Happy Holidays!

 

Happy Holidays everyone! I know that I have been gone for quite some time, but I really wanted to make an effort to blog before the end of the year. I am currently in shark mode right now since I'm trying to get all our last Christmas shopping done and wrapped. Not to mention all the extra handmade items that I am making as gifts that are either not done, or barely started. The tree above in the picture doesn't do justice. We have added flowers to it as well, but I haven't taken a recent picture to post. 

I am hoping that I will have more time to blog and write about once the holidays are over! I'm definitely excited to start blogging again since it's something I absolutely enjoy doing. I also have a few projects that I will be working on and talking about, but won't mention it til the new year starts! See you all in 2014.

Starting All Over

I haven't been a good blogger lately due to being busy. However, I do have a lot of ideas in store for the New Year! I'm def. going to revamp my blog :) See you all next year and hope you all enjoy your Holidays with your family and friends!

November Please Be Good To ME

 

Learning how to keep up with a blog is not that easy especially when your laptop won't connect to the internet for some reason. After my laptop decided to update, it messed up my WiFi connection. The WiFi is on, but it says something about the radio hardware not being on. I have NO idea on how to fix it. I have been on Google trying to find an answer and I have no idea what to do. Hopefully, I figure it out soon. I would hate to have to get a new laptop because I'm too stupid to figure out what's going on with my laptop. 

I have been really serious about changing my diet and I even made myself a meal plan for the week. There are some parts that I follow and some parts that I don't. However, if I do end up eating something else it still falls under the healthy category and portion control. Last night Sean made this delicious salad because I was craving a mexican tostada salad. Instead, he made this!

 

Spinach/Arugula Mexican Salad

I'm not exactly sure what kind of dressing he made and I forgot to ask, but the main components of this salad is a mixture of arugula and spinach, paired with grilled tofu and on the bottom there was black beans and corn with a bit of diced avocado. I ate two small bowls of salad for dinner and that was pretty much it. I was surprised that it was filling enough for me. I am usually the type of person who will eat this as an appetizer and would want a full meal thereafter. I have also asked my sister and friend Rachel to burn me a copy of their P90x. I mean I'm not sure who will get it to me first, but hopefully I get it soon, lol.

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In the midst of writing this post yesterday, I got a parking ticket. UGH, I was pretty upset but at the same time I knew it was my fault. Seriously though, a fucking parking ticket. $58.00 that should be going to Christmas presents are going to this damn ticket. I guess I'll write another post later when I am feeling a bit better about that damn ticket!

My Good Eats

This is what I've been working on lately. I have been trying to really cut my eating in half and cut down on all the junk that I know is NOT good for me. I have made the effort of packing my lunches everyday. Most of my lunch consists of a sandwich with some type of side to it. I had also checked out the nutritional contents of everything that I was eating or what I made. Most of these are all under 300-400 calories. My favorite has got to be my breakfast tostada! It's only 280 calories, egg whites, black beans, veggies and baked tortilla to make it crispy.

I also was able to  snag that tomato straight from my garden. I am so happy that even if it's Fall I'm still able to grow some stuff. Though, this isn't the best of conditions to plant something I am still trying my best.

I am trying to eat a lot healthier and it's not that easy. I mean I love food, who doesn't?! Though, finding good food that is also healthy for you is something that takes more effort than just the drive-thru.I think that I have been doing much better, but I won't lie I have hit a few downfalls. I'm still pushing myself to eat a lot healthier. I'm planning to start sharing some recipes again, but in the mean time here are some delicious pictures of my GOOD EATS!

Insta.gram/Facebook Mashup

Since I've been MIA, I figure I'd let you all in a little bit. These are pictures I posted on my Insta.gram and Facebook.

1) This is how my hair currently looks. I took the picture this morning at work. I finally took the plunge and cut my bangs out of boredom this morning. So far I'm not sure if I like it just yet, but I'm sure it will grow on me. My hair is also super red, but starting to fade. Red is hard to keep up with, but such a pretty color once done right.

2) This is a picture with my mommy taken when I was a year old.

3) My best friend Rachel is big on couponing and snagged me 5 bottles of detergent all about 33 loads each jug. She's so awesome! I love her for it. She's also teaching me how to coupon and get the best bang for my buck!

4) My bestie Rachel and Toph before they left back for SD.

5 & 6) I've been trying to change my eating habit and so far I've been doing fairly well. I have cut my eating in half and even if I eat pasta or carbs I've learned to eat smaller portions and substitute whatever I can for a healthier alternative. My lunch was less than 400 calories, and the breakfast was less than 300. How great is that?

7 & 8) I'm starting to put together ideas for when I finally get my arm done. I've been waiting for a long time to get it started and seriously my ideas for it is coming together.

9) Picture of me and Toph. I am in love with this dog. She's so cute.

10 & 11) My lunch that was less than 400 calories and also less sodium. I have been eating sandwiches and soup lately to balance my diet. So far it's working great. My breakfast was also less than 300 calories! 180 to be exact. Seriouly eating healthier has never been so fulfilling and delicious.

12) Well just took a selfie, hah.

Low key Halloween

 

For Halloween Erika and I dressed up as Mario and Luigi for work. It was definitely fun. Although, I changed to regular clothes not long after since the costume was a bit too short and fitted for my liking. We had a Halloween party at work and it was definitely all fun and smiles. We also had ordered catering of Mexican Food. Boy, do I love Mexican food! You seriously can't go wrong with Mexican food. We had the tortillas, two different types of meat, cilantro, onions, lime, and salsa. That was paired off with re-fried beans and rice.  

I tried not to eat that much since I'm not a big meat eater, but still did try it out. I didn't indulge in candy because for some reason my eyes and mind ignored the bowl the whole time. 

 

 Here is the costume I had on. I honestly didn't find it to be that cute on me. I also can see all my problems areas that I have to work on and have been working on. My main issue is my mid-section and I have started to contribute to a full diet flush and started my workouts to get rid of this beer gut. Other than that it was a good Halloween. 

That evening we took the kiddos Trick or Treating. It was fun because there is this one block where all the houses decorate their homes and it gets pretty crazy. There was even a house that has a performance to thriller every year. Quite cool if you ask me.

Here's a picture of Ryu dressed as a Ninja. I can't believe how big he's gotten! 

Anyway, that's all the recap I have for now for Halloween. I just wanted to introduce you all to the new blog I moved to because I just got tired of paying for the same shit. lol. This way I feel like I'm not obligated to blog. Perhaps, I'll be able to blog more from here. 

Coffee Mondays/Being Back

 

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It has been a while since I've blogged on here. I have been paying my monthly bill for this space and it's not even being used properly. I do miss blogging, but for some reason life just starts to kick in and I tend to disappear.

1. I've been MIA, but I really am in the mood to start blogging again. I have a bunch of pictures that I have taken in the past month that I would love to share. I also have done a lot since then and I also wanted to take the opportunity to talk about it.


2. I'm a year older! I celebrated my birthday on the 15th of October and it was the greatest week ever. I felt so loved and it was seriously so much fun. Thank you to everyone who made my birthday completely worth it!


3. Work can get so frustrating especially when you're super busy. I mean I know work for anyone can get frustrating, but what annoys me the most is when people are just so clueless of what they are doing but they tend to pretend to know what they are talking about. At the end of everything it just sounds like a bunch of jibberish and you had just wasted a goo 10 minutes of my time trying to understand what you were talking about to begin with.

Coffee Mondays

 

©2013 Pinterest

I've been gone again and that's fine. We all tend to get busy here and there. I have always put my blogging and writing first over other things. However, taking time away felt good. I was able to focus a little more on myself and my family and figure out what I really wanted to accomplish with this blog.

• I still have not passed my test. I mean I have only taken it once, but I am planning to retake it in November. I am going to buckle down and study the next several weeks. I really want to pass it, but I feel like my studying keeps getting distracted.


• I am finally getting a little more use out of my camera again. I mean I have not been extremely involved with taking pictures, but when I remember that I do have my camera I'll snap a few shots. I went to the pumpkin patch with Ryu, Erika, and her daughter. We were only there for a good ten minutes. We were expecting for it to be much cooler out, but it was scorching hot and we were bundled up. We decided to take our pictures and bounce out of there

• My birthday just passed two weeks ago. I had a really good birthday! I came in to work and on my desk waiting for me were balloons and flowers. Thanks to Erika for getting them for me. I also got two different types of cakes from my mom and co-workers. I then went out to dinner and thanks to Sean for spending time with me! He took me out to a delicious pizza dinner for my birthday. I told him that I wanted to keep it a low key evening and just have some pizza. I was not even in the mood for alcohol or anything. Instead we went to this pretty good pizza place that served vegan dishes. After that we went to World Market. I had a great time just looking around and he even bought me two small cast iron pots that look like cauldrons, lol. I have been wanting it for my curry stew. He also got me a back scratcher which comes in handy if you're like me and you have hives everywhere. The following day I came home to more goodies! I came home to more balloons and a bouquet of flowers from Sean and Ryu. Then we went to watch Dustbowl Revival that evening and they were great! I got to spend time with the people I care about the most on my birthday and it was a real great week for me. I got treated to lunch for the whole week! Seriously it was just the best ever.

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• The week after was Erika's birthday and of course the celebration I had needed to be just as good for her! I went and stopped by the store and grabbed a card, flowers, and balloons for her. I also made her breakfast that morning. It's been a while since I've had a friend I could trust and just have a really good time with. We have a lot in common and even though we are really different we definitely can understand each other and we also are very supportive and understanding of each other. We're not scared to be honest with each other and tell the other person when we're being stupid. I'm glad to have her around and I'm also glad she had a great birthday! The fun part is her birthday is a week after mine!

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• I am going to start blogging again and just really getting into it. I don't want to promise anything, but I think I am just ready to just chill for a little bit and start writing again. I've been missing it and this is the perfect weather to sit down at your local Starbucks and write away.

Coffee Mondays

• My weekend was all over the place there were some good times and then some bad times. I don't really want to reflect on what happened this weekend just because it was not the best weekend. I also was not in my best behavior. Let's just say all weekend I was a total bizznatch.


• I am eating wheat toast and homemade almond butter this morning. I am actually digging the flavor. I didn't think that I would enjoy it. However, I have to be careful with how much I eat because I can already feel my lips tingling. I hate having to be allergic to a lot of stuff.


• I am barely starting my Monday morning and I already want it to be the weekend. I am planning to spend my Saturday studying for my license and possibly cleaning. I believe Sunday I will be starting my Christmas shopping. I know a lot of you are thinking, WHAT? It's so early, it's only September. I know, but really if I don't start now I will do everything last minute and everyone will get crappy Christmas gifts since I would have to really budget.


• I am seriously not really in the mood to blog lately. I am not sure if it is because I am still going through my transition with my diet. I guess that leads me to not having pretty meals or not being able to cook something delicious and fun. Since my diet I have been lazy and I have been eating baked chicken or wheat toast with peanut butter. My diet consists of tons of water. I need to buy myself a grill so I can grill some delicious veggies and make a sandwich out of it! Ugh, torture.. I am torturing myself.


• This whole morning I have already taken 2 advils and it's barely 11. I am tired and my head is pounding. I am just spending my time listening to acoustic covers on YouTube. It helps me get through the day. I just want the day to be over already, lol. I think I really have the case of the Mondays!


• Last, but not least my garden is coming along up until yesterday I knocked a planter over and all my pretty and precious dill and rosemary that was growing got messed up. I think they are still fine, but now the are not in a row and I have no idea which is what.


• I'm telling you I had such a messed up weekend. I felt like everything bad just continuously kept happening.

My First DIY Project - Simple Chalkboard

Last weekend I worked on my first DIY with my friend Erika. She made two of these chalkboards to put up on her dining room walls. Not going to lie they look nothing like the professional grade chalkboards that I've seen on Pinterest, but hey there's a first for everything. I put the tutorial up under my DIY page. You should check it out and if you have any tips or tricks or if you try this yourself and have any comments you should definitely let me know. I am planning to work on another chalkboard within the next few weeks for our kitchen.

 

Leave it to me to be completely unprepared for this project. I also was not dressed for this. We just went to Lowes to pick up some gardening products and came back with this full on idea that we were going to tackle this. We didn't even bother to google anything. We eyeballed the project and honestly it didn't turn out so bad for a first trial run. However, I will definitely not listen to anymore sales person on the floor when I do any of my projects! They give you the worst advice or have you end up buying more items you don't necessarily need.

After we spray painted our boards we left them outside to dry for a good hour. During that hour I had planted Erika a bunch of seeds to start her own mini garden in her balcony. I told her to get me a picture of her plants so I can share it with you guys and show you that it is easy to grow plants even in a small area.

Ryu had a blast helping out (not spray painting, of course). I had him take a flat sponge brush and sort of just even everything out. It somewhat helped, but you can still see the splotches of the area where more paint was added.

Ryu has been wanting to help with a lot of the projects I want to do. I think I'll let him help a bit with some of the projects. I just had a good time being able to spend time doing something else besides just browsing online, lol.

Btw, I hope it starts to cool off soon. This ridiculous California weather that's on limbo isn't doing me any justice. It's been stupid hot and I am just over it. I'm ready for Fall to really kick in!

 Don't forget to check out my DIY chalkboard under the DIY section of my page.! HERE

Eating Healthy

To start off into this whole world of working out, clean eating, and just getting healthy I started with changing my eating habits. If you have followed me over the years you would know that 1. I absolutely love food. 2. My weight tends to limbo a lot over the past several years, and 3. I have a very addictive personality. With that said I finally met my unhappy mark and point and decided that everything needs to change.

The picture above was taken exactly 3 weeks ago on my date night with Sean. Part of my face is cut off in this picture, but I could clearly see how round my face is. Yes, my face is naturally rounder, but I could see that from my cheeks to my chin its just initially rounder. You're probably thinking that I am just being way too critical of myself. Well after this picture I decided that I could no longer stay this way. I had to give away almost half my wardrobe because those were the clothes I could no longer fit into because I was so skinny back then. The clothes I have left are all either stretch or loose material. It was not a good feeling knowing that I did this to myself and there was no one else to blame. Every week Sean and I would go to this restaurant/bar and have dinner and a few drinks there. We spend more on drinks than anything else. Problem is all I was drinking was beer. That was an additional amount of carbs my body did not need.

I started a food journal. Initially I would list everything that I ate good or bad I wrote it down. I made the effort of changing my eating habits a week and a half ago. Sure, I just started but at least I made the effort to. By owning a food journal I can clearly see where I need help on and how much of something I'm eating. I also made a habit to eat breakfast every morning when I am at work. I never ate breakfast before which would lead me to having a huge lunch I did not need.

The picture above was taken last night at home. I was commenting to Sean how round my face was and he told me to shut up. Looking back from the picture 3 weeks ago to last night I realized that I actually lost some weight. It was clearly showing up on my face. I apologize if the picture is dark. Our lighting at home sucks for pictures. When I used to take pictures I could see that I had an additional chin waiting to pop out in the pictures, but last night was the first night that I felt or saw some progress in what I was doing.

It motivates me to continue eating healthy. At home I make an effort to make sure that what I eat even snacks are snacks that I can have. I bought fruits and veggies to juice after my workout. I am looking forward to be able to continue eating healthy and from there I am trying to start working out at least 3-4 days out of the week. It is a start and so far I have gotten into the routine of eating healthy. I even cut down on beer! Can you believe that? I had one cocktail this weekend and that was it. I have just been drinking water and nothing else. No soda, no juice except for my juice that I make. I used to eat all sorts of junk and now I barely crave it. When I do Sean tells me to eat something else, something healthier.

I am aiming to get back on that healthy lifestyle bandwagon. I'm sure I can do it but of course it takes time. I started with my eating, and I'm hoping to push it to the working out stage of it all.

Fitspirational Tuesday

I keep coming in and out of building a habit. For a while I gave up once again and just got fed up with how much I seem to keep falling back. This time I made the decision to take it extremely seriously.

It's been a week and I have been eating properly. Sure there were a few things here and there I did not have to add to my diet, but by keeping a food journal I am able to look back at what I ate. I now can see what I need to do to adjust my eating habit. I also took the initiative to work out yesterday. It might not be much but it is a start. I am giving myself a month to get into a healthy habit. If not I think I am going to see if I can get a trainer to help me out.

I know that I can do this myself. I am determined and to be honest it's been week one and I have not had a glass of beer either. I think I will be fine if I keep my mind on the prize. It is about being fit and being healthy, but I am not going to lie about wanting to fit in my old clothes. I gave my friend most of my clothes from when I was skinny because I can barely fit into it. It's embarrassing when I have to give clothes away because it is just too small for me now.

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I am starting to work out to my old Jillian Michaels DVD's. I have tons of confidence that it will go well I just need to keep my head in the game. Hopefully I don't give up, but I'm sure once I start seeing results I won't be turning back. I have confidence that I will do fine. Sean was telling me that I have an obsessed or addictive personality. When I try something and I like it I push myself to do it. A good example is my gardening. He was saying once something sparks my interest I constantly work at it. He's right and I just need to get my mojo going with working out and putting out a specific image out there that I want for myself.

I think I should be fine! I have faith.

Coffee Mondays - Labor Day!

It's time for another round of Coffee Monday. Not sure how many of you get a long weekend, but I'm one of those people that gets to enjoy this Monday off.

• First off I am glad we get a 3 day weekend. Although, I am not looking forward to how busy it is going to be on Tuesday. I am sure that we will be extremely busy with tons of mail, paperwork, and files to process.


• I spent most of my weekend with my friend Erika. It has been a fun two days with her. On Saturday we had lunch and we went to Lowes and got me some gardening products. We also had a nice lunch at Los Toros. Spent time talking about work, family, friends, and life. It's nice to be able to have another friend in my life that I can trust and be 100% comfortable with. It has been a while since I had spent time with someone doing something we enjoyed and being able to have fun without alcohol being involved, ha.


• My garden has grown incredibly over the weekend. I am currently obsessed with gardening and have spent tons of money getting my mini garden together. I ordered more seeds, bought more potting items, and have enjoyed every minute I got to spend in my little area outside. I only say this because I was willing to be out in the sun and get down and dirty just for these babies. I think that the love and care shows each day as these little buds start to blossom.


• Erika and I tackled our first DIY together. It's nothing fancy, but I am going to post more about it sometime this week. I am excited to tackle on more projects with her and Sean. Now that I am slowly budgeting my paycheck I can invest in something that benefits my family, our home, and most importantly it makes me happy. With so many bills I have always been stretching my budget to get by, but it is nice that I am able to take a little part of what I have left over and do something I enjoy.

• The picture above is of Erika. This is a little sneak peak of what we made. I am going to open a new category of my blog dedicated to the DIY projects that I tackle.


• My plants are doing wonderfully and I am excited to also open a section of my blog dedicated to gardening in a small area. I want to be able to write about how it is possible to grow organic produce in a small area of your home. Whether it is a balcony, a patio, or even indoors it is possible to do it!

Don't forget to link up and join me on Coffee Mondays!

Daily Dining - Seared Tofu with Black Bean Salsa

 

This was last night's dinner. I actually did not make this simple yet delicious meal. Sean made this simple meal for us to enjoy. Lately, I have been eating incredibly unhealthy and then two nights ago it hit me that I could not do it anymore. I felt so disgusting eating (buffalo wings) that evening. Sean talked me into starting all over and doing a reset. I am trying to cut down my crappy eating by focusing on healthy food. I am going to put together a weekly menu of the food we eat and hopefully I can add the recipes to it from there.

I love tofu, believe me I do. I can live off of eating this everyday, but it has to be prepared differently. Otherwise, to me it would be eating the same meal everyday. I don't plan on eating or living off of tofu daily, but I plan on incorporating it as a huge part of my diet. My main goal is how many different ways can we cook tofu. How many different ways can we prepare it and serve it?

I am still debating if I should start a new fitness blog or just incorporate it here. Decisions, decisions..

Update and Review - Gardening

I want to share with you my mini review and experience with SeedsNow. A few weeks ago I purchased these sample seeds from SeedsNow.com. At first I was hesitant because I was reading that if you are a beginner with gardening it probably is not best that you plant seeds. It is better to go with something that is already grown and learn to care for it first. Then I was bouncing from different gardening blogs and came across this guy (I apologize I forgot his blog) who has been gardening and he lives in a small apartment. He talks about how he makes it work and how he cares for his plant. He had great reviews and points for SeedsNow and it led me to try out a few sample packs.

As mentioned I was hesitant at first because I was not sure why the 3 previous plants that I bought from Lowes did not seem to be getting any love. They were watered twice a day to avoid getting dehydrated, but parts of it seem to die. It was not recently did I see that there are new blooms and I just need to continue cutting off the weeds. I shelled out the $5.00+ for shipping and handling to try out these samples. I received a free sample of the buttercrunch lettuce and decided to try that out first. In the beginning I did not notice it at all. The packages have labels that tell you approximately how long it would take for it to sprout.

This is the work of about 2 weeks if not more or less. I do the same thing that I have with the other plans and water it twice a day. You wouldn't believe how thrilled I was that even as a beginner I was able to achieve this and so far no bugs have been around it. I am going to move it to a bigger pot and add some compost with egg shells to avoid any creepy crawlers in the future.

I copied this off their site about who they are:

Growing your own ORGANIC & NON-Genetically Modified (NON-GMO) food isn’t hard to do. Seriously. It's not.  In fact, it's actually pretty easy

They are very big about their seeds being GMO free. So I would have to say that their shipping and handling is great. The samples come in these small ziploc bags with a label and the expectant time to see the seedling sprout. I would absolutely recommend them! The prices are not bad at all. If you are hesitant you should purchase a few samples to try out. I purchased a few samples and shipping for 7-10 business days was $1.95. You could pay the $5.00 if you want it to get to you in 3-4 business days.

I am not big when it comes to writing reviews, but I wanted to share about my gardening experience with seeds. I feel a little more confident about the garden I am trying to grow. Fall will be coming and I am doing a bit more research on the types of veggies and herbs I can grow during that type of weather.

It may take some time to grow and I know that I am just starting out, but my main goal is to have healthy produce grown in our little garden. This will save us lots of money in the long run if all works well. That means that we do not have to constantly buy tons of produce every time. I know that we would have to continuously grow a lot of it to be able to really save money, but at least this gives me an idea of what to expect and how long to expect it. I ordered a few more seeds and I can't wait to get them. I am in the market to find bigger containers to grow them in.

As far as my gardening is concerned I feel like they are doing swell! I love that I get to go outside everyday and stare at them for a few minutes. I get to glance at the new sprouts and just admire the beauty of it. I am no pro, but I bet you can tell that I am a beginner. I am so happy about the smallest sprouts and I am determined to continue. I didn't think that this would be something that I would be interested in since I am not the type of person that enjoys getting down and dirty.

Yesterday I decided to buy a few more samples. They are different varieties of herbs and chilli's. I haven't bought more than just the samples because I want to see if it is something that I want to grow a lot of. I want to be able to sample and get my hands dirty with what I have before committing.   I am going to purchase bigger containers to transfer the plants once they get bigger. Sean and I went to Lowe's last night and bought a few more items for me to get the other seeds started. I am excited to start seeing them sprout! Some of them will take 2-5 days for us to see the sprout and the rest will take about 7-14 days.

They look a bit messy because I just watered them, but I am so happy to see these little boxes all filled up. This weekend I am going to get a few more plants and I am going to make sure I document everything!

Coffee Mondays

 

Hey everyone! This is the first linkup I have for ItsAbbyTime. It's called Coffee Mondays. I want to thanks Kathy from Vodka and Soda. She had a post up sometime last week about what kind of conversation would you have with her if you were to go out and have coffee. It sparked a light bulb in my head to start Coffee Mondays.

Coffee Mondays is a linkup where you can write about your Monday. What are you thinking of before or after you get your cup of jo. Perhaps you can spend your coffee Mondays about rants going on in the office for the week, or better yet what kind of conversation would you have with someone on a coffee Monday.

• Work always see so stressful the moment you walk in on a Monday. I have this routine where I walk in and chat with my coworker for a bit about her weekend and go back to my desk. The moment I sit down I end up getting sucked into work mode. I barely take my breaks or lunches. I end up eating lunch or taking my break at my desk while working. Yes, it gets that busy.


• I spent my whole Sunday cleaning and doing laundry. Can you believe that I am not even done yet? I honestly felt like super mom since I was all over the place toggling different jobs all day. Being a mom can be so tiring, but so rewarding at the same time. Yes, I spent the whole day cleaning but at the same time the perks of it being able to walk around a nice clean home which makes me feel relaxed at the end of the day. I hate chaos. I'm a very unorganized person and so I really need to keep myself on check. Otherwise, I would let things sit wherever they were left.


• I am slowly getting into the whole gardening thing. Last I wrote a post about my plants I just started. It's a bit weird because there are parts of the plants that are dying, but there are also new sprouts. They are so strong and well worth continuing. I was so impressed with the three plants and my lettuce that is growing that I planted some garlic and Alfalfa Sprouts. I can already think of a few recipes I want to use the sprouts for!

• I am excited to get curtains this weekend. We have two huge windows in the dining area and the living room. I am excited to finally measure and get some curtains up. I will also be putting the same curtains up in the bedroom. Ryu's room already came with the curtain rod and the drapes so we really didn't have to do anything there. However, I am excited because every time I have money I tend to forget to get it done, and I end up not having the funds later on down the line to do it. I am determined to get this done this weekend.


• I ordered prints online. I tried out this new company. I will do a review once I receive the pictures in the mail. I was able to order 100 free prints and all I have to pay for was the shipping and handling which was around $6.00. If you divide that it's about $0.16 per picture. I still didn't have to pay for the actual print so I save money on that plus the shipping and handling. Hopefully I like it! I am excited to start scrap booking. I have been lagging it long enough.

 Come join me and link up your coffee Monday post!

Pork Sinigang (Filipino Sour Soup)

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Last Sunday my friend Erika and I got together with the kiddos to have lunch together and go swimming. I offered to make Sinigang and Lumpia to go along with the soup. Erika has never made Sinigang before and wanted to learn. I will talk about the lumpia that she help make in another post. Sinigang is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savory flavor most often associated with tamarind (sampalok). It is one of the popular viands in Philippine cuisine. This dish is one of the very few Filipino dishes I know how to whip up.

I grew up in a Filipino household, but was never completely fond of all the Filipino dishes. Throughout the years I became aware of the very few dishes that I enjoyed. I made sure that I knew how to make it myself. I have also made this dish in a Vegan version. I will post that recipe some other time as well.

This is so delicious with rice. You can cook this soup with shrimp, fish, beef, chicken, or tofu.

[yumprint-recipe id='4']This is so easy to make. The only part of it that becomes time consuming is the boiling of the meat. The reason that I boil it first before cooking it with all the vegetables is to get rid of that odd pork flavor. I want to make sure that all the excess fat that can be boiled off will be removed. You can also add more veggies to this such as daikon, potatoes, spinach if you do not have pechay and so forth. I used what I did because I did not find what I needed to at the grocery store for this recipe.

I used a pack and a half of the tamarind packet because I prefer it to be extremely sour. However, you can control this by putting a little at a time. You do not have to have this soup extremely sour or spicy, but it is preferable that way.

Thanks to my friend Erika for helping me make the soup. I was in the process of giving Sean's sister a haircut and since she wanted to learn I took advantage of that, ha! I was directing her along the way. She seemed to have done perfectly fine. It really is not a difficult dish to make.

here is a picture of the kiddies as they were waiting to eat before they went swimming. Of course we waited for a bit before they took a dip. They didn't last very long since they had food coma! ha

Facebook Controversy

People are so fat, it's disgusting. Yes I said it, I'm angry!! #youcanthandlethetruth - Facebook Post by Unknown

This is what headlined on my Facebook feed this morning. I read the back and forth responses of the person that wrote this and the people that didn't seem quite happy with the comment. To be honest I sat at my desk reading the different responses are and as it seemed to have gotten heated I almost wanted to comment, but did not. I am friends with this person that wrote this and do I think that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, well yes. However, I don't think that I would be so bold to have posted that. I won't post the details of the responses received on Facebook, but I was wondering what your opinion was if this is something you saw first thing in the morning.

The person that wrote this is a writer. In fact the point that was coming across after they explained seemed legit. However, the wording seemed wrong. I agree that this is in fact a super bold statement. I would never say this out loud in public or post it anywhere if I was not open to criticism or people putting in their two cents. Let's just say that the conversation got heated and someone was called ignorant for even posting words of that opinion for people to say something about. Then the topic of being bulimic and anorexic came up which frankly to be honest had nothing to do with the actual words written.

In a sense truth is I slightly felt offended by this comment. Though the back story to why this opinion was, made sense; the actual wording did not. Some people would disagree and say it is the meaning behind it that matters the most. Sure, that matters but really with a comment like that it does not look like the meaning behind it would still be a good excuse to say it. I am mildly offended because I have never been skinny, fit, fat (in a sense of being obese), or disgusting. I am in the middle. I have hit a point where I lost so much weight that I in fact became unhealthy. I pushed myself to continuously do the wrong thing just to fit into the "picture perfect" body type that I thought people would like me to be. I was not the happiest nor was I the healthiest. Yes, I am overweight now and above the range of my BMI, but I would not say that I am just plain fat or disgusting.

I commend people that do work out and put lots of time, patience, and motivation to get where they are at. I too want to be one of those people one day. I agree that complaining about it will not do anything. However, there are also people out there who are overweight for different reasons. Whatever their reason may be that is a decision that they are willing to be. Skinny is not perfect, fat is not perfect, and even I believe that fit is not perfect. Perfect is the body type you are the happiest in. It is what you are comfortable with and what makes you; well you. I am far from being perfect, in fact I have tons of body image issues due to the fact that I am always hearing or reading that being skinny is sexy, or you have to look this way for people to like you which is major crap. Being too skinny (unhealthy) and overweight (unhealthy) can both cause severe medical issues. You can die being too skinny (hence being anorexic or bulimic) or die being fat (hence heart attacks, strokes, etc..).

As mentioned it IS a very bold statement and I am not sure that people realize that what they say can really hurt someone or hit home. This is the type of comment or reason that we see that can drain someone. This type of comment does not make us look any better. In fact, as mentioned by someone it just made that person look ignorant.

What do you think or how would you react if you saw this somewhere? Better question would be is how would you react if your children wrote this or if they read this? How does this affect our youth today?

Dance Dance !

I've always enjoyed spending time with Ryu. It makes my heart melt when I see him interact with other kids. This is a video of Ryu and Mya. Mya is my friend's daughter and she is older than Ryu, but that's fine Ryu absolutely adores her. I don't have many friends with children that I actually hang out with.

I have barely involved myself with mommy and baby time with other people. Erika (my coworker) is really the only person that I have had play dates with. I'm sure that when Ryu actually starts school he will have more friends. I think it worked out well that I hang out with Erika because we are the same age and she understands the schedule of parenthood. Most of my friends that do not have children do not understand that I can't just go out any time I want to. If I do go out I really love being able to bring my son around.

Hopefully when Ryu starts school we can have more play dates.

Inspirational Tuesdays

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I sat here for a good hour thinking about what I should write about today. I have a bunch of recipes compiled that I wanted to share, but I wanted to write about something more; something with substance.

Over the last five years if not longer, friends that have come and gone, continuously made mistakes, though I have also learned from them. I always knew from the beginning that my life was not so perfect. I always felt my life was so broken and I kept trying to fix relationships that were hopeless. I continuously kept sinking my own boat. I placed myself in situations that I could not get out of. At the end of the day there was no one else to blame but myself.

It was not until a few years ago when I finally woke up from the unhappiness that I have been living in to change.

I am doing the best I can each day to start all over with my family. I made the decision to let go of friends like cold turkey because I just didn't feel like it would be beneficial for me to be around during my healing process. In my case so many parts of my life were broken and I had tried to fix it multiple times and after so many times I gave up. In my opinion it's like being able to choose your battles. I was tired of being unhappy.

The moment that I dropped everything that I did not feel was beneficial for me I suddenly saw a change. Sure, I still have a long way to go as far as my outlook on life. However, I know that I have started something new and wonderful. When I started to focus more on myself and my family I soon realized that a lot of the issues that I was stressing about before seemed so miniscule. My relationship with my family, my boyfriend and most importantly with my son got better. Starting over seemed scary and I didn't find a reason to at first. It was not until I realized that I could lose everything in a blink of an eye if I didn't let go of whatever may be broken.

It took some time, but I feel like I have improved greatly within myself. I am in a much better position than I was 3-4 years ago. I have let go of people that I didn't feel deserve me or my family in my life. I have created a much better outlook on life for myself. I now have goals of where I want myself and dreams of where I see my family to be at in the future.

Grilled Portabello and Garlic Pasta

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This is my go to pasta recipe! I absolutely enjoy making this because it is extremely simple. Most of the time you can find the ingredients in your pantry. If you do opt to try this and go to the store you would not be spending much to make this meal. However, it is heavy on the garlic and onion side, but if you want to add less that works too.

The great part of this recipe is that if you are not a big fan of mushrooms just add any other type of protein you prefer. You can add a seared steak to it, perhaps grilled chicken breast!

My favorite part of cooking is making recipes that people can enjoy or they can add or take away from the recipe if they don't like something I used. I know not everyone will enjoy having this as a vegan option, but the great part of it is if you are experimenting into turning vegetarian or vegan this is an easy meal to put together at home. Plus it looks fancy as well so you can easily impress that special someone!

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Ryu Turns 4 (Star Wars Theme) Part 2

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Welcome to part 2 of Ryu's soiree. Are you getting tired of me seeing the pictures from Ryu's birthday yet? I love how the kids enjoyed being outdoors. I didn't get in the water because I was running around making sure everything was ready outside. I also didn't feel like getting in the water until it had cooled off. The weather that day was horrible. At first we checked the weather forecast for that day and it showed that it was supposed to be cool with a chance of rain. Sean was hoping that the weather would turn around and sure enough it did. It got so hot that day! By the end of the evening I had noticeably gotten sunburned throughout my shoulders, back, and arms. It was not a fun feeling the next several days after.

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It was a fun day and honestly I wouldn't change anything about it. I wish that our other friends and family were able to join us, but hopefully next year when he turns 5 they will be there.

 

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The cupcakes were far from perfect and were made last minute. Sure, they're not perfect but at least everyone enjoyed them and that is all that matters. These cupcakes are all vegan. We forgot that I ruined our last cupcake pan so we had to improvise which is the reason and excuse as to why they look slightly odd.

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So much for writing more about the party. I think we all know how a child's party usually turns out. This one was fun, short, and simple. We all had a great time. I'll be posting more about the last bit of the party tomorrow. Once again thanks to everyone who made this happen.