Hummingbirds

I am American...

...And thisis my reality.

 

  Okay.   So I am not the most patriotic person.  BUT,  I do really appreciate America and all the military that fight for America and all of us in it. 

  So I say I am not so patriotic because I have no little flags around, or red white and blue flowers, no grill, & no fireworks.  I think there is a firework show going on as a type, not far away, but I don't feel like going.  Neither do the dogs, that's for sure. 

 

 

I did eat a hot dog for dinner tonight ( because ya gotta eat one at least once a year or when the occasion calls for it), and I had some corn chips that I baked, with some organic french onion dip.  Woops ....french.  That's not very American is it?  in fact that looks so gross now it makes me want to puke.  Just like the little dog did all over the comforter.  Nothin' like wakin ' up to a fresh pile of puke.

  
  I scrounged everything up and didn't have to go to the grocery store.  I did that yesterday ( after purchasing $ 70 little stickers to put on my licence plate) and stumbled around the store like a lost, indecisive soul wondering what I was even shopping for, watching all these people stock up for what looked like a big huge picnic, a.k.a fourth of July weekend, easily racking up like 300 bucks on junk food.  I bought a  18lb watermelon, a bag of chips, 2 mangoes and a pineapple.  I ate half of the watermelon today.  By myself.    Just for the record, I also ate the bag of chips.
  So I had to make more.
  I have an American gut and I'm sitting on my American butt.  In my boy beater, can't get any more all American girl than that.

I love America.

Cooking alone

  I just have to say, if you have never had Amy's organic freezer meals, you are missing out. 
  I eat these meals when I'm eating dinner by myself, which is frequent in the summer.  Mostly due to  the fact that my significant other works like every night,  and it seems all my friends have significant others to eat dinner with.  So here I am, with my two dogs and cat eating previously frozen enchiladas, that are "oh my gosh so good!".  This is so much better than it sounds.  I just got a glimpse of being on freaky eaters, because I sometimes think I could live on Amy's cheese enchiladas and Garden of Eatin's red hot blues tortilla chips. 
  If you are single, you know that cooking for 1 person is a big pain in the butt.  Sometimes I put countless hours into healthy meals and then sit down and hate eating it by myself.  So I have decided it's not worth the effort anymore, if I can't make it in a blender, why bother.
  Then I ate Amy's.  I usually don't eat things out of boxes.  But I decided to try some of her meals when they were on sale at Fred Meyer, and I'm pretty much hooked.  I only buy them when they are on sale though, so there are many more I want to try. 
  Currently at the top of my list is the cheese enchiladas. 

photo from http://www.amys.com/products

 Coming in at a very close second is the gluten free mac and cheese, made with rice pasta. 

photo from http://www.amys.com/products

 Altho I eat the regular dairy one.  It is super tasty!  I totally hold out for the sales at Freddy's.  They always happen eventually, and then ya just gotta stock up.  Because when you have to feed a 140 lb dog , you can't afford to spend $5 on 2 enchiladas and mac n cheese.  But they are so worth it.
  Anyway I'm really bored tonight and don't want to clean my kitchen so I'm blogging about frozen food that no one will ever read anyway. 


http://www.ghassandeeb.com/

   I also made a huckleberry/mint tea mojito with  vodka instead of rum.  It was quite tasty, I made up the recipe.  I'm too lazy to go to the effort of taking a pic of it, so here's one from the internet that was totally fitting.  This one in the picture is called the black and blue mojito and you can go here for the recipe.  http://ghassandeeb.com/cocktail/black-and-blue-mojito

Are you wondering why I would need to clean my kitchen if I'm baking frozen dinners?  That's what I would like to know, when my kitchen got so messy?

Party size bag of chips and garage sales

I had a really busy week.  Father's Day...

My dad hates this dog by the way.  She ...loves him.  Isn't life funny that way?

..................................................

 Having my 12 year old niece for a visit ( burying dead chicks,

                                                                        

Manicures

  jewelery making, farkel, and fireworks.), the start of summer activities, and work. 

 So I feel like I have accomplished alot this week and am glad it is the weekend.   ( Although, it really doesn't matter what day of the week it is to me because I work weekends).   

   I polished off a party size  bag of  chips in 3 days, and went to a garage sale today.   I don't usually make it to garage/yard sales, but I do know that if you snooze you loose.   So I was up and Adam this A.M., on a mission to find a night stand.   I did!  Amongst a few other cool things. 

 including a gong. 

This one is a replica of the gong used by Chao Khao ( Hilltribe) peoples that live in the highlands of Thailand and the Golden Triangle.   It was supposedly purchased in the 1950's by a man in the navy that was stationed in Japan.   It is/was used to call the public to Weddings and things.  HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

 Cool metal plates and a bowl, that will be perfect for picnicking, light weight and unbreakable.  (unless used for target practice.)  We do shoot at things like this here in Idaho.

And this um,  beautiful wood stump with a gold plated bird...I'm calling it a vase.  I really don't know what it is supposed to be technically, but a glass fits inside it perfectly so it makes a really nice vase.

When I saw this night stand,

  I knew I had to have it.  I also instantly saw it's reformation. 

I knew right away that I was going to paint it. And I did, right away.  I painted a thin coat of white.  ' Thin coat' mainly because I don't have a paint brush big enough so i used a sponge.  I used ceramcoat in " Ivory".  Then I put a coat over that with "North Sea".    After that dried I started sanding. 

 The cool thing was that since it started with a dark base I had three colors to work with.  I think it turned out nicely.

I ended up doing a little experiment (marbling...  I didn't have the right paint), on the top that didn't quite work out.  So it is darker than the rest , but I thought it looked okay as it was.  So I didn't fix it.

Junk in my trunk

 I don't know if it's getting older or what it is exactly, but I just feel like I'm not all there some days.  Today was one of those days. 
 
  I have been loaned a really nice mtn. bike.  It just needed some new tires.  So I took it to the bike shop to get it ready for riding this summer.
  
   I'm really excited to get back into mtn. biking, and re-live one of my past passions.  Past, as in about 18 years ago.  I was obsessed with mtn. biking.  I worked at a sporting good store and had an awesome bike.  I lived near lots of trails, and it's just what I did when I was in my late teens and early 20's.  I'd like to say it kept me out of trouble.  Then one day I just quit.  I used the excuse that my bike went out of style.  Once I wasn't working at the store, there were no more super sweet deals.  Being an adult sometimes means not spending more on your mtn. bike than your car.  Nowadays mtn. bikes are full suspension and thousands of dollars.
   SO now that  I have one to use this summer, I am really excited!
I was at the bike shop explaining myself.  I had jammed this mtn. bike into the backseat of my VW Jetta.  A thunderstorm was rolling in while I was trying to remember how to take off the front wheel, because - mind you , it has been like over 15 years now.  I ended up squeezing the front tire off between the brakes, ripping off the brake pad in the process.  So  I rehearsed what my excuse was going to be during the 8 mile drive to the bike shop, so I wouldn't look like such an idiot.
  Well, they got me all taken care of, instructed me on how to take off the front wheel, and got me ready to roll.
  While checking out, the salesperson asked me if I needed help getting the bike back into my car.  I said " Na, I got it."  He then  asked me if my back seat folded down, and if so I could put it in through my trunk.  My response "  yeah, I got too much junk in my trunk".  Then I broke out laughing hysterically.  He didn't.  He just said " I know what you mean".
 

Another rainy day

Little Stinky

The dogs are getting bored.  I don't like them to be out in the rain getting all wet and then smelling  stinking up the house. 

  Summer is supposedly only 4 days away.  I would like it to be here right now.  I'm tired of cold, rainy, windy and cloudy days.   And the cat is eating all my plants.   Wellllll, enough whining for now. 
   Time to make goodies for Father's Day, such as french kale chips, sunflower crunch, and butterscotch popcorn (my dad's favorite).  A picnic is planned, but the way the weather is looking, we'll be picnicking inside, in the midst of my garden and pet hair.  I have iced tea and lemonade made, but I might need to bust out the hot cocoa. 
  This is Idaho in June, or June in Idaho, and I don't know why I'm surprised, it's been happening almost every year for as long as I can remember.  This June seems to be especially cold, but wacky weather seems to be the trend everywhere .  What's going on with the world?

Before and after no beer ,no chips

Before -June 6th 2011

                                               After-June 15th 2011

Okay ,so you can't tell much of a difference.  ( The difference in the 2nd picture is that I'm sucking in, ha ha)    But I'm determined to keep plugging away at it, or should I say chipping?   Speaking of chipping, I still have not eaten any chips.  But I've got some kale in the dehydrator this very moment. 

   Also at this very moment, I pretty much have my entire garden in my living room, because it is supposed to get down to 33 degrees tonight, and that's just to close to 32.  The electric fireplace is going as well.  And there  you have it.



Smoothie art

Well, this is day 7, the last day of my chip and beer free challenge.  I am happy to report that I succeeded in not consuming any chips or beer this last week.

 In fact I'm feeling so good, that I don't even have a desire to eat chips or drink beer .  I don't feel  like I lost much of my "beer belly", but I'm on the right path.  I will post the after picture tomorrow.

 This coaster is hand woven by my boyfriends mom.  Want one? The smoothie is in a wine bottle that has been made into a glass.

This is my coffee table that I painted this winter.

Faux Merlot

This is a black cherry smoothie that was extra tasty in this wine glass.  I put about 15 frozen cherries, 1/2 cup huckleberries ( frozen from last year), about 1/4 cup frozen pineapple, and 1 tsp spirulina powder.

Sat slip up

 Okay So I have to admit....I wasn't home for breakfast...so I slipped up a little.  I had scrambled eggs with cream cheese, mushrooms and spinach, with hashbrowns.  It was really good, maybe because my boyfriend cooked it for me.   I'm pretty sure I worked everysingle calorie of it off over the course of the day.  I made up for it and had a yummy green smoothie for lunch with some fruit in it this time, and asparagus and cucumbers for dinner.

  well now that I'm admitting things, I also had chocolate cheesecake ( we shared it though), Fri night, that was pretty  incredible.  I set myself up for that one, because I knew I would be eating dinner with my parents, celebrating my mom's birthday.

Friday food

  I started the day off with pretty much the grossest green smoothie I have ever made. The healthiest, no doubt, but the nastiest by far. I didn't bother to take a picture of it.  It looked like some green sludge you would find on the bottom of a pond.   It basically consisted of spinach, cilantro, spirulina powder, and water.
  So after choking that down, I decided it was time for some green goodness.  So I made Thick and chunky asparagus soup, from 'The Everything Raw Food recipe Book'.

I was pleasantly surprised.  This recipe is worth sharing.  I didn't follow the tomato and asparagus quantities exactly b/c I was in a hurry.  So I'm sure you could put as much or little of those two ingredients as you wanted according to personal preference.

Thick and chunky asparagus soup

Ingredients:  1 1/2 cups avocado

2 tbs flax seed oil ( or other oil)

2tbs lime juice

2 tbs minced onion

1/2 tbs fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried

1/2 tbs fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried

1/4 tsp chipotle powder

water to achieve desired texture

1 cup Roma tomatoes chopped

1/2 cup asparagus tips sliced fine

Directions:

1.  Place avocado, oil, lime juice, onion, rosemary, oregano and chipotle powder in blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  Add water to achieve the desired consistency.

2.  Pour into soup bowls and garnish with the tomatoes and asparagus.

So I pretty much fudged the whole recipe.  I used olive oil, lemon juice, herbs De Provence, and cayenne pepper, because that is what I had on hand, and it still turned out super tasty.  In my opinion anyway.  It was so thick I had to use a spatula to get it out of the blender, so it was a little like eating guacamole.  I will probably add a little more water next time.   Try it out.  here's the specs.

Per serving:

calories 165] fat 15 g] protein 2 g] sodium 7 mg] fiber 5 g

Food diary, day 1

Breakfast:  'Food Science' superior greens drink (mix)
                 green smoothie
Lunch:  peanut butter, sunflower seed/banana smoothie with wheat germ
Snack:  cucumber salad
             'Healthy To Go'  natural energy boost drink (mix)
              almonds-raw
Dinner:  Falafel pita and sauteed spinach

7 day challenge

I'm taking my own 7 day- beer and chip free challenge .  There are many websites that offer programs to raw food diets and support with a fee of some sort, but I have decided that I can do it on  my own. 
  I will be posting what I eat, or should I say what I don't eat or drink, for accountability. ( Even though there aren't many readers here).
 
  Today is officially day 1, even though yesterday I started off with a green smoothie.

I didn't follow a recipe, I just dumped in some frozen  dark cherries, frozen crushed pineapple, spinach, kale, and 1/2 of a cucumber, a little bit of razzleberry juice, and a tsp of spirulina powder.

I saved this giant straw from the milkshake shop, ( cause I'm all about RRR, you know) and it works perfect for thick smoothies.

 So far so good, I woke up at 6:30 am this morning....that NEVER happens.  I'm feeling better already.

My goal is to gently detox, and to loose a few inches of beer and chip flab.  With a happier liver not having to work so hard, I think I'll be a happier person, and will be better able to do my job in helping people feel better.

Oh, and since I don't have a scale and don't know my starting weight, I took a couple pictures.  Yuck.



Before.  side view 6/9/11



Before.  front view. 6/9/11

Carp and confessions

 This past Sunday I got to try a first.  Carp fishing.   Carp are native to Europe and Asia, and  they are here in Idaho.  There were hoards of them, spawning and splashing around like crazy.  I got a video on the flip, but it fell out of my pocket into the water when I was bringing this baby in. 

Confession time.  I lost my battle with chips and beer yesterday.  In fact beer was my dinner.  Oh and a piece of chocolate.  After waking up this morning feeling like poo, I went on my morning walk to the creek ( that is raging right now from run off) and sat on a rock for some grounding.  I had a little conversation with God, and then one with myself.   I like to walk to the creek where it  flows into a small pool at a little dam.  It's peaceful, soothing, and healing.  It helps me to feel that way.  Today, when it was rushing and raging it actually reflected how I have felt inside lately.  Rushing and raging.  My liver is angry, and it shows.  Angry from toxins , emotional and chemical. SO time to quit ignoring it and make a change.  Time to get back on track.  So hold me to it, because I'm starting right now.  More fresh veggies, fruit, and less chips and beer.  Way less.  In fact, I'm cutting them out totally for the next week. 

Crumpy, part 2

  So I read my horoscope this morning. But first,  Happy Birthday  to my mommers who is 69 today and  who has survived breast cancer.  ( Big party next year everyone, save the date.  Mom's wishes. otherwise I would have thrown one this year, why wait?)   And here I am whining about being crumpy b/c um uh (what was my beef again? I'm sure it was something like my life isn't what I thought it would be, and one of my dogs peed on the other dog. And probably something like the little dog eats the big dogs food and the cat eats the little dogs food ,  and I hate being on call, I suck at relationships, I 'm tired of renting, and I have this incredible urge to drink beer and eat chips, which in turn is causing a thing around my waist I would call love handles. (someone grab onto those would ya?), the weather stinks, I pay too much in taxes ( considering, really, honestly?), and ...well ..That's all for now.) I actually have my health.  And everything I really need.  (minus the music and noise coming from downstairs that does not belong to me).   Except I could use  a little more perspective.  I  was thinking about this though, good and hard, ....can you have perspective without experience?   I want to appreciate my family more, but I don't seem to,  I know they are an hour away.
  So today....I read my horoscope.  and this is what it said...June 07, 2011


Pisces (2/19-3/20)



Sometimes when you're granted a wish you don't always realize it; something you've been waiting for is coming your way now, so you'd better open your eyes to see it. Dressed up in camouflage, it probably won't fit your physical ideal -- but it is perfect for you. Any adjustments you need to make to accept it are necessary. Choices you made in a work or school environment are paying off, and you will be given a chance soon to enjoy an extended stay in luxurious surroundings.






How this applies to me , you may wonder?  I have really been wanting more out of my life, just more, less grind, more fun...I'm a dreamer.  But not an entrepreneur.  I think I miss out on a lot of opportunities b/c I can be a little too laid back, I don't like to force things.  I like them to just happen by chance, by being in the right place at the right time.  I wouldn't call myself a go getter.  I go to work day in and day out just like millions out there.  I do my best, but in my profession there really isn't any such thing as climbing a corporate ladder, or having much control over your income.  Either people like you or they don't.  And that is how I make money.  People have to like the work I do and they have to like me as a person. 
  Today , I chose to go to work on  very short notice, and I'm really glad I did.  Now I have a new potential client.  Someone that liked my work regardless of how I "showed up to work".  In my profession you need to be very clean and look very clean, well when someone wants something fast  I guess they don't notice how you look.  I totally broke policy.  Flip flops, no black pants, some pants....just not black, and my hair, it looked like I had just crawled out of a tent.
  Today I would like to think that my client is dressed up in camouflage.  There may be more to this story, or not.  I can't say right now.  I don't know.  All I know is that today was different.  Something I've been waiting for perhaps?

Crumpy

  Is that a word even?  I'm not sure but I'm making it one that describes me lately.  Crumpy:  Cranky and grumpy at the same time.
I like this definition of cranky from the  wiktionary.  Not in perfect mental working order; eccentric, peculiar.   but I think this  may describe me more at the moment:    Grouchy, irritable; easily upset.   Here's the definition of grumpy.  Unhappy and/or irritable, a word which is particularly applied to babies and children or adults who are acting childishly.   "Adults who are acting childishly".  I guess that would be me.
 
Do you ever feel that life just gets old?  You're  tired of it and the grind, maybe the grind is not even a hard grind , but it's a grind.  There may be nothing to look forward to.  Nothing goes right.  You don't feel loved or appreciated.  You give, but feel like you never get.  Your big dog pees all over the little dog.

little dog after a bath

And your battery dies on your lap top and your forgot the cord .... to be continued.......................................................

Just say NO to plastic

Next time you go purchase bottled drinking water or any plastic bottle, think about this..."  1,500 water bottles end up as garbage EVERY SECOND. 26,000,000,000 liters means 17,000,000 barrels of OIL that was used to produce those plastic bottles. That OIL could have been enough to fuel about 100,000 cars for that year."    Not to mention where this plastic ends up if it isn't recycled.

http://www.greenwala.com/community/blogs/all/1957-Who-s-To-Blame-For-The-Great-Pacific-Garbage-Patch-Look-In-The-Mirror?f=true&q=plastic water bottles

 Next time you mindlessly strip wads of toilet paper off the roll, think about this..." If each household bought one recycled roll of toilet tissue, it would actually save 111,162 trees." http://www.you-can-go-green.com/2009/07/how-many-trees-does-it-take-to-make-one.html

2 bracelets and a back ache

Today there were hopes of sun and long anticipated warm temps.  The sun was out for a short while this morning and then a big, puffy, quilted blanket of dark and light grey clouds covered the sky over me.  I looked to the west  where a small sliver of bright blue sky met the almost straight edge of the cloud quilt. 
  Surrendering myself to one more dreary day, I got busy making bracelets.

                             There are pop tops on this one

  I must have sat in funny position for too long, now I have the worst back ache ever and can hardley move.

April snow showers...

  ...bring May snow showers.

Insert country song here, about no spring flowers, no money, no vacation, no sunshine.....but LOTS OF WATER