Small Obsessions:

1. Riunite Lambrusco Emilia - Soft red wine
    I used to think red wine was too thick or too dry or too acidic for me.  Then I discovered Cupcake wine and my world changed.  I had been drinking the Chardonnay for a while, and one day the Cabernet Sauvignon was on sale and I haven't looked back since.  Not to mention, red is so much better for you than white, another reason I am happy to have fallen in love with the taste of red wine.  I still prefer the sweeter vino, and the other night one of my best friends brought over a bottle of Emilia.  I know Cupcake is cheap, but this stuff is cheaper, like I can buy it weekly (don't judge me right now) and not feel guilty.  And ohmygosh is it delicious.  Try it. Now.

2. French Press
    I know I'm behind the times on this one, but I've always just had a coffee maker.  Enter the French Press.   When I have to stop subleasing my place and stop using all of these things that are not mine, I will be investing in one of these. And an electric kettle. So amazingly easy.

3.  Snow.
   Mid-Missouri is covered in snow right now.  Everyone I know is complaining about it, but I love it.  Snow is beautiful.  Out my window a tall ~8ish inches of puffy powder is blowing around.  This weather has pushed back my jolt into the real world of grad school by a week.  I haven't went to class all week long.  I think it's God's way of saying, "you need some alone time, stay in your pjs all day, sleep until noon, watch the Travel and Food channel with abandonment, make all those recipes you've been putting off, and ya, it's okay if you still haven't done your laundry..."

4. New pens.
   I splurged on a new set of colored pens yesterday.  I can't stand to look at black ink anymore.

5. Bananas
   I read an article the other day about how to beat the "winter blues", you know how some people feel sadder during the winter months?  We often feel there is nothing to look forward to because Christmas is over, there isn't any sunshine, we are getting out of the house less (guilty!), etc.  Well, it said that bananas are made up of nutrients that can actually make you feel happier.  I've been eating one a day for a week because I could really use a lift in winter spirits.

I'm Third

I was a Kanakuk kid for numerous summers.  Kanakuk is a pretty intense Christian athletic camp.  My friends and I considered it the best two weeks of our year, every year.  The Missouri Ozarks became a big part of my childhood through Kanakuk and I'm very thankful my parents sent me every summer.  I randomly ran across this video on youtube and it gave me chills.  I don't know if I read too far into things, but I like the thought that things happen for a reason.  I feel like recently, or for the last couple of months, I have been seeing answers to the hard questions about life I've been having in ordinary, but ironic things.  Radio songs, quotes people mention to me randomly, videos I come across on youtube when looking for something totally different...  I have started to think God is trying to tell me something and I also like to think my grandma is dropping subtle hints from Heaven :)  Anyway, Kanakuk's main message is "I'm Third".  It means that you should put God first, others second and yourself third.  I understood it back then, but I think just recently I have become mature enough to actually understand its true significance.  I see no point in being selfish.  How can I be any more important than someone else?  I'm reviving my "I'm Third" lifestyle for 2011 because I'm not sure if I have been living it 100% in the past.  So, since I didn't really make a New Year's resolution, I'm making one a little late; to be more "I'm Third" because everything is in such better perspective from third in line :)  Watch this video if you want to see what the magic of Kanakuk is all about, or if you want to relive some old memories...

Small Obsessions:

1. OPI Siberian Nights nail polish
     It's such a color representing how I feel right now: dark, sassy, cold (because even though my weather widget is set to some random place in California where it is 68 degrees, it is DEF NOT that warm in MO)

2. Chobani Greek Yogurt
   Simply, it's delicious. And apparently, healthy! According to CBS... I discovered it on sale last night at the grocery and I'm in love. (I'm going to use the plain in a recipe for healthy mac'n'cheese soon.)

3. Bravo's marathon of Rachel Zoe
   At first I was turned off by this show, but this woman has grown on me.  Her go get'em attitude is admirable, but her husband is a little obnoxious with the constant whining. Not to mention, the clothes are the best on TV.

4.  Wearing my soft, fuzzy white robe - freshly laundered with lavender fabric softener of course- all day long.
    I'm not ashamed. I haven't dressed myself today.  My first day of grad school classes were canceled, why not?

<3

New Beginnings...

Happy Martin Luther King day everyone!  The internet has been swimming with quotes on this historical day, but the one that keeps running through my mind is: "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."  As I sit on my couch with Olivebear purring on my crossed legs in front of my (amazing) new computer, I'm thinking about that quote and my life.  I am at a turning point, where for the first time I am not sure how the next couple of months are going to pan out.  (I'm so glad I have this perfect little grey kitty to keep me company!)  January has turned into a rather difficult, life changing month for me and I have no idea what is around the corner.  I start graduate school this week, January 25th marks the two year anniversary of my grandmother's death, and January 27th would have been the two year anniversary celebrating my relationship with someone I care about very much; but not everything goes as planned.  Even though I may be OCD with how I want my life to go, God sometimes has other ideas.  We have decided to take some time apart and I am trying to be okay with that.  A good friend recently told me that back during our freshmen year of college she went to see "The Love Doctor" when he came to campus and one of the things he said that stuck out to her had to do with being your own person.  Apparently he said something along the lines that couples should not be dependent on each other, but that they should be two independent people together.  I am a person who loves love, I enjoy taking care of people, I become very dependent on having someone there to be a part of me and in that process I may have forgotten a little bit what it's like to just be Mandy.  Like MLK, I have decided hate is too much work.  The anxiety that comes along with worry, doubt and the struggle to hate someone you love so much, even when things aren't working out, is too much weight for me to carry right now.  I'm making a decision to just let me be me and if someone is willing to accept me and give me unchanging love, then it's right, and if not, then in isn't.  Stealing words from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (you, know, my idols? not. haha, but I love the one with the English accent): someday I will find someone who wants to picture life with me, but also can't picture life without me.  That person may already be in my life, and I'm taking this time right now to figure that out.  Praying for a great February! :)      

On a lighter note, my kitchen is empty except some granola bars and cereal!  Totally unlike me.  As soon as I can get my shopping list finalized - I have a lot of healthy plans! - I am heading out to HyVee.  There are few simple pleasures I enjoy more than grocery shopping.  I know I've probably said it before, but I love going by myself, analyzing prices, reading ingredients and buying food.  Grocery shopping is something I look forward to and now I have a practically blank canvas kitchen to start with.  I'm planning on documenting everything I experiment with.  I'm anxious, but excited to start this new chapter.

Au revoir!

Happy Sunday!

It's a lazy Sunday today, actually my days have all been lazy lately, but that is about to change soon.  Apparently a huge snow storm is headed our way so everybody is just waiting for the snow to start falling. The day after Christmas, after my parents had arrived in Vegas - my dad turned 50! - the dogs and I went out to the farm to romp in the 5 or 6 inches of snow we had on Christmas.  That snow is long gone now, but I want to post the pictures I took then.  I love my farm, so much.  My roots there inspire me on a daily basis.  I love the tradition of a family farm, I love that it has been in my family over 100 years, I love that my grandma was born there, I love my memories of playing and working (attempting to help, more like it) there when my brother and I were little, I love going mushroom hunting there, I love the expanse of rolling hills and the feeling of being alone in the country and nature....  There isn't much about it I don't love.  Take a look!

Happy New Year! Apparently 2011 is officially the future? Can my new MacBook Pro tell the future....? I'm not sure, but it sure is awesome to blog with :)

Christmas was magical and the anticipation for New Year's eve and the actual night was as well, like usual.  I love love love "the holiday season".  I know it's corny, I know it's tacky, but you have to admit that this time of year feels different.  It's special, merrier, cozier, and even when it's super cold up here in the North, the end of December just feels warmer.  But then it ends, everything, decorations and the real world included, comes crashing down.  Normal winter days slap you in the face.  I get sad, lazier, I am the definition of sloth right about now.  I haven't even had the motivation to blog on my snazzy new computer because getting out from under the covers before 1pm has become a chore.  My grandma would be so displeased.  Maybe it's the frigid air and lack of sunshine, or maybe laziness leads to more laziness, but whatever it is, I have it.  I'm trying to shake it off, like today, I actually ordered my books for grad school, all $450 of them.  Getting old and footing the bill yourself, actually, even seeing the cost of books (and not having the bookstore magically wrap them all for you) really sooooks.  I just keep telling myself that learning how to "reframe organizations", the "tools of government"and microeconomics in relation to administration are what I'm destined for.  Ha! Only time will tell....

So, I don't know about you, but while being festive this season I ate. I ate a lot. I have another problem.  My mind is centered on food.  I think I am probably thinking about food roughly 80% of the day.  Is that a lot?  It's not constantly about food I want to eat, but food I want to make. (I tried to warn you I had become obsessed.)  It seems that since I discovered food blogging, I have turned into a headhunter of recipes.  Then I want to try my discovered wealth.  I make the recipes.  I eat the recipes.  It's turning into a rather vicious cycle.  Like my experiment with the famed cakeballs.  Little did I stop and think that 2 boxes of cake mix would make around 300 cakeballs.  Cowabunga.  But aren't they presh?

Did I mention I don't belong to a gym in my hometown?  This homegirl is getting scared, especially when The Biggest Loser commercials come on, or Valerie Bertinelli tries to tell me how cool Weight Watchers is.  The weight of all of the holiday food I have consumed is heavy on my mind and makes me want to run for the hills - literally.  In true me-form, last night, instead of doing sit-ups or something equally productive, I researched healthy recipes, because as much as I love Pioneer Woman and her ladles of bacon grease and cup upon cup of heavy cream, my thighs are not responding well.  I have a healthy recipe working list going now and I'm proud of it.  One step in the right direction, right?  Here is the one I can't wait to try:  Sesame Noodles.

With that, I'm signing off, right after I upload a "Daily Olive".  Sheeeeeeee's baaaack! xoxo