It's mine so hush...

Hurry up, now wait. I feel like that is the story of my life. I have always been in a hurry to get where I am going, even if I wasn't exactly sure where that was.  I graduated from high school a year early.  I finished my first bachelors degree in under four years.  In each case, I was in a rush to get to the next thing.  I felt that way in my most recent tenure in grad school.  I just wanted to get through, so I could start doing the work.  Then once I was doing the work, I just wanted to finish my hours so I could get licensed and move on to what ever was next.   Getting laid off is compelling me to change my ways.  As challenging as it has been financially for me, it has forced me to slow down, take a breath and has blessed me with the opportunity to think more strategically about what I want my career to look like.  I am reminded that I am going to spend the next thirty years, at least, working - often more than I want to - so being...

I have been trying to expand my food choices, develop a whole foods and plant based way of eating, and try to find new ways to enjoy food.  And I miss cake.  There I said it.  I have missed delicious sweet treats, that up until recently I would pour out of a box, plop in a couple of eggs and oil and call it good.  I am trying to get away from that.  I am trying to eat foods that I understand what is in it and how I feel after eating it. With that in mind, I have been experimenting with baking.  I wanted to make a chocolate cake that my family (picky no veggie or healthy food lovin boys!) would enjoy and that I could share with my vegan friends.  So I started with my good old Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook  and checked out the chocolate cake recipe. The basic chocolate cake is as follows: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour, which made the cake a bit more dense.) 1 teaspoon baking power 3/4 teas...

I have been wanting try out some new juicing recipes for a while.  I have been doing smoothies a couple of times a week and have really enjoyed it.  We have a fancy juicer that we got as a wedding gift, and it was gently placed on the highest shelf in the house when we moved in here.  So this morning I asked the kiddo, who is now the tallest person in the house at 6 feet even, to reach it down for me. Today I tried a recipe from Crazy Sexy Kitchen by Kris Carr , called the Morning Glorious.  The recipe is as follows: 1 larger cucumber A fist full of kale A fist full of romaine 2 or 3 stalks of celery (I used 2 as I think celery has a really strong taste in juice) 1 big broccoli stem 1 green apple, quartered (I used a pink crisp as it was all that I had on hand) 1/2 peeled lemon, quartered I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about how it would taste.  I have experimented a bit with juicing in the past and have learned that one flavor...

Thanksgiving weekend my car keys went missing.  We searched the house high and low.  We had done several house projects and been to Home Depot a dozen times, so we called there to check.  We were in my parents truck, and searched it multiple times. No matter how hard I tried, I could not remember where I had put them.  The hubs had driven my car on Thanksgiving morning to run to the store, but he swore up and  down that he had taken my extra set of keys that were still hanging on the key rack.   A couple of times since moving into our house, I have come home from work, unlocked the door and forgot my keys in the lock.  The hubs usually came in behind me and would pull them out of the lock and bring them in the house while making fun of me for leaving them.  We have a screen door, so you wouldn't notice them from the outside, unless you walked up and opened the screen door.  So in the last few months I have had a few moments of pan...

It's been a little rough around here lately.  Lots of transition and unknown, more on that later, which are not encouraging the Christmas Spirit.  But finally today, Gage and I decorated the tree, I wrapped the gifts and it's finally looking a bit like Christmas at the Mongoose Manor. We also got a dusting of snow, which helped move us along... Now, just two more days of work then we are off to spend the holiday with Nena and Pa. Happy Holidays everyone!

37 arrived yesterday out of no where. I rolled over, snuggled deep beneath my covers,  and there it was, staring me right in the eyes.   I haven't decided if we are going to be friends, yet. It came on a little strong from the get go,  leaving dripping roofs and mud puddles. It left me lonely, as one by one my loves left the house. Today, we have eased into a mutual understanding,  that with the rain, there too, needs to be some sun.   37 arrived yesterday, and I am not sure yet how I feel. 

This week was about self-care.  I am the first to tell you that self-care is oh so important to being able to be the best person you want to be.  Yet sometimes, I am the last person to take that good advice.  So here are some moments of simple self-care that helped this week. 1) Time off!  I took off three days and only checked my work email twice.  I am getting better at being away.  I have sometimes found it hard to be away since entering community mental health.  I find myself worrying about clients who may currently be more vulnerable.  I will continue to work at finding balance in my life and not let work override my personal life. 2) Camping with the Fam!  We spent four days and three nights on the Umpqua River.  It was lovely weather that ran the gamut of  gorgeous, sunny and warm to muggy, expansive thunderstorms, to cool foggy mornings.  It was perfect. 3) Loving on my sweet sweet nephews!  My...