pure barre

I heard about Pure Barre from my dear friend Elizabeth.  She called me when unable to fall asleep due to the pain she was experiencing after her first class.  Naturally, that meant that she loved it and convinced me to do it when I got home.  I was thinking about asking B to get me some classes for Christmas, but I really wanted to try it out before I committed to a month of it.  So I did Pure Barre for the first time on Wednesday.

It was a challenging toning class without using heavy weights or large equipment.  The teacher was really encouraging and moved me into the right position whenever I was doing something wrong.  Later, I heard from Elizabeth and her mom that I went to the hardest teacher.  She warned me before the class that my muscles would shake and told me to just shake them out if I felt like it.  I guess that the muscle shaking phenomenon is scary to some people, but I've been through enough conditioning for cheerleading that it doesn't phase me.

There were definitely a few times when I was shaking and several times when I stopped an exercise, but for no more than a second.  My legs were a little sore Wednesday night, and my neck/shoulders were a little sore yesterday.  It was nothing like the pain I was expecting.  Still, I felt like I got a good workout, and I think it would be effective for toning when done regularly.  It is not a cardiovascular workout or a weight-loss strategy at all, in my opinion.  I'm going to try a mix of Pure Barre and running for a while and see how that goes.

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
1 Timothy 4:8

"helping" around the house

I live with my parents now, and the least I could do for them is help around the house.  For all they do and have done for me, I should cook all of their meals, shine their shoes, and have their pillows fluffed when they go to bed.  Instead, I play on my computer (see?), go out with my friends, and eat their food.  Sometimes my mom asks me to do things.  If I don’t make lists, I don’t remember to do anything.  So I forget.  Then she calls and she’s like “did you do ___ yet?” and then I feel guilty, and I try to run do it really fast before she gets home. 

I now remember that I’m supposed to make some trash (candy covered pretzels, peanuts, and cereal).  The other day, it was cutting berries off of nandina and cutting extra limbs from our Christmas tree to arrange on our front porch around a sleigh filled with ornaments.  People were coming over, and I suppose my mom thought the ornament-filled sleigh was just too boring by itself.  If you’re reading my blog, you know I like creative things, but I don’t consider arranging flowers/greenery one of my creative skills.  However, I think it might run in my family. 

When Mom called, I immediately put on my snake boots and headed outside.  The nandina situation can get dicey, as Mom reminded me when she assigned me the job. 

snake boots
via http://img2.timeinc.net/instyle/images/2010/gallery/030810-hunter-boots-400.jpg

I was happily carrying limbs to the front porch when Mom pulled up, and I had this beauty arranged by the time she got through the front door.  

By the way, precisely two people came into the party through the front door. 

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

Exodus 20:12

playlist

I wanted to give my classmates something for Christmas and to celebrate us finishing classes.  I decided that a mix cd would be useful, meaningful, memorable, and also inexpensive to make for 32 people.  I started out looking for songs that we have listened to as a group.  Toward the end of the semester, well alright, before Thanksgiving, we started listening to Christmas music in our workroom in the clinic.  I felt that the cd needed to be either all Christmas music or none.  I wanted everyone to be able to listen to it any time of year.  So then I looked for songs that were popular during our time together in school.  I hated most of those.  I ended up making a mix of songs we sang/danced to together, songs by artists with ties to North Carolina* to remind those out-of-state people how great NC is, and songs that I just really like and want to share.

Here is the playlist (or a version of it... iTunes has a 7 burn limit, so every 7 cds, it changed just slightly):

"Fly" Nicki Minaj & Rihanna

"Mexico" Jump Little Children*

"November Blue" The Avett Brothers*

"P.Y.T." Michael Jackson

"Back Down South" Kings of Leon (if you are from the south, you'll appreciate this video)

"Your Smiling Face" James Taylor*

"Awake My Soul" Mumford and Sons

"You and I" Ingrid Michaelson

"Tattoos On This Town" Jason Aldean

"Winterlight" Roman Candle*

"We Owned the Night" Lady Antebellum

"You and I" Lady Gaga

"Ants Marching" Dave Matthews Band

"You and Tequila" Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

"Carry Me Through" Dave Barnes

"You Are the Best Thing" Ray LaMontagne

"See You Later, See You Soon" Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers

"We Found Love" Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris

Somewhere in the mix:

"Never Grow Up" Taylor Swift 

"Enchanted" Taylor Swift 

"Party in the U.S.A." Miley Cyrus 

"Nothing Short of Thankful" The Avett Brothers*

update on the move

Oh yeah, I'm all organized already.  I've got my bags hanging up on the back of my door with a hook that was in my Greenville house.  I've seamlessly blended both rooms into one wonderfully organized bedroom at home!

Or not.

transition

Today I will pack up the rest of my things and move home.  I have been in college and graduate school for six and a half years; in that time, I have lived in nine different places away from home.  Nine!  I’ve had eighteen different roommates.  That is only counting the girls I shared a room with in the sorority house, not all the girls in the house.  I got along with all of them; I should be able to get along with anyone by now.  Every few months, it feels natural to look for a new place to live, pack up my things, and move.  But this time is different.  I am moving home with no plans to leave.  I will graduate in five months and find a job.  My hope is that I find a job in Raleigh and continue living at home until I save enough money to buy a house.  When will that be?!  It’s going to take a while, so here I go to move and stay.  I’m looking forward to having all of my earthly possessions in one place.  I plan to get organized and get rid of stuff.  (All this moving makes me aware of and sickened by just how much stuff I have accumulated.)  I already have friends that live near my new place.  There is a dog, but I know she won’t chew up my stuff.  (Who knew that the dog I begged for when I was eleven years old would be the dog I come home to after graduate school?!)  This time, I know it’s going to work out with my roommates.

I’ve been looking forward to this transition for so long.  Especially during graduate school, God keeps reminding me of the truth in Proverbs 16:9 - In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.  At each transition, I think I know what lies ahead.  I’ve planned to go here or there and study this or that, but God has surprised me around every corner. When I started college, did I expect to get my master’s degree and become a speech-language pathologist?  Did I think I would go to graduate school at all?  When I lived in the sorority house, did I plan to meet a new friend from Oklahoma who would become my sister in law? No!  I’m so thankful that the Lord determines my steps because He knows better and He blesses me with every transition.  So to Raleigh we go.  Please, Lord, let me stay there, but Your will be done, and keep the surprises coming.  

recently cooking...

I've made a few things recently that garnered good reviews from my friends and family.  I don't have pictures, but I will link to the recipes.

Mexican dip
I was interested in making this dip after trying a similar dip that my friend Kristin made for the Carrier Classic party.  It is so, so simple, and people go crazy over it!  I made it for a friend's bachelorette party and then for my roommates' tacky Christmas sweater party.  For our party last weekend, I doubled the recipe, and it ALL disappeared.  There were about twelve people at the party and many other things to eat.  So... it's pretty good.

sweet potato casserole
This recipe appealed to me when searching for sweet potato recipes for Thanksgiving.  I made it for my class Thanksgiving party and also my family's Thanksgiving dinner.  It was my first attempt at sweet potato casserole and actually my first time eating it.  I enjoyed it, my classmates ate it up, and I was told by my supervisor that I had to send her the recipe before I could get my grade.

salted fudge brownies
After trying Escazu's Beaufort bar, I fell in love with sea salt + chocolate.  When I saw this recipe, I had to try it.  I wasn't crazy about the result, but my Bible study girls really liked them.  I took the leftovers to the clinic, and my classmates enjoyed them.  I think they were better the second day.

sweet tea
I thought everyone's mother made sweet tea.  Well now I realize why my mom takes it to every gathering.  Because now I am that girl.  My classmate Kristen loves it, and my classmate Brooke tweeted that I need to ship it to her when I leave.  I guess not everyone knows how/is willing to make it.  I have no particular recipe; I've made it in various quantities using various methods.  No worries; if you need some real instructions, please see my friend Rachel's blog, where she wrote about southern recipes today.

making jewelry

I had been thinking for a while on what to make for my supervisors. After a year and a half in this program, I wanted to give them something to say "thank you" for teaching me, helping me fulfill my requirements to become a speech-language pathologist, and just generally putting up with me. I haven't given them gifts any other clinic semester because I don't want to seem like I'm sucking up to them. But now that I'm finished with clinic - grades are due Monday - I think it's time. The last few weeks especially, I've been paying close attention to what they wear so that I could make them jewelry that they would enjoy.

I made two pairs of earrings (not pictured) for two supervisors who don't wear much costume jewelry except for drop earrings, which is what I made them.

For one supervisor who wears short/mid-length necklaces sometimes, I made this:

I like it so much that I almost kept it! I used craft wire to attach the stone to the chain. At the ends of the chain, which you can't see, I attached smaller chain and a toggle closure. This chain is too big/weird shaped to easily use a toggle chain on the end, so that's why I added a different kind.

Then, for a supervisor who wears many different colors and lots of funky jewelry, I made this:

I could have gotten more creative with hers, but I wanted her to be able to wear it with different outfits. The stones are matte amethyst, and this one also has a toggle closure. I actually got inspired to try the asymmetrical look by a necklace that this supervisor wore one day. I think it makes the pieces interesting without making them too trendy.

more list and big day

Last week, I went to eat at CPW's for the first time. I hesitated to give that link because the website's information isn't accurate. B was excited to get ribs from the "man's nite out" themed menu, but that's not the menu we found when we got there. Instead, they had a Christmas-themed menu, and all of the staff members were wearing red and green. It was December 1, so maybe it was the first day of the new menu. Anyway, we figured out something else for us to eat. The food we did get was great. B had some chicken and vegetables. I had an eggplant parmesan sandwich, which came with pasta salad and french fries. Everything was good, even when I ate the leftovers later! There was also some jazzy entertainment.

On a different note, today is my last day of class ever! I thought it would never happen.

list and Greenville shopping

I tried another place on my list, a Tavola!, Sunday night. I had heard it was good, and I might have heard particular praises of their pizza. I got a pesto chicken sandwich and B got spaghetti. It was okay, but not a place I'd send everyone I know. The only way I will try it again is if I get pizza. The fried okra was good and had a different breading than other restaurants. Yeah that's right, I ate fried okra at an Italian restaurant - one of the reasons I'll miss living in eastern NC!

My mom came to visit on Tuesday, and we went to Village Point Market. I just can't get enough of that place, and their turkey/brie/cranberry panini (pictured above) is back this week! We went shopping at Pizzaz, Jenni K, and Steinbeck's, a few of my Greenville favorites for gift shopping. Mom actually got a present for Dad at Pizzaz... and I got something for B at Steinbeck's. Don't tell! I'm about to head over to Parrott Canvas right now and pick up some monogrammed gifts. It is nice to have these special shops here to buy gifts for people at home!

fashion swap

When browsing Forever 21's website I found this necklace, which looked very similar to this necklace from J. Crew that I've been thinking about. It's not a perfect swap, but they have the same feel. We're comparing $88 to $12.80. What do you think?

Sometimes Forever 21 has items that look exactly like designer items; I've seen basically copies of Marc Jacobs and Vince, for example, in their stores before. When cleaning out my closet recently, I found myself getting rid of several things from Forever 21. It convinced me to buy less from the store and really consider how much I'll wear what I buy. Sure, a party dress for $30 is a good deal, but is it going to fall apart or look dated in a year? I haven't had quality issues as much as style issues with pieces from the store, but there seem to be a lot of loose strings to clip when you first put the clothes on. However, yesterday I wore a blouse from there that looks expensive, goes with everything, is seasonless, always gets me tons of compliments, and has stayed together with repeated wearing.

list

I stole away from school for lunch today, and when B picked me up, we headed down my street and started debating where to go. We settled on B's barbecue, drove a loop around the whole neighborhood to head out the way we needed to go, and then I realized that it's Monday and B's is closed...

Since it was so nice outside, I picked Sup Dogs from my list of places to go in Greenville. We ate out on their porch along Reade Street, right at Fifth Street. I realize that it's a hot dog place, but B told me that they have good chicken tenders, and that's more my thing. They were pretty good, too. They serve everything with Sup Dog sauce, which was tasty and not what I expected. It reminded me of Chick-fil-a sauce, a favorite of mine. I always thought of Sup Dogs as a place people go only after bars, but I enjoyed it for lunch on a day with good weather for porch sitting.

banana chocolate chip muffins

Yesterday, B brought me a big bag of sweet potatoes from a roadside stand and five overripe bananas. Those are the kind of gifts I like. More on the sweet potatoes later -- I signed up to bring sweet potatoes to my class Thanksgiving dinner this Thursday. Instead of studying, I used my break today to bake. I wanted my mom's banana bread, but without loaf pans, I turned to this muffin recipe. I have made it once before, and I found that the muffins freeze well. I changed the recipe a little, so here's what I did:

1/2 c vegan butter (1 stick)

1/2 c packed brown sugar

3/4 t baking soda

1/2 t kosher salt

1 1/2 t vanilla extract

3 mashed bananas

1/4 c honey

2 eggs

1 c whole wheat flour

1 c all purpose flour

3/4 c chocolate chips

Cream together the butter, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir in the bananas, honey, and eggs. Gently stir in the chocolate chips and flour. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. It made 12 muffins when I filled the cups full.

The first time I made these, I used 2 c whole wheat flour as in the original recipe. They were very dense, so I subbed in all purpose for half of the whole wheat flour. I like the result even better this time around. There's still the whole wheat taste, but they are lighter.

more eating

In the last week, I've been to eat at some favorites and tried out one new place.

On Wednesday, we went to Parker's. Barbecue, fried okra, boiled potatoes, and corn sticks are good to me. Ask for fried okra even though it's not on the menu. Bring cash. Parker's is a must in Greenville.

Thursday night, we went to Wasabi 88. They have buy one, get one free sushi rolls Sunday-Thursday, so we try to get our sushi fix then. We ordered a hurricane roll, a spicy tuna roll, and two salmon rolls - one with avocado, one with cucumber. It was awesome. I could eat sushi every day, and Wasabi has the best I've tried in Greenville.

Saturday morning, B and I tried Harvey's for breakfast, as recommended by some friends. I got a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. The bacon was kind of too done for me, but it was still tasty. However, as soon as we left, I was in a lot of stomach pain. I'm not sure if I'd recommend that place or not. They had some great lunch specials listed, but the servers' shirts said "the breakfast place," so it remains to be seen whether I'll go back.

applesauce

I've always liked applesauce, and it's something that quickly disappears in my house. B eats it out of the little containers without a spoon... weird. I saw this recipe on Skinny Taste, and I had to make it. Easy, inexpensive, and something I eat all the time. Well, inexpensive because I decided to just sprinkle in a little cinnamon instead of buying a $5.99 container of cinnamon sticks.

First, I peeled, cored, and sliced 10 small Gala apples - a bag's worth. I couldn't find a vegetable peeler at my house. That was fun.

I put them in my lined crock pot along with a little lemon peel, a teaspoon of the lemon's juice, 5 teaspoons of brown sugar, and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

This is what it looked like.

About 7 hours and a few stirs later, it looked like this. Actually I squished the result with the back of a metal spoon. Thankfully, that worked, because I don't have an immersion blender, and I'm not crazy about chunky applesauce.

Try this. It's easy, and it would be incredibly easy if you have an apple peeler/corer/slicer (Mom). Plus applesauce is delicious warm. And your boyfriend will be really impressed. Well, maybe he was impressed because I served it with chicken tenders, roasted vegetables, and baked sweet potatoes. What did you do all Monday afternoon?

tipsy teapot

I checked off another place on my Greenville list today - Tipsy Teapot. When B texted me that he was there studying, I couldn't get out of the clinic fast enough. I found him at a table for two in a curtained, bookshelved area, I ordered some tea on his tab, and we studied/read/wrote papers.

I asked the girl working the counter for recommendations, and she gave me three that I don't remember, from which I chose casa blanca. It is a berry and hibiscus tea that to my surprise is pink! I drink black or green tea at home, so it was different than what I'm used to, but I liked it. At first, it tasted like juice, and then it tasted like roses. The counter girl asked if I take my tea with cream and/or sugar, and I requested honey. It felt a little wrong, but that's how I make it. I just don't know about milk or cream in tea.

If you're not a hot tea drinker, I also spied sandwiches, smoothies, and beer offerings. I was on a hot tea mission, though, so I'm sure there is more. It seemed like a great place to study all day, if you're cool with a little background noise. It's also a (used?) bookstore.

On my way to and from Tipsy Teapot, I saw a few of the places on my list, and I was tempted to hit them all today! Scullery, Courtside Cafe, and Copper & Vine-- I'll be back.

pumpkin waffles

I've been looking for other pumpkin recipes since the pumpkin cinnamon roll incident to use up the rest of the canned pumpkin. When I saw this recipe on Skinny Taste, I wanted to try it. However, I only had one egg to work with, so I opted instead to modify my go-to recipe - Martha Stewart's basic pancakes - which I use for both pancakes and waffles. I thoroughly enjoy a waffle. I modified the basic recipe to make room for/include pumpkin and some complementing spices. Here is my estimate of the recipe:

• 1 c all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 2 T sugar
• 2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 c milk - I used a little less than 1 c, but more than 3/4 c
• 2 T unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 c pumpkin puree
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 
  
• I mixed together the dry ingredients, then added the wet ingredients and stirred to combine. The batter was very slightly orange. I poured batter in the waffle maker and left it closed until it stopped steaming. They
  came out tasting like pumpkin, but not too much.
• 
  
• 


• 
  

what i've been wearing lately

The photos are meant to give at least a little visual interest... and an idea of the outfits... but really, this is for people (Robyn) who see me and ask where I got my clothes.

On Thursday:

shirt - Ralph Lauren

skirt - The Limited

shoes - Tory Burch

watch - Michael Kors

earrings - Forever 21

necklace - unknown

hairclip (not pictured) - Ficcare (gift from A.G.)

lovely paintings in the background - my mom

You probably can't tell in the photo, but if you're thinking that my legs are looking a little tan... my mother did not raise me to wear bare legs in late October. I know it's probably not the fashionable thing to do, but I cannot get on board with going to one's "workplace" and trying to look "professional" without pantyhose.

Friday:

scarf - Nordstrom

jacket - Gap

shirt - Ralph Lauren

dress - Lux at Urban Outfitters

tights - Gap

shoes - Tory Burch

watch - Michael Kors

bracelet - hand-me-down from my mom

earrings - gift from B

I hope that I can show that you don't have to spend a lot of money to dress well. I wear a lot of clothes and jewelry that are hand-me-downs from my mom and grandmother. I and my mom also make a lot of my jewelry. I used to go to Goodwill when I had a lot of time on my hands; that's where I bought the skirt in the first outfit. The watch and shoes in these photos are more expensive, but they are what you could consider investment pieces. My parents gave me the black shoes for Christmas and the watch for my birthday, and I wear them all the time! I have worn the silver shoes so much that you can see the shape of my toes in them, gross, I know. Yes, I spend a lot of money on clothes sometimes, but I wear them to death when they're good ones! Another theme in these outfits is the button down shirt. I get these from the outlets, especially when they're on sale. Here, I wear them tucked into a skirt and under a dress. They are also my going-to-class uniform with a pair of jeans and boots.

pumpkin cinnamon roll... cake?

I saw this recipe the other day on Eat Live Run at the same time that B texted me to ask what I was doing. When I wrote back, "looking at a recipe for vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls," his response was "!!!!!!!!!!" so I figured it was a go. B is allergic to dairy, so I get excited about a vegan recipe. However, I did not make this vegan because I used an egg instead of chia seeds. I'm not really sure where you get those chia seeds, but it is the same chia as chia pets. Fun fact.

Well. Fast forward to a couple weeks later. I finally compiled the ingredients, thanks to my mom and Whole Foods. By the way, the new North Raleigh location makes me even more excited to move home in December! I attempted the recipe just in time for my roommate's birthday (she was excited about the recipe too). Then I tried to make them. Twice. Y'all, this recipe says it takes 3 hours, so trying twice cost my busy grad student schedule dearly.

I can't even remember the last time I have made something that didn't turn out right. And I regularly deviate from recipes! Why now?? With attempt 1, I added the yeast to the milk mixture when it was too hot. The dough didn't rise, and I considered that my house was too cold for it to rise, but I knew what I had done. At least I could salvage the ingredients for the filling and the icing. On attempt 2, I let the milk mixture cool for a few minutes and tested it with my finger before adding the yeast. The dough rose! But then I tried to knead it. The recipe gives directions for kneading and for using a Kitchen Aid, so I really wonder how it would turn out with the mixer. Do not turn the dough out onto your counter, even heavily floured, even with extra flour on standby, even with greased hands. Just stir it in the bowl. The dough is way too sticky to knead. No matter what I did, it stuck all over my hands and counter. Clearly that was problematic for making cinnamon rolls. Roll the dough out on the counter, add filling, roll up? Not possible. The dough smelled delicious, and I'd invested about 5 hours, so I was not giving up. I spread half of the dough in a cake pan, then spread the cinnamon sugar mixture, then topped it with the rest of the dough. I baked it just slightly longer than the recipe said to, and what came out was wonderful! It might have been the tastiest thing I've ever cooked. B and the birthday girl agreed.

Lessons learned:

If you see steam, it's too hot to add yeast.

If dough appears sticky, do not touch it with your hands or dump it on your counter.

Improvise. Do not waste ingredients.

I need a kitchen thermometer and Kitchen Aid mixer. (read: I need to get married.)

Until I get a camera, these posts are going to be really anticlimactic.

i'm back

I abandoned this blog and was looking into how to delete it completely, but recently I've been re-inspired. I have some things going on in my life that just lend themselves very well to blogging. While talking about one of those things today with B, he suggested that I blog it, so I'm back!

First, I have been inspired by my friends/classmates Lauren and Amy to create a Greenville bucket list. This is my last semester of classes in Greenville before I move home for my full time internship. As my time here winds down, I'm starting to realize that I will miss it, and I'm trying to fit in everything I want to do here. This past Saturday, Laura's mom came to visit her, and a group of us went to lunch at Village Point Market. If you have not been there, go! I cannot believe I've lived here for so long and never heard about it. I got one of the specials for the week, a turkey, brie, apple, and cranberry sauce panini, with fruit salad. It was delicious! Today for lunch, B and I went to Met Deli. B found this place when searching for a restaurant that serves Boar's Head meats in Greenville, and Lauren suggested this place to me as well. I ordered a half turkey sandwich and tomato basil soup. Their website says their soups are homemade, and I believe it! The sandwich was great also; the Boar's Head turkey did not disappoint.

Here's what is on my bucket list so far:

B's barbecue*

a Tavola

CPW's

Scullery

Sup Dogs

Copper and Vine

Coffee Shack

Village Point Market*

Met Deli*

Tipsy Teapot

Daily Grind*

Courtside Cafe

Winslow's*

Wasabi 88*

*been there already, but staying on the list for times when we ask, "Where do you want to go?" ... "I don't know, where do you want to go?"

Second, I've been inspired by my friend/classmate Robyn to include a little fashion. She was asking me where I shop, and a couple of the girls even offered to pay me to shop with them.... um, yes. So I would like to post my outfits and list where I got the pieces and/or information about how I put them together. I don't have a working camera right now, but I will see what I can do with photobooth for the outfits and my phone for the food.