i saw a silent movie yesterday. the artist, obviously… i liked it even more than i thought i would. incredible, that a movie like that could get made today. the crowd included the lovely ms. broken cookies.

i went to a slumber party last night with my college friends. i decided not to stay over because i was worried about my allergies + their cats. i still had an awesome night of veggie lasagna, a sundae free-for-all, and goodie bags of lip balms and nail polishes (i got hershey’s milk chocolate and “taxi yellow creme,” respectively).

a somewhat sleepy drive home… and then an amazing night’s sleep. i didn’t wake up until 10:00. hallelujah.

since i’m spending the day at home, i decided to spend some time in the kitchen. washed up some dishes, brewed some delicious coffee, and i ground farro following ashley’s description. i decided to make three servings for a couple of breakfasts this week.

into my rice cooker:

• 3 servings of farro, after a trip through my coffee grinder (it was 1/4 cup pre-grind)
• 2.25 cups water
• 0.75 cups unsweetened soy milk (or anything creamy)

then i played with the fixings:

• tbsp chia seeds
• tbsp flax seeds (that i also sent through my coffee grinder this morning)
• 0.25 cups water

it was the first time i actually understood the “flax egg” concept. buying ground flax does not gel as much as grinding it from whole at home. it got so thick! and i finally believe that it would work in baking recipes. i rinsed off some delicious frozen blueberries from the farmer’s market this summer, too!

i got a huge breakfast bowl, which was probably perfect, since i ate it at lunchtime. now i’m planning out a big, healthy dinner, since i don’t think i’ll fit three whole meals in today.

if only i could sleep so well every morning. happy sunday!

I don’t know what I’ve been subsisting on, but I can assure you, it wasn’t pretty. I remember some eggs, and a really good few meals that came from a box and was New Orleans-themed.

It really didn’t get much prettier after the grocery store.

I left with three boxes of cereal. And I could not have been more pleased. It started on Grey’s Anatomy night, when I watched a boy in the house fix a gigantic bowl of cereal for dessert, with a big dollop of vanilla yogurt on top. Mixed in with the milk! I was flabbergasted. And immediately tried it.

And when I came home from grocery shopping, I had a bowl of cereal for dinner. Remember Cap’n Crunch Berries? I only vaguely did.

They were even better than I remembered.

I also tried a ruby red grapefruit for the first time. I cut into it like a grapefruit, which took some time. But it was juicy and delightful.

That might be the extent of my healthy eating for the week.  :-(  Can something please kick me into shape soon?

* * * *

In other news, I’ll part with some links of interest over the week:

1. Wikipedia Blackout: Websites Wikipedia, Reddit, Others Go Dark Wednesday to Protest SOPA, PIPA (go on, wikipedia. i’m in full support.)
2. Paula Deen’s type 2 diabetes: Is her cooking to blame? (i love paula deen, and i think i always will. this doesn’t look good for her. especially teaming up with a diabetes drug manufacturer… but she makes me melt. and yearn southern living. if i ever have cable again, i will gladly welcome her into my living room.)
3. Burger King tests out delivery service in Virginia, Maryland
4. Conquering the chilly workouts of winter
5. Unleash the power of the nap (really interesting – it explains the phases of sleep, and what’s going on during each one.)

this week felt long.and i know today will be long and exhausting. i’m trying to remember all the things i love doing, and all the things that make me happy. i’ve got them all right now. and, comparatively, there have been SO MANY worse weeks.  ;-)  it was just… a lot of work, a lot of moping – and trying to figure out how i don’t usually deal with those so often.

WHAT I DID

built things

celebrated grey’s anatomy night with incredible sandwiches with melissa

read. a lot.

WHAT I DIDN’T DO

anything on any list i made

* * *

i’m glad i’m back to a happier state of mind. the book, the night circus, is really good. i hated it for the first 33 pages, and was considering putting it away. but then the real story started. i’m not sure if it was intended, but the misery that those first 33 pages felt like to me made it that much better when the real characters came together…

i’m off to get ready for the wedding shower. not too much later than 20 minutes from when i started… and the plan this week (since i’m following those so well) is to go grocery shopping, make some meals i’ve been waiting for, and get some things done on my list. the “preview” from wednesday is not entirely complete yet. it should be this week, but i don’t have a definite day. i decided to wait to share until it’s all complete (except for the two random photos so far, that don’t mean much on their own). but i’m having a lot of fun finishing it all up.

i don’t want to share for real until it’s all finished, but here’s a little sneak preview: how, and where, i plan to spend the rest of my night.

my very short night, since i haven’t been sleeping well, and have the highest of hopes to remedy this tonight.

and randomly, because i still pine away for delicious foods, but have not made anything (of note or otherwise) in a while, here are some of my favorite eats from the past week… hopefully i put something together worth sharing soon.

goodnight!

i woke up to sipping coffee and writing…

made an incredible bowl of oats

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup of water
• dash of salt
• tbsp sugar
• 1 egg white. this was the game-changer. i cooked the oats by the microwave directions, and about 30 seconds before they were done, i added an egg white, a bit at a time, and whipped it all together. you have to watch out for scrambled egg, but it wasn’t hard. this texture was unbeatable.
• on top was a microwaved apple with cinnamon, and some applesauce

watched movies, played in lightroom…

and i got a haircut. (plus styling, which i can’t do by myself. it should be a nice surprise in a few minutes when i show it off.)

this afternoon, i’m going to make my second-ever trip to ikea. i’m in the market for a bed frame, and a new desk for my new-ish computer. pretty excited about it.

Today’s prompt – Five Minutes: Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2011 in five minutes. Set an alarm for that long, and capture the things you most want to remember about 2011. {photo choices not included in five minutes.}

- – – -

in 2011, i traveled away from work for really the first time. i saw new orleans over a long weekend, which was a great experience, but long enough. i went to st. john with the person i’m in love with. five days felt like heaven, but i don’t think any amount of time would have been enough. i fell in love. it was really unexpected, and i feel like so many random things came together to make it happen.

i took a biology class, to help me get started if i decide i want to study nutrition. i tried to take a nutrition class as well, but i dropped it. i haven’t decided what that says about my progress, but it says i had a teacher i wanted to smack, and that i am learning to do what i need to to make myself happy.

i spent days on the beach curled up under beach towels. long dinners over wine and great conversations.

thinking about what i’d lose and trying to write it all down, 2011 was the year i fell in love. it’s exactly what i’d have wanted for 2011, that i’d have never been bold enough to hope for. i’m trying to be mindful of my tendency to make things messy, overanalyze things, and sometimes dream up drama where there really isn’t any. it’s helping me stay happy and grounded… at least, more than i would be.

one week into 2012, and i’m thrilled for another year.

Today’s prompt – Learn: What did you learn?

- – – -

in 2011, i learned that i am a light sleeper when someone is snoring in my general direction, but most of the time, it’s completely worth it.

that it’s a good idea to spend money you aren’t sure you should for a beautiful, warm vacation. or shiny new mac. your savings will be waiting for you when you get back to it.

that writing mellows me out and gets me thinking more coherently.

that i might never be able to balance figuring out what i want to do with my life with being ok with where i am now.

that if i don’t like a book after struggling for a few days, i should immediately throw it away.

that stressing and worrying will not amount to anything but less sanity, but sometimes, i still can’t help it.

that my job should not define who i am, and should not be the main reason i’m unhappy (or, potentially, happy), but it’s hard for me to separate that.

that when i let go of how things are ‘supposed to be,’ i have such a great time.

Today’s prompt – CAPTURE: Sift through all the photos of you from the past year. Choose one that best captures you.

- – – -

but right now i’m interested in salad.

i subsisted on this salad during my vacation in north carolina in august. that wasn’t a very unhealthy week… we had lots of popsicles, but some nights full of pizza, and plenty of drinks. lunchtime ended up making me feel good about the week, and ready for fun afternoons.

i decided to bring it back. it was one of the quickest, most delicious salads. (now looking through my photos, and playing in LIGHTROOM, i’ve discovered i actually forgot what i had put in this salad. still a good concept. hahaha.)

• an entire head of romaine
• shredded mexican cheese
• a soy chicken patty (or soy grillers burger in north carolina :p )
• avocado
• balsamic vinegar & vinaigrette

it remains perhaps the only healthy thing i’ve done for myself all week. that, and the head of baked kale i just ate for dinner. perhaps next week, i’ll figure a few light-eating days into my schedule… into my brand new planner.  ;-)  andie just described her daily lunch salads, and i gotta say, i’m pretty interested in going away from “dressings” and into creamy toppings.

Today’s prompt – BLOG: Which blogs did you enjoy most?

- – – -

i’m getting back to blogging and reading blogs after a bit of a hiatus earlier this year. i went back to a lot i had read before, and found a few new ones. my interests shift, which is the main reason i shifted blogs myself. i read kath eats, and my friend fran, emily, and heather. here are a few others.

the shu box

sarah won me over because of one of the silliest things ever – she loves lists. i love lists. my brother’s friends reference me from childhood by asking if i’m still ‘writing my lists.’ i can’t make these things up. she’s very into organizing, but also, writes often about finding mindfulness in everything she does. it’s a nice take on things, and i find myself incorporating this into my daily life, too.

the edible perspective

ashley made me crave taking more photos. she shared her entire introduction to her dslr camera on her blog; she was too nervous to try it at first (it was her husband’s). now, she constantly explains what she’s learned to others, and shows them that anyone can do it. her photograph is beautiful.

hungry runner girl

janae’s cheeriness and wit always cheer me up. she seems like such a true, nice person, and writes about things in her day that are silly and sweet and make her feel good.

can you stay for dinner

andie’s blog incorporates a lot of her journey losing 135 pounds. she’s about my age, but writes with a ridiculous amount of eloquence. the things she describes about her journey and her daily life really hit home with me. i often find myself scribbling down a sentence so i can remember it all day.

eat live run

i’m new to reading jenna’s blog. her approach to classic foods is refreshing. it reminds me of andie’s… she eats the foods she loves, and does activity that makes her happy. this is how she finds a healthy balance and takes care of herself. also, she was trained at le cordon bleu.

the pioneer woman

it amazes me how one woman was behind creating this website that’s turned into a community from its beginning as a blog. ree sucked me in with her story of following her husband out into the frontier.