Rule Change!

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

You know one of the best things about giving yourself a blog challenge? There's no one to make you stick to it! I'm changing the rules. I know the new year is only 21 days old, but this 5 Year Journal on the blog is already crampin' my style. I feel a bit too restricted in my posting and its kinda preventing me from wanting to post. Its too much like an assignment. Sometimes the structure is nice, but other times it really doesn't match with my mood or reflect the spirit of the day - which was my whole purpose for doing it in the first place.

So I'm still going to use the 5 Year Journal -as one tool in my over all goal of capturing real moments in my every day life in 2012. Another tool I'm going to use is Photo-a-Day. In 2009 I did 365 days of Photo-a-Day. It was eye-opening, it was beautiful, it was brutal. Not only was it a lot of work, it was a particularly painful year - the worst of my life- forever preserved in 365 photographs. I don't want to commit to that either. Soooo - I will create an unholy hybrid to maximize the bets of all the projects! 

Some days I'll answer a 5-Year-Journal question. Other days I'll post a daily photo. Sometimes I'll write a traditional blog post. And some days, I just won't post anything. I am giving myself permission to not post every single day of 2012. I've done a post a day for a year before and its just too much for me! So, call me lazy if you will - I don't care - because its my game and I make the rules here! :)

 

ReadyMade

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

January 20: What is something you've created recently?

We made this banner as a custom order for Caroline, who is turning 1 soon. Her mom wanted to feature it at her first birthday party, and we were honored to make it happen!


I have often made banners like this for family and friends as birthday gifts because I love the idea of making the house a little extra special on someone's birthday (or any special day) and because I think that a handmade, reusable banner is much more special than something plastic from Wal-Mart. I envision the banner displayed year after year, evoking feelings of excitement and nostalgia for the person of honor.  I hope it sees as many happy occasions as I envision for it!

 

 

Interwebz

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

January 19: What is your current favorite website?

I love a lot of websites. Especially now that I have the internet with me wherever I go, encased in a nicely portable little iFriend, I can easily get sucked into the productivity Bermuda Triangle that is the internet. So its hard to narrow down the choices.....

....but here's one I'm kind of addicted to checking at least once a day. I'm a sucker for cute, and I like looking at pictures, so the website Must Have Cute is perfect for me. They feature pictures mostly of cute products and food, and sometimes links to find, buy, or make them. Here are a few of my recent favorite featured products:

Buy a happy slice of toast necklace here!

Narwhal Notebook can be purchased here

Learn how to make these adorable cookies here!

 

Attack Hug

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 


January 18: The best part of today was.....

...getting attack hugged by second graders who were SO excited to come to Girl Scouts.

I love self portrait day :)

Superficially Grateful

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment.  

January 17: What are you grateful for?

It seems like I just answered this question... Okay, it was a little different - that time I wrote about what I was most grateful for. Today I'll write about random, superficial things I appreciate about modern life - since there are so many!

Let us all bask in television's warmly glowing warming glow.

• Netflix and Hulu Plus apps on our "Internet TV" in our bedroom - i barely miss satellite service
• The volume and channel control buttons on my steering wheel (something I thought was over the top and unnecessary when we bought the car but that I learned to love within the first day)
• Rhapsody - practically every song ever recorded, on my iPhone and iPod anytime anywhere, for $10/month. Another example of something I thought was dumb until I tried it for a week. Now I wouldn't want to go without it. I never buy CDs, but I can listen to anything I want. Brilliant.
• The clock app that turns my iPhone into a really great clock. I use a simple charging doc that props the phone up, turn the clock app on, and you wouldn't even guess that I don't have a traditional digital clock on my nightstand. Phone gets charged, I can easily see what time it is, and it saves space on the nightstand. Win, win, win.
• My new Ralph Lauren athletic socks. Yes - you can marvel at how fancy I am now. Actually I bought them at T.J. Maxx because several of my old pairs of athletic socks were dingy and gross looking, and I decided at the beginning of the year that I am worth clean, new socks. So I finally got some. And they are bright and fluffy and the soles are cushioned. Just one of those little things that make a big difference for me. I feel more relaxed and at peace with new, clean socks.
• Last but not least....my Britta water bottle. I didn't know I'd be this attached to it when I bought it, but its kind of a miracle. Its a lifesaver for me when I'm at schools all day. There is some really rank tasting water flowing through the pipes at some of our public schools (this is first-hand experience talking), but I don't want to lug around 4 bottles of my filtered water from home all day to meet my hydration goals. The Britta Bottle allows me to fill up at any questionable water fountain with ancient pipes and hard water with no nasty, unwanted flavors. For someone who is still learning to like drinking water in the first place, this is a fabulous tool.

And there you go - a post that started out as "what I am grateful for" and has ended up sounding like a series of product placements. :)

Lucky in Love

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment.  

January 16: Who are you in love with?


Randy. Duh. :)

Randy- pretending to be a hipster

Stop telephonin' me-e-e...

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

This and other hilarious e-cards found at someecards.com

 

January 15: Who did you last speak to on the phone?

I don’t talk on the phone much because I kind of hate it. (The 13-year-old me is dying inside right now.) Randy and I got rid of our home lines when we got our iPhones and haven’t regretted it one little bit.

I checked my phone’s recent calls log and it looks like the last person I actually spoke to on the phone was Kara, way back on December 28, 2011. That even surprised me!

Accomplishments

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

January 14: What did you accomplish today?


I caught up with my parents over lunch - just me and them. :)

Dinner Bell

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment.  

January 13: What did you have for dinner?

We met Randy’s parents, brother and sister at Longhorn for dinner. Randy and I were such model health citizens in that den of calorie iniquities. We both had a grilled chicken breast topped with a garlic mushroom sauce and a stuffed portobello, served with grilled green beans and a side salad, all for less than 750 calories. Win.

Gifted

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

January 12: What makes you mad?

When people say that children are a gift from God. It feels like a cold slap in the face to those of us who haven't been so privileged. Why aren't we gift-worthy? And why is the 15-year-old pothead who hangs out in front of the city library, smoking as she pats her swollen belly - why is she gift-worthy?

Yep. Wanna make me mad? Just call children a gift from God. That'll do it.

Scarftacular

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

January 11: What is your favorite accessory?
 
Scarves! I bought my first decorative (as in not cold weather functional) scarf in November and now I’m addicted. I made this one out of a couple strips of old flannel fabric I had in the craft room. You can’t see the frayed edges, because there’s a baby in the way. I guess I’ll let him slide this time. :)

Pals

PS: I wonder what 15-year-old me would think about adult me being this excited about an accessory I’m sure I would have deemed “old lady-ish”. Oh well.

Smile

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

January 10: What made you smile today?
 
Kara makes me smile every Monday and Tuesday when I sit across from her at work. Today she: sang me songs, gave me WAY to much info about her malfunctioning digestive track, and coerced me into painting her nails in the car after lunch. Basically, it was a typical day with Kara.

Peanut Butter Makes Life Palatable (See what I did there?)

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

January 9: What is your current favorite snack?
Apparently, this is turning into a food blog (see yesterday’s post). I do like food. A lot. And since I’m really trying to be healthy and actually take care of my body after a long neglectful period, I’m full of new food ideas. In fact, one of my goals for the year is to try one new recipe per week. One of my new favorite food combos is really good and really healthy and I’ve been using it as a snack and as a breakfast option. Please to enjoy:

Peanut Butter Apple Greek Yogurt Parfait

1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek Yogurt
1 granny smith apple
1 tbs natural peanut butter
Splenda or sugar to taste

1. Don’t be scared off by the word Greek before the word yogurt. DON’T. Its not scary. Its just regular yogurt which has been strained so that most of the whey (liquid carbs, basically) drain out, leaving you with a thicker, creamier, and best of all, much higher protein yogurt. Randy and I sing its praises often as it is so healthy and so versatile. It can be used as a virtually undetectable (at least to me) substitute for sour cream, so we use it in everything from baked potatoes to tacos to chili. We never use sour cream anymore. And with some sweetener, you can use it in desserts and sweet snacks. Ahhh....I love you, Greek Yogurt! You can also purchase it already sweetened in a variety of flavors, just like regular yogurt - if you’re not brave enough to start with the “hard stuff”.

Oikos is a good choice. Kroger brand is also great.

2. Now that you are on board with the awesomeness that is Greek Yogurt, you can begin constructing your snack. Mix the tablespoon of natural peanut butter into the yogurt. You can use regular peanut butter, but its much more difficult to blend it into the yogurt. If you are going to use regular, I’d suggest getting it just barely warm so that it loosens up a bit. But why not just go natural? Is soooo tasty and easy to spread.

3. If you’ve started with plain yogurt you will definitely need some sweetener - because that stuff is T.A.R.T. tart. Play around with it and keep adding until you feel comfortable with the tartness level. I use Splenda and I us a lot. You could also use sugar or honey.

4. Chop your apple into small pieces - I think I usually go for cubes that are about a half inch - and stir them into the yogurt/peanut butter mixture.

5. Enjoy!
 

I am the Pizza Monster

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

January 8: What is the last really good thing you ate?

I love pizza so much its almost obscene. Now that I'm trying to take care of myself more, I am limiting the amount of carry-out pizza I eat. But I can't just break up with all pizza completely. I'm not sure a pizza-less life would be worth living…

So on pizza night (which is Thursday, if you were wondering – just in time for 30 Rock and Parks and Rec) we've been making what we've termed "Dippin' Stix", which we dip into my homemade pizza sauce, which is to die for. I can't even explain how much I love this sauce. Here is the recipe!

Dippin Stix
-Loaf of Italian Bread
-I Can't Believe its Not Butter Light spread (or butter if you’re feelin’ bold)
-Garlic Powder
-Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Slice bread into 1-inch thick slices. (I usually allow about 5 ounces of bread per person, but you can divvy out the bread amounts as you see fit!) Spread a thin layer of the Not Butter spread onto each slice. (I usually try to use about 1 to 1.5 tbs per 5 ounces of bread to keep the fat and calories in check.) Sprinkle garlic powder to taste over the bread. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over each slice of bread. (I allot about 2 ounces of cheese per 5 ounces of bread.) Bake in a 400 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly. Use a pizza cutter to slice into stix!

Mouth = Watering

Galaxy's Best Pizza Sauce
-2 medium onions, finely chopped
-1 28 ounce can of tomato puree
-1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
-1 small can of Italian Style tomato paste
-5 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
-2 tbs olive oil
-2 tsp dried basil
-2 tsp dried oregano
-1 tsp salt
-1/4 cup sugar (if you like your sauce less sweet, decrease to 2 tbs)

Coat large pot with oil and saute onions and garlic over med or med-hi heat until the onions are soft and golden. Add all other ingredients and bring to a gentle boil. Turn heat to low or med-low and let simmer for about an hour. You will need a vented lid or a splash guard - this sauce is very active and likes to Jackson Pollock your stove, backsplash, and counters with its red, tomatoey goodness. Which is decidedly more good if it stays in the pot.

This sauce recipe makes several servings. We usually use about a cup per person for our Dippin Stix, but you may use less if you are not a sauce person. We are sauce people. Use what you need the first night and then freeze the rest. I usually divide the sauce into 1 cup servings and pour into sandwich size zip top bags, then put all those bags into a gallon zip top bag and freeze. Then I take out what I need and  after a quick thaw in the microwave or in a bowl of warm water (while the bag is still sealed!) its good to go.

I know you will be tempted to just use canned or jarred pizza or marinara sauce. Resist! I know its easier, but this recipe is really pretty painless and its SO much better, in my most humble opinion! At least try it once!

Accomplished

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

January 7: What is something you recently accomplished?

Christmas photo shoot with my nephew! By no means to I claim to be a professional photographer. But I do love capturing images and trying to think of new (to me) perspectives on the visual world. So I've been having the fun and honor of being this guy's personal photojournalist. Here are a few of the shots we took for the Christmas cards this year.

The wrapper is still on, but he's got the idea!

Too. Much. Christmas.

Tell me you wouldn't kill for those eyelashes..

Deck the Dan!

Change

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

January 6 - Can people change?

Graveyard, Cades Cove, Tennessee

Of course people can change. But I think its really difficult. And I think most people don't change much unless they are forced to by life circumstances. I certainly feel like a different person than the me from 10 years ago.

No Possessions?

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 


January 5 - What is one possession you couldn't live without?

Here are a few that I wouldn't want to live without, though I'm sure I could...probably:

• air conditioning
• hand lotion
• Coke Zero
• umbrellas
• iPhone (see yesterday's post)
• comfy bed
• cozy jammies

Tangled Up Memories

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

January 4 - What was your best memory of last year?

2011 was wrought with bad memories, including bot a failed IVF cycle and a miscarriage. Sometimes its hard to see beyond those things to pick a good memory, even though I know there were some. 2011 was also wrought with complicated memories – in other words, memories that should be joyful but are tangled up with painful feelings. The addition of my nephew to the family was both amazing and difficult for me – I love getting to know him but the whole situation often triggers very painful feelings that I still haven't worked through. And then I feel guilty for not being filled with joy. Ugh. Anyway…..one good memory (and I'm aware that this makes me sound shallow, but sometimes its the silly things that get us from one day to the next) is:

Getting my iPhone (I seriously love it far more than I should!)

Contentedness

This is a 5 Year Journal post. The goal is to answer a simple journal prompt each day of the year as a real record of daily life in this moment. 

January 3 - Are you content?

This is SUCH a loaded question for me and the answer has so many layers that I am feeling exhausted just thinking about them. I think the short answer would be: I am content for periods of time and in certain compartments of my life, but childlessness is such a gaping hole in my core that it (at least for the foreseeable future) and contentedness are absolutely incompatible.

New Year, New Blog Project

Photo taken by me, Chelsea Market, Manhattan

Confession time: I really haven't been in the mood to write recently. I like the idea of writing every day but when it comes down to it lately, I just keep getting sidetracked by far more important things to do. Things such as: avoiding writing. Basically I'm swamped. But here's the thing - one of my New Years goals is to write at least one meaningful blog post per week. But here's the other thing - another of my New Years goals is to live more simply. What to do?

I hava you answer! (That will look ridiculous unless you're familiar with My Big Fat Greek Wedding. If you're not, you should be.)

The answer is a project I found on Pinterest (which is a black hole of an activity that falls under the category of avoiding writing and that I'd highly recommend!) called 5 Year Journal. It was created by Tami Taylor and featured on the scrap-booking website Get It Scrapped. While I have NO patience for traditional scrap-booking (who knows why my brain says knitting tiny hats with delicate yarn is no problem and cutting out paper and photos is too much work?), I do love the idea of keeping a record of real daily life - for myself and for future generations. I actually think of this blog as a sort of scrapbook - just without the scissors and glue and tape and glitter and whatnot. And really, if you look at this project, it doesn't have to be about scrap-booking at all.

The 5 Year Journal is, essentially, a list of 365 prompts to follow - one question per day. You can write a word, a sentence, a paragraph, or an essay - the idea is to have some record of your day, every day for a year and then start over next year with the same questions. After five years you'll be able to not only look back at the goings-on of years past, you can compare and contrast the entries for the same day year to year and see how time changes your answers to the same questions.

I don't know if I'll do this for five years, but I am intrigued by the idea of having a ready-made prompt every single day to get me started. Knowing that some days, when I'm up for it, I'll write a lot. But other days, when I don't feel like even looking at my Mac (Her name is Mrs. Mackey, by the way - and she is married to Mr. Mackey - Randy's Mac. I know - we rocked it coming up with creative names.) I can answer a question in as little as a word or sentence and instantly have a record for the day.

My plan is to try and do the 5 Year Journal every day. Some days the simple prompt answer will be all I blog. Some days I'll use the prompt as a jumping off point for a more in-depth blog entry that highlights something I would have written about anyway. Sometimes I may tweak a prompt if I feel that it would be more suited to my needs.  Also - I'll be perfectly honest right from the get-go: I will most likely not physically post every day. I may miss a few days or a week and write all those posts at once, back-dating them to the appropriate day. Also, there probably won't be photos for every entry. Its not ideal, but life is busy, and also its my blog and I can do what I want. :)

With no further ado......Let the 5 Year Journal begin!

January 1: What is your number one goal?
See yesterday's post. I think that will suffice as my answer for this prompt!

I will do today's prompt in a separate post. Two posts in one day! Might be a record for me. :)