Transitions

Transitions abound. We have settled in Seattle and now it's time for me to stop using the 'we just moved here' excuse and get started with the things I have neglected over the last few months with all the chaos. It's time.

Some of those things are:

Yoga- I did it for the first time today (after a few weeks of "I really need to start that up again") and boooooooooy...did I feel the several month lapse. I am not flexible to begin with- yoga just helps me look less UN-flexible - and today my muscles were screaming for me to stop, well, USING them. Sorry muscles. It's time.

Art- I have an Etsy shop that has been a long time coming where sell hand painted children's clothes. No stencils or templates, just me n' my paintbrush. Today I went to pick up some new items to paint and post. It's time.

Juicing- This is a new one. I have read and reread Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet and there are several posts on here from when I was doing the 21 Day Adventure Cleanse. I have long been downing green smoothies, but never had a juicer to try that mode of green veggie consumption. Soon after we moved I scored a really affordable used juicer off a local list-serve I'm on. Really high quality, really expensive juicer, barely used, for waaaaaaaay less than I could ever buy it new (I probably couldn't buy it new). It was such an awesome score. That was several months ago and I kept putting off actually trying it out (it required that I READ DIRECTIONS. Very difficult. ) But finally yesterday I tried it and it was everything I thought it would be. I went out right away and got more good greens to stuff down the shoot and used it again today. It was great.

Mmmm tasty. 

Let's drink to transitions.

Ten Things to Do In (The Rest Of) 2010

There are some things I want to do before the close of 2010, so instead of letting the end of the year just zoom by like it usually does, I thought I'd put them into a list and blog on them as they occur.  This gives me something to blog about as well as helps me complete my list. WIN WIN!

So here's the list (brought to you by my friend here, Mr. Guinness Guy In A Kilt):

• Send (and actually mail) ALL the Christmas Cards I intended to in the first place
• Adopt a Turkey from Farm Sanctuary
• Read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• Make a Victorian Christmas...something
• Write one post a week to finish up the year at The Queen's Scullery
• Make a pillow for my mom
• Help Cameron make a Christmas present for his godmother and my aunt
• Bring my plants inside before they freeze to death
• Finish reading Black Beauty 
 

And last but certainly not least...

• STAY AWAKE TO WELCOME 2011!!!

I know, I know! I'm a party a minute! Try to contain your excitement while waiting for the posts on my list completion!

What would Paula Deen do?

To continue with my Paula Deen posting:


Today I was supposed to go to the first birthday party of one of my friend's kids, but my own almost one year old was too sick to go (without me being officially labeled the Bad Mother Who Brings a Snotty Coughing Baby to Another Baby's Birthday Party) and my husband had to work. So I wasn't able to go and was bummed about that. I don't have too many things in my planner, and this was something that had been there for several weeks.

So...I was rattling around the house wondering what to do with myself with no money and a sick kid, when I thought:

What would Paula Deen do?!

My conclusion was that Paula Deen would make a bangin' dinner for herself. Not that an awesome dinner makes up for not going to the party that I was looking forward to, but the process of cooking was therapeutic and filled the day with something productive but creative (as opposed to say...cleaning).

So I put the kid in his exersaucer and he nommed on toast while I made apple/carrot/cranberry muffins, balsamic vinegar glazed portobello mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, and sauteed green beans. The mushrooms are from Vegan with a Vengeance and from my post-preparation tasting I  can attest to the fact that...they taste AWESOME. Its all sitting in casserole dishes in the fridge, the dishes are in the dishwasher, and tonight dinner is all made!


Thanks for my inspiration on a bummer day, Paula Deen; I hope I did ya proud. :)

Best Dishes from Her Family Ta Yers

You know who I love? Paula Deen. I am a fan of the Food Network in general, but there are some people I don't watch at all and some who I watch all the time. Paula Deen is one of those that I watch all the time, but the thing that makes her different from the others is that I don't watch her for the food, because most of the stuff she makes, I never would. (I mean...you can't get too much further from aspiring vegan than Paula Deen) :) I watch her because doing so soothes me and she makes me smile.

She's on at 6pm, which is after I've gotten home, washed the bottles and lunch stuff brought home from the day, taken a shower, and am sitting on the couch playing with The Sweet Baboo. Right then, when I'm all clean and am trying to forget that I was at work all day, Paula Deen's great Southern accent (y'all) chatting about the preparation of yummy looking comfort food is just what the doctor ordered.

Although, perhaps not the cardiologist. :)

I wonder if she's on Twitter...