Lose 30 more pounds

5. Love myself even if I don't

6. Play my guitar and sing - in public.

7. Go to Africa (on my way to Rwanda in July....)

8. Read more (gonna shoot for at least 6 novels - like actually finish 6, I tend to just start them)

9. Go to a speed dating event - I have always thought these looked hilarious and have always wanted to try one

10.Get another tattoo (Get over it mom :)

Ok - so there is a start. 10 down - 20 to go! I'll keep you posted.

Get it posted...because its a blog. HA!

Sail away...

My grandmother is amazing. She really, really is. She is beautiful, sweet, a mean cook, and just all around cartwheel wonderful. She has been married to my grandfather for 57 years. She amazes me and I can only hope to be like her one day. She showed me these little red fake flowers at Thanksgiving that she didn't know what to do with. I took them and made a wreath for her.

Bonus for me, one of my little 8th grade bible study girls came over and made one for her mom. We were precious. Here is the one I made. Can't wait to give it to my grandmother. Its real pretty :)

As I said my grandmother is a wonderful cook. She hijacked (she couldn't help it) my dishes for Thanksgiving and asked me to just bring cranberry sauce. All I had to do was open the can and put it in a dish.

However I did make this yummy CROCKPOT CHICKEN SALSA the other day, just for funsies, and have been nothing short of inhaling it since then.

Make it, eat it, love it.

Ps - I added corn - always a good idea.

I also made this phenomenal

PEPPERMINT POPCORN

for my bible study so they would like me :)

Totally worked.

Here is some enlightenment for you for the day :). I looooooooooove getting stuff done. I love finishing (Don't be dirty Robin....ok go ahead), I love to look at a handwritten note and seeing the scribbled away tasks. Even better - deleting digital post-it notes from my desktop. Neeeerrrrd. I love it.

Even though I have this zippiness about myself, getting to a zen place can sometimes be a real pain. I mean for those of you that know or live with me you know there is a perfectly worn place on the couch where my rump rests. But even when my rump is resting my mind isn't. I am working on it. Life is but a blink. The list can wait, the beach can't.

So with all of that said. Grab a beer, grab a man and find your beach.................

As per usual

I underestimate myself. Even Cindy on our run yesterday pointed it out. I am stronger then I let myself know. This could be coming from all of The Biggest Loser we watch but - its true. I am claiming my "can do" attitude! (Insert self-help eye roll here - I am even doing it). Saturday's 5k is gonna be my bitch.

But seriously I can do so much more than I give myself credit for. I am able. Not everything comes easy but I can if I keep trying. For instance. I taught myself to knit last weekend. I had to restart my scarf 4 times. But now I am like a knitting machine...... (I am sure at some point you will all get a scarf or knit panties from me,or I am taking requests). I love it.

HELPFUL HINT: for all you anxious annies out there, knitting is awesome. It is great therapy for any typeA controlling busy bodies like myself.

Side note: Please don't let this happen to me (if you can email me the grammar issue below you will get a special prize).

I also made this last week:

I have 2 dogs who poop...a lot. So I am in constant need of a plastic bag. Now I have a sleeve of them hanging on the back door. Very convenient and sorta cute. For your own poop bag organizer please click on the picture.

I have also been thrashing around in the kitchen. Making all kinds of tasty shit. Here are the recipes I have made so far this month....all delish..... make them or come over and I will make them for you. Pick a picture and go to the recipe. Do it now.

"Sometimes you don't" bars, Zucchini Fries, and Creamy Parmesan Chicken.

There will be a special Thanksgiving edition to me thrill ride of a blog with 2 super recipes..... Try and get some sleep before now and then.

So I have been busy, no not in THAT way.... I have got to get married......anyway, I have been busy...doing more than I thought I could. So don't hold back friend - try, fail, succeed, ENJOY LIFE!

Exciting Disclaimer: I did everything (except for running) in my Pajamas.......Nothing holding you back now....

I made stuff

Okay! October has drawn to a close and now I get to tell you what amazing things I did this month. You know me - overachiever :) I exceeded a couple of my goals. I crafted twice and made 2 recipes. I am getting so wild in my old age. Constantly pushing the envelope...

I made a wreath. I am actually proud of it. My mom came over and said "the wreath on your door looks just like you" - meaning = how cool that you found a wreath at Target that suited you so well. It was so fun to say it looks like me because I made it! Wreath meet my friends. Friends meet my wreath.

You gasped with amazement at the beauty didn't you? I should probably start taking orders.

I also made one of those wine cork boards (example below), I obviously drink a lot of wine because I still have a lot of corks left. So 2 things to be proud of.

Ok on to the kitchen...... I made 2 really yummy recipes. I made these for a breakfast meeting. They were delish. The really fun thing is I froze a pan so I could pull them out and heat them up throughout the week so I could have a yummy healthy breakfast. I tweaked the recipe a bit too. I did cheddar, added minced garlic, and cut the eggs with egg whites :)

I also made these amazing little treats for my bible study...there were none left. I was pissed.

Lay the pretzels on a cookie sheet. Top each pretzel with an unwrapped Rolo candy. Bake in the oven at 250*F for 4-5 minutes (no longer).When you remove them from the oven, the Rolo will still be in the same shape as when it went in the oven. Place a pecan half on top of the Rolo and press down a bit. Top each of the Rolo with one pecan half. Place the entire baking sheet in the freezer for about 5-7 minutes to allow the Rolo to cool. They are like crack.

Ok on to the learning! I got to go to a fancy shmancy wine tasting and I learned what my favorite wine is....Its a barbaresco :) If you want to know about it, click the link. It is yummmmmmmmy. I want it all the time now.

Ok, so that was me in October. I had so much fun doing and tasting all of these things. I feel like I have spent so much time in my life sitting around (literally) shoulda coulda woudaing during commercial breaks. No mas!!!!! Watch out! I am a doer.

Or A Woman Like You

I have been thinking a lot about the kind of woman I am and the kind I want to be. I love Ray Lamontagne's song lyric "A 9 pound hammer or a woman like you. Either one of them things will do.". I love the grizzleness of a man having to choose between a woman or a hammer! I want to be that woman - and I think I am. I just don't trust that all the time or acknowledge that someone else might be able to know that. So thus I am challenging my self to challenge myself. I want to contribute more to life (i.e - the amount of TV I watch is not a contribution). So I am commiting to finding out these things I am hiding. I am going to do these 3 things every month to push myself.

1. Create something

2. Cook something

3. Learn something

And damn it after all of that if I don't feel more free to be myself and embrace myself - then why should anyone else? I have so many wonderful people in my life who love me and are confident in me and I need to be as well!

I fear being criticized. I hate that. I want to not give a shit what people think of me. Even now I am wondering if anyone reading this will be judgey because I said give a shit. Its ok if I fail at something, its ok if I am wrong. It is ok if I am silly, inappropriate, or weak sometimes. I need to be fearless about these things because I think they are lovely parts of me that I sometime feel shame about. I want to feel joy in these parts of me. I think that embracing the parts of us that scare us can only unleash exciting and creative things from us. Healing, love, beauty, change, experience, forgiveness and fun....

So here goes....