Yeah, me too

Do you ever have something happen that knocks you flat on your ass? And once the rug is fully out from under you then makes you question someone you thought you knew?

Yeah, me too

Smiles

I actually made some pretty significant progress on some projects this weekend however, I'm not quite ready to blog about them - feels almost more daunting than the project itself.   Instead I thought I would quickly share with you something that left me with a huge smile on my face, and made me want to watch it over and over again.  Enjoy!

Old Timey Christmas Garland

I'm still building out my personal collection of Christmas decorations and like the idea of making them when I can.

I found this project on Pinterest and after collecting some scraps from fabric stores nearby set to work. 

First I cut a conservative amount of strips of the fabrics I gathered (1). I included some red and green felt in my garland.  I liked the idea of the differing weights mixed together.  My length was limited by this because I only purchase 2 squares of each, though this worked out great for me, the garland could have gone much longer had I purchased a few more.

I used some hemp cord that I had lying around as the base, thinking that it's strong and will hold up for years.  I didn't cut this ahead of time, because I didin't know how long it would be in the end. I don't plan ahead like that - sometimes works and sometimes bites me in the you know what.  I tied a loop in one end and looped it around a water bottle to hold the end up, you want that end stable, like when you used to safety pin friendship bracelets to the knee of your jeans - remember?

Next step - start tying (2).  That's pretty much it.  I picked the order that I wanted for my garland and just kept going.  I put on my Hulu and just plugged away.  It took me a couple evenings after work but I got it done in time for the holidays (even if I didn't get it posted).

The finished product (3) hung across the entry to my living room and brough cheer immediately upon entering my house.  Very pleased with this Pinterest success, definitely one of the easier DIY Christmas decorations that I found that still looked really good.

Happy New Year - OkCupid, Fitbit, and Quiche, Oh My!

Yes, yes I realize that it is already 10 days into the new year and I'm just now posting.  Thank you for pointing that out.  I've been through the ups and downs, excited about the new year, depressed that it feels the same as last year, hopeful for romance and tragically disappointed by the OkCupid prospects popping up on their mobile app.

One of the ups that has stuck for now is the back to WW and eating healthier (i.e. grocery shopping) and documenting all this a bit better here so I feel accountable and appropriately shamed when there are hiccups. I don't believe in shaming other people for hiccups in their resolutions/intentions/goals/whateveryoucallem, but I work well when faced with self-shaming or losing any sort of competition.

The results for this first week (I'm counting this as the first week since I was having an amazing beach vacation for the week over New Years which obviously means nothing counts) include trying out a few new recipes and amping up the Fitbit competition.

Slight tangent on the Fitbit - I like this tracker much better than any others I've had.  I don't think it does anything more, or different, than countless others but it hasn't broken.  I went through several pedometers that either broke with sweat or fell off.  I've had my Fitbit for over 4 years and love it.  For me having the data of how much I've done in a day definitely helps me do just that extra bit more.

Two more people I know got a Fitbit for Christmas and are now in my friends on that app - which really means are two more people in the cut throat, never ending competition for highest steps!  They may not have known they were entering that race, I may never tell them they're in the race, but they are!  Right now I'm second to my friend and co-worker for the week and it's driving me crazy - or I'm already crazy and therefore I care - you pick.

Here is a recipe I tried this week that I was actually really pleasantly surprised by.  Originally intended as a  party food I actually made the whole recipe and have had them throughout the week as a little snack or a couple for breakfast.  Tasty and not horrible for me definitely equals a win in my book.  It was pretty straightforward once you got all the ingredients.  Let me know what you think.

Ingredients

• 4 spray(s) cooking spray   
• 2 small uncooked zucchini, finely chopped   
• 1 large uncooked onion(s), finely chopped   
• 1 cup(s) shredded parmesan cheese, about 3 oz   
• 6 large egg(s)   
• 1/2 cup(s) all purpose flour   
• 1/4 cup(s) basil, fresh, finely chopped   
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, extra virgin   
• 2 tsp baking powder   
• 1 tsp sugar   
• 1 tsp kosher salt   
• 1/2 tsp black pepper   

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat two 24-hole nonstick mini muffin pans with cooking spray (or use just one pan and cook in two batches). 
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon egg mixture into each prepared hole, making sure to stir mixture after filling each one. 
• Bake until bottoms are golden brown and quiche are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove pan(s) from oven and let quiche cool for a few minutes in pan(s); remove quiche to a wire rack to cool more (and repeat with remaining ingredients if necessary). Yields 1 quiche per serving.