Three Things Tuesday

Just popping in to share a few links that can give you a sneak peek into my inner thoughts since my Tuesdays are non-stop busy between dragging my feet to get ready for work, actually going to work, and then heading to host trivia immediately from work.

Onto some linkage!

This Huffington Post article on 5 Things Every Yogi Needs to Know is so significant to my life as of late, and totally validates my addiction...but that's just my opinion. I'm not exactly sure which is influencing which, but I've noticed a huge difference both on and off the mat in the past few months. As I'm working on being more flexible in my everyday life by letting go of stupid "eating rules"and forcing myself to be more social, I'm seeing an increase in my physical flexibility in my yoga practice. I have to say, it feels pretty amazing.

I love partner yoga. And how cute/creative is Paula? Best instructor ever!
Check out Shanti Yoga & Fitness!

Can you believe Christmas is less than a month away? IT hasn't felt the same since my Dad passed away. He LOVED Christmas, like a little kid who still believes in Santa. It just doesn't seem as special without him here. The last three years, I've wanted nothing for gifts, but this year I actually really want to buy myself an iPad mini.

All I want for Christmas...ipad mini with a keyboard attachment.

An iPad mini would make my life so much easier. I wouldn't have to retype all those notes and waste paper on printouts for reference. Plus, I could totally browse instagram when meetings are a snoozefest.

My mom suggested buying it for me, but I really can't let her. I'd rather see her put that money toward my sisters. I'll let her buy me a case or something.

And to further justify my long-standing disdain for The Little Mermaid, a hilariously accurate Buzzfeed article ranking Disney Princesses on their intelligence. Or lack thereof.

Yes, I may be bitter and blame The Little Mermaid for my Bloody Monday incident at age 4, but that's neither here nor there. She is the reason so many girls are relationship-dependent skanks today (Sorry, not sorry). Think about it: all she aspired to be was a voiceless, naked woman to impress some dude she didn't even know. I love how this list points out that she never thought to WRITE A NOTE to Eric. DUH. 

P.S. - the rest of the list is just as amusing and spot-on. I love Buzzfeed.
Until next time.

MIMM: Sometimes you just need a reminder

As a favor to myself, I'm taking the time to link up to Katie's Marvelous in my Monday.
Marvelous is... The beautiful Christmas gift my yoga instructor made for me. It's so adorable and thoughtful!

Marvelous is... Nights out with old friends and staging Instagram photos to capture dumb moments. 

Of course this wine has fruit notes and the aroma of red grapes. Kevin is a true sommelier. I had to pay homage. Marvelous is... Lunch plans with old friends to introduce them to new places. 

After seeing that picture, I don't think I need to explain myself for knowing his mind will be blown. Check out all that falafel/tabouli/grilled vegetable action. Nom nom nom. Marvelous is... Hot yoga, followed by drinks and appetizers with fellow yogis. 

You know I'm going for that shrimp cocktail and jumbo sangria. Marvelous is... Another short work week. I won't focus on the fact that it's the last one until late spring. 

Christmas 2013

Christmas always comes and goes too fast. All of this insanity for one day, then it's done and we fall into the frigid winter months with nothing to look forward to until Spring. And living in New England, that doesn't guarantee a significant climate change.

End rant. Cue Christmas recap.

I believe it's true that we learn something new everyday. I spent my entire Christmas Eve prepping food, baking up a storm, and attempting to clean up before church. I cooked quinoa, baked gingersnap cookies and peanut butter cup cookies, baked gingerbread protein bars (I followed Peas and Thank You's amazing recipe), and diced veggies, all while intermittently cleaning up after myself, from 9am straight through 3:15pm. What did I learn from all of this, you ask? I learned that when my family insists at 3:10 that I attend Christmas Eve mass starting at 4pm and I'm a flour-covered mess still in my pajamas, I transform myself into a presentable human being in less than 15 minutes, makeup and all. 

Pretty impressive if I do say so myself. And a valuable lesson learned.

P.S. Is my sister gorgeous or what? I wish I had half her looks.

The end results of my morning chaos:

Gingerbread bars unpictured, they just aren't attractive desserts when your best camera is on your iPad.

Needless to say in my mad rush, I never even thought to wrap my Christmas gifts. So that meant returning home from work to run to the basement and discretely wrap everything before my family arrived. Barely got it done.

Now that we're all older, my family just does all of the gifts on Christmas morning. It's cute that my mom still writes "from Santa" on our gifts. I really hate when people buy me gifts, honestly. I'd rather see them use the money towards themselves or someone else. I have everything I need already; however, I was not at all disappointed in my gifts.

Rocking my festive Santa pjs, my gifts spread on the floor (don't mind the dog bed haha), and my new boots

Crappy pictures, but we had to hurry to get dressed and head to the cemetery to spend some time with Dad on Christmas. Christmas sure is different without him here. He had so much Christmas spirit, he was like a little kid. I love and miss him so much...

What a goon. 

Our family is pretty small now. Including the four of us, we had 10 people for dinner. At least it gives me the chance to be a little more creative with side dishes knowing there are less people to please.

This year's experiment was a recipe I threw together on the fly. Red quinoa, red cabbage, sugar snap peas, mushrooms, and scallions lightly sautéed in a wok with a dressing of sesame oil, soy sauce, Ginger, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, pepper, and garlic. I had three servings of that shit, no shame. Along with two small sweet potatoes, tons of roasted asparagus, and fresh green beans. I hate that ham is the traditional protein for Christmas dinner, I just can't eat it. It grosses me out.

We spent the rest of the evening playing Who's on my Head and just hanging out enjoying each other's company. We ended the night watching Just Friends.

MIMM: Tis the season to swap gifts, bake cookies, and reminisce

Hello, Monday. I'll get back to you after I recap the weekend.

My friends hosted a $10-limit Yankee Swap at their apartment on Saturday night. I nommed on some chips and salsa, chai almonds, and homemade red sangria, played some Scattergories, and caught up with a few friends I haven't seen in a while. It was a pretty lax gathering with a small crowd, but I totally appreciate the fact that all in attendance share the same awkward sense of humor. Yankee swap gifts were prime.

I almost ended up with this bad boy:

Lil' Raskull. Christian rapper extraordinaire, straight from the dirty south.

Alas (or not), I ended up with my own gift:

Puppy calendar, desk calendar, and planner pack.

Am I disappointed? Hell no. Other gifts in the mix included a pooping reindeer, massaging pillow, Robsessed (a DVD all about the wonder that is Rob Pattinson), a bottle of pomegranate Burnett's (hello, college), a cookie skillet kit, and scratch tickets ($3 of winnings were had, FYI.)

I dedicated my entire Sunday to baking Christmas cookies. Isn't it odd how I'm the one assigned the task of making cookies when I don't eat them? Of course, I recruit the help of indulgers to keep things fair. My mom was none too happy to be given the job of crushing candy canes for peppermint meltaway cookies. I also coerced my sister and her boyfriend into rolling the cookie dough for red velvet cookies. I'm not particularly fond of the sticky batter and lingering red tint that results from baking those cookies. Refer to the picture of Ryan's tainted fingers (bottom right, below).

Red velvet cookies, peppermint meltaways, and egg biscuits

I made the batter for gingersnaps and set it in the fridge to bake on Christmas Eve when I have more time. I also decided to experiment with a sugar-free cookie for myself to indulge in...I have to do something with that stevia I won in a giveaway after all.

Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Cookies!

Not the most appetizing-looking photo of the finished product, but I find all dark brown baked goods are difficult to make pretty. I swear these taste like Nutella brownie cookies. Recipe at the end of the post.

I've definitely noticed myself thinking about my dad a lot and finding myself in conversations that lead to him. For the first year since he died, I'm not feeling that overwhelming sadness when I think about Christmas without him despite his continuous presence in my mind. It's bittersweet. I feel like I am finally coming to terms with the holidays without him, learning to accept the fact that he isn't here and finding comfort in the memories of him. He and my Uncle Bob have been making consistent cameo appearances in my dreams, so they kind of are here celebrating Christmas with me. 

Last night, I took the time to reread a short story I wrote about my dad's death. I hadn't looked at it since I last revised it and read it the first Christmas after he died. It was hard to look at, the wounds were too fresh. I really want to try to submit it for publication in a literary journal soon. I just have to find the right one and write a really good cover letter to go along with it. It's crazy how difficult it is to get things published though, so I'll have to revisit this after New Years.

One last marvelous side note - after a week of overindulgence and lack of physical activity, I was so happy for two hours of yoga on Saturday and Sunday morning. I thought I'd struggle more than I did with balance or lifting weights, but I managed. My mom was the one who really had an awesome weekend breakthrough. The real success of this weekend is how far she's come with her flexibility. I'm so proud of her! Check out how low she is in that split! 

Linking up to Katie's MIMM!

As promised, I'll end this post with the recipe for Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Cookies.

Sugar-free Nut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup natural nut butter of choice (I used Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter, yum!)
• 1/4 cup egg whites, or 1 egg
• 1/2 granulated stevia (or the equivalent of 1 cup of sugar*)
• 1 Tablespoon coconut flour 

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl until well combined. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350° F
Roll into 1-inch balls and place about an inch apart on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, removing from the oven when they are still slightly soft to the touch*.
Cool on wire racks, and enjoy!

* These cookies can be made using 1 cup of sugar or splenda, depending on your preference, if stevia isn't your thing.

* If you like crunchy cookies, bake for 10-12 minutes, but watch carefully for burning.

Nights of lights upon lights

I will preface this blog post by saying that I have had en extremely eventful week. Do I feel guilty about all the eating, late nights, and lack of exercise? Yes, but I'm really trying not to. And I'm actually finding it easy to push those thoughts to the back of my mind and hope for more weeks like this in the future.   

I am so thankful to my Uncle Mark for thinking to invite me to Trans Suberian Orchestra on Wednesday night. I've always wanted to go, but it seems to sell out every year. Now I know why.

Holy lights, lasers, and long-haired men.

Last night I had no plans to go out. All I really wanted to do was chill at home on my couch doing next to nothing, however, when my sister actually wants me to do something with her, I jump at the opportunity. I have to say our relationship has been so much better than in the past recently, which really makes me happy. 

Anyway, my mom, sister, and I headed to LaSalette Shrine to meet up with her boyfriend's family and a couple of her friends. I haven't been to LaSalette since before my dad passed away and it has definitely changed.

They added thousands of LED lights this year and it is absolutely gorgeous.

I've always loved the indoor display of the hand-crafted nativity scenes. There were far too many to get pictures of, but I thought this big display was pretty cool.

We also lit a candle in memory of my dad. 

I just wish the prayer steps hadn't been closed due to ice. Not like I pray, but I had done the stairs with my dad when I was a kid and it would have been nice to do that again.

Overall, a solid week. Today I return to yoga after my brief-yet-far-too-lengthy hiatus. Definitely going to struggle there ha. 

Who doesn't love a free party?

Let me start off by saying how much I love not being at work during the middle of the week. I'm sitting on my couch in my pajamas at 11am with no agenda until tonight and it's awesome. And I return to only two days of work until the weekend, woo hoo! But I digress...

WRIK Entertainment, the company that hired me as a trivia host, is also Arpeggio Wedding Entertainment, a DJing and lighting company for weddings, corporate events, private parties, etc. At the end of this year's wedding season, I was asked to assist with DJing a wedding and a 16th birthday party following that, so I guess I'm now an assistant DJ in addition to a trivia host. I wear many hats, apparently.

Basically this warranted an invite to an annual holiday party for Southern New England Weddings at the Biltmore Hotel in Providence.

The event was absolutely gorgeous, from the lobby decor to the decorations and table centerpieces. There was a photo booth set up with a table of props, which we took full advantage of. Mustache sunglasses and elf hats were donned.

The food was also incredible. Spinach stuffed chicken breast, mashed sweet potatoes, grilled shrimp skewers, lamb (yes, I tried lamb and enjoyed it), fresh fruit, and a variety of pickled vegetables, breads, and cheeses. Wine and beer was also free. Win. We ate, networked, and danced to the live band until about 8:15pm, then headed to Trinity Brewhouse for wings and beer. I was all set on both, I had a glass of wine and was so stuffed from the party, so I just hung out. Definitely a fun night overall.

Tuesday morning I was able to go to yoga since I took the day off work. Daytime classes are nice because they're usually smaller and I can work on whatever I want. This particular day was basically a private lesson with Paula, although we spent most of the time talking and laughing than actually working out. The second class was a little more productive since another person showed up. Paula also snapped a picture of me doing this pose that I have been obsessed with recently. Don't ask why, I just find it really fun in its awkwardness.

So now I'm home wasting time until Trans Siberian Orchestra with my godfather tonight. No complaints here! :)

MIMM: Let's not focus on the weather

The weather today was exceptionally disgusting. Snow, rain, slush, fog, and a forecast for even more craptastic weather tomorrow, followed by frigid temperatures through the weekend. The dreaded winter is making it's impending arrival known.

So in an effort to keep in line with the Marvelous in My Monday philosophy, I shant focus on the weather. Instead, I'll focus on the weekend, because it was enjoyable.

My hair had a mind of it's own this weekend. I may not have looked marvelous, but I can laugh at myself and rock it. 

Out of control.

I stupidly forgot the top item on my grocery list this weekend: coffee. We were completely out of coffee at home, which is a cause for panic since my family is caffeine-dependent. To say that coffee is the reason I get out of bed in the morning would not entirely be false. My little oops did result in a wonderful clearance purchase at Marshall's. Smores coffee! It's mind-blowingly delicious.

Out of coffee and I find this for $3? Yeah, that's destiny.

Saturday night, I ventured out the the Celtic Pub for a taste of the Irish dive bar scene. And what luck, a metal band was playing! It was appropriately unclassy and unmarvelously marvelous. Of course, no night of mine is complete without an awkward encounter. That night's uncomfortable situation was brought to me by the girl in the yoga pants with less than the average number of teeth, who decided it was a good idea to let me know that I was "sexy as hell and beautiful" and she's "normally shy, but it was the alcohol talking." Yep, thanks. Now I can feel good about myself.

Both Saturday and Sunday included my morning yoga routines as usual. Man, am I feeling them today.

I also went out in an effort to complete some Christmas shopping both days. Yep, no luck. I did, however, score big time for myself. A shirt on clearance for $5 and yoga leggings for $10! I can't resist bright colors and odd patterns.

If I could wear these everywhere all the time, I would.

Sunday evening was spent slaving away in the kitchen to make pulled pork, wheat berry salad for the week, and a double batch of red velvet cookies for my sister's boyfriend. The cream cheese icing just would not come together. I dedicated about an hour and an entire bag of powdered sugar to get it where it needed to be. My family is lucky I love them so much.

Fresh out of the oven and frosted. I got lazy with the decorating.

As for my actual Monday, tonight's vinyasa and hot yoga classes were tough, but overall relaxing.

I'm currently vegging on my couch with a cup of Celestial Seasonings' Candy Cane Lane green tea in my favorite creepy Santa mug.

Watch out, he'll kill you with warm comfort and antioxidants.

Linking up to Katie's Marvelous in My Monday as usual!

Friday Five: Christmas Movie Edition

Part of me dreads Christmas, solely because it means that winter is just beginning and temperatures are going to continue to drop over the next few months. I'm just not made for New England weather. 

December itself isn't so bad, what with all the holiday parties and baking cookies (hooray for warm ovens!). And it's totally socially acceptable to stay in and watch Christmas specials. 

So without further ado, I'll let you in on my personal top 5 Christmas movies:

A Christmas Story

A classic. Everyone knows and loves this movie. If you don't share this opinion, you obviously:

1. Haven't seen this movie because you don't have cable and have never been subjected to the 24-hour marathon TBS runs every year, or
2. Have no sense of humor whatsoever.

Just Friends

This movie does not get the exposure or credit it deserves as a Christmas movie. Ryan Reynolds is, as always, hilarious. Even more so because he spends about 1/6th of the movie in a fat suit. I mean, come on, the movie opens with him lip-syncing "I Swear" by Boyz II Men. Why would anyone not want to watch this every year?

Elf

A newer classic Christmas comedy that everyone knows and loves, with the exception of those few people who just don't appreciate Will Ferrell for his ad-libbing talent. Anything I can and would say about this movie is already well-known by most, so I won't get into details. I will, however, share this awesome BuzzFeed article on some things you probably don't know about this movie.

Love Actually

The cutest "I love you" ever.

This movie has everything you could want in a movie: an all-star cast, awkward situations, romance, drama, and Keira Knightly. I have a hardcore girl crush on her. No shame. Again, totally underrated.

The Family Stone

Basically take everything I said about Love Actually and apply it to this movie, replacing Keira Knightly with Claire Danes AND Rachel McAdams. Side note - it's so unfair that I don't look like them. This is usually the first holiday movie I watch each year. I hate that no one seems to know about it. I will say, however, that it's much harder to watch it since my dad passed away. Without getting into detail and spoiling the movie, I do feel like I can relate to it more now and it never fails to make me cry. And I am no crier. Further evidence that this movie is fantastic and that you need to watch it immediately.

Obviously I'm a fan of comedies.

So there you have it. My top 5 Christmas movies, in no particular order. Now start watching.

Tiny Tuesday Tragedies

I like alliteration. Please don't confuse my mildly unfortunate circumstances for real tragedies.

Now that we've clarified that, a recap of my less-than-stellar day, parenthesized by little glimmers of hope from Monday and my upcoming Wednesday:

First week of the month means partner yoga, which means lots of pictures and interesting new poses!



So much fun!

Tuesday was much less fun, but at least we got to decorate some Christmas ornaments as a "team-building exercise." I think we all just got high on Sharpies and that's why we were laughing and smiling while talking about funding cuts and more work to be done.

I wished for happiness and warm weather. We had to keep it PG.

I also lost my one trivia night today. Part of me is glad because it wasn't worth the headache to deal with those people, but I could have used the extra $60 every week. Looks like I'm back to being broke. Wah.

On the bright side, at least I could go back to Tuesday night yoga fusion...foiled again. Partner yoga fusion resulted in a 5lb weighted ball being dropped on my face and slamming my head into the floor. Holy headache. 

To end this negative rant, I bring you Chloe the Christmas pup!

All I can say is that I am so glad I took Wednesday off work. Having vacation time to waste is nice, especially in times of high stress, overall bad moods in the office, and an insane, long day booked for Thursday with a dreaded meeting and Christmas caroling. Starbucks, Christmas shopping with my friend, and a mini-break from work will make for a wonderful Wednesday. 

Psst, see what I did there? Alliteration again ;)

MIMM: Weekend Wrap-Up

My Monday might not be especially marvelous (with the exception of back-to-back vinyasa and hot yoga after work, that is), but my weekend sure was, so let's focus on that, shall we?

I spotted these two gems at BJs on Saturday. The wisdom penned in these two books is, I imagine, insurmountable.

Duck Dynasty cracks me up. And I am a die-hard Anchorman fan. I was anti-Anchorman 2 at first, but the promos and  previews sucked me and I'm anxiously awaiting its release date.

Saturday night was the annual Stoop Christmas party, which my ex-neighbor and dad's best friend decided to take on this year. Everyone brought a dish and a $15 gift for the best version of Yankee Swap in existence. Having multiple opportunities to steal gifts from people and cause arguments is always a great time. 

My contribution to the swap: The Winter Warmer Pack. Warming chamomile tea, fuzzy socks, and nips.

I started the game with this heinous clock and figured I was destined to end up with it. I always seem to go home with the crappiest gift. To my surprise, after three decks of cards and some vicious steals, I scored some lottery tickets. Bonus! I won $35. Not the Hot $1,000,000 advertised, but I'll gladly take it.

Sunday was a super lazy day. I stayed at home in sweats, did paperwork, and made a clean-out-the-pantry type soup. I used this recipe from Spatulas on Parade, with a little tweaking. I omitted the taco seasoning and used Weber's Kickin' Chicken seasoning in place of the chipotle rub, and amped up the spice with chili powder and medium instead of mild enchilada sauce. Pretty delicious. I was lazy and didn't take pictures, sorry.

Linking up to Katie's Marvelous in My Monday!

Kicking off the Christmas season

I won't lie, I prefer when Thanksgiving comes late. I can only tolerate so much of the advertisements, decorations, and non-stop Christmas music on the radio. I feel that the Christmas season begins the day after Thanksgiving, and since I've got less than a month to get into the holiday spirit, I can actually enjoy it this year.


Yesterday, my mom, sister, her boyfriend, and I hopped on the train to Boston. I spent the hour trip coaching my mom through level 147 on Candy Crush, which she's been stuck on for months. I wasn't successful. Fast forward to this morning, she'd beaten the level. Obviously, I deserve some credit for showing her what moves to look for and pair up yesterday. ;)

My mom and I on the train to Boston after she ran out of lives on Candy Crush and could be bothered to socialize.

Roasted beets, asparagus, edamame heaven

Avoiding Black Friday traffic without being housebound was nice. We shopped around Newbury and Boylston St, hitting up my favorite Marshall's store, and ending the day at the Prudential Center. We also enjoyed a late lunch at Cheesecake Factory in the Pru. We were all ravenous by the time we were seated...I should have eaten more than a grapefruit at 11:30am. Oh well. The result was me ordering and inhaling two shrimp spring rolls, basically before they touched the table. So good. I also ordered a chopped vegetable salad as an entree with Sesame-soy dressing.

We (barely) caught the 5:05pm train home, and began decorating the house for Christmas. I also baked some red velvet cookies with a cream cheese icing. Pictures and super-easy recipe will be supplied in a later post; I never bake these just once around the holidays. 

My favorite part about breaking out the Christmas decorations is a long-standing joke with my family:

A Very Perry with the Wine They Call Sherry Christmas (link to the entire CD on Grooveshark). This beauty randomly came in the mail addressed to my dad one year, and it has the best worst versions of all the yuletide classics. He recognized the guy on the cover as an employee that served him clam chowder on the Pine Lakes golf course during a golf trip with some friends. Oddly enough, my dad never gave his address, nor used his card to purchase anything, yet he was the only person to get the CD. I call that a divine intervention.

Once the tree was up and the lights were lit, we sat down to watch Elf together. Perfect end to a near-perfect day.

So bring on the Christmas craziness. I'm ready to embrace it...as long as I'm not forced to listen to "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney.