Grape Nehi Cocktail

In honor of my trip to Las Vegas this weekend, I'd like to share the recipe for a delicious cocktail with you:

1-1/2 oz. Absolute Citron
1-1/4 oz. Chambord
1 oz. Sweet & Sour
Splash of simple syrup
Squeeze of lemon

Combine the above ingredients in an iced shaker (and shake). Pour into a martini glass and top off with Sprite (about 1/2 oz.). Garnish with a lemon peel if you're feeling festive.

This is the perfect combination of citrus and sweet (and vodka of course). Enjoy!

random useless facts

What is your current obsession?
-Sleeping. I can never seem to get enough these days.


What is your weirdest obsession?
-I still sleep with a stuffed penguin. Her name is Greta.


What are you wearing today?
-Khaki pants, white blouse, black belt and black cardigan.


What's for dinner?
-I don't know yet. Chipotle sounds pretty good.


What woiuld you eat for your last meal?
-Watermelon. It has to be crisp and cool. And a tanqueray and tonic.

What’s the last thing you bought?
-A dress from Macy's for my trip to Vegas next week.

What are you listening to right now?
-My new favorite song is by Florence and the Machine, "The Dog Days are Over."

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
-Coffee. No question. Vanilla is pretty darn good too (without chocolate sauce).

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be?
-In the Bay Area. All of the people I love are there. I'd love an ocean view, a big porch and lots of windows too.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour where would you go?
-Cabo San Lucas. Give me a beach chair, the water, the sun, a book, a margarita and I'll be happy.

What language do you want to learn?
-Spanish (again). I was pretty good at it a few years ago, but it's been awhile.

What’s your favorite fruit?
-Watermelon. Chilled. Cut up into cubes. Yes, I'm picky. But if I cut watermelon into triangles with the rind it's too juicy and I'll get it all over my shirt (I know from experience).

What is one of your favorite daily/weekly rituals?
-Making coffee every morning. Going to yoga and breakfast on Sundays with Safiya is pretty great too.

If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?

-I'd put it towards a plane ticket. Or maybe some furniture. Or a haircut, I need one of those.

Who inspires you?

-My mom.

growing up

"Life's not about waiting for the storms to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain."

Everyone has their own idea of what growing up means. Some think you become a grown up when you turn 18, you're a legal adult according to the United States after all. Others believe it happens when you move away from home, or when you find a real job ("real" being interpreted by the worker of course). 

I have always believed that being an adult means having the responsiblity and success to support yourself. Even though I'm 24, I don't really feel like an adult. I've been living with family since I graduated from college. But then, maybe I'll never feel like an adult. And maybe that isn't a bad thing.

The older I get the more I realize that everyone follows their own path in life. And yes, I knew this before but maybe now I am really starting to understand it. Life  comes down to what makes you happy, what you really want. For me, figuring out what I really want is part of the obstacle.

As a child I followed one path, it consisted of school and softball. Yes, it was difficult sometimes but I never doubted that it was exactly where I belonged. And that's what I did for 15 years. Now, the possibilities are endless and that is part of the problem. There are so many directions that I can take, where do I even think to begin?

I keep joking with friends and family that I'll look back on this time in my life and think fondly of it. I'll be successful and happy (happiness is the real key in my book anyway). I can say, "Yes, I stumbled and fell but I figured out how to land on my feet. No, it wasn't easy." But maybe life isn't supposed to be easy.

My brother once told me that "It's easy to be happy when everything is going your way. Success feels a whole lot better when you were actually challenged and had to overcome obstacles you didn't expect." This is coming from a kid who doesn't share his opinion on my life a whole lot, but I really appreciated it.

So, yes life may be difficult but it's how you handle those obstacles that make you who you are.

Happy Friday

"A morning without coffee is like sleep."

I know the feeling all too well! After so many years of waking up with a cup of coffee, a morning without one would not be the same. I'd be groggy and sullen and pretty much in a bad mood just because I didn't get to enjoy a glorious cup of coffee.

So, happy Friday to you and I hope you got to enjoy a cup of coffee this morning!

Saint Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is named after Saint Patrick, a patron saint of Ireland. It is a worldwide holiday that celebrates Ireland's culture and history. The holiday is observed on March 17 to commemorate the anniversary of Saint Patrick's death in the fifth century.

Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck. (However, there is a 1 in 10,000 chance of finding a clover with four leaves).

The shamrock is the traditional holiday symbol because St. Patrick used it to explain the connection between the father, the son, and the holy spirit in the Christian religion.

The very first St. Patrick's Day Parade was in Boston in 1737.

The association of St. Patrick's Day and leprechaun's is purely an American creation. The 1959 Disney movie, "Darby O'Gill & the Little People" introduced the leprechaun we are so familiar with.

The phrase "Drowing the Shamrock" is from the custom of floating the shamrock on the top of whiskey before drinking it. The Irish believe that if you keep the custom, then you will have a prosperous year.

Chicago dyes its river green. It began in 1962 when city pollution-control workers used dyes to trace illegal sewage discharges; they realized the green dye might provide a unique way to celebrate the holiday. Forty pounds of vegetable dye is used to dye the river, lasting several hours.

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light. May good luck pursue you each morning and night. -Irish Blessing

the hardware store

Last weekend my friend, Safiya, and I took a ferry boat to Vashon Island. We went there to check out a restaurant, The Hardware Store. Safiya drove her car onto the ferry, which is a pretty cool thing if you've never done it before. The ferry ride was 20 minutes, it was clear, cold and very windy on the deck.   

 

The restaurant has such character. It is a beautiful building right in the middle of this quiet little town. It has a cozy feel to it, big booths, a lot of pictures and little knick knacks. It is one of those places where you wouldn't think so many different things fit together, but it works really well. 

There are cute little touches that add to the decor. (They have delicious coffee & the food is great too!)

Afterwards we went to the West Seattle Farmer's Market. It was small but it is one of the few markets that takes place year round in Seattle. Fruit, vegetables, delicious caramels and fresh fish. 

Safiya and I both bought flowers, daffodils and yellow tulips. I love farmer's markets! 

sunday morning funnies

decisions

Some quotes (and my input) on decision making:

"Stay committed to you decisions, but stay flexible in your approach."
Roll with the punches, go with the flow, play it by ear. Sometimes things don't work out exactly how you planned it, but you should have faith that things will all work out.


"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever." 
It's a nice thought looking back. I like thinking that an unplanned outing at a winery one afternoon led me to meet my best friend in the world. But, in the midst of making a big decision, that thought is pretty overwhelming.


"A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows public opinion." 
I completely agree. Listen to your heart, you make your own happiness. Hopefully you are brave enough to do what you want without having to justify it. It's your life, you have the freedom to choose.


"We can try to avoid making choices by doing nothing, but even that is a decision."
Ignoring your problem does not make it disappear, and in some cases it makes things worse. A big part of growing up is making decisions. Which college? Where to live? What do I want to do? Is money the most important thing? Avoiding your problems will not help, be strong, stand up and face them. (Easier said than done of course).


"Don't you ever wonder maybe if you took a left turn instead of a right you could be someone different?"
All the time.

what to shop for in march

According to my daily Peanuts calendar, this is what you should shop for on sale in March:

• Spring clothing
• Wedding gifts
• I don't have any weddings to go to this year
• Air conditioners
• Not in the Northwest
• Washers and dryers
• Garden supplies
• I definitely do not have a green thumb, waste of money for me. But I did buy some beautiful tulips and they're still alive 4 days later, so that's good news.
• Outdoor winter sports gear
• Yes, because winter is almost over
• Luggage
• Already have some of that
• China
• Who uses china?

So from the looks of it, I won't be spending a lot of money this spring. But in case you're in need of anything that I listed, it's on sale in March....and now is the time to buy!

kopi luwak

A quote about coffee from a favorite movie...

A little background about this scene:
Carter (Morgan Freeman) and Edward (Jack Nicholson) are both diagnosed with terminal cancer. They decide to make a bucket list, a list of things to do before they kick the bucket. Edward is a millionaire, and loves his Kopi Luwak coffee. Little does he know that....

Carter Chambers: Read it.

Edward Cole [reading]: Kopi Luwak is the world's most expensive coffee. Though for some, it falls under the category of 'too good to be true.' In the Sumatran village, where the beans are grown, lives a breed of wild tree cat. These cats eat the beans, digest them and then... defecate. [pauses] The villagers then collect and process the stools. It is the combination of the beans and the gastric juices of the tree cat that give Kopi Luwac...

[Carter starts laughing]

Edward: .....it's unique flavor....and aroma. You're shitting me!

Carter: [laughing] Cats beat me to it!
[Carter and Edward both laugh hysterically]

This quote is from the movie The Bucket List. After Morgan Freeman shares this with Jack Nicholson he crosses off 'laugh until I cry.'

FACT: Kopi Luwak is indeed the most expensive coffee in the world selling for
between $120 and $600 USD per pound. Its production is very slow due to its
'animal stage': the beans come from coffee berries which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Asian Palm Civet.

I have only ever laughed until I cried once. My mom and I were playing a card game, and she had to act like a cat. It was so unlike her, she is usually reserved and friendly, not outgoing and exuberant. I could not help but laugh and laugh and laugh. It was such an amazing feeling! To cry because you're laughing so uncontrollably? That's a pretty incredible moment if you ask me.

And if you haven't seen the movie The Bucket List you should!

dr. seuss

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”

Dr. Seuss was born March 2, 1904. He would have been 107 years old this week. Did you know that his real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel? I did not. He published 44 books in his lifetime. Even though he was a great writer and cartoonist, I remember him as an incredible rhymer. From The Grinch and Go Dogs Go! to Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham he certainly delivered some classics. What child has not read those books? As an adult (I think I'm an adult) I still enjoy them. And someday (hopefully) I will get to read them to my kids as well.

Anyhow...I came across this quote this morning. It is one of the few that Dr. Seuss said that does not rhyme. But it's really a sweet thought. How many people are lucky enough to be able to say that reality is better than their dreams? Not many I bet.

top ten

my favorite things (in no particular order):

1.  cold, juicy watermelon
2.  laughing with my best friend
3.  fresh cup of coffee (from peet's of course)
4.  listening to the rain
5.  a really good hug (only a few are able)
6.  the color yellow
7.  steven kent cabernet
8.  playing catch with my dad
9.  reading a good book
10. spending time with my mom

honest abe

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be."

Abe Lincoln was a wise man. I don't think anyone doubts that. But this quote is spot on. Good job Abe!

Some complain and sulk when things don't go their way. Life is awful they say. Over the years I've noticed that these people are usually always complaining about something or other. It seems they like to have a 'poor me' attitude.

On the other hand, we also have the optimistic group. They see the glass half full, sun is shining, kids are happy, etc. Even when things don't go their way, they are able to look on the bright side. At least they don't waste needless energy on things which we cannot control (the weather for example).

My grandmother always said, "don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff." Even if you've had your dobber down this week (and yes, I realize it's only Tuesday), remember what Abe said, you have the power to make yourself happy!