The whole kit and kaboodle

As my oven cools down, I too take a break...

Bread of the week? Herb Focaccia bread and man-o-day it is tasty, if I do say so myself! This weekend has been one gift after the next and I could not be more grateful or humbled by how life just tends to work the kinks out one at a time while we take a little breather. As I sat on a friend's porch last night, all wrapped up in my long sleeved sweater but still rocking the flip flops, I realized that "home" was here. That was one of many gifts I just had to be thankful for this weekend.

The yummy bread...

The goal of learning to sew...and thus...the sewing machine...

I babbled recently about my want to learn to sew. This want turned in to somewhat of a need

this weekend when I decided I just had to turn one of my tapestries into the curtain for my closet. Ask and you shall receive...I was blabbering on about how I was going to make this curtain when my friend pipes up and says, "I have an old sewing machine that I was going to give to the goodwill this week. Do you want it?" Do I? The best thing is, she still had the instructional booklet as well so lady doesn't have to try and learn how to use a sewing machine without any guidance at all. Not only is this friend beautiful inside and out but I had to love her even more when she stood there saying things like, "And you just put this here and then the thread goes here and this is how you lock the foot into place and if you need the zipper foot, here it is," as if I had touched a sewing machine since middle school. Time to roll up those sleeves and learn something new!

The long awaited herb garden...

In my attempt to cook most of my meals at home, I started to realize the need for fresh herbs on hand. When a friend gave me some fresh basil as a parting gift last week...I knew this to be true! And low and behold, fresh herbs on sale at the store today...I will now be putting sweet basil and cilantro in all of my recipes..be warned. I am quite stoked about this week's menu actually as I am going to make a vegetable curry to use up all my left over vegetables. I will post yummy photos when I am finished with it.

And down go the left-overs...

1.

2.

3.

Waste Not...Want Not.

In an effort to reduce waste, I am truly trying to find recipes just to use up those pesky left overs. Tonight as I ate my dinner and watched an episode of "The Office" (my current dinner tradition), I felt as though a little gift had fallen into my culinary world. The best thing about tonight's dinner is that I was able to stay within all of my current goals for changing up the eating routine!

Rice Balls (I'll admit...the name could use some tweaking)

1 cup cooked rice (make sure the rice is fully cooled if you are using fresh and not left-over)

2 whole eggs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tablespoon dried basil or oregano (after trying this, I would actually recommend oregano)

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder (I am obsessed with garlic. If you're not, use less!)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup dried bread crumbs

2 cups olive or vegetable oil

Optional: 1/4 lb. mozzarella cheese, cubed

1.Whisk eggs, Parmesan cheese, basil or oregano, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.

2.Add rice to egg mixture (remember, the rice needs to be cool or the eggs will scramble)

3.Roll rice mixture into 1 inch balls and coat in dried bread crumbs

*If you would like, add a small cube of mozzarella cheese to the center

4.Heat oil in saucepan until a piece of rice sizzles when dropped in (350 degrees)

5.Occasionally flip rice balls to encourage even browning and cook until desired color

6.Drain on paper towel, serve with marinara sauce and ENJOY!

What I am discovering is that I am truly enjoying the challenge of using all of my left overs and wasting very little!

And 30.

"At 20 years of age, the will reigns. At 30, the wit. At 40, the judgement."

"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid."

Wit. Wit. Humor. Humor. Laugh. Laugh. Joke. Joke. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. I have found that laughter flows quite easily from its buried place the instant the pressure cooker is moved from the hot burner to the cold. The boiling over moments somehow become humorous because the peace arrives that all paths, whether they be wayward or narrow, lead to the same fountain.

I wrote recently about some tweaking that I would like to implement into the ways in which I interact with the world around me. I believe whole-heartedly that one should be at peace with who they are. While I may be at peace with who I am...with the thoughts that swirl and the phrases that compute...I do believe it imperative to evaluate my actions every now and again in an effort to avoid stagnation.

And so....a list is born. This, an evolving list. Each item is committed to by yours truly for one calendar year from today with the hopes that many will be maintained leaps and bounds past the November 9, 2011 mark. In an effort to chronicle my progress on various items, I will be writing it out, hashing with verbal discourse, the falls and stand-ups from particular items.

1. Consumerism

I am going to aggressively tackle my urge to consume needlessly in a handful of ways which I hope will conclude with my hands open and not clutched tightly to the merry-go-round of "ooo...that's new and shiny."

*For this particular item, I am committing to buying "new" only those items which I cannot buy used. The rest... thrift stores and garage sales, folks. This particular decision will reduce my spending, consumption and strain on the environment.

*I also want to learn to sew. Since moving to Florida, the size I'm wearing has changed and I have a lot of clothing that is just sitting here. I have some ideas on what to do with the clothing to recycle it and make it usable again but I don't have the know how regarding the sewing side of things. This is something I would like to learn.

2. Food Sources

Due to my interest in all things culinary...I have read, listened and talked much about all things food for the better part of my adult life. One of my interests lies in the way that food production effects our environment negatively. I find it interesting that something we truly need, not just something we've convinced ourselves we need, has the potential to harm not only our earth but our bodies as well.

*I will attempt to purchase as much from local farmer's markets as possible - see you Saturday in downtown St. Pete!

*I will only eat meat that is raised free range, locally. With my budget...this pretty much means....no meat! I have been phasing meat out of my diet for a few weeks so I feel fairly prepared for this particular element of the dietary changes.

*I will make as much from scratch that I can in order to know exactly what I am putting in my body. For the past month, I have been making all my bread from scratch on Sundays for the coming week. Making bread is amazingly easy and it tastes much better too! I'm not going to be churning my own butter, mom, don't worry....I am attempting to be rational about this :).

3. Smoking

Many people know that I smoke and although I know it may seem like a small thing to some people, it's a very big thing to me. There are scads of personal reasons why I want to quit. Simply said, I respect myself and who I am and my smoking habit directly conflicts with that notion. (other factors include environmental impact of smoking as well as my general frustration towards the fact that someone somewhere is wealthy by the minute because I am choosing to ingest something that could very well make me sick.)

*This one is easy to describe. I am no longer going to smoke. Recognizing that I am far from perfect, I will use assistance (patch etc.) if I feel necessary. My one motivation for not using the patch is that many patches are produced, in part, by the same companies that produce cigarettes.

4. Reading, Writing and Arithmetic

This section may be the most nondescript of all however, most likely, the most important. When I moved to Florida, my TV stayed in Indiana because I didn't have room to move it. While originally, the issue was spacial, I have yet to purchase a TV because I didn't notice its absence in my life. Due to this, I have read for leisure and written frequently since moving.

*I would like to finish the book. Finish the book in the next calendar year. Whew! Just writing that made me weak in the knees. I have been working on a book for the past two years. It's time for the mamajama to be finished.

*Read more for leisure. I would like to read, on average, three books a month.

*The Arithmetic part was a joke....come on...seriously?

The deadly combination of no television and an introspective personality is that lists like this one can multiply quite quickly. For now...the sun has set and rest is calling.

Blown Over

"The winds will blow their freshness into you...the storms, their energy."

The wind has picked up this evening. I am cold for the first time in months. My door squeaks as the hinges are forced another centimeter open by the breath of the wind. A chill runs down my spine into my toes and radiates energy into these character-filled wooden floor boards. Another squeak followed by another gust that presses my writing forward.

Although I miss the changing of seasons, the almost ceremonial changing of wardrobes, I am beginning to think that this water logged existence is a well kept secret. The wind here carries with it a gravity that seems to flow in from the water. A reprieve from the heat that remains comfortable.

Tonight, I can almost feel the gift that the wind bellows in. The gift of fall, of "winter" a season whose definition is sure to change in the eyes of this little one. I am aware that the warming of temperatures is most likely still around the corner before winter blankets this region in which I now live. Tonight however, I am thankful for the sound of squeaky hinges.

Indicative of changes that have recently blown through and over my terrain. Indicative of changes sure to come. Comforting in its swirling mess of things and bending palm trees. Yes, this wind is welcome.

I am so thankful for the turns my life has taken as of late and for these gifts, I have many to thank. Friends, both new and old, projected over telephone lines and plates of tacos, the friends and family I am blessed with humble me daily. The individuals that choose to speak and listen in equal turn. The people with whom I can laugh (and even snort if it's really funny) with, the people I am excited to get to know better, the people who have contributed to my survival and eventual thriving, here in Florida. Like the wind this evening, these people are a reprieve for which I am thankful.

Ushering in change with arms flung so widely that they may buckle at the shoulder, seems tonight, to have been a positive follow of gut instinct. I have learned recently that when a person embarks on a changing path, they must be able to bend and lean and crease in ways they may have never understood. Akin to the masters of yoga, the bending and leaning and creasing become habitual until they morph into natural and become comfortable. The beauty that one can find if willing to truly listen to their inner tickings is plentiful. The clearing out of clutter and cobwebs is the real work.

Once the space is clear...the heart and mind will follow.

Mixed Match Fabrics

My little piece of paradise...

No Seriously.

F This Noise.

(and yes, I am posting this on my blog so that I don't look like a 5th grader posting on facebook :).)

Impetus for change...

Impetus: A moving force; Impulse; Stimulous.

There have been many changes in my life recently:

Move 1,000 miles away from what you know as home: check.

Start a new job: check.

Live alone in an apartment: check.

Short of getting a divorce, I have managed to hit many of the life events that are on the "biggest stressors" list. I am happy to report that a divorce is not an option as I am fairly certain that stress would be the tipping point. With the support of family and friends (both in Florida and away from Florida), I am proud of the place that I am now. I am proud that I haven't yet allowed any of the stress I've experienced dissolve me into a puddle of messiness that would be inconvenient for myself and others to have to clean up.

I sat in my studio tonight and thought about who I am and who I want to become. I thought about the interesting nature of life and of a conversation I recently had with a kindred. A conversation that resulted in her filling me in that most of the time, we are already where we want to be, we just don't realize it.

I would be a story-teller upon story-teller if I said for one minute that my turning thirty just around the corner hasn't affected my thinking in general, especially as it relates to change. Thirty is not a "scary" age for me or an age that I am dreading. I am fully expecting to wake up thirty feeling exactly as I do now at twenty-nine.

There in lies the problem...

For the most part, I am sublimely happy with who I am. I've had experiences throughout the last four months that have reminded me that I am an intrisically kind, giving person and although others may take advantage and shit all over that part of me, that part still exists. There has always been though, a knowledge and awareness that I am not living exactly how I want to live. There is a part of me that, with every fiber that exists, is certain that I could change various parts about the way I live my life that A) would improve my life and B) would allow me to feel more at peace with the world around me.

And so...

I have decided what better impetus for change than a birthday? What better milestone or urging can you have in life than a day where you celebrate your life itself and the individuals that have made it worth it...that have made it meaningful...that have made it memorable?

More to come because if I've learned anything in my almost thirty years, it's that blogging at 11:31pm about big fat changes you're going to make is quite possibly the worst way in which to plan lasting changes.

"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid."