Photo of the Day

The colors and the grain really draw me in to this photograph. Enjoy!

The Plan

Some time last week I decided it was time to get serious about one of my dreams - being a photographer. If this is something I really want to do, then I need to write up a business plan. I figured this would be the best first step in moving toward a photography business and a way for me to prepare as an entrepreneur.

In the next few weeks I hope to come up with a rough outline for my photography business. Plus it gives me a great excuse to surf the web looking for other fabulous photography sites while I gather information. I also need to come up with a company name as the most obvious one is already taken by a couple in Texas.

Fun photo for the day

Sunrise from the balcony a few months ago! Now that the sun is rising before I leave for work, I do hope to get a few more great shots! Enjoy!

New Beginnings

Beginning... lots of ideas come to mind with the word beginnings. The past two months I have had a lot of new things happening into my life and I find myself daydreaming about another new beginning.

Motivation and Inspiration

Today was one of those days that I woke up thinking about my future and what few things I would like to accomplish with the year. No, not a new year's resolution, but just thinking proactive about the year and my dreams. My mom always said, "if you are going to dream, dream BIG!"

Of course with today being a big day to celebrate and all, I found my mailbox full of great inspiration in the form of funny birthday cards and great little article clips. I thought this would be a great place to post those motivational pieces as they might help motivate someone else or will serve as a place for me to go back and refresh my memory.

“Growth is exciting; growth is dynamic and alarming. Growth of the soul, growth of the mind.” – Vita Sackville-West

“A lot of people will try to talk you out of pursuing your dream. The world has too many people who are happy to discuss why something might not work, and too few who will cheer you on and say, ‘I’m there for you.’ The more time you spend navel-gazing, the longer you give those negative gravitational forces to keep you in their tether…. If there is something out there that you want to do…don’t focus on the obstacles. Don’t ask for permission. Just dive in.”
- John Wood

“Behind all this, some great happiness is hiding.” Yehuda Amichai

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

What a crazy day! I guess I should have known that recovering from some weird stomach bug for the past week, I would be a mad woman trying to get some things done around the house.

I woke up early to head to the story and do the grocery shopping. Since starting the new job, grocery shopping is not my duty (which I really like). However I decided to cook a few meals today so that we can eat this week with my not having to stand at the stove after a long day (and commute) of work. After putting away the groceries I started in on the Tortilla Soup, Curried Peas and Rice and a Frittata for my breakfast for the week. I also grilled up a large chicken breast for a Pasta, Red Pepper and Chicken dinner. I ended up freezing the soup since I figured we would have that later in the week. After doing all of that in the kitchen (for hours) I had to tackle some piles of papers that need to be sorted. Ugh! I also dusted and vacuumed the den/second bedroom. Now I think I shall get in the shower.

I am a bit bummed as I did not take a single photo for the International Shoot All Day competition sponsored by Popular Photography. The idea is to shoot a photo every 5 minutes for the entire day. This exercise should help expand your photography skills as every shoot will not be the perfect light/ perfect location/ perfect setup. I did not even take a shot. Bummer. I guess I will have to go on my own photo safari around the city soon to brush up on my hobby!

Happy Sunday! May this next week be a great week for everyone!

101 things in 1001 days

I stumbled across this idea recently while surfing a lot of blogs. The idea is great - list 101 things you would like to do in 1001 days. A quick Google search will bring up lots of pages and ideas of things to add to a list like this. People have posted their lists, then blogged about when they actually accomplished the task.

While I have not even started a list, I thought I might use the blog as a place to help me brainstorm ideas. Perhaps #1 on the list should be writing the list.

So, what would be on your list?

Where as the month gone?

Time is just zipping on by and every time I think things might settle down and get into a routine, things get crazy and give no signs of slowing down. However, my body decided it needed to slow down and fight a bug that has been going around at work. While fighting this bug off and on the past couple of days, I decided that I just needed to sit down and relax. The new job will be there when I get back. Plus I have been working crazy hours and will work crazy hours next week, so why worry about it now?

I wanted to give a shout out to a new blog I found. Joe Photo has been blogging for awhile and just opened up his blog to others to check out. He is a very giving and inspiring person (from the little that I have read on his blog).

Go check it out! http://www.cupofjoephoto.com/

I found this quote on his blog today and thought I would post it here. Every now and again I have to step back and look at the bigger picture.

"Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect, It means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections"

Happy New Year - 2007!

What a crazy few weeks I have had! I started a new job three weeks ago and have had a crazy ride during the new job. Today before jumping in the shower I realized t hat 2007 will be a big year for me. I believe 2007 will be a tough year for me. I hope to take some time and focus some time on myself; put myself first. That itself will be a tough act to follow as I am such a giving person and rarely put myself and feelings first.

This new job will be a tough part of the year for me too. I have some conflicted feelings about the new job, but I am sure some of the feelings I am having would be related to any job I do. So, I just need to take a deep breath and do the best I can do every day.

Happy New Year to everyone! May 2007 be a wonderful year for each and everyone!

Blog Addiction

I spend a lot of time checking out blogs of interest and looking for new content. It is almost as if I think these people are my friends and I need to see what they have been up to. Sad, I know.

Here is the crazy thing - I check blogs almost everyday, yet I do not blog everyday. I guess I cannot expect new content if I do not take the time and update my blog. Time to be serious about blogging, or at least come up with some new content on a regular basis.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming...

The Power of Positive Thinking

I have a lot of self doubt and wonder how or if I will ever get to a goal. Yet today I came across a really good post that I want to share. I really need to reread through this post and try to get myself to think about things in a positive light.

Here is the link. http://www.xanga.com/garyfong1/551002798/item.html

Check it out. I should really put Gary under the photography blogs or perhaps just a good blog to check out as I love reading it. I also should learn a bit more about HTML code.

Any good sites to recommend to learn about HTML and have a cool blog? If so, leave a comment.

Sudoku

Yes, I am addicted to Sudoku. However, recently I find myself playing http://www.websudoku.com/ every day. Instead of testing my skills at higher levels, I want to beat the clock on the easiest level. Crazy, isn't it?

Of course I am here to brag that I finally completed an easy puzzle in 4 minutes, 51 seconds, placing me in the top 33%. Exciting! Then again perhaps I am missing the entire point of Sudoku, to enjoy puzzle solving.

Why not give it a whirl and post your fastest time for the easy puzzle here.

Tomato and Sausage Risotto

Serves 4; Prep time: 10 minutes; Total time: 55 minutes



1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bunch flat-leaf spinach (10 to 14 ounces), washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 7 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons butter

1. In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.

4. Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid).

5. Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Per serving: 411 cal; 19.4 g fat (8.6 g sat fat); 23 g protein; 33.5 g carb; 2.1 g fiber
from Marth Stewart Everyday Food

So very yummy and worth the time to make.

Words of Encouragement

We all need them from time to time. I thought this would be a great place to put down some of my favorite quotes and motivational words that I find. This post was sparked by the following I received today.

The road to success is not straight.
There is a curve called Failure,
a loop called Confusion,
speed bumps called Friends,
red lights called Enemies,
and caution lights called Family.
You will have flats called Jobs.
But, if you have a spare called Determination,
an engine called Perseverance,
insurance called Faith,
and a driver called Hope ,
you will make it to a place called Success.

Exercise and the Morning

Well, I said I would exercise before hopping on the internet today, but here I am updating my blog. Ok. I shall head to the gym once I get this little post up. My motivation for going to the gym is so small. Perhaps it is time for new workout shoes as my feet have been bothering me. I am too young to have feet problems, but I seem to have them.

Today's To Do List is long, so I best wrap it up and head on out.

Plan for the gym - treadmill and some weights.

Glazed Chocolate-Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Yield: 16 servings
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 1/2 hours (including cooling time)
Ease of preparation: Easy
You don't have to have pumpkin pie to still enjoy pumpkin and spice in a Thanksgiving dessert. This tender, moist cake uses pureed pumpkin to replace much of the fat and is delicately seasoned with classic Thanksgiving flavors.

Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 15-ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature (see Tip)
1 large egg white, at room temperature
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Glaze & Garnish
1/2 cup packed confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon nonfat buttermilk
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips or toasted chopped nuts

1. To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray.

2. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl.

3. Blend 1 cup buttermilk, pumpkin puree and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed. Beat in whole egg and egg white. Stir in oil, corn syrup and vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

4. Bake the cake until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely on the rack, about 2 hours.

5. To glaze & garnish cake: Combine confectioners' sugar and 1 tablespoon buttermilk in a small bowl, stirring until completely smooth. Place the cake on a serving plate and drizzle the glaze over the top; garnish with chocolate chips (or chopped nuts) while the glaze is still moist.

Per serving: 234 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 46 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; 238 mg sodium; 159 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (80% daily value).

Source: Eating Well

Notes: Instead of regular flour I used only whole wheat pastry flour. Very good cake, even without the glaze.

Spiced Zucchini Bars with Raisins (Adapted from One Smart Cookie)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter -- softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour -- (or regular flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed grated zucchini
1/2 cup raisins, white -- or dried cranberries


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar until creamy. Mix in egg and vanilla - beat until smooth.

In a small bowl, whisk together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.

Add the flour mixture along with the grated zucchini into the butter mixture. Stir just until combined and then gently fold in the dried canberries and pecans .

Scoop batter into an 8x8" baking dish lightly coated with nonstick spray. Bake until the top springs back when lightly touched near the center, about 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

Note: whole wheat pastry flour can be found at the grocery store with a little looking.

A kick in the pants

I have several blogs that I like to check out (soon I hope to put up links oncee I figure it out!) and today I found one that created a spark in me. Perhaps if I blog about workouts, healthy eating and my personal goals I just might make the leap to being addicted to the workouts. I really do need to loose weight, more than I care to announce at this time, so I shall post and head to the gym. Hello treadmill!

Motivation

Where does it come from? I really need to find some motivation for myself as it really is lacking. Perhaps a quick search of motivational quotes will help me out.

Alright here is the quote of the day from Motivationalquotes.com

The good things of prosperity are to be wished; but the good things that belong to adversity are to be admired.

Seneca

Not sure if that does it for me, but I really should get to the To Do list. More to follow soon.

Organization - always a work in progress

So I read a lot on the Cooking Light Community Bullentin Board . I love reading new recipes and getting feedback from others about recipes they tried and liked. Lately some of my favorite recipes have come from the Great Food Board.

Yesterday I made a post about things I have made in the past to give for the Holidays. Of course I cannot find the recipe in my recipe stacks. Argh! I will have to go searching more this weekend as I have other things I need to be doing right now. Not to mention I really do collect recipes. Not that I try them all, but I collect a lot of recipes. Perhaps now is the time to toss some of the older magazines that I have not even looked at. I would never miss them, right?