sammy's

my favorite place on this planet.

(to eat, that is.)

i'm not much of a burger-eating girl, but i do love their pie shakes. 

mmmmmm. 

i just can't say no!

(anyone that loves mustaches as much as i do is pretty legit in my book.)

next time you are in rexburg (or provo) make sure that you stop by!

(and get a delicious pumpkin pie cheesecake shake in honor of me)

toodles!

looking into my magic oracle... i see the future:

day 17:
i am looking forward to...

GRADUATION!


sorry, i don't feel like posting much today... i woke up this morning with a sore throat and feeling like my eyes were trying to explode out of my head... i didn't even get out of bed until noon (after a very sweet younger brother brought pride and prejudice in to keep me company while i tried to go back to sleep). he's actually pretty sweet on occasion!
i never get sick. i'm usually the family member that laughs while everyone else is sick in bed. not today apparently. so, i'm going to go and sit on the couch, drink some (more) herbal tea, and beat this! because i don't like being sick while i'm at home. 


but today hasn't been all bad (i was about to go crazy, but my younger sister saved me by taking me to the store... we found some sweet red mugs at d.i... which will be a project that will take place sometime within the next few days. it's gonna be sweet!) 


feel better!
yes, thanks. i will!

a castle on a cloud

day 16:

my dream house.

i tend to collect pictures, and i usually don't write down where i get them.

(so for the sake of attributing these... none of them belong to me... but i don't remember where i got them. oops.)

***

now if anyone else out there is like me - and LOVES hot chocolate... but for the sheer fact that i would sit and drink cupfull after cupfull... (calorie counters cringe at the thought)

i found this to be a good alternative.

and homemade. (gotta love that, huh?!)

homemade sugar free/ fat free hot chocolate

3 cups instant powdered milk

1 cup splenda

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 sm. sugar free/fat free jello vanilla pudding, instant

mix all of the ingredients in a gallon size zip lock bag and close bag - mix. store in air tight container or the zip lock baggie. to make a cup of hot chocolate, use 1/4 cup of mix to 1 cup of hot water.

serves 18

i also have a fetish with mugs. i want this one.

...or for a single serving  (i mean... am i really going to make 18 servings worth of hot chocolate???)

1 cup non-dairy milk (you can also use unsweetened almond milk)

4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 packets stevia

Optional: pinch of cinnamon and a dash of vanilla 

first measure out one cup of milk, and then transfer 2 tbsp of it to a mug. Heat the rest of the milk on the stove top or in the microwave (it took me about one and a half minutes in the microwave) until steaming but not boiling.

while the milk is heating up, add the cocoa, stevia, vanilla and cinnamon to the 2 tbsp milk in the mug. stir it together until it forms a chocolaty paste.

once the milk is heated up, add it to the chocolaty paste and stir till combined. just whirl a whisk between your hands back and forth to froth it up if desired.

***

i bet there is no better remedy for a stuffy head and sore throat than a hot cup of chocolate and nice warm toes by the fire  errr... space heater? (we'll just pretend for imagination's sake, shall we?)

philippians 4

i've been trying to decide which one was my favorite. 
the next prompt for the (extended) 30 days is a bible verse... i don't know about you, but i think they are all pretty great. 


this one helped me through the last semester - especially the days and weeks that i was sure would overwhelm me! 


philippians 4:12-13
i know how to be abased, and i know how to abound: every where and in all things i am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need. i can do all things through christ which strengtheneth me.  




oh, by the way...
merry christmas!!!

ch-ch-ch-changes!

last year.

december 2010.

this year.

december 2011.

a little different eh?

***

i want a guy to say this to me.

:)

set a new goal and dream a new dream

day 13.


i am most definitely a "list person"
if you look through any of my stuff... my backpack, purse, even pockets - and you are going to find lists.

• shopping lists
• christmas present lists
• goal lists
• fun-things-to-do-lists
• to-do lists
• to-be lists (This quote from from Lynn G. Robbins is my favorite - probably because it speaks directly to the list-maker in me): Many of us create to do lists to remind us of things we want to accomplish. But people rarely have to be lists. Why? To do’s are activities or events that can be checked off the list when done. To be, however, is never done. You can’t earn checkmarks with to be’s. I can take my wife out for a lovely evening this Friday, which is a to do. But being a good husband is not an event; it needs to be part of my nature—my character, or who I am.
• lists of places to go
• lists of things to cook
• lists of things to make
• lists of things i want to buy when i have money, when i graduate from college, buy a house of my own...

i basically make a list for everything. (seeing the lists my mom makes, i think i know where i got it from...)

so you would think that coming up with a "goal list" would be easy right?

wrong.

i have so many, it is almost impossible (finding) and condensing them all into a single list.

so here's the short, and highly incomplete goals list:

• go on a road trip
• bike down the oregon coast
• graduate from college
• get accepted to grad school (which implies that i have to apply... sometime soon...)
• cut my own hair. 
• do something that scares me every day. 
• get down to 155
• run a 10k. then a half marathon.
• when i graduate, be able to fit all of my belongings into my civic. (i'm gonna dieeeee!)
• buy a car of my own
• get a job
• purge my recipes. get rid of all of the unhealthy temptations that i will make and then regret ever looking at. 

i was reading about "effective goal setting" and it says that in order to be the most effective, a goal has to be time sensitive. i mean, how often do i set goals and then forget about them because i'm in no hurry to get them finished? a lot. pretty much. so this is a list that i want to finish before december 31, 2012.

A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at.

Bruce Lee

facial hair is not one of my goals.

this pic is just too epic not to share with y'all.

and if i've never told you all about the awesome-ness of being an amazon woman, you are missing out.

this might redeem myself.

my favorite???

does it take longer for you to shave your legs?

TWELVE

a smile.

i don't leave the house without it. 

:)

--------------------------------------

and while i'm up, i might as well tell you what i've been doing...

finals are done!

huzzah!!!

and i took a glorious 3-hour nap today.

so while i couldn't go to bed, i decided to make something.

apparently one of my hobbies is to cook late at night.

like at 3 am.

we didn't have any dill, but we substituted a whole lotta spices and goodness instead (mainly basil, rosemary and oregano).

and boyyyyy was it gooooood!

farmgirl susan's beyond easy dill & cheddar beer bread recipe 

basic beer bread mix:
3 cups organic all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
12 ounces beer

optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten

heat the oven to 375°. combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, dill, and cheddar in a large mixing bowl. slowly stir in the beer and mix just until combined. the batter will be thick.

spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan, brush with the egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. remove from the pan and cool 10 more minutes. serve warm or at room temperature.

flavor Variations (also see the comments section at the end of this post for lots more beer bread flavor inspiration):

garlic & Herb: add 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 2 minced garlic cloves (or 1 teaspoon garlic flakes) to the basic mix. for fresh herbs, use 1 chopped tablespoon of each.

dill & chive: add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried dill) and 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives to the basic mix.

rosemary & feta: add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces) to the basic mix.

italian: add 1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano (or 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh basil and oregano), 2 minced cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan or romano cheese to the basic mix.

other additions: any dried or fresh herbs; 1/2 cup freshly grated asiago (or other hard cheese); 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped scallions; 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or 1/2 cup oats in place of 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour. or practically anything else you can think of—just use your imagination.