favorite

fa·vor·ite:  [fey-ver-it, feyv-rit]

~NOUN:  A PERSON OR THING REGARDED WITH SPECIAL FAVOR OR PREFERENCE~


it has been a hot minute since i've blogged.  i have had a health snafu going on (as it seems most folks have these days), but i am on the mend and feeling lots better!

just in time for another round of friday favorites!

*  my word of the year necklace - my next door neighbor and good friend, tracey, shared the link to this lovely necklace earlier in january.  she thought it would be perfect for me and it is!  my necklace just arrived a week or so ago and i l-o-v-e it!  not only is it dainty and lovely, it is such a good reminder of my word of the year.  i decided to go with the sanskrit word for contentment, santosha, to make it a bit more personalized for me.  while i chose the silver, it also comes in gold. 

loves, loves, loves it!

*  my electric blanket - unless it is in excess of 80 degrees, i am going to be cold.  over thanksgiving, my mom broke out these comfy, cozy electric blankets.  i was in heaven!  then, she told me that we could take them home!  they were supposed to be part of our christmas gifts, but she decided we could have them on the early side.  i question how i ever survived any winter without it.  i was so in love that i actually gave one to my mother-in-law for christmas and who has called me 3 times to talk about how wonderful it is.  i am curled up under right now, while it is 25 degrees and sleeting outside.  speaking of another favorite....

*  snow days  - unfortunately, i no longer get snow days because i, fortunately, am a mobile worker and work from home 99.9% of the time.  i still love a good snow day though.  i love watching those big, fluffy flakes (which are supposedly headed this way around 4 p.m. EST) float through the sky, creating a big white blanket.  i love how quiet and peaceful it gets, at least for a little while.  i love the frequent knock at the door as one of the neighborhood kids ask if they can use our driveway and hill for sledding. (yes, sweetie.  always yes.  just be careful.)  i love that it gives me an excuse to drink one more cup of coffee, a silly amount of hot chocolate, followed by an even sillier amount of hot cider for the sake of keeping warm.  i love putting a pot of homemade soup on the burner, all warm and bubbly, that is sure to take the chill off from snowman building.  i love the fire my husband gets going in the fire pit outside.  i love how bogue tries to figure out "what in the heck is this white stuff."  i love cuddling and getting cozy.  now if this freezing rain and ice we are currently experiencing would turn to snow, well, that would be swell.  (sigh, winter in nc.  lots of ice.  not-so-much snow.)

*  homemade spa water - for probably going on 3 years now, i do not drink soda except on a rare occasion.  we are talking maybe once a year, if even that.  so, i drink a lot of water.  water on its own is okay, but it can get, well, rather boring after a while.  one day i was at the spa with my bestie, melissa, and we were commenting on how yummy and refreshing the water was.  i remember looking at her and asking, "why don't we ever think to do this at home?  it isn't hard.  all they are doing is floating some cucumbers in a pitcher of water."  now, i do this on the regular.  i've branched out as well.  at any given time, you'll find cucumbers, lemons, clementines, oranges, strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries floating in my water.  it is delicious and so refreshing!  i'm rocking the cucumbers today:

just say no to processed "fruit-flavored" water and make your own.  it tastes better and is better for you.  promise.

* gone girl by gillian flynn - i finished this book awhile ago, but i have been slowly convincing my friends to read it.  it is so much fun hearing their reactions!  even though, like many of my friends, some parts of this novel just down right ticked me off (but what good piece of literature doesn't inspire intense emotion), i loved every.single.second of it.  so many mystery/crime novels follow a certain formula these days that by about half-way through i've already got it mostly figured out.  this one?  absolutely not.  do me a favor.  if you like mystery/crime novels, please, please read gone girl.  trust me.  you'll be shaking your head at the end wondering what-in-the-hell just happened.  perfect read on a snow day!

happy friday, friends!  stay warm and have a lovely weekend!

xoxox -

net

net:  [net]

~NOUN:  ANYTHING SERVING TO CATCH~
 
i read this blog religiously (as well as her book, which has changed me in ways that are indescribable, but i'll try in another post).

she speaks of her "net."  her group of girlfriends that she can count on through thick and thin, no matter what.

as she describes it, this net seems quite large and diverse....made up of many different layers of women.

some who are mutual friends.

some who are not.

some who like each other.

some who are odds with one another.

but still, when the time calls for it, the net comes together to cradle the one in need.

i have, shall we say, "challenges" with cultivating relationships with other women.  i have been betrayed and hurt in various and sundry ways that have jaded me.

after years of work, i now enter relationships with cautious optimism.

yet, i am still slow.  very slow to trust.  to be open.  to be vulnerable.

then, this happened.

slowly...very slowly...i shared the news with my closest girlfriends.

next, i took a leap of faith and shared with a couple of girlfriends that didn't know me as well and who i kept at arms length for a variety of reasons.

but now, in the midst of chaos, i wanted to let them in...to see a very fragile, vulnerable part of me.  

i didn't know what would happen.  i didn't know what the reactions would be.

so, i waited....without expectation....

....and not very long.

now?  i struggle to find the words to express the gratitude i feel in my heart.

the abundance of support, kindness, and straight-up unbridled love i have received from these beautiful women is unparalleled and something that has touched my heart and changed me in ways that i know i still haven't fully recognized.

oh, i have a net, my friends.

it is strong.

it is amazing.

it is beautiful.

i wouldn't change it for the world.

lise, melissa, anna, teran, amy, niki, stefanie, and tracey - you each are a very special blessing in my life.  i love you.

xoxox -

favorite

fa·vor·ite:  [fey-ver-it, feyv-rit]

~NOUN:  A PERSON OR THING REGARDED WITH SPECIAL FAVOR OR PREFERENCE~


the first of (hopefully) many 2013 friday favorites.

*  black-eyed peas and cabbage:  as a born-and-bred southerner, it has been instilled in me that every new year's day you must eat black-eyed peas and cabbage for luck and prosperity.  last year, we did not do this.  this year, i was not taking any chances.  i absolutely l-o-v-e these veggies, but my marylander husband was not so convinced.  so, i did a little magic in the kitchen.  seasoning them, not in a necessarily traditional way, but a way in which would be pleasing to the hubby as well.  guess what?  he loved them!  score one for the wife!

*  the tv show, parenthood:  if you aren't watching this show, you are seriously missing out.  they manage to tackle some very serious material, which is often heart-wrenching (i've cried during the last 4 episodes), but you most always seem uplifted at the end.

* a nice, new day planner for 2013.  while i am on a computer all day and do have an iphone, i still love a good, old fashioned day planner.  i religiously use the lilly pulitzer monthly planner.  while the print i'm sporting this year is no longer available, they do have 2 cute prints remaining, which just happen to be on major sale through tomorrow.  you can find them here.

*  my first pair cowboy boots that my husband got me for christmas, with an assist from my 2nd cousin, sarah.  i am in l.o.v.e.  speaking of 2nd cousins....

*  two of my 2nd cousins got engaged over the holidays!  i'm so excited for both of them and i'm really glad that i began to deepen and strengthen my relationship with my 2nd cousins over the past few months.  of the first generation cousins, i'm the youngest by about 10+ years, seeing as how my mom is the youngest of four.  as i got older, i really started to develop a close friendship with some of these ladies and we began looking at each other as friends, instead of just "me" as the baby and "them" as my older-cousins-who-used-to-change-my-diapers.  as the second generation of cousins started coming into the world, i realized i would probably have a very similar dynamic with them.  over the past few months, they've come to tailgates, flown in from florida to visit, had sleepovers at my house, and we've exchanged lots and lots of texts and facebook posts  (it brought tears to my eyes that the 2 girls who got engaged thought to send me an individual text, even before my mom, their aunt, got the news).  i can't wait to be in attendance at their weddings (i'll be the one doing the ugly cry) and i'll try my hardest not to talk about what it was like to change their diapers, but i'm not making any promises.  :)

happy friday and hope you all have a lovely weekend!

xoxox-

soup

soup:  [soop]

~ NOUN:  A LIQUID FOOD MADE BY BOILING OR SIMMERING MEAT, SEAFOOD, OR VEGETABLES WITH VARIOUS ADDED INGREDIENTS. ~

i have a confession to make.  once the weather turns cold, and oftentimes dreary, as it has a tendency to do in the winter, i crave soups and stews.  i just simply cannot.get.enough.  there is something about a bubbly pot of goodness on the stove that just makes my heart happy.

sure, my southern girl heart would rather be in the tropics, soaking up the sun, listening to reggae, with a mojito in hand, but alas, this is not (always) possible.

i don't "do cold" very well.

however, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do...

so, soups and stews it is to warm up my southern girl heart in the midst of a cold winter's night.

on sundays, where there seems to be a fabulously excessive amount of time to spend in the kitchen, i will whip up a concoction that requires hours of simmering, soaking up the anticipation of a hearty stew that will soon be served for dinner.

however, on a rainy, cold wednesday, i've got things to do and i need to get my soup fix with a quickness!

as a girl who has a self-processed love for tomatoes (thank goodness for my childhood neighbor's garden, as well as that of my brother-in-law, for amazing tomatoes in-season), one would think that tomato soup and i would have quite the love affair.  however, much to my dismay, i thought for the longest time that i simply just didn't like tomato soup.  i wanted to like it, but the stuff out of the can and even from my favorite sandwich shop, well, it just fell short.

until i found this recipe...and modified it....of course....because that is just what i do.

this, my sweet friends, is tomato soup perfection and is hands-down one of hubby's favorite soups (and mine too).

the best part?  it is done start-to-finish in 45 minutes.  it doesn't get any better than that for a quick night meal!

so, give it a shot.  even you tomato-soup haters.  i promise you will love it!! 

here's the scoop:

spicy tomato soup
slightly adapted from whole living magazine

ingredients:

* 1 28 oz can whole peeled plum tomatoes (i typically use muir glen, and/or organic if i can find it.  don't skimp here on quality, as this is the basis for the entire soup.  you'll be glad you spent the extra moolah for top notch tomatoes.)

* 2 tbsp of olive oil

* 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (i use 1/2 tsp, since my husband likes the spice...obviously, he's married to a redhead.  ;-) )

* 1 1/2 tablespoons of minced garlic

* 1 half of a large white onion, diced

* 2 1/2 cups of vegetable broth or low-sodium chicken broth  (i am partial to vegetable broth)

* salt and pepper

* freshly shredded cheese

instructions:

1.)  heat oil and red pepper flakes in a dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat 30 seconds or until fragrant.

2.)  add garlic and onion.  saute until soft, about 5 - 6 minutes.

3.)  add tomatoes, crushing slightly with your hands or a wooden spoon.  stir in vegetable or chicken broth.  season to taste with salt and pepper.

4.)  reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.

5.)  transfer soup to a food processor or blender.  puree until desired consistency.  (we leave ours just shy of completely smooth, so you still get small bits of tomato.)

6.)  top with your favorite cheese.  we enjoy mozzarella, parmesean, and/or fontina.

we also serve it with a garlic ciabatta bread for dipping!  if fresh basil is in-season, go ahead and throw some on top.  the possibilities are endless!

give it a try and let me know your thoughts in the comments.  :)

enjoy and stay warm!! 

xoxox -

 

contentment (santosha)

con·tent·ment:  [kuh n-tent-muh nt]

~ NOUN:  THE STATE OF BEING CONTENTED; SATISFACTION; EASE OF MIND ~

happy new year, friends.

last night, we started a new tradition in our home of the "burning bowl."  basically, you write down a word(s) or a phrase(s) that you'd like to leave behind as you move into the new year.  then, you set it on fire and place it a bowl.  oh, i had several little slips of paper in our burning bowl last night and it was glorious, lovely, and liberating.

....out with the old.....

today, i have turned my focus to my word of intention.

since 2011, i have forgone the traditional new year's resolutions and have chosen a word of intention instead.  if you are new to the blog, check out this post from last january that gives you the scoop and my perspective on why it works better for me, personally.

now, if you l-o-v-e your resolutions, i say go for it and i'll be here cheering you on from the sidelines!

i have had three words rumbling through my mind over the past few days.  i pondered them over and over again and really was having a difficult decision.

when i woke up this morning, it hit me.

i knew what my word for 2013 was going to be.

i've said it before and i'll say it again, it really does choose you at the end of the day.

contentment (santosha, for the yogis/yoginis out there) is my word of intention for 2013.

oh yeah.  it is a doozy and it is certainly setting myself up for a good, healthy dose of self-reflection, with a mighty long journey to go along with it.

(really, though, what life experience isn't just that?)

you see, i am from a long line of planners.

i do x, y, z and i expect the outcome to be a, b, c.

i will analyze (and over-analyze) all the potential outcomes if i do x, y, z or if i conversely do m,n,o what will happen.  next thing you know, i've worked myself into a complete tizzy.

and if a, b, c doesn't come into fruition?

let's not go there.  it can be quite ugly.

of course, this can be to one's advantage in  the workplace, but in the personal space, it can drive you, well, crazy.

what i find deliciously ironic about all of this is that i have learned over and over (and over) that this equation that i've used time and time again, simply doesn't work so well in my personal life.

when i was 22 years old, i had my whole life timeline planned out:  job (22), job progression (24), marriage (26), children (first one by 30).

let me tell you how my whole "master" plan worked out.

it didn't.

i tried to make it work...desperately clawing and pushing to fit square pegs in round holes.

still didn't work.

i cursed and screamed and yelled.

life was not budging, at least in the direction i was willing it to.

at some point, probably around 30 or so, when i wasn't married, had no children, but the job thing was okay, but not exactly what i wanted, i decided i had to let that whole timeline thing go.

and you know, what?  that whole timeline being a complete and total bust?

biggest.blessing.EVER.

well, through a series of twists and turns, i find my inner control freak creeping back out with a vengence.  trying to control things that simply aren't controllable.

obsessing over the future.  condemning of past decisions.

the concept of "let go and let God" has gone completely out the window.

girlfriend has got to get back in check.

i'm missing the present.

i have so much.  SO MUCH.

so many blessings.  so much love.  so much joy.

i want, nary i say, need to be content in the present.....

to have my own sense of inner peace and happiness.

this quote really spoke to me:

"No one longs for what he or she already has, and yet the accumulated insight of those wise about the spiritual life suggests that the reason so many of us cannot see the red X that marks the spot is because we are standing on it.  The treasure we seek requires no lengthy expedition, no expensive equipment, no superior aptitude or special company. All we lack is the willingness to imagine that we already have everything we need. The only thing missing is our consent to be where we are.” ~Barbara Brown Taylor

so, i'm looking forward to this journey and working towards being content with the big red x that i'm standing on today and the different one i will be standing on tomorrow.

each day of this life truly is a treasure, if we just take a moment to recognize what we already have, instead of what we are lacking.

xoxox,

p.s. - like last year, i also created a pinterest board for inspiration of this year's word of intention.  you can find it here.