Saturday 22 December 2012

Paradise and Pancakes

Sorry it's been a little while since my last post, but Chris and I were taking some much deserved relaxing time in sunny Cancun!


One week filled with sun, sand and ocean was exactly what we needed. I saved up all my holidays from this year so I could spend 3 weeks with my Hunny, so now even though we're home I still don't have to go back to work until January 2nd. Aaaahh... life is good. Staying up late, sleeping in and making delicious food together.... which brings me to the point of this post.

Monday 10 December 2012

So, You're Saying I'm a Diamond...

Marriage is hard, and marriage is amazing... all for the same reason.

I'm sorry if you all get tired of hearing me talk about marriage, but seeing as I'm just barely 18 months in, it's something that is constantly on my mind. Then you add in the fact that I have one friend that just got married, and another that will be walking down the aisle in a matter of weeks... It's an understatement to say that a lot of my conversations these days revolve around this topic. And you know what? I hope I always think about marriage this much. I hope I constantly have a heart to learn and grow and discover as much as I can. I never want to get to a place where I am just "living it" but instead am constantly searching for ways to improve my marriage.


OK, so I'll say it again: Marriage is hard, and marriage is amazing... all for the same reason. 

Let me explain.

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Marriage isn't always 50/50

I am officially on the other side of my busiest season to date. Crunch time started around the beginning of Novermber with one friend's shower, stagette and wedding taking up 3 out of 4 weekends, and this past weekend was my other friend's shower and stagette all in one day. As usual all this "busy" stuff was awesome, and amazing, and I was blessed to be a part of it, but as I admitted in my last post, it was also quite hard. But now... it's over

Deep breath in....... and out......

Aaaaahhhhhhhh

So I learned something about myself in this time. (Surprise surprise) Unfortunately what I learned is less than flattering.

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Sometimes I just need to write.

I wrote a post not too long ago about how I hate the word busy. Something I hate even more is when I allow myself to be consumed by the word and the overwhelmed feeling that goes along with it.

The worst part? When I feel overwhelmed with one thing, I tend to feel overwhelmed with everything. It's as though there is a list screaming at my inside my head that seems completely out of my reach. The sheer volume of tasks before me cause me to feel like the weight is preventing me from getting up and doing.


Friday 9 November 2012

27 in 27 - The Finalized List

Well everyone, I've finalized the list of 27 things that I will cook/bake in my 27th year of life. (Although, as a side note - seeing as I just celebrated my 27th Birthday, I am actually in my 28th year of life. So weird! I only realized this after completing my 26 in 26, and making up this challenge, so I'm not changing it) My deadline is my next birthday- October 14th, and I am so excited for this challenge!

I have split the list into sections, and in no particular order numbered them off to easily keep track of what I have and have not completed. As previously promised, I am committing to not only create each of these dishes, but also to blog step-by-step instructions complete with pictures. I have no idea where to start, but I'm thinking I should get on it pretty quick!!

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Sometimes Change is (Still!) Hard...The Flip Side

Last week I talked about when I was born again (again... yes, I talk like that now), and how it was hard at times when I felt like I didn't fit in with some of my old friendships. This week I want to talk about the flip side, because as hard as it was to feel like I was not fitting into my old life, it was even harder at times when I felt like I wasn't fitting in with my new life.

I have been very blessed to have an amazing Christian community right from the start. I was spoiled, really- I didn't have to work hard at finding new Christian friends like I know some other people have had to do. Instead I was instantly accepted into the group of friends that Chris already belonged too. They were his small group (church language for bible study group) and immediately they were my small group. This group hung out a LOT. Once a week bible study, lunches after the Sunday service, and often some sort of hang out on Friday or Saturday night. I felt like I was thrown into the deep end, and at times it felt like it was a sink or swim senario.

Thursday 1 November 2012

Sometimes Change is Hard

Ok, who am I kidding? Change is often hard. At least for me it is. Even when the change is good, I find myself grieving what was. Trying so hard to hold on to the familiarity that I have trouble embracing what is new- or even the idea of something new.

I went through a drastic change in my life when I accepted Jesus (Yes... I talk like that now) I had to wrestle with so much during that time- even the language which I used to describe it. I spent my whole life being in a completely different place with my faith. In that time I often made fun of, or looked down on the "Bible Thumpers" who claimed to be born again or saved. I found myself in a place of superiority over "those Christians" because the way I practiced my faith was so much more accepted among peers. I actually had friends that would thank me, or make comments about how they liked that I never talked about religion. They knew that I believed in God, and I knew they didn't - and neither one of us wanted the other to change their mind. I once had a conversation with someone about how I hoped they would believe in something, but I certainly had no interest in telling them what that should be. For all I cared, they could believe in that lamp *gestures towards lamp in the corner* Now.... my views on lamp worship have changed quite a bit since then, but that's not actually where I'm going today.

Tuesday 23 October 2012

27 in 27

I gave it some thought and decided (with a little help from a friend) that my list is going to look a little different this year. Everything about it is different except for the similarity in title.

27 things to make or bake in my 27th year of life

Last year I set out to do 26 things that I might not have done had there been no motivation. Some of the items on the list were things I had always wanted to try (make goat cheese), while others were things I hadn't done in a while (go horseback riding) and happily used the excuse of the list to do them once again. It went great- I crossed some things off my list that I was really proud of. The only problem came when I set out to make my list for this year.... I drew a blank.

All I could come up with were delicious new meal ideas, and even more baking accomplishments I wanted to achieve - I had donuts, eclairs, buns and more dancing in my head. One could blame it on Pinterest, but it's also completely possible that I just hadn't had dinner yet.

Monday 15 October 2012

26 in 26...What I did (and didn't) do this past year

 I made a list on my birthday one year ago of things I wanted to accomplish in the coming year. Here is the finished product of what I did and didn't do! For most of the items that were finished, you can follow the link to the post for that item.


1. Make Foccacia bread  Done!

2. Go Snowshoeing with my love (There's a story here...) Sadly this didn't happen- I missed the boat during the snow season, which in my defense was quite short last winter.

3. Make homemade salsa. I wish I could say I did this one. I have a few garden tomatoes that are perfectly ripe and begging for this to happen, but.... I just didn't do it. 

4. Grow my own herbs Done! Worked great in a planter on the deck!


5. Draw. Anything. (Something I used to really enjoy and constantly swear I'll start up again) Done!! I doodled a few times... don't think there will be a blog with pictures though ;)

Thursday 11 October 2012

Turducken: Reviewed

If you've been tracking along with me this past year, you probably know about the list I made on my Birthday- 26 things I wanted to accomplish in my 26th year of life. One of the more daunting tasks was to make a Turducken (#11)

For those of you that haven't heard of it, a Turducken is a Turkey that has been stuffed with a duck that has been stuffed with a chicken. All three birds are deboned, and there is stuffing in between each layer, so when complete you can cut straight through the center to reveal a cross section of turkey>stuffing>duck>stuffing>chicken>stuffing. Some people choose to do three seperate stuffings (all different flavours) in each layer, but I chose to stick with my family recipe. My family *cough Nicole cough* does not always enjoy the... adventurous nature of my cooking, so I wanted something about this beast to be recognizable.

Friday 5 October 2012

What's the rush, Rushy Pants?

I don't know why I've always felt rushed in my life. Rushed to get through high school; rushed to figure out what I want to do with my life. Rushed to get married and start a family. To be out of debt. To buy a house. To have a retirement plan.

It's as though I have grown up with the "normal age" to have all these things done seared in my brain. I'm sure there were many influences in that- conversations with family and friends, media etc. I can distinctly remember planning out my life with my cousin when we were little. I wanted to be married by 20, and have my first baby at 22. Of course we would buy our first home the year we got married. It just made sense.

Monday 24 September 2012

Don't hit yourself in the face, Melissa

I am a person that needs accountability. When I take on a new venture, I will often tell as many people as possible so I will feel like I need to follow through. I do this quite often when I am trying to eat healthier, or exercise more - if everyone knows I have vowed to stop eating fried foods, I certainly can't order those nachos- I can't let my peeps down!

This is one reason why I made my list of things I wanted to accomplish this year public to the blogosphere, and certainly a reason why I was so vocal about my most recent adventure- My attempt to cross of #12: Jump off 30 ft diving board at Kinsmen Swimming Pool

Tuesday 18 September 2012

The Liebster Award

I've been nominated for an award! Thanks Trisha!! Visit her blog here and you will be rewarded with real, honest posts about her struggles and triumphs. 

The Liebster award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Liebster in German is defined as sweetheart, darling and beloved. Well, shucks*
The rules are simple for receiving this award:
  1. Answer the questions that the tagger set for you
  2. Share post 11 things about yourself  
  3. Pass the award to small blogs
  4. Ask them 11 questions

Tuesday 11 September 2012

I'm good at some stuff, really! (Cookie recipe!)

It was pretty hard for me to be so honest about how I really don't like gardening. I kind of hate being so open- letting you all see my flaws. I do it as often as I can though in the hopes that one day I'll kick this pride habit and stop hating it so much.

I'll let you know how that goes.

I feel the need to talk about something I DO like. Ok, ok... I just want to talk about something I'm good at to try to cast shadow over the thing I'm horrible bad at. Ugh. I seriously hate gardening.

Back to it

Thursday 6 September 2012

I just want to spit out the word "Busy" Blech!

What we do or do not have time for really is a relative idea, don't you think?

A couple of years ago my life consisted of work and "relaxing in the evening" each night. Every single day I would get up, go to work, and then come home, eat dinner and plunk down in front of the TV and stay there for the rest of the night until I went to bed. We're talking a routine of 5-6 hours a night watching TV.

I called it being a "Homebody" although some might argue it's also referred to as "couch potato"

Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to?

Monday 3 September 2012

Bedroom Re-Do


When Chris and I first moved into this house we focused on redecorating the rooms that other people see the most - we painted the kitchen first, then the living room, then the hallway. This summer we took on the bedroom. I have been begging Chris for a romantic, beautiful bedroom since the very beginning. ... and it turned to so much better than I could have imagined!!

I just had to share some before and after pics, 
so we'll start with "before"...

Tuesday 28 August 2012

My husband took a weed whacker to the garden last night....

And I couldn't be happier about it!

Let me explain.

We are living in my Mom's house. The house I grew up in, actually. We LOVE this house. My Mom is being so gracious to let us live there for quite low rent while Chris is in school, and it quite simply the biggest blessing we could ever ask for. Included with this house is a sizable back yard with a very large garden. When I planted it last spring, only weeks before the wedding I remember feeling a little intimidated, but mostly excited for all the fresh veggies we would harvest.

What I didn't anticipate was the weeding.

Oh.... the weeding.

Thursday 23 August 2012

Love Letter to Myself

As you know, I like to write letters to who I was in the past, but this letter was inspired by a new idea that has exploded in the blogosphere - A love letter to yourself. I've been told that writing this can change the way you look at yourself.

I'll let you know ;)


Dear Me,

This blinking curser is staring me down something fierce. I wanted to begin with something heartfelt and touching, but it looks like instead we'll have to start with some honesty.

Thursday 16 August 2012

"The List" ... not much time left!!

I have come to realize that I don't have much time left before my birthday, and I have WAY too many things left on my List to do. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, check out this post which explains how I made a list on my birthday last year of 26 things I would like to do in my 26th year of life.

So this past weekend I crossed two more things off the list. First I made foccacia bread (#1)

Wednesday 15 August 2012

A Letter to That Broken Girl

Dear Broken Girl,

You have had your heart broken into what feels like a million pieces, and now you feel really quite broken yourself. I'm here to tell you that it does in fact get better. So much better.

I know you thought that your life was on track. There were promises made, and a plan in place, but you knew it didn't feel quite right. You allowed yourself to ignore that nagging feeling because you so desperately wanted the end goal. To be married. To have kids. To be a wife and a mother and the identity that goes along with that. Certainly beats the identity you have now. Stuck in limbo. Not in school, not really having a "career"

Friday 3 August 2012

Hillbillies vs. Hippies

I have been to Big Valley Jamboree the past 8 years in a row, and many are finding it quite odd that on this year which marks the festival's 20th Anniversary I am choosing not to attend.

Me, Gloria, Nicole & Charlene
Well there are a number of reasons- some financial, some personal. Either way Chris and I decided to instead take in the Calgary Folk Fest which was this past weekend.

And I fell in love.

I'd like to attempt to compare the two festivals, not by music genre (the obvious difference) but instead by overall experience and a few sub-categories. Please keep in mind that this comparison is based solely on my own experience at both- I am fully aware that there are people that experienced BVJ in a completely different way than I did. I am not summarizing the Jamboree as a whole- just as I saw it.

Friday 27 July 2012

Confessions of a Newlywed: Our First (Non)Date

I realize a lot of this series has been me attempting to be honest about my experiences in our first year of marriage with the hopes that some of what we have learned in our short time thus far may resonate with others. While I have a lot more to say, I think perhaps I'll save it for my "One Day" book (and be thankful this series has all my juices flowing in that respect)

So that being said, this will be the last post in this series, because I've been itching to write about more than just marriage! I thought it might be fun to end on a lighter note and tell you all a few bits and pieces from our love story. When we got engaged we decided to make a Wedding Website to have a place where people could connect with us and refer back to if they needed details like where we were registered etc. This website also had a bunch of mushy stories- Chris and I both wrote our version of our first date on this website, and I thought I'd share that with you today.

Friday 20 July 2012

Confessions of a Newlywed: Deserted Islands and Sanctification

Chris and I have been watching Lost on Netflix recently. The other night one of us made a comment about how living on a deserted island has a way of flushing out all your flaws.

Well, if that's the case, then I think marriage is like living on a deserted island

Can I get an Amen??

I'm sure I've said this before, but I feel like marriage is like having someone hold up a mirror to you, revealing all your flaws and imperfections. Some days it feels like one of those fun house mirrors where everything looks distorted and crazy, and some days the lighting is just a little more flattering.

Friday 13 July 2012

Confessions of a Newlywed: Avoid Always and Never

I'm not sure if our generation ever cooks with a pressure cooker. I don't even own one, and I don't know anyone who does. I have memories of my Mom cooking with one though, and remember the warnings we were given as children. We were NOT to touch the cooker. Even though the jiggling top was so tempting. If you mess with a pressure cooker it can quite literally explode all over your kitchen.

I think you see where I'm going with this, no?

Friday 6 July 2012

Confessions of a Newlywed: Pick Your Battles

I have this friend, and she is somewhat perfect for me. We completely get each other. We're crazy similar in our likes/dislikes and more importantly our views on life, which prevents us from having those moments when you're sitting there thinking "What the heck are you saying?" when your friend is talking and all sorts of crazy is coming out of her mouth.

Come on people, it's honesty time. You know you've been there.

Ok. there was that one time that she talked about putting someone in a potato sack and beating the living daylights out of them. That was a bit nuts. I was pretty sure she was kidding though. Pretty sure.

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Confessions of a Newlywed: To Champion One Another's Needs

If you haven't noticed already, Chris and I are very intentional about our marriage. What I mean by that is that we recognize that the odds are against us in this world in many ways. Marriage is not something we take lightly - it needs to be nurtured, protected, and taken care of. Quite simply put, the Beatles were lying to us all when they sang All You Need is Love. It's like a car. You can buy a brand new car and think everything is great, but if you don't wash it regularly, it may rust; and without regular oil changes, your engine (albeit, taking some time) will eventually seize.

So we read books. We attend bible studies focused on marriage. We read countless articles. We pray about it; separately and together. We talk about it often; both between just the two of us, and with others. We both believe in having mentors in our lives. Someone who has already been through your current stage of life, and for us, someone who is further on their walk with God. This too, has been instrumental in our first year together.

Thursday 14 June 2012

Confessions of a Newlywed: Looking Forward

A friend asked me the other day how our first year of marriage was. I responded "Great- best year of my life so far" He then gave me this little nugget of wisdom:

Each year will feel like the best year so far, but you'll never feel like you want to go back to it.

How great is that?

Have you ever been somewhere amazing? Mexico? Europe? Japan? Even just somewhere close like Canmore? The trip was great- the food, the scenery, the weather. Everything about it made you want to return as soon as you possibly could. I think this is pretty normal. You experienced something wonderful, and wanting to experience it again is a pretty natural response.

But what if you knew that your next trip, whether to a new destination, or to the same one was going to be better?

Monday 11 June 2012

Happy One Year Anniversary, Husband!

Caution: If you are repelled by sickly sweet, mushy, lovey dovey couples, this post is not for you! If you read on anyways, because really, how many people would just stop reading? You cannot claim you weren't warned when you are gagging in mere moments...


Dearest Husband,

Well Babe-a-licious, we've made it a whole year.

Last year, at this very moment in time I was walking down the aisle to you. Any nervousness I had completely melted away, along with everything else in the room. I'm sure other people were present - I've seen the pictures- but in that moment I didn't notice a single person in the room other than you.

Wednesday 6 June 2012

Confessions of a Newlywed: Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Got Married - Part 2

In my last post I talked about my Mom, and how she modeled the picture of a strong independent woman for me. Today myself and my husband Chris write about how my independence had the potential to confuse roles and expectations we both had going into marriage.

 In a marriage (at least in ours) both the wife and the husband have a desire to take care of the other. We do this in different ways, both big and small. For instance, this evening I baked muffins for Chris's lunch, and he mowed the lawn.... these are things that when done, bring the other person pleasure. Chris loves sweet treats, and I hate mowing the lawn, and am SO grateful to not have to do it. In a small unspoken way when we do these things what we are saying to the other is "I  want to show you I love you, and I want to take care of your needs"

Problems may arise when we come into a marriage with certain expectations of how we might take care of the other. When we are not able to fulfill the role we have set for ourselves it can leave us feeling inadequate, and even unworthy. One way I realized I was not allowing Chris to take care of me was in small ways - things that I had always done for myself that he had always perceived as the husband's role. I had never needed to ask for help, so why would I now? 

I've asked Chris to share a little on this topic....

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Confessions of a Newlywed: Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Got Married - Part 1

The Title of this blog is *ahem* borrowed from a book I read by Gary Chapman before Chris and I were engaged. One of my favorite parts of the book is when the author talks about how would be naive to believe that our childhood- specifically our relationships with our parents- do not affect the way we relate to our spouse.

Oh geez. This certainly could open up a can of worms, couldn't it?

Now, if you know me then you know that I haven't always had the easiest relationship with my Dad. Surprisingly that isn't what I want to talk about today. Today I'm talking about my amazing Mommy, and how her model of a strong independent woman shaped the woman I am today.

Thursday 31 May 2012

Confessions of a Newlywed: Intro

As Chris and I approach our One Year Anniversary in only a few days I find myself thinking and reflecting on the last year quite a bit.  I have a couple of friends that are in serious relationships and are currently tracking towards engagement and I feel the need to be quite transparent here. I have no intention of scaring them off or wanting to change their minds, but it seems to me that you hear from two main groups when it comes to marriage - The younger marrieds in my experience have a tendency to lean towards only telling stories of their first few years being this blissful honeymoon stage, and then there are the older marrieds (Married 20+ years)  who have made it through the trials and are seasoned enough to admit the truth. Marriage is hard work. So very worth it, but also really quite hard. More so than I think most people expect.

Tuesday 29 May 2012

A Letter to My High School Self

Dear High School Self,

Well things just got a little better, now didn't they? (Refer back to A Letter to My Junior High Self)

Boyfriend. Job. Friends, both new and old. For a while, it really seems like you're on a roll! Although... you probably could have done a few things better.

First of all. Don't start smoking. Ok, let's be fair- this happened in the summer before high school, and you quit only a few months into grade 10. Can we just agree that it was a dumb decision to ever try it? Now you're going to buy into the lie that it's a stress reliever, and any little squabble with the boyfriend will send you running for a pack. Just plain dumb. Do your future self a favor and stay away from those bad boys, otherwise it's quite likely you'll struggle with this well into your twenties.

Tuesday 22 May 2012

Allow yourself to be more than one dimension

I am a lot of things. I am a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a youth leader, an employee, a colleague... the list goes on and on. That's not really what I mean though.

I am a bit of a hippy, but also a tiny bit hipster. I am an environmentalist. I believe in fair trade, and in making socially conscience decisions and purchases... but I am also a sucker for a good deal and often shop at Wal-Mart. I have recently turned into a bit of a health nut, but still love a good plate of greasy nachos.

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Keeping your tank full

Sorry I have been MIA recently. I have been investing all my time into a couple of lovely events I helped plan. First there was a Ladies Retreat the first weekend of May, and this past weekend I had the privilege of co-hosting a Bridal Shower for my oldest bestest friend Mandi. Both events took a ton of work, and both were 110% worth it- something I can say now that I am on the other side of the hair frazzling, budget crunching, registration taking, up all night baking, crafting til my fingers hurt marathon.

I was reflecting about how I managed to get through those frazzled moments. It's all about balance and keeping your tank full - a concept that I have borrowed from a well known speaker, and have adopted into my daily life. Forgive me if I have talked about this before, but even if I have, it's worth going into a bit more detail.

Tuesday 1 May 2012

So... I have a secret

I hate working out. I pretty much just refuse to do it. I will happily watch what I eat, and limit junk food. Anything that has to do with my caloric intake - no problem, I've got that figured out. I can muster up the will power when needed. My problem is burning those calories.

Friday 13 April 2012

#17? Check! #21? Check!!

First of all, I would like to draw your attention to the shiny new "Follow by Email" function located to the left. It's just as simple as it sounds - enter your email address, and each time I have a new post you will be notified. Pretty neat, huh?

Anyways, moving along.

We're checking in on my progress of The List, and in the past couple weeks I managed to scratch off two more!

Thursday 29 March 2012

Marriage musings...

Chris and I are currently in a small group that is studying Love & War by John & Staci Eldridge. We are LOVING it. We meet once a week. First we watch a video that recaps the chapter, and then they have a few couples just sit around and discuss the chapter and how it resonates in their own marriage. After the video we have time to do the same thing with the 5 other couples in the group. SO great and life-giving.

Saturday 24 March 2012

Quinoa Quiche

So I have a confession. I completely messed up making quinoa the first few times. It was a sticky, mushy mess. Chris ate it with a smile, trying to convince me that he liked it (If you know about the "gravy incident", you know why) but I knew that it wasn't good. Third time must be a charm though, because that's when I finally got it right, and it came out light and fluffy like it should!

Friday 24 February 2012

26 in 26... Checking In!

For those of you who may remember, on my birthday (In October) last year I made a list on 26 things I want to do in my 26th year of life. Time to check in and see how I'm doing!

A Preacher's wife can preach too ya know!

Last year when Chris and I were still engaged I was asked to speak to the young women in our youth ministry. Ok, to be honest, I asked if I could do this talk. Matt graciously allowed me to speak the following to approx. 30 young girls aged Grade 7-12.

This is a topic I feel quite passionate about, but to be totally honest I feel a heck of a lot of anxiety when it comes to sharing it with all of you. I have a lot of non Christian friends. Close friends- most of which knew me long before I knew Jesus... and sometimes I wonder if they would call me crazy if they really knew how deep my faith in God is. Only one way to find out I suppose! It keeps coming to mind, and around these parts one might say that's the Holy Spirit telling me to do it soooo.... here we go.

Monday 6 February 2012

The fat and skinny on yoga pants.

Before I was married, I did not own yoga pants. Some are quite pricy, don't you think? My lounge wear was pajama pants, and let me tell you that is certainly not appropriate work attire. Chris used to beg me to buy a pair of Lu Lu's. Something about my rear...? I used to joke that instead of lingerie, for my bridal shower I should ask for Lu Lu Lemon pants because that is apparently what seems to appeal to him. (Funny story, my sister is hilarious and actually bought me Lu Lu's for my shower! Ha!)

Ok, I know. We're getting into TMI zone here. Don't worry, this story is going to a place far far away from where you mind currently is.

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Attempting to actually eat the food in our fridge

Another post about food?

Deal with it- it's totally in the description of the blog. This is part of what we're about here, ok?

I love food. I love to talk about food. Sometimes I get made fun of for it, but you know what? That's ok, because my love for food surpasses my love for seeming hip and cool all the time.

I may or may not have talked about this before, but I HATE to throw out food. I can literally hear coins hitting the trash can. Chris will actually tell me to look away when he finds something in the fridge that needs to be tossed. It's that serious. While yes, it is better now that we compost (Thank you St. Albert) and I know the rotten vegetables are not adding to the landfills, but instead being turned into wonderful dirt for me to use in my garden... I still despise it.

Tuesday 17 January 2012

"The List" Progress aka... we made goat cheese!

So if you remember, I made a list on my birthday of 26 things I'd like to do in my 26th year of life.

Recently I took a look at the list to check in and see how I was doing. Oddly enough, Chris and I had just decided to make homemade goat cheese (we even had all the ingredients and supplies!) Once I remembered it was on my list, I got really excited, and so off we went.

So first of all we heated up 2 L of goat's milk. When I tell people about this, everyone's first question is where on earth we got goat's milk. Sadly no, we do not have a pet goat. Totally considering it though.

Thursday 12 January 2012

A Letter to my Junior High Self

Dear Junior High Melissa,

You're right. Life is hard, and your Mom doesn't really understand. She's trying to though - the best a Mom can actually. Maybe give her a bit of a break when she tries to talk to you after school. Listen instead of staring at the TV. You're going to miss these times one day.

OK, let's start with the basics. Please cover yourself up. The clothes you wear directly affect how people view you. It may sound harsh, but it's very true. The stares you are getting from boys does not mean they like you or want to take you for a nice dinner and treat you well. It means that you have something they want, and that is all. You body is an object to them. This is a dispicable truth, but something you can actually change. Put on a sweater. Go. Do it now. Also, the stares you get from other girls has nothing to do with jealousy (stop kidding yourself!)

Thursday 5 January 2012

I refuse to call it a resolution. It's a lifestyle change darnit!!

I will write more blogs this year... I will. I read a number of blogs each day, and I actually get annoyed when they don't post every single day. Every day??? That's crazy nuts. A goal, sure- but maybe let's start with one a week for now mmmkay?

Recently I have discovered quinoa. And lentils. And kale chips. I'm going bonkers over health food these days. Somewhat necessary to balance out the fact that my husband received a deep fryer for Christmas. (Expect a post about deep fried pickles in the very near future)