The best type of day.

I'm on fire.

I hope your day is lovely!

French Tart

I made this:  Swiss and Mushroom Quiche

It is French; It is wonderful. You should make it.

I used 3/4 cup of ricotta for the mozzerella and used a store bought organic whole wheat crust (don't judge- homemade crusts take time!)

If you haven't already, you should also read MOOSEWOOD cookbook and glimpse the free recipes on their site. I hope you love them as much as I do!

C'est tres bon!

seek. believe. be.

JUST BREATHE- WILLIE NELSON

IF I HAD A BOAT- JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW

Happiness is not decadence or ignorance or numbness.

NPR's 'the pursuit of happiness'

I don't think I can' tell you what happiness is but I can tell you things I have learned about it. 

It is in the simple things. Like coffee and cream and sleep and old fashioned newspapers and mountains.

But that these simple things can not be fully enjoyed if you have them all the time. So it's also in the hard exciting things. Like embracing fear and feeling pain and being selfless and giving love that you don't have. In being uncertain and uncomfortable often.

The happiness can not be predicted or manipulated.

I never know when it is about to come; or leave.

I try to enjoy the simple things always and feel empty.

Then I try to do the hard things all the time and feel empty.

And feeling nothing at all is worse than feeling sad.

But when then happiness comes it is good and I am thankful.

Philippians 4:11-12

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I havelearned the secret of being content in any and every situation,whether well fed or hungry,whether living in plenty or in want.

.

Today I made a significant life decision that was this:

Today I decided I am going to be awesome. 

(Or my version of awesome, that is.)

And shouldn't we all be? Though we can't always choose everything that happens to us in life we can choose most things, and the things we can not choose we can choose how to respond to.

Being awesome does not equal being happy all the time.

How to Be Awesome:

To make up your mind about what you are passionate about and chase it fiercely.

To be patient and persist through hard times knowing they are part of any process.

To forget who you were five years ago or yesterday and keep your eyes on who you want to be.

To embrace cheesy quotes full on and not give a damn what anyone else tries to define you as.

To not care or waste energy on things that don't matter.

To live fully in the present moment as much as possible and know it will help you in the future.

To accept that the people around you have so much more to teach you than you have for them.

To invest in people.

To take opportunities.

To not complain about situations but instead see how much more positive you can make them.

To trust that there is a greater plan.

To love.

To never give up even if it means pushing restart every single F***ing day for a year.

To do the things YOU want to do because that is the best way you can help the world.

To share yourself and your time.

To be afraid of things and do them anyway. Twice.

To be able to say no to things you don't want to do.

To create.

To live in a way you will enjoy remembering.

To surround yourself with the best people, not ones you only feel obligated to.

To have pink hair and tattoos if you so desire.

My awesome looks incredibly different than your awesome which is what is so great about this whole new mindset! I can say for certain I know I will forget this at times or get caught up in being hungry or tired or irritable or upset. But I can also say today was life changing, and it happened while I was sitting on the couch. Say what?

And with these words I will conclude:

GET IT.

This is Not the End

I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven

Chai Spiced Butternut Squash

Maybe I'll stop making up recipes after this, maybe I won't.

WHO'S TO TELL?

Need:

1 medium organic butternut squash

2 tsp. Olive Oil

1 teaspoon cardamom

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon black peppercorn

1 teaspoon clove

Directions:

Slice the butternut in half and scoop out the seeds.

Divide the olive oil and spices evenly between the two halves

Roast at 350 for forty minutes

Take out, add the seeds, sprinkle with salt, and put back in the oven for twenty more minutes.

Let cool.

Now, it's up to you? What will I do with my chai squash?

Half will be used in a salad with plum, feta, spinach, and the roasted seeds,

Half will be prepared with slow cooking steel cut oats and cream.

Mmmmm.