Let freedom Ring!

a happy girl: Freedom: Today we are starting out this new week of the Blogember challenge by writing for 5 minutes on the prompt Freedom.

I'm in love with her prompt and challenge! If you didn't realize, this is what I've been blogging from, and I'm very much enjoying it. It's def helping me get back into the groove of things, and honestly a little less thinking for me to ease into it. I encourage you to check out this interesting blog!

On to the prompt: Freedom
5 minutes, go!


Freedom has many definitions one technical def, thank you google.com is the power or right to act, speak,
or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. The ring to that is extraordinary. Here in America we take our freedom for granted. No I am not just saying that because DH is military, I say this because looking into other countries, they are much more restrained. I feel the people are hushed up a lot of times. Whether it be people speaking out against government, terrorist groups, or just females about inequality. I am lucky to be where I am, with who I am. Even in this country today there is a lot of hush hush going on in relationships. I've seen this first hand even. Whether it be a male in an emotionally abusive relationship or a female. Always being told not to think a certain way, not to feel a certain way, how to do things the 'right' way, who to love or not love, being told not to dress a certain way, all of it. We as people need freedom. We need to be encouraged to find ourselves. People need to stop being so negative towards others when it has no affect on them or their lives. STAND UP for yourself and let it be known that you are you. You will write the chapters in your own life, others are merely characters, some will come and go in your story, and some will stay till your story concludes. You make your life, you live in it, you make your choices!

Ok, five minutes are up, no editing! Please enjoy, check out the blog from ahappygirl. Also, I'd love input and feedback!

I'll be back to post more soon!

Inspiring quote

November 2: Favorite inspiring quote

My favorite inspiring quote is that above by Mark Twain. I remember very first reading this quote in high school for speech and debate. 

In my life I have found how incredibly true this is. Courage is not being without fear, but mastering and overcoming your fears. In life we may be afraid of actions, consequences, or anything in between. Life is far too short to live in fear. We should, instead, live life to the fullest and experience what we can. When we get old, we will regret what we haven't done, so why not just do it?

What's your inspiring quote??

More to come my bloggy friends!

Long time, No see

Just the right place to find a schadenfreude

Oh my! It has been an extremely long time since I have blogged. Well, this is my come back, and that was the end of my break. Life has changed so very much for me since the last time I was here. For a while it was extremely tough, but now is regaining sanity. I am in the midst of quiet a few new projects on my plate. 

As of right now, my big one, getting back online! I know, I know, I'm a tad bit rusty but I think I shall give it a go. I think I shall post one of my favorite recipes!

This recipe is not too terribly expensive to make, but mighty delicious.
Here it is, my version of Chicken Piccata! Now don't knock it till you try it, and any of the additions are optional. If you have you're own version, let me know!

Chicken Piccata

(serves about 4)

• 4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tsp of crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, quartered (optional)
• 1/4 cup drained capers
• 1 6 oz pkg of fresh spinach (optional)
• 1/2 a 10 oz pkg of mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1 cup quick-cooking brown rice (follow directions on packaging)

Gather all your ingredients and have them readily accessible. You can tweak this recipe to suit your tastes FYI!

Take you chicken breasts, trim the fat, and then slice into little strips. Heat your pan to about a medium to a medium high heat, with the half the oil and butter. Toss in your chicken breasts, salt and pepper to taste, your paprika, and just enough lemon juice to add some flavor to your chicken. Cook till golden. Remove from pan and set aside.Start your brown rice. Add the rest of your olive oil and butter back to the pan you cooked the chicken in. Now toss in your garlic, artichoke hearts, crushed red peppers, and sliced mushrooms. cook until a caramelized color is on the garlic. Once this happens,  add the rest of your lemon juice, white white, and chicken broth. Let simmer until it reduces. Add your chicken back in, add the capers, and the spinach. Serve with or on the cooked brown rice. 


Hope you enjoy, and let me know how it turns out for you!

My bucket list :)

So I decided a while back that I'd make a bucket list. I was amazed by how much stuff there was to put on there... Today is also my birthday, so I thought it would be fitting :)

Well here it is, enjoy:

Attend at least one major sporting event ✔
Have all my friends at a birthday party
swim with a dolphin
skydive
have a portrait painted of me
learn a foreign language, or a few
go skinny dipping in the South of France
watch a space shuttle launch
spend a whole day eating whatever I desire
be an extra in a film ✔
tell someone the story of my life
listen to the story of someone's life
make love on a forest floor, in an elevator, on a beach, on a train
go rollerblading on a boardwalk
get the best suite w/ a view
make my own beer
Hand deliver flowers to everyone I care about
Go to a live filming of a TV show
Put my name down for the first tourist trip to the moon
Send a message in a bottle
Ride a camel in the desert
Get to know as many people as I can
Plant a dozen trees
teach my children to plant trees
Learn to not say yes when I mean no
Write a fan letter
Visit D.C. and look at all of the history
Learn to ballroom dance
Eat jellied eels in London (lol)
Ride the Trans-Siberian Express across Asia
be on a jury
write a novel
Go to Walden Pond and read in a canoe
Stay out all night dancing
Drink beer at the real Oktoberfest
Be a mentor
Shower in a waterfall
Learn to play an instrument w/ skill
Teach someone to read
See a lunar eclipse
Spend New Years in New York
Find a cause, get passionate, and help with it
Experience weightlessness
Do karaoke ✔
Drive down both coasts of the U.S.
Visit every state
Own one very nice business suit
Write a will
Have 0 debt, and perfect credit score
Sleep under a clear sky
ride on the highest roller coaster
learn to complain effectively
forgive everything in my past, and let go
learn to juggle
learn sign language
drive the Autobahn
Spend one Christmas on a beach sippin pina coladas
Raft through the Grand Canyon
Donate money and put my name on something
grow a huge community garden
spend 3 months straight of concentration on my body
Accept myself
learn to deliver amazing speeches
scuba dive
become a certified yoga teacher
ride in a hot air balloon
Attend a large concert
Gamble in Vegas
Let someone feed me grapes while in a hammock
go deep sea fishing & eat the catch
Spend half a day at a concentration camp
Run to the top of Lady Liberty
Create my family tree
learn to bartend
go snowboarding
run a marathon
visit the Holy Land ✔
Attend the sky lantern festival in Thailand
Ride on a real gondola in Italy
Learn to Salsa
Set up a house exactly how i want it, then sell it
Climb the great pyramid
Walk the Great Wall
Go on a safari
visit a real blues bar in Chicago
Travel India by train
Go surfing
Publish an article
Volunteer abroad
Walk on a glacier
Visit at least one of the world's greatest rivers
visit an active volcano
learn to sail
photograph some endangered species
Participate in Burning Man
Make national dishes of each Country
Attend a music festival in another country
Spend a night in a historic hotel
Partake in a Japanese Tea Ceremony
Stand at one of the poles
Visit the birthplace of a cultural icon
Have a cigar in Cuba
Shake hands with someone who changed a country
Learn to be a soccer coach for children
Get a pilot's license
ride a horse on a beach
start a business
work in a flower shop
go to the Louvre
Play in a large water fountain
Go to a Disney theme park
Invent something
Take a cruise
Name a star for each of my children
See a show on Broadway
Have a quilt made just for me
Give my special someone just one look, and make him weak in the knees
Learn graphic design
Redo my great grandmothers cookbook, add my own recipes and pass copies along
become a superstar at recycling and compost
do my house in feng shui
become a great painter
make a popular youtube video
have an actual address book, and keep it updated
give my kids a chalk board wall
be able to do 100 pull ups and 10 chin ups
live close to my kids grandparents
teach my children of adventures, and spontaneity
sponsor a foreign exchange student
be a foster parent
join a women's soccer league
learn softball
own more dresses and skirts than pants
make my children's lives the best I possibly can
connect with as many of my teachers that I can and let them know how they helped me
bungee jump
go to the top of a mountain
make a difference in someone's life
do a kind deed for a stranger as often as I can
Get a makeover
Learn about wine
Join an etiquette class
be a matchmaker for at least one person
Learn self defense
call a customer service just to say thank you
try vegetarianism & vegan for 21 days each, then follow with raw veganism
make 1,000 pieces of origami and hand it out to strangers that I see doing the right thing
Go on a meditation retreat
organize a picnic outing for a  large group of friends
get closure  from  any hurt
bury the hatchet with all my enemies
visit a castle
earn enough money to set aside for two years of expenses
buy one of everything in a dollar store


That's it for now :)

Thoughts?

Monday!!

Happy Monday!!

Ok.. well maybe it's not  happy for you, but I'm going to make the best of it. I'm going to get motivated to start cleaning out this house again, because it's getting to be that time where my life is at a pivotal moment. Sooo out with the old in with the new. Life has a funny way of working itself out when you have no idea what to do. I'm striving for more and slowly but surely I will get there. Sometimes my motivation seems to be lacking, or maybe its just my intense procrastination and fear of ever taking a step forward because I can't see what is laying ahead. This however has got to change and it all starts inside, right? 

Tomorrow will be my 23rd birthday and I am greatly anticipating where my life shall go over the next year, and I invite you all on my journey!

What does everyone have planned for this upcoming year?

Almost the new year!

Alrighty.. It's been FOREVER! However, I believe since it's almost the New Year of 2012, that maybe it's time for a new vision. A new outlook that includes my dreams, fears, ups & the downs. So, on that note, let's begin fresh.


Maybe things are suppose to change and we are suppose to change with them. Change seems to be the only perpetual thing that I have found. I'm resuming my classes online and going through many things in my marriage, as well as changing a lot of things in myself. I'm still in love with cooking and doing things creatively. My next quest is to find a way to start making a substantial income from home, while still being able to take care of my children. Keagan is officially four years old, and my daughter is officially one! It's crazy to me how many things keep going yet we let ourselves get stuck in ruts feeling sorry for ourselves. I'm done with all of the sorry feelings, and words of empty apologies. It's time for some fresh air in the world and I am about to bring it. I'm more than happy to say that this next year will be full of my experiences on everything in my life, because I am about to let you all in on the real me, as I am discovering it. So let it start!


Quote of day:
All men should strive
to learn before they die
what they are running from, and to, and why.
~James Thurber

check this out... decorating

OMG I am so in love with these curtains! I'm going to have to make these!

4 Ways to Personalize Curtain Panels: DIY Ideas for Window Treatments




super cool!



cute bathroom idea!



DIY drapes.. made with a shower curtain, ribbon, and material!

Some great stuff! :)