Definitely been feeling thankful lately and am constantly reminding myself to appreciate the little things in life. Here are some of the things that have been gracing my life and mind:
--Butterflies in the air
--Racoon families crossing the road
--Weekends spent BBQing with friends and lounging on the river shores
--Long weekends up ahead to celebrate our nation's independence
--The know-how to search for jobs for our move back to Oregon
--Enough previous contacts to help me network back in Oregon
--Tomatoes purchased at the local, tiny farmer's market
--Grocery store runs with the hub
--Evenings reading in bed (Committed was a great sociological and personal look at marriage; Friday Night Knitting Club is looking good)
--Ten miles covered in running shoes last week (all with the companionship of the doggies)
--Jalapenos & bell peppers continuing to grow
--Excitement at the upcoming visit from mom and granny
--Email exchanges with dear friends
--The boss being a boss
--The dead beatle on display in my office
--Bins of recyclying
--Lady's purrs
--New mineral eyeshadow sets arriving in the mail
--Sending cards & summer mail love to others
--Phone visits with my father
--Pictures & photo worthy moments of life
--Orange & pink moths near the front door
--New Itunes music purchased by a wonderful gift card from a coworker
--Patience yet the ability to look long term
--Afternoon thunderstorms & a rainstorm that actually dropped us 10 degrees
--Daydream believers
--Free bang trim from another military wife
--Quick housecleaning on an early Friday evening
--Sharing moments with friends
--Commitment big and small
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Breakfast Variety
Breakfast. A meal that I never indulged in ten years ago, yet a meal I consistently enjoy on a daily basis at this stage in my life. It has been called the meal of champions. It has been determined to increase one's ability to learn and to set the stage for physical endurance.
Lately I've been getting a lot of questions from people about foods pertaining to what are healthy meals and snacks, etc, and I've been thinking a lot about my new love of breakfast. One thing that I absolutely enjoy though is a great variety in my food. The husband has taught me a great love of breakfast for dinner and we tend to indulge in pancakes at least once on most weekend mornings. The great thing about pancakes is that you can make so many different types and add so many different toppings. We've had buckwheat, blue berry, whole wheat, pecan, and regular. We've put peanut butter, butter, whipped cream, various fruits, and syrup on top. Not all together of course. ;)
However, when we're not indulging in a weekend morning of pancakes, I scrounge together my own variety of breakfast during the week. Since I only have about 15-20 minutes most mornings to throw something together, eat it, and move on to the next morning task, most breakfasts are pretty straightforward and simple. Even with simple meals though, I try to pack them as full of healthy nutrients as possible.
So these are some of the breakfasts I eat on a regular basis:
Fruit Smoothie (this actually gets made and consumed at least 3-4 times a week at other times too)
--one banana and a handful of frozen fruit
--couple Tbs of nuts and honey
--dash of cinnamon, one Emergency packet, & about a teaspoon of flax seed
--enough soy milk to just about cover the ingredients pre-blending
--blend and enjoy
Quinoa
---1/2 cup rinsed quinoa, 1 cup water, bring to boil, cover, and reduce to low for 15 minutes
--put half in a bowl w/ cut fruit, syrup, and soy milk
(sometimes I make this with organic yogurt instead of soymilk)
Kashi Cereal w/ soymilk
Omelet w/ Cheese and a cut tomato or salsa on top
Yogurt w/ fruit, nuts, cinnamon, & honey OR museli
Banana w/ peanut butter & a glass of soymilk
Bagel w/ cream cheese
In winter: Oatmeal w/ brown sugar, soymilk, & pecans.
On the weekends we also sometimes eat french toast and/or breakfast burritos. And always the morning starts out with my Klean Kanteen full of coffee/espresso and creamer/soymilk for transport to work.
If you're facing a breakfast rut, maybe one of these suggestions will help. What do you eat for breakfast?!
Lately I've been getting a lot of questions from people about foods pertaining to what are healthy meals and snacks, etc, and I've been thinking a lot about my new love of breakfast. One thing that I absolutely enjoy though is a great variety in my food. The husband has taught me a great love of breakfast for dinner and we tend to indulge in pancakes at least once on most weekend mornings. The great thing about pancakes is that you can make so many different types and add so many different toppings. We've had buckwheat, blue berry, whole wheat, pecan, and regular. We've put peanut butter, butter, whipped cream, various fruits, and syrup on top. Not all together of course. ;)
However, when we're not indulging in a weekend morning of pancakes, I scrounge together my own variety of breakfast during the week. Since I only have about 15-20 minutes most mornings to throw something together, eat it, and move on to the next morning task, most breakfasts are pretty straightforward and simple. Even with simple meals though, I try to pack them as full of healthy nutrients as possible.
So these are some of the breakfasts I eat on a regular basis:
Fruit Smoothie (this actually gets made and consumed at least 3-4 times a week at other times too)
--one banana and a handful of frozen fruit
--couple Tbs of nuts and honey
--dash of cinnamon, one Emergency packet, & about a teaspoon of flax seed
--enough soy milk to just about cover the ingredients pre-blending
--blend and enjoy
Quinoa
---1/2 cup rinsed quinoa, 1 cup water, bring to boil, cover, and reduce to low for 15 minutes
--put half in a bowl w/ cut fruit, syrup, and soy milk
(sometimes I make this with organic yogurt instead of soymilk)
Kashi Cereal w/ soymilk
Omelet w/ Cheese and a cut tomato or salsa on top
Yogurt w/ fruit, nuts, cinnamon, & honey OR museli
Banana w/ peanut butter & a glass of soymilk
Bagel w/ cream cheese
In winter: Oatmeal w/ brown sugar, soymilk, & pecans.
On the weekends we also sometimes eat french toast and/or breakfast burritos. And always the morning starts out with my Klean Kanteen full of coffee/espresso and creamer/soymilk for transport to work.
If you're facing a breakfast rut, maybe one of these suggestions will help. What do you eat for breakfast?!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
What I Learned..From a Few Days of Limited Internet
1) Regardless of whether or not I check my email and whether or not people are frustrated that I will be unreachable by email for a few days, almost no one sends one. ;) Well except for a wonderful one from my father and a few regular list-serv & duty things---but none of those were urgent by any means.
2) The internet has made the normal things so much easier to do. No internet meant I couldn't look up potential recipes to make for dinner and google has long been my fast answer machine to all sorts of random questions. Technically I lost the challenge because I used the internet at work to look up a distance from Mississippi to our house.....BECAUSE my aunt surprised us with a visit as she traveled through! It was so great to have her stop by and it was quite the surprise. Ironically I'd just gotten the guest room situated last weekend so it was pretty easy to have her here, and as I hadn't seen her in about three years it was really great just to catch up (and have her meet my husband)!
3) I've come to the conclusion that I use the internet & Facebook to fill empty slots of time and to attempt to connect me to some world that exists outside of where we currently are located.......however that time could also be much better utilized doing things outside, reading, enjoying more of the simpler moments, and attempting to increase connections here. As the days progressed, I also felt myself relax, slow down slightly, and appreciate more. I got to sleep in for an extra 20 minutes each morning as I wasn't able to check email & news before work---the extra snooze was great!
4) I've realized that I use Facebook for work networking too. I use it to communicate with the coworkers I had who have relocated and to hunt down job options for clients by using my friends and their connections as information resources. Just goes to show that networking truly can be 90% of the job hunt.
5) And lastly, while the husband was still able to access the Internet on his computer and Iphone when he was home, I didn't really touch the TV. The lessened technology did increase our communication though and our general feeling of satisfaction spending time together. We're talking about instituting one night a week without internet or TV on both sides----I think it'd be a good idea!
It was a busy (and HOT--high 90s and low 100s) week, but an interesting challenge all the same!
2) The internet has made the normal things so much easier to do. No internet meant I couldn't look up potential recipes to make for dinner and google has long been my fast answer machine to all sorts of random questions. Technically I lost the challenge because I used the internet at work to look up a distance from Mississippi to our house.....BECAUSE my aunt surprised us with a visit as she traveled through! It was so great to have her stop by and it was quite the surprise. Ironically I'd just gotten the guest room situated last weekend so it was pretty easy to have her here, and as I hadn't seen her in about three years it was really great just to catch up (and have her meet my husband)!
3) I've come to the conclusion that I use the internet & Facebook to fill empty slots of time and to attempt to connect me to some world that exists outside of where we currently are located.......however that time could also be much better utilized doing things outside, reading, enjoying more of the simpler moments, and attempting to increase connections here. As the days progressed, I also felt myself relax, slow down slightly, and appreciate more. I got to sleep in for an extra 20 minutes each morning as I wasn't able to check email & news before work---the extra snooze was great!
4) I've realized that I use Facebook for work networking too. I use it to communicate with the coworkers I had who have relocated and to hunt down job options for clients by using my friends and their connections as information resources. Just goes to show that networking truly can be 90% of the job hunt.
5) And lastly, while the husband was still able to access the Internet on his computer and Iphone when he was home, I didn't really touch the TV. The lessened technology did increase our communication though and our general feeling of satisfaction spending time together. We're talking about instituting one night a week without internet or TV on both sides----I think it'd be a good idea!
It was a busy (and HOT--high 90s and low 100s) week, but an interesting challenge all the same!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Work Quotes
Just in case any of you have actually been missing some of my random postings or thoughts, I've created a time released posting for mid-no-internet-week! :)
Each week I post a new quote on a white board in my office. Thus far the quotes have all been about the work environment (I am a career counselor after all!) and all have come from the Quote Garden at www.quotegarden.com/jobs Most are entertaining or at least thought provoking based on the individuals that I work with at times.
"Find a job you like and you add five days to every week."--H. Jackson Browne
"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play."--Arnold Toynbee
"It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles."--Niccolo Machiavelli
"There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes."--William J. Bennett, The Book of Virtues
"The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he fills out a job application form."--Stanley J. Randall
"Accomplishing the impossible means only that the boss will add it to your regular duties."--Doug Larson
Each week I post a new quote on a white board in my office. Thus far the quotes have all been about the work environment (I am a career counselor after all!) and all have come from the Quote Garden at www.quotegarden.com/jobs Most are entertaining or at least thought provoking based on the individuals that I work with at times.
"Find a job you like and you add five days to every week."--H. Jackson Browne
"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play."--Arnold Toynbee
"It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles."--Niccolo Machiavelli
"There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes."--William J. Bennett, The Book of Virtues
"The closest to perfection a person ever comes is when he fills out a job application form."--Stanley J. Randall
"Accomplishing the impossible means only that the boss will add it to your regular duties."--Doug Larson
Monday, June 14, 2010
Summer of Mail Love & A Personal Challenge
Now don't worry from an environmental stand-point, I try to send things that can easily be re-used, used in their entirety, or recycled. Any packaging from me should should be able to be recycled and most the gifts I send should be able to be used (personal care products, food, etc). If there's something that isn't to your liking but you know of someone else who would enjoy it---then pass it on! I'm a huge proponent of re-gifting!
Now on a side note: The husband and I are participating in our own small challenge this week. He is giving up access to the TV from tomorrow until Friday evening and I'm giving up internet usage (except for when I have to use it for my job). We both like to point out each other's addiction to technology, so hopefully this will teach us something and if anything we'll probably read and play with the doggies more! Not that most of you aren't used to my lack of postings or blog comments most weeks, but at least this time you know why! ;) Enjoy your own week!
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