Friday, March 25, 2011

The joy of children = you become one too

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Beans & Bruschette = quick vegetarian snack


Bruschetta with Cannellini beans


So while trying to come up with more recipes and while using what I have have instead of buying more, I came up with this dish that is fast, easy to clean up and heartier than what you think.

To make a quick bruschetta:

  1. Toast your bread
  2. Take a garlic clove and rub it against your toast (it with start to shave off from/into the toast for flavor)
  3. Slice some tomatoes and add them on
  4. Sprinkle some salt, pepper, basil and parsley on the the tomatoes
  5. Throw on some parmesan cheese (if you have some)
  6. And lastly spoon some beans on you tomatoes

Traditionally, there are no beans, all ingredients are fresh and you also drizzle some olive oil on top also however I made mine a more healthier without the oil. Since I'm trying to save money, I've made some sacrifices like herbs but we all have something that we just won't skimp on.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

STOP *should-ing* all over yourself!

I have a dear friend/family member that I love dearly, yet she shoulds all over herself for the things in life that haven't gone "according to plan" or she has just been disappointed by life's outcomes. Even something as simple as the "perfect" dress didn't come in her size. I've been secretly hoping that with time/age, she would move past this latch of control to life but alas she has not.

So what's a good friend to tell her loved one (besides the obvious of the title of this post)?

Well, let me paint you a picture what we can do in our minds:
Think of your life as a river and you are the in a canoe going on your journey. Enjoying and observing the beautiful things that are around you like the trees, animals, fish, the warmth of the sun and sweet smell of the flowers, etc. Soak everything in yet stay in your canoe. Others, will see something that we like, like a flower, and want to pick it and keep it. Then, we see something else that we want to bring with us on our journey. Next, the current of the water is not going at the speed that we like so we build a dam. Some will build a dam for control and others in order to stay where they are. Finally, our sensory system is on overload and we like what we are feeling. We become attached to it or can even end up using this "certain something" as a crutch because that is all we know. This can even be subconscious because we have our own past stuff (all the items we have put in our canoes) that we need to "deal" with at a certain but that time isn't upon so we don't think about it now. THEN, the dam breaks and the river overflows and we are flipped over out of our canoe; left to wonder "what happened?" and "how did that happen?"

Don't create a barricade because you "don't have time" to sit with yourSELF to keep your monkey mind in check. This is the discipline of staying in your canoe and not reaching for everything to pull in. The more selective we are for what we choose to bring with us in life will keep our journey light so we can flow with our current. If you sit/stand with what those emotions, you will finally understand what they are trying to teach you so you don't go overboard later in life. I know it sounds odd, yet if your feeling frustrated.....SIT WITH IT!! Why are you feeling like that? And what really can you do about it? It's a feeling or thought. Understand it so you in turn, you can understand YOU. So from that point onwards, you can change how you response to a situation. You can even change YOU, in general, if that is a characteristic, quality or habit that is not serving you in a healthy manner. You can't change the situation or how the universe will play out the course of events but you can focus on YOU, even when you don't want to......so let go of the "should'a, would'a, coulda's."  From that point can you overcome the emotion to be in control yet still feel without overt-hinking of getting overly emotional about a circumstance.

Don't should all over yourself! Be nice (to yourself).

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Homemade scratch paper

Being in chemistry and biology classes, I have a lot of practice tests, power point presentations for lectures notes, and lab reports that I print off in order to study. I know people would say, print double side or pull up the problem on your screen and write down the answer yet I like the aspect of shutting down my electronics to make sure I have no other distractions while studying. I do double side print when I can but I like to use the back side of my sheets for notes.

Anyhow, I've been doing this for years and thought I would share it others for a scrap/scratch pad because there are times you need to write something down quick.

 So get all your scrap paper that is printed on one side, no matter the color :-) and cut the paper in half, in fourths or just keep it at 8.5x10. Place a binder clip to to the top of your bundle and VoilĂ ! Scratch pad.


Also with the binder clip, you can hang it anywhere, keeping your work space clean and tidy.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Timing can be everything

There's a great possibility that there will never be a "great time" for so many things in life....you can plan all you want and when the "right time" comes along...it may mot be SO good.