hobbies

i'm not quite sure why but for some reason i have the phrase "you only live once" stuck in my head. i must have seen some motivational photo on pinterest yesterday but however it happened, it has stuck with me. i've seen and heard the phrase too many times to count but has always been something that was in one ear and out the other. i'm not sure why it has stuck with me this time but before it vanishes, i'm going to try a little experiment.

bear with me people...i'm no scientist.

so here it is. 

that's pretty much me in a nutshell. i'm curious about everything. i want to ride horses, be a photographer, be a florist, make clothes, do makeup, write articles, help people, sing, play guitar, be a baker, be a victoria's secret model (ok far fetched but it's true).

i've always been one to have a million hobbies. my sister thinks its hilarious that one week i'm making 120 cupcakes and the next i'm over that and onto photography. but hey, i'm not apologizing. i have hobby ADHD or am just a hobby slut. either way, i love trying new things.

so from here on out (or however long it lasts) i'm going to carpe the freaking diem.  i'm sure i'll truly despise some of the new things i thought i would love but who cares? if i'm only going to live once, i'm trying every single thing i have ever had an interest in.

having a glass of wine and debating my next move. love.

banana cake

so today i was being a good little employee and wasted an hour on pinterest at work.  i was just looking around and came across this recipe for frosted banana bars. the pin was linked to a www.cooking.com recipe so i printed it out and decided to take a whack at it when i got home because i had some bananas that i was NOT eating with such an awful amount of brown on it. i was excited because i hadn't baked in so long but then i realized i didn't have some of the ingredients, was too lazy and cheap to go out and buy them and wanted to make it a little more figure friendly...

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. 

here's the original recipe ingredients:

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

For the Banana Bars:

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

For the Frosting:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 3/4 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar here's what i did: RECIPE INGREDIENTS For the Banana Bars: 1/2 cup margarine 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 egg whites 1 cup (8 ounces) non-fat plain yogurt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup quick oats 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed for the glaze: 1 cup dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 tbsp. water and do the following.... cream together the margarine and sugar, add egg whites, vanilla and yogurt. mix together flour, salt and baking soda in a seperate bowl and then add sugar mixture a little at a time. then stir in the bananas. grease a 15x10 pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 22 minutes or until set. let cool completely then glaze. by removing the cream cheese, sour cream, extra butter and whole eggs, i think i saved us all a bunch of unwanted calories. mine turned out to be more of a sheet cake but cuts really nicely if you want to cut into pieces for a platter. these are seriously delicious. its basically a really moist banana bread but i think it deserves to be a dessert as well. a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a piece of this nuked for 20 seconds or so and i'll be heaven.  enjoy :)

this is so great. went after work to watch the sunset at a local park and caught so many birds in what looks like a mid-migration. they were definitely heading south and there were so many together it was amazing. at least 700 or so.

think i'll go back tomorrow and see if i can spot so more...and bring a decent camera this time.

food!

pretty food makes me happy. 

butternut squash ravioli. oh my delish.

spinach, roma tomato 2 egg whites, one whole egg and american cheese scramble.

is it me or does american cheese make everything taste better?

quick update: Gunner is fine. the vet said he probably just slipped a disc and needs to take it easy. $200 later. sorry family, looks like this year christmas gifts might end up being homemade. 

i'm sick :(

something is wrong with my little stud. he's eating and doing normal dog-like things but his personality is off. we played fetch the other day but he's refusing to jump up in my car or on couches. i'm pretty sure he only pulled a muscle but its still sad. if having kids is anything like having a cute pup like him, i'm screwed. i'm already mourning the loss of at least $500. wah.

got a lot of compliments today on this look so figured i'd share:

cotton belt i got at express on sale for $10. turned that bad boy into a headband.

small business saturday result

bracelet from "House of Cach". 

i've never seen anything like it and in my opinion, well worth the money. 

christmas gift to myself :)  the designers were there and were so sweet 

and cool i couldn't help but grab this.

now sitting here with this fella

he makes it hard to get anything done and is dangerously close to the dreaded caps lock.

small business Saturday

ahh what can i say about black friday? its fun and all and don't get me wrong, i'm all about a great deal but honestly, i think it just sucks the life out of thanksgiving. just this year after dinner, rather than sitting around catching up with my family, my cousins, myself and my sister were in the living room of my aunt's house looking through flyers to see where we were going to go the next day. i went out and all because let's face it : i LOVE to shop. but i went out at noon...not midnight or 1am like some people.

so this year i am trying a new tradition that i hope will stick: "small business saturday". i love this idea. there are so many great little shops around my house and artists and i hope this catches on. i love buying local and this is just another great excuse to do so. this year our city is holding a huge craft fair called "Festival Fete" in our convention center. it's going to be a great assortment of artists and small businesses under one roof and i have recruited a few family members to come along.

i'm hoping one day i will be able to have a booth myself but until then i will support others who have already found their passion.

BUY LOCAL <3